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This Week In Techdirt History: December 24th - 30th

New Year's Message: Keep On Believing

from the challenges-and-optimism dept

Fri, Dec 29th 2017 9:00am — Mike Masnick

Since 2008, my final post of the year is one where I try to reflect on the year coming to a close -- with a general focus on optimism. That is, the usual goal of these posts is to take a step back from the day to day grind and look at the larger picture to see what good things have happened, that often get missed in the daily struggle. Techdirt has now reached its 20th birthday, and we've now been doing these posts for nine years. The first one was a response to a few comments I'd received, asking how it was possible to write about all the stuff we write about without getting depressed -- which made me realize that I was actually incredibly optimistic about the overall future. The things we write about are frustrating and annoying not because we're pessimistic about the world, but because we're optimistic. The frustration is a response to efforts to slow down or hinder all the good opportunities, and the progress and innovation we see. If you're curious, here are the past New Year's posts:

2008: On Staying Happy
2009: Creativity, Innovation And Happiness
2010: From Pessimism To Optimism... And The Power Of Innovation
2011: From Optimism And Innovation... To The Power To Make A Difference
2012: Innovation, Optimism And Opportunity: All Coming Together To Make Real Change
2013: Optimism On The Cusp Of Big Changes
2014: Change, Innovation And Optimism, Despite Challenges
2015: New Year's Message: Keep Moving Forward
2016: New Year's Message: No One Said It Would Be Easy...

There's no denying it: this year has been a struggle. As many of you know, at the beginning of 2017 we were sued by someone who disagreed with our coverage. There is no denying that the lawsuit defined much of the year for us here at Techdirt -- and part of that was coming to terms with the very real impact the case was having on us as a site and on me personally. Thankfully, many of you stood up to support our continued reporting, and this fall, the case was dismissed, and the judge affirmed what we maintained all along: everything we wrote was protected by the First Amendment. That was gratifying. The case, however, is not yet over, as we are still dealing with the ongoing appeal by the plaintiff.

In many ways, I think that our experience can be seen as an analogy for how I view the year as a whole. It has been quite a challenge on a variety of different fronts. For people looking to be upset or pessimistic, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned. The FCC has gone through with its plan to destroy net neutrality without any effort to bring about real competition in the market for broadband access. Attempts to undermine "the most important law on the internet," Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, have gained quite a lot of traction. While no such law has yet passed, it may pass early on in the new year. While Congress was just prevented from reauthorizing surveillance on Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act (temporarily), there's been little real effort to reform our broken surveillance system to abide by the 4th Amendment. On top of all of that, it feels like 2017 was the year that the dam broke, leading many people to start to be more concerned about the power of the internet, rather than the opportunities it enables. This has manifested itself in many ways, but most concerning to us is an increasing willingness to toss aside the principles of free speech in order to support censorship of speech that some segment of the population declares "bad." And that's leaving out a variety of potentially larger political and societal issues that have left many people quite concerned about the future.

And yet, believe it or not, I am still optimistic about the future. I still see the promise of the internet. I still recognize the wonders brought about by protecting everyone's civil liberties and how it has opened us up to many more insights and voices that were unfortunately silenced in the past. The ability to speak up on the internet has created a fascinating situation over the past few months, where often powerful men have been brought down for abusing their positions of power. We're also starting to see the beginnings of some brand new opportunities online. The concerns that many people now have over large internet companies are driving lots of interesting efforts into new online tools and services -- and, somewhat incredibly, new protocols which at least offer hope that we can return to the original promise of the internet: a truly distributed system, rather than a series of large silos.

As with the lawsuit against us, it feels like we're living through incredibly challenging times. They create struggles and problems and challenges. But by standing up for what we believe in and in fighting for the rights and the future that we know are possible, we can still prevail. The fact that there are setbacks, or even derailments, along the way does not define the end result. The future always remains possible, and the promise and excitement and opportunity that led me to start Techdirt in the first place all still remain. I'm still amazed at how much has changed in the 20 years since we started Techdirt -- and while it's easy to remember the bad things, it's often hard to recognize all the good that has come along as well. And that's doubly true during the most challenging of times. But don't be fooled by short-term swings and momentum. Tides change, and the long-term trend for innovation and for civil liberties tends to go in the right direction, even with some challenges along the way.

If anything, though, this year should remind us that even as the larger trajectory tends to go in the right direction, it only does that because there are lots of people who are fighting to make it so. It does not do that entirely on its own, and there are times when forces push back against such progress. In short: keep on believing in the good things that can come, and then go out and fight for them. Don't get disheartened by the struggles -- just recognize that those also present new opportunities.

We certainly intend to keep on fighting here -- and we hope you'll be right there alongside us. If you'd like to help us -- you can do so by sharing our stories, by commenting on them, or more directly supporting us. You can support us at our Insider Shop, our First Amendment reporting fund at ISupportJouranlism.com, our our Patreon page or pick up some of our great t-shirts, hoodies and mugs. Many media sites have struggled in 2017 and we can't tell you how much we appreciate that you choose to spend time with us and to support us and keep us going.

As always, the most amazing thing about Techdirt is the community of folks that are here. The community continues to amaze us and support us and to make everything that happens around here worthwhile. We reached 20 years of Techdirt earlier this year and I still wake up each and every day excited to write about these ideas, to share these ideas, and to debate these ideas. And a large part of what makes it such a joy is everyone here -- and not just the commenters, but the lurkers as well, or the people who share our stuff on social media. And, this year especially, seeing how the community stepped up to support us in our most challenging times was truly incredible.

Thank you for being a microcosm of why I still believe in the power of community on the internet. Thank you for making Techdirt such a special place.

Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.

Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.

While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.

–The Techdirt Team

Filed Under: 2017, new year's message, optimism, struggle

157 Comments

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Reader Comments

The First Word

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Thanks to the entire Techdirt team for persevering through a tough year! Your triumphs felt like our triumphs. Looking forward to some more of the best journalism on the web in 2018. Happy New Year to all!

—timlash

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Dwight Brown, 29 Dec 2017 @ 9:08am

A long journey...
"Keep On Believing"

You couldn't use "Don't Stop Believing"?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 9:28am

I'm one of those lurkers.... and while I don't always agree with the opinions, I find TechDirt to be one of the absolute best news/tech sites on the whole internet.

Keep up the amazing work!
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Thad, 29 Dec 2017 @ 9:51am

Re: A long journey...
Don't Start Unbelieving.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:13am

The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
Believe WHAT? If we stop "believing", do you fade away like Peter Pan?

Incomparably incomprehensible.

I read EVERY word, struggling to piece together some point, and take away only that Masnick is begging for money yet again.

