The Sock Puppets Amongst Us

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be another person, to take on another identity, if only for a few hours? Thanks to the anonymous posting allowed in the DC Urban Moms and Dads forums, you can. Come follow along as we explore the recent adventures of one identity-shifting DCUM poster.

First we have the skanky single mom: "I recently started a new relationship - about 6 weeks ago and things have progressed nicely. My BF has stayed over about 3 or 4 times without the children seeing him ( I have three kids from a previous marriage)..." It's almost like it's sexual fantasy night and the cheerleader outfit is in the wash. Just to prove that this poster really wants someone to talk dirty to her (or him), the same poster replied just seven short minutes later to say "how about NOT letting random men spend the night at your house???" So, fire lit, gasoline applied, the sock puppet's work is done. But, not completely.

In another thread appearing at almost the same time, a poster responds to a request for opinions about Petworth by saying, "Petworth is mix of young white couples I guess 'gentrifying the neighborhood,' older black families who have been here for years and some young punks here and there (baby daddy products)." Would you believe that it was none other than "skanky single mom" writing this? But, since that post didn't offend anyone, Skanky started a new thread to repost the message. About her own post, Skanky says, "I just think its sort of snooty to call people baby daddy products." So, just stir up the racial waters and sit back and watch.

Yes, sex and race are good bets for stirring things up. But, this is DCUM. On DCUM, if you really want to blow things up there is one topic that is unmatched in it's potential to create a shit storm -- private schools. And, this sock puppet is no slouch. She starts a tread saying: "Sidwell clearly cannot be said to be the BEST school of the top schools simply because of the sheep following the Obama girls." What's more, Skanky knows her stuff. She not only disses Sidwell, but claims her own child attends Beauvoir. Yep, that's the same Beauvoir that dominated our "hottest topics" list until I modified how the list is created. This thread went for four pages.

Over the years I've seen a lot of sock puppets and I've come to be very interested in their actions. In a way, it's become my own little sociological study. There are those who are motivated by profit and shill themselves or their businesses. There are those who watch disappointedly as their post drops down the list of topics without responses. They post in a desperate attempt to keep it from disappearing into DCUM's dungeon. Then there are those who are the virtual equivalent of pyromaniacs. They light a match, step back, and watch as everyone scrambles. For them, it's entertainment. I would be angry, but I have to admit to often finding their posts entertaining myself. Like it or not, all three of these examples led to fairly interesting discussions.