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Author Topic: Enough is Enough!  (Read 12015 times)

Insane Steve

  • Professional Cynic
« on: February 12, 2004, 07:51:23 PM »
Ok then, before I begin, I'll take the time to acknowledge that I have posted a thread. Since I post threads here but once every two months or so, you KNOW this what is about to be said here is very important to me.

Over the last month or so I have noticed a sharp and disturbing increase in the proportion of threads here that have become little more than flame wars. I mean, it is absurd. One day I make an intelligent post on a discussion thread, and the next day I see it turning into a trade-off of childish insults.

The biggest trend I have seen is whenever sadib posts ANYTHING, regardless of the quality, somebody (usually the same person, you should know who I mean) fires a cheap shot at him. It sometimes isn't even his fault, though. This comment leads to more unfounded flames, and soon the topic must be removed. Sad, really. And I've seen it more and more as time has gone on.

Also, I recently saw someone make the following comment, under no provocation whatsoever:

"Insane steve, Your're really starting to **** me off!"

Quite honestly, I have no reason as to WHY I "**** this person off" because he never gave a reason. I'd like to know why, so I can NOT "**** this person off". I'd be like me saying that "You suck!" and not saying why. Please, if I am doing anything that is not to your liking (within reason), please say what so I can stop it. Thanks.

What does this all mean? I'm saying that this forum has deteriorated over the past few weeks, and it is being less and less fun for me to be here. The point I am saying is as follows: Stop the flaming, stop the insult, make SENSIBLE POSTS! Please! If this doesn't desist, I might actually have to leave. And I don't want to have to do that, but as things stand, I am left few other options.

PS: Seeing how things have progressed recently here, I won't be at all surprised to see this thread turned into a flame war or deleted tomorrow.

Thank you for reading this. Although some may see it as little more than a rant, perhaps even a hypocritical one, I hope you at least see what is going on here.

~Insane Steve
~I.S.~

« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2004, 08:19:03 PM »
Don't leave IS. We all love you. *kiss kiss* BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It''s ah me marioguy!
I HATE JON!!! He betrayed me. So now everyone can have his picture.

Sapphira

  • Inquiring
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2004, 08:52:07 PM »
Dear gosh... This is EXACTLY what he's talking about. Seriously, people, SHAPE UP! WE'RE ALL SICK OF IT!!! ...At least those of us who are more "mature."

These boards have been ruined for me. 10+ months ago, this was an intelligent, fun place, which is the very reason I joined.  But a lot of those people have either left or post a LOT less frequently, most likely due to all the immature antics of the majority here (and school, of course). You'll also notice that I, myself, have been here a LOT less. And it is for that very reason. Less intelligence, more idiocy. This has gone on FAR too long.

I say again, SHAPE UP! LEAVE THE INTELLIGENT ONES OF US HERE ALONE!  I truly miss the times from the end of March through May. 'Twas a happy 2 months here. After then, things started going downhill. Especially after school started, and then again in December.  Thanks for ruining the magic here. I truly appreciate it. </sarcasm through clenched teeth>

--------------------
Wise men talk because they have something to say;
fools, because they have to say something.

Edited by - Sapphira on 2/12/2004 7:01:45 PM
"The surest way to happiness is to lose yourself in a cause greater than yourself."

« Reply #3 on: February 12, 2004, 09:18:51 PM »
Ten months already? Wow! Anyways, when you joined All the mods were Deezer. I was the evil guy around, but even I had some limits, but this is crazy!

It''s ah me marioguy!
I HATE JON!!! He betrayed me. So now everyone can have his picture.

Chupperson Weird

  • Not interested.
« Reply #4 on: February 12, 2004, 10:39:26 PM »
Hmm, yes... it's sad, and I don't really know what happened. The board was way more intelligent and fun to post at before certain members showed up. I'm not going to name any names.
But you know what I mean.
Steve, actually, Watoad and I have been discussing this. I'll probably talk to Deezer about a few things as well, so don't give up yet.

