Yes...

All of those train wreck threads about that "3rd Eye Girl"

chocolate1 said:

Yes...

All of those train wreck threads about that "3rd Eye Girl"

I missed all that.

Holy crap my cats are FREAKING OUT today. It's actually starting to worry me. Should we have a huge earthquake and I never return.... it's been real!

No need to start a new thread for that, I figure.

Sharon Osbourne Rips Lady Gaga

Nope! Not gonna do it!

Hell yes I do this...and a hell of a lot more so lately than ever before. Sometimes silence is the best answer...especially in dealing with some of these psycho orgers on this site which seems has spread like a pandemic. You can't argue with crazy..so why bother?

missfee said:

Cerebus said:

...read what other people have said and the be like, "oh, shit. maybe I should just stay out of that one."

See, I was just in the self image thread, and I thought I had a perfectly valid comment to add to the conversation at hand. But when I started reading what everyone else had to say I thought otherwise. I felt like maybe what I had to say wasn't important. Maybe it wasn't, I don't know, deep enough. Or maybe it was just that I didn't think it would do any good for the people in that thread who I'd like to say something encouraging or helpful to. Because I'm actually rather fond of a couple of them.

Anyway, I almost posted this in there, too, but I didn't want this to take away from that thread, either.

Edit: Self image.

[Edited 1/8/13 15:32pm]

I actually do that a lot in the last 2 years.

People seem to have sorley lacking comprehension skills when

it comes to reading posts.

Either that or they have a loaded agenda to spew on the threads.

Plus, I can't just call somebody out for being a douchebag anymore

without fear of my post being snipped or a tempban. That means I

can no longer be a douche unimpeeded by the law, and that's a shame.

That's a goddamned shame.

This thread is an example: prince.org/msg/100/532341

Awesome use of brackets.

imago said:

People seem to have sorley lacking comprehension skills when it comes to reading posts.

Either that or they have a loaded agenda to spew on the threads.

I don't know which it is, or if it has more to do with just needing to have the bigger dick, but it's definitely getting worse. And not just at the org but the internet in general. It's becoming the norm to insult, belittle and degrade while making a simple point, even if the post you're responding to had none of the same. The ability to have a conversation where both (or all) the parties involved learn and grow has become nearly impossible, because everything seems to be about squashing the other person's opinion and proving you're right. Sometimes being right isn't the point. Sometimes just TALKING can be incredibly important and have a huge influence.

Cerebus said:

Sharon Osbourne Rips Lady Gaga

Nope! Not gonna do it!

That one was just plain ridiculous.

Remind me, next time I see a music of old vs. music of new thread, stop me from posting in it because I may piss off the same-minded thinking clones in there.

Cerebus said:

imago said:

People seem to have sorley lacking comprehension skills when it comes to reading posts.

Either that or they have a loaded agenda to spew on the threads.

I don't know which it is, or if it has more to do with just needing to have the bigger dick, but it's definitely getting worse. And not just at the org but the internet in general. It's becoming the norm to insult, belittle and degrade while making a simple point, even if the post you're responding to had none of the same. The ability to have a conversation where both (or all) the parties involved learn and grow has become nearly impossible, because everything seems to be about squashing the other person's opinion and proving you're right. Sometimes being right isn't the point. Sometimes just TALKING can be incredibly important and have a huge influence.

OMG, I lOOOOOOVE insulting people. Don't take that away from me!

I don't mind folks calling others out by insulting them, honestly. As long as it's about the person's behavior and not something more personal. For example, calling an obvioius asshole an asshole.

My problem is that I get no sense that anybody actually comprehends what the other person is saying. Disagreements happen, sure--and I think that's what makes the org so special, especially in the music-and-more forum. It's not like the ass-lick drone fest of Prince's official fansites. However, when folks disagree on a subject, nobody seems to bother reading the posts they respond to. It's like they've already come loaded with a response--you know, sort of like a polititian answering questions he'd wished you asked him instead of the actual question you asked him.

Then, there's the factor of me being sort of into my own thing lately. The org is a place I've spent alot of time on the last month, but that's because I have family in town and they drive me insane. So, I escape to the computer to get away from them. But, other than this last month, life has been busy, and I have less time for entertainment. Throw in facebook and my new novel, and I completely lose my ability to comprehend what's going on here to. I mean, I discovered that I apparently don't get along with some of the orgers here--but, I've forgotten .

