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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/apr/26/below-the-line-buckhucklebuck
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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Below the Line with BuckHucklebuck: 'I'd like to be David Cameron's friend' | Below the Line with BuckHucklebuck: 'I'd like to be David Cameron's friend' |
| (5 months later) | |
| Welcome to the fifth edition of our new series, BTL, where we profile particularly delightful, prolific or controversial members of the Guardian comment community. Are you a Guardian commenter? Click here. Want to nominate someone? You can do that too – just email me. BTL is evolving, and thanks to your feedback we've added a few new questions. Oh, and in case you're new here – BTL stands for "below the line". | Welcome to the fifth edition of our new series, BTL, where we profile particularly delightful, prolific or controversial members of the Guardian comment community. Are you a Guardian commenter? Click here. Want to nominate someone? You can do that too – just email me. BTL is evolving, and thanks to your feedback we've added a few new questions. Oh, and in case you're new here – BTL stands for "below the line". |
| BuckHucklebuck: need to know | BuckHucklebuck: need to know |
| Joined: 3 June 2012 Comments so far: 1,407 Abuse reports: 35 Avatar changes: none | Joined: 3 June 2012 Comments so far: 1,407 Abuse reports: 35 Avatar changes: none |
| Tell us about your username. What, if anything, does it mean? | Tell us about your username. What, if anything, does it mean? |
| Buck Hucklebuck's an old pen name for me: a tribute to John Candy's Uncle Buck, who I resemble in frame and temperament, and a Hucklebuck is someone from the sticks, a hayseed and cultural illiterate. Something I've always prided myself on, as I'm an Essex boy from a lower-middle class background. That, and 'BuckHuckleBuck' is fun to say. | Buck Hucklebuck's an old pen name for me: a tribute to John Candy's Uncle Buck, who I resemble in frame and temperament, and a Hucklebuck is someone from the sticks, a hayseed and cultural illiterate. Something I've always prided myself on, as I'm an Essex boy from a lower-middle class background. That, and 'BuckHuckleBuck' is fun to say. |
| Has a comment ever made you cry? | Has a comment ever made you cry? |
| Only time I can recall was back when the Guardian put up an article about the opening of the Bomber Command memorial, in a somewhat negative tone. | Only time I can recall was back when the Guardian put up an article about the opening of the Bomber Command memorial, in a somewhat negative tone. |
| At the time my Grandfather, a former Lancaster radio operator, was dying of a brain tumor and hadn't been able to attend the opening due to his worsening health. That weekend, we were due to take him in a private car, but had to call it off as he'd collapsed in the bathroom and hit his head on the toilet rim. I'd been in hospital with him the evening before the article went live. I was rather angry at the article's writer and hadn't slept much, so I told his story in the comments. | At the time my Grandfather, a former Lancaster radio operator, was dying of a brain tumor and hadn't been able to attend the opening due to his worsening health. That weekend, we were due to take him in a private car, but had to call it off as he'd collapsed in the bathroom and hit his head on the toilet rim. I'd been in hospital with him the evening before the article went live. I was rather angry at the article's writer and hadn't slept much, so I told his story in the comments. |
| The warm and humane responses people gave, and the stories they shared about their own family members who had been in Bomber Command, led me to having a massive, cathartic cry. | The warm and humane responses people gave, and the stories they shared about their own family members who had been in Bomber Command, led me to having a massive, cathartic cry. |
| It's probably the first time I've cried on the internet since I came out at the age of 14 on MSN messenger to my best friend. | It's probably the first time I've cried on the internet since I came out at the age of 14 on MSN messenger to my best friend. |
| Do you have a crush on a Guardian journalist? | Do you have a crush on a Guardian journalist? |
| Despite being gay, I have a longstanding desire just to be with Victoria Coren. | Despite being gay, I have a longstanding desire just to be with Victoria Coren. |
| Have you learned anything about yourself (or the world, for that matter) since you started commenting? | Have you learned anything about yourself (or the world, for that matter) since you started commenting? |
