Can we remove the ignore function?

[PretzelWarrior]

It is antidemocratic. It's much like going to FoxNews to hear only what you want to hear. Since we're always talking about removing functions on this site, I thought I'd just throw that one out there.

**************************************************************************

Okay, in all seriousness...how do you each make up mind about how/when to put someone on ignore? I have never used the function, and I'm curious what standards you use. Also, how does that affect your ability to make sense of threads where there are a fair amount of people you've put on ignore contributing to it?

[Ohio Joe]

1. Well...

I've only ever put one person on ignore and that was someone that expressed support for ron paul and, for reasons beyond me, was not banned.

[TommyO]

2. I've put exactly two people on ignore, both for personal attacks

With the fallout over Maine, a few more might be added to my list given their willingness to dismiss gay people and our civil rights.

[The Straight Story]

3. Only had a few on ignore over my time here

And they followed me thread to thread to harass and try to provoke me because I did not agree with them about something.

[hamsterjill]

79. Same here!

I very rarely use the ignore button, but I've experienced the same thing you describe. And enough was simply enough at a certain point.

[Canuckistanian]

117. Same with me

When they start following, I start ignoring.

[mule_train]

4. when i feel people are not debating in good faith nt

[truedelphi]

5. I have two people on ignore.

Obviously you are not one of them.

For me the poster has to be snarky. By snarky, I mean, they will not ever engage in listening to your point of view.

For instance if I say, I believe in X because of Y, they say you stupid idiot, why do you not even consider Corollary F! (And F will be totally unrelated to the discussion.)

It didn't take one instance of this but may have taken two dozen? Then I realized that my blood pressure is better off without these two people.

There are many people That I Disagree with on DU. I often rec their threads, even if comment line is not one I would write. I rec threads if I think there should be some discussion of that principle or point of view. My view of rec'ing is that it is not just to censor or approve, but to allow for discussion.

[tonysam]

6. I think it has done a lot

to decrease flame wars and thus reduce the incidence of banning people from the site.

Emotions often get the better of people, and this, along with hiding threads, helps a lot.

I think ignore and hiding threads are great ideas.

I have a few people on ignore, but eventually they will be unignored until they do something to force me to put them on ignore again.

[Vincardog]

7. When some poster is always talking $hit, refuses to deal with reality based facts is when "ignore"

is handy. As to "a fair amount of people you've put on ignore" contributing to a thread: I don't have that many people on ignore and I don't miss their mind numbing comments anyway.

[gkhouston]

8. This could all be solved by removing the Post function.

:+

[sharp_stick]

13. Brilliant

there would be no complaining around here then. I love it. ;-)

[JuniperLea]

18. What did you say, "Ignore?"

:rofl:

JK!!!

[gkhouston]

56. DUzy! n/t

[Journeyman]

9. I use it liberally. Life's too short to willfully subject yourself to "kiddie scorn". . .

I've never blocked anyone who intelligently debated me, but I'll not suffer fools gladly or madly.

Mostly, it's simple stupidity I wish to avoid -- drunken fools, whacked-out conspiracy nuts ("BushCo caused the tsunami"), one-note wonders who post the same drivel over and over. . . Other people may choose what they perceive as the "high road" of tolerance and community, but I've no time for blithering foolishness and no interest in useless poppycock. Some will disagree but I figure they must have a surplus of life.

If it makes you feel better about the DU "family" or some other such fantasy, you can occasionally clear your entire Ignore list. I do. Often, I find those I've shut off were soon after tombstoned, so I don't feel I missed anything.

[PretzelWarrior]

31. interesting. I may have to try it just to see.

[TorchTheWitch]

105. I have a giant ignore list - at least half have been tombstoned

Like you, I have not the time nor the patience to suffer idiots. I choose wisely in my real life who to associate with and who not to and do the same thing here. I don't see anything antidemocratic or cowardly about using the function when we do the same in life. Actually, in life I think we're even more intolerant of those people that annoy us then here. I give everyone a chance, but if they prove to be intolerable off to the ignore bin they go, and piss on anyone that thinks it's undemocratic or cowardly. It's a very useful tool, and if more people DID use it there would be a lot less mindless fighting here clogging the place up so you have to search for anything worthwhile and abandon what started as a good discussion ruined by flamers run amuck.

[sharp_stick]

10. My method is pretty simple

I usually wait a long time, everyone here has the ability to piss off everyone else once in awhile and I try to be mindful of that when someone pisses me off. I hope that others give me the same chance. That changes though when every post I see over several days from an individual pisses me off. Then I'll usually dump them.

That being said, about every 3 months or so I'll clear the list, minus those that have been tombstoned. I like to pretend I've been so prescient by ignoring some asshole before he/she got their pizza. ;-)

Usually within another month or so the same jackasses are right back in the ignore list, making me think that I'm pretty comfortable with my level of calling someone an asshole and plonking them.

on edit: my usual typos

[slackmaster]

11. Why stop there, PW?

[PretzelWarrior]

28. lolol.

