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this place has molted like the island of Dr Moreau.One of the ex-Lizards at 2.0 comments on the evidence of Shug's popularity:
Charles is Moreau. Well intentioned. but the sycophants have ruined his site.
it’s a shame. so many smart people have bailed because if they disagree they are attacked by a small group of rabid sycophants.
but the last two weeks there is such a rabid group of toadies that I am reluctant to even visit here let alone comment. . . .
you might want to focus on the islamists rather than glen beck.
glen won’t kill you. the islamists will.
Karma: 21,191Yeah, and he had been posting at LGF for more than three years, which is 19 months longer than I've been blogging full-time.
Shug
This user is blocked.
Registered since: May 14, 2006 at 2:18 pm
No. of comments posted: 18,764
No. of links posted: 151
The Karma count means the number of updings compared to any possible downdings.
Shug had more updings than the total number of posts.
In describing the Little Green Meltdown, I've explained that CJ's mistake was to make the site about the commenters -- more or less permanent Open Thread mode -- as opposed to making it about any original content that he might contribute.
Mad King Charles, Lord of the Lizards, was deriving advertising revenue generated by traffic to a site where he didn't have to do much of anything except maintain the community of commenters. So he shifted into neutral and coasted. He seems to have handed over control of the community to a handful of stooges. (Who is this "Sharmuta" and why do all the ex-Lizards hate her so much?)
The "updings"/"downdings" feature, with its resulting "karma" score, was crucial to the creation of the third-grade playground atmosphere at LGF, where people competed for popularity among their peers. This organizational dynamic was like a magnet to attract the types of toadies and sycophants that Shug denounces.
Oh, yeah: And when I mentioned getting a note of encouragement from fellow Christian Baldilocks in an update to Saturday night's post, I didn't realize she was a registered commenter at LGF. So on Sunday, Mad King Charles banned her, too.
Guess Baldilocks didn't subscribe to the prevailing LGF ideology of Charles Johnson supremacism.
UPDATE: Baldilocks prays a benediction: "May the Lord Jesus Christ open your eyes before it's too late." And yet, I fear, it already is far too late.
Baldi has more class in her [pick any minor organ] than chaz will ever have -- this is one of the more sad than funny moments in an event that has been more funny than sad on balance ...
ReplyDeleteTechnically, I think Baldi can pull the RACIST!11! card.
ReplyDeleteAs long as one is still alive, it's never too late for Christ.
ReplyDeleteIt's when the Prince Alphonso index is at it's lowest that the Holy Spirit really goes to work.
And the translation of sharmota from the Arabic is?
ReplyDeleteNice.
Anyone else notice the radical feminist bent among the Legless Lizard's minions?
ReplyDelete"May the Lord Jesus Christ open your eyes before it's too late."
ReplyDeleteYeah... If Charles is actually Jewish**, then that's kind of an odd prayer to be making around the High Holy Days, don't ya think?
Charles Johnson is a fifty something guy with a pony tail whose "talent" is that of a mediocre code writer. Oh yeah, he can play guitar a little too. There is very little content in LGF and CJ really is not so talented (and in his bitter prune of a heart he knows it).
ReplyDeleteI think Charles Johnson was raised Roman Catholic, but whatever. I do not find him being agnostic or athiestic the least bit objectionable. I find his attacks on those who profess faith objectionable. There is a big difference.
ReplyDeleteiirc, Charles was raised catholic, and as an adult considered himself "agnostic at best" or some such
ReplyDeleteRecently I went ahead and wrote a private email to Charles. What I got in return was a ban from LGF!!! After reading and being loyal to LGF for 8 years, leaving no controversial comments any time recently, donating hundreds of dollars to LGF over the years, now I get banned? Anyways, now I know what divorce feels like!
ReplyDeleteHere's my email (slightly redacted):
Charles,
I believe there is some truth and some lessons to learn from the fact that you have been delinked from PowerLine.
Here's my $0.02 for you. I've been an avid LGF fan for the last 8 years. LGF was my first blog home on the internet. Here I learned what blogging is. Thanks to you, I learned HTML, simple web design, etc. In those days, I used to spend hours and hours on LGF: commenting, arguing, and looking for new posts. Unfortunately, the situation has changed, and it has changed drastically. Simply put, I believe you got away from the topic. LGF used to be a place where we could learn about some of the most interesting international news, as well as domestic news. You used to find stuff that was buried deep down, that has offered an unparalleled perspective of what Western civilization was facing. LGF was mostly about foreign affairs. Here we saw "barbarians at the gate" (Iran, Syria, Palestinians, North Korea, Russia) though interesting statements of their foreign ministers, gatherings of crazy imams, etc etc. (Remember the "target rich environment" posts?) You have also covered loony left, crazy right, and brainless Holywood actors. You had links to the most interesting commentary pieces by Stein, Krauthammer, and others.
