Well, the changeover to subscription has given me an excuse to do something that I’ve been thinking about for a while. After two and a half years and nearly 10,000 posts (probably more than that, given that we lost a chunk of our postcount during the Winter of our Missed Content), it’s time to leave this horribly addictive place.
I’m saying ‘au revoir’ because I’m not going to flounce out saying ‘I shall never return’, but I intend to give it a rest for a long while, and if I come crawling back, it’ll be via the $15 route. I agree with the subscription policy. But to pay it now would be to tempt myself.
After the changeover on Monday, I won’t be coming back. So, cheerio to everyone who gives a shit. I’ve had a right old laugh!
On a further note, just some impressions of the board. The board has helped me distract myself during slack periods at work, and I’ve learned a hell of a lot. I have also lately been shocked and disappointed by a lot of attitudes I’ve seen. I’ve had great fun here, and have met some cool people IRL.
Random things that I’ve gained from the SDMB, some positive, some negative:
I can spend a lot of time reading and posting to a messageboard and still meet my targets and still hold down a good job.
That I’m not as clever as I thought I was.
That I’m not as clear a thinker as I thought I was.
That I’m not as informed as I thought I was.
That I believed several urban legends were true until I was disabused.
That I am wittier than I thought I was.
That I can be quite eloquent.
That the American political scene is way more right wing than I thought it was.
That the American right wing is way way way more right wing than I thought it was.
That there’s a worrying growth of anti-Europeanism in the US, and anti-Americanism in Europe.
That the gun control issue is more complex than I thought; it’s not cut and dried, and though I still prefer a mostly gun-free society, I realise the practicalities of achieving this in the US are almost insurmountable.
That some religious people have thought about the issues which make me an atheist on a far deeper level than I have, and have come up with different conclusions to me.
That there are some people who will not alter their opinions even in the light of overwhelming evidence.
That I have become more libertarian in my political thinking, despite still favouring a European-style model of social democracy, if that isn’t a contradiction.
That extremism of all stripes is dangerous and idiotic.
The most important thing I’ve learned: that there is no absolute truth about any given subject; the best one can ever do is be as informed as possible of all the issues, and create one’s opinion based on a balance of probablilities.
Bummer! We’ll miss you, buddy. Drop me an email if you happen to come back to Hong Kong for a visit (or if you need anything). I’ll have a beer in your memory at the Sevens next week!
You can’t go until you tell us why you think the US is so right wing. We’re not really that oppressive. Honest! We’re really nice people. Just leave our guns alone.
Well, I’m sorry to hear this, jjimm. But your list of things you say you learned here is a pretty good one, and it is as fitting a tribute as I can think of to the community, and to yourself, as well. It appears that the time you’ve spent here has been profitable.
That’s very nice to hear; it means that people are listening—and thinking. Both, more infrequent happenings than one would suspect.
