Australian Politics Forum - Are forums like this slowly dying?

Yadda

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #30 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:36pm

Mnemonic wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 4:26pm:

perceptions_now wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 3:37pm:

I'll give you the interested individuals, BUT it would be a big strecht to also refer to many of those individuals as "intellectuals".

Everyone likes to think they are intellectuals. That's why we have insults and name-calling here: ie. moron, leftard, rightard, retard, idiot, juliar. They're all the examples I can think of off the top of my head. People think that by putting others down that it makes them look better. What results is threads filled with ad hominems, people nitpicking on silly little spelling and grammar mistakes, one-upmanship and contests to show who is better and who is more stupid. When this happens, the quality of discussion declines because people stop debating the issue at hand.

Some of the language here is crude, like for example when people say that someone or something is "retarded." That's short for "mentally retarded." The words "retard" or "retarded" has become so commonly used, that now it's like a shortcut for anyone who wants to claim someone or something is "stupid," without much of an explanation as to why. Other examples are "pissing off," the F-word, BS (for bull-shyte) and others which I can't remember right now.

Crude words are much like a knee-jerk reaction, something people say on impulse without really thinking. It's like farting in the room and not caring where the smell goes. An occasional fart is fine because eventually the gas disperses and the smell dilutes, but when everyone does it, it makes the whole room stink. Yet, this is what happens in the forums. People are swearing and using crude and unsophisticated language, lazy expressions and incomplete reasoning and it makes the forums stink. There is too much flatulence in the forums. I am afraid that one day someone will light a match and the methane gas will ignite.

I remember when i was a child [about 10yrs old], an adult tried to explain the reason for swearing to me;

She said, some people swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly].

She was 'putting down' persons that swore at, and around others.

I remembered what she told me.

It made sense to me, as that child.

"People swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly]."

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"....And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Luke 16:31

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Lord Herbert Gold Member Offline Posts: 34441 Gender:	Re: Are forums like this slowly dying? Reply #31 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:45pm Alinta wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:31pm: Still reckon there's a subtle (or not so subtle) element of elitism in perceiving someone as either "normal" or "intellectual" Classless societies are a Marxist pipe-dream. Elitists are needed by the common swill to organise and run things.
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Yadda Gold Member Offline Posts: 21614 A cat with a view	Re: Are forums like this slowly dying? Reply #32 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:45pm freediver wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:21pm: True, but some are more normal than others. LOL!!!!!
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John Smith

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #33 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:49pm

Yadda wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:36pm:

People swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly]."

I don't believe that is the case anymore ...swearing has become so commoly used and accepted that these days people swear because it's the easiest and most direct way to say it. Things change.

Where you were once considered a whore if you wore a 2 piece bikini in public, these days we just accept it and think nothing of it. Swearing has moved on as well.

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Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

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Yadda

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #34 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:59pm

John Smith wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:49pm:

Yadda wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:36pm:

People swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly]."

I don't believe that is the case anymore

...swearing has become so commoly used and accepted that these days people swear because it's the easiest and most direct way to say it. Things change.

Where you were once considered a whore if you wore a 2 piece bikini in public, these days we just accept it and think nothing of it.

Swearing has moved on as well.

I don't agree with that view.

I think that it, swearing, still reveals the inferior [lazy] mind.

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"....And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Luke 16:31

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Grey

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #35 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:02pm

I was there right at the begining on what was almost certainly the first and biggest forum - Guardian Unlimited Talk. It closed suddenly, the only 'reason' given was "we can't tell you".

http://www.guardian.co.uk/help/insideguardian/2011/feb/28/guardian-unlimited-tal...

It certainly felt like 'community', had its own language in some ways, buzz words and phrases. People met and married, people met for a fight

, but it's interesting because this Talkboard (OzPolitic) is the most similar to GUT I've found since, though very much smaller.

Of course much conjecture has gone on about why GUT closed. Actually I think the main reason was it was too large to police and there were national security implications for that. I know for a fact that Al Quaeda posted on it from time to time with uncensored links to beheadings and how to go about joining instructions for Islamic hotheads.

There was also the conjecture that it had fallen to the lowest common denominators. I'm not sure how true that was, it was true to an extent. A handfull of idiots can really muck up a conversation.

One thing that frustrates me here, is that conversations, (threads) are so short. I'd like to have a list of favourites that are a constant for months. You're lucky if they last a week.

Forums are a disappointment and haven't lived up to there early promise that's for damn sure. But I have hope that they may evolve like any society.

(Awwww they missed me

http://notthetalk.com/discussion/top/1947

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« Last Edit: Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:36pm by Grey »

"It is in the shelter of each other that the people live" - Irish Proverb

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freediver Gold Member Offline www.ozpolitic.com Posts: 48834 At my desk.	Re: Are forums like this slowly dying? Reply #36 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:03pm I'm with Yadda on this one. It's not exactly creative. A lot of newspaper owned forums are shutting down for the simple reason that it is not profitable if you have to pay someone to moderate it, and there is no way to stop people complaining to paid employees about what is on there.
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John Smith

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #37 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:05pm

Yadda wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:59pm:

John Smith wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:49pm:

Yadda wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:36pm:

People swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly]."

I don't believe that is the case anymore

...swearing has become so commoly used and accepted that these days people swear because it's the easiest and most direct way to say it. Things change.

Where you were once considered a whore if you wore a 2 piece bikini in public, these days we just accept it and think nothing of it.

Swearing has moved on as well.

I don't agree with that view.

