Site Topics - Part II

Originally Posted by Manton

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Yes, I still read (for now). Hard habit to break. Sue me.

I must defend Thomas. I don't consider him in any way responsible for my decision nor anything but an asset to the site. Aside from the fact that he taught me how to sharpen my knives (thanks, Thomas!), I have found him to be wholly good-natured and often very, very funnny. He is one of the people who makes the site a community, and one of the ones I miss.

Nor, as many assume, am I fed up with Dumb Threads. The truth is, I hardly ever go (went) in there. I don't really read it. The only time I do read it, or post in it, is when I see an amusing thread at the top of the page so that it shows up on the main (all forums) page. I have started a very small number of my own threads there, most judged to be failures, and mostly don't find that part of the site all that interesting.

There are some things that bug me about the direction of the site overall. I don't care for all the scat humor. I don't care for all the crass sex talk and soft Appreciation (or worse). I don't care for the junior high locker room atmosphere that seems to get stronger by the day. I don't care for the stupid boasting. And I don't care for the shoot-first meanness common in the CE and getting more common elsewhere.

But all that was bearable (to me), if barely at times. What I found unbearable was when all those trends combined in a really ugly manner that was indistinguishable from bullying and stalking. What also hacked me off was the fact that, somehow, a bump to a Buy-Sell thread gets you insta-IP-perma-banned but this other garbage gets you a parking ticket. And finally, the widespread sentiment--reiterated above by redcaimen--that the ignore function solves all. That there's nothing wrong with the underlying behavior. The problem resides with the little sissy who objects.

This forum seems to be completely succumbing to the spirit of "Serious business!!", which really is just a license to behave as crassly and cruelly as possible. Everything is fair game and if you object, you are the one who has a problem.

Fun is fun and I like to have fun but so much of what goes on here is worse than what 13-year-olds at their worst do and say, and all of us are a lot older than that.

To those who point out that I am a jerk, fine. All I can say is that I tried hard never to start fights in the CE or anywhere else. I suppose I failed occasionally. I got into a lot of fights to be sure but if you look at the record honestly, I think you will see how the vast majority of them started and why.

Manton, with this post, you have filtered out the polarizing emotion that you expressed in your preceding posts, and will thus make people understand and appreciate your stance on this matter. I also have a guess that many people who have voiced their opinion on this matter, these opinions particularly not agreeing with how you feel, do not frequent Current Events and therefore fail to see the other unsavory facet that has led to your decision.

I believe that this proliferation of idiotic behavior can, for the large majority of the time, be squelched by the majority when such behavior shows up in the wrong parts of the Forum. Of course, by nature, these individuals who exhibit such behavior will complain with a predictable reference to some other member who is witty and who's humor is appreciated by the majority; but I do not think the obnoxious ones deserve any relativistic consideration of their complaints. If their disruption of such a thread, or sub forum, is persistent in spite of a majority's pressure, then the moderators can then be called in to make a decision. Someone might say that the calling-out of a obnoxious member is disruptive in itself, but I suspect that a much larger net benefit, across the Forum, will be achieved - if not immediately then certainly over time.

After thinking about this current issue which Manton has raised and been discussed over the past week, I'm reminded of the aphorism "How can you fly with the eagles if you are hanging around with turkeys?" Styleforum is composed of many stylish, smart, interesting, witty, and downright funny people, which is why I keep coming back - day after day for the last few years. The overall nature of the collective of members here should preclude any tight moderation, but I do not mean this in theory that we should all get along in a certain way, but that the inevitable "turkey's" impact on the forum should be minimalized and neutralized by the group. We have enough people on here with the possession of good judgment make that happen.

I am going to play washing machine, and start losing socks.

A big part of the current mess is this proliferation of sock-puppets, so if you have any suspicions of people with multiple-personality-disorder, PM me and I will check them out.

I just banned one, and I will basically flush that crap out as best I can.

^ How about both puppet and puppeteer (if there's a strong enough evidence)? IMO, socks create a lot more problems than bumping in B&S, but the punishment (to the person behind) is much more lenient. This doesn't seem right.

Puppets belted into oblivion. Puppeteer will be outed when we ban the puppet.

Puppeteer discipline beyond the Outing will be determined on case-by-case basis at the sole and completely arbitrary discretion of moderators.

No Official Sock Severity Policy will be issued, it will simply be based on whether or not one of us thinks you are being a dickhead. You are all on warning now, and whining after the fact will be ignored. Deal with it.

^^ What are your thoughts on Vox and F.Corbera.

I have none. I had a busy little time, came back, and noticed a change. If anyone wants to PM me the deets (with as little editorialising as possible please), feel free to do so.

Originally Posted by Matt

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I have none. I had a busy little time, came back, and noticed a change. If anyone wants to PM me the deets (with as little editorialising as possible please), feel free to do so.

I'm curious as well so feel free to poast it.

Also, straight up, I'm a little jealous of Kdubz. And I would just like to point out, nearly daily I report and he gets promoted over me... IT JUst hurts is all. I'm a delicate flower.

As has been said by others, taking Thomas as an example of the wrong kind of dumb is, oh I don't know, rather dumb. If there's one poster who is consistently funny without stepping on too many toes and without disrupting the forum, he would be on a shortlist to be that poster. Besides that, he posts on many (other) worthwhile subjects. As an example, he's been helpful to me personally answering some running and questions and some questions on perfume. I'm also quite certain he's made me smile in the past.

Originally Posted by Matt

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I am going to play washing machine, and start losing socks. A big part of the current mess is this proliferation of sock-puppets, so if you have any suspicions of people with multiple-personality-disorder, PM me and I will check them out. I just banned one, and I will basically flush that crap out as best I can.
Then who('s sock) did you ban?