The Andorian Mining Consortium runs from no one.
That was a joke.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #5 on: February 12, 2004, 11:05:40 PM »
I hope I'm not one of those people. I don't post random stuff(except in the Yay! and Yay! 2 topics, where it was allowed, and in that topicless thread), I don't spam, and I definately don't swear. I hardly ever use HTML anymore, I don't flame, and I agree with IS. This stuff needs to stop(I see a few members who need to shape up, who I will not mention either.). This is donotcare95, phasing out.

("o0o") My metroid thinks you are stupid. People who
....v...v disagree with metroids often get sucked dry.

Watoad

  • Self-evictor
« Reply #6 on: February 12, 2004, 11:35:00 PM »
Even though I don't read all that many topics anymore, I know precisely what Steve is talking about. The state of certain aspects of this message board are pretty miserable by comparison to how they were in the past&#151;and I say this without thinking that "the grass is always greener on the other side." These forums were better in the past. That's a fact.



I'm not entirely sure what Chupperson will say to Deezer, but I have a few thoughts of my own that I've been wanting to discuss with him. Sometime soon, when both he and I aren't too busy, I'll attempt to nab him in a chat of some sort and talk to him for a little while. I don't have a lot of "swing" with Deezer, but I take him to be someone who listens to reason. And reason is what he will get from me.



Thank you for posting this topic, Steve. It was a good call.



“Hey, Strong Bad. You jumped over some u’ my busses.”

The weaker you are, the stronger you can become.

« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2004, 01:21:22 AM »
I write to you from a distant karaoke bar. It is extrememly loud here, but as I read the grim portents of these posts, the music, bass pounding, and screaming fades away into contemplation.


The funny thing about all this is, even though I know what you guys are talking about, for the last couple weeks I have actually gotten better feelings from the board. What with the triumphant return of Watoad, the fourth iteration of Bored, and the revival of a few cool old threads, things were looking up.


sadib is sadib, folks. I don't see much difference between now and then. People just flame back more these days. The wankerless board is a legend. Just kind of ignore them.


Or maybe I'm too much of a crazy optimist?



“I’m a stupid fatty and I love to play with my Easy Bake oven.”

Edited by - Lizard Dude on 2/12/2004 11:24:16 PM


Markio

  • Normal
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2004, 11:15:47 AM »
Please, please, PLEASE tell me I'm not one of the "mature" or "flaming" members.  If I'm in the "mature" group, I'm probably thinking too high of myself and living in the illusion that I'm really in the "mature" group.  If I'm in the "flaming" group... well, that's pretty straight foward.  The only times I remember being bad was in the yay thread yaying, and that time when Meowrik said 'Emulators are for wussies' and I thought that was mean, so I said 'Speaking of wussies...' but that's it.  There were probably a few other occasions, but I don't remember.  I just don't want to be in either group.

If you eat sixty-two oranges, fifty-three bananas, and seventy-four apples, then you''re full of fruit!
"Hello Kitty is cool, but I like Keroppi the best."

« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2004, 01:58:30 PM »
Don't worry; you're good.

“I’m a stupid fatty and I love to play with my Easy Bake oven.”

Trainman

  • Bob-Omg
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2004, 03:52:16 PM »
"I'm not going to name any names."

I hope that's not me; I don't hope the answer for me is "Sometimes, you're good." I try my best...

Insane Steve, I concur 120%, but the forums will NEVER change with the the 60+ members that are educated (AND ACTIVE!!) versus the other 2530+ members now that never show up or are as dumb as rocks or a sack of potatoes.

When I say 60 members, I'm talking about the educated ones. There are about 70-80 active members including the smart ones.

I understand that the registered member counts are high because of people joining over the years, but if you subtracted the old members from years past that aren't here anymore, the member count probably wouldn't change much.

Unless the forums are destroyed and revamped in some ways so mods could have more features (nothing else, no avatars, etc.), the forums would be a great place (I think...).

Who knows, these forums are just like how America has changed: Great until the 60s...
Forums: Great until the morons showed up...

Who knows...


"And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell/One more soldier reporting sir, I served my time in Hell." ~General Dwight D. Eisenhower, D-Day, 1944.
Formerly quite reasonable.

« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2004, 04:33:58 PM »
I've noticed that the key problem is a few members who I shall not name. (And it's not just Sadib, either; he's been here for a LONG time acting pretty much the same way he acts now.)

