Thank you, everyone, for screwing things up here. Is there no room for political discussion now? Are things just too vicious? I was able to handle it, but apparently not everyone can. I just spent about 20 minutes doing something I don't usually do, which was to create a point by point rebuttal to Faos in the "Republican Swift Boat Veterans for Bush: Taking on Water" thread. When I went to post it, it disappeared, and I was told the thread was locked. I'm not entirely surprised, but I'm pretty angry about it. Some of you need to take a good, hard look at yourselves and examine why you are posting in this forum. And I'm not speaking to the Admins. Thanks a lot.
In my first post in almost a month, I attempted political discussion in that thread. I gave a well-reasoned post without any personal insults. Jeff, without getting angry, could you please explain why you locked that one?
You jinxed yourself. Self fulfilling prophecy. Game over. Time to move on. Discuss amongst yourself...
Why would you think it had anything to do with you? It was 5 pages of bad before you got there. What is there to explain?
I knew the thread was doomed right after the response I got...People must learn to take something positive away from discourse...I found that with B-bob, and andymoon, I respect their views because they don't resort to name-calling, and acting childish..."Fair is fair, and right is right" is in the eye of the beholder, but I realize posters/people who attempt at seeing and understanding a different view with respectful debate is the essence of a better world being realized... I love debate, and discourse...I have my passions in certain areas and I believe in something, but I can also see the other side...Posters who act, and speak with simple attributes I believe in, are worth debating with...
I too think the end is near. Wanna say thanks for the endless hours of entertainment this thread has given me and I'm truly sorry for any personal insults I've thrown out there. It's always easy to do that to people you don't see face to face and I believe that this forum has given us all a chance to vent out our frustrations at those who hold beliefs different than those we are passionate about. Unfortunately, it's probably gotten out of hand beyond the point of return. If this is the end, I'll leave with, what else, an inspiration shared by Dave Matthews last night. All you have to do to be a member of this wonderful democracy is vote. It doesn't matter who you vote for as long as you vote. If you want my opinion on who you should vote for, then I'll be happy to provide it. As long as you just vote. Peace.
That says it all. I am at peace with the D&D possibly coming to a close now Thanks RM95 (PS: Geaux Tigers!)
It ain't about you, TJ. As rimbaud said, 5 pages worth of venom was enough. Your post had ZERO to do with it - just timing. You guys just cannot manage more than a handful of posts in this forum without someone getting an insult thrown at them. It makes everyone in here sound like a bratty bunch of 3-year-olds. This is, first and foremost, a board to talk about the Rockets. The Hangout was born out of the desire of some posters to talk about other things. The D&D was formed to get all the political, religious, etc. debates out of the Hangout. Since then, the D&D has slowly deteriorated into a highly boring, completely predictable series of rants and insults by virtually the same 2 dozen or so posters, some of whom don't even post in the GARM and may not even be Rockets fans. The posts have gotten bad enough that there are consistently more reported posts from this form than the GARM and Hangout combined despite the fact that this forum represents fewer than 1/10th the number of posts in the GARM alone! It's ridiculous and it is getting old...fast.
I guess this has been building before I made my post training camp return. But folks, seriously, complaining about this place is ridiculous. Acknowledge the fact there are people you don't like and that piss you off and move on. Exchange some fire if neccessary and then go about your business. People are way too sensitive here. Way too sensitive. If the mods really get draconian on this place, they might as well shut it down because the juice that drives it will be gone. Politics and religion are two "third-rail" subjects that inflame passions and to act as if there aren't going to be some heated exchanges is denying reality. I respect several of the leftist posters and I have no problems with them.....at all. But when that respect is not reciprocated by some (I won't name names), things will get ugly.
a microcosm of the viciousness of the election in general Debate on the real issues, how the country is going to be run have fallen by the wayside and we wax on, ad nausium, about what happened during Vietnam the Swift boats and war records are blips on the radar screen imo both canidates have been serving this country for years, and their performance in doing so should be a bit more important when you punch your ticket in Nov...just my .02 Right says one thing, left says the other, repeat believe one or the other... there are no impartial sources of information
Well crap, I go away for about a month or so and nothing gets better. Can I suggest an alternative Jeff? Ban people from D & D who start the name calling pissing matches. Should be easy enough. Give everyone a warning and then bada bing take them out. I think the D&D can still be great for the website as long as we use it correctly. People are just a little stressed out due to it being an election year and all.
