I’ve been systematically downvoted for the past 16 days. Every day or two, I’d lose about 10 karma. So far, I’ve lost a total of about 160 karma.
It’s not just somebody just going through my comments and downvoting the ones they disagree with. Even a comment where I said “thanks” when somebody pointed out a formatting error in my comments is now at −1.
I’m not sure what can/should be done about this, but I thought I should post it here. And if the person who did this is here and there is a reason, I would appreciate it if you would say it here.
A quick look at the first page of your recent comments shows most of your recent activity to have been in the recent “Is Less Wrong too scary to marginalized groups?” firestorm.
One of the most recent users to complain about mass downvoting also cited participation in flame-bait topics (specifically gender).
How is this victim blaming? As I interpret it the claim is that the person was probably NOT the victim of systematic downvoting but instead made a lot of comments that are counter to what people like to hear, creating the illusion of same.
a comment where I said “thanks” when somebody pointed out a formatting error in my comments
as being about saying things “counter to what people like to hear”. Which is why I didn’t interpret CAE_Jones as suggesting that that’s what was going on.
For what it’s worth, I agree with gjm that “flame-bait” was a poor choice of words on my part, and I understand how it could have been taken as victim-blaming in spite of my intentions.
Gah… This is becoming way too common, and it seems like there’s pretty good evidence (further supported in this instance) regarding the responsible party. I wish someone with the power to do so would do something about it.
I got a seemingly one-time hit of this about a week ago. For what it’s worth I had just been posting comments on the subject of rape, but a whole bunch of my unrelated comments got it too.
(Since then it’s been having an obnoxious deterrent effect on my commenting, because I feel so precariously close to just accumulating negative karma every time I post, leaving readers with the impression that my ideas have all been identified as worthless by someone probably cleverer than themselves. I’m now consciously trying to avoid thinking like this)
I have experienced this also, though roughly a month ago, after an extended debate on trans* issues specifically.
I responded by messaging the person I had argued with, and politely asking that, if it was them who had been downvoting me, they please stop going through my comment history. I got no response, but the stream of downvotes seemed to tail off shortly thereafter.
EDIT: As a side note, the person with whom I had been debating/arguing was the same one that showed up in the thread ChrisHallquist linked. It looks like it’s a pattern of behavior for him.
a comment where I said “thanks” when somebody pointed out a formatting error in my comments is now at −1.
That sounds like a pretty low value comment. Is it beneficial to third parties to be able to read it? If not, just make the correction and PM your thanks. Otherwise you’re unnecessarily wasting everyone’s time in the guise of politeness.
Acknowledging that there indeed an error and that you weren’t intentionally doing something is helpful.
If you make the correction and not mention that the comment that points out the issue is right, it will seem to anybody who reads the discussion later as if the comment points out a nonexisting problem.
It is not necessary that the argument I gave be right. All that is necessary for the g’grandparent to be wrong is for there to be a plausible reason why someone would want to downvote such a comment, other than malice.
I’ve been systematically downvoted for the past 16 days. Every day or two, I’d lose about 10 karma. So far, I’ve lost a total of about 160 karma.
It’s not just somebody just going through my comments and downvoting the ones they disagree with. Even a comment where I said “thanks” when somebody pointed out a formatting error in my comments is now at −1.
I’m not sure what can/should be done about this, but I thought I should post it here. And if the person who did this is here and there is a reason, I would appreciate it if you would say it here.
A quick look at the first page of your recent comments shows most of your recent activity to have been in the recent “Is Less Wrong too scary to marginalized groups?” firestorm.
One of the most recent users to complain about mass downvoting also cited participation in flame-bait topics (specifically gender).
I would prefer to see a little less victim-blaming here.
(I’m not sure whether you intended it as such—but that phrase “participation in flame-bait topics” sounds like it.)
That was not my intention. (If it’s any consolation, I participated in the same firestorm.)
How is this victim blaming? As I interpret it the claim is that the person was probably NOT the victim of systematic downvoting but instead made a lot of comments that are counter to what people like to hear, creating the illusion of same.
Hard to explain getting downvoted for
as being about saying things “counter to what people like to hear”. Which is why I didn’t interpret CAE_Jones as suggesting that that’s what was going on.
For what it’s worth, I agree with gjm that “flame-bait” was a poor choice of words on my part, and I understand how it could have been taken as victim-blaming in spite of my intentions.
Gah… This is becoming way too common, and it seems like there’s pretty good evidence (further supported in this instance) regarding the responsible party. I wish someone with the power to do so would do something about it.
For context, link to past discussion of mass-downvoting.
I got a seemingly one-time hit of this about a week ago. For what it’s worth I had just been posting comments on the subject of rape, but a whole bunch of my unrelated comments got it too.
(Since then it’s been having an obnoxious deterrent effect on my commenting, because I feel so precariously close to just accumulating negative karma every time I post, leaving readers with the impression that my ideas have all been identified as worthless by someone probably cleverer than themselves. I’m now consciously trying to avoid thinking like this)
I have experienced this also, though roughly a month ago, after an extended debate on trans* issues specifically.
I responded by messaging the person I had argued with, and politely asking that, if it was them who had been downvoting me, they please stop going through my comment history. I got no response, but the stream of downvotes seemed to tail off shortly thereafter.
EDIT: As a side note, the person with whom I had been debating/arguing was the same one that showed up in the thread ChrisHallquist linked. It looks like it’s a pattern of behavior for him.
I have blindly upvoted your 10 most recent comments. This is meant as consolation but likely a one-time action .
I also hereby claim without evidence that I have been subject to mass downvoting. Please give me 10 karma.
If you like I can pick someone I don’t like to accuse without evidence of being the guilty party.
Here obviously the rule applies that once a pattern is estabilished it is immediately prone to be gamed.
Contrary to the downvoters that befell you I see this as a humorus comment and correspondingly upvated it.
Just to make this clear: I will not do so reliably in the future.
Mix it up a bit, yo.
That sounds like a pretty low value comment. Is it beneficial to third parties to be able to read it? If not, just make the correction and PM your thanks. Otherwise you’re unnecessarily wasting everyone’s time in the guise of politeness.
I think saying thanks is public for corrections contributes to a courteous atmosphere. It encourages third parties to make and accept corrections.
If such thanks were getting to be a drag on discussion, I’d recommend a different policy, but I don’t think we’re at that point.
Acknowledging that there indeed an error and that you weren’t intentionally doing something is helpful.
If you make the correction and not mention that the comment that points out the issue is right, it will seem to anybody who reads the discussion later as if the comment points out a nonexisting problem.
It is not necessary that the argument I gave be right. All that is necessary for the g’grandparent to be wrong is for there to be a plausible reason why someone would want to downvote such a comment, other than malice.