TEM

  • THE SOVIET'S MOST DANGEROUS PUZZLE.
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2004, 05:43:40 PM »
I'll name some names: Sally, Bobby, Alex, Susie, and William.

Don''t make me break my foot off in your ***!
0000

Black Mage

  • HP 1018 MP 685
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2004, 05:51:01 PM »
           Before you read what I have to say, please take note that I'm not referring to any specific members or their posts, as I, too, am guilty of almost everything I'm going to mention. Besides, these are just my observations, and if you're offended by them, you should probably leave the forum.


            The deterioration of the quality of the posts and behavior of the members of this forum. This is what seems to be a touchy subject, as is any subject when the blame can be easily placed on particular persons. Yet, this is truly what we need to be careful of; washing our hands of the blame. This very topic, the topic concerning the situation of our forums, could quickly turn into a flame war itself – exactly what it’s trying to prevent. I’m sure we’re all aware of this already, and can simply dismiss this part of the text.

   It is said that the forum, in its current state, is driving away members, and this is true. But, at the same time, it is attracting new members, albeit a bit more slowly. Could the problem lie within the new members we receive? I’m sure some would quickly agree to that, but I don’t find that very likely. New members, or as some use the term newbies, have been pretty mild mannered, as of late. Not sticking around very long, nor causing trouble. Yet, if the new members do not offer the source of our problem, then what else could it be?

   In this case, I believe the obvious answer to be the correct one: our current members. Yes, if the new members are not causing problems, than the source must be those who’re already here. Our problems are unavoidable. Each member has their own personality, ideals, and morals. It would be impossible for certain member’s personalities to not clash. We’re only human, after all. Yet it is here where our problem’s root is to be found; not so much in the fact that we’re having these clashes, but how we, as members, deal with these confrontations. Opposed to normal, I will not offer any advice for this situation, as I have no right to. I’m as guilty as the worst of us. Controlling one’s temper is all one can do.

   And yet, our problem would still not be solved, at least not in my eyes, even if we were to abolish such petty squabbles. The problem lies in a different area. Much like a caste system, we’ve become divided, the members that is. There are a slew of reasons for this, common ones being the difference in our ages, our environments, and our ideologies. This wasn’t so much of a problem in past times, mainly for one reason, I believe. Fairly recent, our community has been introduced to the new fast-paced medium of our high-tech age: chatrooms.

   In the chatroom, everyone has had the opportunity to converse with each other in real time–something that hasn’t been done here very often. I spent some time in the chatroom, and I had enjoyed it as much as the other members. However, amid this enjoyment, I had noticed some situations which seem to have carried over to the forums. Many of the members found no desire to exchange with other members. This is to be expected, as we all face different barriers that don’t allow us to get along well with others. However, it became apparent to me that it was a bit deeper than that In some instances it became more of a superiority problem. And this is where it becomes “Us versus Them.”

   In this very topic, not to pick out anyone specifically, I have seen the term “mature” members used a various amount of times. A division such as this can be founded on any basis, but who is to say who is mature, and who is not? In some instances it can be quite obvious, I know, but to lump many members into one category has no ground at all. We all view maturity differently, and even in the members whom I enjoy the company of I have seen immaturity, as in me I’m sure they’ve witnessed. This is just one example, but I believe this is chiefly where our problems stem from.

   To get a handle on this problem, I feel we need first to take care of our splinters and save those of our fellow members for later.

WarpRattler

  • Paid by the word
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2004, 08:52:28 PM »
BM is correct. There are many people here who aren't coming to this forum anymore because of these problems in the chatroom(although there are some things that happen here that cause people to stop participating in the chatroom). The chatroom is causing problems that wouldn't exist if there was a password on the chatroom, for example. It is possible to do that you know. If it were to happen, it would probably only be told to members of the forum in a certain topic. It probably won't happen, though. It might cause problems with certain members, though. I'm not going to name these members(they're the same members this topic is talking about, though). Thank you for listening to my long post.

("o0o") My metroid thinks you are stupid. People who
....v...v disagree with metroids often get sucked dry.
This is donotcare95, phasing out.

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