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This place is going to die of fear. (1 Viewer)

Joe Bryant said:
Thank you GB.

I don't disagree it took a little bit to get our footing. For me too.

I'll say this, I think the overwhelming take away I've had as a Christian posting on the forums was that I never felt like my takes were unwelcome or dismissed. I think we've had some productive discussions.

And I think you're exactly right on the "getting to know them as people and not just 'the group'". I think I've probably "talked" to more folks here who are strongly pro Atheist than I have in real life. But that's just part of living in the South. It's the exact same thing you had with Evangelical Christians (whatever that means now). 

I think one of the best things about this forum has been the ability for people to get out of our bubbles a bit and interact with "others" that we might not normally get the chances to in our real lives. 

That's why I was sort of surprised to hear culdeus say he thought it was frowned upon. I saw it as encouraged. 

If he didn't see it that way back then, I without question feel I want it that way now. 
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I tried to be clear to try and distinguish what the feelings were on the topic at the time and in hindsight.  In hindsight there was a group of people pushing buttons that was overwhelmingly in % and numbers on "one side".  That is going to drive the perception of bias.  My 2008 self would have had a hard time interpreting such things as would have a lot of us.  The post 2016 me would have had a different feeling entirely.  

There were a lot of awakenings that happened in the internet between the early 2000s and now, people went from being obsessed with a monster movie full of blue people based on Pocahontas to obsessed with a pizza parlor's role in a non-existent deep state cabal, to whatever Jan 6th was.  What was a perception then wasn't always a reality.  

The line as it were has never stopped moving.  It's just harder as more and more people get swept up in the fringe elements and drop away, some quietly, some not so much.  

For what it's worth there seems to be a level of consistency here with the outright bans, but less with the daily content moderation you would find in similar sites.  To those that spend time elsewhere it is a bit different.  Most sites even inside the software like this would have moderators edit posts for content with warnings, or indicate outright that user X is removed for Y duration for violating rule Z.  The lack of that probably fuels a little of the bias perception.

 
Maurile Tremblay said:
We might need a poll regarding what this place is going to die of.

Fear would be on the list of possibilities, but I think I would rank it behind awkwardness, laughter, boredom, confusion, and general malaise, to name a few.
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I don't think anyone here described what we were fearing that would bring the board down. 

we got some comedy attempt answers, but that was it

 
I started this thread and missed 80% of it... but reading the last couple pages has provided some of the most heartfelt laughs ever.

:lmao:   laugh emoji laugh emoji

 
Joe Bryant said:
Thanks GB.

This may well be a mistake but I shared this privately with some people here yesterday and maybe it'll help other see where I'm coming from. 

First, I apologize for sounding too dramatic. This was definitely a first-world problem. I'm fine. Yesterday evening, I learned of two separate issues where close friends of mine are dealing with huge and important issues. Perspective. I'm fine.

For the non important stuff - here's what I shared with some people yesterday if anyone is interested.

I admit I was surprised so few people seemed able to show empathy and see it from my side. I fully saw their side. But it seemed bizarre so few at first seemed able to see my side.

Where it's my real life and real company that's the subject. I believe that's an important distinction that's not always understood.

And maybe helpful if people think about it from the perspective of what if this was their real name and business.

I thought it was odd how I'm now supposed to feel better because the stuff about me kicking off Jews for not being Christian now was just something made up? That line was in the song because it rhymed and had the right number of syllables? And that makes it fine? I guess I should be thankful nothing worse they could fabricate rhymed or had the right number of syllables. 

Taking a big picture of the forums as a whole, they're a lot. The political forum is a mess. And that exists solely as a way to try and save this Free For All forum. No one can agree on moderating except it's always the "other" side that's the problem. Some people have my cell number and text when they're suspended. The PMs are rough sometimes. People use our forum we provide to talk about how they'll never buy a subscription and some make their avatars to the logos of our Footballguys competitors. One poster recently had some over the top gross sexual stuff about my family and the thread stayed open for a while and people added comments before someone finally reported it.

It's a lot.

But on this smaller issue with the song, the few people seeing it from my side was mostly the thing. That it seemed hard to understand I'd be bummed about a big production song that everyone loves that puts me as the Ned Flanders / Church Lady with the "hilarity" of kicking off Jews or browneye jokes for young women. All while using my real name and real business. 

Or not just that folks didn't see or understand my side. But that I'm being a baby or ridiculous about it and suggesting I may not know what's special about the forum.

