Home › Forums › Open Discussion › RANT: Stop Thread Jacking posts on the WSB Forums!!!
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
December 9, 2010 at 11:05 pm #710435
JanSParticipanthey…whatever happened to enginerd?
December 9, 2010 at 11:18 pm #710436
AndyParticipantI’ll hand it to enginerd, I knew he/she was looking for trouble when this thread started. Enginerd opened this discussion because he is honorably refusing to acquiesce to the fact that on the internet, earnestness is completely unwelcome, unless it is in the form of earnestly agreeing with the people who have already set up camp at a website.
The folks on this thread are all very happy with themselves for satirically deflecting enginerd’s concern, but the fact is that the WSB forum’s little well-entrenched circle of insiders was called out very politely and professionally by enginerd, and the only response so far is mocking.
Even my chupacabra handles criticism better than that.
December 9, 2010 at 11:45 pm #710437
LucianMemberDecember 9, 2010 at 11:49 pm #710438
JoBParticipantDecember 10, 2010 at 12:17 am #710439
ToddinWestwoodMemberAre we planning a WSB meet-up?
December 10, 2010 at 12:22 am #710440
JoBParticipantDecember 10, 2010 at 12:31 am #710441
theeParticipantDecember 10, 2010 at 1:18 am #710442
DPMemberWell, Lucian, Andy, enginerd, et al., let me try to shed some light on this phenomenon.
Humor is a way of diffusing tension, and believe me, we really need something to diffuse the tension right about now, because times are hard and getting harder, and we have some folks with widely differing points of view here — which is a good thing.
But every once in a while, we get so frothing-at-the-mouth mad at each other that if we didn’t have a way to joke it out of our systems, we would probably be rippng each others’ heads off.
Go to any so-called “serious” Blog and you will see how quickly a nice diplomatic parlay can break down into trench warfare, complete with mustard gas. We don’t have that kind of thing here on WS Blog (thanks God!) and it’s precisely because we know better than to take ourselves all that seriously.
Personally, I think we have a pretty good balance of opinions, facts, and just plain nonsense. What irks me is not people who go on and on about bacon, rubber duckies, dog poop, or whatever; I can always ignore them if I want. What irks me are people who drop into the forum once in a blue moon for the sole purpose of announcing that they’ll have nothing to do with us because we’re not “serious” enough for them.
You wanna be taken seriously on this forum?
Earn it!
December 10, 2010 at 1:28 am #710443
JanSParticipantso..my 2 cents…or 1, now that it’s been deflated….are some of you seriously saying that there are some posters that shouldn’t be allowed to post? Or that they can’t post if they don’t agree? Or that they can only post once? Because heaven forbid that they may have something to add? Threads on the forum take turns that we don’t expect. We all try to be respectful, and not get personal. That’s rule #1..don’t make it personal. That doesn’t make points with anyone.
There are no favorites here, there are no “groups” who “rule”. Everyone needs to get over that,please. All are welcome…but it’s a public forum, and someone may disagree with you. Heck, someone will probably disagree with what I’m saying right now…and that’s OK. It doesn’t make either of us lesser because of it.
Mustard gas? Really, DP? I’m saving mine for when I really need it :)
December 10, 2010 at 2:21 am #710444
AndyParticipantWhile I certainly didn’t expect my comment to be some wonderful show-stopper, I also didn’t expect DP, one of the consistently more thoughtful commenters on here, to say that if you don’t post here often enough, you haven’t earned anything from – can I quote you here? – “us.” There is an “us,” which means there is a “them.” And joking things out of our systems is absolutely wonderful, if everyone is in on it. This is not enginerd’s joke, but you’ve chosen to make a joke out of him. But here I go threadjacking, right?
We all know this started over at the pitbull post, with a “Hey, heads up folks, there’s a potentially dangerous pitbull over there.” It ended (if it is over) with “you don’t know anything about dogs!” Someone getting beaten down with his own good intentions.
This is a real can-of-worms situation, and I know I’ll not be having the last word, nor do I feel I need it. But the fact is that this place is pretty well scripted, does indeed have its inner ring (which is only natural), and in spite of all that it can be a lot of fun. However, enginerd being criticized and then laughed at for two consecutive sincere posts is, in my opinion, something of a low moment.
December 10, 2010 at 2:41 am #710445
maplesyrupParticipantenginerd wasn’t criticized or laughed at. I’d bet most people are a) sympathetic to his situation and b) in agreement that hijacking threads is annoying. But it’s definitely not personal.
One thing I’ve learned about forums over the years is that if you wade in, have a thick skin because it’s likely that someone is going to write something that you never expected. For good or bad.
