Yesterday, someone using my blog name and linking to my blog left a bizarre comment on Creative Minority Report, a site I hold in high esteem. Matthew and Patrick Archbold, also contributors to National Catholic Register, have removed all of the comments from the post - and I thank them. I have very strong suspicions about who did this in order to clearly embarrass and discredit me.
The comments were pulled shortly after my having discovered what had occurred, so I was only able to skim the comments and was unable to leave a comment myself. What surprised me was the vehemence and ugliness with which others attacked me - even though it wasn't really me.
It has long been my practice to not leave negative comments on other people's blogs, in particular those attacking someone else for comments they've left. In my opinion, it's a pointless waste of time. Blog posters have a right to their opinions, and those who leave comments have a right to voice opposition or agreement. In my case, if I don't agree with an article, I prefer to just move on.
The only exception I make to this rule is when someone gratuitously attacks a blogger. Without fail, it is almost always a commenter cowardly hiding behind the ubiquitous "anonymous." Frequently, I take time to defend such bloggers against ad hominem and ugly attacks.
All that being said, allow me to say to the folks who so violently attacked who they thought was "me" , you might think twice before ripping into someone. In the meantime, enjoy the rest of your Christmas season.
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16 comments:
Ow. Wow Adrienne, that has happened twice that I know of at Creative Minority Report, where a person posed as another person with comments.
Sorry that happened to you.
I read the comment you're talking about and suspected a troll was using your name.
You must be doing something right when idiots like that try to discredit you. Keep on doing what you're doing.
Sherry - thanks for letting me know. I never even got a chance to really read what "my" comment was but considering the ugliness it must have been pretty bad.
Anyhoo - they're gone now but I suspect it will happen again in the future. Just a feeling...
Sub - I never even had a chance to really read the fake comment. I was actually in a bit of shock when I skimmed the comments. I tried leaving a comment and it wouldn't post and a minute later all the comments were pulled.
I emailed both Pat and Matt but haven't heard back but obviously they realized something was wrong. I suspect who did it and if I'm right it's pretty ugly...
Adrienne, I'm so sorry to hear that happened to you. It has happened to me at least once or twice on a French blog that I used to visit frequently.
The person who did it was a coward and I can certainly understand how hurt you would be when the other bloggers attacked who they thought was you. That's the one thing I hate about the Internet...there are so many people filled with hate that are able to spread their vile at will.
I'm glad you noticed it and it was corrected. Perhaps some of those who attacked you were also the troll and not them? Just trying to believe that you weren't attacked...I know, grabbing at straws.
Nunly - straws are good!! ;-)
I'm over the shock - even untraceable commenter by the name of "unhipmom" or some such thing, who said I "wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer." Screw her!
Nunly - allow me to clarify. She said she had "been to my blog" and I "wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer." How clever!
This really upsets me because I know you are a very nice person. I'm so sorry that happened to you. I promise, if I ever see anything horrible posted under your name somewhere, I will come to you (with the link) first and not just assume that you've gone & lost your mind or something.
Actually, I think that might be a good idea for any of us who sees a blogger friend posting something totally out of character; we should always be mindful that it may be an impersonator and check with the source before flying off the handle. We've to to look out for each other because the other side is downright vicious and it seems there is no depth too low for them to sink to.
(((hugs)))
Zilla/Mare - thank you for your kind words and great advice
I really would like to think I would snap to someone doing that to someone else, but I will be even more diligent in the future.
I think we all get to recognize each others "voice" and would hope to notice something amiss (as Subvet did)
Long before I ever blogged, I used to frequent a discussion forum called MyLot, where I made a lot of great friends who are still my pals today even years later. MyLot had a huge problem with "clone trolls", they would duplicate a well known user's profile pic and come up with a very similar user name, usually off by a letter or upper/lower case switch. They would create profile pages nearly identical to the user they were mimicking and then go all around mylot posting horrible things to make their victim look bad. lots of innocent people got hurt, friendships mangled and some of the victims actually got banned for what their impostors have done. In time, many of us learned to recognize the fakers once we became aware of the problem and the cloner trolls eventually got bored and stopped. It is sad, but sadly not surprising, to see it happening in the blogosphere too. I really really hate that it has happened to someone as nice as you. :(
Mary Ellen is right......"that's the one thing I hate about the Internet....there are so many people filled with hate that are able to spread their vile at will".
These people, like the wretched Obama and his crew, should be banded from the internet completely!!!
I feel so sorry for you, I hope it never happens again. I've heard of this happening in the past.
Yikes. Sorry that happened to you. I don't get many troll comments -- at least I haven't for a good long while. What a sad state of affairs that somebody would impersonate you in an effort to damage your reputation. That's just not cricket, as the Brits might say.
what an awful thing to do. I am so sorry Adrienne that you had to go through tis. I will be praying for the troll.
I am so sorry this happened to you Adrienne. There are some very nasty people in the world.
Praying for the troll.
Adrienne, what a terrible thing to have happen. There is a lot of weirdness "out there." I'm really glad that Creative Minority knew it wasn't you and everything is deleted.
May every candidate they support lose their elections in the coming two years:-)
Adrienne, sorry this happened to you, but that's what you get for being one of the sharpest knives in the drawer. You are, and they've noticed you, and that's bad on one level, but it means you are definitely doing it right, and speaking truth.
I linked to your blog today in my post, a h/t for the Big Peace interview with Dr. Paul Kengor. Great piece, and affirms my concern for my own denomination, Methodists. Fortunately, my own small-town little church is very conservative and Christ-based, but the higher-ups are truly being dupes. Thanks for all you do.
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