Or somehow this thread from 2018 would make me feel better where I poured out my thoughts as politely and as detailed as I could and it mostly wound up with posters lecturing me about how much I'd erred and popular posters summing the thread with:

I'm the first one to say I make plenty of mistakes. But that's a lot to take in.  And for sure, I know there are people who like me in the forum. This isn't remotely about people liking me. I know that tons of people love the forum. I know not everyone feels like those folks. But I'm not that naive. Clearly, there are a lot of folks who loved the song and feel similarly.

It has been a good reality check though. I've had too romantic a picture of the board. I'm an optimist by nature but while this has been painful, it's good to not be delusional. So getting clarity there is a good thing.

And for sure, I'm making this sound too dramatic. I'm fine. I've likely made this worse by sharing more where I'm coming from as I've whined enough already. But I'm fine. 

With all that said, and it was a lot, I think @rockaction is right and I'd love us to move forward. And I'd love to drop the song discussion. I think people have explained where they're coming from with the song and that's about all one can hope for in a forum. I know I'm worn out with it. 

Anytime you have a big group of people, there will be some friction. But we have an awesome community here. 

Thanks.
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Good god.

I am by nature a contrarian... I would be ashamed of myself if I ever contributed to any of this nonsense.

And like I said above - I don't blame anyone in particular.  When I say "this place" it could be anywhere right now.  People have crawled into their corners and fear prevents them from even daring to consider what is outside of their little safe place.

From one old man to another (I think @Joe Bryant is older!!!!)... thank you for the fun and overwhelmingly positive impact this place has made on my life.

 
Binky The Doormat said:
I don't think anyone here described what we were fearing that would bring the board down. 

we got some comedy attempt answers, but that was it
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Fear of allowing the back and forth.  The hard conversations and hurt feelings are part of what people need, but no longer know how to handle without the likes of report buttons.

It has certainly clamped down in a HUGE way from our heyday... but :shrug:  it is what it is.

 
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matuski said:
And like I said above - I don't blame anyone in particular.  When I say "this place" it could be anywhere right now.  People have crawled into their corners and fear prevents them from even daring to consider what is outside of their little safe place.
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What world are you living in? I have not encountered anything close to this.

 
matuski said:
Thank you for the demonstration of what it is like when you have insulated yourself in your safe space. 
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I am not insulated at all (what an odd thing for you to say). I have a job in a international company. I'm out in social settings all the time and interact with tons of people each day.

I was looking for a real answer but see you'd rather play the "angry old man schtick", so ok. Good luck.

 
Dr. Octopus said:
I am not insulated at all (what an odd thing for you to say). I have a job in a international company. I'm out in social settings all the time and interact with tons of people each day.

I was looking for a real answer but see you'd rather play the "angry old man schtick", so ok. Good luck.
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Turn on a news channel, listen to the echo.  Open a thread here, listen to the echo.  Twitter, etc etc.

Indeed - good luck if you haven't caught on yet.

You also don't seem to encounter or recognize sarcasm in your world.

 
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Dr. Octopus said:
What world are you living in? I have not encountered anything close to this.
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I took it to be that people live in their corner and listen/watch/read/etc things that match their views without ever looking at it from the other side (and this is happening on both sides of the aisle - I am not referencing a particular side).  

I also think when someone comes out to talk about their views (from either side) the other side slams them and takes much of what they say out of context and never gives it a chance (both sides do this) so frustration sets in and it pushes people further and further apart.

I think there is a bell curve for people's beliefs with the majority close to the middle (as opposed to far left/right).  But the vocal far right/left jump on the people close to the middle lumping them with the far ends.  Since the middle guy gets beat up the start drifting further from the middle because they are already being treated like someone on the extreme left/right so why not go that way.  Then people keep retreating and everyone ends up in their corners viewing/listening/reading items that mimic their views only.  It's a really bad cycle.  

 
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Gally said:
I took it to be that people live in their corner and listen/watch/read/etc things that match their views without ever looking at it from the other side (and this is happening on both sides of the aisle - I am not referencing a particular side).  

I also think when someone comes out to talk about their views (from either side) the other side slams them and takes much of what they say out of context and never gives it a chance (both sides do this) so frustration sets in and it pushes people further and further apart.

I think there is a bell curve for people's beliefs with the majority close to the middle (as opposed to far left/right).  But the vocal far right/left jump on the people close to the middle lumping them with the far ends.  Since the middle guy gets beat up the start drifting further from the middle because they are already being treated like someone on the extreme left/right so why not go that way.  Then people keep retreating and everyone ends up in their corners viewing/listening/reading items that mimic their views only.  It's a really bad cycle.  
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It's always funny to see who these types of posts come from though.     To me it feels like the ones that are dug into their side the most also seem to be the most vocal about the "echo chambers" on the other side   It's an interesting phenomenon.  

