LAUDA, I dreamed that you were the space alien creature that the
Six Million Dollar Man fought back in 1977.
-snip-
Since I have never seen you once deny this, I will assume Quickseller is the pedophile everyone talks about.
I can neither confirm nor deny this accusation. I'm guessing that means that I
am the creature lauda doxxed by vod with pix lol
So, Lauda, finally we get to see what you look like; and it is—awesome, in the proper sense of inspiring awe. Let forum abusers shake in terror.
For what it's worth, with no response from QS, this is an entirely baseless accusation with not even an attempt to prove, which I do not agree with... not that my actions may matter that much in this situation.
Of course, he becomes either slippery or absent when pressed for evidence. His objective is not to persuade regulars in Reputation. I see signs that Quickseller is attempting something much more serious: Deliberate sowing of the sorts of rumours which can corrode reputations like vitriol, if not handled properly.
I have recently observed Quickseller’s behaviour in high-readership threads in Meta. He seems to have taken up the habit (so to speak) of always mentioning “Lauda” and “pill addiction” in the same sentence. At first, I thought he was just being an Internet jerk. Now, I realize what he may be doing quite methodically. His objective cannot plausibly be to prove anything to cautious or well-informed people: He could only do that with evidence; and if he had evidence, either he would publicize it to wreck Lauda, or he’d use it for blackmail (as to which I will note that Lauda displays no apparent fear of Quickseller). Rather, it appears he wants to get people talking along the lines of, “I heard that Lauda...”
Rumour-mongering through hit-and-run focused repetition of a “Big Lie” can be highly effective. People don’t remember where they read it; they repeat it to others, who then don’t remember where they heard it. The most disturbing part is that by such means, it can be feasible for a known swindler to harm the reputation of a community pillar. Much though I hate to say this, that is one good reason why the concept of libel laws was developed.
I am not saying (and would not say) anything to give Quickseller ideas. I am stating what I have observed he seems to be already doing, or at least attempting.
In this situation, on an Internet forum, I think a good defence is counter-repetition of the truth both as to Quickseller’s own credibility, and the baselessness of his accusations. I’ve been lax about that, more inclined to laugh it off with a snide comment. (And indeed, laughter is also effective; don’t stop it.) But as concisely as possible, the facts should be made clear to people who never heard of Quickseller or Lauda.
This means repeating those facts briefly in each and every place where Quickseller repeats his rumour. Don’t
only take it as a joke: Let the seeds of rumour fall on hardened rock, not fertile imaginations.
Experiential note: Being new here, I had to do lengthy browsing in forum archives
on my own initiative to be so sure of which side is right here; and I am still not so deeply familiar with the situation as most people posting in this thread. Some sort of standard overview of objective historical facts should be summarized in a short paragraph, to be pasted in wherever QS pops up with this “Lauda pill addiction” rumour-mongering. Then, add sarcastic comments. I think this is just basic “PR”.
How rumours start,
e.g.:Those of you who have been here for some years may remember the time that Quickseller posted in a politics thread with an explicit defence of adult-child sexual relations. I know, he deleted that quickly—I presume as soon as he realized what he’d done, and what the social and business consequences might be. Perhaps he was drunk at the time. But I know that some of you forum old-timers must have seen it. I saw it. XYZ saw it. A friend-of-a-friend saw it...
(And he has never denied this! Very interesting.)