I am going to conduct a social experiment. I am going to select three (3) posters and follow them about, insofar as my attention span and work schedule permit. I will attempt to post to every thread to which they post. I will perform three roles: Syncophant, Knee-Jerk Dissenter, and Control. The Sycophant will comment lasciviously upon the subject's photos (if any), quote the subject repeatedly in Barbequotes, and second the subject's opinions whenever possible. The Knee-Jerk Dissenter will talk shit about the subject, seek out typos or instances of slack thinking, and attempt to annoy the subject in any way possible. The Control persona will react to the subject as immediately and naturally as possible, whether positively, negatively, or indifferently.
Although there is something to be said for selecting three (3) posters randomly, I am going to select, instead, people I already think of as 'fucking assholes' as these have proven to be the sort I get along with best offline.
Or not, as time and work allow.
I predict that despite my having announced that I am doing this, my subjects will react to my performances in a predictable manner: the subject of my sycophancy will find me appealing, the subject of my nettling will find me irritating, and the control subject will not have any particular opinion of me.
And if anybody who suspects he or she is one of my subjects and doesn't wish to participate, please PM me and I will exclude you from the project. Not looking to cause any harm or disturb anybody, just exploring. I will absolutely respect the wishes of others who prefer not to be part of this. |
