At the risk of sounding pompous and/or sanctimonious, what the fuck is going on here lately? The Train has sunk to it's lowest point in the past five years, in my opinion.
Racists, trolls, self-proclaimed friends of 'God' himself, bigots....
I created a thread on a recent article of Chomsky's discussing racism in the present day, and the thread descended into a racist tirade against Africans, and personal attacks on other posters. The thread was then locked.
I've had a few pm's over the past 24 hours praising my comments in a thread saying how this place has become filled with bullshit.
Is this place really representative of Pearl Jam anymore? I could be wrong, but doesn't this band represent intelligence, imagination, conscientious activism, (I hesitate to say 'left-wing' because that term doesn't really mean anything to me) - feel free to add your own adjectives.....
There have always been people of all different persuasions - political or otherwise - on here locking horns, and generally stating their points of view, but lately this place seems to have been overrun by some pretty shitty characters. What the fuck is going on? Is this indicative of the U.S in general?
I just don't get it. How does this band attract racists, or bigots? Do people not listen to their lyrics, or listen to Ed speak between songs, or pay any attention to their activism outside of the band? What would cause someone who says 'I love the death penalty' to follow this band? It would be like me deciding to become a fan of Ted Nugent, or Mick Hucknall. I would need a fucking lobotomy first.
And, yeah, I know I'm not perfect. I know I really shouldn't post pictures of mutant Ninja turtle armchair warriors, and Yoda. But really, I used to come here knowing that on any given day I could find an engaging topic, discussion, debate, news item, e.t.c. But now it's just gotten to resemble a school playground with shit-slinging and ignorance being the norm.
Answers on a postcard please...
The OP points a finger here with their words but could be looking in a mirror,
this where the answer lies.
Most of these words can be related to just about everyone here,
both sides, all people.
We are all free to start threads and express what is important to us.
We are all free to ignore threads we do not enjoy, have an opinion on,
or that cause us to be unkind to another poster.
This could be the goal in AMT in my opinion, civil respectful debate, not name calling,
classifications, judgments, hate. When I came here all these things were going on,
very negative, very hateful. If anything, there seems to be a more kinder and gentler
spirit about, although some do not want to partake in that.
Remember we are all people with feelings that can get hurt.
I think if we can meet this goal, throw each other a RAFT, all of us,
Respect
Appreciation
Forgiveness
Trust
things will continue to improve.
Derailed?
Then it is up to us put it back on track ... just like the world in general.
For me this is just me I do not have to share the same opinions to love another
human being. To love only those you agree with is very easy.
Our world needs us to love those we do not agree with.... in my opinion.
you can think what you want about the state of the train, but if you don't reply to the people doing it..the discussion doesn't fall their way. I know it is hard to ignore racism as one sees it. But if you discuss with people you know, or even ones you don't who are at the very least slightly respectful, you won't have a problem. Ignore them. It is pretty simple.
Byrnzie, are you really letting them get to you?
They go home, put a few posts up, laugh at the reaction and move on...seems like you are letting it get to you.
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
People are showing signs of discrimination against another each time they are unkind,
insulting and disrespectful of another's beliefs.
Consider ...
this is also a related form of racism and bigotry ...
and also trollish behavior ... using words intended to bring a hurtful emotional response from
one poster or all posters
Post edited by pandora on
0
unsung
I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
large number of intolerant conservative posters that have joined together to spew vitriolic insults.
routinely gang up on one or two intolerant conservatives
The problem is when people try to make a point of saying we should get along they usually manage to still degrade those that don't agree with them...
I'm very conservative when it comes to economic and foreign affairs (BTW that doesn't mean I am a neocon), a bit Libertarian on social issues, and pretty liberal with letting others speak their mind, it just really makes a discussion much better when insults are left out.
i think the train went to shit the moment this became a closed forum to the public (ie Membership Required) ... i know you remember when that happened ... the number of folks logged in to AMT dropped by about 75% immediately following that.
Never recovered, imho.
:(
I can agree with this, it's definitely declined since the switch.
