I was just wondering: if every person did this with the spam they get (or maybe automatized by Gmail), spammers would be overflowed with bot answers to their spam emails, and would not be able to differentiate between a potential victim's response, and all the bot replys. This has the potential to actually SOLVE the problem of spam. Think this could work?
Two years spent spamming spammers back
111–120 of 140 posts
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
Locals usually have a way to get rid of street vendors that is effective, so finding out what that is in your locality is a good idea. In Mexico, it's Hoy no (Not today) and it works pretty well.
Why bother with that if you feel perfectly self-entitled, judging by the comments, to be aggressive and yell crude language at people who are just trying to make a living in a manner or cultural context you don't understand or want to have anything to do with?
> to be aggressive and yell crude language at people who are just trying to make a living in a manner or cultural context you don't understand or want to have anything to do with?
You're making a cultural assumption that the locals aren't rude to the hawkers. This is incorrect. The hawkers in fact are taking advantage of your unusual, culturally incorrect assumption that street hawkers shouldn't be treated aggressively, which is why tourists are their prefered market. How do you know the locals aren't quite rude or abrupt with the hawkers as well?
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#113> Imagine if this type of thing happened in real-life. You walk out the door in the morning and you’re immediately attacked by Parul, Kevin, and Amelie. I laughed out loud at this, because it's exactly what I'm experiencing now in West Africa. Street vendors are aggressive about selling whatever they have, and they seem to assume I want it - almost like I owe it to them to buy it - I'm not sure if it's because I'm Wh…
If you've ever been to NYC, this is pretty much the tour bus ticket salesmen. Some will follow you from behind with their arms outstretched in front of your face, flashing tour bus tickets. After a particularly stressful day, one guy decides to take it upon himself to follow me like that for the better part of a city block. Ignoring him wasn't working, so I (honestly quite gently) brushed his hand out of my face, and…
I worked in Times Square for several years for two separate companies. I could make a long list of reasons why this is a disagreeable area to traverse twice a day, but that would be an emotive digression.
Instead I'll tell you what we locals do. You'll never be bothered by any vendor again. You do this : walk quickly, purposefully, scarcely making eye contact with your surroundings. Zig zag through crowds like it's destiny.
Perhaps I've made a terrible impression on the tourists I push past, but the signal I give off to vendors is, "I'm not in scope." I even act as a sort of sociopathic enforcer, particularly against those bus tour guys who stand in busy sidewalk areas with their signs.
I have intense familiarity with NYC Paris and London,having lived in all of these places. Being polite or nice or understanding to a random stranger on the sidewalk that wants something from me aggressively is to me a test to see whether I'm a sucker. Whether I'm vulnerable.
Save your politeness for people who aren't hustlers.
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
Tom Mabe did this and recorded it- released a hilarious cd
Is that the guy with the fake crime scene?
Best one ever:
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#115Two related funny stories if you have the time: - The 7 legged spider story. - The guy that tricked Nigerian spammers into acting the dead parrot sketch from Monty Python
I looked up these links so I might as well paste them here:
Spider: http://27bslash6.com/overdue.html Monty: http://www.419eater.com/html/bigman.htm
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#116Earlier quoted context omitted.
This response just shows you are unfamiliar with these types of encounters or at the very least accepted behavior in such situations. In one area I used to live in the general "proper" behavior when you are approached by street vendors or beggars was essentially 3 phase. 1) Ignore unless you intend to buy or give. This means you do not reply to anything they say or even make eye contact. 2) Engage verbally or even ju…
Where did you grow up where that's the norm? It sounds, uh, interesting.
It's quite common across the "third world," sorry can't think up a better term right now. But I've encountered very aggressive touts from India to Bahia, Brazil.
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#117I was just wondering: if every person did this with the spam they get (or maybe automatized by Gmail), spammers would be overflowed with bot answers to their spam emails, and would not be able to differentiate between a potential victim's response, and all the bot replys. This has the potential to actually SOLVE the problem of spam. Think this could work?
A lot of spam doesn't expect a response and only cares about link impressions.
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you've ever been to NYC, this is pretty much the tour bus ticket salesmen. Some will follow you from behind with their arms outstretched in front of your face, flashing tour bus tickets. After a particularly stressful day, one guy decides to take it upon himself to follow me like that for the better part of a city block. Ignoring him wasn't working, so I (honestly quite gently) brushed his hand out of my face, and…
Next time: sneeze on their hands.
Assault with a deadly weapon, depending on your germs.
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#119Earlier quoted context omitted.
If you've ever been to NYC, this is pretty much the tour bus ticket salesmen. Some will follow you from behind with their arms outstretched in front of your face, flashing tour bus tickets. After a particularly stressful day, one guy decides to take it upon himself to follow me like that for the better part of a city block. Ignoring him wasn't working, so I (honestly quite gently) brushed his hand out of my face, and…
Next time: sneeze on their hands.
[deleted]
Re: Two years spent spamming spammers back
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Obviously not the same but I've had this happen in a couple places and I just say "FUCK OFF" as loud as I can and get visibly upset and they leave me alone after that.
....That's a horrible way to react. I wonder what these people think about you and your country of origin. You are, after all, an ambassador for your country when ever you are outside it.
You sound like you clearly have no basis for offering this questionable advice, to put it very politely.