So I've missed yet another scamming/banning/pie fight. I'm referring to the scam warning diary on the rec list. I don't have a problem with the diary in question nor the diarist. I don't know anything about the original "scam" diary or alleged "scam" diarist. Nada. I can't really suss it out from the comments to the current diary, nor do I particularly want to at this juncture.
What I could suss out, however, was some good ole-fashioned troll hunting!! More over the fold.
I have to be very up-front here. I don't like blatant troll-hunting. I have several friends here - dear ones whom I adore - who occasionally engage in troll hunting behavior.
Let me clarify. By "troll hunting", I am referring to the practice of singling out and following a particular user or a handful of users from thread to thread and HRing their comments regardless of the content of those comments and whether or not they meet the Daily Kos guidelines for HRing. It's like there's this cadre of troll police - and no, I'm not singling YOU out - who spend an inordinate amount of time pursuing and then HRing another user(s) from thread to thread, dropping HRs. Even more interesting is that the troll hunters typically stop to defend their HR assignment to this comment or that one, giving lengthy responses and justifications.
The operative part of that last paragraph for me is inordinate amount of time.
Let me proceed delicately here - because I know I'm probably going to come off sounding like some sanctimonious asshole for what I'm about to say. But honestly - as I read through the nearly 800 comments attached to the current recommended diary and was particularly drawn to the troll-hunting occurring there and in other threads (discovered by following comments of a persistently HRd commenter), all I could think of was how much better that time - the time to pursue and HR and then defend the HR - could be spent.
I immediately thought of an articleI happened across on Friday of last week:
Charities face a crisis: donations down as numbers of poor and hungry grow
Across California and the state, charitable groups that serve the poor, hungry and homeless are living with a similar scenario that Guevara described: More people to serve and declining donations. Donations to food banks across the state have declined by as much as 300 percent as the number of people who need food has increased, said Sue Sigler, executive director of the California Association of Food Banks.
This is just one example. noweasel's recent diaries have underscored the problem of increasing need and decreasing means in a more positive, action-oriented and invaluable way.
Mr. RenaRF came home on Saturday and caught me in a melancholy mood. I had just seen a piece on CNN about the crisis in food banks not having enough money to feed the hungry this year. I distinctly remember telling him: "If only people would volunteer a few hours a week to help someone else. If everyone did it, imagine how much more help there would be."
I meant that - and I have felt that way in the past and continue to feel that way - albeit more intensely - today. I frequently use Volunteer Match to find rewarding volunteer opportunities in my area - opportunities that allow me to make a difference - however small - on one family or one person. I try to volunteer in different ways - in other words, I need volunteering "variety". My latest effort is going to have me teaching basic computer skills to low income and potentially homeless adults, one hour per week. I figure that in the current climate, those already at the bottom (or near the bottom) of the poverty scale need a lot of help - and I'm good with computers and good with helping others understand how to use them and not be intimidated by them.
So I guess I'm flummoxed when I see such time and effort put into troll hunting. And I can't help but think about all of that time put to much better, more productive use - especially in times like these where the need is so great it's nearly opressive.
Just sayin'.
PS And yeah. I took time - 16 whole minutes - out of my lunch to write this diary. I figure it's worthwhile if one or two or more make a mental and then actual commitment to volunteer during these tough times.
Update [2008-12-9 14:22:26 by RenaRF]: Wow - reclist. I'm actually surprised - my diary is kind of trite. But thanks nonetheless. HAVING SAID THAT - is it possible to expect that if I request that we refrain from discussing the most recent issue to which the troll hunting is attached that it would be honored? Maybe we can talk about our favorite volunteering stories or something... Just a thought.
Update [2008-12-9 15:20:47 by RenaRF]: Ok - so there's a very meaningful discussion about trolls and HRing and all of that in the comments, as well as a lot of discussion about charities and giving. Kind of a two-fer - and I appreciate that. I have to get ready to go to a swanky charity gala, so I'll be dropping out for a bit. Play nice - and let me just say - GENERALLY, if a person is a troll, the community writ large is going to catch it and take care of the problem. If the same user or group of users is consistently HRing the same person thread after thread, it's probably something that should at least beg caution. My $.02.