20 years wrong on every major copyright case from Napster on. No admission that the "free as in beer" content is further away than ever: all law firmed and firming.

Anyhoo, only real point of note is THE CHANGE from last third of September, when my comments (from TOR) stopped being shunted into the lying "Held For Moderation" AND (generally) stopped being censored, I mean "hidden". -- PROVING that was administrator action all along. -- And yet Techdirt goes on, proving that CAN stand a little bit of dissenting text.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:17am

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
Yes, see: the site left open on an OFF day, yet no trouble even from TOR (still). You haven't seen me (or anyone) complaining because no reason to.

PROVING that blocking and censoring was administrator action all along.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:22am

optimistic > pessimistic
Thanks for the optimistic post, for the last few months I started reading less articles because I just felt like there was no point trying to defend good policies and laws when there is such a strong opposition force, and that negative force appears to be winning. I was getting discouraged. But this post helped to remind me that being optimistic about the future and seeing the potential is more important.

Thanks and have a good next year.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:25am

Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
No it proves not enough people have read your comment yet. If you are going to troll at least try to use logic correctly.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:26am

I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Just look at the dull dreck put out of late. Comments are mostly by fanboys, and even they go off-topic, usually anti-Trump rants.

WHAT IS your goal, Masnick? Bullet points, please.

But since Techdirt isn't driven by struggle for either popularity or advertising income, only Masnick's vanity, may go on, getting more funny.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 10:43am

Re: Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
Feeble AC! I KNOW YOU CLOWNS and did use logic! -- I emphasize what wrote above: "stopped being shunted into the lying "Held For Moderation" AND (generally) stopped being censored"

But thanks for contradicting: turns out that goal of fanboys IS to censor, because Techdirt can't stand a little bit of text in dissent!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:18am

Re: optimistic > pessimistic
"I was getting discouraged."

I would be discouraged by the ignorant solutions being advanced at TD too if I were in your shoes.

"But this post helped to remind me that being optimistic about the future and seeing the potential is more important."

The future is bleak. Most people are easily fooled and by the time a good idea has passed through the political grinder it no longer serves its original purpose. Legislation and Regulation are written to appear to be "protective" of consumers while being the opposite of it technically.

Every benefit a consumer "thinks" they get from regulation a business receives twice that benefit in actuality.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:19am

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
"Incomparably incomprehensible."

.. Because it's all about you.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:21am

Re: Re: optimistic > pessimistic
Do you post from Moscow, Beijing or NK ?

Inquiring minds want to know.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:22am

Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
and now, to ask the obvious question .... What is your goal?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:27am

Re: Re: Re: optimistic > pessimistic
the one you need it to be to support your lies and misrepresentations.
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Gwiz (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 11:53am

Blue, I would personally like to thank you for being a part of the Techdirt community all these years.

Without the chuckles you provide with your outlandish and usually wrong notions and your childish insults and ad homs, this year would have been a bit more depressing. Keep up the good work of entertaining us all.

Cheers & Happy New Year, my friend.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:05pm

Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Y’know, for someone who apparently hates Techdirt, you seem awfully adamant about coming here and posting your comments, thus giving traffic to the site. If you really think Techdirt should go away, the proper solution would be to ignore it, not give it attention and say over and over and over that you cannot wait for all that attention you are giving it to go away any second now.

Besides, hatewatching/hatereading is the hobby of fools. I hate Breitbart, but I do not visit that site in a vain attempt to “own the neocons” or whatever. I just ignore it as best I can.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:11pm

Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Greetings Troll,

Better for everyone to just stick to their echo chambers and have closed off views of the world and others right?

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”

~Mark Twain

You are sorely in need of a little travel youself. You are the bigot you accuse others of being.

I like TD but it won't stop me from telling you all that you are wrong about things!
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:16pm

Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Better for everyone to just stick to their echo chambers and have closed off views of the world and others right?

I can read conservative publications without subjecting myself to the kind of racism and bigotry spewed forth by an outlet like Breitbart.

You are the bigot you accuse others of being.

[citation needed]

I like TD

[citation needed]

but it won't stop me from telling you all that you are wrong about things

Enjoy the next year’s worth of mockery and scorn, then! 😃
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:21pm

The concerns that many people now have over large internet companies are driving lots of interesting efforts into new online tools and services -- and, somewhat incredibly, new protocols which at least offer hope that we can return to the original promise of the internet: a truly distributed system, rather than a series of large silos.

Honestly, this is one of the main reasons why I find myself preferring the Mastodon protocol (and my chosen instance, mastodon.social) over the hellsite that is Twitter. I never feel like Eugen wants to exploit me and my data for personal gain, and the specific instance I am on has a proper CoC and excellent moderation. If someone could do for Tumblr what Masto did for Twitter-style social media, that would make for an excellent addition to the distributed web. Something to hope for in 2018, I suppose. 😃
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:43pm

See, that's why being a pessimist is such a relatively cushy position: when you believe that we're all well and truly fucked, we'll never be not fucked, we'll never get less fucked, the only unknown being how fast we'll be getting more fucked - there will be not a single year to disappoint you or give you any reason to change that view, while others with misguided hopes will invariably come to see them crushed.

So: Happy New Year, just don't expect anything to improve. Remember, Murphy was an optimist. It won't get worse - it'll get MUCH worse.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:49pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
You mean enjoy more trolling?

"I can read conservative publications without subjecting myself to the kind of racism and bigotry spewed forth by an outlet like Breitbart."

No, you prefer to subject yourself to the kind of racism and bigotry spewed forth by other outlets.

I have already cited why you are a bigot, and if I say "I like TD" then that is already proper citation of my position. Or do you make the claim that a parent that chastises an errant child is a parent hating them?

Are you certain you came prepared with any good logic? Cause it appears that you are already intellectually handicapped.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:53pm

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
"No admission that the "free as in beer" content is further away than ever"

I dunno about you, but I've been able to access every book, TV show, movie and song I've ever been interested in for free for the past 10+ years. Free content is the norm; it is the baseline; it is everywhere. All content is easily available for free. The only thing that's "further away than ever" seems to be you and the entertainment industry facing up to that fact.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:56pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"Or do you make the claim that a parent that chastises an errant child is a parent hating them?"

No, but an adult who claims to "like" the work of some complete strangers, but then characterizes that relationship in such a deeply patronizing way and expects pats on the back, is a condescending narcissistic twat.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 12:59pm

Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"People who quote Mark Twain thinking it makes them sound smart or automatically proves their point are tiresome and uninteresting." - Everyone Else
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:06pm

Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
>I like TD but it won't stop me from telling you all that you are wrong about things!

