Here's a challenge to the board in general

[jeffgrant]

Originally Posted by DARISC

Yeah. My point is that also posting this in PARF would further make your point.

And, there ya go. Case in point.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by mossguy

Jeff, it's not just you. i feel exaclty the same way and have begun to avoid OT and PARF. I thread that I started a month or two ago on the subject of civility lasted about two posts before the BS began and it was shipped to PARF. I will continue to lurk, but am less inclined to join in.

That is a shame, because you are well liked.

[Laneco]

We should talk about sex.

We hardly ever argue about that.

angela

[lisa_spyder]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Try not to type something that you wouldn't say to that persons face.

How about NEVER type something you wouldn't say to that person's face.

Some of the stuff I read on here at times......people bang away at their keyboards in a sense of personal fury at being challenged on their point of view; make it personal, try to 'defend' their position by spewing forth with a load of personal insults which have absolutely nothing to do with defending their PoV and then hit send without consideration.

That's a very poor way to conduct a debate or exchange of ideas. When a thread goes downhill with personal insults becoming a defence in a debate or argument my immediate assumption is the offending poster has nothing left to offer.

I get tired of reading some of this BS so therefore I just stop. That means I get out of the thread and maybe, just maybe I may miss something of value in subsequent posts - but I can't be bothered wading through the sh!ite to find it. Also I cannot believe that most of 'you' (collective you) who do this over the net from behind the safety of 'your' keyboard would actually do this in a face to face situation.

Passion is a wonderful emotion - it make us all tick and can define 'who we are'. I love a passionate debate; especially with someone who may have a polar opposite view. I really enjoy the challenge . Who knows, I may even learn something that may alter my perspective...

One wise old saying that I try to live by..."You can never walk a mile in another man's shoes"...therefore I try not to judge, persecute or denegrate anyone. I like to attack an argument; never the person offering it.

[flatbutt]

BOTH ladies make excellent points!

[UconnTim97]

Originally Posted by Laneco

We should talk about sex.

We hardly ever argue about that.

angela

Once again, you have an excellent manner of putting things into perspective.

[BernieP]

I sometimes read a post and think "What an A-Hole" but I'll be the first in line to defend your right to say it. I will never post anything I wouldn't say face to face.

Bernie

[m21sniper]

Originally Posted by Laneco

We should talk about sex.

We hardly ever argue about that.

angela

It's because we don't talk about it that it's not argued about here.

If it was discussed, people would go to blows over who was right about foreplay.

[dondarnell]

I tend to be irreverent. Either it doesn't come off well in bbs, or people just hate me. Hmmmm.

[tevake]

Originally Posted by jeffgrant

I find that I'm perusing the forums less and less lately, primarily due to the immediate sniping and poo-flinging that happens in most of the threads between a small group of "regulars".

Everyone seems to have their own little arch enemy on here, and feels it's their obligation to make some BS comment in reply to anything that they post. Most of the time it's nowhere near on topic, derails the thread, or PARF's it, but it ALWAYS leaves a bad taste to the thread.

More than anything, it's this childish disrespect for the others that follow along the threads that disappoints me.

Sure, it's primarily 20 or so members, but their presence is pervasive, and it greatly devalues the threads and the forum for me.

Who knows, maybe it's just me, but I tend to think I'm not the only one.

More often than not I find myself thinking "oh, just STFU already and leave the thread alone".

$0.02

Very well put and really reflects my view of the situation here. I am relatively new here and am spending quite some time with the BBS. But have been noticing how the behavior of a few can really shape the spirit of the board for everyone. I do hope those few can make some changes before they cause the loss of other valuable members!
Keep the argumentative stuff for PARF I never go there.
My spelling is so bad that I have to go over what I write any way, gives me a chance to reread before posting.
Cheers Richard

[DARISC]

Does the name calling and general rudeness typical of PARF go on here on PPOT as well? I guess I'm not reading the threads here where it's happening.

An exception would be the poll I started, 'Is DARISC an idiot'?' where the name calling and insults began immediately. But I purposely posted that poll here rather than on PARF, on a spur of the moment whim. I was idly curious whether those on PARF who find me irritating, a troll, an idiot, etc., would immediately jump right over here and pile on.

They sure did. It was pretty funny. After the first page I started posting nasties to myself, replete with name calling, invective and bile. This had a few confused momentarily. At one point Z-man posted an eye-rolling 'I thought i'd seen everything'. I PMd him asking to be banned for personally attacking myself, but the poopy head wouldn't play along.

I'm not aware of it if I'm an irritant to anyone here on PPOT, but I'm well aware of the fact that I am to the majority of posters on PARF where I respond to their conservative posts in the same fun loving spirit of name calling, insults and vitriol that comprise most of their posts.

There are a small number of other non-conservatives who post there regularly as well. I won't deign to speak for them, but I think they have as much fun playing antagonist to the majority of conservative protagonists there as I do.

I seriously think that if my ilk (HAHAHA, I get a kick out of being ilk) didn't jump into the fray, there would be no fray and PARF would become pretty boring for the conservatives there because they'd be preaching to their choir and constant 'Spot on, dude!, Yeah, typical *******', etc. would become very monotonous and boring. I know it would for me if I was part of that majority. I'd quit going there.

