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I've just come across an answer § to a question on Ramanujan summation, which seems to me to be simply a long suada of sentences - even although the verbal content is mathematics terminology. There is also no formatting whatsoever and for me a horror to read - and thus I think it is not helpful for the asker and also not helpful for the general MSE-reader. (It has also been downvoted two times). That answer is also older than 2 years and no attempt to improve that answer and make it more readable/understandable has been undertaken.

I've looked using google for some significant terms to make sure it is not just a copy&paste (and possibly automatic) from some other blog - but google didn't indicate such.

Next I was tempted to delete that answer, but hesitated, then thought to flag it for moderation - but the given categories do not really match (at least not "at the surface"). A moderator-intervention seemed to be an overkill, for me in that moment however (as moderators are human and their engagement is precious, should not be wasted for nothing).

[added comment] The problem, why I began hesitating, was that I could not easily recognize whether the text was possibly not only blabla - just unformatted, but then the answerer could have been asked to do that - but which, of course, I liked to assume. I didn't like to read more intensely into it to confirm this or that assumption about the quality of text: and I think this gives my question a flair of also asking for similar other situations in more generality. [/end added]

Thus this question: How would you deal with such style of answers?

§ The answer which I've linked to has now been deleted, so the link is automatically redirected to the question instead (which I didn't criticize) and the incriminated answer might no more be visible to readers with insufficient reputation. Sorry for that inconvenience!

For the request of low-rep-user: here a screenshot of the deleted answer:
picture

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    $\begingroup$ The answer is absolutely terrible and should have been deleted years ago. It's unreadable, and if there is any mathematically worthwhile content in there I certainly cannot find it. $\endgroup$
    – user296602
    Commented Jan 16, 2018 at 23:52
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    $\begingroup$ I agree that moderator intervention is overkill, as this is a matter ordinary users (with sufficiently many points) can handle on our own. $\endgroup$
    – Gerry Myerson
    Commented Jan 17, 2018 at 7:12
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    $\begingroup$ My word! I don't think you should even be asking this question. Just vote to delete, plain and simple! $\endgroup$
    – Sarvesh Ravichandran Iyer
    Commented Jan 17, 2018 at 11:34
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    $\begingroup$ By the way, what is a "suada", Gottfried? $\endgroup$
    – Gerry Myerson
    Commented Jan 17, 2018 at 17:41
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    $\begingroup$ @Gerry - a long sequence of accusing sentences, like a politician makes a very long and intense monologue against something (this is how I have met this term frequently) $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 17, 2018 at 19:47
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    $\begingroup$ Thanks to you and all those who voted to delete. Somehow it went unnoticed in CRUDE! $\endgroup$
    – Paramanand Singh Mod
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 13:41
  • $\begingroup$ I think that the deletion itself made your link, originally to the answer, point to the question (which confused me, anyway!). If this is correct, then it may not be a bad idea to indicate in the question text that this has happened. $\endgroup$
    – LSpice
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 23:12
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    $\begingroup$ @LSpice: thanks for notification. I edited my question. $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 19, 2018 at 1:34
  • $\begingroup$ What was it people? I have 78 rep and I'm missing out. $\endgroup$
    – Lug Gian
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 5:54
  • $\begingroup$ @LugGian : see my updated answer. I included a screenshot. $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 7:08
  • $\begingroup$ Thank you very much, I see where the controversy is. $\endgroup$
    – Lug Gian
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 10:08
  • $\begingroup$ In the OED "Suada" is marked as obsolete, and meaning "persuasiveness, persuasive eloquence" ... but that has not stopped certain on-line communities from using it in a new (opposite) sense. $\endgroup$
    – GEdgar
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 13:58
  • $\begingroup$ @GEdgar : I remember his word as long as from my time in school in the 1970ies . Perhaps I got -a bit- used to it by my fathers use of words. At all - I don't use it regularly, it just came to my mind at the moment of writing. (No on-line influence whatsoever... ;-) ) $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 25, 2018 at 14:30

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It was terrible and I cast the final delete vote to delete it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

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    $\begingroup$ Thanks, Zachary. Just for notifying I've appended to my question why I've begun hesitating ... $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 17, 2018 at 11:53
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    $\begingroup$ acceptet just to close the case now. Thanks, Zachary! $\endgroup$
    – Gottfried Helms
    Commented Jan 18, 2018 at 14:10

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