@MonaLeeza,
Quote:He clearly intellectually and/or developmentally very limited
JGoldman10 claims to have an I.Q. of 170 and to be a college graduate.
Quote:But I'm not sure anyone would bother carrying on with a fake persona like this over several years and websites
I'm not sure why either. But it gets him loads of attention, and recognition of sorts, and that must be the aim.
Quote:There is a difference between challenging his views and the constant mocking and taunting that has been going on here long after it became clear that he had some degree of disability.
This isn't autism, or any autism-spectrum disorder that impairs real life social skills. Individuals with problems of that nature, such as Asperger's, often have little difficulty interacting with others on a forum board--they don't have to contend with, or interpret, other people's visual cues, facial expressions, body language, tone of voice, etc. and they have time to think about what others have written, and time to process their own emotions, and time to think about, and formulate, what they want to say in response, so their real life social difficulties cause them considerably fewer problems in a situation, like this forum, that relies only on text for communication. And, generally they are looking to connect with people and share interests when they go to a forum site, because that's what hard for them to do in real life, they wouldn't likely intentionally behave in a way designed to be antagonistic or drive others off.
That's not the case with JG. He deliberately behaves in an often obnoxious, offensive, and irritating manner--which he can, and does, turn on and off, just as he can turn the typing in CAPS on and off. He's flagrant, flamboyant, brazen, and provocative--particularly on hot button issues like religion/sex and race--and it engages and intrigues people, at least for a while. He's got an easily recognizable definite style. His persona may be his real cartoon creation.
So, I don't share your view about his behavior reflecting autism, although I do understand your thinking on that score. He's not as helpless or clueless as he appears, he's capable of using Google and doing reading on his own. Most of his numerous appeals for "help" or information seem quite disingenuous because he's not really interested in the information when he gets it--he justs asks another question. It's all about feeding his need for attention.
If we can believe him, this is a man in his 30's who well understands cause and effect connections. He knows that if he posts certain provocative comments he's going to elicit particular kinds of reactions, including taunts and ridicule. He knows which buttons to press to get a rise out of people, and he chooses to continue pressing those buttons. It's rewarding for him to continue doing it, otherwise he'd stop, or he'd simply go to a forum where his extremist views would find a better reception. He likes all the taunting he receives because he's equally involved in taunting back at others--and he's the one controlling it, he's the one who sets it up and keeps it going. This is entertaining for him, and he seems to provide some sort of entertainment value for others.
I just don't see any of this as indicative of a real life pervasive developmental disability. And I don't, therefore, think we should feel guilty because we are picking on someone who is socially disabled because I don't think JG fits that mold. He's actually quite adept at manipulating others, and when he deliberately flaunts a Web site's forum rules, or disregards basic rules of netiquette, as he's done here, and on other Web sites, he knows exactly what he's doing, and he just keeps pushing that envelope.
Of course, that doesn't mean that I don't think he's a nut--I do.
But I think he's in a class by himself. Rather a unique persona/character in terms of the internet, which is why he can make such an indelible impression--you know when he's around, he makes sure he gets noticed.