Jul 14, 2022·edited Jul 15, 2022Liked by Stacey Eskelin
I haven't suffered many trolls on social media, but I have had several as clients. One particular fellow, whom I'm sure you'll recognize when I describe him, was/is a big shot BOI and all-around annoyance on the Houston-DC-Vegas socio-political scene (major Democratic Party contributor) who has spent the last three decades gobbling up one-time decent eateries and interesting hotels and turning them into mediocre-at-best restaurant chains, luxury resort-conference centers (hike the prices!) and sad, second-rate casinos. He's also short, helicopters into his properties, owns the Rolls Royce dealership next to Osteen's mega-church, and a cheat, especially when it comes to contracted labor. I had the misfortune of writing his annual report for three years running.
The first year at the post-mortem meeting with his exec team and the design group after the "book" had delivered, he flapped my invoice in my face and demanded that I lower my rates, claiming that my hourlies were "worse than his legal fees."
"Hmmm," I replied, handing my invoice back to him, "Then you must have some cheap-ass lawyers."
The second year, I was proofing last minute financial revisions at the press check when I realized that he hadn't signed off on his letter to shareholders (ghost-written, of course). When I called him at home to get his verbal approval so the printer could run the job, I found that he hadn't read it yet, although he'd had it for more than a month and his CFO and COO had both signed off on the blue-lines. After a two-hour wait at the printer, presses idling, he called me back and told me that it was approved, but his five-year-old kid could write a better letter.
"Well then have him write it," I told him, and hung up.
The third year, he took himself out of the project and handed the corporate responsibility over to his CFO. The project went smoothly. There were few revisions. And the book actually delivered a few days early. Several weeks later, I was working late on another book when my phone rang and I was surprised to find him on the other end of the line. I braced myself for a tirade, but he wanted to know if I was familiar with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Yes, of course. It was a coveted honor awarded to corporations that exhibit high ethical standards and community involvement—good corporations that do good things. Well, he said, I need you to write and submit the application for us which, by the way, is due tomorrow.
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! That was THE most perfect story, perfectly told. Hand to God, it must be your Irish blood. You are so damn talented, such an exceptional writer, and I am your hugest fan.
Also that guy was massive tool. Why are they always the ones who sign our paychecks?????
Jul 15, 2022·edited Jul 15, 2022Liked by Stacey Eskelin
Good question. And I don't have an answer. I've always wished I didn't have to deal with such unpleasant characters but, alas, I fear it's just another glimpse of the slimy underbelly of the hospitality industry and, unfortunately, many others. Did you recognize the greedy little bastard? He was as "trumpy" as they come, although a Democrat... and rhymes with "perdita."
NO WAY! I can't believe it! That guy owns a yacht so big, it's like a floating city. Yes, of course he lives next to Osteen. I'm not sure his family was Galveston BOI, but they certainly did a lot of "business" down there. And YOU owned him, big time!
"Who on earth hates kids that much?" [Raises hand]. I remember too much of what the little monsters did to me.
That said, while it was at a particularly bad time of my life, I had a complete breakdown in the theater when Spock died. (A colleague of mine once confessed to losing his shit at the end of "Titanic.")
"administer a solid right hook to the very thing he thinks defines him, which is, of course, his penis." -- it takes a lot of practice to hit a target that small. I speak now as a mildly experienced fencer (sabreur).
Facebook doesn't permit me to use any part of my vocabulary any more, so I just have to content myself with blocking fools.
LOL! I cried when Spock died, too! As a kid, I had a weird--like, REALLY weird--crush on him. What kind of mutant child harbors feelings for SPOCK? Titanic, no. I was too busy throwing up in my mouth.
“[S]o you can fuck your sister on it?” Oh, be still, my foolish heart. That is some world class shit-slinging and it makes me proud to call you a friend. (Mama must be SO proud 🥲)
I normally just block morons because I no longer find it entertaining to fuck with tiny little minds trying to compensate for their even smaller penises. Still, shit-posting can be seriously entertaining if you do it right. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Oh, but it's just so MEAN! I hate that I am capable of such meanness. But I am. And worse, probably. In defense of friends and loved ones, I am capable of any atrocity, and I don't even have a choice in the matter. It just comes leaping out of me.
We are all capable of any atrocity if pushed sufficiently. We all have our breaking point. That's not a bad thing; it's just a fact. The key is to have the self-awareness to recognize that and to be aware of what you're doing when you do it. Going off on someone now and again can be quite satisfying...and who doesn't love a good dick joke?🤣
Oh shoot... I wonder why Facebook did not ban your account for using those words?
