Would you like to vote a user out, or would you rather continue to complain about the person on every other question he/she asks?

I agree with your motivation for this question @jonsblond.

And I would not want a situation where people could vote others off. I don’t want to inhabit such a space – online or in real life. I may not like the questions someone (anyone) asks here, but I am damn sure I don’t want them censored or evicted because I disagree.

If a user consistently gives answers that do meet the quality requirements of this site, they should be asked to leave. I never have been able to figure out why people give nonsense answers here. There are plenty of sites that welcome and encourage outrageous and ridiculous answers, but I don’t think Fluther should be one of them.

It’s no wonder the founders gave up on Fluther and developed another site.

Who is it that’s being persecuted? Is there actually a cabal here to bounce someone from this site?

Um, I find many of his ahem a certain user’s questions obnoxious or even offensive, but I just skip them.

If members are suspected of trolling or posting inappropriate content, then flag and move on. If members have differing opinions or philosophies, then politely counter-argue or ignore. If you find that you dislike someone (gasp! What a concept! Someone you don’t like on the internet), tough toenails.

It’s not that complicated, really.

@jonsblond I suspect it bothers you a whole lot more than it bothers him – he actually seems to enjoy it.

You are the weakest Jelly! Goodbye!

Haven’t I given this exact answer to this exact question before?

Yeah, I agree @syz. I just hate bullies and the fact that his haters get away with their bs. But does he enjoy it, or is he better at dealing with it than most?

Has anyone here actually spent time to message him and get to know him? I have. He has a good heart.

Voting a user out seems a bit drastic. If you dislike a question or a contributor why not just ignore and move on or simply register how you feel in your answer.

I do ignore the questions I hate. You won’t see any posts from me on those threads, not ever.

But I don’t want any voting users out. If someone really is misbehaving—for example, writing horrible personal attacks in PMs or deliberately trolling—I trust the mods to handle it once they’ve been alerted.

If there was a vote, I would never vote a user out of Fluther. Ever. Most people here who become unpopular take themselves out, too many as far as I’m concerned.

We have a definite lack of diversity here and we all know from BIO 101 what that leads to. Fluther has become a small, homogeneous town—with some of the uglier small town characteristics—compared to what it was in 2009—and threatens to become smaller.

Although I like it here very much as I happen to share similar sensibilities as most people here, I find it a less interesting place than it used to be—due to a lack of diversity.

I would leave if we started voting people out. Not right at all.

I know who you were talking about and I find most of what he writes to be amusing. Even his responses are carefully thought out and carefully written toward the target to show that he pays attention to detail. I’ve said it before on other threads that he is amusing.

Someone wrote last night that we tolerate b.s. questions on b.s. issues from others but not him and it’s true. So much of what is written on Fluther is fluff and for amusement only, yet when this one Jelly puts out fluff he gets persecuted.

I don’t think he likes the hate he gets, I just think he has a thick skin.

If people don’t like the questions he asks, keep on scrolling. I keep scrolling past a lot of his questions but I do the same to many other Jellies’ questions. With this one Jelly you are referring to, I’ll follow because his comebacks are hilarious.

Diversity is what makes this site what it is. The playground and the tidepool are made up of all types.

I have also seen Jellies be extremely rude to this one Jelly, in a way that would not be tolerated by others or by mods if it were directed toward anyone else.

He has a tough hide & weathers criticism well. He ain’t goin nowhere. He’s one of us.

@stanleybmanly: He may but that’s no excuse for people insulting him.

I have to go back and read through the thread. At the time, I didn’t view the comments as particularly insulting. There was considerable teasing, and sharp criticism on the nature of the question. I stepped over the line perhaps when I called him insensitive. But overall, I’m not completely convinced that some of his questions aren’t deliberately detonated to wake the place up.

Just let it go, look over what you don’t like. There are so many opinions, comments and ideas that it’s pointless paying attention to one or two people who tend to be a bit provocative. Ignore, move on and so will he/she.

I would leave if there were voting too. Not sure if my opinion carries any weight, but there it is.

If this flutherite is who I think he is, I enjoy most of his contributions. Sometimes he loses me in a religious rambling, but he’s expressing his opinion based on his beliefs. And I value his opinion. I try not to be too judgemental, and I hope the ambiguity of some statements don’t rub him the wrong way.

