Welcome to The Hiddens, an unofficial and evolving effort to fairly but subjectively describe the Community Moderation of Daily Kos. My name is T. Max Devlin, and I will be your host and snarkster-in-chief. Please feel free to leave tips and comments.
Last night I thought I'd done pretty good putting out a late update to get caught up. This morning when I start there are already a dozen comments on the hidden comments list. This is more of a 'bonanza' then I'm used to seeing in the hiddens, and I'm not sure what it means. While I try to sort it out, why don't you enjoy this video clip from the incomparable Louis CK:
RSA is still spending mojo like its candy (but still has 2 bars):
Incident: 'Funny (or: not so much, no)'
Incident notes: ouch (1/8/9, 0/3/2)
Diary notes: Cornel West critique, semi-inflammatory
User notes: Red State Ambassador
HR notes: an instructive case in the imaginary lines between teasing, trolling and truth-telling
Disposition: meh Status: 'now', open
Nobody's ever worried about troll response as "silencing dissent" in their own backyard, only in the neighbor's yard. In other words, RSA plays it like a fiddle.
A tip jar got hidden, apparently for good reason:
Incident: 'tornadoes and Netanyahu (or: WEATHER JEWS!)'
Incident notes: shotgun trolling, tip jar (3/21/5(69))
Diary notes: diarist did not comment, republished by "Trolls" group
User notes: troll
HR notes: since this is a tip jar the uprates aren't controversial, but they are kind of foolish
Disposition: troll! Status: troll?, open
There is at least some chance that this Kossack is just a perpetual accidental troll machine. It is hard to indict someone on the charge of posting purposefully provocative diaries alone, since so many purposefully provocative diaries are posted, on all sides. But at the least, this Kossack needs to step up his game, and it is possible this is either a casual or professional troll. Be alert, but don't be paranoid.
A gadfly Kossack is inappropriately flippant:
Incident: 'tornadoes and Obama '
Incident notes: weather troll (1/11/3)
Diary notes: tornado victim support and news
User notes: tolkeinesque, TU
HR notes: diary requests (in bold face!) that no politics or snark be posted, user can't resist on either count
Disposition: boo Status: boo, open
One TU in response typifies 'bully moderation': "Hr for being a dick." True, but unhelpful.
Here's a rather definitive "drive-by":
Incident: 'tornadoes and Netanyahu: The Sequel'
Incident notes: un-re-de-trolling (0/5/2)
Diary notes: troll diary (see 'WEATHER JEWS', above)
User notes: first and only comment from an account opened in 2009
HR notes: almost certainly a sock puppet of the 'WEATHER JEWS' troll
Disposition: Ace Status: Admin, open
The appearance of this otherwise unexplained comment trying to derail discussion of the trolling by trying to appear on-topic, but still being inflammatory. It is still uncertain if this is amateur or agitprop, but both this and the account posting the diary should be investigated and possibly banned by Admin.
I'll leave the next incident going up the list as a "hop on" (still laughing!) for later because there is a lot of activity in the 'Weather Jews' diary (the all caps is getting too much.)
On Weather Jews:
Incident: 'tornadoes and Netanyahu: Hop On'
Incident notes: retro-un-re-de-trolling (0/8/1)
Diary notes: troll diary (see 'WEATHER JEWS', above)
User notes: third comment on account opened in February, 2011
HR notes: possible sock puppet, (see next record for TU notes)
Disposition: pastry Status: X, open
This diary illustrates and entire "troll complex", or just one dedicated shit-stirrer. And why responding to trolls is the same as being trolled, if you are not careful (see next record.)
Okay, the tip jar got hidden in the 'Weather Jews' diary. One TU, an upstanding sort and beyond suspicion IMHO, tried to dispute whether tip jar donuts were appropriate (see below.) Unfortunately, in contending that tip jar donuts are 'inappropriate HRs', that TU ended up on the wrong side of a pie fight:
Incident: 'tornadoes and Netanyahu: Blue Effect'
Incident notes: pseudo-retro-un-re-de-trolling (2/7/2, 0/3/1)
Diary notes: troll diary (see 'WEATHER JEWS', above)
User notes: TU, ("-9.88/-9.18")
HR notes: accused of antisemitic
Disposition: backsplash Status: fail, open
For trying to defend the diarist's right to write the diary, this TU was categorized as defending the diary. Accidental trolling and double-standard hydrating did the rest.
