How to Decide if a Poster is HP

[DC Al Fine]

I ask these two questions

1) Are they a nice person?
2) Are their contributions valuable?

If the answer to both is no, then they are HP.

I think this is a reasonably good guide. I'm perfectly willing to put up with a jerkish poster so long as they contribute. What I cannot stand is a poster who is a) a jerk, and b) doesn't add anything.

Thoughts?

[Torie]

Well said. Although to me, a poster who trashes other posters is what really makes an HP, even if they contribute. Cruelty is far worse to me than stupidity.

[TDAS04]

What Torie said. 

[Boston Bread]

A good guideline. Sometimes the parameters to the questions are vague enough to be arguable. And often one can flunk one of the tests so hard that passing the other can't redeem them.

Some posters replace "nice" with inappropriate but entertaining antics (not naming names) and that's enough for a decent number posters,. These types of the posters are perhaps the most controversial.

I'm typically reluctant to say anyone I know is a HP. In fact I don't believe I've yet to vote HP on a forum member in a poll (who hasn't yet been justifiably banned). While obviously some posters deserve being labelled an HP, I wouldn't go tell them.

[Warren 4 Secretary of Everything]

Real Answer: Anyone who doesn't agree with me.

[Gustaf]

I don't see nice as a virtue as a general thing. Some people don't deserve nice and I enjoy watching the bad guys getting told off.

[King]

t_host1
1. n/a
2. no
FF? yes

your test is flawed

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

HP until otherwise proven FF

[Torie]

I don't see nice as a virtue as a general thing. Some people don't deserve nice and I enjoy watching the bad guys getting told off.

Being an HP, and being ban worthy, are not co-extensive. Sure, some HP's provide entertainment for the mob in the Coliseum, and that is fine - until it isn't. So perhaps a certain leavening of HP's is good for the Forum circulation system, in moderate doses.

[Gustaf]

I don't see nice as a virtue as a general thing. Some people don't deserve nice and I enjoy watching the bad guys getting told off.

Being an HP, and being ban worthy, are not co-extensive. Sure, some HP's provide entertainment for the mob in the Coliseum, and that is fine - until it isn't. So perhaps a certain leavening of HP's is good for the Forum circulation system, in moderate doses.

Oh, I wasn't referring to banning. I just mean that if someone is a douche or has vile opinions I see no reason to be nice to them. The value of niceness and respect is that it is reserved for people who deserve it.

[SWE]

HP until otherwise proven FF

[windjammer]

Well said. Although to me, a poster who trashes other posters is what really makes an HP, even if they contribute. Cruelty is far worse to me than stupidity.

[Lief 🗽]

I ask these two questions

1) Are they a nice person?
2) Are their contributions valuable?

If the answer to both is no, then they are HP.

Under this system, Oldies is a FF. Therefore, junk system.

[Mr. Smith]

And 'ol Snowstalker seems to have gotten the order wrong...again

But seriously, FF until they have crossed the line...and usually only extreme bigotry of any kind does that.

Although a bad enough case of condescension and/or 2D sockery can cross it as well.

[Tetro Kornbluth]

The first question... Is this poster a Hamilton Sock? and if the answer is negative then proceed to further steps as SWE suggested.

[they don't love you like i love you]

We have one poster who contributes quite a bit to elections discussion and has definitely made valuable contributions, but has also said some very disturbing things about rape, plus lots of comments with implied racism and anti-Semitism. By this standard he's a FF. Yes, flawed standard.

And DC: I don't think you considered opebo a FF. He passes both tests.

[DC Al Fine]

And DC: I don't think you considered opebo a FF. He passes both tests.

No, he was incredibly rude, and even worse, he was a total bore.

What is there to miss that you all are begging for? The guy was a broken record.

Guillotine blah blah blah no control over our station in life blah blah blah Bad Place blah blah blah.

He added nothing useful or worthwhile and as a person he's downright pathetic and despicable.

[Lief 🗽]

How was opebo incredibly rude? That's ridiculous. He was just a friendly man in a cardigan.

[World politics is up Schmitt creek]

opebo was congenial or capable of seeming so, but nice certainly cannot be said to apply.

[morgieb]

I ask these two questions

1) Are they a nice person?
2) Are their contributions valuable?

If the answer to both is no, then they are HP.

I think this is a reasonably good guide. I'm perfectly willing to put up with a jerkish poster so long as they contribute. What I cannot stand is a poster who is a) a jerk, and b) doesn't add anything.

Thoughts?

Yeah that's a fair guide. Though for me they have to at least pass 1. 2 is probably 50/50-ish I guess, I wouldn't consider Oldies a FF for example despite probably passing 1 for example but I might do it for others. HP seems a pretty hard term, the IRC brigade should stop being so hard.

[Fmr President & Senator Polnut]

If anything... being nice is to often a pass for people with horrible ideas.

[morgieb]

If anything... being nice is to often a pass for people with horrible ideas.

Unless they're actual fascists or something (which is rare on this forum, thankfully) I don't think we should criticise people for disagreeing with them politically.

[windjammer]

If anything... being nice is to often a pass for people with horrible ideas.

Unless they're actual fascists or something (which is rare on this forum, thankfully) I don't think we should criticise people for disagreeing with them politically.

This.