Why Do You Spend Your Time Debating Issues Here?

[techweenie]

Purely entertainment value.

[Jeff Higgins]

I find more intelligent people here than I get to deal with in day to day life. Even if I do not agree with every point of view I read here, most of them are at least eloquently stated and relatively well supported. My experiences on other special interest message boards is that most participants are idiots and they are a waste of my time. "Pearls before swine" comes to mind. I don't get that impression here. It would seem P-car ownership, or maybe the means to such, is an effective filter that keeps most of the rif-raf out. I feel like I can engage in meaningful, thought provoking discussions with this crowd. Even if we do enjoy pushing each others buttons from time to time. Or more like all of the time; but at least they are intelligent, well thought out jabs. It's fun.

[VINMAN]

Basically to kill time at work, and to get away from the wife at home!

[dd74]

Originally posted by legion
It started with my desire to enlighten the clueless art majors in college. I thought for certain that once I left academia, I wouldn't see so much ignorance about how the world really works. I have been sorely disappointed.

One of these days, I will get myself a sledgehammer. I will engrave the face of the sledgehammer with the world "Reality". I will go around and hit clueless people in the head with the sledgehammer, in the hope that a little bit of Reality finally gets through their thick skulls.

Art majors? Do you know that some of the first people monitored/arrested/killed in any revolution or through the reign of an authoritative government (like we have now) are artists and writers - i.e. "art majors"?

John Lennon should strike a chord in your head for instance. Salman Rushdie is another person of note.

But then again, artists have much more to say and have much more influence than others who just post on OT forums.

And that's reality, academic or otherwise...

[Christien]

Originally posted by jyl
This is a serious question. Why do you spend time here, debating or discussing or ranting over the issues we talk about on OT?

Hah! Debating? Yeah right. Ranting? More like it. I've taken part in a few [ahem] "discussions" here, then realized the futility of it. I still read lots in OT (mostly as a diversion from actually getting work done ), but rarely if ever anything political. The right vs left gets really tiresome, really fast. Particularly when the steadfast doctrine of a belief system prevents people from seeing any other point of view, to the point where every quote, action, etc must be twisted to prove said doctrine. And while I wouldn't exempt those on the left from this, it's a much more prevalent characteristic of those on the right.

[Rodeo]

I come here to get a sense of who's about to swing a sledgehammer, and which direction it might be coming from. Better safe than sorry

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by legion
One of these days, I will get myself a sledgehammer. I will engrave the face of the sledgehammer with the world "Reality".

You just gave me a great idea for a Christmas gift! That suggestion makes this thread worth it!

THAT IS WHY I FREQUANT THIS SITE!!! (that and camel toes pics)

[Hugh R]

I love watching the path some people take themselves down with their "logic".

[Jeff Higgins]

this is way beter then the rc car forims i goto wear noone can evan spel punkshuashun or evin no howto use it and just rambal on fore evar and dont say much uther then my car roks youre car sucs i beet yuo last week & i geting new car evun faster too kik youre as next week are we racing at bills track oar ar we runing in the dert instad call me on my cel let me no if i can ussum of youre batries chuk rock on doods see you sune

[onewhippedpuppy]

Because I have no life.

[Tobra]

Originally posted by Victor
* Consequence free untill the radical far right contingent chime in and start circle jerkin' that is.

Wow, made it to the third person before it degenerated into name-calling. I find it interesting to hear what people have to say, and I don't discuss politics or religion at work, people are too easily offended on these subjects in real life

[widebody911]

Originally posted by dd74
Art majors? Do you know that some of the first people monitored/arrested/killed in any revolution or through the reign of an authoritative government

I thought they killed all the laywers first.

[Hugh R]

For some of you I think its because your mom won't let you use a magnifying glass to burn and torture ants, so you have to get your kicks burning and torturing other creatures in a new and inventive way.

[legion]

Originally posted by Hugh R
For some of you I think its because your mom won't let you use a magnifying glass to burn and torture ants, so you have to get your kicks burning and torturing other creatures in a new and inventive way.

Okay, you've explained tabs' reason for being here.

[scottmandue]

Originally posted by Jeff Higgins
this is way beter then the rc car forims i goto wear noone can evan spel punkshuashun or evin no howto use it and just rambal on fore evar and dont say much uther then my car roks youre car sucs i beet yuo last week & i geting new car evun faster too kik youre as next week are we racing at bills track oar ar we runing in the dert instad call me on my cel let me no if i can ussum of youre batries chuk rock on doods see you sune

Nuff said!

My dogs breath smells like dog food!

[Victor]

Originally posted by Tobra
Wow, made it to the third person before it degenerated into name-calling. I find it interesting to hear what people have to say, and I don't discuss politics or religion at work, people are too easily offended on these subjects in real life

THAT, my dear friend aint' name calling......stick around long enough and you will see what I mean.

[jkarolyi]

>It would seem P-car ownership, or maybe the means to such, is an effective filter that keeps most of the rif-raf out. I feel like I can engage in meaningful, thought provoking discussions with this crowd. Even if we do enjoy pushing each others buttons from time to time. Or more like all of the time; but at least they are intelligent, well thought out jabs. It's fun.

You nailed it.

[CamB]

Originally posted by Seahawk
Exactly the same here...except that most of my friends are to the right of me in their political views.

I'm like John/Seahawk (I have friends/relatives both sides of me though). More importantly, most don't care much...

I'm under no illusions that anyone with a strongly held view will change it because of anything I'll say. I post in hope that some of those with extremely strong positions will at least consider the other side might have a point, even if it is wrong.

That, and Pelican is the most powerful procrastination tool I've found in my life.

[tabascobobcat]

My wife says that this board is like a soap opera witout the sex (Bring back Grid Girls)

[Seahawk]

Originally posted by CamB
That, and Pelican is the most powerful procrastination tool I've found in my life.

We have a winner...