Originally Posted by Stazy

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I disagree with this notion. I've been posting for over four years (holy ****) and I dont think there has been a continuous decline in civility. Rather, I think the trend is that of ups and downs. I can think of several posters and incidents that have riled up the forum in the past (Vanity, biggest douche, FNB, etc) and each time things eventually returned back to "normal". I don't think there is any reason to expect anything different this time around.

Agreed, 100 percent.

Please do not ban FUZZNUTS. I'm sure he's a sock, but I'm sure it's a sock that everyone could put their hand into.

Originally Posted by HORNS

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Please do not ban FUZZNUTS. I'm sure he's a sock, but I'm sure it's a sock that everyone could put their hand into.

I kinda liked FUZZNUTS post in MrG's thread seeking a sock. It was surprisingly good.

FWIW: I am out of the sock trade.

Originally Posted by Matt

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naw - read his whited out text...he was just playing (AFAIK anyhow)

Heh. Yup, just joking. I figured someone would eventually quote it and see that I was kidding, but no one did (though props to Thomas for not giving away the joke too early).

That said, if the Police Academy 4 initiative is ever expanded, I'd be happy to help out.

Originally Posted by Mark from Plano

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I've become Conne!!!!

Originally Posted by F. Corbera

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Conne-ish.

I called it.

As someone who's been around these storied halls for a while, let me add my perspective on the forum and its current direction. Unlike many of you, I'll never be more than on occasional interloper in the proceedings; for someone who's been a member for nearly eight years, my post count is pretty shabby. Still, I've learned a great deal in my time here (and continue to do so) and hope that I've contributed a thing or two in my days.

I value the forum in no small part because of its somewhat freewheeling, anarchic modus operandi. I've seen other forums moderated into a sort of musty torpor, and I think the relatively light touch of j, et al, has helped make SF a vibrant and continually evolving place. But that approach has come with a price. Bouts of nastiness have become more commonplace. Acrimony that has fermented in places like CE (which I view as much greater culprit than DT) has seeped into other corners of the site. And a kind of pervasively belligerent snark, more often than not, is the conversational tenor. Don't get me wrong--I think there are some fantastically witty practitioners of the snark. But it's an art that not everyone can master.

Some years ago, I had my own public withdrawal from the forum, as a result of a bit of ugliness I perceived as a somewhat unjustified ganging up on a fellow member. I was gone for about six months, but realized SF offered something that other places couldn't replicate. So I returned, determined that I wouldn't let occasional bouts of nastiness ruin my fun. Where things got to be a little too much, I just stayed away for a few days (weeks sometimes). Quietly and without my previous fanfare.

Once upon a time, entry into these parts was a relatively painless process. We were a smaller community, and the general tenor was much more clothing-focused. A newbie stood a very good chance of getting his questions answered, and was generally welcomed with open arms. Over time, however, things have changed. A new member today is much more likely to have his inquiries overwhelmed by piles of irony and, to the uninitiated, a series of inscrutable in-jokes. (Even I don't know what some of you are talking about half the time!) For those of you who have joined in the past couple of years, I really marvel at how you mastered the steep learning curve.

Overall, I think we'd all do well to approach one another with a little more milk of human kindness. There are some here who seem not to have an unkind bone in their bodies. Even in the darkest nights of their souls, they continue to turn to SF and offer something positive. Theirs is an example all of us--myself included--should strive to emulate.

Originally Posted by Vintage Gent

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As someone who's been around these storied halls for a while, let me add my perspective on the forum and its current direction. Unlike many of you, I'll never be more than on occasional interloper in the proceedings; for someone who's been a member for nearly eight years, my post count is pretty shabby. Still, I've learned a great deal in my time here (and continue to do so) and hope that I've contributed a thing or two in my days.

I value the forum in no small part because of its somewhat freewheeling, anarchic modus operandi. I've seen other forums moderated into a sort of musty torpor, and I think the relatively light touch of j, et al, has helped make SF a vibrant and continually evolving place. But that approach has come with a price. Bouts of nastiness have become more commonplace. Acrimony that has fermented in places like CE (which I view as much greater culprit than DT) has seeped into other corners of the site. And a kind of pervasively belligerent snark, more often than not, is the conversational tenor. Don't get me wrong--I think there are some fantastically witty practitioners of the snark. But it's an art that not everyone can master.

Some years ago, I had my own public withdrawal from the forum, as a result of a bit of ugliness I perceived as a somewhat unjustified ganging up on a fellow member. I was gone for about six months, but realized SF offered something that other places couldn't replicate. So I returned, determined that I wouldn't let occasional bouts of nastiness ruin my fun. Where things got to be a little too much, I just stayed away for a few days (weeks sometimes). Quietly and without my previous fanfare.

Once upon a time, entry into these parts was a relatively painless process. We were a smaller community, and the general tenor was much more clothing-focused. A newbie stood a very good chance of getting his questions answered, and was generally welcomed with open arms. Over time, however, things have changed. A new member today is much more likely to have his inquiries overwhelmed by piles of irony and, to the uninitiated, a series of inscrutable in-jokes. (Even I don't know what some of you are talking about half the time!) For those of you who have joined in the past couple of years, I really marvel at how you mastered the steep learning curve.

Overall, I think we'd all do well to approach one another with a little more milk of human kindness. There are some here who seem not to have an unkind bone in their bodies. Even in the darkest nights of their souls, they continue to turn to SF and offer something positive. Theirs is an example all of us--myself included--should strive to emulate.

tl, dnr.

I keed, I keed