[mike_c]

12. the only people I've ever put on Ignore were put there because...

...of incivility, not because we disagreed about politics, religion, whatever. Like you, I come here for discussion and debate. I've learned a LOT here-- mainly because I listen to differing perspectives and think about them whenever I can.

The folks I'm not interested in hearing any longer are the ones who don't engage in honest debate, but who rely on incivility and such to browbeat people who disagree with them. I've got thick skin-- it doesn't really bother me that much, I just don't need that sort of noise crapping on my day.

As an interesting aside, I've only put about half a dozen or so people on ignore since joining DU in early 2002, and all but a couple of the most recent have long been tombstoned. Nasty people tend to eliminate themselves from the discussion sooner or later.

[Bobbie Jo]

14. I don't use it, but....

what I don't get is the need to make such a production out of putting someone on "ignore."

If you're going to do it, just do it. Who cares? :shrug:

[Warpy]

15. I'm nobody's punching bag

While I'll let one episode of patronizing, bullying, or a full on personal attack slide on the theory that we all have bad days, the second or third one, depending on the severity, gets the perp the pit of eternal ignore.

I'm actually happy to see "ignored" replying to my posts because I know his attempt to goad me into a reaction has fallen completely flat.

[mike_c]

73. testing, 1, 2, 3....

:rofl:

:hi:

[mrs_p]

16. i have put two people on ignore

and they were just name-calling. usually their comments were deleted, but i just didn't think i should have to deal with them.

[JuniperLea]

17. Live and learn from fools and from sages...

I don't use it. I have, for short periods of time, such as the last couple of weeks of the last presidential primary. Once in a while I find someone so utterly vile in their personal attacks that I put them on ignore. Not for long... and I always check for a concrete pizza before I unignore... statistics show... lol!

[The Straight Story]

19. Would be interesting to know how many viewing this thread see "ignored" in it

:)

[PretzelWarrior]

32. lol. yes it would be.

[placton]

20. rofl

already the unreccers are unreccking this OP

[-..__...]

21. Stick fingers in ears - 'Nah-nah-nah-nah, I can't hear you'.

That's how foolish it is.

[JuniperLea]

66. I don't use ignore...

But I will put someone on personal ignore by not reading their posts.

I don't think it foolish to ignore the rantings of RW tools and trolls, just sayin'.

[rucky]

22. I don't use it.

I found a more effective tool is to say "Welcome to Ignore" as a response - then you can see the reaction.

kiddin, of course. I totally see why people would use it - it's just not my style, though.

[TexasObserver]

23. I don't have anyone on ignore.

I used to have people on ignore back in the primaries, but even then, I would dump them all every couple of months. But since Unrecommend was added, I have a way to vote against the really stupid threads, the vanity threads, the badly written rants, the lounge materials, etc.

I enjoy reading stupid comments, so why put them on ignore? It's entertainment.

If someone puts me on ignore and then announces it on the thread, I consider that the positive result of a job well done.

[Heidi]

161. Same here.

No one on ignore. And for me, being put on ignore can often be construed as an endorsement of my argument. :)

[jobycom]

24. For my first eight years or so here, I put almost no one on ignore.

I even survived the various primaries without blocking anyone.

Now I have a couple of dozen, and I'm much happier. It started with the Gun Forum. For a while the Latest Page was full of Gun Forum entries, and since I couldn't block the forum, I just started blocking anyone who started a thread in the Gun forum--on either side. Now I rarely see the Gun Forum on the Latest page, and I've rarely run across an "Ignored" tag in my normal discussions--which tells me something about the Gun Forum.

I liked the results so much I started blocking Grave Dancers next. It was funny--over Michael Jackson's death I blocked a few dozen. I went back later and cleaned up my list, and found a lot of them had been TS'd, anyway. Over the next few deaths and controversies (Like the Polanski stuff, even if he's not dead), I continued to "Ignore" liberally. What I found is that each time something like that happens, I see fewer posters who piss me off and a whole lot of posts from "Ignored." Which seems to prove that assholes are repeat assholes, and that most people here are pretty darned decent folk.

I never block anyone for political disagreements, just for asshole-ishness, and usually only repeat offenders. Being a Democrat means I give everyone an equal chance, but it doesn't mean I give everyone equal time.

[The Straight Story]

27. No wonder you never post on my threads

:rofl:

[jobycom]

49. Who is this "Ignored" responding to my posts?

:rofl: (Yeah, I couldn't respond to it if you were ignored, but you know some people will believe it anyway).