I think that it, swearing, still reveals the inferior [lazy] mind.

It's the direction we are going in ... it's becoming more and more common and accepted, .... deny it all you want, it won't change anything.

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Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

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Bobby.

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #38 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:11pm

longweekend58 wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:44pm:

Bobby. wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:20pm:

Perceptions,
Quote:

I'll give you the interested individuals, BUT it would be a big strecht
to also refer to many of those individuals as "intellectuals".

Just look at Maqqa & Longweakend?

Hi Perceptions,
but then again it's always funny to have someone in the class who
wears the dunces hat - as they seem to all the time.

compared to you??? the person who spent 6 years at uni mowing the lawns?

One problem with forums is that some posters get
jealous of other people's education.
They can't cope with continuously losing arguments & often resort
to accusations of homosexuality as ad hominem abuse.

Still it can be quite amusing at times.

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greggerypeccary

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #39 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:12pm

Yadda wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:36pm:

"People swear at others, because they [the swearer] don't know how to express themselves [properly]."

Couldn't disagree more.

If I call someone a c*nt, it's because that's exactly how I feel at the time.

If I were to call them a rotter, I would not be expressing myself properly.

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greggerypeccary

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #40 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:14pm

Bobby. wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:11pm:

longweekend58 wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:44pm:

Bobby. wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:20pm:

Perceptions,
Quote:

I'll give you the interested individuals, BUT it would be a big strecht
to also refer to many of those individuals as "intellectuals".

Just look at Maqqa & Longweakend?

Hi Perceptions,
but then again it's always funny to have someone in the class who
wears the dunces hat - as they seem to all the time.

compared to you??? the person who spent 6 years at uni mowing the lawns?

One problem with forums is that some posters get
jealous of other people's education.
They can't cope with continuously losing arguments & often resort
to accusations of homosexuality as ad hominem abuse.

Still it can be quite amusing at times.

And didn't we see a perfect example of that last night?

So long Political Animal Grin

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Mnemonic

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #41 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:17pm

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:45pm:

I used to think in the early days of my membership to this forum that it was populated by the younger generation, but apparently that's not the case. Apparently, there are quite a number of older posters here. There is definitely a "childishness" present here that tests your faith in the capacities of your fellow human beings.

I got the impression early on that it was just a bunch of rough, rude people who were in the habit of swearing and using profane language. With regards to "youngsters," I'd say that sometimes on the Internet, you wonder if you're dealing with knowledgeable youngsters or older people who act like children, people who are supposed to impart their wisdom to the younger generation but end up setting a bad example. The younger generation grow up and become just like them, continuing the vicious cycle.

They use words like moron, leftard, rightard, retard, pissing off, f*ck, bull-sh*t, bitch, bigot. Even if they don't say something immediately insulting, they attack you in some other way, like saying you're ignorant, what you've written is drivel or that your idea is stupid. Having to read a rude post and being offended isn't the worst thing. It's when they don't elaborate or fail to even communicate what the problem is but act like they've made their point when they haven't. What I also find uncomfortable is why such rudeness was even necessary. Is there something so hideously wrong with me or my views that they have to speak to me in such a way? If not, their rudeness wasn't necessary and I wonder if they're doing it for the rush of testosterone.

I appreciate most people's views and ideas, even those conflicting with my own. What I don't appreciate is insults or views that I find condescending, patronising or snobbish.

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:50pm:

But anyway, Freediver hits on the central point that this childishness is due to these types of forums being opened up to the "normal person." Many of these "normal people" think they are an expert on all things. There are a few posters here, though, that definitely know their topic, and they are always worth reading because of that.

"Know-all's" are the most annoying kinds of people. They're the kind of people who consistently tell you you're wrong when they "disagree" with you. They think they "know" better than you, but the question isn't whether they're right or not. It's their failure to understand why you think differently. If they were really that smart, they would know why we all end up with different views. They would at least have the imagination to visualise how you might have come up with the views you have.

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Mnemonic

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #42 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:21pm

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:58pm:

moses wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:48pm:

What's an intellectual?

Someone knowledgeable on a topic, or a number of topics, who also possesses critical thinking skills?

No, intellectuals are more than that. They know their topics in depth and they are very "professional" about it. Intellectuals know enough about their topics to explain any relevant problem to ordinary people and they treat it like it's their job. They treat their "topics" with great care and know them in great detail. They know the subtle differences between different arguments, to the point where they can show how something people normally think is "bad" can be "good" under certain conditions. I'm not saying they're spin doctors, however.

People who aren't "intellectual" have gaps in their knowledge and often have to resort to insults to make their point.

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Mnemonic Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 1530 Melbourne Gender:	Re: Are forums like this slowly dying? Reply #43 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:23pm Alinta wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 6:31pm: Still reckon there's a subtle (or not so subtle) element of elitism in perceiving someone as either "normal" or "intellectual" Most of us here are normal.
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Lobo

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Re: Are forums like this slowly dying?
Reply #44 - Apr 14^th, 2013 at 7:26pm

Postmodern Trendoid III wrote on Apr 14^th, 2013 at 5:50pm:

But anyway, Freediver hits on the central point that this childishness is due to these types of forums being opened up to the "normal person." Many of these "normal people" think they are an expert on all things. There are a few posters here, though, that definitely know their topic, and they are always worth reading because of that.

Does that mean that OzPolitoc was inhabitated by 'abnormals' before we 'normals' came along??

Cheesy

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"What's in store for me in the direction I don't take?"-Jack Kerouac.

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