Being exposed to a lot of gibberish in the comments’ section, some of my readers are probably wondering how much it takes to get blocked from commenting here. The ‘rules’ for this blog have been set out quite clearly from the start:
I do like clearly expressed views and intend to be as outspoken as politeness allows. I hope that commentators will do the same, no matter whether they agree or disagree with me. Yet a few, simple, principles should be observed by everyone commenting on my blog.
All posts have to be in English.
Libellous statements are not allowed.
Comments must be on topic.
Nothing published here should be taken as medical advice.
All my statements are comments in a legal sense.
Conflicts of interest should always be disclosed.
I will take the liberty of stopping the discussion on any particular topic, if I feel that enough has been said and things are getting boring or repetitive.
I will not post comments which are overtly nonsensical or in such poor English that I cannot understand them.
I will prevent commentators from monopolizing the discussion.
In the past, many of us – I included – have broken these rules. I felt that this was regrettable yet tolerable and let it pass. Nevertheless, I would like to take this opportunity to remind myself and everyone else to try their best to be polite, even when responding to someone who might seem utterly unhinged.
In the past, some commentators got banned for being consistently and intolerably offensive. The ‘rules’, however, fail to state when this should happen. So, let me try to explain it now: I take the liberty of blocking someone when he or she has repeatedly insults others without contributing meaningfully to the debate, particularly if there is no sign or hope of improvement.
These things are perhaps best explained by using an example.
So, here is one:
I am today blocking ‘zet1’ from making further comments on this blog.
As I take this step, I am already regretting it a little bit: zet1 has been a reliable, daily source of amusement for me, and I suspect others had to laugh just as much as I did about his ramblings – I assume zet1 is a male person. His comments are full of unintended humour, I find. Others may have enjoyed getting a glimpse at the sick mind of a fanatic believer in alternative medicine. Others again might have found zet1 an interesting study of increasingly paranoid behaviour.
Why then am I blocking him?
He has insulted just about everyone who does not share his bizarre creed; he has consistently posted utter nonsense; he does not contribute to any meaningful discussion; he seems far too deluded to ever make any sense whatsoever; he shows no signs of improvement. In case you feel that my judgement is too harsh, here are some excerpts from his recent comments:
Edzard Bastard… Yes, the seno doggy style!
Mojo, as you knows tour “skeptical activism” is part of the problem: fraud.
Ernst is clearly a fraud with extreme bias and severe conflicts of interests!
Not data little liar?
Tell me more zeno. tell me more. Can you need the help of Björn? Coward.
Fraud in NHMRC
Fraud in Evidence Check report
Caroline Watt the schizoid pseudoskeptic and paranormal “believer” against homeopathy.
Ernst the UFO pseudobeliever and modern Clinton propagandist.
Tracey Brown the corporate manager L & Reskin, Syngenta and Monsanto cofunder in Genetic Literacy.
David Gorski, H Hall and S. Novella the others…
The true Amaz!ing believers and gangster team of pseudoskepticsm, LOL!
The lack of coherence, fraud, links with industrial interests or ghost pseudoGNO (example: Nightingale Collaboration) or ex-“quacks”, is an strong indication of your biased propaganda. In the future, Ernst will appear as the boss of pseudoskeptical incoherence and big international fraud.
END OF QUOTES
Yes, this is hilariously funny comedy gold – and, in a way, we will miss him for that. On the other hand, it is unproductive and I feel increasingly embarrassed to give someone the opportunity to make such a fool of himself.
And this is what it really takes to get evicted from this blog.
5 Responses to And this is what it takes to get evicted from this blog
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OH DEAR. I’ll miss him.
Deciphering his comments was sometimes like learning a foreign language as taught by someone who couldn’t even speak it himself.
Where’s it all going to stop?
Can even Iqbal be safe?
It is too bad that you cannot set up a site for viewing banned comments. While they degrade discussions on your posts, they do provide a insight into the way people who disagree think (or not). I find the day to day mindset for pseudoscience is often disconcerting. Seeing it in action helps to prepare a person to challenge this thinking rather than being blindsided. One could name such site “Treasures for Bindivers”.
David Tyler
That makes sense. Although I suppose the comments of homeopaths generally still give an insight into their screwy beliefs, albeit not always quite so psychotically expressed.
And we’ve still got Iqbal.
I was going to suggest that Dr. Ernst look around for a cognitive or social psychologist who might get some publications out of some of these comments.
Professor Stephan Lewandowsky, now at Bristol, seems to have, accidentally, managed to turned some climate denier blogs into self-generating data sources. And he seems to be getting some very interesting results.
I was never insulted by him/her. I should comment more often. I feel so neglected.