 
KarmaPolice said:
It's always funny to see who these types of posts come from though.     To me it feels like the ones that are dug into their side the most also seem to be the most vocal about the "echo chambers" on the other side   It's an interesting phenomenon.  
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It's the bell curve phenomenon I wrote about.  The vocal extremes pushing people further and further apart.   Both sides are definitely guilty of this.

 
Gally said:
It's the bell curve phenomenon I wrote about.  The vocal extremes pushing people further and further apart.   Both sides are definitely guilty of this.
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I didn't catch the rest of your post, but agree.   I think most live in that middle grey area you are talking about, but the 10% on each side that view everything through teams, sides, and echo chambers are the ones that accuse others of doing the same.   Don't know how many times I am called a "lefty" despite agreeing a lot with the Bigbottoms and IKs of the boards on topics.   It used to annoy me, now it amuses me.  

 
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Northern Voice said:
strykerpks said:
The fun posters left. You can say it's age, kids, moderation, etc. But the migration started 10 years ago. People got into Twitter and other ways to communicate.

Myself? I check in a few times a week. I'm on the wagon so things are different for me. I'd like to think I was a fun poster. But I actually work a blue collar job unlike the main demo. So I can't draft. I can't comment on most tv/movies because I'm a month late. I can't lead the drunk thread. I can just check in when I can.

Moderation has nothing to do with the FFA going south. It's the people.
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I mostly agree with this. Many of the core group that made the FFA great have left/post way less often. Whether that's because of moderation or just natural evolution of Internet discussion, I can't say. Everything is taken so seriously in here these days. Again, whether that's because of moderation or just the evolution of how internet discussions take place now, I can't say.

Comments meant in jest now either get someone pissed or get someone banned. I'm guilty of it too, to be sure.
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If you want to see more of a certain kind of content in the FFA or any of the FBG forums, what's stopping you from starting some new top level thread topics more in the vein of things that would interest you to discuss?

Don't ask for value outright. Don't complain about the value you aren't getting. Don't feel entitled for others here to entertain you for the raw sake of purely amusing you. Consistently present "value" as your normal way of operating, and you'll usually find that return value will come back you ten fold. In all aspects of your life.

If you see something, and you don't like it, then go and do something about it.

I'm not trying to pick on you here, but you have over 24 thousand posts. There are people here with 50+ thousand posts. There's one guy, if I add up his aliases, that probably hovers around a quarter of a million posts. Recently I just had someone with 56K posts try to criticize me, and my paltry 4K+ posts, for being on the forums too often. How much time do you have to spend over how many years to rack up 56 thousand plus posts? How about he spends less time trying to silence me and spend more time starting threads talking about things he finds interesting instead?

How about using some of those posts of yours to start threads you would enjoy and create the kind of discussion you'd like to see?

And that's not Old Man Gekko running a purity test on you. I practice what I preach here. Some people might not like the topics I start, the opinions I have or the viewpoints I hold, but no one can accuse me of waiting for someone else to generate the kind of discussion I'd like to see myself. No one can accuse me of being lazy and cheap in my posts. If you want a certain pace, then set it before asking anyone else to do it. Be the tide that comes in and lifts all boats.

This places owes you nothing.

Here's something for some of you to chew on, not everyone, but far too many of you. The Shark Pool has legitimate marketing value for FBG as a business and a brand. FBG is a business first and foremost. Many of you seem to forget that. If some of you, not all but again far too many, want to keep up the kind of crap that happened in the PSF, the endless personal attacks, trolling, thread hijacking and on and on and on, what's stopping @Joe Bryant from one day killing off the FFA as well?

Some of you act like you are entitled to the FFA always being here and it's obligated to operate and have the content just as you want it. Seriously, some of you, and again not all but it's still way too many, it's time to grow up. Basic rule of life - If you keep showing that you can't play nice with your toys, someone is going to take those toys from you.
 
GordonGekko said:
This places owes you nothing.

Here's something for some of you to chew on, not everyone, but far too many of you. The Shark Pool has legitimate marketing value for FBG as a business and a brand. FBG is a business first and foremost. Many of you seem to forget that. If some of you, not all but again far too many, want to keep up the kind of crap that happened in the PSF, the endless personal attacks, trolling, thread hijacking and on and on and on, what's stopping @Joe Bryant from one day killing off the FFA as well?

Some of you act like you are entitled to the FFA always being here and it's obligated to operate and have the content just as you want it. Seriously, some of you, and again not all but it's still way too many, it's time to grow up. Basic rule of life - If you keep showing that you can't play nice with your toys, someone is going to take those toys from you.
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Excellent marketing there.
 
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