No. I’m fed up with people who announce their intentions to leave this evil place. I’m just helping the guy out with his Christmas wishes.
The guy has made a total of three posts, two of which are negative commentary on the staff, their practices, and the boards as a whole. Sounds like a shit-stirrer to me - check his first post in this thread if you have any doubts on that score. We ain’t going through another Reverend Mykeru thing.
He also said he registered just to get Andy to e-mail him. This is a bullshit story and I ain’t buyin’ it. Andy’s e-mail address is public. All he had to do is click the little link under one of Andy’s posts.
As for the Ms. Boards, far be it from me to encourage anyone to go over there (and I mean it – last I saw of the place, it wasn’t a shining example of intellectualism, friendliness, or fair play), but their FAQ makes their policies clear. Men are explicitly allowed to join, as long as they genuinely consider themselves to be feminist or pro-feminist. Different flavors of feminism are acceptable. There is debate amongst different varieties of feminist there.
Their moderators, in fact, came across as reasonable, cool people that I’d love to have a conversation with. It’s just that they let blood-crazed barracuda run amok through too many threads for my taste.
Yeah, but men don’t seem to last too long there, though (from my observation)–I’m a part-time lurker there, and I can think of one or two men that I’ve seen that appear to be long-term, respected posters. Plus, there’s threads that men very clearly aren’t allowed to participate in; I know that I’ve seen a couple where men were reamed out for commenting.
I don’t know, maybe it’s from being constantly on the defensive, since they get so many trolls, but they just don’t seem all that, well, nice there. No offense to margin, though–you seem pretty cool.
I can’t and won’t argue with the decision; it just seems that you guys usually let the person go down in flames before pulling the trigger. You know, give 'em enough rope …
As far as the registering-to-email thing goes, however, that actually has merit. If you’re not registered, you cannot simply click on the email button to email someone. When you do, you’re transported to a page that says you’re not logged in. So unless there’s another way I’m missing, what he said was somewhat plausible.
Of course, if that was his stated reason, then he’s got the email address and can do whatever he wanted to do with it. He wasn’t here long, and I’ll have forgotten all about him in about ten seconds.
Well, to be a pedantic nit-picker, only registered members can access the email. If I log out and click on an email button, all I get is the log-in page.
Of course, it doesn’t explain why he didn’t just register and email Andy, and it doesn’t explain why he didn’t just register and post, “Hey, Andy, email me,” and it doesn’t explain why his three posts were indeed so worthless.
Wow. After reading this thread and the linked thread, after to say Coldfire was spot on- and actually showed some restraint in not warning SAL.
UncleBeer, can you inquire as to making that a rule? All to often we get a useless attention whore poster who claims they are leaving this evil oppressive place filled with way too many liberals, republicans, Americans, Europeans, Illuminati, ect. . . They often skulk back at later to enjoy one final massive meltdown wasting our time and effort. How about we just give them what they want the first time.
The Wrong Girl, you’re probably very right about how long men last there. I hope I’m clear that the rules and the moderators allow men, but some of the members (I didn’t stay around there long enough to get a good sample, believe me) are so viciously anti-male that it’s an unpleasant place for any guy to be.
Oh, please. Preserve the rolleyes for those who explicitly state all feminists want to opress all men, or something. I was obviously expressing my confusion about a message board that requires ALL their members to adhere to a certain belief or phylosophy, which the Ms. Boards clearly do. In no way does that mean I’m convinced all feminists share the same views. I just feel that creating such a homogenous crowd limits the debating possibilities.
But hey, if debating isn’t what they’re about, more power to them. It wasn’t a slam or anything, just bewilderment.
Nighttime did you read that thread that I recommended or no?
Rexdart there are as many different varieties of feminist as there are women. I will say, though, that dismissing what you call ‘forty years’ of garbage from radical college professors’ also removes the sense of perspective from feminism—and keeps people from appreciating how far women have come, how far we’ve got to go, and how far we haven’t come in certain areas at all. That’s certainly a dismissive attitude.
So? I’ve read “Mein Kampf” and it doesn’t make me anti-Semetic. Feminism just isn’t a complicated thing. The desire for the political, social, etc., etc., equality of women. What’s complicated is implimenting it in a society that was built on being by men for men. Women have not been treated equally in subtle ways that are unique, and you have to look at the broad picture, so to speak. You talk about ‘forty years’ of garbage, but one thing that’s exceptionally interesting about feminism—and the resistance to it----is that it has to be perpetual, because people who hate feminists never change, never give up, and never listen. One they do like to do, though, is dismiss perspective. There’s always prolonged and sometimes hateful resistance to the idea that women should be equal. Dismissing the history of that struggle is easy for someone who hasn’t been there, but if you don’t appreciate what has gone before, you might slip back there without even being aware of it.
The Wrong Girl—thank you. I can kind of see where you’d think that abou MS. I kind of agree but kind of don’t. I’d consider myself a blue-collar feminist, where I think there’s a lot of twentysomthing college-educated feminists there. I think women like me, for example, have a lot more practical concerns than addressed by the MS. Boarders, who get way too intellectual for my tastes. I don’t find the radical theorists all that relevant to my life, and I find their “Lady Bountiful” attitude sort of offputting to say the least.