But I really think that the reason this train has derailed is because the smart people - and there's a lot more of them than trolls - simply cannot ignore the trolls, and that gives the trolls ammo to continue trolling and they eventually win because they bring the rest of us down to their level. Find the strength to ignore trolls and we can get this train back on its rails. Trolls thrive on bringing everyone else down and they have been winning more than ever recently.
it has sort of derailed ... mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory ... the other aspect that is killing this forum is that everyone is reporting things to the mods ... that unpeople thread was a perfect example ... the troll comes in, makes ignorant racist comments, gets called a racist, then in turn calls someone else a racist and then decides to report to the mods that someone was launching a personal attack ... the mods don't have time to go through the threads - they just lock them ...
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
it has sort of derailed ... mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory ... the other aspect that is killing this forum is that everyone is reporting things to the mods ... that unpeople thread was a perfect example ... the troll comes in, makes ignorant racist comments, gets called a racist, then in turn calls someone else a racist and then decides to report to the mods that someone was launching a personal attack ... the mods don't have time to go through the threads - they just lock them ...
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
yes it has derailed. nowhere near what it used to be.
many people on here comment on things that they know nothing about and do not even read the presented material. case in point, israel palestine conflict. people who know nothing about it jump in and post a bunch of rubbish without reading anything about it.
the large part is also a big problem as i see it. people post shit knowing they will be reinforced by the peanut gallery.
the other problem is people either knowingly troll or are ignorant of their trolling. there should be a way of telling them... i think the social pressure idea is true. we normally police ourselves very well. until the last year or so when some people decided it was ok to bait people and then report any repercussions.
the idea to go to pay for play, i can see why they did it, but as far as discourse and spreading of knowledge goes, it has been an utter failure...
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
it has sort of derailed ... mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory ... the other aspect that is killing this forum is that everyone is reporting things to the mods ... that unpeople thread was a perfect example ... the troll comes in, makes ignorant racist comments, gets called a racist, then in turn calls someone else a racist and then decides to report to the mods that someone was launching a personal attack ... the mods don't have time to go through the threads - they just lock them ...
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
"mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory"
Ignorant ?...Trolls ? do two wrongs make a right ?
meanwhile in parallel universe, critical thinking and logic were so abundant that people longed for the day when someone uttered incantations of the idiot.
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
Too many hysterical fairies, too much chest beating and not enough people with common sense and or willpower to ignore what they perceive as trollish behaviour. It's not that difficult. Read, ignore and move on.
it has sort of derailed ... mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory ... the other aspect that is killing this forum is that everyone is reporting things to the mods ... that unpeople thread was a perfect example ... the troll comes in, makes ignorant racist comments, gets called a racist, then in turn calls someone else a racist and then decides to report to the mods that someone was launching a personal attack ... the mods don't have time to go through the threads - they just lock them ...
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
I feel those trolls who don't know they are being trollish have been here a very long time,
since I began reading only.
They are the ones insulting others, the unkind and rude.
This derails AMT the most, in my opinion.
Peanut gallery clicks of hecklers and abusers ... yes that seems to happen when 'rescuing'
another poster or singling a poster out.
Partisanship has always been here since as long as I have read
but it is called liberal/conservative, left/right
no one seems to like Republican/Democrat ... are those dirty words?
May be a sign of how everyone feels about their government.
Derailed? Nope. It's a constantly moving train man, things change, people come and go, it's evolution baby.
I think the "trolls" you are referring to are the reaction to what the Train use to be in the past.
The single biggest threat to honest discourse here is the "Report to Mods". Take that away and everything works itself out in time.
The second worst thing I see here is the pilling on that goes on. I'm not talking about just on the overtly racist, etc comments, but just the difference of opinion.
meanwhile in parallel universe, critical thinking and logic were so abundant that people longed for the day when someone uttered incantations of the idiot.
it has sort of derailed ... mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory ... the other aspect that is killing this forum is that everyone is reporting things to the mods ... that unpeople thread was a perfect example ... the troll comes in, makes ignorant racist comments, gets called a racist, then in turn calls someone else a racist and then decides to report to the mods that someone was launching a personal attack ... the mods don't have time to go through the threads - they just lock them ...
