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posted by martyb on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:14AM   Printer-friendly
from the Assholes dept.

Interesting review of a subreddit, wait, no, it's actually fairly good, from a philosophical point of view, over at The Ringer: How "Am I the Asshole?" Created a Medium Place on the Internet. Perhaps all we Soylentils could ask together?

With everything else going on in the world (please see: a pandemic, massive unemployment, the upcoming U.S. election, Karens, police brutality, protests, riots, climate change, and balancing working from home with sending your kids to school), the Reddit forum known as Am I the Asshole? has started to feel like a safe space. It's a place where accountability actually exists, even if only in the form of branding someone right or wrong in one absurd situation. It's also a place for growth: Sometimes posters return to talk about how their lives changed—almost always for the better—because of the advice they got from thousands of anonymous strangers.

[...] The format of the posts has largely remained the same since the beginning. Someone asks a question about an interpersonal conflict, and readers weigh in about whether the poster was in the right or in the wrong and why. But the moderation team has come up with ways to make the subreddit better (or sometimes just more fun).

One of those ways is by adding rules. A subreddit is allowed to have up to 15 rules; since the team added a "No COVID posts" edict earlier this year, AITA now has 14. The most important of those rules is "Be Civil"—without it, AITA might feel like the rest of the internet instead of being a respite from it. The moderators explain that being civil means to "attack ideas, not people" and to "treat others with respect while helping them grow through outside perspectives." It's not often that social media and personal growth go together in the same sentence.

[...] That said, it's not all moral improvement and helpful advice on AITA. Vicious comments have to be removed regularly, and users get suspended or banned every day for breaking rules. Posters often report that they get harassed in private messages, enduring everything from name-calling to death threats. (AITA "doesn't own Reddit," Beaulac says, so while it's something he and the moderators worry about, they also don't have control over anything that goes on outside the forum.) The moderators added an automated message everyone sees before posting, which includes a warning that AITA is a very public forum with millions of readers, that the story could get reported on by the media, and that—despite their efforts—some people don't follow the "Be Civil" rule. Posters get doxxed regularly; the subreddit is just too big for people to be guaranteed that what happens in AITA stays in AITA. The best the moderators feel they can do is warn posters what to expect when telling their stories.

The entire, thought-provoking article runs over 5,000 words and is well worth reading.

[Ed Note - A hat tip to c0lo who also submitted the linked article via IRC.]


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(1) 2
  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:25AM (24 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:25AM (#1064797)

    you probably are the asshole.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:30AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:30AM (#1064799)

      Is that like Rolls-Royce prices?

    • (Score: 5, Flamebait) by ikanreed on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:32AM (6 children)

      by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:32AM (#1064802) Journal

      Another heuristic with high predictive value: if you're posting on reddit, you're probably the asshole.

      • (Score: 4, Funny) by ikanreed on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:49PM (4 children)

        by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:49PM (#1064986) Journal

        The way people are trying to moderate this post like it's a reddit upvote/downvote is hilarious.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:46PM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:46PM (#1065016)

          You may win the contest (if there is one!) for most modded post? Take the |absolute value| of all the mod points and add them together...
          Here, I'll give you a mod now.

        • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:50PM (1 child)

          by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:50PM (#1065060)
          Appealing to people's biases creates noisy results. Hilarious.🙄
          --
          🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:41AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:41AM (#1065968)

          You must be new here.

      • (Score: 5, Flamebait) by hemocyanin on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:43PM

        by hemocyanin (186) on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:43PM (#1065211) Journal

        That's a pretty fucking awesome achievement. +5 flamebait. Not trolling here, I mean it.

    • (Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:38AM (10 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:38AM (#1064807) Journal

      If you have to ask, you probably are the asshole.

      Way to miss the point.

      If you don't ask you may be an asshole for the entire life (and end a sociopathic nobody-likes-me [bbc.com] whinger when old).

      If you ask:
      1. you admit that there's a possibility that you are an asshole and you admit it to yourself first
      2. it shows that you may reconsider if confirmed as an asshole

      Go RTFA, you'll discover there are enough cases in which "confirmed assholes" actually changed their way.

