Conservapedia:TK

"The threshold for tolerating constant arguments and disputes, is very low these days. It will get lower." (TK 8th Dec '08)

TK, alias "The Knife", "Team Killer", and even "TeacaKe", has accounts at both Conservapedia and RationalWiki. He was defrocked as a sysop for a few months in 2008, but was rehired to enforce Aschlafly's iron will. People tend to think he is loyal to nobody but himself, and terminally power hungry. He is inclined to be quite abrasive, and tears communities down skillfully.

Operating system

He prefers to contact users privately, through email or other means, so most of the community don’t see what’s happening. He targets new users who haven’t learned about his past, and shows them only his “better” side. These users end up supporting TK against experienced users who know him better, and quarrels develop. Discussions get fragmented off via chatroom forums, instant messenger chat sessions, etc., where the rest of the community won’t know what he’s doing.

He ignores reasonable discussion and imposes what he wants.

Conservapedia

For some time TK was close to Aschlafly and ranked just below the Führer. He was notorious as the most tyrannical of the sysops at Conservapedia, and even the other sysops feared him. TK was enthusiastic with the banhammer and blocked large numbers of users. He even used range blocks against potential users who had done nothing. He banned a group of users who had got together and started RationalWiki 1.0 in the great purge (or "Night of the Blunt Knives"). At that point he felt able to challenge Andrew Schlafly himself. TK undid some of Schlafly's edits, and refused to accept The Boss's say as final. Schlafly turned around and stung TK by desysopping him. After that TK had to do without the special powers. Desperate for power TK tried to act as a sysop even after he had been desysoped.

Banishment and return

For a time TK was banished from Conservapedia and caused problems at RationalWiki instead. Things got too hot for him at RationalWiki.

TK returned to Conservapedia on the 23rd of March, after being unblocked by Geo.plrd. Although he was supposedly on parole, the document that discussed the specifics of this status was quietly deleted (again by Geo.plrd) on 28th March with the comment "Per private discussion" (although as usual on Conservapedia, other sysops voiced no objection).

Between late April and late November 2008, TK stayed away from CP. TK returned to Conservapedia in November 2008 in force, and is as active as he ever was. He got blocking rights within three weeks of his return. Several previously committed Conservapedia sysops say they left Conservapedia because of him.^{[citation needed]} Philip J. Rayment seems to be upset, but hasn't left yet. There have been prominent, probably futile letters of complaint, see JessicaT and An open letter from a disillusioned conservapedian. RationalWikians can't do more than speculate about what TK may be doing through emails, chatrooms etc.

Currently, TK seems to be working faster than last time. He may feel a need to do his stuff before his reputation catches up with him, but teh Assfly has a bad memory: on December 1st, 2008, he reinstalled TK to near-sysopship, now with added Checkabuser checkuser powers.

Motives

TK has something in common with an Internet Griefer. Conservapedia suits him - there are strong but arbitrarily enforced rules, behind-the-scenes administrative communications, a fairly clear ideology to abuse, and plenty of vulnerable normal users and borderline personality-disordered admins to manipulate. However, we can't get inside his head to see exactly what he wants. Last time, Aschlafly kicked him out before he could finish whatever he wanted to do. Theories include:

1. Perhaps he wants to bring the site down.
2. Perhaps he's playing some type of brinkmanship. "Let's see how far I can get before they block me."
3. Perhaps he aims to control the site, and plans to manipulate even Aschlafly later so that he will be the real power.
4. Perhaps he learned from his last mistake, and will be satisfied when he controls everybody except the Schlafly family.

TK's shenanigans

Here's the sort of thing he does.

IP range blocks

Huge IP range blocks, taking out whole regions and/or ISPs, are instituted by TK and Geo.plrd, apparently an ally in this endeavor. It appears that TK is trying to stamp out the use of TOR and proxy servers by vandals, without caring how much collateral damage he does in the process, although another possibility is that he would like to minimize non-American involvement in Conservapedia. Either way he has refused to discuss the rationale behind these range blocks publicly.

TK has even used range blocks deceitfully and vindictively to target individuals. When User:Sideways queried a fellow editor's block (our own Human), TK responded not by openly targeting Sideways but by blocking IP range 79.76.0.0/16, effectively stopping a large proportion of a UK-based ISP's customers from editing Conservapedia. When Sideways used a proxy IP to further complain, TK banned him/her for "abusing multiple accounts", associating Sideways with various unrelated vandals who had used the same proxy. The above happened 19th December 2008.

A similar pattern shows up in TK's treatment of User:BRichtigen, whom it is likely that TK was deliberately targeting for BRichtigen's persistent insistence on fair treatment of editors by sysops (see Conservapedia:MYOB). On 2nd December 2008, TK blocked IP range 81.210.0.0/16. BRichtigen then complained that he was covered by this block, along with many thousands of other households in Germany and Central Europe. Subsequently the block was lifted, but when TK blocked BRichtigen for two weeks, on 16th December, he again blocked BRichtigen's IP, this time for six months. Again, both blocks were lifted by other administrators. However, when Bugler blocked BRichtigen for a week, on 27th December, TK saw his chance again, and blocked the IP range for a full year.

It is likely that TK uses this tactic consistently. A glance through his block log shows that he blocks almost as many IP addresses as user accounts, often alternating between the two. It seems probable that, as in the case of Sideways and BRichtigen, he bars user's IP addresses when blocking them, often for much longer than the user is blocked. He has also been seen encouraging other users with block rights to share information with him for the purpose of range blocks.

Church fire

There was a fire at the church where Sarah Palin worships. There is not even proof that the fire was started deliberately. Here’s what TK said:

An arsonist would not, could not, be a "Christian". So who else but an atheist? Someone following Christ's teaching would never do arson. So, logically, one would assume it is a Godless person.

WillB is more sensible:

I'm sure the police are looking into all the possibles [sic] such as someone with other religious believes [sic] (such as Muslims or Hindus) or a few angry former members of the church or any of what could be dozens of possible suspects.

Later still

All religions have their bad apples

HelpJazz

TK blocked our HelpJazz for being an administrator of a group harming Conservapedia, ie RationalWiki. He's Jazzman here and he isn't very active. It seems being an administrator is what counts. TK is a user here as is HelpJazz. The stuff about administrators on his userpage here suggests he just might have wanted to be a bureaucrat. TK playing a game of, “I can but you can’t.” Well HelpJazz there are better websites to edit.

One person’s view

File:TK portrait.png

TK:"Remember, your idea of the 'logic of discourse' is a subjective one, one that is culture influenced, and just that, your good idea, which isn't necessarily mine, or anyone elses... So, how bout this 72 Dodge Dart then? Ain't she a beauty? You'll get great gas mileage with it - you'll be able to coast a lot! Tell ya what I'm gonna do..."

He is a pathetic little man who calls himself a "director" when really he sits in a grubby car lot office all day, staring into a cup of cold instant coffee, wondering when the industry will take a turn for the better. His wife has left him and his children rarely call. He is overweight and has greasy hair. He wears brown suits and dirty shirts with damp armpits. He emits a variety of startling odours and has egg on his tie. As he never has any customers he spends all day looking at porn, playing weird power games on CP, and imagining how good it must be to shaft Andy's wife. He envies that man.

That's how one user pictures TK at least. If that’s wrong, TK has only got himself to blame for giving off the wrong vibes.

Awards

This is to certify that TK received the HOVIND RECOGNITION FOR SYSOP ABUSE From RationalWiki, on November 21, 2008

See also

• Fun:TK
• Don't feed the Troll

External links

• RationalWikiWiki's report on TK—Offers a drier and more comprehensive history of TK