Just telling people they are wrong, without giving what you believe to be the right solution will not get people to change their opinions, but will get you treated as a troll.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:09pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
That is just your intellectually limited opinion.

TD recognizes the same problems I do with many things and then raises awareness about them, which is why I like them. We just disagree on the solutions to those problems.

Only people like you think we have to be enemies or hate each other because of it. Do you also hate your fellow coworkers that have solutions to problems that are "contrary" to your solutions? Work must suck for you, I actually enjoy my work and well paid for it as well!

In short, that is why you are the bigots. You hate anyone that does not subscribe to your solutions and seek to marginalize and belittle them.

I don't hate you guys even though you disagree with my solutions, but you do hate me because I disagree with yours. See how that is working out? The hate is one sided. I know your hearts are in the right place, just that your brains are not.

My condescension is a figment of your imagination. I just happen to have a high degree of confidence in my opinions, ideas, and facts to the point that many of you have developed inferiority complexes.

But I have learned that many of you like to frame my disagreement with you in this way as a defense mechanism.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:09pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

I have already cited why you are a bigot

[citation needed]
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:13pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I literally used a quote to explain why they were wrong.

And if you had any functional intelligence you would also notice that it implies a solution.

That solution is to get out, get to know others and stop being a bigot to other over your opinions.

Tell me which cards you are missing and I will see about getting you back to having a "full deck".
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:14pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
that is why you are the bigots. You hate anyone that does not subscribe to your solutions and seek to marginalize and belittle them.

Two things.
1. Someone disliking your opinions does not make that someone a bigot, no matter how much you want to co-opt that word as a descriptor for your personal pain.
2. You are belittled because of lines like “[t]hat is just your intellectually limited opinion”, which, in spite of your assertion that “[m]y condescension is a figment of your imagination”, is condescending towards those with whom you talk. You can make your points and share your opinions without calling people names and implying they are all too dumb to understand you. Trust me, we understand you perfectly. How else could we mock you?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:14pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"My condescension is a figment of your imagination. I just happen to have a high degree of confidence in my opinions, ideas, and facts to the point that many of you have developed inferiority complexes."

Ooh boy. Folks, I think we have a new entry in the online tradition of viral "douchebag quotes", rivaling even that infamous Rick & Morty fan copypasta.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:18pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"You're all ignorant liars and trolls who live in echo chambers and are wrong about everything. But I don't hate you!"

Damn, I wonder why the site and community aren't falling over themselves to express their deep gratitude for your magnanimity.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Oh? Does it magically mean more if I dropped the quotes and attribution? The quotes and attributing are there to give respect to an idea I agree with as a truth.

Your fixation to the quote is telling. It does not matter who said what... it only matters if it is the truth. Or are you asking me to plagiarize someone else's thoughts?

Now, Are you refuting what it claims or just tossing your less than significant contribution in for consideration here?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
It was literally in the post, right there in the "quote".

If I need to explain things "this basic" to you its going to be a LONGGGGGGGGGGGGG conersation.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:23pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Heh. Remember a few minutes ago when this moron attacked us for trying to "belittle" people who disagree with us?
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:25pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

right there in the "quote"

Mocking your holier-than-Christ self-righteousness and your higher-than-Snoop-Dogg opinion of yourself is not bigotry. It is the natural response to someone who thinks himself better than everyone just because he can quote Mark Twain, string together five-syllable words, and imply anyone who does not share his opinions are intellectually disabled.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
lol. There's no claim to refute, smart guy. You know nothing about the "travel" experience of Stephen or anyone else here, nor do they about yours. It's just irrelevant nonsense that you are trying to make sound like some brilliant bit of match-point wisdom.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:27pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"Someone disliking your opinions does not make that someone a bigot, no matter how much you want to co-opt that word as a descriptor for your personal pain."

I agree with this, you are attempting to misrepresent my position again troll, please stop!

"Trust me, we understand you perfectly."

That does not appear to be the case.

"How else could we mock you?"

Intelligence, knowledge, nor understanding are required to mock someone or something. You apparently suffer from some form of illusory intellectual superiority in the same breath you accuse me of suffering it.

You fit the definition of hypocrite. You also need to frame me as a being intellectually egotistical to defend yourselves because you have no substance and keep putting your own foots in your faces while I call you out on it.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:28pm

Well, in fairness...
That seems to be his whole act: Condescend and insult, then act superior when others mock him, then claim some form of “victory” over the “haters and losers” who are “very” dumb.

Hmm…sounds a little familiar, don’t you think?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:29pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Thank you for proving my point!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:29pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
You must be so much fun at Christmas dinner.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:30pm

Lawls.

You also need to frame me as a being intellectually egotistical

Hey, you do a good enough job of that on your own. 😄
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:30pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"Thank you for proving my point"? C'mon man - that's amateur, entry-level internet douchebag stuff, and you've already demonstrated that you're a virtuoso. Pretty disappointing, if you ask me.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:33pm

To be fair...
...he has to have a very high IQ to understand your point. The humor is extremely subtle, and without a solid grasp of theoretical physics most of the jokes will go over a typical viewer's head. There's also your nihilistic outlook, which is deftly woven into your posts - your personal philosophy draws heavily from Narodnaya Volya literature, for instance. The people who agree with you understand this stuff; they have the intellectual capacity to truly appreciate the depths of these jokes, to realize that they're not just funny- they say something deep about LIFE. As a consequence people who dislike your point truly ARE idiots- of course they wouldn't appreciate, for instance, the humour in your existencial catchphrase "My condescension is a figment of your imagination," which itself is a cryptic reference to Turgenev's Russian epic Fathers and Sons I'm smirking right now just imagining one of those addlepated simpletons scratching their heads in confusion as your genius unfolds itself on their computer screens. What fools... how I pity them. 😂 And yes by the way, I DO have a tattoo of your point. And no, you cannot see it. It's for the ladies' eyes only- And even they have to demonstrate that they're within 5 IQ points of my own (preferably lower) beforehand.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:36pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Let me help you out friend.

Some of you are liars, some of you are trolls, and some of you call for an Echo Chamber and some of you are wrong about some things. No I do not hate you, I just disagree with you and see right through many of you.

"Damn, I wonder why the site and community aren't falling over themselves to express their deep gratitude for your magnanimity."

People hate the truth and a fast way to make enemies is to utter it. The same spit and vinegar was brought forth around here when Trump won the presidency. Many of you even scoffed at the idea that Trump could win a campaign against Hillary when people like me were warning you that your bravado was on shaky footing, yet you payed no heed.

You are so full of arrogance yourselves that reason is not part of your functional intellectual capacities. Naturally you will become upset when I point out the egg on your faces!

