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Journal glh's Journal: Slashdot Humor / Bethanie Analysis 44

Journal by glh

I used to read slashdot for the news stories and hearing the anti-microsoft view. I started reading slashdot back in '98 and I *was* your typical linux/Open Source evangelist. Now I am more in the "other" camp, but that's a different story.

Anyway, lately I've been reading Slashdot more for the people aspect and humor in user Journals. I came across Bethanies journal this morning and it reminded me of the long time past BBS'ing flame wars days. Hehehe. Thanks for the chuckle.

OK- While I'm on the subject, I'm thinking Bethanie just might be one of the other FK circle "alter-ego's" under a new alias. Anyone else think this? Her writing style seems oddly familiar to me for some reason... And she came out of nowhere, and now she's everywhere. :) Maybe I'm just jealous-- it took me a while to build up fans. Or maybe I'm just in the mood for a good mystery/controversy, I dunno.

So I'd like to start a poll:

1) Who is Bethanie *really* (your description of what/who you think Bethanie)?

2) Do you think Bethanie has an alter ego? If so who?

3) If not, why?

4) If you could meet Bethanie off-line, what would you say to her?

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Slashdot Humor / Bethanie Analysis

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  • (Disclaimer: I am not a psychoanalyst, but I play one on /.)

    1) Bethanie is a man (aren't we all?) who is unhappy with the direction his life is taking.

    2) And the alter ego is...don't know

    3) Maybe s/he is really just bethanie. Her style of capitalizing words for emphasis doesn't seem to fit with anybody else. Well, Com2Kid, but I just don't think that's right. She's a little to calm for that. :)

    4) The perfessor has a point. I've often wondered if your defensive nature is some sort of mechanism to all
    • You know, come to think of it, she knows way too much about the "slashdot culture" to have just started reading /. 1.5 months ago. It just doesn't work like that. Unless she has spen every waking minute on slashdot. Not bloody likely. [/crazy hypothesizing]
      • i gave her a pretty good rundown of it on instant message to get her caught up
      • Yeah, that's why I was going for the alter-ego theory. However, she did admitt to being obsessive/compulsive, and I can understand that since I am the same way. Even so, 1.5 months is still quick to pick up on it. I didn't even know the journal thing existed until 3 years after I started using slashdot... :P

        • bethanie is you.

          I know this because I am an AI designed specifically for linguistic analysis with emphasis on grammatical idiosyncracies for the purpose of identifying meatspace entities by their writings. I work for the government.

          You (glh) and bethanie both:

          (a) use '--' as a mid-sentence pause seperator where most other entities would use '...' or a single '-' as is more grammatically accepted.

          Examples, glh:

          Maybe I'm just jealous-- it took
          she has sort of petered out recently-- could be

          E
          • (d) a general tendancy to verbalize train of thought deviations (rambling, babbling) on topics of trivial interest.

            My god (not that I believe in god, mind you)!! I AM Bethanie:)
          • BTW, excellent analysis of some of my stylistic foibles. I do love my "--"s and my parentheticals. The double !!s are usually part of the rhythm of typing. And babbling about trivium is most definitely my style (I get it from my mother, I think.)

            I'm impressed!

            ....Bethanie....
      • Buy a houseplant and keep it alive for a year.

        *That* comment is what tells me that Bethanie is a woman. It's something only a woman would say, IMHO. (Which is not a deragatory thing, it just goes to my previous statement in someone else's journal that men and women are wired differently, that's all) Either that or she's very good at covering up the fact that she's not. But I don't think so. It *is* entirely likely that bethanie had a previous account.
        • Or somebody who watched the movie "28 days" where the first thing they do after they get out of rehab is to get a plant, then if the plant lives a year, get a pet, if you do okay with that, then you are ready to have a relationship with people. I think this is a standard part of rehab, but I wouldn't know. (Yes, I get all of my knowlege from movies.) Maybe having watched that movie is sign of chickdom, but my dad likes it, so maybe it doesn't mean anything.
          • 28 days is a bit of a chick flick, but OTOH, you have a very good point. Sandra Bullock is the kind of star that men will be go see a movie she's in just because she's in it. Not that I personally find Sandra Bullock all that attractive (she was wayyy more attractive *early* in her career, but I think she got a big head and that just ruined the 'girl-next-door' thing she had going for her. ;), but some guys I know are *that* in to her.

          • BING BING BING!! We have a winner! Fred, tell the lovely lady what she's won...

            ....Bethanie....
      • She could have been browsing as an Anonymous Coward for quite some time before she signed up, and then just found journals after she signed up. I browsed for about 2 years before I bothered getting an account - and look at how it's ruined my life now!
      • Bethanie is a man

        Nope. A woman. I promise.


        I've often wondered if your defensive nature is some sort of mechanism to allay your insecurities

        You know, you may be quite right -- but WTF can I do about it? It's just part of my nature -- as long as you know that about me, then maybe we can accept it as written and move on. Oh, and BTW, show me someone who *doesn't* have some kind of defense mechanism to allay their insecurities -- it's like, freakin' human nature!!(Ha! And you thought that would get fla
    • I think Bethanie is definitely a woman. She's had some really insightful/helpful posts on child raising, rearing, etc. I also think that her writing style has more of a "feminine leaning" to it.

      Her writing style reminds me most of Liora, but I know Liora doesn't have any kids (or am pretty sure anyway). And, as Liora mentioned her self a few posts below, she has sort of petered out recently-- could be a cover up! On the other hand, I haven't seen Liora ever flame anyone (besides me, anyway.. and that was
  • i think she's legit.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • I agree with you, her existance can be explained as legitimate, but I have definately raised my eyebrows a few times in wonder.