I’ve seen the kind of threads you mention over there, and my recollection of them was that they restricted them to women only because a lot of the trolls would come there anyway, post offensive things, and just not shut up. So they tried to head it off at the pass, but some of the guys would still try it. And I think the threads were invariably about pretty touchy things. There’s some long-time male posters there who are feminist, and they can be harder on the poseurs than anything. There was one guy I remember who finally got banned after being the most awful poseur for the longest time. He’d barge into any thread that concerned sex, chastise the women both for being repressed and for not appreciating a sensitive New-Age guy like him, and just derail the discussion. He was always arguing that porn was wonderful, and that we couldn’t argue with him because HE was a member of NOW.
My defining moment at MS. concerned two things: I posted that they were blaming the domestic violence deaths in the military on the military, when elsewhere they were blaming it on the male culture of violence. That wasn't appreciated. Second, in a thread about women in the military, I pointed out that I'd only been harassed once in a decade, and got dogpiled because that was the first time I'd mentioned it. It wasn't a part of my identity or anything---I shoved the guy away, told him off, and had done with it. To them, though, that was some sort of defining moment, and I found that incredibly unhealthy for myself, and perhaps necessary for them. I was told that because I hadn't mentioned it upfront, I had no credibility, that I must have been brainwashed, that I was obviously so devoted to the military that I was concealing serious sexual assault. They speculated----over my objections---about what body parts the guy had touched, and the whole thing made me feel like I was on the stand in a rape trial. That was it for me and the MS. boards. As bad as they get, though, I've seldom seen a feminist get as hateful as an anti-feminist. My impression of the feminists is that they're mostly college-age or well-educated, and they're sort of shocked to see what non-priveleged women deal with. They read a lot of theory, and they talk a lot, but they don't do a lot. It's still a good place for research though, and every movement has its radicals. They just define where that line is, I guess. Doesn't mean they speak for all feminists.
David Byron and I have NEVER seen eye to eye, but I have to say that banning him without taking the extra measure to back up your POV and actually give him chance to be heard is, well, sad. I know there are a plethera of excuses to ban him, as there would be anyone else on this thread, especially Margin. All you have done is prove to him nothing can be done to back up your position than to call him “sweetie” “Troll” and blah blah blah until he is banned.
I think ** Margin** protests too much, or maybe that isn’t what Margin is doing. It’s hard to say with all the patronizing, as hominen slurs and no content.
Achilles Last Stand, do you understand why DavidByron was banned? He made three posts, and in them had already called moderators Nazis. We don’t take well to people joining specifically to bash the administration.
Obviously I don’t speak for the administration, but it wasn’t about DavidByron’s views. It was about his assholish and crappy attidude from the get-go.
I disagree with that approach. The ‘rope’ you give them is the ability to crap in a bunch of threads, making life at the SDMB less enjoyable. Nip 'em in the bud, makes for a happier board all around.
Perhaps that is your opinion, I have been reading these threads and many names have been tossed around, still, those individuals are still here. It is very clear that David Byron was banned for his views, and the administration has to grow thicker skin. I am an administrator on a message board, I don’t ban people over sticks and stones, especially on a PIT thread. Sorry, but like I said, I have seen the swarm of bees attack one poster just so they respond to be told he has “and agenda”, don’t we all have one then? I just don’t agree, nothing to get into a huff about, but I simply don’t agree with banning him.
AchillesLastStand If you’ve ‘never seen eye to eye’ with David Byron, you must have associated with him prior to his registration here, because that certainly sounds like you’ve known him a long time.
FWIW, when DB saw that I’d outed him for being a troll at the MS. Boards, he emailed me and admitted it, and tried to figure out what my screen name was there. It was creepy. We’ not old buddies, which was the tone he took, and he was fuckin’ creepy when he was at MS.
It’s not my approach, so you’re not disagreeing with me. I am saying that’s what they usually do around here, save for the obvious spammers and trolls.
Well, I can’t get all wrapped in “Creepy” with someone who boldly hold up a sign saying “I think you’re a jerk”, just to use that angle when confronted. You can assess my history with David Byron if you like, I will assess yours. You seem to know that he is a troll, because he said he was the same David Byron that was banned from Ms. or did he actually say “I’m a troll”? <<<---- I am not impressed with a dishonest individual who tries to skew the facts. He is a troll to YOU, right?
If you have this widespread view of David Byron and know him so well, why come at me with this " He emailed me and admitted it, and tried to figure out what my screen name was there. It was creepy."<<<—that also is a typical David Byron move and you KNOW it, so this whole “Oh, my, he did THIS and I was shocked” approach, again, dishonest. Wouldn’t you do better to state your position honestly and not take he victim card route and if at all possible, argue the issue and not the person? Yes, like I said, David and I are ALWAYS going to be at opposite ends, loathing each other is what makes our “online relationship” work. Just don’t be so quick to railroad me in with your approach, I am almost embarrassed for you. I would be if I cared, but I don’t , I’m just interested in hitting your Achilles Heel. It might do you some good since the methodology you engage lacks umph.
From where I see on it on my screen, Margin, David Byron and ** Andy** gave you a public spanking.
You may call me a mysogynist now, it’s ok, I don’t mind.
UH, what the hell are you trying to say here? The fact that you even HAVE a history with the guy is kind of an indicator right there. The fact that you side with David Byron and Andy is even more glaring. The fact that you whine about ‘playing the victim’ card says all I need to know. Why don’t you, Andy, and DB form a little a "He-Man Woman-Haters’ Club?
Let’s see, I didn’t say I was shocked, I didn’t say I was a victim—actually, if you, you know, read my long post above, you’ll see I pretty much rejected the victim label, and you’re determined to see stuff that isn’t there—and defend both DB and Andy. Looks like a duck…
