A few months ago I offered a term to describe an interactive dynamic I've seen during some contentious discussions about controversial issues here on Waccobb:
wac-co-ize
/wak/o/īz/
tr. v wac-co-izid, wac-co-iz-ing, wac-co-izes,
Wac--co-ized
1. To be personally called out by name and humorlessly attacked online after posting a humorous critique or fact that goes counter to the prevailing and accepted alternative tribal-cultural worldview. Contents of waccoize attacks often seem emotionally based and usually include attacks for positions not taken or mentioned in the original posting that generated the waccoize attack. Waccoizing usually occurs in progressive-left communities and is very often associated with fear-based issues and/or issues commonly known as a "conspiracy theories". "Jason completely agrees with the need to be vigilant with monitoring for Fukushima radiation, but he was totally waccoized by six people when he posted that scientific paper."
Here are a few more for your consideration:
Vaportroll (noun)
Someone who creates a temporary anonymous account on Waccobb for the sole purpose of blasting away at people using personal insults while hiding their true identity. Typically, vaportrolls reveal their own idiocy without help from anyone through their own emotional angry rants. Usually a vaportroll is someone who has their worldview challenged in some way and can't seem to not take things hyper personally. Used as in, "We were having a fairly civil debate online when all of a sudden this vaportroll showed up and had a meltdown."
Debunkbot (noun)
Someone who consistently pounces on and ridicules anyone on Waccobb who offers up any controversial idea or conspiracy theory that is not accepted by the mainstream without any open-mindedness to consider the evidence that's presented, to the point of irrationality. Debunkbots tend to be knee-jerk contrarians who seem highly self-satisfied by their smug displays of supposed cleverness. Used as in, "Did you actually go to any of those links and check out what was posted, or are you just being a debunkbot?"
Kennedy Syndrome (noun)
The observed phenomenon on Waccobb that during the course of an online debate about a controversial issue in the general realm of "conspiracy theory" eventually a proponent will offer up the Kennedy assassination as somehow proof of the conspiracy theory in question, regardless of its relevancy. The Kennedy Syndrome is usually seen when rational arguments have run out and is fallen back on in some desperation. Used as in, "I was asking whether there was any substantial evidence to back up that claim and all I got was the Kennedy Syndrome."
Conspirysteria (noun)
A state of being where someone after making an extremely fear-based and outlandish claim on Waccobb becomes highly agitated and incredulously defensive when asked to provide some reasonable data to substantiate the claim. People suffering from conspirysteria seem to believe they have no accountability all all to offer any compelling evidence about what they just said, no matter how preposterous the claim. They often attack anyone who asks for evidence while at the same time feeling persecuted themselves for being asked. Used as in, "He claimed all sealife in the Pacific Ocean is dead because of Fukushima radiation and that everyone must evacuate the West Coast immediately or die, but then became all conspirysterical when somoeone asked him if he had any substantial evidence to back that up".
Scott