And what do you have now? Just like yourself, evolution is my litmus test for politicians. Just like yourself, I hate European fascists, militant religious right, nirthirs and right haters... But I am not having much fun reading about them. They are peripheral players, and most people don't know who they are. Plus, they are just extremists, and people recognize that these players are just on the periphery. They don't move politics that much, but if they do (like if they win in European parliament elections), you sure can cover it. To dedicate your site to these causes is not good for readers like myself, and is not a good business model. There are thousands of blogs that can dissect little unfair things in life, these idiots, and their little rallies. For example, we have hundreds of ScienceBlogs looking at anti-vaccine idiots, anti-evolutionists, etc. So why do you have to write about it?
For a while, I thought that you were just having good time with LGF, covering whatever pleases you, treating LGF as your private blog, like your diary of thoughts and emotions. But somehow I think you want LGF to be a place where we can learn about important things. And as such, you are much better off (and much more capable) covering barbarians at the gate than village idiots.
Finally, coming back to Powerline. Anyone who reads LGF knows that you've always been a firm centrist with a very realistic perspective on politics. The reason you are on conservative blogrolls is because conservatives more often than not also have realistic perspectives, and as such they have found LGF on their side. I think it was a good indicator. I read Powerline, and I believe they are mostly normal, well thought out conservatives. Sure you might disagree with them on many things, but you'll be hard pressed to proof that they kooky right. Anyways, as outlined above, I believe that they delisted you not because of what you've said, but because of what you haven't said lately.
Thanks for reading. I hope it help.
MikeO
One aspect of CJ's antics is being quickly forgotten as this plays out and people get bored with it. Nobody seriously disputes that Charles has to right to ban anyone he wants and to run his blog any way he wants to. Nobody is saying he doesn't have a right to post whatever he wants, no matter how stupid anyone thinks it is.
ReplyDeleteWhat CJ has done that crossed a line was to deliberately attack people, their reputations, and in some cases their lifes work, simply because he decided they deserved attacking. Johnson's own "reputation" is what made his attacks so devastating to his targets.
That's why, in my opinion, that reputation now needs to be corrected. The next time CJ attacks someone as a racist fascist he needs to be seen as the nutjob he really is. Until the "Mad King Charles" label sticks, his next victim could be just as damaged as all his previous victims.
Charles Johnson hurt a lot of people and that shouldn't be forgotten.
FYI....."Sharmuta" actually means slut or whore in Arabic. Nice huh?
ReplyDelete@Anon 8:00,
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've seen that. But I can easily imagine one of the old-days lizards adopting it for "ironic purposes."
BTW, the up/downdings is something Johnson stole outright from dKos: the trollrating system, which is exactly what makes dKos the most monochromatic echo chamber on the web.
ReplyDeleteCJ's version works differently, but it didn't take long for that to turn LGF into a sewer also.
I have been banned as well. The funny thing is that I have only made two comments at lgf .... ever. I did make several on a post at MPJ that concerned the attack on Robert Spencer which to me is intolerable. I think as we find our selves further from the attacks on 9/11 people like CJ will revert to their "old" ideological stances. He was frightened by 9/11 and blogged accordingly. What he does not seem to realize is that those enemies still exist. I am sure that his attacks on Spencer makes CAIR and all of CAIR's friends very happy.
ReplyDeleteSharmuta is W-lover's sock-puppet. She is hiding from the previous personality and comments. When asked to choose, W-lover was banned.
ReplyDeleteThese two used to have conversations with each other but [with the human thing,] cross-posted and revealed one individual.
I am among the banned as well, and I havent commented there in quite some time. So sad too bad. His loss.
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to adress this issue since my banning received attention. I have no ill feelings whatsoever for Charles Johnson. To the contrary I actually have a pretty high opinion of the guy. My departure as a commenter from LGF was intentional on my part. I did so not because of Charles, but because of the influx of some really sleazy elements into the commenters section and the fact that I feel the comments section had become a complete anti GOP echo chamber no different than daily KOS or DU. I think Charles is a man of good character but I think his focus is misapplied towards Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and the GOP when he ought to be focused on the War on Terror. But that is his right to focus on what he likes.
ReplyDeleteI found myself agreeing more with the people in the "bottom comments" group more and more as I think true conservatives were made to feel unwelcomed by the hordes of progressives who took over the comments section.
So I left.
My only regret was that my departure was not done by e-mail and was done in the comments section.
I didn't wish to have that copied and spread around.
and for the record, my final comment is truncated here. I said in my goodbye that I think charles is a cool guy and I meant that.
I do however stand by my Dr Moreau analogy. Old lizards like me are leaving and that is sad. We have been replaced by slimeballs like Jimmun and iceweasel. At one time it was such a great on-line community. I wouldn't have participated for as long as I did had it not been so great. Shame that some kos kids have taken up residence
"Shug"
Banned for commenting????? I got banned for downdinging his relentless posts on Evolution.
ReplyDeleteNo warning, no comments, nuttin....
At least I can still read the site (with popcorn) to see the implosion.
Join the banned. Club-- me too.
ReplyDeleteBanned, after 2 years, for a single downding.
ReplyDelete