I don't post in a lot of your threads because you often have the whole thing covered, and I have nothing to add. :)

[The Straight Story]

91. Now there is a compliment

well done ;)

[redqueen]

35. Same here... for assholeishness/repeat offenders.

I don't like the thought that I might be missing reasonable posts, but after a while you get a good feel of whether or not it's all that reasonable to expect many reasonable posts from some people.

I'll empty it every once in a while... but eventually many of the same people end up back on it. Imagine that. :P

[jobycom]

44. yeah, everyone has asshole-ish moments. I weigh whether I know the poster or not.

And I err on the side of not ignoring. But you're right, the same posters wind up on the list.

[Journeyman]

86. Nice phrase -- everyone an equal chance, but not equal time for all. . .

As I posted upstream, the way I figure it, those who tolerate everything without restraint seemingly have a surplus of time.

[blogslut]

25. I prefer the Hide Thread feature

As for Ignore, it depends on my mood. Sometimes I can scan past irritating topics made by members, sometimes not. Regardless, I would rather ignore someone than resent them for my inability to handle their right to their opinion.

[sharp_stick]

29. I would use that feature a lot more

if it didn't take you to another page after hiding the thread before you can go back to the listing. I know that's there to make sure that you can back out of an accidental hiding but I'm just impatient enough that it bugs the hell out of me.

[blogslut]

37. I know

That bugs me too.

[PretzelWarrior]

99. hmm....there might be times I'd used hide a thread.

but I guess I'm always afraid I'll miss out on something really good.

[TexasObserver]

34. I use the Two Step.

On a lot threads I never want to see again, I first Unrecommend them, then disappear them with the HIDE THREAD. That makes them gone, and off my screen for good. Easier to see what's left.

Some days, I just don't want to see a certain topic.

[rvablue]

26. I've never had a single DUer on ignore and never will. n/t

[City Lights]

30. My ignore list is empty.

I used it during the primaries, but emptied it once they were over.

[Posteritatis]

33. I refuse to use ignore, especially as a doctrine filter like so many do here. (nt)

[WhollyHeretic]

36. I don't have anyone on full ignore. I do have 1 person blocked from sending me PMs since he sent me

5 PMs in an hour. I wan't responding but this poster kept sending them. This person has a history of doing that.

[PretzelWarrior]

40. oh yeah. I meant to apologize for that...

:)

[inna]

38. never had any one on ignore.

it's only internet, there is no reason to get upset.

(although i do have a couple of people on "mental ignore", so to speak - i.e., i know to never expect a reasonable comment from them.)

[philly_bob]

39. I also have never used the function. n/t

[Blue-Jay]

41. Since you asked politely, here are my requirements for using the unrec option:

1) The thread is not about politics. This is a political website (aside from the Lounge, where rec/unrec is not an issue)

2) The OP is complaining about "recs & unrecs". (Bad Form = automatic unrec)

3) The OP is seeking personal attention, instead of rational discussion. (also Bad Form)

4) The thread is posted by a troll seeking to sow discontent. (Obviously, this is subjective.)

5) The thread adds nothing. (ie. "FUCK REPUKES!" or "Did you just see what _____ said on TV?")

6) The thread is stupid. (Again, this is very subjective, but I know stupid when I see it. If I'm wrong about the stupidity of a thread, my vote will probably be overruled so there's no harm done.)



I can't believe that I spent the time typing all of this out regarding rec/unrec. I don't ever visit the Greatest Page. I'm as likely to read a "multi-rec" thread, as I am to read an "unrec" thread. I think the rec/unrec idea is fine as it is, so stop complaining about it.

/unrec

[PretzelWarrior]

45. thanks. this was about ignore

but I appreciate it. also, I'll let you know I have been wholeheartedly behind and enjoying the unrec feature. I've just posted a couple of threads about it to lampoon the dorks who still whine about it.

P.S. i have no problem with my stuff being unrec'd. the only stuff that gets highly rec'd is the obvious stuff.

[Blue-Jay]

55. Ahahahahaha! Holy CRAP I'm stupid!

On the Ignore feature: I only use thread-ignore. There are a few one-note-johnnies who post the same inane crap over and over, and when I get tired of seeing their OPs, I invoke the "stay off my page" option. It's nothing personal, as I'm sure many of these folks mean well, but boring is boring and I have a low tolerance for boring.

[Statistical]

57. I am putting you on ignore for not following instructions. lol j/k

[Blue-Jay]

119. Nooooooo!

Or YES!. It ain't no skin my ass either way.

[PeaceNikki]

122. This is exactly my policy.

You speak for me. :patriot:

[Echo In Light]

42. I've never used the option, although there are several name-callers I don't bother with at all

[csziggy]

43. I put people on ignore when they piss me off enough I'm worried **I** will break the rules

So it is for my protection more than anything else.

Every so often I review my Ignore list - if I no longer remember why the person is there, I take them off. And every so often I just purge the entire list and start over again. It seems as though about half my list ends up being people who have been tombstoned, so few affect any thread I am reading.

