Definition, question, confusion, whatevah

[Dorian Gray]

What is a 'sock puppet' on this forum?

And why do people continue to believe things in the face of massive piles of contrary evidence?

Does Bush run the country? Or is it actually Cheney from behind the scenes? Also, will it be Cheney as the GOP candidate in 2008?

Will there be all this Dem candidate confusion in 2008, or will it just be Hillary?

[Cain]

What is a 'sock puppet' on this forum?

sock puppet n.

[Usenet: from the act of placing a sock over your hand and talking to it and pretending it's talking back] In Usenet parlance, a pseudo through which the puppeteer posts follow-ups to their own original message to give the appearance that a number of people support the views held in the original message.

--The Jargon File version 4.3.1, ed. ESR

Some people here misuse the term to describe anyone with a pseudnonym.

Does Bush run the country?

No. The U.S. has presidents, not dictators.

Or is it actually Cheney from behind the scenes?

Cheney doesn't "run the country" either. Whether or not he's the "real" president is an open question.

Also, will it be Cheney as the GOP candidate in 2008?

No.

[specious_reasons]

Originally posted by Dorian Gray
What is a 'sock puppet' on this forum?

Cain answered it well enough, although I think pseudonym usage should be considered sock puppetry.

And why do people continue to believe things in the face of massive piles of contrary evidence?

People could write whole volumes on this subject alone....

Need to believe? That's probably the strongest reason. I know that I have certain attitudes and opinions, especially in politics, that have not been tested, and they probably shouldn't be....

Does Bush run the country? Or is it actually Cheney from behind the scenes? Also, will it be Cheney as the GOP candidate in 2008?

You know, I originally thought Cheney might get into trouble for 2004, because he seems to be the only member of the Bush whitehouse that doesn't stay "on message." But, I've revised that opinion, because I think he's the person who "tests the waters" for the next PR campaign.

The biggest fiasco so far was the Iraq/Sept 11th connection he made. It fell so flat, Bush had to retract what Cheney said. Still, now they know how the public and press will react to that statement.

I don't think it will be Cheney in 2008. He's not that healthy, and he's not really very charismatic. I think he plays the "testing the water" role because it doesn't matter much if he's well liked.

Will there be all this Dem candidate confusion in 2008, or will it just be Hillary?

There won't be any candidate confusion for the Dems, because they'll be running as incumbant.
:D

[Dorian Gray]

OK, thanks. At first I thought sock puppets were people who always agreed with a particular person. Sort of the 'me too' types.

[Snide]

Originally posted by specious_reasons
Originally posted by Dorian Gray
What is a 'sock puppet' on this forum?

Cain answered it well enough, although I think pseudonym usage should be considered sock puppetry.

As long as we're getting technical, I (like most of us here) use a pseudonym for my nic, but because it's my only nic, it's not a sock puppet.

Just so there's no misunderstanding. ;)