In reply to:

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Then the third type, the agent provocateur. Usually out to cause trouble, to start fights, to speak the mind of the poster, without the consequences of saying it as themselves. This is the type of poster who can be confused with a newbie finding their way around board politics, or of someone who honestly just speaks their own mind without caring about the consequences.

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And heaven forbid that someone be able to speak their minds or, lordy lord, present an opinion that might not even be their own but still [gasp] makes people think!

This is again following that dumb assumption that there are dark forces out there just waiting to feast on the blood of the well-meaning townfolk of Teenage Wildlife. If this is actually the case, and trust me on this, the strong paranoia felt around here only feeds it. Alter Hunting has become a lot of people's favorite sport and I just don't see the point.

Let's take a couple examples:
Shelle, for all we know, actually is an alter (since nobody can prove they are "real") but has brought up some very interesting points both here and in other forums. But what does it matter to the intelligent person if 100% of her posts are posted purely for the purpose of starting an argument? If an argument ensues, that's because there is an issue to argue about. So be it. I say thank you, kind alter.

Now let's say that Jamie is a real person and that 100% of what he offers is absolutely genuine yet it contributes so little thought to the boards that it actually sucks meaning from other posts. Is this any better than my previous example? Why? Because you'd rather have an illiterate retard who is a "real person" drool all over the boards than have a "fake person" add something interesting, even if totally insincere?

Now let's assume that there are dark forces out to wreak havok on the boards. What would the motivation for this be? Money? World domination? I'd say that it's probably more like what we did at APFLAN: some pranksters out to cause a panic. Think about those days back at that dump. What motivated us? What made us continue to go back and enrage people? Well, I'll assume that you are smart enough to put the pieces together. If there is some evil plot to destroy this message board, the alter hunting and paranoia that you think will keep them at bay is in fact feeding their motivation to continue thier dark, sinister plot to EAT YOUR SOUL!!

So in the end I think that the whole alter hunting passtime is fine for some people I know who just like to keep track of who's who as one would keep track of batting records. But when it becomes a guiding force in how you navigate the boards and what is actually said by whom, you are engaging in behavior that could possibly filter out 1 or 2 "bad guys" but you have alienated many more people and missed out on countless enjoyable and interesting moments because, to put it in terms that clearly state where I stand on this, "they hate our freedom." I generally assume that everyone is "real" because unless we are going to start having picnics or fucking eachother all that really matters in a setting like this are the ideas offered, not the person offering them. And think about it: assuming that even Guilia and SaiIor are real - within one's ability to do so, that is.

In the rare case that someone is trying to "do bad," I think we are smart enough to figure out who is doing that in time. And once we have, it's terribly fun to sit back and watch those who aren't smart enough walk repeatedly into the trap.

Relax, have fun, enjoy the (sometimes bumpy) ride. You'll be had sometimes, but that's a part of the TW experience. After all, we aren't exactly curing cancer here.

"I’m more real than you will ever be." - JamieSim on his...real...ness?