[Sinti]

46. Ignore is awfully useful, but you don't need a function for it

If people want to be uncivil and talk trash for no reason you can simply ignore them - works great in real life, too. It makes them go away. They usually just want attention rather than conversation or the exchange of perspectives, anyway.

[TwilightGardener]

47. I only have three active members on Ignore. I use it only on people

who decide to go all-out on personal attacks. I never use Ignore on someone I simply dislike or disagree with.

[anigbrowl]

48. I ginore people who strike me as really stupid

Not because I disagree with them - that never bothers me - but because they persistently talk out of their ass, or make posts with no logic, or get their facts wrong, or never even bother to check what the facts are.

If someone has a different view from me and argues it passionately, well I might disagree or I might even change my mind based on what they say. But if they just rant or are consistently misinformative, why waste my time? If I come across a thread with a big number of 'ignored' posters, I may look at it (via the print page function) to see what's being said, but so far it's never yielded anything interesting so I usually just skip the thread in that case.

[JuniperLea]

61. Thankfully you don't ginore (sic) bad spelerz

Sorry... had to be done... the irony was delish.

[anigbrowl]

94. Hehe. Well, everyone makes typos, that's not part of my rating criteria.

I don't think there's too much of a connection between spelling and vocabulary and critical thinking...I know one person (not DUer) who writes so beautifully it's like getting a free literature class, but who makes fundamentally daft arguments.

[JuniperLea]

111. I know several people just like that...

Professional word-smiths, who will argue to the death that there is no such thing as global warming, and that Sarah Palin is a genius, and that Keith Olberman is just a sportscaster. Stuttering ensued when I pointed out that Sarah was also a sportscaster, and that was the pinnacle of her broadcasting career. But she is still more brilliant than our President, donchano.

[flaminbats]

50. I no longer use the feature.

I spend far more time reading opinions than I do posting. I don't really care if my opinions are ignored, but interested in debating and persuading other DUers that I might disagree with. I also enjoy learning from the dialog and debates among other posters.

I tried putting others on ignore, but ultimately remove them from my list. I think a mutual ignore list would be fair, any poster who ignores my posts isn't readable by me. Any poster on my ignore list can't read any of my posts.

[Toucano]

51. I have put abusive people on ignore and people who demonstrate a lack of capacity for reason.

Not simply because I disagree with them.

I don't turn on FoxNews for the same reason. These people have nothing to contribute to my life or my understanding of the world, and I don't want to talk to them. I wouldn't open a letter from them or accept a phone call from them.

I think of it as putting an "Out of Order" sign on them.

It doesn't affect my comprehension of a thread because I almost never see them.

[Soylent Brice]

52. i ignore those who have been verbally offensive to me.

that would include all of 2 DUers, one of which was TSed a month or two ago.

[amandabeech]

53. You've inspired me to review my ignore list and weed out all but a handfull of folks.

Before the primaries, I only had one person on my ignore list. The poster followed me from thread to thread and brought his/her buddies along. One of his/her posts suggested that he/she had some serious personal problems and I thought it best to just stay away.

During the primaries, my ignore list ballooned. Using ignore then made it possible for me to come here.

However, it made things so pleasant for me that I started using the ignore list more and more, particularly to weed out those who are nastily on the other side of an issue that has been a sore point for me for 30 years.

Now, my ignore list contains the stalker, a couple of political ignores and a handful of issue ignores.

Hopefully, my ignore list will remain very limited until the next contested presidential primary!

[amandabeech]

126. I take that back. Three people are already back on it.

I'm old and it's just not worth it to get my blood pressure up in order to honor all viewpoints.

[closeupready]

148. Exactly. I do think willingness to use it is a function of age.

You reach a point where you just don't care anymore, and you feel like you are wasting time.

There was a time when I felt obligated to respond to every single post and objection.

Now I guess I'm just tired or I don't know what, but life is partially about manipulating your surroundings to your liking, and also taking those individuals of humanity who can elevate you and surrounding yourself with THOSE kinds of people, and EXCLUDING those people who only antagonize and snipe and bicker and fight. I have no use or time for the latter at all. Thus, ignore.

That's not anti-democratic, since they are all still here, as far as I know, and certainly, they aren't absent due to anything I have done - I just personally don't see or hear from them.

[sellitman]

54. The ignore function works fine.

If you don't like it then don't use it.

It takes some of the stress out of this place for me.

Without it I'd most certainly be Tomb-stoned.

[Zodiak]

58. My time is valuable to me, so I use it fairly liberally

There is only one criterion....incivility. Repeated bullying, cliquishness, name-calling, sophistry, etc. will get you on my ignore list...and I only cleaned it out once when I became a mod. That really sucked because having those people off of my ignore list made this site unreadable and depressing.

