A certain user who hides behind the picture and name of @GrumpyCat one day decided that his nice little nest-egg of SP somehow elected him King of Steemit and gave him the right to set policy and demand Grumpy-compliance from the bot owners and every Steemian on the platform.
If you've been caught under a rock for the past three months, you may not have heard about this guy yet. We at @the-resistance will try to rectify that. Meanwhile, we'll assume you at least know the outlines of this conflict.
@grumpycat and his sock puppet account @madpuppy have been gleefully flagging accounts smaller than they are ... assuming no one would interfere and no one would dare talk back. But some brave Steemians just didn't see it that way. They have posted stories on their blogs. They have brought this problem to the attention of all who would listen and read. They are speaking out. And in this post here on @the-resistance, we will present their stories to give their unsilenced voices an extra place to be heard.
Some of the posts in this series will be old -- and way past pay-out. But this story needs to be told. And these authors need to know that they are not alone in their struggles. Their presence on Steemit is valued by all and worth fighting for. You know what we're asking. You know what to do. Go to their blogs and show them you care. Bullies thrive in silence. You can stand up and speak out -- or you can sit down and shut up. Either way, you have to live with the consequences -- for yourself and for the future of Steemit.
GrumpyCat flags minnows too small to fight back ... because he can and, well, because that's the kind of guy he is. He also upvotes himself in celebration for this behavior ... because he can and, well, because that's the kind of guy he is, too. This story needs to be told because ... this cat is no hero.
Let's begin here. This first entry is written as humor, but there's real food for thought. Good satire (and comedy) can do that.
@grumpycat is a Bully,
But Does This Cat Have a Feline
Personality Disorder?
Clearly, @grumpycat is a Steem Bully, that is a 100% certainty based on the special kind of behavior exhibited by this pugly looking feline. Whenever a cat behaves or speaks in a manner where "the ends justify the means regardless of who gets hurt," this should always raise a cute little red flag.
When it involves the well-being or harm of other cats, the ends can only justify the means in the mind of a cat that is either lacking in emotional empathy (a basic feline internal quality that allows most cats to feel how their actions effect others, and to feel on some level what other cats are feeling in the moment), or a cat is desperate and has been left with no other options, and believes they have to do something. In the case of going after minnows on steem instead of targeting the bigger fish that have teeth, this suggests that @grumpycat is not only a cowardly lion, but probably lacking in the empathy department, and may have other traits as well that suggest a more serious feline personality disorder.
But Does This Cat Have a Feline
Personality Disorder?
@briggsy
@grumpycat also steals from charities -- downvoting a post with proceeds slated for @youarehope -- and upvoting himself for this as a reward. More about this when our series about the true story of @grumpycat begins. Again ... stay tuned.
Here's what @snowpea had to say about the mess.
Haturday, evil @grumpycat,
and other random stuff
@grumpycat is taking money from charity!! Let me explain: @sneaky-ninja is a decent and responsible bidbot. Not only does @sneaky-ninja combat bidbot abuse by working with steemcleaners to actively root out spam posts, this bot and its owner @michaeldavid recently announced that a percentage of @sneaky-ninja's earnings will be donated to @youarehope.
@youarehope is an amazing organization that helps people in need all around the world, using the blockchain as a means to raise funds. Here is the post that announces this great new initiative. This post was doing well, getting a decent amount, a post in which some of the payout might give food to hungry children, or maybe it will buy mosquito nets in areas where malaria is running rampant ...
Well what I wanted everyone to know is that @grumpycat chose to downvote that post by $45!!!
@sircork, the founder of @youarehope, and other kind folks helped to restore some of the value, but even so... this was a heinous act, and something needs to be done. We need to increase awareness about what @grumpycat is doing. Please help spread the word that @grumpycat is essentially stealing from charity here!!
and other random stuff
@snowpea
Editor's note: There is a discrepancy between the statement that Grumpy downvoted the post by $45. The amount showing tonight is $40.54. We don't know if Grumpy had a change of heart or just why the difference. Maybe it was the falling price of Steem.
Regardless, the story is essentially the same. Grumpy downvoted a post whose proceeds were intended for charity. With one click of his mouse, he turned the votes of a lot of charitable people who want this project to succeed ... to dust.
Did he read it? Did he even hesitate a moment? Did he think about the outcome of his behavior? Did he even care?
We'll be doing a series of posts about the quality accounts @Grumpycat has flagged and down-voted -- while upvoting himself over and over for a nice chunk of change. This guy is no hero. The facts tell the story. So stay tuned for more. We're just getting started.
Here's what the legendary and cherished citizen of Steemit @shadowspub (Author of Steemit Ramble and host of PYPT ) said about @grumpycat when he downvoted her posts out of spite for daring to disagree with his behavior -- and say so in public with both words and actions.
GrumpyCat's Attack Dog Strikes
Or Another Group I Support
Yesterday I participated in the Talk of the Line post sharing chat in @thesteemengine discord. After the chat was over I happened to noticed the dreaded three dots on a post indicating it having been flagged.
When I looked further, I saw it was not just one post but two posts:
Initiatives I Support on Steem and The Love it/Shove it Challenge and they had been downvoted 100% by @Grumpycat’s attack dog, @madpuppy. Each hit shaved about $14 off each post.
Or Another Group I Support
@shadowspub
@snowpea is back again. Remember her from a minute ago? Well, Grumpy upvoted the post where she hollered at him -- for over $20. He also said he liked the bad publicity and upvoted his own comment for over $23 ... because, well, that's the kind of guy he is.
But that wasn't the end of the puzzle ... or the conversation. Nor was it the end of Grumpy's abuse. Not by a long-shot.
@grumpycat, Why Did You Upvote
My Anti-Grumpycat Post?
@grumpycat, why do you...
- Upvote your own 2 sentence comments?
- Upvote posts that give you bad publicity?
- Downvote quality posts?
- Want bidbots to adhere to a 3.5 day rule?
- Downvote people who use a bidbot before 3.5 days?
My Anti-Grumpycat Post?
@snowpea
@shadowspub's friend @snook also tried to appeal to Grumpy's better nature, only to discover ... he has none. Some things money can't buy. One of them is character.
Dear @Grumpycat
I first want to point out that I am not political and not looking for a discussion of any kind from you for what I'm about to write.
Now you might be thinking if I'm not political why are you writing a letter to none other the Mr @grumpycat? Good question. I will try and answer it.
Steemit, for the most part, has brought much needed joy into my life. So much joy in fact, that people in the real world have noticed how much happier I am and commented on it to me.
@snook
That's enough for this First Edition. There's plenty more where it came from though, so we'll be back soon. Posts are going up all over Steemit as people find their voices and raise them against Grumpy. We can hardly keep up with the deluge. Seriously. As we said, we're just getting started.
Join The Resistance.
Join our bot we-resist to help protect others ...
https://we-resist-bot.herokuapp.com/
Come to meet with the community ...
https://discord.gg/qMWCbWR
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This is a very informative post!! Thank you for writing it. The more people know the better we all are in the long run.
The word needs to get out that there are places people can turn if they need help or are just plain confused why this might have happened to them.
I need to be carefully on choosing the right community one mess will make my ship sink... I hope to see some of the list as a reference to not get involve in the conflict but helping those who can contribute positive contribution even if it a cruel criticism...