What has happened to the EE? (1 Viewer)

[pennstater]

My favorite threads are the ones that make me laugh.

I had no idea so many others peed in the shower.
BTW, does anyone else think of that thread everytime they have done it?

 

[Saintman2884]

Jones, I think vicious attacks are commonplace on Sr.com period. It isnt just the EE board. Which really does not bother me so much, as long as its for the right reasons and we can get a discussion going that one of us can learn something from it. Their was a time when I took things very personal on political discussions when I first joined up. Everything seemed to get to me. Taurus always has told me that maybe you have to see people attacking your point or your argument and not nessarily you. Which makes good sense but I do detect their are sometimes when you genually feel that the debater goes too far in his criticisms and can generate a lot of hate or dislike among the people debating.

That can cause some major time flare ups and boy does the Blood flow when that happens

 

[Taurus]

Anybody who thinks the EE even approaches viciousness needs to spend some time on Usenet.

The mods here do a fantastic job of keeping discussion civil. It's been years since I've seen anything remotely like a flamewar here.

 

[Saintman2884]

It depends on your perception of flamewar T. It very well could be different on the place you mentioned but their have been people banned from here becuase of them using four letter words or saying something in response to an insult they recieved. the mods do a good job but it does take some skill in dealing with hard heads and people with egos. I guess it takes a certain kind of people skills to do that.

Which reminds me T, you knew who Jim Finks was, the man who many Saints fans like me made the Saints franchise good for the first time. He was great at handling people, he could handle the worst of situations and made them good. did not panic, made wise decisions, just an innate sense of what he had to do. A very people person, you dont have a lot of GM's in the NFL like that anymore and their in the minority if they do exist

 

[Dre]

don't worry, it is on soon... mwahahahaha

 

[V Chip]

I think a lot depends on your attitude going into the discussion/debate. If you can't bear to have your views/beliefs questioned (sometimes very agressively questioned) without losing control or getting mad/rude, then you should probably avoid the discussion/debate -- regardless of if it is about religion, politics, American Idol, or peeing in the shower.

 

[TulsaSaint]

I had no idea so many others peed in the shower.
BTW, does anyone else think of that thread everytime they have done it?

Take that conversation to the peeing in the shower thread! The last thing I want is for that damn thread to turn into another dinosaur thread that people talk about for years and years.

 

[TulsaSaint]

I don't know. I've really been out of the gossip loop lately as far as who's banned, who's got lots of warnings, how strict the moderation is, etc. (It never ceases to amaze me how much a bunch of "butch" straight guys can sit around and gossip about other people.) Maybe that explains the seeming changed tone of the EE. I guess I was just trying to figure out if it was just me, if maybe I was losing interest, or if other people, like me, had found the EE kind of boring the last four or five months. I thought it'd get better with the offseason, but so far, I've still not regained interest. Maybe I've just already debated every topic that it's possible to debate on here, I don't know.

Also, yes, I didn't mean to imply that civility was what was making the site boring. Bad choice of words. Obviously, we need not get personal to make it a good discussion. I, of all people here, should know what it's like to have people make threads very personal. It's just that I haven't seen much discussion about anything substantial lately. It's all about pot and peeing and TV and Britney and movies and seafood restaurants. Not that there's anything wrong with any of those topics - and this is the Everything Else board, after all - but it just seems to me that those have come to completely dominate the board, whereas more "substantive" conversation used to dominate the board.

Perhaps it is an issue of moderation. Many of us might even complain over-moderation, that people are scared to approach controversial issues for fear of banning. Or maybe people just don't want to spend the energy on a thread that's going to get deleted the first time somebody sneezes. Personally, I may not feel that's the best way to run a site, but since I didn't develop the site and am not being forced to give money to it, then it's not really my decision to make.

Or maybe Taurus is right and the usual suspects have finally gotten tired of being constantly outwitted and out-argued.

All I know is that I've found the EE kind of dull lately, and I was wondering if anyone else had felt the same way. I guess if I want to fix it, I can start a few threads about prayer in schools, gay marriage, Iraq, Clinton-Obama, and the existence of God.

 

[primadox]

I think choice of words are key...you can disagree and have a lively argument, but when someone feels the need to attack the poster rather than address the issue being discussed, that's when trouble starts, IMO. It gets too personal, and detracts from the original topic and intent of the thread. Examples:

"I don't agree with your point...why do you think gay marriage is wrong/prayer doesn't belong in schools/etc.?" vs. "Only stupid, weak people would think that God exists!" "Once again you've posted something idiotic", etc.

Big difference, IMO...

 

[peytonknows]

I think choice of words are key...you can disagree and have a lively argument, but when someone feels the need to attack the poster rather than address the issue being discussed, that's when trouble starts, IMO. It gets too personal, and detracts from the original topic and intent of the thread. Examples:

"I don't agree with your point...why do you think gay marriage is wrong/prayer doesn't belong in schools/etc.?" vs. "Only stupid, weak people would think that God exists!" "Once again you've posted something idiotic", etc.

Big difference, IMO...

I'm sorry but I really don't feel "attacked" on a message board. Usually when people say stuff like the words you described I think it's pretty funny. But attacked? Hardly. I'm usually sitting comfortably in my office at work, at home or on the sofa with my laptop. People take these internets entirely too serious.

 

[DavidM]

I'm sorry but I really don't feel "attacked" on a message board.

That may be, but the idea primadox is describing comes straight from Andrus. I don't think he takes the Internets too seriously, but he does take seriously the way people interact in his little corner of it.

 

[primadox]

I'm sorry but I really don't feel "attacked" on a message board. Usually when people say stuff like the words you described I think it's pretty funny. But attacked? Hardly. I'm usually sitting comfortably in my office at work, at home or on the sofa with my laptop. People take these internets entirely too serious.

I hear where you're coming from, but at worst, there are some people who aren't as thick-skinned as many of us and who will take message boards "attacks" more seriously than others. Chalk it up to the differences in people, and the downside of the one-dimensional aspect of internet communication. And at the very least, those more personal "attacks" add nothing to the thread and only distract from the original topic. Again, JMO...

 

[Mamba]

All I know is that I've found the EE kind of dull lately, and I was wondering if anyone else had felt the same way. I guess if I want to fix it, I can start a few threads about prayer in schools, gay marriage, Iraq, Clinton-Obama, and the existence of God.

In regards to subjects like religion, politics, history (etc.), most of the posters on this site who can actually bring substance to these topics have already been to hell and back many times with one another in countless threads.

And the people who don't have anything to bring to the table realize they're out-matched and shy away from the topics. Thus, the lack of meaningful threads. But with more and more posters registering on this site every day, it's inevitable that these subjects will be brought up again periodically.

But I agree with you...threads about weed and bathtub urination don't really appeal to me, although I'm not criticizing those who like them. I'd just rather find something else to do with my time.

 

[HouDat]

 

[SaintJ]

And the people who don't have anything to bring to the table realize they're out-matched and shy away from the topics.

Call me when this new program starts.

The problem isn't that people who don't have anything to add shouldn't post.

The problem is that people who don't have anything to add shouldn't post over and over and over and over and over.

But they do.

We maybe could add a clause to the meaning of Be Nice that includes knowing when, after looking around at the other threads for a couple of years, to just shut the **** up.