a question of moderation

[ratcreature]

Some years ago I posted some scans of a superhero drawing book, specifically from chapters where it explains drawing women. That post is widely linked, and google brings it up fairly high up when you search for "how to draw comics" and the like. This results in me still getting a steady stream of comments that range from clueless to horrible sexist drivel or worse.

Now LJ offers you the option to lock comments without deleting or hiding the old ones, and having once again an sexist idiot rant at me today (in multiple comments even, I assume the person didn't notice the comment field telling them I log IP addresses), I am considering to freeze comments there. In general I like to keep comments open, and normally I like getting comments on older posts, and every once in a while I get and interesting one even on that post, but is that worth getting enraged every so often? (I usually don't react anymore, but since I screen anon comments to weed out spam, I have to at least glance at their drivel.) The comments are an illuminating display of fail from certain segments of comic fandom, but then we all know about that already, so there is really not that much need to have them enact it over and over again in my years old post.

So I'm waffling, and wondering what you think.

Poll #2698 moderation question

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 24

View Respondents

Should I freeze comments in that post?

View Answers

Yes.
23 (95.8%)

No.
1 (4.2%)

Comments

[lilacsigil]

I put "No" because I still sometimes go and check out that post, but if it's costing you sanity and time, you should probably lock it. Alternatively, you could screen comments and not have them come to your inbox, and go check on it once a week or so.

[ratcreature]

Well, there aren't that many, so some weeks there aren't any more new comments, so manually checking would be more effort than getting them in the mail. And it is not so much that the comments are personally taxing in an extreme way (I mean, compared to some reactions from comic fans to other posts about sexism the reactions have been mild, I vaguely recall devildoll getting death threat comments on her Mary Jane statuette post.), as that it is a constant reminder how much fandom can suck outside my narrowly selected voluntary reading circle.

Which on one hand is a good thing, what with ignorance not really being bliss, otoh it does tend to harsh any mellow mood I might have had at the time I get these comments.

On the third hand, I'm also wondering whether if I lock there, the commenters would then feel strongly enough to seek out the non-locked version here on DW, just transferring the problem (and here you can't lock like this yet), though they might not realize that it is there, if they are unfamiliar with my journal.

[sholio]

You can freeze comments without hiding them all now? ooh, neat! :D

I would say to freeze comments and put a little note indicating why you've done it. The tone of the remaining comments ought to provide ample evidence in support of your decision. (I haven't looked - my blood pressure probably can't take it!)

Another possibility would be to screen comments and then turn off notifications. They can wank all they want, but you'll never see it. That was what I did that one time I was getting mega-trolled, when I got tired of dealing with it. I think it actually might be more effective for getting rid of trolls than turning comments off entirely, because if you have no comment option then they might look for alternate ways of contacting you, but if they go ahead and type their comment and then it's screened and never unscreened, they've gotten it out of their system (and they have no idea if you've read it and are just ignoring them).

[ratcreature]

Yes, LJ recently added that feature! I hope it'll come here too, because while I almost never lock or disable comments myself, I think it would be a great option for people who post meta and then have a discussion get out of hand so that they are tired of following, yet can't freeze, which now makes lots of interesting comments invisible, as they disable new ones.

And yeah, I would put in a note. And I have wondered as well whether if I lock there, the commenters would then feel strongly enough to seek out the non-locked version here on DW for example, just transferring the problem (and here you can't lock like this yet), though they might not realize that it is there, if they are unfamiliar with my journal. So I guess getting emails would also be possible.

[shadowvalkyrie]

I'd say it depends on how much the sexist fail annoys you (it'd annoy me a lot, so my vote was yes, but that's really subjective), and how it balances against missing possible positive things people have to say.

[ratcreature]

It annoys me quite a bit, and the post being originally from 2006 which is like an eternity in internet time, awful comments of ranting sexists definitely outnumber any comments of interest, or even discussion. Mostly it is that I am fairly attached to my overall policy to allow comments from anyone on my public posts. And yet 2006, so it's not like I shut down the discussion in the post that happened in its wake, just the stragglers, and really if anyone feel that strongly about reacting, they can make a new post in their blog that links to mine, and rant in their own space.