I do it to save time. I cannot stand reading through mountains of people's rhetorical flotsam to finally find a nugget of REAL debate. There are people here who contribute nothing despite over 100+ posts a day. And they do not pay for my bandwidth...I do.

And my ignore list extends to "real-life" too. There are meet-ups I have refused to attend because of some of the members attending hurl insults at others too easily. Life is too short to suffer fools for the sake of appearances, and I believe that people are more themselves when anonymous...so there is no possibility for friendship.

I sure would like to see a LOT more intellectual honesty on this site and a lot LESS high-school banter. I know I cannot control these things, but the discourse has taken a real dive ever since the primaries. People no longer think about what they say to each other and make references to "you people" way too much for my comfort.

[MineralMan]

59. I ignore nobody, but am ignored by a few.

Being ignored is fun, since you can still read and comment on posts from those who ignore you. But they can't see what you wrote, while everyone else can.

What a deal!

[DainBramaged]

63. I bet that just makes you feel swell rock boy

let them know you are just as childish as that nutbag Limbaugh, screaming like a little girl to the world, you can look like a fool so everyone can see you.

[MineralMan]

69. Well, I don't go looking for people who have me on ignore.

I read a lot of threads, and comment when I want. Thanks for the analysis, though. I'll consider your opinion for what it's worth.

[DainBramaged]

74. I'll disagree with you on that point, what what's a little dicussion

among non-friends?

[MineralMan]

77. Well, I'm not sure what point you mean.

But I'm always happy to participate in threads with you. We disagree on some points, but not on all.

[DainBramaged]

78. I disagree with the personal attacks and use of obscenities in describing me

want a list?

[MineralMan]

82. You keep lists? Uff da!

[PretzelWarrior]

83. i've been on message boards where people copy/paste all kinds of stuff

and then drag it out like a year or 5 later. hilarious. the fit the Dwight Schrute model.

[MineralMan]

85. Hmm...

Whatever floats people's boats, I guess.

:shrug:

[DainBramaged]

88. So? With the shit that gets said on here, you don't think it's worthwhile to

save the more vicious and many times ignored threats and attacks? Gee, I guess the world is rosier than I thought?

[DainBramaged]

60. People on my ignore list who are eating granite cookies as we speak

I am usually pretty accurate in putting people on ignore. There are some though, who continue to believe that some day, by continuing to post in thread after thread of mine I'll respond. They are sadly mistaken. Those are the foolish people who sadly only want to bring attention to themselves and not to anything worthwhile. Ignore is a good thing. It keeps some of us from losing our temper at the antics of the disruptor's, Freeper lurkers and general anarchist miscreants. (PS these folks are gone, granite cookies means g-o-n-e).

The list (gave me a chance to tidy up too, and I did this just a couple of months ago)

leftofthedial
Runcible Spoon
Greenhound
seemslikeadream
cboy4
tomreedtoon
FreedomTrain
specimenfred1984
yardwork
AZ Criminal JD
mudesi
BostonMa
Brucie Kibbutz
MrPerson
law9
konnichi wa
armyowalgreens
Canada1
Pangolin2
CocoaBeachCoco
alice silas
billm2257
Coffee and Cake
DeeWilly
emc8
Fred Zeppelin
Imperfect World
liberal1973
Viper Mad
WisconsinGuy414

[JuniperLea]

64. Those are tombstone shadows, right?

Cuz it would be bad to post that list if those are still DUers... just sayin'.

[PretzelWarrior]

68. that's what I was thinkin' too. :)

[JuniperLea]

112. I must be on his ignore list... eom

[onehandle]

62. Then what would the cowards do? nt

[SidDithers]

65. I don't use it...

tho I do "mentally ignore" some posters.

There are posters that I probably should Ignore, but they post so much comedy gold that I'm afraid I'd miss out something truly hilarious.

:hi:

Sid

[La Lioness Priyanka]

67. NO. by your logic DU is anti democratic because we dont allow everyone to post

[HughBeaumont]

70. NOPE. I put posters on ignore for two very good reasons.

1. Posters who unapologetically support corporatist free trade and offshore outsourcing to the point where they believe it's part of a natural economic cycle, no big deal and opposing it borders on xenophobia. Yes, they DO exist on this site. Often times, they don't last long.

I'm sorry, but there are some issues that are deal-breakers for me, and that's one of them. That isn't at all a Democratic position. AT ALL. I've talked to far too many people in person, on this site and others who fell victim to this unfortunate practice; even those who've suffered the indignity of training their own replacement. I'm not about to entertain the suggestion that destroying one middle class to help/lift another is sound economic policy. That's bullshit.