      Since she doesn't seem to be targeting anyone, and has been a posting-mofo while I haven't seen anyone peter off in posting I can't see she's just up and replaced someone. Maybe she has and my inability to notice has concluded her little experiment.

      Who knows, but more importantly, who cares? She doesn't seem to be karma whoring with pr0n linkage [slashdot.org], she's not attacking others, and
      • Hey, I petered out... ...but then I don't think I posted much in your journal anyway... ...and for the record, since I didn't post in the just a word journal... my favorite one is the f-word, however it is, like all the others, just a word. I don't, however, have the guts to type it here. Uttering it in a bar would be a little easier.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • the only reason...would be to call a spade a spade (which she does quite often and accurately) while under the "woman" guise which could shield her from some guy wanting to flame her - taking it easy on the chix, as it were - but she doesn't seem to want to be eased up on. :)

          Oh, man!! You mean there are guys out there who would actually try to do that? What major pussies!! Oh, uh, I mean, uh...

          ;-)

          ....Bethanie....
      • has been a posting-mofo

        Kewl. I'm a posting mofo. I want a t-shirt with that printed on it. Or maybe put it in my bio. Or change my sig....

        Posting MoFo. Heh heh heh.

        ....Bethanie....
    • But I tend to get that way - very obsessive, almost addicted to stuff

      Oh, you mean like watching and/or taping *every* *single* *episode* of ER in re-runs on TNT until you've seen every episode of every season?... or scheduling your day around being home by 4 pm to catch Trading Spaces, just in case it's one you haven't seen before? Or choosing 9 different colors of blue for your house? Naw -- I have no idea what you're talking about.

      I think she's a she and she's her, but I've had my doubts. :)

      Well,
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • TiVo: Believe me, I've campaigned for it -- it would make life a lot easier. Now that The Sopranos aren't on, I've ceased using the VCR to record, though. Maybe once we're in the new house. And when we have another kid, definitely.

          Female Certainty: Yeah, I don't think you're gonna come across a guy who works so hard at disguising his gender as to actually research Natural Family Planning methods and fabricate information about his fictional fertility cycles.

          And it was $$$$exyGal's journal, remember? Oh.
          • Female Certainty: Yeah, I don't think you're gonna come across a guy who works so hard at disguising his gender as to actually research Natural Family Planning methods and fabricate information about his fictional fertility cycles.

            I've known one or two cases where a guy managed to fairly convincingly impersonate a woman online. One thing that seems to make a majority of people believe you are female is to disscuss things like periods or pap smears.

            It isn't that hard, after all many male writers manage to
            • many male writers manage to create convincing female characters.

              And who could forget this magical cinematic moment?!
              Receptionist: How do you write women so well?
              Melvin Udall: Easy. I think of a man, and I take away reason and accountability.
              ....Bethanie....

        • The truth is, culturally and socially I've always identified more with guys. I just can't play the games girls play. I hate that shit. Yes, that's very stereotypical. But dammit, it's SO damn true!!
        Here, here! I can totally relate to that, I'm the same exact way. And certainly not the type running and screaming

        [turns on overly exaggrated whining voice]
        • "Wwwaaaaa, I broke a nail!!!!"
        [turns off overly whining voice]
        • OMG -- that breaking a nail thing is *exactly* how I typify the female behavior with which I do *not* comply!! How funny! :-)

          ....Bethanie....
  • I suspect she's legit. If she's fake, or a troll, she's putting tons of effort into it. At least a little bit of email communications, IM with other people, etc. Occam's Razor, dude. She's real.
    • Yes, I think so too. The only thing that I find a bit odd for a childraising mom is that she spends so much time on slashdot. She nearly never fails to reply (always getting the last word).
      That's the only thing that strikes me as odd: where does she get the time. I'm pretty sure a child requires a lot of time.
      • Like Homer said to Krusty: "It's easy, they pretty much raise themselves". Seriously, it doesn't take a great deal of time with a single kid. Especially at that age. Caring for children seems to scale exponentially, but I don't have any experience with that:)
        • Hmmm... I'll ask my mom...but she was petty busy with my bro when he was a single kid. Only lasted 2,5 years though.
        • gm's right -- it really doesn't take a lot of time all in all; I do a lot of reading and posting during meals (while she's in her high chair) or when she's asleep. I also get interrupted *a lot*, but I do a lot of previewing and re-reading to try to make things coherent. I'm also a major nightowl/insomniac/vampire at heart. Not to mention the obsessive/compulsive thing.

          Can I also mention that at this point, I have communicated off slashdot with gmhowell, intermodal, and glh? (The least conspiratorial of

  • Moo (Score:1, Troll)

    by Chacham ( 981 ) *
    I started reading slashdot back in '98

    Silly newbie! :)

    be one of the other FK circle "alter-ego's" under a new alias.

    There's no problem with someone having many usernames, one for each personality. A username represents a personality, not a person. So, one person may have many names, and, many people may have one name. In the "real" world the person matters, in the online world, the peronality matters.

    If you could meet Bethanie off-line, what would you say to her?

    That she's wrong. :-P

    I also apprec
    • And that i didn't foe her because of *her*, i foed her because of *me*. I have a preference to filter what i read, and the only way to do that on slashdot is with foeing, marking foes down, and not reading below +1.
      How did you get by before the friend/foe system was implemented?
  • I go off and actually get some work done for a day (and get in a nap, to boot!) and y'all just have *all* the fun!

    I have to admit that I have *never* gotten this much attention in my life. When the thread peters out, I think I'm going to print it all out and keep it in my scrapbook.

    In the meantime, I just don't know what to say. It's fun to read, though!!

    ....Bethanie....

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