@CalamityJane,
Quote:Here is an interesting read about JGoldman10
It's interesting to note that that piece was written in 2004. The author said that:
Quote:His medium is the electronic message board, and he employs the flawlessly crafted persona of a clueless, persistent would-be comic-book creator (“JGoldman10”) to stimulate (“annoy”) other posters and make them respond with humorous and often acerbic commentary (“insults”).
http://www.bewilderingstories.com/issue107/jgoldman.html
So, here we are, in 2011, 7 years after that piece was written, and we are still ostensibly dealing with "a clueless, persistent would-be comic book creator", who seems to bounce from forum to forum, asking the same sort of questions over and over again, and eliciting the same sorts of responses, until he becomes so intolerable he finally gets kicked out.
No one is so clueless that they don't "get it" after 7 years on the same merry-go-round.
I don't buy the theory that JGoldman10 is a real life socially dysfunctional person, perhaps suffering from a disorder such as Asperger's. I'm more inclined to believe this is someone playing out a fantasy of how such a person might act on the internet. Or possibly, this is just a person who enjoys being a pain in the neck and setting up conflict situations. Or someone who does this sort of thing as some sort of perverse hobby.
If JGoldman10 hasn't gotten his questions answered in 7 years, he's not looking for answers. The endless questions are simply tools to allow him to provoke, insult, and then feign outrage over being misunderstood, rejected, or the target of bias. It's a routine, although I would argue that it's one without much comic appeal. It's too irritating, or downright offensive. What starts as a query about seemingly "harmless" topics, such as cartoons or comic books, rapidly descends into racial issues and a flaming display of evangelical Christian bigotry from JGoldman10--who recently announced in another thread that, "You don't like me because I represent Christ". I suppose we at A2K should feel honored to have Christ's official delegate among us, but frankly, I find these sort of inflammatory comments provocative without purpose. What's lacking in JGoldman10 is any sort of substance. And therein lies the enigma. What is this guy doing, why is he doing it, and why do we fall into the trap of discussing it?
JGoldman10 isn't a person who is genuinely looking for, or asking for, any sort of help. And the well intentioned people who have tried offering him help have had their hands and heads bitten off with insults, and their PM message boxes stuffed with more of his missiles. His questions, or his requests for help, are a set-up--like a booby-trap. Move toward it, and it blows up in your face.
So, how much more of JGoldman10's repetitive routine are people at A2K prepared to take?
I've been parodying JGoldman10's posts in another thread. But, as I was doing that, I realized that JGoldman10 is already a parody--there isn't much left to satirize. And there isn't much to be gained from reading JGoldman10's posts--it's all shallow, simplistic, and rings rather hollow. There is no dimension to this character. There is no substance. If JGoldman10 is a persona some bored internet crawler has dreamed up, the creator seems seriously lacking in imagination, not to mention wit. I find it difficult to believe that any real human could be this one dimensional, which is why I think JGoldman10 is some sort of fabrication, a fictional invader of forum quietude, an internet troll in lamb's clothing.
I don't think I'd consider JGoldman10's "routine" performance art, the initial fascination with it's oddball appeal wears off too quickly. Around here, he's sort of the flavor of the minute, mostly as a curiosity piece, and I sense most people have already had their fill.
What I find interesting is why people still bother to respond to JGoldman10, given where that gets them. And, what I'm waiting to see, is what JGoldman10 does when he is no longer responded to, or discussed. Does he have a second act? I doubt it, but time will tell. If he does, I hope it's more interesting than the first one.