Thursday, October 01, 2009

People are rude and disgusting

No, that's not a new revelation to me. But I was reminded of the fact again tonight during the Mookie.

Look at this. My dear friend Cardgrrl, who got knocked out earlier, was watching me. When it was down to three-handed, it was clear that the other two players had it in for each other. They were raising each other light and shoving light, taunting each other in chat. At the same time, I was going through a card-dead phase: 10-3, 6-2, etc. So I decided to fold a lot more than I usually would, and let those two slug it out for a while. I was perfectly content to sit back and then take on one of them heads-up. Of course, I would have gotten involved if I got dealt something strong enough to go up against both of them with (because neither was in a folding mood), but that wasn't happening.

Anyway, that decision resulted in this chat exchange, spread out over maybe a dozen or so hands:

Full Tilt Poker Game #15046286357: The Mookie (109308627), Table 1

JOELPOKERGOD: Rake well folding up the money ladder like a girl lol
VBPro7 (Observer): yeah he sucks
cardgrrl (Observer): "like a girl"... what are you, an idiot?
cardgrrl (Observer): oh wait...
Rakewell: that would be yes
VBPro7 (Observer): nicejob Rake
VBPro7 (Observer): take these ROOKIES
JOELPOKERGOD: hes a nit
cardgrrl (Observer): better a nit than a not-nice person
cardgrrl (Observer): :)
VBPro7 (Observer): id do cardgrrrl69
JOELPOKERGOD: lol il bluff her azz later
VBPro7 (Observer): i'd rather lick it
cardgrrl (Observer): you all lead very active fantasy lives
cardgrrl (Observer): gl with that
VBPro7 (Observer): she fiesty
VBPro7 (Observer): i wanna oil her up and chase her around
cardgrrl (Observer): better save the oil for your long lonely nights dude

(At this point, Mike Maloney knocks out JOELPOKERGOD.)

Mike_Maloney: I'd say gg, but, you kind of suck
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): Go to hell ealier
VBPro7 (Observer): lol you KINDA suck
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): lol
VBPro7 (Observer): how rude
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): i do suck
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): this is a tough game tho vb
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): lol
VBPro7 (Observer): yeah right
VBPro7 (Observer): im just here for the women
JOELPOKERGOD (Observer): Rakewell is really bad


As long as I'll live, I will never understand (1) men being sexually crude to women just because they are women, and (2) people being nasty to each other for no discernible reason at all. It makes me want to shake them and say, "What the hell is wrong with you that you get pleasure from saying things like that?"

For all the good it would do.

And yes, I do realize that this snippet is fairly tame as such things are known to go. But I don't play online much, so I can usually be blissfully unaware of it.

I haven't tried to look up who JOELPOKERGOD or VBPro7 are, or whether they have poker blogs of their own, but really, guys--it's not funny, it's not cute, it doesn't make you look smart, it doesn't make you look superior. You show off what vile, stupid, pathetic, desperate people you are. It's not at all clear to me why you would want to do that. It's a form of psychopathology that I really don't get.

The overwhelming sense conveyed, to me at least, is that these are people who are seriously screwed up, and have somehow developed such a demented, warped view of the world and its inhabitants that they think this type of interaction is normal. Perhaps it's the only way they know of to behave. If so, that's just as sad as it is annoying.

13 comments:

Jeff Simpson said...

Well said, Rakewell. One of the worst things about the Internet and about Internet poker is the people who use the cloak of anonymity to shield their juvenile or hateful thoughts. Keep up the great work -- even when I disagree with you you are fun to read.

Matthew Yauch said...

It's the internet, welcome to AA, Anonymouses Anonymous. I'm also a computer geek so I've been dealing with this type of person in online games my whole life.

There are no consequences to acting like that, so people act like that.

Snuffy said...

2 solutions, turn caht orr or don't play. It's a blogger tournament and its going to happen. This IS pretty tame for a Mookie.

KenP said...

http://www.partybux.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=984

Sad he's from my state. They seem to know each other from another site Lovinpoker that is a forum/clubhouse. Lot of those around with a similar set of standards. Troll dens.

SirFWALGMan said...

Congratz on the (win, 2nd place?). People say all kinds of shit while playing poker. Just ignore em.

SN8 said...

This is commonly referred to as the "Greater Internet D**kwad Theory". Normal person + anonymity + audience = D**kwad.

Sean G said...

Funny, I've played in the Mookie a few times, and those two (Joel and VBPro) are both people I muted as soon as I met them. I usually play with all chat turned off, but I had turn it on for the Mookie, and didn't want those two to ruin it for me.

Congratulations on getting second place. That's a great little game, even with the short turnout.

dbcooper said...

Guys who act like that on the internet do it because they can. Most are probably very sad individuals who need to get off their computers and get out in the real world. They wouldn't have the guts to say that in a casino and if they did they would be tossed out on their ear.

bastinptc said...

Clubhouse, like up in a tree, sign hanging on a 2x4: "No girls aloud (sic)".

Peenie waggers a-floggin'.

Snuffy said...

I was either drunk or still asleep when I posted. Nice engrish by me.

WindBreak247 said...

...so did you win?!

WindBreak247 said...

Oh, whoops. Sorry. Hadn't seen your other post yet.

Jordan said...

Dude, its just people being brash. It's humorous more than anything. If you expect to see polite conversation in an online poker game, you are crazy. I understand why someone might wish that players act more cordially, but it ain't going to happen. Besides, why would you or cardgrrl take this stuff seriously. It's absurd on its face. I wouldn't think twice about it. If you do, then you are just playing into the chat and letting it take you out of your happy mental poker state.