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 0, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:48AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:48AM (#1064809)

        Nope, didn't miss the point, just got you triggered into enlightening us lower lifeforms. Asshole.

        • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:23AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:23AM (#1064823)

          Asshole troll tries to pin his shame on someone else, News @ 11pm MST.

      • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by khallow on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:01AM (5 children)

        by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:01AM (#1064816) Journal

        If you don't ask you may be an asshole for the entire life

        Or you may not be.

        If you ask

        3) Are we fond of asking rhetorical questions?

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:21AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:21AM (#1064820)

          "Or you may not be."

          Yeah that was part of his point.

          4) Yes

        • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:37AM (3 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:37AM (#1064829)

          3) Are we fond of asking rhetorical questions?

          Are we?

          • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:46AM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:46AM (#1064834)

            Rule number 46: khallow is always the asshole. Obvious butt-hole.

            • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:21AM (1 child)

              by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:21AM (#1064914)

              Rule number 46: khallow is always the asshole. Obvious butt-hole.

              Hard as I try, I can't provide a rebutthole for this assertion.

              • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:09PM

                by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:09PM (#1065101)

                You can't. It's the opinion of an insider.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:52AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:52AM (#1065973)

        I forgot how logic works. So if SOME animals are horses, therefore ALL animals are horses. Okay, got it, thanks.

        /s

        Your culture may be quite different. Many assholes are not as confident or insightful as you think. Many assholes, at least in my country, are looking for approval, validation, and enablement. It's not as simple and transparent as you seem to think. They may not be as confident as they portray. You need to do some deeper thinking, and less being an asshole yourself- too quick to be condescending. But it is SN, so carry on I guess.

        • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Sunday October 18 2020, @02:31AM

          by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Sunday October 18 2020, @02:31AM (#1065995) Journal

          I forgot how logic works. So if SOME animals are horses, therefore ALL animals are horses. Okay, got it, thanks.

          Did you check if the new transport of straw good enough for your strawmen?

          Let me translate what I said for you

          Assuming you are an asshole:
          1. if you don't ask (yourself first) you may finish by being an asshole your entire life (if you don't have the luck of discovering it by other mean)
          2. many that discover they are assholes change their ways

          Assuming you are not an asshole, asking yourself then others is still a good think even if it comes with a negative result.

          On on top of the other, the AITA is a thing good to have and it's not "If you have to ask you are one"

          --
          https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 3, Touché) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:15PM (2 children)

      by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:15PM (#1064961)
      I'll take an introspective asshole over a completely oblivious asshole any day of the week.
      --
      🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by cmdrklarg on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:45PM (1 child)

        by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:45PM (#1065014)

        Agreed. If they're capable of introspection then they may turn away from their assholery. One that is simply oblivious may respond favorably to feedback.

        The ones you don't want are the malicious ones.

        --
        The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:57AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @01:57AM (#1065980)

          Just don't confuse introspection with validation seeking.

          Malice is malice no matter how you clothe it.

    • (Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:42PM (1 child)

      by sjames (2882) on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:42PM (#1065192) Journal

      After perusing a few, most seem to be people being gaslighted by the actual asshole and looking for some sort of external reference point to make sure.

  • (Score: 0, Troll) by Ethanol-fueled on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:33AM (3 children)

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:33AM (#1064805) Homepage

    Yeah, no. It's pretty much a Conde-Nast version of Twitter which aggressively censors everything that runs counter to the DNC/Globalist Jew narrative.

    Also,

    please see: a pandemic,

    Bullshit nobody has actually believed since March

    massive unemployment,

    The globalist Jews wanted to hurt trump and instill social control, what they got instead were a lot of pissed-off Trump converts and trigger fingers itchy for UN and Antifa helmets

    the upcoming U.S. election,

    Orange man bad, and anybody who says otherwise will be banned or gang-downmodded

    Karens,

    Although I originally liked this meme, it's mostly bitchy Jewish women projecting their own bitchiness onto Goyettes, used in a similar manner by restaurant workers who accuse every person around them of being the bitch they are because they had to work like suckers while others got the gibs. Can't blame 'em, really.

    police brutality, protests, riots

    Why can't we commit our looting and arson crimes in peace?! I'm so angry at not being able to pillage and loot I could murder in cold blood! For my Black slave ancestors and Jewish academic parents!

    climate change,

    Really?

    and balancing working from home with sending your kids to school

    Dodged this fucking bullet. But feel sorry for others who wanted the family experience without Jewish perverts attacking their kids 24/7 with "Cuties," Scott Weiner's laws, pushing of hormone therapy, and CPS abduction.