It's absolutely bizarre, but the org today feels like housequake in the years leading up to it's shutdown. Not nearly as funny as it used to be. And, I could never imagine another org invasion happening. So, it makes the idea of becoming emotionally invested in threads when I'm not emotionally invested in the folks on the thread, more quaint, but less immersive.

imago said:

Cerebus said:

I don't know which it is, or if it has more to do with just needing to have the bigger dick, but it's definitely getting worse. And not just at the org but the internet in general. It's becoming the norm to insult, belittle and degrade while making a simple point, even if the post you're responding to had none of the same. The ability to have a conversation where both (or all) the parties involved learn and grow has become nearly impossible, because everything seems to be about squashing the other person's opinion and proving you're right. Sometimes being right isn't the point. Sometimes just TALKING can be incredibly important and have a huge influence.

OMG, I lOOOOOOVE insulting people. Don't take that away from me!

I don't mind folks calling others out by insulting them, honestly. As long as it's about the person's behavior and not something more personal. For example, calling an obvioius asshole an asshole.

My problem is that I get no sense that anybody actually comprehends what the other person is saying. Disagreements happen, sure--and I think that's what makes the org so special, especially in the music-and-more forum. It's not like the ass-lick drone fest of Prince's official fansites. However, when folks disagree on a subject, nobody seems to bother reading the posts they respond to. It's like they've already come loaded with a response--you know, sort of like a polititian answering questions he'd wished you asked him instead of the actual question you asked him.

Then, there's the factor of me being sort of into my own thing lately. The org is a place I've spent alot of time on the last month, but that's because I have family in town and they drive me insane. So, I escape to the computer to get away from them. But, other than this last month, life has been busy, and I have less time for entertainment. Throw in facebook and my new novel, and I completely lose my ability to comprehend what's going on here to. I mean, I discovered that I apparently don't get along with some of the orgers here--but, I've forgotten .

It's absolutely bizarre, but the org today feels like housequake in the years leading up to it's shutdown. Not nearly as funny as it used to be. And, I could never imagine another org invasion happening. So, it makes the idea of becoming emotionally invested in threads when I'm not emotionally invested in the folks on the thread, more quaint, but less immersive.

No, see, I'm not talking about the type of behavior you're talking about.

I'm talking about someone being an asshole just because they don't agree with a perfectly harmless comment someone else made. Or because they disagree with a political or religious view, which is the worst. Nobody learns anything in those exchanges. I'm talking about someone going out of their way to make another person feel stupid (often going so far as to call them that) for doing nothing other than expressing an opinion. Nothing is learned that way, either. That type of discussion serves no better purpose. In fact, all it does is exacerbate the situation, causing more drama, or causing the person to withdraw, or attack in return.

Disagreements happen, yes, but there's still a respectful, grown up way to handle them. If you choose not to be grown up about it, there's still a way to immaturely handle it in a respectful way. I see very little effort in this regard. In fact, the internet is definitely regressing in that area.

Does it have something to do with people 'not understanding', or 'not taking the time to TRY to comprehend' what the other person is saying, or coming into it with an 'agenda'? Yeah, sure. I'm sure all of that is part of it. But what is really getting to me is something else...

We can't all be right all the time.

It seems like nobody is willing to give an inch, even when you might end up gaining a foot in return. It's all about what often amounts to nothing more than an OPINION NEEDING to be right. And that need seems to have pushed a lot of people to a place where they become hyper-aggressive. Every response is about how dumb the person the are quoting is. Or, in relation to above, they'll take one line, or even a few words and twist it to whatever meaning they need to make themselves right, disregarding the rest of what you said in the process.

Words are powerful. Words have meaning, and weight. Some people take the time to choose their words and the order they put them in carefully. Picking out one sentence or a few words from a post that contained four paragraphs and several hundred words in order make your dick look bigger is sad, insulting, disappointing and frustrating. (Not 'your' dick, btw, just in general.)

This includes humor, too. I'm good at humor. Humor, including insults, used in the right way, amongst people who understand what is being said can be incredibly powerful and entertaining. Unfortunately, even though I know I'm attempting to be humorous a great deal of the time, the internet seems to have become so overly sensitive as to make it nearly impossible to get a point across that way.