But no, I still do not hate you guys for it. If I hated you guys I would not be here trying to help you understand that you are a few fries short of a happy meal. I am trying to tell you that you are busy crafting the implements of your own destruction.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:39pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Just to clarify, are you still denying that you're unbearably condescending?
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:41pm

Lawls again.

You are so full of arrogance

Says the guy who said “my condescension is a figment of your imagination” beforce claiming that his intelligence gave everyone here an inferiority complex.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I have to be "intentionally patronizing" to be condescending.

con·de·scend·ing
ˌkändəˈsendiNG/
adjective
adjective: condescending

having or showing a feeling of patronizing superiority.
"she thought the teachers were arrogant and condescending"
synonyms: patronizing, supercilious, superior, snobbish, snobby, disdainful, lofty, haughty; More

It is not my intention, as I said, it is something you have chosen to manufacture for yourselves.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:41pm

Re: Well, in fairness...
No, could we truly be in the presence of greatness? The great Donald himself?

Oh the honor we have been bestowed! The great Donald has descended to speak with us poor uninformed peasants! May we remember this day for all eternity and count ourselves blessed for the opportunity to glimpse greatness.

(/s just in case it wasn't blatantly obvious, I'm going to go throw up now)
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:42pm

Re: Lawls again.
I cannot give you an inferiority complex silly, you have to give it to yourself.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:45pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
If Mark Twain is a corner on the condescending douchebag bingo card, citing dictionary definitions complete with phonetic spellings is the center square.
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Chip, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:45pm

Re: Lawls.
Stop calling me "Egotistical" you sutpuud Idiots! I am Not Condescending, you are too "dumb" to Realize that! Stupid! Why are you all so "stupid"! Not "smart" like me. I am very Smart. Have I told you how "smart" I am? That's what Smart people do. Talk about how Smart they are all the Time. That's how you know how "smart" I am! Also because I use words like "Sycophant", which I think means some kind of a bird, and i know lots of famous "quotes", like this one: I may not "agree" with what you Say, but I will defend to the "death" your right to say It! - Magic Johnson

Every Nation eats the Paint chips it Deserves!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:45pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I deny nothing, I am just stating that it is a construct of YOUR thoughts.

I am just saying, that is not the intention here and that it is up to you to "feel" insulted, patronized, or affronted in some way.

Why do you choose to take offense at something not intended to offend you?
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:46pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
You are currently projecting at a dangerously Trumpian level there champ. Might want to tone it down a bit as we can only have one narcissist in chief.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:46pm

Condescending Bingo, or “S-M-A-R-T”
Nah, center space is the free space, so that would be “you just can’t understand me”.
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Chip, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:46pm

Re: Lawls again.
I never "Said" that!

Stop claiming I Said things, and then Linking to Where I "Said" them!

Every Nation eats the Paint chips it Deserves!
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:47pm

Why do you choose to take offense at something not intended to offend you?

I could ask you the same question in re: your continued decision to read Techdirt.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:47pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Y'know what? You're right. Condescending and patronizing were inaccurate word choices. I should have said "megalomaniac".
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:48pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Yes, "that one" was intentional hence the quotes around it.

I am happy to admit when I am intentionally being condescending to people.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:48pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
At least he didn’t quote Washington’s farewell address for the 50th time. That’s another corner on his condescending douchebag bingo sheet.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:56pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"Mocking your holier-than-Christ self-righteousness and your higher-than-Snoop-Dogg opinion of yourself is not bigotry."

I did not make this claim. Your bigotry stems from your derisive statements about other groups not about your poor attempts at mockery.

"It is the natural response to someone who thinks himself better than everyone just because he can quote Mark Twain, string together five-syllable words, and imply anyone who does not share his opinions are intellectually disabled."

Wow, you seem to be able to twist things up pretty fast. Lets unravel a few things.

Quotes are to pay respects to a person that is famous for a specific thought or subject because unlike you folks I have respect for others.

I do not think I am better than anyone else because I can quote Mark Twain, this is another manufactured misrepresentation from you.

I do not imply that anyone that does not share my opinions are intellectually disabled and you can't even quote me properly. The accusation of you being "intellectually handicapped" stems from your inability to possess or utilize what reading comprehension skills you do possess.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 1:59pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
The teacher must teach until the students learn.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:00pm

Hrm.
…bored now, you’re boring.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:06pm

Re: To be fair...
No he did not understand.

Letting people insult you or seeing insult where there may be note places one at a disadvantage, that is the point.

Additionally to hide behind accusations of someone's hubris as your stand against their words is equally juvenile.

I am either correct or not, and if you are stupid enough to ignore what is right or wrong because you did not like the person that stated it shows a deep seated immaturity.

THAT is the point and he proved it! The problem is that he does not see it and neither do you!

All insults are figments of your own imagination and it is up to you to let them goad you and letting them goad you is what proves the point!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:08pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
If I wanted to learn how to be smug cunt you are offering quite the masterclass today.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:08pm

Re:
Because I like reading Techdirt. I have stated it many times, it just appears that you refuse to believe me.

fine, up to you!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:11pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Well, we are just expanding on all they names you guys can come up with aren't we?

You just keep proving my point that most of you have nothing but ad hominem attacks for people you don't like because you are intellectually immature.

You can become more mature, if you desire it.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:11pm

Re: Hrm.
trolls sometimes run out of steam when they fail.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:16pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I was wondering when someone was going to go "Godwin" but in the Trump format on me here.

Don't like Trump, but it's your guys faults for running a clown like Hillary against him. It's like you wanted Trump to win. Even John Oliver was awesome enough to apologize for that one.

O yea, I like John Oliver too and consider him to be one of the more honest opinion journalists out there even though I disagree with some of his politics.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Hey dipshit. Not everyone lives in the United States. So about your projection problems...
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:20pm

Re: Re: Lawls again.
Sup chip... there is a quoting system here you can use to backup your claims.

If you just lay off those paint chips you might figure that one out.
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timlash (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:24pm

Thanks to the entire Techdirt team for persevering through a tough year! Your triumphs felt like our triumphs. Looking forward to some more of the best journalism on the web in 2018. Happy New Year to all!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:27pm

Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
And you guys wonder why Trump won the election.

I have been trying to help you guys understand that you ARE what you accuse me of being. And yes, that does mean that you are very much like Trump with blatant lies, ignorant, and a healthy refusal to see it.

It's why you guys got Trump for a President. It is like God wanted you clowns to get a "Presidential" taste of your own medicine!

I think it cosmic justice is quite real in this regard. What was another saying from the bible of the same?

Do not case pearls of wisdom before swine least they trample them under foot and turn on you?