    • (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:50AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:50AM (#1064811)

      Ah ha...found the asshole (or at leasr one of them.

      • (Score: 3, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:35PM (1 child)

        by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:35PM (#1065207)

        -1 Troll seems too kind for the level of unpleasantness Ethanol-Fuelled brings.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @02:01AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 18 2020, @02:01AM (#1065984)

          "-1 Troll" is assholery, but of course you don't see it that way.

  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:46AM (29 children)

    by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:46AM (#1064808) Journal

    Perhaps all we Soylentils could ask together?

    I refuse to ask this question together with Runaway and aristarchus**.
    Clearly, we are different kind of assholes, there cannot be a single answer good for all of us, so why waste the time?

    ** not to mention there will be plenty soylentil nonredeemable assholes (you know who you are) that will even refuse to ask.

    --
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:53AM (25 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:53AM (#1064813)

      This is the thing about you triggered liberals- you should someday read your own posts, watch yourself on video. You're so self-righteous you are completely blind to the fact that you're the assholes. You may differ with others, but it's your delivery that reveals your true sphincter core.

      • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:31AM (12 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:31AM (#1064826)

        Triggered? Try reading the reactions of your fellow conservatives. Compare the contentious issues that liberals are happy to discuss and the ones conservatives are unwilling to address.

        All you do is whine and whinge about how mean people are for telling you bigotry is bad, corruption is bad, empathy is good. Yeah, what self-righteous assholes we are!

        We ask you to stop persecuting various groups and you respond with further violence and persecution. And you're upset about meeeaaaannnn woooooorrrrdddssss. #WinterIsComing #COVID-19 #MASKSRGOOD

        • (Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:07AM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:07AM (#1064843)

          Liberals don't discuss- they riot. I'm no conservative, I simply refuse to identify with you violent criminals.

          Do you like being accused of something that's not true?

          And why do you keep inciting division in SoylentNews and the USA? Are you being paid to make things worse? Fix your own problems. Or have you given up and just like getting into brawls?

          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:29AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:29AM (#1064849)

            Coming to YOUR gated community, asshole!! You feel like brandishing your pistola at us, and your wifeys much smaller pistola, as well? You know what the Jesus says, He will take that pistola away from you, and stick it up your white gated-community privileged ass, and pull the trigger, until, it goes "click". Fucking white people cowards. Ought to sue them, except they are lawyers who specialize in asshole suits, and none, and I mean "none", of their neighbors like them. Assholes. Gated-community: High indication of assholes. Waving firearms at people expressing their first amendment rights? Even more indication of assholery. Assholes.

          • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:56PM

            by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:56PM (#1065064)

            Liberals don't discuss- they riot. I'm no conservative, I simply refuse to identify with you violent criminals.

            Apparently you also simply refuse to identify legitimate news sources.

            --
            🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
        • (Score: 0, Flamebait) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:34AM (8 children)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:34AM (#1064895) Journal

          Compare the contentious issues that liberals are happy to discuss and the ones conservatives are unwilling to address.

          Completely false. Your "liberals" aren't "discussing" - they are trying to dictate. Germany's Brownshirts were more honest, in that they never asked for any discussion. It was a clear cut case of "conform or die". If "liberals" wanted to "discuss" issues, they would be at the state capitals voicing their grievances, not on the city streets rioting.

          • (Score: 5, Insightful) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:26AM (2 children)

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:26AM (#1064915) Journal

            If "liberals" wanted to "discuss" issues, they would be at the state capitals voicing their grievances, not on the city streets rioting.

