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Muso
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Joined: 22 Oct 2002
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Location: The Holy city of Honolulu
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 Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:50 am Post subject: Troll outed |
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Unmasking Reddit’s Violentacrez, The Biggest Troll on the Web
| Quote: | Last Wednesday afternoon I called Michael Brutsch. He was at the office of the Texas financial services company where he works as a programmer and he was having a bad day. I had just told him, on Gchat, that I had uncovered his identity as the notorious internet troll Violentacrez (pronounced Violent-Acres).
"It's amazing how much you can sweat in a 60 degree office," he said with a nervous laugh.
Judging from his internet footprint, Brutsch, 49, has a lot to sweat over. If you are capable of being offended, Brutsch has almost certainly done something that would offend you, then did his best to rub your face in it. His speciality is distributing images of scantily-clad underage girls, but as Violentacrez he also issued an unending fountain of racism, porn, gore, misogyny, incest, and exotic abominations yet unnamed, all on the sprawling online community Reddit. At the time I called Brutsch, his latest project was moderating a new section of Reddit where users posted covert photos they had taken of women in public, usually close-ups of their asses or breasts, for a voyeuristic sexual thrill. It was called "Creepshots." Now Brutsch was the one feeling exposed and it didn't suit him very well.
But Michael Brutsch is more than a monster. Online, Violentacrez has been one of Reddit's most reviled characters but also one of its most beloved users. The self-described "creepy uncle of Reddit" has played a little-known but crucial role in Reddit's development into the online juggernaut it is today. In real life, Brutsch is a military father and cat-lover. He lives with his wife in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. There are many sides to Violentacrez, and now that I had Michael Brutsch on the phone I hoped to find out where the troll ended and the real person began. |
Continues in TFA... quite the fascinating read.
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pjp
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:29 am Post subject: |
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Is there a section describing how he uncovered him? I've never heard of the guy, and don't care about him, but the "uncovering" part might be interesting.
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Muso
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Joined: 22 Oct 2002
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Location: The Holy city of Honolulu
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 4:54 am Post subject: |
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Sort of...
| Quote: | Unfortunately, I've never been good at keeping secrets. My poker face is so bad it can be read even through a computer screen, apparently. In our Gchat, I pressed Violentacrez about his anonymity enough that he grew suspicious. We were chatting about why he feels comfortable attending IRL meet-ups of Redditors if his anonymity was so important to him when he caught on.
| Quote: | me: it seems like you're not super careful about keeping your identity under wraps, if you meet people in real life. A lot of trolls I've talked to would never do that or give out as many details about themselves as they do.
violentacrez: have you been given my real name?
me: yeah
violentacrez: that's not good
me: it seems like you've told a lot of people. Are you surprised it would get out?
violentacrez: yes, I thought I could trust those who know. Are you going to out me? |
Panicking a bit, I quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number I had found on Brutsch's online resume so I could hear Brutsch's voice to see if it matched Violentacrez. It did.
"So, are you going to out me?" he said. |
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Bones McCracker
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:36 am Post subject: |
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Figures he's a moderator. 
I wonder if he's "open" with his wife about being an "ephebophile". 
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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Muso
l33t
Joined: 22 Oct 2002
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:44 am Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: | | I wonder if he's "open" with his wife about being an "ephebophile". |
He lives in the wrong area. California is the pr0n capital of the world. He seems the type to fit naturally into the valley.
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marens
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | His current wife is similarly accepting of Brutsch's unsavory side, according to Brutsch. She is not only aware of his online habits, she's also a prolific Redditor under the handle not_so_violentacrez. She is a founder of the Fibromyalgia subreddit. She has diabetes and plays the online game Kingdom of Camelot. Violentacrez said that at home, the two would lie in bed together with their laptops, both on Reddit, him posting his porn, she posting cute animal videos and pictures of dolphins. |
family idyll
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energyman76b
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 11:48 am Post subject: |
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| marens wrote: | | Quote: | | His current wife is similarly accepting of Brutsch's unsavory side, according to Brutsch. She is not only aware of his online habits, she's also a prolific Redditor under the handle not_so_violentacrez. She is a founder of the Fibromyalgia subreddit. She has diabetes and plays the online game Kingdom of Camelot. Violentacrez said that at home, the two would lie in bed together with their laptops, both on Reddit, him posting his porn, she posting cute animal videos and pictures of dolphins. |
family idyll |
it is a sign of a healthy relationship if a couple shares their hobbies.
