Pure Chat - Part II

Anatomy of a Message Board

The Court TV (CTV) message board probably has the largest membership and the broadest range of topics. In my naiveté of message board mechanics, I thought it would be a fair, impartial well moderated board. My assumption at the time I joined was that such a board would attract people with a common interest in the judicial system and the outcome of various trials. That did not prove to be the case.

For each topic an invisible line was drawn between people and discussion was non-existent. It was more like a game of ping-pong with each side trying to slam the ball across the table harder and harder. The facts were inconsequential. The topics were not even important. It was the “game” that took priority and the object of that game was to provoke others with any means possible until the opposition reacted in a manner contrary to the”TOS” of CTV. Then the “moderator” would ban someone and one side or the other would rejoice in their victory. People would then be re-instated if they groveled enough to the supreme moderator, or they would simply re-invent themselves and have another go at the forum. Soon the question was not have you ever been banned, but how many times.

It did not take long to recognize that a cliquish mentality existed at CTV and the moderator had her favorites, which could do no wrong regardless of how abhorrent their statements or actions may be. Each trial, or case, discussed had the same two groups on opposing sides and the same idiocy would be re-enacted.

When Natalee Holloway was first reported missing, I was still posting at CTV. I remember making a post in one of the generic topics, asking if anyone had heard any news about the missing girl from Alabama. Little was known at that time, but within days the topic began to mushroom and the two camps of thought had already begun to dig in and prepare for verbal battle. This was not the first case that became extremely controversial, but most others reached some type of resolution before such emotional extremes could be reached.

With the advent of free web hosting and forum software, several CTV spin-off message boards were created. One of those was made up of some of the most consistently antagonistic CTV attack groups that existed at the time. They called themselves the CeeTeeVeeRefugees. Initially, they would put their attack strategy together at their own board and then go into action at CTV. It was like watching a pack of dogs foaming at the mouth as they would single someone out and begin to rip away at the metaphorical flesh of their words. This went on for some time unabated until they made the mistake of sinking their claws into the back of the moderator who had protected them for so long.

That message board became so disgustingly vile, that the hosting company for the free forum gave them an ultimatum. Clean it up, or pack it in. Somehow, they found another hosting agent and were re-born as The Refugees.

Personally, I can’t stomach reading what this group of people has to say about anything, so I can not comment about their temperament at this time. But, if the same core group runs this board, then my assumption would be that it is still permeated with the same mindless hatred and sadistic joy in attacking any and all victims of crime. It is an extremely tasteless example of humanity at its worst and it is almost frightening that there can be that many people of like minds, which have found each other across the Internet.