For what's it's worth I don't believe that most of it has to do with a lack of understanding. It has to do with a lack of TRYING. People aren't TRYING to understand, learn, grow, share, etc. I'm not a dumb person, but I know I only possess a fraction of the knowledge I wish I had regarding about 99% of any given topic at hand. I used to be able to gain some of that knowledge online, talking to people. These days, not so much. Because if say something out of line, use one WORD the wrong way, it become a verbal beat down party with no hope of return.

Is the Org changing? Yeah, sure. It's changed massively in the time I've been coming here off and on. But what wouldn't? If all these people knew each other in the 'real world' with the intimacy of the org it's likely most of the same shit would go down. Familiarity breads contempt and all that. As you say, 'it makes the idea of becoming emotionally invested in threads when I'm not emotionally invested in the folks on the thread, more quaint, but less immersive', and I could not agree more. In the marrow of it, that's basically what this thread was about when I started it. I don't want quaint, I want immersive. But I look at what's going on in a particular thread and I know that I have no need to become emotionally invested. If you know it's only going to go downhill, might as well stay at the top so you don't have to walk back up later.

I already wrote too much in the last post, so I'll make this one separately.

I took a lot of time off from the internet this year, and it was a really good decision. I thought it was going to be very difficult. I thought I would miss it. I didn't, and it wasn't. In fact, it almost felt like a relief. Over the years (since 1996 without a break and off and on since 1993) the internet had become a constant part of my life and I realized I was taking it WAY too seriously. Removing myself from it, even for a couple weeks at a time, quickly changed/s all that. The outside world comes back into focus VERY fast (yeah, and what I notice/d is that the entire world has their noses stuffed in smart phones). This included not running into the same drama at the org day after day. When I come here now, while it still bothers me, it doesn't bother me as much. And if it does I just say what I need to say and move on. Having the last word doesn't matter anymore. I can actually easily see a time in my life when I don't even need the internet for most of the reasons I use it now.

Caveat: I ain't perfect! I'm broken as fuck and I make as many mistakes as the next person. But I'm trying. Yes, I'm trying. And these last couple posts are just the observations of the forty year old me on something that's been a part of my life since I was twenty. Not saying I'm right.

Cerebus said:

imago said:

OMG, I lOOOOOOVE insulting people. Don't take that away from me!

I don't mind folks calling others out by insulting them, honestly. As long as it's about the person's behavior and not something more personal. For example, calling an obvioius asshole an asshole.

My problem is that I get no sense that anybody actually comprehends what the other person is saying. Disagreements happen, sure--and I think that's what makes the org so special, especially in the music-and-more forum. It's not like the ass-lick drone fest of Prince's official fansites. However, when folks disagree on a subject, nobody seems to bother reading the posts they respond to. It's like they've already come loaded with a response--you know, sort of like a polititian answering questions he'd wished you asked him instead of the actual question you asked him.

Then, there's the factor of me being sort of into my own thing lately. The org is a place I've spent alot of time on the last month, but that's because I have family in town and they drive me insane. So, I escape to the computer to get away from them. But, other than this last month, life has been busy, and I have less time for entertainment. Throw in facebook and my new novel, and I completely lose my ability to comprehend what's going on here to. I mean, I discovered that I apparently don't get along with some of the orgers here--but, I've forgotten .

It's absolutely bizarre, but the org today feels like housequake in the years leading up to it's shutdown. Not nearly as funny as it used to be. And, I could never imagine another org invasion happening. So, it makes the idea of becoming emotionally invested in threads when I'm not emotionally invested in the folks on the thread, more quaint, but less immersive.

No, see, I'm not talking about the type of behavior you're talking about.

I'm talking about someone being an asshole just because they don't agree with a perfectly harmless comment someone else made. Or because they disagree with a political or religious view, which is the worst. Nobody learns anything in those exchanges. I'm talking about someone going out of their way to make another person feel stupid (often going so far as to call them that) for doing nothing other than expressing an opinion. Nothing is learned that way, either. That type of discussion serves no better purpose. In fact, all it does is exacerbate the situation, causing more drama, or causing the person to withdraw, or attack in return.