Trump is your comeuppance, plain and simple!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:35pm

Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
I have been trying to help you guys understand that you ARE what you accuse me of being.

So since I sarcastically accused you of being Trump, that must make me Trump (since I am what I accused you of being), which would make me the President.

In that case: you're fired! Get off the internet! You are fake news! Very unfair to public, so sad, sad little man. I have all the answers, they are the best answers. Your answers are wrong and you should be ashamed.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 2:37pm

Re: Re: To be fair...
"I am either correct or not"

This is incorrect, as most things are somewhere in between.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:03pm

This comment section is hilarious when all you see is the responses to the troll chip.

(Who knew a teacup/child could spew forth so many words and still be completely nonsensical.)
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:09pm

2018 will be worse: less privacy, less security, less freedom.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:10pm

Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
No we understand why Trump won. Problem is being elected doesn't suddenly make you qualified.
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Digitari, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:45pm

why am I here
Because, I support the right of free speech, even speech I don't like to hear (read).

I have made fun of a few, and ben made fun of.

I have pissed off a few, and been pissed off.

The one thing that never fails me here, Techdirt makes me think.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:58pm

Re: Re: To be fair...
"I am either correct or not, and if you are stupid enough to ignore what is right or wrong because you did not like the person that stated it shows a deep seated immaturity."

No, you misunderstand. I think most of us here in this thread have a big long list of reasons that we think you are wrong in most of your opinions, completely unrelated to your attitude when conveying them. However, it's that insufferable attitude that severely limits our desire to actually discuss it with you, and it's your repeated assertions of your own infallible intelligence and opinions that convince us doing so would be futile anyway.

In other words, your mind appears closed. And I recognize that from your perspective, it's us whose minds are closed. *Both* sides have largely moved past discussing our actual arguments, and spend most of our time impugning each other's motives or intelligence or reasoning or attitude. For example, that is all you have done on this thread - and all we have done on this thread too.

So it appears we are at an impasse. And in a very real sense, both sides are behaving exactly the same way. But with one critical difference: *you're* the one who keeps shitting on *our* doorstep.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 3:59pm

Re: Re: Re: To be fair...
I can accept your correction on that. I am right about some things and wrong about others.

When I said I am correct or not, I intended it to apply to each detail as I mention them, not to imply that I am either completely correct or completely not. I should have been more concise.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:07pm

Re: Re: Re: To be fair...
"it's your repeated assertions of your own infallible intelligence"

Again, another construct of your own imagination. I have met no human with infallible intelligence.

"So it appears we are at an impasse. And in a very real sense, both sides are behaving exactly the same way."

I agree... both sides are acting like humans.

"But with one critical difference: *you're* the one who keeps shitting on *our* doorstep."

"our doorstep" implying that I am not welcome here proving my point that you guys are the bigot and not me.

I do not hate you guys but you do hate me. I think you did an excellent job of explaining yourself here.

It does not matter what I say, but how I say it. Or rather how you "choose" to view what I have said. Even if I intend no offense you can choose at any time you wish to take offense at anything I say. You can also choose to believe I am being condescending because you need something to grasp at to attack me with.

The one over arching theme I do get from you guys is the constant desire to make TD an echo chamber where people with differing opinions are not welcome. Even Facebook has the intellectual honesty to recognize what happens when you succeed in sterilizing your environment from outside ideas.

Again, you are mono-culturalist and your post helps to prove it.
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Toom1275 (profile), 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:08pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
"clown like Hillary"
Between the two, the one wearing the orange facepaint is more clownish.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:12pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
I agree with you there, but all of the people that scoffed at the idea helped Trump win. I would posit that all of that scoffing helped fuel Trumps win.
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My Condescension Is A Figment Of Your Imagination, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:15pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: To be fair...
We just happen to have arguments that are so much better and more compelling than yours that you've developed a persecution complex because you can't convince anyone of anything.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:15pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
yes, you do resemble Trump in many ways.

Refuse to accept when you are wrong.
Think you know more than you actually do.
When you fail you blame someone or something else instead of yourself or your ideas.

I can accept when I am wrong.
I don't think I know more than I actually do.
I do blame myself for failing to find a way to help you guys past your cognitive dissonance.

Some people just have skills for doing certain things, and I just lack the skills to get people to listen to reason.

I tell it like I see it no beating around the bush and this is very off putting for lots of folks because they thing I am trying to insult them. I am just trying to tell you I think you are wrong.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:16pm

Congratulations to all the trolls - out_of_the_blue, MyNamHere, the local armchair anarchist, Richard Bennett, and the other idiots skulking in the woodwork (hi, antidirt, how's Slonecker doing without his oxygen supply?) Your hero Shiva Ayyadurai failed to take this site down and your indignant tears of self-righteousness are delicious, like the piss you took in your cornflakes.

Your support for government surveillance, unchecked infinite copyright and authoritarianism, and the tripe you post in subsequent masturbation, serve to drive people away, and watching you seethe in rage on a website you absolutely loathe with the intensity of a thousand suns is hilarious.

Here's a resolution for you: try to commit to French kissing a chainsaw. It's just as sadomasochistic as returning to a website you keep visiting yet despise with every fiber of your being.

To Masnick and the Techdirt crew, I anticipate the coverage of Paul Hansmeier's trial. Have a blessed 2018 ahead!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:18pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: To be fair...
Nice! I like the user name! Emulation is the most sincere form of flattery!

I do not feel persecuted.

I just feel I am surrounded by a bunch of intellectually dissonant people.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:18pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I am quite sure you have that skill in spades already!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
funny, I thought I was accusing you of that!
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My Condescension Is A Figment Of Your Imagination, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
"I can accept when I'm wrong! I just never have been about anything, so it hasn't come up yet. Seriously guys, I have flaws - like, I haven't been able to cure you all of the stupidity that prevents you from realizing I'm right about everything! I'm humble enough to admit that."
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
I see that both as clownish politically but in the appearance department I do have to agree with you.

Trump definitely looks less stately than Hillary.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:23pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
I guess you missed it when I accepted one of the others posts correcting me on a detail.

I am not trying to cure you of stupidity, I am trying to help you stop being dissonant and ignorant... things that "retard" your intellectual growth.
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My Condescension Is A Figment Of Your Imagination, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:26pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
"Okay okay I admit it - I am occasionally technically wrong about inconsequential and abstract details. Heck, maybe once or twice as a child I even had an incorrect substantive opinion! But now, due to my 'high degree of confidence' in what a genius I am, it's not really an issue. And hey, I didn't call you stupid, I just called you ignorant and retarded!"
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:39pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
*snicker*

Am I developing a fan club around here?
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My Condescension Is A Figment Of Your Imagination, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:42pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
Yeah, that's *definitely* what's happening. 🙄
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Chip, 29 Dec 2017 @ 4:44pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
This guy "gets" It!

