Wanna point that out for us who don’t feel like wading through a landfill to find a nickel?
Of course, because both myself and the board are to blame.
Thank you, Colibri and QED. I acknowledge your posts.
If I may adapt some Big Wille S. to suit the moment…The fault, dear Aeschines, is not in the board. But in ourselves.
You made the choice to post. You made the choice on what to post. You chose the tone of your posts.
Is this your annoying new way of avoiding the issue whenever someone disagrees with you?
You have that backward.
Now you have me confused with Updike.
No, just acknowledging your post. And thanks.
He’s gone from aggressive aggression to passive aggression, is all.
If nothing else, it saves time.
Nope, I’m done here. I don’t require the last word.
Ok, then.
I’m glad you agree that you are delusional.
(I know, I know - I’m a day late and a dollar short - but anyway…)
First, I don’t agree with everything Aeschines has said (by a long shot), but he has made one valid point, which Rubystreak has already picked up on - this board is indeed unfriendly to people who are more open-minded about paranormal phenomena. I have no problem with members here taking a skeptical view and saying that they’ll believe it when someone proves it, but that isn’t what happens here - members and staff here go after someone theorizing on paranormal events like sharks smelling fresh blood in the water. That has indeed created a dismissive atmosphere where people have become aware that these are subjects that Are Not Discussed, and that’s one of the few things about this Board that I’m ashamed of.
Second, the onus isn’t on so-called New Agers to prove things any more than it is on so-called Skeptics to disprove things. Skeptics take what they consider to be the high ground by saying that all paranormal stuff is crap because none of it has ever been proven, but I think that perspective is just as dangerous as believing everything about paranormal stuff is real. Someone who is truly interested in facts and learning must keep an open mind and be able to entertain new ideas.
Third, the debate that went on in this thread about the grammatical points was incredibly boring so I didn’t read it. 
Dammit, where did my sig go? I really wanted it on that post. Well, here it is.
If someone makes an assertion, the onus is on them to prove it, whether they’re a New Ager or not. And by “prove” I mean offer a convincing argument, not prove in the mathematical sense.
To me, it’s not the proving or disproving that’s the issue in these discussions. It’s the nasty, condescending tone that people take with anyone who believes in anything supernatural. I agree that, if you’re trying to promulgate a POV or convince anyone of something, you need evidence. However, sometimes people just want to have a discussion, exchange ideas or anecdotes, and they often get derailed by snarking skeptics with a bone to pick. This could easily lead to the frustration that Aeschines has expressed and consequent flame-outs like this one.
(BTW, I have no idea if Bryan Ekers is one of the folks that does the sniping, so I’m not tarring him with this brush.)
I almost never go to the IMO or MPSIMS fora, so I can’t speak for the tone of discussion there. But GD is not a place to exchange anecdotes. It’s a place to debate ideas. Yes, people will be nasty and condescending if you can’t defend your statements. But the cure for that is to better defend your statements, and not to simply claim something exists without offering objective evidence. There are plenty of places on the web or IRL to commune about the supernatural. GD isn’t one of them, nor do I think it should be. (Witnessing is allowed in GD, but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about.)
The problem is that if you read the linked thread, the exact opposite is going on. The skeptics in that thread are pretty well behaved; it’s the non-skeptics who are the nastiest and most condescending. Have you read that thread?
If what you described were true, I’d agree that it’d be a problem. It’s just not true.
Daniel
Some people take a nasty, condescending tone to a lot of things in GD. It’s not limited to the supernatural - try almost any political thread. Some people take a nasty, condescending tone in CS, for that matter.
If that’s what Aeschines actually wants, there are plenty of places on the net where he could easily have such a discussion. Aeschines’s problem is that he has deliberately attempted to debate the subject, on a board which by its very nature is highly skeptical, in a forum in which hard evidence is routinely demanded. GD is a boxing ring, not a playpen. If you don’t want to get hurt - and this goes for any subject - you better be well-armed and well-skilled. Aeschines is neither. But he climbs into the ring anyway, and the results are predictable - and then he whines about how everyone is picking on him.
Hmm, I liked Bryan before and now I think I’d like to take him out for a drink.
Talk about a drive-by. 97 posts to a thread and then just up and leaves.