A friend of mine got her FB account suspended by calling russian invading forces in Ukraine "ruskie goats" as she was replying to some russian trolling internet keyboard fighters hired by kremlin gremlin to spread their false propaganda about Ukraine and Ukrainians. She never got into using stronger words than that. Facebook seems to be very forgiving to liberal people - my friend has strong pro-life Christian views (well majority of Polish do, as almost 90% of us are Christians of different denominations and with 4.5 million of Ukrainian refugees here currently - that percentage went up) and she does not hide it but she never got into any anti GBTQIA nor any racial discussions (as there is no racism here at all). We were all shocked when she told us that Facebook suspended her account for that phrase only. Yes - she had a proof available for anyone interested to read that. Could be an united troll attack against her as well as it is allegedly enough for Facebook automated system to ban an account with 5 people reporting a given post.
I do not post anything on that platform (but birthday/anniversary/Christmas/Easter wishes&greetings to my friends) as I am semi public person here and anything posted could be used here against me and my family so I do not have a problem with trolls. I do not get into "no you" type of fights either on any other platform nor I wouldn't try to label an interlocutor with any labels prior to such "discussion" as it just proves that a person using that label has already lost the "internet battle" and is of a very poor/low quality education.
Oh, I've been suspended from Facebook PLENTY of times, once for saying some pretty salty things about the Russian government. So, here's why your friend got suspended. If you look at their Rules & Regulations, you'll see that certain groups of people (white, LGBTQ, Russian, etc.) are to be equated to animals of any kind. No pigs. No goats. No roaches. Nothing.
White men are a protected category, which includes Russians and Poles), but Black children are not. Don't take my word for it. These are verifiable facts.
Facebook doesn't have a liberal bias, however. In study after study, they have forgiven rightwingers at a 3:1 ratio over liberals. BUT...that may have changed under this administration.
Of course he blocked you before getting the final "blow"
He knew you enough that he's a big coward (most likely the only thing "big" about him) and knew what he had gotten himself into.
YOU saw right through him, after all, he did put his entire display of quivering self confidence and over abundance of toxic masculinity on display for ALL to read/see! Even your scathing simple phrases were enough to head for the viagra!
Reptilian brains are FAR more advanced the people like him!
Yes, but I want to be able to ban them on Substack so that I do not need to experience their bullying. How do I ban them on Substack? Even FB has made this easy so why is it not possible on Substack?
I haven't suffered many trolls on social media, but I have had several as clients. One particular fellow, whom I'm sure you'll recognize when I describe him, was/is a big shot BOI and all-around annoyance on the Houston-DC-Vegas socio-political scene (major Democratic Party contributor) who has spent the last three decades gobbling up one-time decent eateries and interesting hotels and turning them into mediocre-at-best restaurant chains, luxury resort-conference centers (hike the prices!) and sad, second-rate casinos. He's also short, helicopters into his properties, owns the Rolls Royce dealership next to Osteen's mega-church, and a cheat, especially when it comes to contracted labor. I had the misfortune of writing his annual report for three years running.
The first year at the post-mortem meeting with his exec team and the design group after the "book" had delivered, he flapped my invoice in my face and demanded that I lower my rates, claiming that my hourlies were "worse than his legal fees."
"Hmmm," I replied, handing my invoice back to him, "Then you must have some cheap-ass lawyers."
The second year, I was proofing last minute financial revisions at the press check when I realized that he hadn't signed off on his letter to shareholders (ghost-written, of course). When I called him at home to get his verbal approval so the printer could run the job, I found that he hadn't read it yet, although he'd had it for more than a month and his CFO and COO had both signed off on the blue-lines. After a two-hour wait at the printer, presses idling, he called me back and told me that it was approved, but his five-year-old kid could write a better letter.
"Well then have him write it," I told him, and hung up.
The third year, he took himself out of the project and handed the corporate responsibility over to his CFO. The project went smoothly. There were few revisions. And the book actually delivered a few days early. Several weeks later, I was working late on another book when my phone rang and I was surprised to find him on the other end of the line. I braced myself for a tirade, but he wanted to know if I was familiar with the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Yes, of course. It was a coveted honor awarded to corporations that exhibit high ethical standards and community involvement—good corporations that do good things. Well, he said, I need you to write and submit the application for us which, by the way, is due tomorrow.
"Can't," I told him, "I don't write fiction."
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMG! That was THE most perfect story, perfectly told. Hand to God, it must be your Irish blood. You are so damn talented, such an exceptional writer, and I am your hugest fan.
Also that guy was massive tool. Why are they always the ones who sign our paychecks?????
Good question. And I don't have an answer. I've always wished I didn't have to deal with such unpleasant characters but, alas, I fear it's just another glimpse of the slimy underbelly of the hospitality industry and, unfortunately, many others. Did you recognize the greedy little bastard? He was as "trumpy" as they come, although a Democrat... and rhymes with "perdita."
NO WAY! I can't believe it! That guy owns a yacht so big, it's like a floating city. Yes, of course he lives next to Osteen. I'm not sure his family was Galveston BOI, but they certainly did a lot of "business" down there. And YOU owned him, big time!