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
yes it has derailed. nowhere near what it used to be.
many people on here comment on things that they know nothing about and do not even read the presented material. case in point, israel palestine conflict. people who know nothing about it jump in and post a bunch of rubbish without reading anything about it.
the large part is also a big problem as i see it. people post shit knowing they will be reinforced by the peanut gallery.
the other problem is people either knowingly troll or are ignorant of their trolling. there should be a way of telling them... i think the social pressure idea is true. we normally police ourselves very well. until the last year or so when some people decided it was ok to bait people and then report any repercussions.
the idea to go to pay for play, i can see why they did it, but as far as discourse and spreading of knowledge goes, it has been an utter failure...
Also with the thread about the republican candidates, the media and gay marriage.
I thought that was not intended to be another should gays have the right to marry
but it became another debate on just that.
Why?
debating core beliefs is just arguing in my opinion ... futile
At the risk of sounding pompous and/or sanctimonious, what the fuck is going on here lately? The Train has sunk to it's lowest point in the past five years, in my opinion.
Racists, trolls, self-proclaimed friends of 'God' himself, bigots....
I created a thread on a recent article of Chomsky's discussing racism in the present day, and the thread descended into a racist tirade against Africans, and personal attacks on other posters. The thread was then locked.
I've had a few pm's over the past 24 hours praising my comments in a thread saying how this place has become filled with bullshit.
Is this place really representative of Pearl Jam anymore? I could be wrong, but doesn't this band represent intelligence, imagination, conscientious activism, (I hesitate to say 'left-wing' because that term doesn't really mean anything to me) - feel free to add your own adjectives.....
There have always been people of all different persuasions - political or otherwise - on here locking horns, and generally stating their points of view, but lately this place seems to have been overrun by some pretty shitty characters. What the fuck is going on? Is this indicative of the U.S in general?
I just don't get it. How does this band attract racists, or bigots? Do people not listen to their lyrics, or listen to Ed speak between songs, or pay any attention to their activism outside of the band? What would cause someone who says 'I love the death penalty' to follow this band? It would be like me deciding to become a fan of Ted Nugent, or Mick Hucknall. I would need a fucking lobotomy first.
And, yeah, I know I'm not perfect. I know I really shouldn't post pictures of mutant Ninja turtle armchair warriors, and Yoda. But really, I used to come here knowing that on any given day I could find an engaging topic, discussion, debate, news item, e.t.c. But now it's just gotten to resemble a school playground with shit-slinging and ignorance being the norm.
Answers on a postcard please...
I agree you are pompous and sanctimonious, but you are mostly right on this, I know I jump in on a couple of issues and post the right wing neo con nut job rebuttal garbage that riles some of you up, but its just for balance, I have done this on and off for around 7 years now. I use to get some level headed responses, reasoned debeate about a point or two, actually have some back and forth, the past year its been flames. Fall outside the excepted mindset of the cool kids catch flak from all directions, sorry but the community at large here has issues (that may be indicative of all of society) of partisianship, arrogance and delusion.
"The really important thing is not to live, but to live well. And to live well meant, along with more enjoyable things in life, to live according to your principles."
— Socrates
Racists, trolls, self-proclaimed friends of 'God' himself, bigots....
Your words are hurtful. I'm taking the bus and you will NOT see me at the pankake social tomorrow.
Name calling is not ok. Many people leave this place after a short visit with a thread like "I'm outta here" and they talk about how they get ganged up on by the majority of space takers. Then the space takers say something like "later", or a cute handclap emoticon.
