UB Chat
Monday, November 24, 2008 - Annie Duke
I have been playing a lot more on UB lately and that just makes me want to talk about chat abuse. Now, don’t get me wrong, the vast majority of people who chat on the site are really nice. And I really enjoy going on the site and chatting with them. But you know the saying about one bad apple? I find it fascinating what people will do and say when they get to hide behind the anonymity of the net. The other day I was trying to play a friendly game of 10-20 hold’em and this one guy just starts berating the people chatting with me for being suck ups. Then he says I only play poker cause my brother gives me money and that I suck. It went on and on and he got meaner to me and the people at my table.
Now normally I just ignore people like that. But this particular night I was in a mood and I started into him. I asked him why he felt the need to spread whatever blackness and misery he felt in his soul around to everyone else at the table because clearly to spread misery the way he was he must feel such despair in his own life. Now, I admit it, that was a little harsh and I really try never to react that way. But something in this guy just made me want to say something. I needed to ask, just one time, why someone wanted to ruin everyone else’s good time like that. His answer? “You can just ban my chat if you don’t like it.”
But to that all I can say is why should I have to? Why should you behave in a way where I have to ban your chat in order to have a good time at the table? I mean, seriously. Think about it. That is such an absurd answer…like I am going to be a total miserable and despicable ass and if you call me on it well you can just ban my chat? What the hell kind of answer is that. By the way…that is about verbatim what I said back to him in the chat box and that actually finally got him to stop.
But what I really want is for everyone to think about why we are all chatting with each other in the first place. It shouldn’t be to berate each other. It should be to sling epithets at each other. Really, UB is an amazing community and we should all behave like a good community and respect each other and try to just have a good time and, certainly, not ruin anyone else’s good time. In the words of Rodney King, “can’t we all just get along?” In the meantime, I am going to keep playing and trying to make sure everyone has a good time no matter what you say to me because I believe almost everyone on UB is having fun and doesn’t want any of the negativity anyway.
Tags: Annie Duke, table chat, Ultimate Bet