Every Nation eats the Paint chips it Deserves!
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 5:57pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
Neither of you were put on this earth to "get anything".

You just like to "think" you do. But I guess you guys are right. I should not expend so much effort to free you from your fantasies.

Ignorance is bliss, as they say.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 6:19pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
It just kills you not to have the last word doesn’t it.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 6:56pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Well, in fairness...
"But I guess you guys are right. I should not expend so much effort to free you from your fantasies."

Works for me! Goodbye forever.
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Anonymous Coward, 29 Dec 2017 @ 7:39pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.
Because you're such a bastion of mutual respect...?
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 1:28am

Oh well, 2017
Usually your year end messages are a little more deep and meaningful. This one sort of comes off more along the lines of a preacher begging his flock to ignore reality and "believe" in him some more.

Consider Jim Jones, the preacher who so kindly created the concept of "drinking the koolaid". His basic message was believe in me, no matter what. His basic belief system started with the idea that socialism (through communism) was the will of god, and that all should believe this. They moved to their compound in Guyana specifically to build the world that god had instructed him to make. To go there, you had to believe.

The kool aid was, in the end, just the final proof of devotion to a concept and man over logical thought.

Trumpkins are kool aid drinkers. They believe, even when their man is clearly wrong or heading in the wrong direction, they believe.

Believe is the message of "don't think about it, just accept it". A better message for 2018 is "think for yourself". Stop worrying about fitting in with a social group or being politically correct, and start worrying about things actually being right and making sense.

Believing is for religions. Thinking is for yourself. Move boldly into 2018 with your brain on, and stay away from the Kool Aid dispenser.
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 1:29am

Re:
Honestly, I hope that the Techdirt crew are smart enough to remove your message of violence.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 4:20am

Re: Oh well, 2017
Did you actually read the post? It's clear "Keep on Believing" in this context is another way to see "Keep up the optimism" or "Act under the assumption that progress is possible".

This is more clearly stated in the middle where he talks about his own optimism for the internet and the future.

Inviting people to have optimism about the change they can effect is not a cry for blind faith, but merely an attempt at lifting spirits in the face of what has otherwise been a daunting year.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 4:29am

Re: Re:
Why should they care? It's clearly not a real credible and immediate threat, it's just an expression of loathing. And they know full well the protections afforded them by section 230 of the CDA.

It's not in the best taste, and I wish that no one wished any harm on anyone, but it's of no worry to Techdirt.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 5:30am

Re: Oh well, 2017

The kool aid was, in the end,

…actually Flavor Aid mix. Kool-Aid got all the credit because it was, and still is, more well-known. Hell of a PR dodge there!
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 6:00am

Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
I read it, but I understood perhaps a more underlying messages: optimism is just another way of saying "hoping our beliefs come true!".

Believing that the world can be remade into the image you project for it is sort of pseudo religious.

Don't believe. Think.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 6:16am

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017

I understood perhaps a more underlying messages: optimism is just another way of saying "hoping our beliefs come true!".

So what?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 6:27am

2018: There Is Always More, And It Is Always Worse

2019: See What We Mean?

2020: 01000100 01000101 01010011 01010100 01010010 01001111 01011001 00100000 01000001 01001100 01001100 00100000 01001000 01010101 01001101 01000001 01001110 01010011

2025: Found Good Bashing Stick, Will Trade For Rocks To Throw
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:37am

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
You are more pessimistic than I thought. And attempting to twist good wishes into something sinister is the sign of something more insidious. Optimism is the opposite of what you are doing.

Just what is your deal anyway?
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:42am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
For me, "keep believing" is the "hopes and prayers" for a group of people, it's an empty stock phrase that generally doesn't say much at all.

Mike actually usually writes interesting year end stuff. Most of it (even by the titles) is about optimism. This one? Not optimistic, much more like the half time speech for a football team that is down 80 already, and just lost their only quarterback to injury. I don't smell the optimism, I smell a much more pessimistic message.

Hoping your 2018 is better, mine should be :)
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:45am

Re: Re:
Like all the ones where you assumed anyone wearing dark clothing should be beaten up by the police because obviously they were trying to avoid identification, therefore criminals?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:49am

Re: Oh well, 2017
Thinking for yourself... you mean like the time when you assumed that the police absolutely had to have a good reason for shooting unarmed people?

If that's supposed to be thinking for yourself, you don't appear to be particularly qualified.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:50am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
Sounds like someone's happy that net neutrality is dead, and cops are getting more protection from mobile phones that might be guns.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 8:07am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017

I don't smell the optimism, I smell a much more pessimistic message.

Pure optimism is as foolish as pure pessimism. Both mindsets poison your thinking in different ways—optimism by deluding you into thinking things will be instantly better any day now, pessimism by deluding you into thinking things cannot and will not ever get better no matter what. The best approach is to hope for the best, plan for the worst, and never assume that a given vision of the future—good or bad—is guaranteed.

If the annual year-end article seems a little less optimistic this year, well…have you looked at what happened this year? Goddamn, son, this has been a shitty year! Even a wide-eyed Pollyanna would find it hard to stay optimistic only on the basis of all the bullshit spewed forth by the current POTUS. But I would rather look for a bright spot in all of this muck and mire—look for something to stay optimistic and hopeful about—than give in to the swamp of sadness.

If you want to wallow in that swamp, feel free. But please stop trying to drag the optimstic among us down with you. We neither want nor need to choke on that much negativity. (Besides, that is what Twitter is for.)
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 8:21am

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
A bit of optimism is an essential underpinning to carrying out a long fight; as without it why bother.
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Mike Masnick (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 9:14am

Re: Oh well, 2017
As per is your standard for what, a dozen years now(?) you get it exactly backwards. The point is the opposite of blind faith. There seems to be blind faith that the trajectory of today is the same as it will always be. The point of this post was to get people to recognize that if they believe in a better world, they need to fight for it, not give up. The "believing" here is not blind faith, but believing in fighting for what's right. I had thought it was clear from what I wrote, but I should never underestimate your ability to get it exactly backwards. You're the master at that.

Happy new year to Techdirt's most prolific troll, no matter what name you go under (speaking of which, isn't it about time for you to swap out names again?).
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 9:25am

Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
I look forward to you not being a dick in 2018.

Happy New Year to you.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 10:55am

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
Same to you.
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 11:17am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
I don't wallow in anyone's swamp, thanks.

"Goddamn, son, this has been a shitty year!"

