Somekindofgold said:
You mean when anonymoose became a bunch of pathetic, impotent activists populated by 12 year olds who think they're hardcore because they figured out what IRC is? the Chanology crap neutered 4chan for years.
Yeah but at least the Church of Scientology is an actual target that needed trolling. Going after them was ambitious, it was an indication of a group effort to knock a deliberately clandestine organisation down a few pegs.
Going after random overweight people on social media by comparison is pathetic, desperate and mean-spirited. It's essentially bullying, and nobody likes a bully.
Can you not see the difference here? It doesn't matter if the level of competency is around the same, the intentions behind the former were good and the latter were bad.
And yes it is a bad thing because you're giving them exactly what they want, you calling them out encourages them. You have to learn to ignore them or they'll keep going. But thats the problem these days, most people on the internet have no idea how to handle it so they just have a hissy fit when they screw up.
But... the people who uploaded those photos to begin with didn't "screw up"? Whuh??
Also you don't think even one of the people engaged with Project Harpoon thought to themselves "actually, what I did was pretty shitty"? I know I've done a lot to mock them in this thread, but they're still human. If a family member of theirs got ridiculed like this, I'm sure their response wouldn't be as cold. As someone else said, they did what they did because their targets were distant and they didn't have to deal with the consequences. But if people actually made those consequences known, sure it may encourage some to continue, but it may discourage others.
/pol/ is nothing like your typical hugbox because unlike, say reddit, when you post something people disagree with the post isnt deleted and buried, the people who disagree call you a retard and tell you why you're a retard. A hugbox requires a system in which no badthink can interrupt the groupthink, /pol/ doesn't have that. If it was a hugbox you wouldnt have Bernie supporters and Trump supporters and Rand supporters going at each other.
Sure it does. /pol/ prides itself for its lack of concern for the outcomes of their actions. If you question the ethics of what they're doing, they'll label you an "SJW". They deal in extremes, just like the SJWs they detest do. You are either with them or against them. If there is dissent they'll gang up on you, call you a "moralfag" and continue their circlejerk. Their "sacred cow" is this idea that they must represent the worst aspects of themselves at all times. Lack of moderation
is their moderation, it ensures that /pol/ is their safe space where they don't feel threatened. It's the inversion of a discussion on Jezebel or Buzzfeed.
I mean the whole idea behind Project Harpoon spawned out of paranoia. Whether they'll admit it or not, they felt so victimised by the "SJW menace" that they decided "there are no bad targets
or bad tactics". They didn't want to address the original image set they purportedly had an issue with on its own terms (and therefore actually make a point). I mean,
I absolutely loathed the same image set Project Harpoon did, I just didn't overreact like a jackass. Because in a way, that's what the creator(s) of that image set wanted. They wanted justification of their own persecution complex.
I mean the parallels are uncanny.
Let me explain the thought process behind 4chan because it seems you don't understand it, everything is a joke and nothing is sacred. Nobody there cares that feelings were hurt because its funny.
Dude, I used to frequent 4chan many years ago. I still enjoy some of the things that come out of it. It's not about what's "sacred" or not, because I agree that nothing is sacred. In fact, this "nothing is sacred" mentality is what inspired them to go after taboo targets. It's what inspires them to enact vigilante justice, which often is required because the justice system may be corrupt.
But I also know the difference between good comedy and bad. Some "lolcows" deserve mockery, not because it's fun to bully them but because their own actions are so appalling. Their warped views of the world unfold through provocation, and it's both fascinating and hilarious. There's a sense of justice there. Bad behaviour by internet users should be used as an example for others. I know that there are people who were inspired to turn their lives around after seeing the chronicles of Chris-chan, for example.
Going after random people on social media is not the same. In terms of comedy, it's the difference between South Park and one of those god-awful "Disaster Movie/Epic Movie/Meet the Spartans" abominations. One has specific targets and a sense of honesty, and while it may miss the mark at least there's some degree of passion there. The other is an unfocussed, self-indulgent mess.