Why are "mall ninja" threads not deleted on sight?

[L_Killkenny]

There's 2 highly questionable threads going on in the Rifle forum as we speak. So obvious a mall ninja or a troll it's not even funny. I have no objection to young people coming on here and learning (there's one or more of those threads on there too) but as trigger happy as the mods can be on here (no objections) it's hard to believe these "questionable" motive threads lasted 5 minutes. My lord are they bad.

Just Curious,
LK

[stonedog406]

because they make some of us laugh

[hogdogs]

L, If you feel they violate any of the TFL rules, simply just click the,

not every thread is read by a mod and many members do not report for various reasons... My most nefarious reason for not reporting some threads is I wanna play for a while but I have been criticized by mods for playing along too...
Brent

[Mike Irwin]

Hogdogs is absolutely correct.

If you're concerned about a thread, hit the report button, or PM one of the staff for that forum.

No, that's not really an "answer" to the original question, but there's no blanket answer that can really be given.

[THEZACHARIAS]

In addition to target practice with our firearms, its always good to excercise ones wit from time to time. Thank god there are geniuses who post such threads and provide us an opportunity to do so

[sholling]

I don't care about most mall ninja threads. It's it's kids with names like "Hitman Forever" asking about "sniper" rifles. I wish sniper would join SHTF in a site no-no list. Precession rifle is good but sniper rifle has negative connotations. I guess I'm just getting old.

[4thPointofContact]

Amen, stonedog

[(BH)]

I'm gonna have to say that I fall in the "good for a laugh" category.

TFL is primarily a learning resource and a place for like minds to babble endlessly about our addiction..... excuse me, HOBBY, HOBBY, I meant HOBBY (I'll get that right one day), but why not have a laugh here and there as well?

Some of those threads are freakin' priceless.

[hoytinak]

Which threads are the "mall ninja" ones going on in the rifle section right now?....I could use a good read/laugh.

[CGSteve8718]

I think this thread has made me admit to myself that maybe I have become a gun "snob" in a sorts. Why? Because I often don't even bother viewing or responding to the types of threads the OP has in question. That, or it's view and instant backpage button.

My other favorites are the "what would your combo for "x" situation/scenario be?" threads and you'll see responses likely with weapons they have likely never fired or held, and almost certainly not trained with.

Is my mentality a detriment to the community? In certain instances, I don't think so.

[Dannyl]

My wife also thinks the Mall-Ninja Threads should be bust.
The last one caused me to spill coffee on two nice shirts

There's a time to take life seriously and a time to relax and smile a bit.

Even the best newspapers have a Garfield strip in them.

Cheers,

Danny

[Xanatos]

Slightly off track, but what do you have against Garfield? I love that strip!

[Brian Pfleuger]

"Mall Ninjas" are not always Mall Ninjas. Sometimes they are new shooters and lacking knowledge of real world, practical shooting.

Maybe they saw on TV that people shoot 1000 yards. Having no practical experience they have no real way of knowing how difficult it is or how expensive equipment that is suited for such a task will be.

So, they say to themselves "Self, that looks like fun. I'm going to look into that." A quick search brings up TFL... "Wow! Self, these people know EVERYTHING! I'll ask them!"

Starting a new thread all they get is sarcasm, name calling and then.... deleted.....

hmmm, nice message to the new guy.


I propose the opposite strategy unless a thread is KNOWN to be a fake. How about if we just answer the questions in a truthful and helpful way. If the new guy is a "Mall Ninja" then it will become apparent soon enough.

[Chipsgt]

Please pardon my ignorance, but, what the heck is a "Mall Ninja"?

I know what a troll is, but this term is new to me.

Thanks,

Chipsgt

[Brian Pfleuger]

what the heck is a "Mall Ninja"?

Google "Gecko_45"

and don't drink while reading. Your computer will pay the price.

[Rangefinder]

OMG, Peetza, I really should have taken your warning seriously! Snotting coffee out my nose wasn't the brightest thing I did this morning...