Look back at what Mike has written before. Happiness. Optimism. Innovation. Heck, one year is titled ": From Pessimism To Optimism... And The Power Of Innovation"

I wrote a whole long post, and then deleted it. I am not trying to drag anyone down. I am pointing to the change in tone. Honestly, I am surprised. Mike is usually a cheerleader and a man who can find positive in a shit sandwich. This year the message is much more messiah than reality.

Mike I think is experiencing his first real personal letdown, this year grinded on him personally as he dealt with legal issues, and with many of the things he was optimistic about falling by the wayside. It's been a hard couple of years that have really come to a head in 2017. The tide hasn't just turned, it's pushed the boat out into rough seas.

2018 will be interesting.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 11:39am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
I am not trying to drag anyone down.

And yet you've been clinging to Techdirt's leg like a screaming child for years.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 11:44am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017

I am not trying to drag anyone down.

You are doing just that, only in a way you cannot recognize. All that talk about “messiahs” and “think, don’t believe” and literally comparing this article’s message to Jim Jones and the Jonestown massacre—of all things!—implies one specific outlook: “Stop hoping things can get better, you damned fool.”

Without a little faith that things can get better, we lose all hope and become cynical, cold-hearted bastards. Without belief in a better future, no matter how slight the improvement, people would become bitter and hard, and they would stop fighting for anything. Faith in the possibility of a better world drives us all—even if we disagree on our definition of “a better world”.

By all means, think I am a damned fool because I dare to have some faith that we can help create a better world. I believe that I am a damned fool—and I will still fight for a better world. What the hell else can I do?
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MyNameHere (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 12:37pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
"implies one specific outlook: “Stop hoping things can get better, you damned fool.”"

Nope, it implies the exact opposite, keep hoping things can get better, but have the guts and intelligence to make your own choices.

Don't "believe"... understand and go forward.

"even if we disagree on our definition of “a better world”."

My point only ever is that you should make that choice for yourself. Take your own steps to make things better in the ways you see fit and appropriate. Don't worry about a message or a belief system, worry about what you personally think is right.

You can change the world. You cannot change it unless you are your own man (or woman, cisgender, or what have you).
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 12:41pm

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
I expect your 2018 to be fun, MyNameHere. After all, you spend every night under the desks of corporate executives and police chiefs; why would next year be any different? The way you get on your knees for people with power and money, it's impressive; you're almost as good as your mother.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 3:58pm

Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
Actually, if you're just going to be as contrarian as ever, you'll always find something to bitch about over how Masnick doesn't appease your police or copyright sensitivities enough.

There's no looking forward to you not being a dick. A dick is someone who thinks unarmed, naked, fleeing people deserve to be shot in the back by policemen.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 4:01pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Oh well, 2017
Up until the point where ot clashes with your "the law is the law is the law" viewpoint, at which point there is nothing outside of absolutely strict appeasement that will undo the knot in your panties.
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 4:46pm

See Above
This is an example of what one gets when they feed the trolls. No matter how logical ones counter argument, there is no winning the argument. The troll will not learn and will use any response to extend their trolling.

So the question becomes are the responders into self flagellation or do they really enjoy being holier than thou? Or is there yet another reason? Any way, it is a useless exercise, and puts a burden on the rest of the community. We have to go through the detritus and read useless comments to flag, and learn nothing. The troll certainly enjoys this attention.

Don't give him/her/them any attention other than the flag. Save the rest of us from the nonsensical detritus. There is no serious discourse there.
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 5:17pm

Re: See Above

So the question becomes are the responders into self flagellation or do they really enjoy being holier than thou?

…can’t it be both?
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 5:20pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
out_of_the_blue just hates it when due process is enforced.

Hamilton called, he wants his boytoy back.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:22pm

Re: Re: See Above
It was my understanding that being holier than thou is the entire point of self-flagellation! Traditionally, anyway...
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Anonymous Anonymous Coward (profile), 30 Dec 2017 @ 7:35pm

Re: Re: See Above
Sure, just don't foist it on the rest of us. Us being the Techdirt community.

Oh, and I hear hair shirts are in season. Enjoy!
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 8:18pm

Re: Re: Re: See Above
Some people likely enjoy the debate, such as it is. Others are probably looking to counter all of the bad statements or misinformation for other readers who may come after them. Some may even think that they can change their minds, as unlikely as that is.
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Anonymous Coward, 30 Dec 2017 @ 8:58pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: See Above
The thing is, these are not "trolls" in the classic sense - as in, people solely seeking to get a reaction, with no actual interest in or truly-held opinion on the subject at hand. They are pathological. They clearly think they have some sort of mission to be here. Silence doesn't make them give up and go away - it makes them talk twice as much, twice as loudly. Which is not to say AAC isn't partly right - sometimes it probably is wiser to ignore them. But if anyone thinks that will make them eventually go away, they are wrong. Pretty sure we just have to wait until they die of old age.
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MyNameHere (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 1:39am

Always fun when the Techdirt censors come through and mess up a thread.

Hopefully for 2018 Techdirt can finally fix the flagging so it can't be used as a tool of petty censorship. It's a glaring problem for a site that claims to be all for freedom of speech.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 3:23am

Re:
So... you're still going to be a dick in 2018? Color me surprised...
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MyNameHere (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 4:50am

Re: Re:
It's being a dick to point out that people are flagging things because they don't agree with them, rather than using the flagging for spam and malware?

You aren't very good at trolling, are you?
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Stephen T. Stone (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 5:22am

Re: Re: Re:

It's being a dick to point out that people are flagging things because they don't agree with them

It’s not that we disagree, it’s that we think you’re being a dick and we’re showing you the door.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 5:39am

Re: Re: Re:
It's being a dick to declare all opposition you face as "petty" and "censorship".

The nuances between flagging and censorship have been explained to you umpteen times. Should you choose not to observe it you really have no one else to blame.

But considering that the things you want unhidden are your love letters to Hamilton and the flirting exchanges you have with out_of_the_blue it's not surprising to see the vested interest you have.
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MyNameHere (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 6:26am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Fine Stephen, I'll leave then. You guys can enjoy your echo chamber and believe until the cows come home, I guess! :)
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The Wanderer (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 6:39am

Re: Re: Re:
As the mouseover tooltip on the "flag" button indicates, flagging is intended to be used for posts which are "abusive/trolling/spam".

Even if we assume that "abusive" covers only "malware" posts (which seems like an unwarranted assumption to me), many if not most of the non-spam posts which get flagged are clearly trolling, and some of the exceptions are arguable.