Since these types were purged, many space takers thought things were great. Nobody would coutner their words because they were already taken out by the bullies.
i also fear that there is much Obama induced anger with broken promises and shattered dreams. This results in a pervasive sense of depression I tend to see coming through with angry words.
there are a few people that are friendly with each other on all sides of the debate because they for the most part agree on certain things and have been here for years debating things. sometimes friendships develop. sometimes more-than-friendships develop. i have had both. i met many great people in person at pj20. some of which hated my guts based on my views. we had a beer and we get along now. but people having friendships does not automatically mean there are "cool kids" and "not cool kids".
to me, that viewpoint implies there is a separation that the mods show favoritism in their meting of bans,warnings, etc...
i have never seen that favoritism. i have seen people like byrnzie get incredibly long bans for things that were not as bad as some of the flames and personal attacks that i have seen here in the last year. in the last 6 weeks even... i have been banned before for publicly responding in an overwhelming fashion to personal attacks...i deserved it. but looking back, none of the people i disagree with are worth getting banned over.
rule of thumb for those who don't know...if most of your posts are responded to in a mean way, you are most likely viewed to be trolling. whether those are your motives or not, if you post in a juvenile way, you don't get respect from people. this makes me think i am the troll sometimes, as i usually get juvenile, not thought out responses.... i just try to make people see things in ways that they never considered before. and when you challenge people's ways of thinking, they either give your views credence or attack you. that is just how people are.
"You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry." - Lincoln
Why do people try to make this board something that it isn't. We are pearl jam fans discussing political/social topics. I see people post here all the time about this board being some beacon of truth and knowledge.
There was a reason I went 6 months without posting, and probably won't in the future. Its a waste of time discussing topics with people who spend more time justifying their stance (or parties stance) than actually discussing the issues and acknowledging the grey areas...
I have never seen a discussion settled, people make the most extreme examples and then call out others for doing the same.
People also put way to much importance into what Eddie and the boys say. I am sorry but just because Eddie Vedder has all the money and time in the world does not make him well read/educated on every topic he speaks on. Anyone wonder why hes not been very political after having two kids?
People like Byrnzie are another reason why I don't post here, the dude thinks everything he say's is right and fact based. I guess he forgot about the gun threads he posted in...
Way to many hypocrites here...
0
brianlux
Moving through All Kinds of Terrain. Posts: 42,430
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
- Isaac Asimov
I always wondered why it's ok to generalize Americans as a whole. Hmmm....
I googled Isaac Asimov and it turns out he is a liberal, feminist, environmentalist, atheist, and a liberal.
:shock:
I'm just as shocked as everyone else!
The real deal is that not everyone is dumb, but when someone doesn't agree with your views, you think they are dumb. Issac had a lot of views that a majority of Americans didn't agree or share. Thus, he believes the majority is ignorant.
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
- Isaac Asimov
What Asimov was referring to was the people who don't even try. It is even more tragic on AMT because here people are trying
Everything not forbidden is compulsory and eveything not compulsory is forbidden. You are free... free to do what the government says you can do.
"There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there always has been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'"
- Isaac Asimov
What Asimov was referring to was the people who don't even try. It is even more tragic on AMT because here people are trying
there are few people trying to be dicks it seems, and loving it actually...I get a kick out of how many times people reply to them...
there are others who simply don't think like you. It is pretty easy to tell them apart...
you don't have to bite. it would take about 3 threads of ignoring before the fun wears off.
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
there are few people trying to be dicks it seems, and loving it actually...I get a kick out of how many times people reply to them...
there are others who simply don't think like you. It is pretty easy to tell them apart...
you don't have to bite. it would take about 3 threads of ignoring before the fun wears off.
I used to get a kick out of it but it's lost its luster. It drags the whole forum down especially when a thread is titled that in the new year they're going to keep a resolution of ignoring these people... yet everyone doesn't ignore them...including the OP! Why is it so difficult to ignore around here???
there are few people trying to be dicks it seems, and loving it actually...I get a kick out of how many times people reply to them...
there are others who simply don't think like you. It is pretty easy to tell them apart...
you don't have to bite. it would take about 3 threads of ignoring before the fun wears off.
I used to get a kick out of it but it's lost its luster. It drags the whole forum down especially when a thread is titled that in the new year they're going to keep a resolution of ignoring these people... yet everyone doesn't ignore them...including the OP! Why is it so difficult to ignore around here???
that was a great thread.
that’s right! Can’t we all just get together and focus on our real enemies: monogamous gays and stem cells… - Ned Flanders
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
Comments
this where the answer lies.
Most of these words can be related to just about everyone here,
both sides, all people.
We are all free to start threads and express what is important to us.