[Brian Pfleuger]

Peetza, I really should have taken your warning seriously!

Right! Now, the current thread that spawned this question can be viewed here.

See my point? Similar, at the beginning. Makes you wonder, could be legit, could be not. No sense in deleting it or calling the guy names until we KNOW if he's a Gecko_45 soulmate.

Admittedly, it is beginning to look bad for that thread but to just delete it from the get-go is the wrong message, IMHO.

[billyj571]

Thats one funny man

[riggins_83]

The guy who wants a "Cheap Accurate Varmint Rifle" should go with a Stevens 200 30-06 using a Barska scope and 150 grain soft point ammo. Then after each shot with the bullet striking +/- 20 feet or so he can proudly say to his spotter "yep, that's where I was aiming" and hope they are gullible.

I think if we all stopped commenting on mall ninja threads there would be less of them. After all it's no fun to be a troll if nobody bites the hook. Problem is we'd all have to do it. I hate to admit some of the mall ninja threads make me laugh...

[BryanP]

Precession rifle is good but sniper rifle has negative connotations.

A precession rifle would be quite an odd duck indeed.

[Evan Thomas]

Originally Posted by peetzakilla

Right! Now, the current thread that spawned this question can be viewed here.
<snip>
Admittedly, it is beginning to look bad for that thread but to just delete it from the get-go is the wrong message, IMHO.

Eeee. Thanks for posting the link, PK. I'd somehow missed that one.

It demonstrates the best thing about your "truthful and helpful" approach: it eggs these fellas on... and their posts get funnier and funnier.

[Rangefinder]

Yah, after a quick scan over the posts, the thread in question linked by peetzakilla has vague similarity to a mall-ninja, but I'm getting the impression it's a genuine question by someone who simply has NO idea what it takes to make 1000-yd shots. Granted, I only scanned the first few posts---I could be wrong. Education on the subject is needed---not mall-ninja smack-down right out of the gate. If he's genuine, he'll probably learn something so long as he isn't insulted to the point of not ever wanting to post again. If he's a mall-ninja, the true colors will shine in no time at all---let the coffee-snotting begin!

[Chipsgt]

Originally Posted by Peetzakilla

Google "Gecko_45"

and don't drink while reading. Your computer will pay the price.

Hoooolllyyyyy crap. LOL

Wow.... just, wow....

I am at a loss for words. Thank you for pointing me in that direction!

[L_Killkenny]

The post linked is one of the ones in question but not the only one. But in regards to the thread linked I could definetly start reading the thread thinkin he's just young and naive. But when you get into the thread farther you see how exactly stupid it is. If you also look in Art of the Rifle you will see a thread concerning SKS sights. Now anyone who has been around me knows that I hate SKS's but that thread was asked in a very good manner by a new shooter and is a good thread. Young is not bad, stupid is. Stupid is also dangerous. Maybe not illegal but still stupid.

But on the other side, Gecko_45 is a GOD!!!!


LK

[Brian Pfleuger]

Young is not bad, stupid is. Stupid is also dangerous.

What we call "stupid" is not always stupid either.

We're all ignorant about certain topics. We're not all stupid. Maybe a few of us should hang around a cardiologist conference with a bunch of docs and see how "stupid" they think we are. Not stupid, ignorant.

Ignorant can be fixed. Ignorant gets fixed by asking questions. Questions that appear "stupid" to those "on the inside". Sometimes, those on the inside forget that they weren't always on the inside.

There was a time when every one of us wouldn't have known a 22LR from a 50BMG. Some of us were 5 when we learned, some of us 55 or 85. That doesn't make the guy who learned at 55 or 85 "stupid".

There is NO benefit to name calling and nasty comments. NONE.

It's kind of funny to me that so many of us have no problem being down right mean to the new guy but when someone has a few hundred or thousand posts we're expected to be kind and gentle lest we offend someone and send a thread off topic. We seem to have no issues turning the new guys thread into a mall ninja debate but God forbid we're a little snarky when we question the need for extra magazines with the people who have 2000 posts.