We are a part of the problem

[JoeWeber 2,299]

We think we're smart and we think we have focus but....,..,

Just take any thread we've been developing and ask your self if you truly believe we are helping with our contributions. We make ourselves feel better, sure, but mostly we are pandering. We are going nowhere fast and often think that busting Brents balls is worth our time. There are big problems in the world and there is a lot of brain power here engaged dealing with trivial notions. How can we break free of that and make SC serious?

[brenthutch 383]

5 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

We think we're smart and we think we have focus but....,..,

Just take any thread we've been developing and ask your self if you truly believe we are helping with our contributions. We make ourselves feel better, sure, but mostly we are pandering. We are going nowhere fast and often think that busting Brents balls is worth our time. There are big problems in the world and there is a lot of brain power here engaged dealing with trivial notions. How can we break free of that and make SC serious?

Actually I encourage the push back, I want my ideas to withstand the crucible of criticism and the test of time. My sauce would indeed be week if I were to cry every time my notions were challenged 

[JoeWeber 2,299]

Just now, brenthutch said:

Actually I encourage the push back, I want my ideas to withstand the crucible of criticism and the test of time. My sauce would indeed be week if I were to cry every time my notions were challenged 

Alone here, I think you are serious. Wrong mostly, but a believer. It's the rest of us I worry about.

[JerryBaumchen 1,048]

3 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

We think we're smart and we think we have focus but....,..,

Just take any thread we've been developing and ask your self if you truly believe we are helping with our contributions. We make ourselves feel better, sure, but mostly we are pandering. We are going nowhere fast and often think that busting Brents balls is worth our time. There are big problems in the world and there is a lot of brain power here engaged dealing with trivial notions. How can we break free of that and make SC serious?

Hi Joe,

In 1990, on my first arrival in Sydney, Australia, as I walked out of the airport with my baggage, I had to take a leak, badly.

I happened to look left & saw sign that said GENTS.  I went inside & stood in front of a stainless steel wall with water running down.

Now, you may think that we are just pissing on the wall; but, I like to think that if we can get even one person to change their support of the Orange Bloviate, then it is worth it.

Besides, look at how much fun it is.  

Jerry Baumchen

 

Edited December 15, 2023 by JerryBaumchen

[gowlerk 1,914]

24 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

There are big problems in the world and there is a lot of brain power here engaged dealing with trivial notions. How can we break free of that and make SC serious?

SC is entertainment and sometimes mentally stimulating. At least that is what I find it to be. That's why I ignore those who are not entertaining me. Trolls are quite droll, boring, and uninteresting. They are entertaining themselves at your expense without contributing much of value. When a poster becomes intellectually dishonest and predictable they go onto my "special list".
 

[gowlerk 1,914]

17 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Alone here, I think you are serious. Wrong mostly, but a believer.

It is not the beliefs or the positions taken that cause me to turn away. It is the redundant daily new topics, the style, and the ridicule of others that I won't tolerate. The frequent time outs come for a good reason.

[JoeWeber 2,299]

1 hour ago, gowlerk said:

SC is entertainment and sometimes mentally stimulating. At least that is what I find it to be. That's why I ignore those who are not entertaining me. Trolls are quite droll, boring, and uninteresting. They are entertaining themselves at your expense without contributing much of value. When a poster becomes intellectually dishonest and predictable they go onto my "special list".
 

You make my point in spades as do others here. Sure lets joke but if it's the entertainment you need above all else, then you are in the right place.

[gowlerk 1,914]

13 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

You make my point in spades as do others here. Sure lets joke but if it's the entertainment you need above all else, then you are in the right place.

I was not joking. I truly believe you are taking this place too seriously. It can’t be what you seem to be asking for and remain open to all.

Edited December 15, 2023 by gowlerk

[billvon 2,400]

3 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

Just take any thread we've been developing and ask your self if you truly believe we are helping with our contributions.

I honestly have no idea who we would be helping here.

I know we help some people in the S+T and Incidents forum; I've heard from some of those people personally.  But this forum?  I don't think it helps anyone.  It's entertainment.  At best someone might see something from a new perspective (I have on occasion) but that certainly isn't the goal.

I did an experiment a while back where you could add [ON TOPIC[ to any thread and I would moderate it so as to remove any trolling/off topic posting but no one was very interested in that.  My conclusion is that most people are here for fun - to talk to other people about random stuff and vent their spleen over the latest outrage.

And if that ability makes people feel just a little better?  That's reason enough for the forum, even if we aren't dealing with the "big problems" of the world.  I do that every day; this place is more for fun than anything to further saving the world.

[wmw999 2,123]

I know a couple of people who admitted (one on the forum and one to me in a PM) to being convinced to modify their views based on arguments in here. No, it wasn’t “the Wendy show;” I had nothing to do with one, and only some with the other.

But I do know that I’ve learned things here, and I like that.

Wendy P. 

[Phil1111 911]

11 hours ago, JoeWeber said:

... There are big problems in the world and there is a lot of brain power here engaged dealing with trivial notions. How can we break free of that and make SC serious?