You absolutely missed the entire point. One of the primary tenants of this place has ALWAYS been that you can argue and debate and go back and forth, but if you hurl insults and choose to continue to do so, you are going to get tossed. It doesn't matter if you care complaining about the Rockets or politics. The rules are the same. Do you know the REASON that these rules are in place? Have you ever given it any thought? You ever considered that the heated debate spurs people to actually take their arguments off the board? Posters and moderators here have received death threats over posts that get out of hand or from people who get banned for their behavior. If this board didn't impose what may seem to you to be "draconian" rules of order, there is no way it could exist in its current form. It would be an ESPN board. This place requires constant supervision and the enforcement of rules that mean people either keep a lid on the insults or find another place to post. Period. Don't like it. Oh, well. Get your own board and go nuts. Free country and all.
Speak for yourself. I don't think the end is near. I sincerely hope not. I realize that it's difficult for the admins to "police" this forum, and the others as well, but if someone like Mango, or another respected member that the admins, and Clutch, of course, hold in high regard, wants to police D&D, and has the time, I would be all for it. And if a couple of people have to be tossed, it's better than losing a valuable part of this BBS. It's certainly valued by me.
Death threats? You're kidding me, right? Over a trifle of an internet bulletin board? People say and do crazy things, but to threaten someone's very life over something on a BBS is unbelievable. In that case, I guess the rules are understandable. Let me clarify. I'm not saying that the present rules are draconian, Jeff, but that if a bunch of super, super strict rules are slapped on the D and D, it lose a lot of what makes it fun for many. I'm glad that you guys don't let this place go to seed like the ESPN gladiator boards, but I think there is a middle ground between banning people left and right for calling someone a clod and just letting things go wild.
Not kidding in the slightest. There have been threats and really vicous, scary stuff posted on other boards about people here. There have even been some on here who have had people call them at work and try to get them fired or at home and threaten to come over and kick their ass. Seriously.
I could fill a page with the personal insults and names directed at me just over the past week. You can keep them coming as far as I am concerned because I refuse to get into the name calling. (Although I did call somebody "numbnuts" about a month back but I call some of my best friends that so I'm not sure that counts...if I offended anyone I apologize.) What I can't understand is why some of you get so bent out of shape about comments directed toward Kerry and then take it so personal that you have call someone an "assclown" or some other term of endearment. I didn't come in here to make enemies but it seems that I have. I know a lot of the Faos haters think I just say crap to stir things up. That's not the case. I usually say the first thing that comes to my mind not necessarily thinking things through. Much of it is sarcastic in nature that doesn't come across as such. I have a buddy who could be any of you. We go at it the same way I go at it in here. I guess having a debate or conversation in person comes across a lot differently than it does in here. We are still good friends and play golf every week. Luckily the election will be over soon enough and we can get back to talking about McGrady and the Rockets.
I stand corrected. Impose whatever rules you feel are necessary to clean out the deadwood. Honestly, I had no fricking idea that this sort of thing could actually happen....over a tiny trifle of a BBS.
I wish you could have seen my reply, the one I mentioned. You would have found it interesting reading. And I know exactly what you're talking about as far as having friends with different views. I have several conservative friends. And we have fun messing around with each other. And things do come across differently here, on occasion, then they would in person. And sometimes I forget that I'm so damn old that many of you don't have my frame of reference, to see why some things might bother me more than it might bother a contemporary. I apologize for forgetting my age. I don't think of myself as 53. In my mind, I'm boppin' along like I was 20 years ago. And I look even older than I am. Now that's depressing. edit: just so you won't feel picked on, I've been called a traitor here, and similar things. It does tend to get one upset.
I have a feeling that the activity in this forum will peak around late September, early October during the debates.