            Don't forget it was the white supremacists that were doing the damage [soylentnews.org]. (large grin)

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
            • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:55PM (1 child)

              by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:55PM (#1065212)

              Wow, that journal entry is sinking pretty low, even for Runaway.

              The desperation to be the good guys, despite all the evidence pointing the other way might be breaking him. It's sad really.

              • (Score: 3, Informative) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:16PM

                by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:16PM (#1065216) Journal

                Cognitive dissonance crisis. Made even worse by the fact he knows they are on the way to extinction [soylentnews.org] (orig [phys.org])

                --
                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
          • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:25PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:25PM (#1064970)

            Liberals and conservatives both clearly don't understand the meaning of: "You can always get one half of the poor to kill the other half" --Napolean.

            Racial strife is a put on. It is a pressure valve. The way you know that, is that that issue has no release vector that leads to any person in power.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:28PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:28PM (#1064972)

            IATA?

            Well I guess if you use terms like "liberal" or "conservative" as a basis of argument, then I would say the statistical distribution is unlikely to be in your favor.

          • (Score: 4, Touché) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:09PM

            by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:09PM (#1065073)

            If "liberals" wanted to "discuss" issues, they would be at the state capitals voicing their grievances, not on the city streets rioting.

            Heh. Yeah, get off the streets! What you're supposed to do is storm the capitals with weapons on display, but never for something as mundane as Police brutality. Save it for your legal right to get a haircut during a pandemic!!

            --
            🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
          • (Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:01PM (1 child)

            by sjames (2882) on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:01PM (#1065094) Journal

            they would be at the state capitals voicing their grievances

            Too many people with fingers jammed in their ears going "La La LA" there.

            • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:16PM

              by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:16PM (#1065109) Journal

              So replace some of them. If you can't get them replaced, then maybe the issues aren't really that important? Where are the voters? If the voters care, they'll do something.

      • (Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:58AM (9 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:58AM (#1064839)

        You're so self-righteous you are completely blind to the fact that you're the assholes.

        Oh, dear. This one is so far gone, that trying to bring him back to reality will be a major task. Task accepted.

        1. Self-righteous is not mutually exclusive with righteous. Could be that the liberals are actually correct, and conservatives have lost any semblance of an actual political position? Yes, it could. So fuck off, you Trump supporting Tea Party racist fucking moron. Next point.

        2. Being an asshole is a matter of not caring about others, of being stuck in a solipsistic bubble, or an ideological bubble to the extend that you just spew. Liberals are not like that, they make arguments, they advocate reasons for policy, and do not base it on things like fucking racism or "Wolverine" fantasies of survivalist right-wing nut-job Oaf Keebler 3%ers, and Mormon wackos, like in Waco!

        3. Sorry we, in the reality-based community, hurt your fee-fees. Perhaps, in the future, if you do not want to be so harmed in the future, you should avoid expressing such bat-shit crazy opinions? Because you will be mocked, mercilessly, as if you were jmorris. But we care about you, we are trying to bring you back to reality. Take my hand, Peter!

        4. Go away, or we will taunt you a second tyme!!

        • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:05AM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:05AM (#1064842)

          4. Go away, or we will taunt you a second thyme!!

          FTFY

          • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:30AM

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:30AM (#1064851)

            Thyank Youse.

        • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Phoenix666 on Thursday October 15 2020, @01:45PM (6 children)

          by Phoenix666 (552) on Thursday October 15 2020, @01:45PM (#1064951) Journal

          2. Being an asshole is a matter of not caring about others, of being stuck in a solipsistic bubble, or an ideological bubble to the extend that you just spew. Liberals are not like that, they make arguments, they advocate reasons for policy, and do not base it on things like fucking racism or "Wolverine" fantasies of survivalist right-wing nut-job Oaf Keebler 3%ers, and Mormon wackos, like in Waco!