&&&
Another inexperienced user learns that it can be trickier than it looks contributing to DK, in this hop on:
Incident: 'curious patriotism'
Incident notes: I/P (anti-P) (1/5/1)
Diary notes: more on Netanyahu@Congress
User notes: newbie
HR notes: uprate from Kossack featured in The Hiddens last week
Disposition: MUSLIMS! Status: accidental, open
Confusing 'Palestinians' and 'Muslims' always leads to trouble in these cases.
Yesterday's 'primary' diary ('Reid Report v FDL') kicked out another hidden comment from the diarist:
Incident: 'Trojans'
Incident notes: innocuous response by contributor (0/5/1)
Diary notes: Reid Report v FDL
User notes: diarist
HR notes: possibly abusive, apparently an unofficial (diary-specific) HOS ('3rd party advocate')
Disposition: Admin Status: fruitless, open
There is ambiguity and contention over what is or what is not acceptable on DK in terms of 'supporting Democrats'. Trying to settle it with donuts will only lead to pie fights. And technical justifications for hiding comments that aren't themselves inappropriate doesn't prevent the HRs from being abusive. This diary is so clearly and directly an attempt to capitalize on trivial pie fights that it is something of an academic issue in this case, but it isn't always so obvious.
Bringing us up to real-time, another zombie appears and disappears; don't blink or you'll miss it. Or better yet, blink, so you'll miss it:
Incident: 'Diary Didn't Work'
Incident notes: Obamaphobia, diary, comments (0/15/2(21), 0/4/2, 1/6/9, 0/29/11)
Diary notes: multiple, diarist tip jar, plus 2 other diaries
User notes: Dice Senior, anti-union, Obamaphobe (or posing as Obamaphobe)
HR notes: Subtle anti-union trolling(?) in diary, then trolling elsewhere
Disposition: shibboleth Status: bony mojo
As indicated by the Disposition, this isn't necessarily as clear and certain a case as it might appear. Granted 'Dice' never posted anything but divisive and at least somewhat inflammatory crud, but too-swift a troll-hunter bear trap response can be worse than none at all, to be honest. It is like keeping children in too-clean an environment can lead to asthma. Or like how hookworms can prevent autoimmune problems.
&&& Special update to add some records and comments on RSA. That will probably be it for today, I have a meeting later on other business.
I'm doing these in reverse order, for a reason, so this one is actually the most recent entry in the hiddens:
Incident: 'Songs'
Incident notes: On-topic, snark? (0/4/2)
Diary notes: Entertainment
User notes: Red State Ambassador
HR notes: RSA posted other comments that were rec'd without HRs in same diary (8/0/3, 3/2/0)
Disposition: HR abuse Status: open
This was literally half-assed.
Please note that, although it has been HRd by 2 TUs in the comments section of this edition of The Hiddens, RSA's contribution here has not been hidden. I'm sure aoeu will be fascinated. I might well institute a policy that hiddens within The Hiddens don't get a record, but I'm not sure yet. But I thought I'd mention this one in case anyone noticed.
Anyway, still on the topic of RSA, we have what I personally consider the strawman that broke the troll's back:
Incident: 'Fed Up'
Incident notes: BK, troll (0/41/14)
Diary notes: BK
User notes: Red State Ambassador
HR notes: worse response possible; guaranteed to encourage more trolling
Disposition: troll Status: HOS?
I don't care how many stupid comments he makes here, or in a diary about song lyrics, or even if he wants to taunt the privileged and popular. But when a disgustingly distastful comment like this is purposefully and gratuitously thrown into a BK diary on the topic of righteous anger, it crosses the line from performance art to unnecessary disruptions, from truth telling to asshole being.
I would like to start a very serious and very brief conversation on the topic of designating RSA HOS and voting him off the island. I was hoping he was bright enough to be entertaining, but this kind of comment would be entirely unacceptable from anyone, least of all someone who thinks he can abuse our tolerance. Please let me know what you think in comments.