We are all free to ignore threads we do not enjoy, have an opinion on,
or that cause us to be unkind to another poster.
This could be the goal in AMT in my opinion, civil respectful debate, not name calling,
classifications, judgments, hate. When I came here all these things were going on,
very negative, very hateful. If anything, there seems to be a more kinder and gentler
spirit about, although some do not want to partake in that.
Remember we are all people with feelings that can get hurt.
I think if we can meet this goal, throw each other a RAFT, all of us,
Respect
Appreciation
Forgiveness
Trust
things will continue to improve.
Derailed?
Then it is up to us put it back on track ... just like the world in general.
For me this is just me I do not have to share the same opinions to love another
human being. To love only those you agree with is very easy.
Our world needs us to love those we do not agree with.... in my opinion.
Byrnzie, are you really letting them get to you?
They go home, put a few posts up, laugh at the reaction and move on...seems like you are letting it get to you.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
insulting and disrespectful of another's beliefs.
Consider ...
this is also a related form of racism and bigotry ...
and also trollish behavior ... using words intended to bring a hurtful emotional response from
one poster or all posters
The problem is when people try to make a point of saying we should get along they usually manage to still degrade those that don't agree with them...
I'm very conservative when it comes to economic and foreign affairs (BTW that doesn't mean I am a neocon), a bit Libertarian on social issues, and pretty liberal with letting others speak their mind, it just really makes a discussion much better when insults are left out.
I can agree with this, it's definitely declined since the switch.
But I really think that the reason this train has derailed is because the smart people - and there's a lot more of them than trolls - simply cannot ignore the trolls, and that gives the trolls ammo to continue trolling and they eventually win because they bring the rest of us down to their level. Find the strength to ignore trolls and we can get this train back on its rails. Trolls thrive on bringing everyone else down and they have been winning more than ever recently.
there is also an influx of what i like to call the peanut gallery ... they basically hop on threads and champion anyone who shares their viewpoint regardless of how ridiculous that comment is ...
and lastly ... forums usually police themselves through social pressure ... for example if i say obama is the son of the devil and he should be sent to kenya where he is really from ... there should be a bunch of people saying that my comments are wrong and inappropriate from all sides of the political spectrum ... right now tho - there seems to be some partisanship on this board ...
many people on here comment on things that they know nothing about and do not even read the presented material. case in point, israel palestine conflict. people who know nothing about it jump in and post a bunch of rubbish without reading anything about it.
the large part is also a big problem as i see it. people post shit knowing they will be reinforced by the peanut gallery.
the other problem is people either knowingly troll or are ignorant of their trolling. there should be a way of telling them... i think the social pressure idea is true. we normally police ourselves very well. until the last year or so when some people decided it was ok to bait people and then report any repercussions.
the idea to go to pay for play, i can see why they did it, but as far as discourse and spreading of knowledge goes, it has been an utter failure...
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
"mostly because there has been an influx of trolls who don't even know they are trolls ... they are so ignorant that they don't realize what they are posting is inflammatory"
I feel those trolls who don't know they are being trollish have been here a very long time,
since I began reading only.
They are the ones insulting others, the unkind and rude.
This derails AMT the most, in my opinion.
Peanut gallery clicks of hecklers and abusers ... yes that seems to happen when 'rescuing'
another poster or singling a poster out.
Partisanship has always been here since as long as I have read
but it is called liberal/conservative, left/right
no one seems to like Republican/Democrat ... are those dirty words?
May be a sign of how everyone feels about their government.
I think the "trolls" you are referring to are the reaction to what the Train use to be in the past.
The single biggest threat to honest discourse here is the "Report to Mods". Take that away and everything works itself out in time.
The second worst thing I see here is the pilling on that goes on. I'm not talking about just on the overtly racist, etc comments, but just the difference of opinion.
Godfather.
I thought that was not intended to be another should gays have the right to marry
but it became another debate on just that.