          You need to catch up with the times. Liberals used to be like that; it is why I liked them. Now they indulge in cancel culture, wokeness, nouveau-Apartheid/segregation, virtue signaling, identitarianism, and all sorts of purity tests. They have allowed themselves to be hijacked (again) by Marxists. Liberals, in other words, have become most illiberal and conservatives have become the moderate, reasonable ones. Conservatives are nominating a highly accomplished woman to the Supreme Court, and liberals are disparaging her for her genitalia, saying she has a "clown-car vagina" because she had kids, and running her down for being Catholic. Those are things that sexist bigots do, a.k.a. today's "Liberals."

          --
          Washington DC delenda est.
          • (Score: 5, Insightful) by acid andy on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:39PM (1 child)

            by acid andy (1683) on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:39PM (#1064979) Homepage Journal

            Phoenix as fond as I am of your steadfast nature, in recent years you've become incredibly tiresome. Your reasoning is flawed, poisoned by right-wing media and echo chambers. The flaw is that you're tarring liberals with a broad brush, attributing perceived negative traits to the whole group as a reason to dislike it, whilst overlooking any negative traits exhibited by conservatives. Most humans are irrational, selfish copycats. Their political affiliation is largely irrelevant: you'll find ignorant, superficial and tribal behaviors on both sides.

            Are you gradually losing the plot or are you just trying to provoke flamewars as a new hobby?

            --
            If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:05PM

              by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:05PM (#1064995)

              Are you gradually losing the plot or are you just trying to provoke flamewars as a new hobby?

              Why not both?

          • (Score: 3, Touché) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:22PM

            by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:22PM (#1065078)
            Heh. Somebody drew a sophomoric caricature of liberals complete with nose-picking and stink-lines... and you're raging against it.
            --
            🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
          • (Score: 2, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:26PM (2 children)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:26PM (#1065120)

            > You need to catch up with the times. Liberals used to be like that; it is why I liked them. Now they indulge in cancel culture

            Here's an example [soylentnews.org] of Cancel Culture-

            You are right, and that general approach is the only non-violent way we have to compel change. The electoral system is a charade, the government a criminal syndicate. So, opt out. Eschew the cable companies, take your house off-grid, sell your ICE vehicle, stop buying crap you don't need, grow as much of your own food as you can. We are now on the cusp of having the means to do all that without consigning ourselves to living at the level of hunter-gatherers. We can now live modern, technological lives without ceding all power to central control. So do. And help those around you to do so, too.

            • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:50PM (1 child)

              by acid andy (1683) on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:50PM (#1065194) Homepage Journal

              And I actually find myself agreeing with much of the quoted post. What happened to Phoenix666, man? He used to be cool...

              --
              If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
              • (Score: 0, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 16 2020, @12:06AM

                by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 16 2020, @12:06AM (#1065234)

                The real Phoenix left the site and a certain admin has been sock puppeting with his account.

      • (Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:19PM

        by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:19PM (#1064964)

        This is the thing about you triggered liberals- you should someday read your own posts, watch yourself on video.

        Okay, but the current crop of right-wingers should some day read their own posts and look up how many people they hurt from bad advice about masks.

        --
        🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:05PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:05PM (#1065038)

        The first step in AA (Assholes Anonymous) is to admit that you're an asshole.

    • (Score: 2, Funny) by khallow on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:04AM

      by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:04AM (#1064817) Journal

      Clearly, we are different kind of assholes, there cannot be a single answer good for all of us, so why waste the time?

      Clearly we need to categorize this in minute detail, presumably in journal articles. I'll contribute by mocking everyone and holding you all back with my immense mental failwaves.

    • (Score: 3, Funny) by coolgopher on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:30AM (1 child)

      by coolgopher (1157) on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:30AM (#1064825)

      Clearly, we are different kind of assholes

      Speaking of assholes, how about I just ask here instead - am I an asshole for having posted this comment [soylentnews.org]?

      • (Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:34AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:34AM (#1064828) Journal

        am I an asshole for having posted

        You wish!
        The way I see it, you're just a lame ASCII goatse. (grin)

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 3, Insightful) by krishnoid on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:18AM (2 children)

    by krishnoid (1156) on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:18AM (#1064819)

    Is there a falsifiable [sic] standard for assholery? Something that 49.4-50.6 +/- 2% of registered voters or census category won't take you to task on in a given situation, just because you're in the wrong group?