2. Curmudgeonly finger-wagging flamethrowers who consistently contribute nothing to the discussion and continually get away with flaming others (see: 9/11 forum. I'm a Paul Thompson MIHOPer and resent the implication that there's something wrong with me because of this belief) despite multiple alerts by yours truly. When nothing is done about it, it becomes a distraction which you have to take into your own hands.

That isn't being weak; it's called "clean-up".

[DainBramaged]

71. corporatist free trade and offshore outsourcing Reagonomics apologists

Hear hear

[gmoney]

72. Had a couple "lounge spammers" on ignore

this was a while back... they would post dozens of pointless things every day, I guess in the hopes that something would "stick"

I guess someone had a word with them about it, as my ignore list is now empty.

[closeupready]

75. I ignore snipers, backbiters, children, people who use the word "woo"

basically anyone who thinks this is 4chan boards - I have put about 45 people on ignore just since the last month, and it has dramatically improved my experience here on DU. I am a paying contributor, and I vote NOT to remove ignore.

I don't have to worry about making sense of threads with people on my ignore list - often, I find "Ignore" is always in the middle of a food fight, thus validating my decision. And since I am an adult, I don't have any use for being irritated and annoyed by people who want to come here and scream and throw tantrums. And frequently, it's not "Ignored" who is making valuable contributions to discussions here - they are derailing topics with their narcissistic "look at me and my smart mouth" comments. And it's not "Ignored" who is being fair and reasonable with adversaries.

[CTyankee]

90. But can't you just not respond to the screamers and smart mouths?

I do that and am fine with it. I can't see going through any rigamarole when I can easily ignore on my own...

[closeupready]

95. I don't have that kind of self-discipline. I am a giving person, and

when I see a response, I read it, in an attempt to formulate a response to THAT. But some people just post e-farts that are designed to do nothing but irritate opponents, and THEY ARE GOOD AT IT. That is the problem.

For example, there is one person on my ignore list who is a racist, caste-minded Indian and hates Pakistan and Pakistanis, and wishes nuclear war on Pakistan, and to shred it into lots of balkanized states. When domestic terrorism makes the news, he comments that it's "kind of cool to see them killing each other." (He actually posted that, I am not making that up.) Since many of my friends are Pakistani, I feel compelled to defend them. But later I realize that I wasted my energy and gave up my piece of mind to respond to a boy who is probably 16, who probably needs to get laid and just comes here to troll as a means of getting attention and venting sexual frustration, so what did anyone learn from that exchange???? Just put him on ignore, and voila.

There is another one who, when threads about drone attacks come up, he posted, "Good. Keep it up, Obama. :) " I mean, what is the point? Why waste energy debating with a Republican who has come here to pose as a Democrat, who may even THINK he is a Democrat, but isn't, when I could be persuading reasonable people that drone attacks are bad?

I mean, it's like, I know racism and fascism exist, but that doesn't mean I want to spend my time talking with those who subscribe to these things. Waste of my time.

[PretzelWarrior]

96. good examples you brought up.

[closeupready]

104. In both cases, those posts were the breaking point, lol.

:)

[CTyankee]

97. I do use Alert when I see something totally beyond the pale.

But I just ignore people who seem to be so eaten up with hate that they are toxic. I back away from them on DU much as I would some crazy looking individual on the street. There are rational limits...

[closeupready]

98. Yes, that's exactly what ignore is for me - a way of backing away from toxic people.

Good analogy. :hi: (You do it, I guess, without the assistance of an IBB feature, which is good for you, but again, I really need it, lol.)

[CTyankee]

108. It's because I am an old fart. After a while, you just don't give a sh*t what a lot of

people think or say. Of course, I have to be careful not to be unkind or insensitive. I try not to go around deliberatly pissing people off cuz I've learned thru hard experience that it doesn't pay off!

[Renew Deal]

76. Forget about ignore. We need community initiated bannings.

:hi:

[PretzelWarrior]

80. yeah! if you get 25 posts unrec'd at 20 to 1 ratio

you are automatically banned would be good too. Here is my advance "goodbye" in case that is instituted and I fall prey. :)

[gatorboy]

81. What would I possibly want to hear on Foxnews?

[CTyankee]

84. I never use "Ignore." Posters whose past threads I have found stupid or obnoxious

just get, well, ignored by me...I don't bother with them in the first place. And I really don't care to go to any extra trouble. Why bother?

[Iggo]

87. I have one person's OP's blocked.

This person only posts OP's in one specific forum (not one of the main ones). I do not block this person's replies to anyone else's OP's, just OP's started by this person.

And that's it.

[petronius]

127. That's exactly what my ignore list looks like - I think I hit a breaking point when

~25% of the threads on the first page were from one poster. :rofl:

[Iggo]

129. That's what I'm talkin about.

I blocked this person's OP's, which are always about the same subject, and the topics on the front page of the forum in question got a lot more diverse.

[Blue_In_AK]

89. I don't "put" people on ignore.

I just ignore them.