I genuinely enjoy his opinion. Usually he’s concrete in his beliefs and I respect that.

If he was voted out, I’m going with him.

He is a person with his own beliefs and idiosyncrasies. His voice is as important as everyone else’s.

As far as other flutherites being mean to him. Get a punching bag. I have one, it serves it’s purpose. Leave him be.

Voting someone off simply because you do not believe or agree with what they say or ask is too close to controlling the ballot box, you are saying it is free to vote, but we will doctor the results the way we want. I do not think anyone, myself included, enjoys being backhanded of feigningly insulted or maligned. A good debate is one thing, but if anyone loses enough ammo and has to result to insults, that is another story. Luckily I know whose I am, and who I am that I do not have to stoop in the gutter to try and fight in the sewer as some try to drag me, I pray others can hold their head high and push their shoulders back under such verbal assault as well. Sadly, some good Flutheronians, whom may or may not have been bashed to the degree I have, decided to leave than be shammed, catcalled and such; great voices and contributors silenced. As some have said if you see a question that is too silly or not your cup of java, pass on it, I have dozens upon dozens of times.

Good thing we have a culture that is not hell bent on keeping things boring here. Aside from religion and general geeky-ness you can pretty much count me out of the homogeneity. I’m completely surrounded at work by people who think exactly like me. It’s nice to get out and talk to people who don’t. That’s how you refine yourself. It ain’t going to happen when everyone agrees with each other all the time. I suspect this individual is doing the same. Quite respectable if you asked me but that does not mean I agree with the person on most stuff. Outright trolling is in poor taste but constructive trolling ® is something that has intellectual value.

Not my job or right to vote anybody out. My only right—each of our only rights—is to leave Fluther if we’re THAT troubled by someone.

Me, I’ll just continue to do what I’ve always done when someone’s views or words bother me… ignore him or her and definitely not write rants.

Anybody remember a time when grown men and women talked face to face rather than digitally and sought to settle their beefs in person?

I don’t like some of the people here, but why escalate the world’s level of hatred? It’s so easy not to engage someone – simply don’t respond to that individual’s questions or answers. It’s much like crossing the street to avoid a confrontation.

Back in 2010, during my original Fluther identity, I was driven away by someone who attacked me repeatedly, both at the boards and in PMs, with vile language and scary threats. The mods did nothing about the situation. I thought it was best to delete my account and stay away for a while. I did so and, of course, the other person is long gone from here.

^ I was driven away by someone who attacked me repeatedly, both at the boards and in PMs, with vile language and scary threats. The mods did nothing about the situation.
Put out the BBQ! No one is EVER BULLIED here on Fluther, much less DRIVEN AWAY…..take it back, take it back! ~~ Well, there ARE popular Flotheronians who can say whatever, and do whatever, it is like you will never see I.A. come against a cop unless the evidence was so damning they could not sweep it under the rug and make it disappear.

Well, I do know of more than one former user who didn’t take warnings and ended up banned. In one case I saw some of the attack messages and found them appalling. The mods, or maybe the community manager, dealt with them. I wasn’t privy to their reasoning on how to deal with specific cases, so I don’t know why others were allowed to continue.

One of the banned users was popular with many around here for his outspokenness and controversial remarks, and I still see his name mentioned as being missed. If people here had seen what he wrote to another jelly at a time when he was already suffering greatly, I don’t think they’d be hoping for his return.

I don’t know if this question was prompted by a recent event, but I can guess who you’re referring to. I don’t support “voting out” a user just because people don’t like his questions.

I don’t skip questions based on who asked them. I skip only questions that hold no interest for me. It’s a public forum; I can do that. Personally, if I think a question is based on prejudices or false assumptions, I would rather address this than ignore the question. I don’t consider that to be harassment, and I would do the same with any new or seasoned jelly. How can there be a thoughtful discussion otherwise?

And, as others have said, many of his questions are very entertaining and/or thought-provoking. I really don’t understand why people can’t simply respond to a question on its own merit, without carrying personal feelings about the asker.

In other words, there is plenty of middle ground here. We don’t have to choose between rejecting a user and tacitly accepting everything he says unchallenged.

@Hypocrisy_Central The 2016 Flutherverse seems to be a far distance from the Flutherverse of 2010.