The ignore button

I have only one current poster on ignore: Moolk. It's not the quality of his belligerence so much as the quantity. He'll fill an entire thread with it.

I told him at the time that I was putting him on ignore, so I'm sure there's no love lost

 

I agree wholeheartedly!

In my view, when you put someone on "ignore", you automatically declare your own defeat and your opponent's victory. Cowards walk away from confrontation, smugly thinking "out of sight, out of mind".

I don't care what someone 'calls' me, or how horrible and stupid they may think I am. And I damn sure don't care if their remarks are politically-correct or not! I support their right to say it, over and over, as 'hot' as they wish, and, I should have the right to the same. Through FREEDOM OF SPEECH we discover all the ways that we can use to pound our way through our differences and come to a point of useful compromise and collaboration. Censorship is nothing but cowardly obstructionism, hiding in delusional seclusion....

If any of you guys ever had any Acclivus training, you know what I'm talking about. Confrontation becomes conversation, and eventually, collaboration....

 

So, you walk into a bar and order a beer.

All of a sudden, the entire bar starts screaming, "**** YOU CY!" over and over again.

How many hours do you sit there until you just decide you shouldn't have to listen to the abuse anymore?

Letting people abuse me, repeatedly, over and over, is my fault. Their opinion of me is none of my business. If they want to continue to tell me what they think of me, I'm going to let them think it without informing me.

 

No. Often confrontation becomes more confrontation. Most people don't care about the other person's side of the coin and will fight to defend and justify their own abusive behavior. It's exhausting.

 

Maybe it's just the nascent 'drama queen' in me, but I relish situations like that! My model -- Edmond Rostand's magnificent, "Cyrano de Bergerac", who's surely a hero to all iconoclasts everywhere!

And, as an extra added benefit, even if your opponent drubs you in a straight-up, fact-based debate, you get to learn valuable information in the process. Through the years here, I've learned a LOT from dyed-in-the-wool opponents, who never agreed with me on anything!

What difference does it make to your well-being if some 'person' named "Whachacallit" in an internet forum calls you a name...? Maybe you end up wiping the floor with Whachacallit, or, maybe he wipes it with you -- it's not like somebody is going to the HOSPITAL is it...?

 

I come to PF for enjoyment and, sometimes, to learn things. After a while, I noticed that I was getting angry or frustrated by certain posters. So if there are people who get in the way of that enjoyment I use the ignore function. I don't consider it censorship at all - just a way to ensure I continue enjoying my time here.

 

Exactly my reasoning as well.

I see no reason to check out library books I'm not going to read. Is that censorship? Nah. It's just me choosing what I do and don't enjoy.

 

I see your point. I loathe drama queens. I've no time for that. Psychic vampires are exhausting. They don't get any free space in my head.

 

That is also my only current ignore. I think it's a bot, though.

 

Ditto. I don't understand how the bot thing works but those posts are annoying.

 

Fortunately for me, my 'head space' is not fragile or 'snowflakish'.... Maybe after you finally get to be a certain age, you just don't care that much what people say about you anymore, and that's all the more true if all they've really done is make silly asses of themselves in the process of berating you.

Have fun! Be brave! Like I said, 'this ain't life-or-death....'

 

Well that might explain the dehumanizing feeling of being around him.

 

I am bipolar, Cy, and I have learned to stay away from the things that send my brain chemistry into a tailspin. You can call that fragile, if you like. Is the guy who needs a wheelchair to get around a snowflake?

Same.

 

If it were a personal, in person relationship, we could choose not to be around someone. That's what the ignore button is for me here.

 

Sounds like Cy likes hanging out with people who hate him. I like Cy, but his definition of censorship is quite odd.

I didn't read Sara Palin's biography. Censorship or just good taste? LOL.

 

I understand what you are saying completely, even though I cannot pretend to know what it is to be bipolar. I know that from what I've read, it must be a lot like riding a cognitive and emotional roller coaster.

I have read that lithium is often prescribed for this disorder and is said to help a lot with the severity of it. All the best to you!

 

I’ve found I learn the most from those I disagree with. The greater degree of disagreement the more likely I am to glean something of value. And learning is the primary reason I hang around here.

I understand why the ignore function is used. There are many good, legitimate reasons given in this thread. I just enjoy the educational value of even the most ridiculous or belligerent posts.

It’s also fascinating to watch what sets people off and make annoying posts. If you pay close attention to people’s triggers and what they say when they aren’t triggered you can usually figure out something in “real life” is driving their behavior here. Like looking back to high school and realizing that kid that was a **** just had a rough home life. If you take that into account it’s easier to overlook shortcomings.

 

Agree that it's not about disagreement, at all. I tend to respond to people I disagree with, or am actively learning from, then those I can just +1.

Truly mean spirited people, though, just plain old annoy me, and are somewhat of a trigger, and my chemically imbalanced brain doesn't need the extra workload.

 

Oh I get the mean spirited thing. I think it’s terrible the things people say. I’m bad enough and I consciously try not to be mean. I’ll admit I often fall into the trap of “treat me good I’ll treat you better, treat me bad I’ll treat you worse”. It’s a failing.

And this place is pretty mellow compared to most forums. I don’t use forums that are all ad hom and negativity.

 

I'm here because my previous place of employ.... errr enjoyment, was a swamp of toxicity.

 

I use Iggy mostly as a self enforced timeout to keep from posting a 90's style flame response that would get me banned.

However, I've placed some folks on Iggy just because I find them to be members I've no interest in hearing from.

I do this in real life too, including at work.

Often, the best response is to ignore something.

Quite often in fact, unfortunately.

I have one member on Iggy simply because they consistently post with insane formatting that all-but literally hurts my vision.

I have put the forum post leader on Iggy because he talks too much, and he's super clever and crafty in his responses, and I don't wanna play.

Also, for some of my other Iggys, there seem to be some members that pretty consistently as @Lucifer once more or less put it, play Chess like a Pigeon, land on the board, walk around and knock all the pieces over and then sht on the board and say, I won.

 

Same self enforced timeout as the previous poster here, for obvious crude trolling and flamebait. One poster at a time, only 3 so far. Two are out, one still in.

Never put anyone on ignore for their opinions, or because I don't like them. I know how to handle personal insults. Opposing views, even when irrational, make me smarter, because I have to think outside the box. There's nothing I enjoy more than finding a logical, rational argument against my ideological opponent, even if my own worldview is seriously challenged in the process.

However, as everyone is entitled to their opinions, and the decision to put posters on iggy is a matter of personal opinion, I see nothing wrong with putting 100 posters on ignore.

 

Yes but there comes a time when the stupid just is overwhelming

I have more than a few on ignore and until I was warned not to, had been giving people the courtesy of letting them know.

I have a few more of “R&R” = Read and Report = they are the ones who will post a personal attack about one in five

Then there are those who I just don’t bother reading once I see the avatar

 

Meh! You are not too bad old chap! At least you do the courtesy of listening even when you violently disagree

The ones that have made my Iggy list are, like many others, the trolls who will attack rather than debate or try to show how “smart” they are by claiming rubbish is real diamonds. People who deliberately cherry pick and the will not acknowledge that the rest of the body of text refutes the point

 

I use the ignore button on anyone who adds nothing to the overall conversation and instead prefers to hurl insults or accuse me of things especially ignorance when they don't know me or know how much research I've done on any given subject. They accuse me of knowing absolutely NOTHING of United States politics just because I am not American.

I also put people on ignore if they accuse my parents of being race traitors because I am bi-racial.