[Cleita]

92. If you don't like it, then don't use it.

I find it a valuable tool in controlling the troll content of posts I don't want to read over and over again. I like the hide-a-thread function too for the same reason.

[DainBramaged]

93. Hide a thread is a great feature

I have a LOT of trouble with stories about abused children and animals, murder, etc. and I just don't like getting involved in those threads so hiding them eliminates the temptation.

[Cleita]

100. Yeah those bother me to as there is so little you can do about them

after the fact.

[DainBramaged]

101. I hate threads that make me cry............

big tough guy that I am.............

:rofl:

[intheflow]

102. I've only had two people on ignore, ever.

And then only because their revolting ignorance, idiocy and bigotry so enraged me that if I didn't have them on ignore, I'd flame them so badly every time I saw their posts I'd have been banned.

[1]

103. ignore has its place. its like a "personal pizza" you can deliver yourself...

[LanternWaste]

106. Although I don't have anyone on Ignore...

Although I don't have anyone on Ignore, it's not something that I take as a point of pride, nor something that compels me to think that those who do use it are "afraid of opposing viewpoints".

Heck.. I know there are many people on DU who are generally uncivil, and sometimes downright nasty for its own sake, or just like to cause trouble, or posters who simply think they're brighter than most other people ( :hi: ), and I can fully empathize with anyone who puts those particular type of posters on Ignore.

And to be honest, I've actually been tempted a few times to use the function; but far more often than not, many threads began to lose context when I actually did try it out on lark, and I had a difficult time making sense of what was going on.

But in the end, get a visceral satisfaction watching those posters attempt to prove themselves to the world and ultimately crash in burn-- it's my Guilty DU Pleasure.

[PretzelWarrior]

110. but what if they ARE smarter than most people! ;)

this whole thread full of responses has been interesting.

[LanternWaste]

136. Most people probably do think themselves smarter than other people

Most people probably do think themselves smarter than other people. But Vegas odds are against it :)

However, I've found that the more one consciously advertises how intelligent they believe themselves to be to others, it's more often than not simply a validating and self-preening ego masquerading as intelligence.

[Toasterlad]

107. I Don't Use It.

Everyone has the right to their bullshit opinion, and I consider it in bad taste to give mine without being open to theirs.

[NoSheep]

109. I've only put 2 people on ignore. They were just too aggravating

to deal with. I needed to keep my blood pressure down. Edited because I thought I'd been here 8 years and it's only been about 6.

[Ten Bears]

113. I have a special ignore function that evidently is not available to most of you...

...and I didn't have to pay anything extra for it. If I feel you need to be ignored I don't read what you posted. I don't even know how to ignore somebody. I suppose I recollect seeing an ignore button before so I suppose that is how you do it. Just because I am curious, does anybody have me on ignore?

[NoSheep]

124. I have you on ignore :-)

[Stinky The Clown]

114. NO WAY do I want people on ignore

If I see someone as bothersome, I want to watch the asshole and know what s/he's up to.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

115. I put one person

on ignore for a couple of days because he or she said something personally disturbing
Otherwise, I may rec but never un-rec
If the topic doesn't interest me or the thread turns into a food fight I just move along

[SoCalDem]

116. just don't use it.. problem solved.. n/t

[Raine]

118. People who personally insult me

with name calling go on "Ignore" when I scan this thread there is not a single person in it that is on my list. I only have a couple, had more but they've all been TSed.

[Better Believe It]

120. I put people on ignore for personal attacks and trash talk who aren't here to engage in

civil debate and discusion.

[nadinbrzezinski]

121. Used to be of your school

but there are some folks who are just not worth it. So off to ignore they go.

Funny thing is every so often I check the list to clean it up, and every so often I see that either those posters have gone fully silent (inactive) or got a pizza delivery.

A few are very active posters... but it is just not worth it.

By the way, in a population of what is it... last count 50K members, having 20 or so on ignore is nothing.

[Orsino]

123. I don't recall ever putting someone on ignore.

There are too many DUers around for me to fixate on any individuals.

[LoZoccolo]

125. I do not think that anyone has had more people on ignore, than me.

I think it ended up being over nine hundred by the 2006 election. Surprisingly, you manage. I think I was a lot less tempted to experiment with crowd behavior than I am now, just due to not reading a bunch of stuff I probably didn't want to.

[gtar100]

128. I don't use it. I do, however, use the "dismiss" feature available in my own head.

The only thing I would use Ignore for would be for spam, but this site, the moderators, and the people make that unnecessary. Hats off to the lively discussions so many partake in here and the superb environment created by the owners of DU and all the volunteer moderators. They provide the space to make this place come alive. Because of their work, the great diversity of the mind is well represented here and we can see it for its better nature and its worst.