Some people have clearly come to the conclusion that certain commenters are purely trolls, and that anything posted by those commenters is therefore automatically trolling, regardless of its contents. You may disagree with the classification, but the logic does not seem inherently faulty, and that approach would explain most of the non-arguable exceptions without invoking "flag because disagree".

(I've even gone so far as to mark a single post as both "Insightful" and "Trolling", at least once in the past; I think it may even have been one of yours.)

I'll also note that I've seen many spam comments, which had been flagged as such, disappear (i.e., be deleted, presumably by moderators reviewing the flagged comments) on later reload of that comments page - but I have never once seen this disappearance happen for a non-spam flagged comment. Food for thought in consideration of the "censorship" label, perhaps.
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The Wanderer (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 6:47am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
I, for one, would not be entirely happy about it if you left. You're clear-spoken and articulate, much of the time, and you occasionally have a good and valid point - and even when you don't, you sometimes have a point that's worth addressing in discussion.

I just wish you'd tone it down considerably - because while your anti-Techdirt bias and attitude are not as blatant or as offensively presented as those of some other resident trolls, they're still very much present, and that takes away much of the value your comments could otherwise have.

If you said many of the same things you say, but tried to take an objective perspective and tone in saying them - one of pointing out problems and trying to help find solutions to those problems, or of "you have a point, but I'm not sure I agree; here's why", rather than "you're wrong, as usual" - you could potentially even be a net positive presence here.

(That said, given other aspects of your posting history, I'm not holding my breath for this to happen.)
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 7:18am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
And we can expect your new shabbily-crafted pseudonym in the weeks to come. Right, bobmail?
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MyNameHere (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 7:44am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Fuck off, Leigh.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 7:50am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Seeing PaulT or Leigh Beadon in every post you disagree with... there we go, finished my horse with no name/My Name Here/Just Sayin' bingo card! Happy New Year, you obsessed lunatic!
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Thad, 31 Dec 2017 @ 9:49am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Speaking of free squares, in Troll Bingo it's "You're just calling me a troll because I disagree with you!"
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 10:13am

Re: Re: Re:
You're looking at it wrong. You're asking "why are people flagging me when I'm not spam or malware?"

But you should be asking "what in god's name have I done to lower myself into the same category as spam and malware for so many people?"
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 12:46pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
I’m holding you to that empty promise.
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 3:05pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Make sure to get your dog collar and knee pads ready for when you go to Ajit Pai's New Year's party this evening, MyNameHere.
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Arioch (profile), 31 Dec 2017 @ 6:58pm

You have my support
Your reporting is a breath of fresh air in the increasingly stale atmosphere of IOT crap.
Thankfully people are catching on like this young lady

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmU3aaYubcE

who also likes to question things
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Anonymous Coward, 31 Dec 2017 @ 8:21pm

Re: Re: Re:
I think what's more worrying is that the only thing you spew that doesn't merit the spam hammer is the one promising to fuck off the site.

We all know it's not happening, but that still says a lot. Why do you keep coming back if you hate the site so much?
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Jan 2018 @ 4:18pm

Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
You brain dead twat, the community does it. Your intentional buffoonery is beyond ignorant; it's not even wrong.

"Yes, see: the site left open on an OFF day, yet no trouble even from TOR (still). You haven't seen me (or anyone) complaining because no reason to.

PROVING that blocking and censoring was administrator action all along."
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Jan 2018 @ 9:45pm

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.
Twenty years wrong on every major case, huh.

SOPA? Dead. John Steele? Fucked.

I think MyNameHere needs you to kiss him better.
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Anonymous Coward, 1 Jan 2018 @ 10:12pm

Re:
Eugen and co. is trying to run Mastodon like a centralized platform while claiming to value distributed and FOSS principles.

He's a naked hypocrite.

If you want to use Mastodon because of the CoC and the moderation, go nuts. But don't fool yourself into thinking that a top-down social network that threatens and blackmails instances that don't conform with mastodon.social's specific CoC, word choice, politics, and Western social norms is Free as in Beer.

I have nothing but contempt for this new clique in FOSS who bully others that don't follow their niche social norms. Go back to whatever hole you bastards crawled out of and stop threatening the employment of awkward nerds who don't think and speak and use the same verbage as you.
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Ninja (profile), 2 Jan 2018 @ 4:05am

Oh the troll is strong here! I say we need to send them flowers and ,essages of hope, poor things.

Ahem.

Most of what I would say has been preempted by the community, which by the way is one of the most awesome parts of TD.

So I leave my best wishes to this awesome community and to all TD staff that makes it possible. May 2018 be an awesome year!
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Wendy Cockcroft, 3 Jan 2018 @ 5:55am

Re: why am I here
Ditto. Have a good one, Digitari, Uriel, PaulT, and other TD friends.
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Wendy Cockcroft, 3 Jan 2018 @ 6:05am

Re:
What Ninja says. Happy new year to all the TD staff. Keep up the good work and good luck in your lawsuit. It's a clear-cut SLAPP case that should have been tossed out of court and I think it's unfair that the appeal was allowed but hopefully this is the year you beat Ayyadurai and prove that the good guys can win.

Mike, thanks for all the thoughtful, well-argued posts on IPR and freedom of speech, etc.

Tim Cushing, thanks for all the reportage on cop antics, good and bad.

Tim Geigner, thank you for your reportage on Erdogan, etc.

Glyn, thanks for teaching me everything I know about FTA's and OS.

Karl, thank you for explaining the relevance of Net Neutrality and why we need to fight for it.

Guest posters, thank you for your contributions.

Happy new year to you all, may 2018 be the year in which everything goes right for you.
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Thad, 3 Jan 2018 @ 2:12pm

Re: Well, in fairness...
Not to mention his unconventional use of quotation marks and capital letters.
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Anonymous Coward, 24 Aug 2021 @ 9:45pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Hey fucktard, Masnick shaking off your pimp sugar daddy Shiva really pissed in your oatmeal didn't it?
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New Year's Message: Keep On Believing

from the challenges-and-optimism dept

Reader Comments

A long journey...

Re: A long journey...

The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

optimistic > pessimistic

Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Re: Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

Re: optimistic > pessimistic

Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

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Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Re: Re: optimistic > pessimistic

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Re: The wooze, the wooze! Covers all like mud.

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Well, in fairness...

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Lawls.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

To be fair...

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Lawls again.

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Re: Well, in fairness...

Re: Lawls again.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Lawls.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: I bet 2017 is Techdirt's last full year.

Condescending Bingo, or “S-M-A-R-T”

Re: Lawls again.

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Hrm.

Re: To be fair...

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Re:

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Re: Hrm.

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Re: Re: Lawls again.

Re: Re: Well, in fairness...

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why am I here

Re: Re: To be fair...

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