INFO_DART, an interesting concept.
Charters is perhaps the bull-goose-loony, but he is not alone. I have noticed that an increasing number of participants on various threads will call for the expulsion of any individual who consistently calls their dreams into question.
It starts with long winded defenses of the 'thread' morality/dream and moves to terse and nasty responses. This is often followed by attacks and derogatory comments which try to show the 'questioner' up as an unpatriotic idiot. If the 'questioner' is not driven off with this kind of response, then he will be attacked by three or four posters at time. Finally someone will bring up the fact that the individual 'questioner' is obviously a Shorter. An evil person trying to make it rich on their backs. The only way of dealing with a 'SHORTER', is to have him driven from the thread. This is when the 'SI' boogey man is raised and people are openly threatened.
I have had friends threatened with physical attack if they didn't shut up. In one case it was EC who cautioned privately that the people doing the threatening were not unlikely to be capable of carrying off some mayhem. i.e... the threat may not have been altogether bogus.
I have taken to avoiding the obvious scam threads. There is no sense in telling people that even short timers like myself can see some things that don't make sense. People often don't want help, they come to the thread like cattle to a sour water hole, and will gore anyone who attempts to lead them away. EC, with all his outlandish tactics, was often the only one who could make an impact.
I have seen charters destroy a thread. I have seen him post stuff that goes way out on a limb. I often do not read his posts. I have posted him privately on a number of occasions warning him of the consequences of some of his remarks. But he did tell me to sell at 5.50 and I held to .60 on the advice of cooler heads.
With regard to your original post; and its implications. I have on occasion spoken up for people I don't particularly like, people I find annoying, but people that deserve a fair hearing. Its not a great role to play. You often come off sounding like a do gooder. But I would rather stand up and tell the zealots to take a hike than to let them carry out some of their more fanatical progroms.
One final point I would like to make. I, on occasion, will attack someone with what I consider hard humour. I will take them to task and attempt to expose their arguments. In some cases I have been known to just laugh at someone. I am quite prejudiced against stupid people. Stupid people deserve only the right to make fools of themselves. I of course will defend their right to this do this. Afterall, where would we be if we didn't have a good crew of yoyos wandering about?
regards,
mnmuench |
