I’ve also noticed a pretty strong tendency for my posts to be downvoted at about the same time that Azathoth posts a dissenting reply (in previous conversations). The association is strong enough that I have some reflexive negative feelings about dialogue with them- I’m distinctly getting ‘trained’ not to reply to Azathoth’s comments, whether or not it’s Azathoth who is actually doing the downvoting.
EDIT: Normally, I wouldn’t ask who it was that downvoted this comment. But for obvious reasons, a −1 score on this post isn’t a very clear signal. If you downvoted this comment and are not Azathoth, then letting me know who you are would help avoid misunderstandings.
OK, so my probability estimate for Azathoth123 being Eugine redivivus is increasing.
Anyway, for anyone else who is feeling that same sense of being “trained not to reply” (to Azathoth123 or anyone else), I strongly recommend fighting it. Don’t let abusive manipulators win!
(For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a general recommendation to ignore downvotes. Only to ignore them in situations where it’s reasonably clear that they don’t in fact carry much signal and there’s strong reason to suspect that someone is trying to exploit the system.)
I’ve also noticed a pretty strong tendency for my posts to be downvoted at about the same time that Azathoth posts a dissenting reply (in previous conversations). The association is strong enough that I have some reflexive negative feelings about dialogue with them- I’m distinctly getting ‘trained’ not to reply to Azathoth’s comments, whether or not it’s Azathoth who is actually doing the downvoting.
EDIT: Normally, I wouldn’t ask who it was that downvoted this comment. But for obvious reasons, a −1 score on this post isn’t a very clear signal. If you downvoted this comment and are not Azathoth, then letting me know who you are would help avoid misunderstandings.
OK, so my probability estimate for Azathoth123 being Eugine redivivus is increasing.
Anyway, for anyone else who is feeling that same sense of being “trained not to reply” (to Azathoth123 or anyone else), I strongly recommend fighting it. Don’t let abusive manipulators win!
(For the avoidance of doubt, this is not a general recommendation to ignore downvotes. Only to ignore them in situations where it’s reasonably clear that they don’t in fact carry much signal and there’s strong reason to suspect that someone is trying to exploit the system.)