Disturbing board trend..

I've been around this board for awhile now.. and since my start, I've slowly noticed a trend that I think we as a community need to correct. Its nothing that can be controlled by board mods, or board rules.. because what's being said is infact allowed in the TOS..

The problem is, we as a community seem to smear one's opinions in their face the second we disagree. Making posting a controversial topic filled with disclaimers and sorry's before they're even posted.

Here's an example I've been seeing alot..

But there's more, oh boy there's a lot more, in fact!

�� Before i continue, please let me say that i respect everysingle person in this World, no matter what skin color, religion, or country. For me, you all are Brothers. Thus, even if my controversial or..wierd ideas may seem to ya, they are not meant to offend anyone, ok?

About 1969's Moon landind "Cinematic" trailers:

Alot of ideas are starting with apologies and defensivness... before they start

Maybe we as a community need to step back some and reply with disagreements in a more mature, information filled manner. Instead of a stern disagreement and the occasional insult... even if the theory is incorrect.

Instead of pointing out all the information that is flawed.. point out the information that is flawed with facts and information proving its false. Just because a group of people may know its false, doesn't mean everyone on the board knows.

So instead of assuming everyone on the board knows a flaw, and flaming a person because he brings up a flawed subject, maybe you could disagree politly, and point out why you disagree with a theory of your own and why you think the poster is wrong. And if a subject in the theory is proven false, then show the poster a link to flawed info, and allow him to enlighten himself of the truth.

Just a thought.. a poke at your collective minds so to speak.. I dont post much, but I read this board on a daily basis... it's just a trend I've noticed worsen over the past several months.. and I hope that we a community can fix it.. before it becomes a problem the mods can't control..

[edit on 2/2/2005 by QuietSoul]

i agree with you. it would be an excellent trend if we could all agree to disagree on some things..............and make our points without attacking others.

excellent idea!!

angie

I just want to point something out real fast before any discussion begins in this thread..

This thread has been up for 10 minutes I've already gotten 3 applauses... all from board mods...

Apparently I'm not the only one thats noticed this trend..

Originally posted by QuietSoul
Alot of ideas are starting with apologies and defensivness... before they start

I have to state that I rather dislike this to. If you have an idea, come out and say it. Apologizing for it means that even you think its stupid or whacked, so don't even say it if it requires an apology. Or similiarly people will say 'well these are just my opinions on things' which is good sometimes but, jezus, of course its just your opinion that the NWO is going to use microchips to mark who is going to hell, there's no evidence for these things in the first place so of course its opinion!

Rather than hemming and hawing everyone should just state what it is they are getting at, not make half their post an 'explanation' as to how they came up with the idea or that 'free thinking is important because' blah blah blah.

I'd also like to state here, rather than waste an entire thread, that when people post 'gosh, this is really interesting, those bastards better watchout now' and then post a link that they are doing themselves and everyone a disservice. The relevant portion of the linked cite should be included. Not simply an introduction, but the part that explains what it is the poster is getting at.

You have voted QuietSoul for the Way Above Top Secret award.

It's self-perpetuating ideas like this that catch my attention and make an affirmation to my belief that there are people who care about what direction our conversations go in.

I notice the same thing day-in and day-out....Quite a few people seem incapable of understanding that they spend 90% of their time running in circles and making fools of themselves, all in the name of blindly avoiding their own common sense....

How many people make truly meaningful posts? This forum, as I understand it, is not your blog for every topic you can think of...Neither is it a place where you come to jot down your rhetoric on modern events – to serve as your very own time capsule of thoughts and ideas you’ll soon be impassive about when you log-off....

Rather - We come here to learn from others' insight...which involves teamwork and a mutual understanding, and that at some point, we're all going to disagree...and there's nothing wrong with that.....




[edit on 2/2/2005 by EnronOutrunHomerun]

Just 1 question, I dont mean to be offensive or am in no way trying to start an arguement. ( Disclaimer )

How is this trend disturbing? People just making sure they dont offend someone is disturbing?

I'd say its disturbing insofar as people shouldn't have to feel that they have to apologize for their opinions or even justify their pressence. Its an open board, no poster is above any others.

Except for the ones that get the 'way above' award, I guess they're way above and can boss everyone around. And the FSMEs, they're experts.

I will have to say that I don't get your point, it seems to me like a lot of complain because you don't like the way some express themselves.

Or the way they start their post,

Or the pictures in their avatars,

Or the signatures.

If we are going to complain on everything we don't like is not going to be very much to dabate about.

Trends or not trends we are not a collective mind, we do not think alike and we will never be a perfect world.

Deal with it.

Instead of ad hom attacks on peoples ideas and beliefs how about actually adressing points made in the thread?

QuietSoul I agree with you enought to vote a way above for this topic. Thanks for bringing it up

jm

I'll tell you what's a distrubing trend:

Mods killing the music.

Today, the music died.

Originally posted by Nygdan
Or similiarly people will say 'well these are just my opinions on things' which is good sometimes but, jezus, of course its just your opinion that the NWO is going to use microchips to mark who is going to hell, there's no evidence for these things in the first place so of course its opinion!

Nygdan, just my opinion ( ), but people are using these blanket opening statements to fend off the rabid personal attacks sure to come their way. We've all seen posts where someone states what is clearly only an opinion, receives 50 strokes from the "where's your link?" lash, and then pleads before the enraged masses that "it *was* just my opinion." There are those of us who like to play devil's advocate, to throw out ideas just to stir the pot and encourage the exchange of thoughts; we've learned to be *very* careful how we present our posts, lest the thread be 'jacked by the screaming hordes and their demands for iron-clad, carved-in-stone, notarized-by-God-Himself proof...in the form of a supporting link.