[roody]

130. Ignore is my friend!

I come here for news, not garbage.

[TexasObserver]

131. The feature is fine. It's the handful who can't stop publicly invoking it, though.

I think it's a great feature, but I'd like to see the DU admins ban the practice some of the weaker minded posters have of always posting those petulant posts that say "well, I see IGNORED is at it today," or other such pathetic whining about someone they can't even see. They should either put people on Ignore and Ignore them, or don't, but this practice some of the major drama queens and kings have is silly, at best. We get it. They don't like "IGNORED," but they lack the backbone to actually follow through on the process.

You know how to deal with some poster you think is an idiot who is incapable of logic, or even writing in sentences and paragraphs? Actually ignore them. I don't talk to such idiots in real life. Once I know they're daft, I cut them out my life. Posters here should do the same. There are at least a dozen posters here who are too stupid or too emotionally damaged to carry on an intelligent conversation. Once that is established, it's time to stop talking to them.

Sometimes such disgruntled posters can't accept being ignored and will follow you over the forum to nag, whine, cry, or gripe about something you said to them last week, last month, last year. If they do that, it means they have a loose screw and you should avoid them like the rabid animal they are. If you get a stalker, alert on them. There are some here, and they can't stand anyone who finds their craptastic threads forgettable, so it's not hard to find them. They'll find you.

[comtec]

132. Ignore is perfectly democratic

you may have a right to say whatever you want w/o fear of reprisal from the government - with in reason - but WE also have the right NOT to hear it.

[JNelson6563]

133. Well I have only one person on ignore

and it's cause they are a desperate attention whore who clutters up GD with lounge material. Pretty much the most pathetic poster on DU ever and I've been here long and seen 'em all!

Julie

[madokie]

134. With me it usually isn't the replys that bug me

its the perps who keep on posting bullshit dressed as something else who get my attention and I then only ignore that posters threads, not their replies to others posts. Works for me real well, I see no ignore on a thread and I don't have to wade through ignorant bullshit getting to that thread.
does that help?

[seabeyond]

135. never used it. nt

[Vidar]

137. First time I've been tempted to put you on ignore, but contented myself with unrec.

[jgraz]

138. We can now.

For some reason, I feel much less need to ignore people...

[QC]

139. Perhaps it's because one of the most relentlessly nasty trolls in the history of DU

is no longer with us, at least for now.

[jgraz]

140. At least this time, it didn't involve some weepy, hysterical goodbye post

[QC]

146. Oh, I dunno--he did such wonderful dramatic exits.

We don't often get to see such pearl-clutching since the passing of Joan Crawford.

[tekisui]

142. It's been a long time coming.

[hfojvt]

143. I wonder what the tipping point was

this thread, at least, seemed innocent enough. I used to not have people on ignore and just checked his profile to see how long he had been here.

[jgraz]

152. It might have been his insistence that gay activists wanted a "Fabulous Pink Pony"

:shrug:

[QC]

154. Now he has a fabulous grey tombstone. n/t

[jgraz]

156. Fabulous!

:party:

[QC]

158. Yes, it's almost *too* fabu. n/t

[tekisui]

141. Bye, Pretzel Warrior!

:rofl:

[Catshrink]

144. Speaking of which... where is BlooInBloo?

[tekisui]

147. Still here, but haven't seen them around in a while.

[Catshrink]

159. Maybe he's on a break...

Once upon a time I had him on ignore then OMG found myself agreeing with him. It's a strange world.

[Thickasabrick]

145. Even if I hated someone's guts, I couldn't do ignore. Just too curious nt

[anonymous171]

149. I have only ever put two people on ignore. It was during the primaries

and they were both asshats of the highest order.

EDIT: And it appears that the mods agreed with me.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=110992
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=user_profiles&u_id=154271

[Bonobo]

150. Why not just "ignore" it? nt

[MadBadger]

151. Wanna know why the Ignore feature exists? Proud2BAmurkin

oh, and say hi to him on ur way out!

[anonymous171]

153. DON'T SAY THAT NAME. I JUST WANT TO FORGET. nt

[CaliforniaPeggy]

155. I have only one person on my ignore list...

And that was for extremely rude, blatantly false accusations and generally indescribably foul assertions about me on another web site.

I blocked everything except individual posts...

Not seeing the threads this POS starts is a very pleasant thing. I even have moments when I forget this member is here...

My life is much happier with this poster removed. I have zero plans to reinstate...

Just sayin'...

[A HERETIC I AM]

157. That's cause you're a sweety sweety pie pie.

:hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

160. Aw......thanks...

You are too kind!

:hug:

[juno jones]

162. I use it for trolls

and abusive types. I think it's interesting that most of the people who wind up on my ignore go on to get tombstoned. Rarely do I ever see any ignored replies in my threads so I figure I'm not missing much by removing blatant trolls from my sight.