"Seventy percent of the profiles on Metafilter are government agents"

June 19, 2001 6:21 PM

"Seventy percent of the profiles on Metafilter are government agents" Don't worry. It's better if you don't believe him.
posted by Foaf (27 comments total)

For posterity, the permanent home of the piece in question.
posted by benbrown at 6:33 PM on June 19, 2001

Someone's been reading their Chuck Palahniuk.
And I'm guessing, doing it sans pants.
posted by dong_resin at 6:40 PM on June 19, 2001

Abort Abort Abort - They're on to MetaFilter - The popsicle has been licked.
posted by Hankins at 6:49 PM on June 19, 2001

Must be an A-list thing...
posted by m.polo at 6:51 PM on June 19, 2001

What government I wonder?
posted by revbrian at 7:01 PM on June 19, 2001

Acckk!! If it's the United States government, move! We'll be all be lockstepping Socialists inside of a decade if they have their way...
posted by RevGreg at 7:04 PM on June 19, 2001

Geez! And people tell me I'm paranoid. *rolls eyes*

Isn't it more like, seventy percent of the people on MetaFilter refuse to input any information in their profile because they foolishly believe the government doesn't already know more than enough about them ?
posted by ZachsMind at 7:16 PM on June 19, 2001

ok. he's way off.

"the Xerox copies of every other Limp Biskit college fuckabout" would NEVER visit metafilter.

there's no porn or mp3s here.
posted by jcterminal at 7:24 PM on June 19, 2001

Ah hell. I've been caught now.
posted by SenshiNeko at 7:41 PM on June 19, 2001

I must say, that article was one of the most amusing things I've read in a long time.
posted by tomorama at 7:44 PM on June 19, 2001

I was wondering when you guys would finally catch on. It's not like we were sneaking around pretending to be hippies :)
posted by UncleFes at 7:45 PM on June 19, 2001

I enjoyed that article the first time I read it, when it was the article I wrote about MetaFilter being one big sham.
posted by mathowie at 8:21 PM on June 19, 2001

Also on Metafilter: 26 public relations assistants, 82 working journalists, 349 unemployed freelance journalists, 18 politicians, 2832 current or former marching band participants, 403 pre-teens (14 with their own credit cards), Jim Lehrer, Adam Curry and three illegitimate children of Bob Marley. Jann Wenner has an intern print the site for him every morning. Fred Durst has it in his "to be checked later!!!" bookmarks folder.

In addition, at least 22 percent of members have more than one profile, 43 percent logged on once and never again, 7 percent don't use cookies and so re-login every time the want to post, 48 percent are American, 14 percent Canadian, 9 percent Australian, 17 percent British, three total Kiwis, one partial Kiwi (in the oven) and one South African who lives in Miami. The rest are Swedish, French, Mexican or imprisoned in a secret government installation somewhere off the coast of Iceland.
posted by Mo Nickels at 8:23 PM on June 19, 2001

Hey cool, Mo.

FOREIGNERS RULE MEFI! WOOHOO!
posted by lagado at 8:47 PM on June 19, 2001

Ich bin ein isländischer Gefangener!
posted by CrazyUncleJoe at 9:05 PM on June 19, 2001

..."greigsy, dont forget them tent stakes"
posted by clavdivs at 9:07 PM on June 19, 2001

MiB agent M reporting for duty.
posted by darukaru at 10:41 PM on June 19, 2001

it's a littlE LIke My INsAne wriTing, Except that, after some serious reflection on the nature of civil governments in a republic, I outgrew that STrangE, lone GunmAn mentaLity back in my late twenties. ~smile~ I'm sure he's just young and rebellious.

After all, the United States Government may NOt be perfect. It is a continuously evolving system that has it's flaws. But TRuthfully, it's About the best Civil you have. Be nice to it; they know what's best, JamES..
posted by Perigee at 11:02 PM on June 19, 2001

I confess. I'm one of the three illegitimate children of Bob Marley.
posted by johnnyace at 11:39 PM on June 19, 2001

...---...
posted by brent at 5:31 AM on June 20, 2001

I have my own problems, thanks...
posted by tranquileye at 6:57 AM on June 20, 2001

johnnyace: Bob Marley has a lot more than 3 illegitimate kids. Last time I was in Jamaica it was around 10 I believe. Seriously.
posted by owillis at 7:01 AM on June 20, 2001

Yeah but only three of them are in MeFi at present. ...Give or take.
posted by ZachsMind at 7:09 AM on June 20, 2001

OK, how many of us are Illuminati agents? *raises hand*
posted by harmful at 7:15 AM on June 20, 2001

Well, as long as it's just 70% of the profiles and not the actual users themselves.......hey, look, that profile has a tiny X-10 camera pointed right at us! Duck!
posted by briank at 7:17 AM on June 20, 2001

Having paid my way through college by being one of those gangly computer know-it-alls-for-hire, I can certainly say I've met my share of students more concerned with opening e-mail attachments through Pine (bangs head against desk) than getting anything genuinely real accomplished. Has the campus Internet Revolution become another addition to the campus Beer and Circus routine?
posted by salsamander at 7:02 PM on June 20, 2001

owliss: How's about illegitimate children of Screamin' Jay Hawkins.
posted by raysmj at 8:18 PM on June 20, 2001