Too often, to present a dissenting opinion is to be labeled as being blinded by hatred. To offer a differing explanation is to be accused of pseudoscience. To question is to be dismissed. Discussion is sacrificed to the idol of Argument.

Perhaps, in addition to "deny ignorance," we should pledge to "deny arrogance."

Originally posted by sandge

We've all seen posts where someone states what is clearly only an opinion, receives 50 strokes from the "where's your link?" lash, and then pleads before the enraged masses that "it *was* just my opinion."notarized-by-God-Himself proof...in the form of a supporting link.

Perhaps, in addition to "deny ignorance," we should pledge to "deny arrogance."

The very nature of this site...a conspiracy site...dictates such behavior....that's one of the reason I love this site....you will learn, backed up by links and/or facts...otherwise I could go to any site to just hear peoples opinions on anything!
Just because you ask for links or proof, doesn't equate to arrogance!

Originally posted by marg6043
Or the pictures in their avatars,
Deal with it.

Marg, don't worry, we love your avatar, and dgtempe's, and intelgurl's....

Not to detract from Quietsoul's rather good point or anything ....

I agree with marg


I think the disturbing trend is members starting these types of threads every time they can think of something to whine about, and everyone else throwing way aboves at them just for saying what everyone else noticed but didn’t whine about.

You don’t have to continue reading those posts if you don’t like. Get over it.

Originally posted by sandge
receives 50 strokes from the "where's your link?"

This is what the 'ignore' function is for. On usenet there is a saying 'don't feed the trolls'. If one presents an opinion as merely opinion, and rabid loonies from either side start babling, what of it? One need not read no respond to them.

There are those of us who like to play devil's advocate, to throw out ideas just to stir the pot and encourage the exchange of thoughts; we've learned to be *very* careful how we present our posts

I'd say that if one wanted to do that, then one could and should say just that. However, honestly, do people want to hear uniformed opinions, or discuss important i and controversial topics? Also, most opinions are somewhat informed, why not cite the reasoning that lead one to have a partiucular opinion?

But as long as opinion is sperated from 'fact', all is good.

Here, perhaps, is an excellent example. I think most who are familiar with his postings would say that Leveller is educated as to the subjects he posts about. Here we have a discussion of the so called Priory of Sion, which has be reasonably demonstrated to be fake. Leveller and others have given information as to why its a fake. The other poster has given nothign to demonstrate that either its real, or even that the 'debunking' was inadequate or in itself fraudulent.

The Post under consideration:

THe Priory suporter states after being given evidence to the contrary:
Dude, just because a few people debunk and discuss a thing, means nothing at all in any way whatsoever.
It's real.

Leveller
Prove it.
All logical evidence points to the Priory of Sion that is under discussion here, as being the creation of a fraudster named Pierre de Plantard.
There is not one single piece of documented evidence surrounding the Priory that can't be proven to be a hoax.

Leveller is in the right here, even without conisidering the evidence, even if the priory is in fact real, because he has presented a consideration of the evidence, and the rebuttal that dispels the evidence. The Original Poster here just says 'no, b/s, the priory is real'.

Thats not rational or reasonable. That kind of posting and arguementation should be 'frowned upon' by membership. Similarly, a poster who says 'The Theory of evolution has been proven a fact' is just a ludicrsouly wrong as someone who says 'if man evolved from apes then there shouldn't be any apes, therefore evolution doesn't happen'. Opinion is pretty meanignless and useless, and both statements above are, in essence ignorant, ignorant of the evidence, just like the Orignal Poster in the real board example here is ignorant of the evidence, while Leveller has actually researched it.

A 'proper' response to, say, Levellers Challenge would be 'no, the debunking was demonstrated to be in accurate by such and such means' or 'on such and such site'. This wouldn't settle it, it would just move the ball into Leveller's Court.

Giving your opinion on someone having sufficiently demonstrated something (as existing or as not existing, as occuring or not having yet occured) is sensible. But giving one's opinion on the actual existence of something is meaningless.

I frown upon it. It's why I hardly ever venture in the realm that is the NWO forum these days.

Originally posted by Nygdan
. On usenet there is a saying 'don't feed the trolls'.

This is a saying at every board I have ever been to...the problem here is that most of the time....they get fed anyway. Another thing that bugs me is when someone will post something and then if no one replies they reply to it asking why no one is interested! It's usually because it's been done to death....but then, I have a lot of little idiosyncrasies

To play Devil's advocate here...

Our membership, by and large, is made up of people usually of above average intellect. With this intellect comes ego. For many of us, this board is so loved because we can talk about things here that the ego really wants to discuss, but we're often surrounded (in real life) with people who either cannot grasp, or simply aren't interested in such topics...

So, when you get those kinds of egos into one place, who then try and discuss their ideas and beliefs....well, ego clashes will happen, it's just our nature...and in many cases, we don't even realize that we're doing it. We'd rather be polite and all, but when we really get into a topic or good debate, sometimes it goes all wrong. So, when posting a topic that immediately seems to have this potential, it's natural to want to be nice, and try and head off a little of the flamebait. Sure, in a perfect world such prefacing wouldn't be necessary, but I'm not so sure it's a bad idea in this world...

Still, a good sentiment though, and an interesting observation.