Andre Jute FAQ v1.1 - 24 May

The Andre Jute FAQ v1.1



Q: Why a Jute FAQ?

A: To save newbies and casual visitors to RBT from wasting a lot of time on a
serial troll.

Q: Who is Andre Jute anyway?

A: The only things known with reasonable certainty is that he was born in
Oudtshoorn, South Africa in 1945 and, beginning in the 1980's he wrote and
published a succession of books.

Q: What sort of books?

A: A number of thrillers, now all out of print and a number of "how to" manuals
on writing, special automobile design and graphic design.

Q: Are the books any good?

A: No.

Q: Isn't that just your opinion?

A: If you don't want to believe me search www.abebooks.com under Andre Jute or
his pen-name Andrew McCoy and buy some second-hand copies for yourself.

Q: He seems like a very knowledgeable and experienced cyclist. What's not to
like?

A: He has lots of opinions; all calculated to prove that his current bicycle is
the best of all possible bicycles and that anyone who likes a different sort of
bike or a different sort of cycling is a fashion victim and a fool.

Q: What sort of bike does he ride?

A: Irrelevant to this FAQ. It changes from time to time but each one is the
greatest bike ever and the only one anybody of discerning taste would ride.

Q: Can't you give us a hint?

A: Oh all right! Four years ago it was a Dutch city bike clunker. Two years ago
it was a Trek comfort bike with Shimano Nexus automatic hub. Now it's a
forty-five pound German mixte with Rohloff hub and huge tyres.

Q: I see Andre Jute refer to incidents in an adventurous life from time to time.
Surely he's a man of great talent and wide experience?

A: There is absolutely no independent confirmation of any of Jute's claims about
what he's built or what he's done. He is a fluent liar with a certain basic
competence in the English language so it is safe to say that any biographical
details he lets drop are the product of a fantastic imagination.

Q: What about his book "Designing and Building Special Cars"? He says that book
was once placed in the hands of every junior engineer starting at a major US car
manufacturer.

A: It changes. One minute it's the Bible of every junior engineer, the next
minute Jute made millions licensing it as a promotional giveaway for some
un-named chain of US car parts stores. If you actually read it, it is full of
cut-and-paste design information that could have been culled from anywhere and
generic photos from special car builders. There are no photographs of any of
Jute's supposed builds in progress and no evidence that Jute himself has ever
approached a car with welding torch in hand.

Q. What does he do on RBT that's so awful?

A. He's a sad case, desperately wanting to be taken seriously as a cycling
enthusiast but unable to refrain from throwing up thread topics that are obvious
flame bait. Sometimes he presents himself as a humble novice anxious to learn.
At other times he pretends to expertise though his facts are often plain wrong.
To anyone who questions the truth of what he says he is variously patronizing or
offensive. In any event, he exhibits the most revealing mark of a troll, which
is never, ever to admit to error.

Q: What's wrong with trolling? Isn't it just a bit of gentle fun at the expense
of the stuffed shirts on a newsgroup?

A: It can be very damaging to the utility and enjoyment of an information and
discussion group when a prolific troll attempts to make the group revolve around
him. Andre Jute spent fifteen years doing it on various tube audio forums and he's
attempting it again on RBT.
Here's an academics take on trolling.
"Trolling is a game about identity deception, albeit one that is played without
the consent of most of the players. The troll attempts to pass as a legitimate
participant, sharing the group's common interests and concerns; the newsgroups
members, if they are cognizant of trolls and other identity deceptions, attempt
to both distinguish real from trolling postings, and upon judging a poster a
troll, make the offending poster leave the group. Their success at the former
depends on how well they - and the troll - understand identity cues; their
success at the latter depends on whether the troll's enjoyment is sufficiently
diminished or outweighed by the costs imposed by the group. "

For more start at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet)

Q: Why not just killfile him?

A: Many do. However, if you don't have a newsreader that kills entire threads
you will see posts from readers who insist on replying to him and it makes the
newsgroup look untidy.

Q: Why not just have a bit of fun needling him?

A: Sure, if you have a thick skin and can tolerate lies and being called
everything from an ignoramus to a chronic masturbator. Be warned however, you
will not "win".

An obsessive troll like Jute has many tactics to ensure that they emerge
victorious, ranging from introducing red herrings to simply announcing that they
have "won" and retiring. If you are an experienced user you can enjoy
identifying each tactic and even pointing them out. However, you won't stop him
and you may gain a reputation as a troll yourself for encouraging him.

Q: Is Andre Jute mentally ill?

A: Who knows? It's a futile business doing amateur psychiatric diagnosis over
the Internet and what would be the point? Some have suggested Munchausens
syndrome but that's not exactly the invention of tall tales to gain attention.
Narcissistic personality disorder might be more on the money. Again, what's the
point? Especially when the literature reports that clinical treatment of NPD
does not work well anyway.

Q: Won't having a FAQ about him only reinforce Jute's opinion that he's a very
important personality on Usenet?

A: That's the risk we take. On balance, it's worthwhile warning newcomers to the
group about him.