Oh yeah, I crack up when, now, somebody tells me 'you're an idiot! Just look at that poll you moron!' MY poll. Too funny!

Another Exception, to my mind, is LeeH's thread, http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/606550-careful-what-you-say-your-female-airline-pilot.html (well I'll be damned, i just went there to verify Lee's moniker and the thread's been closed!) where he simply posted how his pilot wife dealt with two jerk passengers making sexist comments and the thread quickly went toxic - because it wasn't about BBQ sauce, beer, guns, women's butts or cars, but rather involved social issues inextricably entwined with political perspectives. In other words, the stuff of PARF.

Personally, I'm glad it was closed rather than moved to PARF because it had already reached the level of toxicity that would have caused it to be closed there too.

This is an interesting thread, but I don't see a problem of any consequence here - and I suspect this all falls on deaf ears as far as most PARF posters go.

Oh yeah, there's one ongoing irritation to a lot of posters here on PPOT, but I'd hardly describe it as toxic. Rather, I find it funny as hell because it points out the extremes to which some people take serious this goofy Internet.

That would be Paul and his speeding Bullit.

[Hugh R]

Regarding the closed female airline pilot thread, anything other than wanting a really good flight crew is moronic (there, I said it). Race, color religion, sex is irrelevant to me. Same with doctors, I want really good ones, period. I'd say the same about any profession that I deal with.

[DARISC]

Regarding that thread, i stand with the pilots.

At any rate, I think the thread should have been moved to PARF after the first few posts rather than staying in place and stinking up PPOT before a moderator finally closed it.

[KFC911]

I've been hanging around here for 10 years now, and the tone has definitely changed. It actually began back in '03 or so when passions were high about going to Iraq, but was still somewhat civil with respectful dialogue. Then Mul(1), Mul(2) appeared posting like 6000 purely political stuff over a period of six months...Mul was a good guy (but it got tiresome for most)...I just don't "live" politics like some do, and like many, l had almost stopped coming around before the PARF split. I like heated arguements, debate, etc. but don't care for juvenile name calling. For some reason, now PARF is just downright nasty imo, and I very rarely go there...bunch of poopeyheads !!!

ps: I too "went off" on a poster a few months back...didn't like myself for a while after that one either

[DanielDudley]

I don't really talk about it much, but I had a rather abusive childhood. What may be all in good fun to many of you, I find to be irritating, insulting and inciting. Like a lot of people who have PTSS, I tend to have triggers that would set me to a path of ''defensive'' violence in personal situations. Verbal abuse and physical abuse were often intermixed in my very formative years, and I often have difficulty figuring out the difference between a ''joke'' and an insult, particularly when the joke is an insult. Also, having been the underdog, I tend to defend the underdog.

Naturally, on some level, I perceive insults and harsh words to be a prelude to worse behavior and akin to a threat. Snarky comments and angry words aren't really a good option for me, and I often find that even the guys who do it for fun will forget that they are having fun.

Respect, courtesy, kindness and consideration mean everything to me.

[Hugh R]

Well said, Daniel, well said.

[flatbutt]

You are all making valid points and honest contributions. And while reading them I'm thinking " OK so alot of us feel the same way about the childish and boorish commentary that runs through many threads". But I still am having trouble with why people fell the need. I accept the need for validation , even vindication. But if you've received such validation or vindication through the content of a post or by virtue of the "leaning" of a threads sentiment, why can't it be let to stand? Why must there be the "haha told you so" or "see you are a stupid so and so"? Or "you're just a hopeless so and so that lacks reading skills"?

Some of us have 'fessed up to not feeling proud of ourselves when we've dropped down to the level of trollish antagonist. That's mature and shows wisdom. But I ask...was there a moment when you felt, even for a fleeting moment, good about lashing out ? Or that it somehow stregthened your PoV?

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

...Some of us have 'fessed up to not feeling proud of ourselves when we've dropped down to the level of trollish antagonist. That's mature and shows wisdom. But I ask...was there a moment when you felt, even for a fleeting moment, good about lashing out ? Or that it somehow stregthened your PoV?

I don't think I've ever been trollish... well, at least that's my perspective. However, we "all have our moments", as we are all human. I've got a pretty thick skin, enjoy sarcastic humor, and am generally a fun-loving person. My "moment" came when one of the younger posters "pushed the wrong button", and I lashed out...didn't like it almost immediately. In hindsight, I believe the button he pushed was due to an ex-relationship's son of similar age and "real issues" I still had leftover...oh well, what can you do except apologize...like I said "human". For all it's "PPOT warts"...I still enjoy the intelligent exchanges (for the most part) and the wide divergence of opinions and real world experiences, and I never cease to learn something...plus you occasioinally get a "dog tease" thread that I've watched at least 15 times now .

[lane912]

Originally Posted by m21sniper

It's because we don't talk about it that it's not argued about here.

If it was discussed, people would go to blows over who was right about foreplay.

on this topic I am a self taught expert-
(buy my book)

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Hugh R

Regarding the closed female airline pilot thread, anything other than wanting a really good flight crew is moronic (there, I said it). Race, color religion, sex is irrelevant to me. Same with doctors, I want really good ones, period. I'd say the same about any profession that I deal with.

That got closed?

Guess i need to go check that one.

Or am I better off not?