Definitely Galveston BOI.
https://gangsterreport.com/the-houston-rockets-the-texas-mob-owner-tillman-fertittas-uncles-were-al-capones-of-galveston/
YEP. That’s the one. Gurl, you spoke truth to POWER.
I just block 'em....don't cast my pearls before swine.
"Who on earth hates kids that much?" [Raises hand]. I remember too much of what the little monsters did to me.
That said, while it was at a particularly bad time of my life, I had a complete breakdown in the theater when Spock died. (A colleague of mine once confessed to losing his shit at the end of "Titanic.")
"administer a solid right hook to the very thing he thinks defines him, which is, of course, his penis." -- it takes a lot of practice to hit a target that small. I speak now as a mildly experienced fencer (sabreur).
Facebook doesn't permit me to use any part of my vocabulary any more, so I just have to content myself with blocking fools.
LOL! I cried when Spock died, too! As a kid, I had a weird--like, REALLY weird--crush on him. What kind of mutant child harbors feelings for SPOCK? Titanic, no. I was too busy throwing up in my mouth.
Well, as the fellow mentioned, he was in a really bad way with life in general. I'm surprised more grad students don't completely delaminate.
“[S]o you can fuck your sister on it?” Oh, be still, my foolish heart. That is some world class shit-slinging and it makes me proud to call you a friend. (Mama must be SO proud 🥲)
I normally just block morons because I no longer find it entertaining to fuck with tiny little minds trying to compensate for their even smaller penises. Still, shit-posting can be seriously entertaining if you do it right. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Oh, but it's just so MEAN! I hate that I am capable of such meanness. But I am. And worse, probably. In defense of friends and loved ones, I am capable of any atrocity, and I don't even have a choice in the matter. It just comes leaping out of me.
We are all capable of any atrocity if pushed sufficiently. We all have our breaking point. That's not a bad thing; it's just a fact. The key is to have the self-awareness to recognize that and to be aware of what you're doing when you do it. Going off on someone now and again can be quite satisfying...and who doesn't love a good dick joke?🤣
Oh shoot... I wonder why Facebook did not ban your account for using those words?
A friend of mine got her FB account suspended by calling russian invading forces in Ukraine "ruskie goats" as she was replying to some russian trolling internet keyboard fighters hired by kremlin gremlin to spread their false propaganda about Ukraine and Ukrainians. She never got into using stronger words than that. Facebook seems to be very forgiving to liberal people - my friend has strong pro-life Christian views (well majority of Polish do, as almost 90% of us are Christians of different denominations and with 4.5 million of Ukrainian refugees here currently - that percentage went up) and she does not hide it but she never got into any anti GBTQIA nor any racial discussions (as there is no racism here at all). We were all shocked when she told us that Facebook suspended her account for that phrase only. Yes - she had a proof available for anyone interested to read that. Could be an united troll attack against her as well as it is allegedly enough for Facebook automated system to ban an account with 5 people reporting a given post.
I do not post anything on that platform (but birthday/anniversary/Christmas/Easter wishes&greetings to my friends) as I am semi public person here and anything posted could be used here against me and my family so I do not have a problem with trolls. I do not get into "no you" type of fights either on any other platform nor I wouldn't try to label an interlocutor with any labels prior to such "discussion" as it just proves that a person using that label has already lost the "internet battle" and is of a very poor/low quality education.
Oh, I've been suspended from Facebook PLENTY of times, once for saying some pretty salty things about the Russian government. So, here's why your friend got suspended. If you look at their Rules & Regulations, you'll see that certain groups of people (white, LGBTQ, Russian, etc.) are to be equated to animals of any kind. No pigs. No goats. No roaches. Nothing.
White men are a protected category, which includes Russians and Poles), but Black children are not. Don't take my word for it. These are verifiable facts.
Facebook doesn't have a liberal bias, however. In study after study, they have forgiven rightwingers at a 3:1 ratio over liberals. BUT...that may have changed under this administration.
Facebook has no soul. That's the problem.
Of course he blocked you before getting the final "blow"
He knew you enough that he's a big coward (most likely the only thing "big" about him) and knew what he had gotten himself into.
YOU saw right through him, after all, he did put his entire display of quivering self confidence and over abundance of toxic masculinity on display for ALL to read/see! Even your scathing simple phrases were enough to head for the viagra!
Reptilian brains are FAR more advanced the people like him!
Right? They really don't like it when women don't go for the fainting couch. Fighting back is important.
How do we block trolls in comments. Engaging is pointless. I don't want to see them or allow them to respond to me.
Yes, but I want to be able to ban them on Substack so that I do not need to experience their bullying. How do I ban them on Substack? Even FB has made this easy so why is it not possible on Substack?