    If it's a matter of consensus, well ... that's good for a while, then it gets bad.

    Or perhaps some baseline noise level of assholery is a requirement for a free society. Otherwise the government can set standards, you get an asshole social credit score, previously free territories get invaded and people get locked down for peaceful asshole protests. Maybe freedom really isn't asshole-free [youtu.be].

    • (Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:42PM

      by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:42PM (#1065011)

      For myself, the defining characteristics of an asshole are lack of empathy and extreme selfishness.

      Now, everyone is selfish to a degree, but an asshole will be selfish no matter the cost, which ties in with the lack of empathy. It could be due to being obtuse, or just simply maliciousness.

      my $0.02, YMMV

      --
      The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:58PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @03:58PM (#1065029)

      > Is there a falsifiable [sic] standard for assholery?

      Yes, anyone that bloviates on "standards for assholery" is, almost by definition an asshole.

  • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:21AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:21AM (#1064821)

    Yes.

  • (Score: -1, Spam) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:27AM (7 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:27AM (#1064824)

    penis for president

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:33AM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:33AM (#1064827)

      Well we saw what happened when we tried to elect a for president, we got 8=D

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:52AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @11:52AM (#1064921)

        A short dick?

        • (Score: 2) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:22PM

          by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:22PM (#1064966)
          Yes, short like Toad.
          --
          🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:38AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:38AM (#1064831)

      All I see is a monkey with a looong nose.

    • (Score: 2) by MostCynical on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:10AM (1 child)

      by MostCynical (2589) on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:10AM (#1064870) Journal

      mushroom-shaped?

      --
      "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:10PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:10PM (#1065041)

        toad's stool?

    • (Score: 2) by cmdrklarg on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:41PM

      by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:41PM (#1065058)

      Too late, we already have a dick in the Oval Office.

      --
      The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
  • (Score: 0, Troll) by aristarchus on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:38AM (10 children)

    by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:38AM (#1064830) Journal

    My faith is SoylentNews is slightly restored, but only very slightly. The Asshole chromas rejected the original sub, and only the efforts of col0 and the Nortorius MartyB resurrected my submission. Kudos to both of you. But the point has been largely missed in comments so far, and it is obvious that no one has bothered to read the Fine Article, or they would have come across this gem:

    One way AITA posters have unwittingly expanded their audience is through Twitter, where the account @AITA_reddit regularly posts a curated selection of stories from the forum. (@AITA_reddit spoke on condition of anonymity because of worries about online abuse.) The person behind the account says their favorite posts are “the sillier, more train wreck stuff.” One of those, which falls into the popular category of “I did something weird to my food and a roommate ate it without permission,” involves a man putting his penis into a jar of peanut butter that had his name on it and a roommate eating it later on. “It’s the ‘what the fuck?’ but also an interesting question,” they say. “It’s human nature to want to participate and make a judgment and feel superior to the person that is being an asshole.”

    I immediately thought of TMB's living situation. Ewwwww! Who is the asshole here?

    I leave this for further sorting out amoungst soylentils, and the autocratic eds and staff. And #Freearistarchus!!!! This time for real.

    • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:53AM (3 children)

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:53AM (#1064835) Journal

      and only the efforts of col0 and the Nortorius MartyB

      Ummm....

      [03:33:22] thank you Bytram - it does look like a good article
      ...
      [03:42:53] it's actually interesting if you enjoy watching people
      [03:43:12] you know, people are weird, and it kinda helps understand how weird they are
      [03:44:28] apparently aristarchus is so surprised that I support his sub that he is speechless
      [03:47:26] WICITA?

      Now, you two, shake hands and kiss (grin)

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:56AM (2 children)

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @05:56AM (#1064838) Journal
        [03:42:53] <nutherguy> it's actually interesting if you enjoy watching people
        [03:43:12] <nutherguy> you know, people are weird, and it kinda helps understand how weird they are
        [03:44:28] <nutherguy> apparently aristarchus is so surprised that I support his sub that he is speechless
        [03:47:26] <aristarchus> WICITA?
        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
        • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:33AM (1 child)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:33AM (#1064863) Journal

          Guilty as charged. :^)

          And, thanks again, Marty. There is still time for this to get good!

          • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:36AM

            by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:36AM (#1064878) Journal

            Guilty as charged. :^)

            Awww.

            Now, quick, give ari a kiss, he sorely needs it. And you too.

            --
            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:30AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:30AM (#1064859)

      You are the asshole, shockingly.

    • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:37AM (3 children)

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:37AM (#1064864) Journal

      Sorting? One does not sort the assholes. You appreciate them, or you don't.

      • (Score: -1, Troll) by aristarchus on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:10AM (2 children)

        by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:10AM (#1064869) Journal

        I no longer reply, or respond to assholes on SoylentNews. That includes, first and foremost, Runaway1956. If you want to know if you are on aristarchus' personal ban list, please send a message to: no-assholes@assholes.com. It would have to be a .com, for obvious reasons.

        • (Score: 0, Troll) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:16AM (1 child)

          by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:16AM (#1064871) Journal

          So, you don't talk to yourself. I suppose it would be a boring conversation anyway.

    • (Score: 2) by acid andy on Friday October 16 2020, @12:19PM

      by acid andy (1683) on Friday October 16 2020, @12:19PM (#1065340) Homepage Journal

      So you're saying it's a sort of meatspace version of thedailywtf.com [thedailywtf.com]?

      --
      If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:04AM (3 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @06:04AM (#1064841)

    And I've been here since the beginning, we are all assholes, even marty.

    And I am the Asshole Supreme, the Mighty AC.

    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:39AM

      by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:39AM (#1064865) Journal

      Assholes were required to create SN. Just ask the Dice-heads.

    • (Score: 1) by pTamok on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:40AM (1 child)

      by pTamok (3042) on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:40AM (#1064866)

      I am not an asshole, I am an arse. Hopefully not all the time.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:11AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:11AM (#1064905)

        You wish. From my vantage point, you look only as a hole, not even an ass around it.

  • (Score: 1, Offtopic) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:32AM (15 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:32AM (#1064860) Journal

    Real men don't have to ask if they are the asshole.

    The comments so far are rather amusing. Some of you seem to accept that you might be the assholes. The rest are like "oh, oh, but, that doesn't fit my world view, it's wrong"

    For the record, I am the asocial asshole. Smell me, I have a distinct aroma. Those of you whose shit don't stink - You're revolting. Your dog doesn't even like you. The neighbor's dog pisses on your leg. Even the Grim Reaper, when he comes to call, has nothing nice to say to you. You've never had a real life, so collecting your sorry asses has become a chore for Grim. You're just interchangeable plastic pieces, hardly worthy of notice.

    You know who you are. I'm not calling names.

    The rest of you who are assholes - well - you're assholes, but you make life interesting. Assholes think outside the communal box, among other things.

    I wonder how many famous assholes we could list here?

    There was Steve Jobs. Seriously people, if you don't recognize that asshole as what he was, you have much more serious problems than being an asshole.

    Bill Gates.

    Linus Torvalds.

    Is that enough to get some of you started? Surely, I don't have to do it all myself? Go ahead, list some of your favorite assholes below. Or least favorite, as the case may be.

    • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:20AM (4 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:20AM (#1064872)

      You have it all bass-ackwards. Real assholes do not have to ask. But real men? Oh, my dear wayward and unmanly Runaway! Do you not realize that being a asshole is the antithesis of masculinity? Real men do not need to be assholes, since they are real mean. Crumpulent poltroons like yourself, however, need to compensate, both for length, and girth, and substance. Thus the they drive "Big Ass Fries", um, I means, trucks, and rig them to waste fuel. And they tend to "pack iron", to make up for either the softness of their willies, or the lack of opportunities to use a hard-on.

      So real men do not have to ask, because they are not. Please peruse this website: The Art of Manliness. I fear that Runaway is no man, but just an asshole, and assholes are, you know, gender non-specific.

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:22AM (3 children)

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:22AM (#1064873)

        Boring, Ari.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:32AM (2 children)

          by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:32AM (#1064877)

          Who is Ari? I have never seen him (or her) post.

          • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:43AM (1 child)

            by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:43AM (#1064879)

            You are fooling no one, Archie.

            • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 16 2020, @02:05AM

              by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 16 2020, @02:05AM (#1065269)

              There's a book, you know. Assholes: A Theory [wikipedia.org].

              Jughead.

    • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:31AM (5 children)

      by PiMuNu (3823) on Thursday October 15 2020, @08:31AM (#1064876)

      You should list the famous, interesting non-assholes for balance (Einstein springs to mind).

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:35AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:35AM (#1064896)

        ISTR he was quite an asshole to his first wife.

      • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:38AM (2 children)

        by Runaway1956 (2926) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:38AM (#1064898) Journal

        The thing about Einstein is, he could be an utter asshole, and it would whoosh right over everyone's heads. ;^)

        • (Score: 1) by khallow on Thursday October 15 2020, @01:44PM (1 child)

          by khallow (3766) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @01:44PM (#1064950) Journal
          Supposed he held back research on relativistic theory of black holes till after his death. Maybe if Karl Schwarzschild had survived the First World War, it'd be a different situation.
          • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:37PM

            by PiMuNu (3823) on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:37PM (#1064978)

            Hum. Maybe all famous people are arseholes. Maybe all people are arseholes.

      • (Score: 2) by Common Joe on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:52PM

        by Common Joe (33) <common.joe.0101NO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday October 15 2020, @07:52PM (#1065158) Journal

        Einstein was an asshole [dummies.com].

        He had a kid out of wedlock before marrying his first wife. First kid died. He had a couple of kids after that, flirted with women, ignored his kids, got a divorce, married his cousin, flirted with more women, got a second divorce.

        Einstein may have been a great physicist, but he was a horrible family man.

    • (Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:53AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday October 15 2020, @09:53AM (#1064902)

      > Assholes think outside the communal box, among other things.

      You don't need to be an asshole to think outside of the box. It may make things easier, but if you really want to you can think outside the box while being a decent person.

      > Linus Torvalds.

      I don't consider Linus Torvalds an asshole. Tough guy who is not afraid to say the uncomfortable truth, and to say it in blunt words, yes. But not an asshole. He does not screw over other people.

    • (Score: 1, Flamebait) by c0lo on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:38AM

      by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @10:38AM (#1064909) Journal

      For the record, I am the asocial asshole. Smell me, I have a distinct aroma. Those of you whose shit don't stink - You're revolting. Your dog doesn't even like you. The neighbor's dog pisses on your leg. Even the Grim Reaper, when he comes to call, has nothing nice to say to you. You've never had a real life, so collecting your sorry asses has become a chore for Grim. You're just interchangeable plastic pieces, hardly worthy of notice.

      You finished? Well, allow me to retort

      For the record, you are antisocial. A hateful, hypocritical liar at the best.

      You have a long evolution ahead of you to ascend to the status of an asshole. And not enough lifetime ahead, so you won't even make it into the asshole list. You're just a poser nobody who crave for recognition, any kind of puny recognition, to sustain a wee longer your delusion your life worth living. I'll admit you got a point right in the above, a single one: you stink. That's a thing that makes you one of huge mass of stinky nobodies of this world, in no way special. BTW, that's the only recognition you are gonna get, so cherish it.

      (large grin)

      --
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
    • (Score: 3, Insightful) by Tork on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:24PM

      by Tork (3914) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @02:24PM (#1064969)

      Those of you whose shit don't stink - You're revolting.

      Don't you kinda draw that out of people by being wrong most of the time? 🤡

      --
      🏳️‍🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️‍🌈
    • (Score: 5, Touché) by cmdrklarg on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:01PM

      by cmdrklarg (5048) Subscriber Badge on Thursday October 15 2020, @04:01PM (#1065033)

      If you're someone who refers themselves as being a Real Man(tm), you are probably an asshole.

      If being a Real Man(tm) requires being an asshole, then I want nothing to do with it.

      It is good that you admit to being an asshole, but not good that you aspire to it.

      --
      The world is full of kings and queens who blind your eyes and steal your dreams.
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