IMO most of the issues here are serious. Corrupt politics, environmental hypocrisy, etc. "Serious" means e-mailing political and corporate leaders directly in an effort to influence direction. Taking direct political and social actions.

Keep in mind that humor, dialogue, etc. in relation to these issues is a way to define the issues in our minds. A way of coping because real influence in these equations only comes once every four years or so. We can watch the news and pound the table. We can do what we can individually to address the issues. We can reflect on the discourse here.

Knowing that the batsh*t crazies are few and far between. That they define what we are up against within the general population, the great unwashed so to speak.

 

[airdvr 197]

I've stated in the past that SC has helped me adjust many of my views on things.  We all live in an echo chamber.  Step out of your comfort zone and you might find your views change too.

[GeorgiaDon 340]

I have learned things here, or at least become more aware and understanding of some other points of view.  Even if I still disagree with that point of view, I may learn that it isn't as unreasonable as I first thought.  It's difficult to discuss some topics at work, and anyway people at work (and my friends too) mostly are academics, and so they tend to lean a certain way.  There are a couple who are quite conservative, but I learned long ago that it is best to avoid discussing certain topics with them, and we get along well as long as those topics are avoided.  Same-sex marriage, for example, has nothing to do with my work, so it would be stupid to wreck a friendly and productive work partnership over an irrelevant disagreement where we will never change each other's minds.  For the same reason I would never bring up these topics at the drop zone.  On the other hand I can come to Speaker's Corner and hear a variety of opinions about a lot of topics from people who are for the most part well read and quite articulate.  Sometimes quite amusing as well!  Even BH occasionally prompts me to go look things up and develop a counter-argument, even if I don't always end up posting it.  A very few people would post nothing but irritating drivel, but putting them on "ignore" makes the place much more entertaining.

[winsor 186]

18 hours ago, gowlerk said:

SC is entertainment and sometimes mentally stimulating. At least that is what I find it to be. That's why I ignore those who are not entertaining me. Trolls are quite droll, boring, and uninteresting. They are entertaining themselves at your expense without contributing much of value. When a poster becomes intellectually dishonest and predictable they go onto my "special list".
 

There are all too many posters whose response to a contrary stance is limited to ad hominem and snark.

Given my use of a killfile, there are rather a few threads that are almost empty.  I find this to be a vast improvement over the version that lacked a killfile, though the killfile feature here no longer filters out dreck from moderators.  That I miss.

[wmw999 2,123]

6 hours ago, winsor said:

There are all too many posters whose response to a contrary stance is limited to ad hominem and snark.

Given my use of a killfile, there are rather a few threads that are almost empty.  I find this to be a vast improvement over the version that lacked a killfile, though the killfile feature here no longer filters out dreck from moderators.  That I miss.

S’OK; the moderators can’t filter out anyone’s dreck. Knowing that others have to read ours is a small but significant comfort. Kind of like a puppy.

Wendy P. 

[JoeWeber 2,299]

Here's a wonderfully cheery thing that might not help anyone here:  

 

[normiss 622]

7 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Here's a wonderfully cheery thing that might not help anyone here:  

 

Artistic performance art, with Jazz and tap - both American performance arts.....why the idiotic outrage over this??

[JoeWeber 2,299]

19 minutes ago, wmw999 said:

S’OK; the moderators can’t filter out anyone’s dreck. Knowing that others have to read ours is a small but significant comfort. Kind of like a puppy.

Wendy P. 

And then we have our own disappointment: BillVon. We still stand waiting hopefully staring at our microwaves, at the crosswalk we wait head down like cows for the red guy to be a green guy at the crosswalk and then moo as we continue, and then there is the DMV. Am I alone believing he needs to quit dicking around over making his two buck a month electric bill less and start working on real problems?

[normiss 622]

22 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

And then we have our own disappointment: BillVon. We still stand waiting hopefully staring at our microwaves, at the crosswalk we wait head down like cows for the red guy to be a green guy at the crosswalk and then moo as we continue, and then there is the DMV. Am I alone believing he needs to quit dicking around over making his two buck a month electric bill less and start working on real problems?

Damn dude. Where do you get your weed from? That shit is messing you the fuck up.

[billvon 2,400]

51 minutes ago, JoeWeber said:

Am I alone believing he needs to quit dicking around over making his two buck a month electric bill less and start working on real problems?

SIX bucks a month.  SIX bucks.  I have real problems here that you are trivializing.

[JoeWeber 2,299]

1 minute ago, billvon said:

SIX bucks a month.  SIX bucks.  I have real problems here that you are trivializing.

Well excuuuuuuse me! 

[winsor 186]

8 hours ago, wmw999 said:

S’OK; the moderators can’t filter out anyone’s dreck. Knowing that others have to read ours is a small but significant comfort. Kind of like a puppy.

Wendy P. 

Skipping over anything following a warning label avatar is straightforward, so one needn't read the dreck form any source.

Having said that, it's nice to be able to use a passive filter.