There’s a world of difference between saying “Let them eat cake.” and “Let them surf the internet.”
We’re talking a purely discretionary form of entertainment here.
To call mods who aren’t getting all mushy over folks who can’t afford an extremely modest sum of money “aristocratic” is laughable. They stormed the Bastille because they couldn’t afford to put bread in their mouths, not because they upped the price of admission to the Shakespeare festival. I daresay even peasants understand the difference between necessity and frivolity.
Their attitude is the same as most posters I’m guessing…
Look. You spend money every day. In that spending you get change back. Silver, weighing down your pockets (or pocketbooks…) Save the damn CHANGE. In no time you’ll have the money. I said it before…
OK - sorry to be a pain, I KNOW this has to be covered somewhere, but how do I volunteer to sponsor someone?
I don’t really know any dopers on a personal basis and I really don’t care who I sponsor. But if someone REALLY needs the $5.00 to stay connected to the Dope I’d be more than willing to lend a hand.
Again - I’m sure this has probably been covered ad nauseum so I appologize.
zoid, amble on over to About This Message Board, a little-frequented forum of the SDMB (which is getting way more attention than usual lately, for some odd reason). There you will find a thread devoted to helpers and helpees.
If bringing up the fact that someone telling someone off for saying someone is junior modding for saying someoe is junior modding isn’t junior modding I don’t know what is…
Well, the tone may have seemed flippant, but honestly, Ed’s right on the nose for many people who want to complain. Yes, there are exceptions; there are people for whom $5 is out of reach. I am sorry those people are offended by his response.
The reality is, it ain’t free anymore. Yes, there are going to be people who are left out because it isn’t free anymore. It’s a troubling consequence of the change. There is no way to make a pay site affordable for all comers. If they dropped it to $1 there would still be people who couldn’t pay.
I am sad for the indigent people who depend the SDMB as a wonderful, free, much-needed escape from their problems. However, it’s not a compelling argument to me that it should be free just because some people without a spare $5 feel they need to still able to post here. If it were a therapy site or a charity site perhaps I’d find this more a dealbreaker.
Then, too, it’s not as if those who can’t afford to subscribe are locked out of the SDMB entirely. They can still read to their heart’s content. Og knows, as much of a blitherer as I am, I still spend way more time here reading than posting, and I don’t open more than a tiny fraction of the threads going at any one time.
I have no idea about the financial situations of any dopers other than myself but, quite a few people here post from work. Still others post from the public library or from their university’s computer lab. None of that requires anyone to pay for an internet connection out of pocket.
Also, $5 might not be a lot of money for a years worth of posting. But it is very conceivable that dopers who might otherwise be well able to afford $5 any other time, might be going through a significant financial squeeze between now and April 22nd (the deadline for the $5 subscription rate).
I would like for this site to remain free (because I don’t have a credit card and am hesitant to use a friends for this purpose), but I do understand that bills have to be paid and I’m not complaining about the subscription plan or the rate for this year or the next.
Why have I seen so many bitching about $5 but so few (none) takers on my offer to sponsor in the sponsorship thread? The offers keep rolling in for “SDMB Scholarships” and very few recipients.
I understand if it’s the principle but that doesn’t seem to be the case. It can’t be pride. If it were, I would think I would see a quiet exodus of the poor but proud instead of the din of "But I can’t afford it!"
I understand. Believe me, I understand. I know what it’s like to eat beans and Ramen noodles for dinner and use the SDMB at work only because you can’t afford a computer. I know what it’s like to know that $5 may be the make-or-break point on rent or food. But please - take the offer and find a way to pay it back (if it’s pride) or just accept the gift.
Or don’t. And let dignified silence guide you out the door.
Thanks,
Rez
“it’s not a compelling argument to me that it should be free just because some people without a spare $5 feel they need to still able to post here.”
Uh, who is arguing that? Last I saw from most threads/posts, no one is “arguing” that the site should be free because some people won’t be able to afford the subscription. People are just expressing their personal reasons for not posting, including not being able to afford the subscription. And, this thread is pitting mods for their attitude toward those people who won’t be able to afford the subscription. Sheesh - does anyone here actually comprehend what they read, or do they just scan until they find something to bitch back about whether or not it’s relevant or even mentioned in the OP! Oy!
If Cheeky wants to bitch & moan (I personally think she’s contributed more than trite nonsense, unlike most of the pitters around here) then fuck you for caring. If you don’t like her threads, don’t post in them. Do you ever think that maybe you’re just a cheap pawn in her wicked games? It’s the same people posting in her threads over and over saying how they dislike them so much. Well, then fuck you dumbshit for posting. I tend to ignore certain posters and certain threads for flagrant idiocy. If you feel that way about Cheeky - - bugger off. I happen to think she’s a great person and enjoy her fucking around with your heads - - you fall so easily. lol.
I have a feeling my seat’s about to become very hot…silly people :rolleyes:
“A lot of them walk the streets every day, for work. A lot of them are home sick, being paid a percentage of the wages that once fed their family on a paycheque to paycheque basis. SDMB was a place where they could go, let go of their grief for a while, and zone out. Not to mention, it’s also a place where they can vent, ask for help, and to some degree socialize.”
It was said right here in this thread, little buckeroo. Scroll up. Now I don’t give a flying fuck one way or the other what you think of me, but it sure makes your litle quip about “not comprehending what I read” cute.
So then, Cranky, what you’re saying is that when you read…
“A lot of them walk the streets every day, for work. A lot of them are home sick, being paid a percentage of the wages that once fed their family on a paycheque to paycheque basis. SDMB was a place where they could go, let go of their grief for a while, and zone out. Not to mention, it’s also a place where they can vent, ask for help, and to some degree socialize.”
…you “get from it” that this is an “argument” to make the SDMB free? Because if so, what I say stands…for fuck’s sake!! Oy!! What is argumentative about the quote???
:rolleyes:
I too agree…let’s all be friends, hold hands, sing kumbaya, light a candle, pray for world peace, do a rain dance, shake a stick, smoke what you got and live and let live.
If you consider her such a friend, you would not make that kind of statement around here.
Personally I think Ed could have been a bit less flip in his post, but it’s rather in Cecil’s sarcastic style, isn’t it? And my experience has been similar to Rez’s re requests for a sponsorship, although I think it’s still early days and more may come as people consider what they’d like to do. I certainly hope that’s the case - the more we have, the merrier.
Thank you sunfish…I was made aware that my comment could be taken wrong - - I do apologize if that came out the wrong way. I’ve only been a member a short time and certain things have been explained to me by more seasoned members. (See, this is usually why I avoid the pit - lol!)
