Provocateurs Palo Alto Issues, posted by Peter, a resident of the Southgate neighborhood, on Aug 2, 2007 at 6:59 pm
Here we go again. There seems to be a rash of provocateurs on this forum. They post in various topics with various aliases with no thought to engage in dialog but merely to stir things up for their own amusement. Unfortunately, they suck more serious-minded folk into interminable and useless back-and-forths. Recent posts on threads such as "Why don't bikes stop at stop signs?" and "Friends of Briones house win again in court" contain the most recent examples.
There is no way to exclude them, so the only way to combat these people is to ignore them when it becomes apparent what they're trying to do. To answer them is to make them happy, because an answer hands them another chance to provoke.
I'm not ranting about civility or niceness, just time and effort wasting.
Posted by alig, a resident of the College Terrace neighborhood, on Aug 2, 2007 at 7:12 pm
Maybe if people on these forums werent such petty whiners people wouldnt find it so hilarious to trick them into responding angrily to ridiculous comments
Posted by Resident, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 2, 2007 at 8:56 pm
In Britain, August is known as silly season in the press due to the fact that there isn't enough going on to make sensible articles about.
I think this is silly season here and will remain so until our kids get back to school and there are important issues like homework for them to play around with.
Posted by Live And Learn, a resident of Another Palo Alto neighborhood, on Aug 2, 2007 at 11:48 pm
I’ve been snookered! All this time I thought the more extreme pro-MI posters who avoid the issues by calling attention to irrelevant personal attacks were legitimate. Now I learn there’s even a name for them: provocateurs.
Posted by Disagree, a resident of another community, on Aug 3, 2007 at 4:10 am
Whatever happened to free speech and the first amendment? Just another PA geriatric with a prissy fit. I think anyone should say anything they want, so go at it!!!
Posted by RS, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 1:33 pm
Actually, I think Peter is refering to people who intentionally post messages about sensitive topics on this forum to cause controversy trying to bait others into responding.
Posted by Leonard S., a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 2:06 pm
"sensitive topics", lol! the one in the "why dont bikes stop at stop signs?" consists of whiney neighbors complaining about cyclists not stopping at stop signs, and then some whiney parent started complaining about cyclists wearing spandex, then whiney cyclists started complaining about the parent complaining about spandex. what a sorry state of affairs!
Posted by RS, a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Leonard S,
I think you misunderstand me, there will always be personality issues, misunderstandings, people who read tone into posts that were not meant and disagreements that go overboard.
There is another class, the poster that creates issues for sport.
I am talking about people that misrepresent their background or their beliefs just to get a rise out of people.
My examples would be different, but I'll use one of yours, I do not believe the person complaining about spandex was a mother with a 5 year old child. It was just someone trying to get people worked up for their own personal entertainment. One could really detect it in the later posts that got deleted.
Thats what I think Peter is refering to.
Under this style of forum though, that sort of posting is going to happen, there is no real way to prevent it.
Posted by Leonard S., a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 6:15 pm
RS, what did the deleted posts say? that complaining parent struck me as a typical poster on these forums with petty complaints to air out to anyone who will read them.
Posted by Leonard S., a resident of the Duveneck/St. Francis neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 7:21 pm
does PA online censor only the most obscene, pornographic, profane material or does it also censor controversial or touchy comments that have the potential to, god forbid, possibly offend someone?
Posted by Frankly, a resident of the Ventura neighborhood, on Aug 3, 2007 at 7:47 pm
Leonard S.:
To answer your question regarding what sort of posts get deleted in this forum, please start by going to the thread titled "Bringing light to the world" found here: Web Link
In response to what seemed to me to be a fluff piece about a local Chabad, I've posted some information about Chabad Lubovitch leadership and belief sytems, including a link to a Chabad website.
This is exactly the sort of information that is routinely deleted by this forum's moderators.
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