Disagreements happen, yes, but there's still a respectful, grown up way to handle them. If you choose not to be grown up about it, there's still a way to immaturely handle it in a respectful way. I see very little effort in this regard. In fact, the internet is definitely regressing in that area.

Does it have something to do with people 'not understanding', or 'not taking the time to TRY to comprehend' what the other person is saying, or coming into it with an 'agenda'? Yeah, sure. I'm sure all of that is part of it. But what is really getting to me is something else...

We can't all be right all the time.

It seems like nobody is willing to give an inch, even when you might end up gaining a foot in return. It's all about what often amounts to nothing more than an OPINION NEEDING to be right. And that need seems to have pushed a lot of people to a place where they become hyper-aggressive. Every response is about how dumb the person the are quoting is. Or, in relation to above, they'll take one line, or even a few words and twist it to whatever meaning they need to make themselves right, disregarding the rest of what you said in the process.

Words are powerful. Words have meaning, and weight. Some people take the time to choose their words and the order they put them in carefully. Picking out one sentence or a few words from a post that contained four paragraphs and several hundred words in order make your dick look bigger is sad, insulting, disappointing and frustrating. (Not 'your' dick, btw, just in general.)

This includes humor, too. I'm good at humor. Humor, including insults, used in the right way, amongst people who understand what is being said can be incredibly powerful and entertaining. Unfortunately, even though I know I'm attempting to be humorous a great deal of the time, the internet seems to have become so overly sensitive as to make it nearly impossible to get a point across that way.

For what's it's worth I don't believe that most of it has to do with a lack of understanding. It has to do with a lack of TRYING. People aren't TRYING to understand, learn, grow, share, etc. I'm not a dumb person, but I know I only possess a fraction of the knowledge I wish I had regarding about 99% of any given topic at hand. I used to be able to gain some of that knowledge online, talking to people. These days, not so much. Because if say something out of line, use one WORD the wrong way, it become a verbal beat down party with no hope of return.

Is the Org changing? Yeah, sure. It's changed massively in the time I've been coming here off and on. But what wouldn't? If all these people knew each other in the 'real world' with the intimacy of the org it's likely most of the same shit would go down. Familiarity breads contempt and all that. As you say, 'it makes the idea of becoming emotionally invested in threads when I'm not emotionally invested in the folks on the thread, more quaint, but less immersive', and I could not agree more. In the marrow of it, that's basically what this thread was about when I started it. I don't want quaint, I want immersive. But I look at what's going on in a particular thread and I know that I have no need to become emotionally invested. If you know it's only going to go downhill, might as well stay at the top so you don't have to walk back up later.

Yeah, I once said "fuck Africa, and fuck Dubai" in the context of their human rights record and how I could never support places that mistreat homosexuals to the extent that African countries do. A legion of black chicks automatically got pissed at me.

But, I don't care. Fuck Africa.

Dude! Don't you fuckin' ruin my thread with your agenda!

Cerebus said:

Dude! Don't you fuckin' ruin my thread with your agenda!

I'm just pointing out that you say something others really disagree with, all of a sudden you're a bad person.

How many folks here hate Genesia because she's conservative and unapolgetic about it?

There's so many real reasons to hate her other than her politics--her unnatural obsession with matching dark fabrics is one.

imago said:

Cerebus said:

Dude! Don't you fuckin' ruin my thread with your agenda!

I'm just pointing out that you say something others really disagree with, all of a sudden you're a bad person.

How many folks here hate Genesia because she's conservative and unapolgetic about it?

There's so many real reasons to hate her other than her politics--her unnatural obsession with matching dark fabrics is one.

See! I was totally kidding. Hence the two

But yes, you've nailed Genesia (figuratively, of course). No, but seriously. She's a perfect example, because she and I have clashed more times than I can count. We've "known" each other online for a good long while now, and to be honest, I'm still not sure we like each other. But I respect her, because she's intelligent and if you can keep it on a conversational level, even if it gets heated, she's able to have a lengthy ones without making it about wrong/right (even when sometimes, it is). I know some people feel differently, but that's probably just because of her skill unnatural obsession with matching dark fabrics .

This thread has become way too serious, so here's some cats...

Aaaaaaaand.....