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sikpuppy
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Joined: 12 Jun 2012
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Location: Central Coast, NSW
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 1:29 pm Post subject: |
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| energyman76b wrote: |
it is a sign of a healthy relationship if a couple shares their hobbies. |
Yes, Fred and Rosemary West are a good example of the couple that slay together, stay together. |
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Old School
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 2:09 pm Post subject: |
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| pjp wrote: | | Is there a section describing how he uncovered him? |
Maybe he took lessons from OtW's resident stalker.
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big dave
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | Is there a section describing how he uncovered him? |
Maybe he took lessons from OtW's resident stalker. |
i heard sugar went to jail... that's why he hasn't been posting much. |
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Old School
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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| big dave wrote: | | Old School wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | Is there a section describing how he uncovered him? |
Maybe he took lessons from OtW's resident stalker. |
i heard sugar went to jail... that's why he hasn't been posting much. |
Nah, sugar wasn't a creepy stalker.
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The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.
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Bones McCracker
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 3:44 pm Post subject: |
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I think he was talking about ichthyosis fetalis.
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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energyman76b
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 5:32 pm Post subject: |
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| Old School wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | Is there a section describing how he uncovered him? |
Maybe he took lessons from OtW's resident stalker. |
no, he probably asked the TROLLHUNTER
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Bones McCracker
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:24 pm Post subject: |
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I liked that movie. It was unusual in that, for the first third or half, I was thinking, "Wow, this pretty much blows.", and then, when they finally encountered a troll, I was like, "This is fucking cool!".
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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energyman76b
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:33 pm Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: | | I liked that movie. It was unusual in that, for the first third or half, I was thinking, "Wow, this pretty much blows.", and then, when they finally encountered a troll, I was like, "This is fucking cool!". |
I bought the DVD and watched it in Norwegian with subtitles. I was between 'wtf' 'awesome' and 'lol' the whole time.
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Bones McCracker
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:37 pm Post subject: |
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| energyman76b wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | | I liked that movie. It was unusual in that, for the first third or half, I was thinking, "Wow, this pretty much blows.", and then, when they finally encountered a troll, I was like, "This is fucking cool!". |
I bought the DVD and watched it in Norwegian with subtitles. I was between 'wtf' 'awesome' and 'lol' the whole time. |
I watched it with subtitles too. I hate dubbed vocals, and I want to hear the original actors' voices.
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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energyman76b
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject: |
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| BoneKracker wrote: | | energyman76b wrote: | | BoneKracker wrote: | | I liked that movie. It was unusual in that, for the first third or half, I was thinking, "Wow, this pretty much blows.", and then, when they finally encountered a troll, I was like, "This is fucking cool!". |
I bought the DVD and watched it in Norwegian with subtitles. I was between 'wtf' 'awesome' and 'lol' the whole time. |
I watched it with subtitles too. I hate dubbed vocals, and I want to hear the original actors' voices. |
/me too. That is how I learned english 
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pjp
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 9:42 pm Post subject: |
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I think less of the outer than the outed. Completely separate from whether or not the outed should be investigated for criminal activity. I'm guessing his career is going to be impaired.
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energyman76b
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| Posted: Sat Oct 13, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject: |
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| pjp wrote: | | I think less of the outer than the outed. Completely separate from whether or not the outed should be investigated for criminal activity. I'm guessing his career is going to be impaired. |
how about the 'outer' - shouldn't that asshole be prosecuted?
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pjp
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 12:20 am Post subject: |
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I'm not aware of anything he's done which is criminal. Was something mentioned in the article (or elsewhere)?
Also, whatshisname didn't protect his identity, so I doubt he has a strong claim against being outed.
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Bones McCracker
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:01 am Post subject: |
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| energyman76b wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | I think less of the outer than the outed. Completely separate from whether or not the outed should be investigated for criminal activity. I'm guessing his career is going to be impaired. |
how about the 'outer' - shouldn't that asshole be prosecuted? |
Prosecuted nothing. What if the yahoos on 4chan lemming their way into sympathizing with violentacrez and decide to go Banzai on the outer's smug, self-congratulatory ass?
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| patrix_neo wrote: | The human thought: I cannot win.
The ratbrain in me : I can only go forward and that's it. |
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richk449
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Joined: 24 Oct 2003
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:56 am Post subject: |
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| energyman76b wrote: | | pjp wrote: | | I think less of the outer than the outed. Completely separate from whether or not the outed should be investigated for criminal activity. I'm guessing his career is going to be impaired. |
how about the 'outer' - shouldn't that asshole be prosecuted? |
For what? |
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notageek
Tux's lil' helper
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:24 am Post subject: |
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For invasion of privacy.
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richk449
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:07 am Post subject: |
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| notageek wrote: | | For invasion of privacy. |
Is there a law against that? |
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notageek
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| Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:26 am Post subject: |
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You didn't get the joke.
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