Why?
debating core beliefs is just arguing in my opinion ... futile
I agree you are pompous and sanctimonious, but you are mostly right on this, I know I jump in on a couple of issues and post the right wing neo con nut job rebuttal garbage that riles some of you up, but its just for balance, I have done this on and off for around 7 years now. I use to get some level headed responses, reasoned debeate about a point or two, actually have some back and forth, the past year its been flames. Fall outside the excepted mindset of the cool kids catch flak from all directions, sorry but the community at large here has issues (that may be indicative of all of society) of partisianship, arrogance and delusion.
— Socrates
Your words are hurtful. I'm taking the bus and you will NOT see me at the pankake social tomorrow.
Name calling is not ok. Many people leave this place after a short visit with a thread like "I'm outta here" and they talk about how they get ganged up on by the majority of space takers. Then the space takers say something like "later", or a cute handclap emoticon.
Since these types were purged, many space takers thought things were great. Nobody would coutner their words because they were already taken out by the bullies.
i also fear that there is much Obama induced anger with broken promises and shattered dreams. This results in a pervasive sense of depression I tend to see coming through with angry words.
That is why I'm here. To help.
there are a few people that are friendly with each other on all sides of the debate because they for the most part agree on certain things and have been here for years debating things. sometimes friendships develop. sometimes more-than-friendships develop. i have had both. i met many great people in person at pj20. some of which hated my guts based on my views. we had a beer and we get along now. but people having friendships does not automatically mean there are "cool kids" and "not cool kids".
to me, that viewpoint implies there is a separation that the mods show favoritism in their meting of bans,warnings, etc...
i have never seen that favoritism. i have seen people like byrnzie get incredibly long bans for things that were not as bad as some of the flames and personal attacks that i have seen here in the last year. in the last 6 weeks even... i have been banned before for publicly responding in an overwhelming fashion to personal attacks...i deserved it. but looking back, none of the people i disagree with are worth getting banned over.
rule of thumb for those who don't know...if most of your posts are responded to in a mean way, you are most likely viewed to be trolling. whether those are your motives or not, if you post in a juvenile way, you don't get respect from people. this makes me think i am the troll sometimes, as i usually get juvenile, not thought out responses.... i just try to make people see things in ways that they never considered before. and when you challenge people's ways of thinking, they either give your views credence or attack you. that is just how people are.
"Well, you tell him that I don't talk to suckas."
There was a reason I went 6 months without posting, and probably won't in the future. Its a waste of time discussing topics with people who spend more time justifying their stance (or parties stance) than actually discussing the issues and acknowledging the grey areas...
I have never seen a discussion settled, people make the most extreme examples and then call out others for doing the same.
People also put way to much importance into what Eddie and the boys say. I am sorry but just because Eddie Vedder has all the money and time in the world does not make him well read/educated on every topic he speaks on. Anyone wonder why hes not been very political after having two kids?
People like Byrnzie are another reason why I don't post here, the dude thinks everything he say's is right and fact based. I guess he forgot about the gun threads he posted in...
Way to many hypocrites here...
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7m95o ... -hat_music
-Eddie Vedder, "Smile"
Keep fighting the good fight my comrades. Goodbye AMT. God Bless you all.
out
WOOT!
- Isaac Asimov
I always wondered why it's ok to generalize Americans as a whole. Hmmm....
:shock:
I'm just as shocked as everyone else!
The real deal is that not everyone is dumb, but when someone doesn't agree with your views, you think they are dumb. Issac had a lot of views that a majority of Americans didn't agree or share. Thus, he believes the majority is ignorant.
See ya next week!
Interesting article that speaks more to how to deal with any difference of opinion then it does the specific topic it identifies.
What Asimov was referring to was the people who don't even try. It is even more tragic on AMT because here people are trying
there are few people trying to be dicks it seems, and loving it actually...I get a kick out of how many times people reply to them...
there are others who simply don't think like you. It is pretty easy to tell them apart...
you don't have to bite. it would take about 3 threads of ignoring before the fun wears off.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan
I used to get a kick out of it but it's lost its luster. It drags the whole forum down especially when a thread is titled that in the new year they're going to keep a resolution of ignoring these people... yet everyone doesn't ignore them...including the OP! Why is it so difficult to ignore around here???
that was a great thread.
It is terrifying when you are too stupid to know who is dumb
- Joe Rogan