And this place is pretty tame. Enjoy the good.
December 10, 2010 at 3:06 am #710446
redblackParticipantDecember 10, 2010 at 3:19 am #710447
JoBParticipantthere is a lot of eye of the beholder stuff going on here .. on both topics.
in a perfect world we would all say exactly what we mean in the most neutral manner possible and everyone would read exactly what we had written and read nothing into our words except what was actually written.
that isn’t the way it is… not here. not anywhere.
the thing i admire most about this forum is that people try to work their way past misunderstandings and continue the conversation.. because conversation is what every engaging forum topic becomes.
humor helps. it turns out that my particular brand of humor is one that relies heavily on facial expressions and body language.. so i have given up trying to be humorous here… too much potential for misunderstanding…
but some people seem to have a talent for it… and i think it helps.
giving the poster the benefit of doubt that it is their intention to state their opinion… to engage in conversation.. to exchange ideas …that there is no malicious intent… helps a lot.
occassionally there is malicious intent… generally those people move on… and that’s a good thing.
We don’t really know one another here no matter how often we post..
there are people behind every post with life circumstances we know nothing about… in fact those who post more often generally do so because of the isolation imposed by those life circumstances.
Unless you have walked a lot of miles with the person in those shoes.. none of us really knows enough to make judgments about the intent behind anyone’s comments.
I am sure there are some who will think i am being condescending in this post. That’s not my intent at all. If it didn’t think there was something worthwhile to be gained by the conversations here i wouldn’t bother posting.
I am not one to humor fools just for the sake of watching my words roll across the screen.
Now.. can we please get back to our regularly scheduled programming and talk about something interesting?
December 10, 2010 at 4:22 am #710448
BlendParticipantthey just opened an off-leash Chupacabra Park in enginerd’s back yard. Just remember to pick up yer chupy’s poop everyone!
December 10, 2010 at 4:23 am #710449
BlendParticipantoh and no Chupy-walkers allowed with your 20 Chupys!!
December 10, 2010 at 5:30 am #710450
DPMemberOK, look . . . I am hereby personally apologizing to enginerd:
<sincerity>
Dude . . . I was wrong and I am truly sorry for my part in offending you.
Moreover, I will actually buy YOU a cupcake Sunday, if you show up.
</sincerity>
But in the meantime, I’ve been working on a design for an INTERNET DOOMSDAY DEVICE that’ll blow all the other thread-jacking wannabes clean the hell out of cyberspace forever.
I call it “Bacon-Hitler”
Â
 Â
December 10, 2010 at 5:57 am #710451
redblackParticipantwell, DP, according to godwin’s law, this thread is now over, and you lose. you have inappropriately created a bacon-hitler hybrid in an attempt to win an argument.
actually, it just looks like some coked-up emo dude who was accidentally caught in daylight.
December 10, 2010 at 6:21 am #710452
enginerdParticipantWhoa… I certainly expected a few of you to take the bait (you know who you are)… but this is more than I ever expected! Nice work.
Oh… and is this a chupacabre at 1:14?
December 10, 2010 at 6:34 am #710453
mirabileMemberDecember 10, 2010 at 6:42 am #710454
theeParticipantit ain’t over till Job sez it’s over…
December 10, 2010 at 6:43 am #710455
mirabileMemberHaw!
December 10, 2010 at 7:22 am #710456
JanSParticipanthmm…low blow, thee…and not needed. Guess I didn’t see the humor in that one – which was extremely personal. And I’ve loved the humor in this thread. Looks like you’re the one who wants to have the last word.
And, hopefully, enginerd truly didn’t take it(the humor) personally. I don’t think he did…:)
December 10, 2010 at 10:56 am #710457
transplantellaParticipantWow, somebody thinks I’m an insider?!
I am flattered and honored….but I refuse to run if nominated, and refuse to serve if elected.
I’ve never been an insider before. I don’t even know how to behave now.
(BTW, we had sandwiches for dinner last night. Oh well.)
December 10, 2010 at 11:29 am #710458
JanSParticipantumm…what kind of sandwiches?
December 10, 2010 at 3:42 pm #710459
KenParticipantBacon and liverwurst in honor of the pics up thread.
I am old school I guess. Veteran of the fidonet and usenet flamewars and if there is any rules beyond the forum owners clearly posted ones I have and will probably continue to impale, flay and otherwise pillage them since the only other rule I recognize is that on the net you are judged by the strength of your rhetoric and the sublimeness of your snark.
Respect is not automatic though some may get away with demanding it of others in meat space, it doesn’t work here.
If your ideas are defensible, defend them. If they are deflated, re-examine them.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.