Psychotic Break

     I have gotten s0 many complaints about the trolls, morons, and losers who have infested the comment zone of this blog, that I am going to suspend posting it here until I figure out a technical means for getting rid of them.

     In the meantime, you can read the latest Clusterfuck Nation Chronicle (Monday July 16)  on my regular website: www.kunstler.com.

Comments

[Jeff Dean]

Unfortunate but probably inevitable.

This is why we can't have nice things. *sigh*

[Jeff Miller]

A wise move, I long since abandoned the comments page because of the tone.

[Dave]

Please keep up you weekly postings however you do it. It makes a good start for Mondays though I have refrained from reading the postings for the last few months because of their tove and vebosity.

[Bill]

How noble. If it weren't for trolls, losers, etc. you wouldn't have half the puny audience you have now.

[XER]

Great work Jim. America is eating its own. The lies from the Iron Triangle are at a fevor pitch. Paulson says this is the greatest economy he has ever seen. Bush says we will have victory in Iraq. The NPC says there is nothing to worry about. Dick Cheney says he is not part of the Executive branch. The occupation of Iraq is not about oil. Conrad black swears he is innocent. War criminal Scooter Libby is spared from the big house. Lies, lies, lies. We are a nation of liars, thieves and warmongers. America is completely fucked. I saw a two year old child last night, and I wept.

[Andy R]

Looking forward to "half the puny audience" (not including that "Bill" guy above I presume)that will be willing to take the time to post as real persons in the future.

[youknowwho]

One option is to change service providers, to one where you can require account registration.

[zerotsm]

I really don't like the idea of censorship. And we can still read the article, which was very good this week by the way, on the main web site and post comments here. The answer to the trolls and flame baiting is just to ignore them and skip down to the sensible comments.

[youknowwho]

"The answer to the trolls and flame baiting is just to ignore them and skip down to the sensible comments."

That sounds good until the troll uses your name to post many pages of spam and porn.

[asoka]

I would rather read the intelligent comments of a registered but puny audience than suffer the idiocies that appear anonymously or with fake identities.

[Xavier]

I blame this on the obnoxious 1 Eye Open.

[Rob D]

True that there are many (like Bill the Douche up above) who take away from the comments section, but there are plenty of worthy commentators who add much. I hope JHK goes with a registered message board, all he'd need then are a couple volunteer admins to police it. The punk-asses would disappear rather quickly.

[Scott Coursey]

This blog is a valuable resource for us and I for one get just as much, if not more information out of the comments than out of Kunstlers postings. Lets require people to register in order to post but not to read comments and our problems will dissappear.

[Matt Savinar]

Jim,

Have your publisher foot the bill to pay somebody $15 an hour to moderate the comments. You can tell them the blog helps promote your books, which it does.

Should only take a few hours a week at the most. I'm sure there's some college kid or post-grad who could do it and put the money to good use.

[the Other Eye Open]

"I blame this on the obnoxious 1 Eye Open."

Well the true blame lies with a certain "weasel." But when the fuck has anyone on this post been concerned with the "truth?"

[mike janket]

Separating Jim's views from those of the trolls is dangerous stuff. You take your chances by allowing folks to comment and despite the fact that there are lots of buffoons writing notes on the comments section, I think it's part of the overall game. Yeah, the guy who made the stupid post with about 300 repeated phrases is a blithering idiot. However, tongue tying is no answer. I see no way to filter every message.

Mike

[Dr.Doom]

Bravo, Jim, it's about time! Matt's idea is good, but a simple electronic register might also work. Ask some 10-year old internet expert. Offer them some candy in return.

[mark chandler]

Censorship is never a good answer unless it is spam of course.

[Still Someone Else]

"However, tongue tying is no answer. I see no way to filter every message." - Mike

Simply requiring registration, insures that OEO can't post under other people's monikers.

[Christian Soldier]

One of the few bright spots in my Monday is your "blog."

It provides me a refreshing, insightful and honest view of "Peak Oil" and the myriad things it will effect in our lives in this generation.

I really could give a rats ass as to the comments of a slew if mental midgets who don't have anything to back-up their opinions.

Jim, I'll just go to your website and read your column without the distraction of idiots.

[Still Someone Else]

The notion of free speech doesn't extend to graffiti.

[Still Someone Else]

A good treatise on farming...

http://globalpublicmedia.com/sharon_astyk_on_the_reality_report

[FYI]

Jim needs to understand the porn links are posted by Russkie spambots. Every blog and forum on the Net is plagued by them. Typepad has a ban feature which allows the banning of specific domains.

As for twits like OEO, well putting up with them is part of having free speech.

[Andy K]

Do you read the comments, Jim? I usually take an hour to read through the first 100 or 200 and it's always been worth my time. The mix of personal accounts and insightful comments from across the US (and beyond) is unique and valuable. After those first 100 or so comments, the topics do wander and the attacks become more numerous, and I realize it's happening more and more with the username spoofing going on now.

As others have suggested, I think the answer is to go to a moderated format on another platform. I suggest something like Livejournal.com which offers threaded discussion as well (please, please, please). Although I'm surprised you don't have the option of requiring registration and/or deleting comments in this Typepad account.

If you're reading the comments yourself, it would be easy enough to delete the cruff. Then again, a benevolent 3rd party moderator with an oversight mechanism might be the most honest. And of course, it would be nice to post some sort of policy for transparency.

Whatever you do is going to involve a bit of work, but I hope you can realize that this little "community" might just be worth it.

[anonymous monday]

""I blame this on the obnoxious 1 Eye Open."

Well the true blame lies with a certain "weasel." But when the fuck has anyone on this post been concerned with the "truth?""

one Eye, Weaseldog made you post as Jerry Johnson how? The OEO/Weaseldog arguments were really annoying but OEO posting as Jerry Johnson crossed the line.

From inner city America to Iraq the bad drives out the good. Jerry Johnson's comments were more worthwhile than anyone else's and OEO obviously was jealous. OEO is still here but Jerry Johnson isn't. OEO will still be here even if there is registration required or some other change to the format. Jerry Johnson still won't.