[calvinahobbes]

I can understand that you feel wary of shutting down discussion, but I still think that it's YOUR journal and if it bothers you to receive all those moronic comments you should just freeze comments and explain why you did it. In all fairness, it's not like you are shutting down the discussion - all arguments and oppinions already seem to be pretty thoroughly represented. If I were you I think I would rather not know about all the people who are totally missing the point of your post. Ignorance is bliss, after all ;o)

[calvinahobbes]

Also, if someone is absoloutely dying to tell you how they feel about the post, they can still PM you or send you an email...

[ratcreature]

Yes, there is always that too. Though the people who emailed me so far rather than commenting tend more towards the complete reading comprehension fail, in that they usually thank me for posting such helpful scans and ask whether could I scan them the rest of the book. One whom I answered that the intention of the post was not to distribute scanned versions and that I would not scan hundreds of pages for a stranger I don't even know anyway, then proceeded to insult me.

And actually I posted some excerpts from the other books that I liked in other posts, so it's not universally horrible for reading about comic technique. I honestly think I probably got Wizard a ton of new customers for their series.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, fruitful discussion is definitely not happening at this point. After pondering this some more I now I tend towards thinking that anyone who feels very strongly about revisiting the topic (rather than just ranting at me about how I don't understand comics, even though I've been collecting them for three decades now, or just shouldn't read comics if I'm bothered or whatever) should do their own blog post to argue, where they link to mine, rather than bury their comment in a post from 2006.

[droolfangrrl]

Good plan. It's old, it's out there, and you have served your time. Rest well old soldier.

(DAYUM devil doll got DEATH THREATS????!!!!!!)

[ratcreature]

Yeah, over that Spiderman merchandise that had MJ washing Spidey's uniform in fairly contorted "sexy" position. That got a lot of trolls, and iirc some were way out there.

[reginagiraffe]

Is it possible to disallow annonymous comments at this point? That would probably solve 95% of your problems because these guys are dickless wonders who don't have the courage to identify themselves.

Otherwise, I think you're completely justified in freezing comments at this point if you feel like it.

[ratcreature]

I already screen anon. AFAIK if I wanted to disallow anon I would have to pick that preference for the whole journal, and I don't want that. I had anon disabled for a while because of spam on LJ and then people would respond to that post with sockpuppet LJs they just created. I vaguely remember that one of them ranted at me that I was "forcing" him to get an LJ because anon was disabled in my whole journal at that point. That was very WTF?

[cereta]

You do have the option of screening anon only on one post, although I support you just shutting it down at this point. I just did on Post of Doom.

[ratcreature]

I screen anon everywhere already but mostly because of spam. But yeah, I think anyone who feels a pressing urge to revisit that can do so in their own blog, rather than in my comments.

I can only imagine how bad the Post of Doom must be. (I haven't dared to look most of the comments there.) I really think LJ's new moderation option that allows you to keep the discussion, but put an end to it, is great. I hope it'll come to DW too.

[madripoor-rose.livejournal.com]

I'd freeze comments. At this point the mansplainers are the only ones who are really going to comment because of the deep need to tell you how wrong you are for daring to have standards.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, that is true.

[tassosss.livejournal.com]

Oh my God, I think my brain exploded form the sheer fucking asshatery! This is why I can't get into comics at all. I'm so sorry you have to deal with this.

[ratcreature]

Actually for comic fandom posts about sexism that post has not even been badly trolled. Before I found online fanfic fandom I was only in offline comic fandom, which has been my first fandom since childhood, but not even nostalgic fondness and habituation helps. Which I guess is why female comic fans often seek their own spaces, while male comic fans think women are not reading comics and such. I mean, it is not as if media fandom doesn't have its own kinds of cluelessness to deal with, but yeah.

[trewestriandta.livejournal.com]

I say if it bothers you, close it. The entire point of this is for your enjoyment. If some thick skulls want to beat their chests and be all offended man, they can do that in the privacy of hteir own cave, not all over your lj.

[ratcreature]

Yeah, I have locked its comments now.

[earthguardian.livejournal.com]

I actually found that entry and read through a few of the comments, like a page's worth. 7 pages is quite a bit of the same thing being repeated. However, I did want to write something, is it alright that I message you about it?

It's not ZOMG THAT'S SO SEXIST. But, something else. :D

[ratcreature]

For the record in case it wasn't clear from the entry, the comments I did have a problem with were not the ones agreeing with me that this comic drawing style is sexist, and being outraged about it. I posted the scans to make a point about sexism in comic art from a feminist perspective.