| I've learned to be a lot less open-minded, perversely. Before I was forced to defend my views and scrap with other people's I tended to occupy a wishy-washy "everyone's probably right in some way" neutral middle ground. I'm constantly reminded of Francis Bacon, who said: "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties". I've shed quite a few of my doubts over the years, and my certainties are hardening. | I've learned to be a lot less open-minded, perversely. Before I was forced to defend my views and scrap with other people's I tended to occupy a wishy-washy "everyone's probably right in some way" neutral middle ground. I'm constantly reminded of Francis Bacon, who said: "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties". I've shed quite a few of my doubts over the years, and my certainties are hardening. |
| I can still be convinced by a change in facts, though. But those are often hard to discern. | I can still be convinced by a change in facts, though. But those are often hard to discern. |
| In terms of the world? I've learned that the ability of people to confuse self-interest and apathy with principle is never-ending. Never trust anyone who can deliver a bored homily on the common good. | In terms of the world? I've learned that the ability of people to confuse self-interest and apathy with principle is never-ending. Never trust anyone who can deliver a bored homily on the common good. |
| What's your commenter theme song? | What's your commenter theme song? |
| Whitey's The Awful Truth | Whitey's The Awful Truth |
| What do you think of the term 'troll'? | What do you think of the term 'troll'? |
| In general, I find the whole trolling debate a bit depressing. Most so-called 'trolls' fall into two camps; either unhinged sorts who would have posted evil anonymous green-ink notes or bags full of dog shit to their targets pre-twitter. We're going to have those people until someone comes up with a medication for general unpleasantness of mind. | In general, I find the whole trolling debate a bit depressing. Most so-called 'trolls' fall into two camps; either unhinged sorts who would have posted evil anonymous green-ink notes or bags full of dog shit to their targets pre-twitter. We're going to have those people until someone comes up with a medication for general unpleasantness of mind. |
| The second group are 'people who want attention' because the currency of the internet is attention. The best often elevate it to an art form; a good troll is worth as much as a good contributor." | The second group are 'people who want attention' because the currency of the internet is attention. The best often elevate it to an art form; a good troll is worth as much as a good contributor." |
| In what ways does who you are online differ from who you are in real life? | In what ways does who you are online differ from who you are in real life? |
| If nothing else, the refrain "Maybe things are not how you think; maybe you're just not very smart" is something I always try to remind myself of before commenting. I never try to be funny online, since it's my day job. And offline I never discuss politics, religion or the pros and cons of nesting. On the internet, you can just wander away from a roaring argument about whether vegans are fascists. In reality that tends to follow you about all day. | If nothing else, the refrain "Maybe things are not how you think; maybe you're just not very smart" is something I always try to remind myself of before commenting. I never try to be funny online, since it's my day job. And offline I never discuss politics, religion or the pros and cons of nesting. On the internet, you can just wander away from a roaring argument about whether vegans are fascists. In reality that tends to follow you about all day. |
| Share a comment (either yours or someone else's) that you think is particularly fantastic: | Share a comment (either yours or someone else's) that you think is particularly fantastic: |
| Can't pick just one, but I would someday like to see a book of WheatFromChaff and Absitreverentario's comments bound and published as a stocking-filler. | Can't pick just one, but I would someday like to see a book of WheatFromChaff and Absitreverentario's comments bound and published as a stocking-filler. |
| Tell us a secret: | Tell us a secret: |
| Can't think of anything you don't already know that the telling of wouldn't get me arrested, Graun. | Can't think of anything you don't already know that the telling of wouldn't get me arrested, Graun. |
| Oh, here's one: I actually would rather like to be David Cameron's friend. He seems like a relatively amiable sort. | Oh, here's one: I actually would rather like to be David Cameron's friend. He seems like a relatively amiable sort. |
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