I’ve actually stopped posting to broad categories of threads lately (for the past year or so)…not political threads (though I’ve cut down on those too), but thread involving evolution, the paranormal, etc. Not because I have a contrary view on those things, but because my views are basically in line with the majority of this boards, and basically I sometimes feel sorry for the poor schlubs who wander in to post contrary views on those subjects. Mind, many of them deserve the pile on they get…but after a while it just looses it’s fun, and there really is no chance for anything like a reasoned debate on those type subjects on this board. The same is getting true for most of the CT type threads, though those can sometimes be amusing to participate in…for a while.
But you are right, the numbers definitely make a difference. I have friends who are on some of the conservative type boards, and from what they tell me the same things happen to the few ‘liberal’ types left…they get piled on and have basically drifted away since it’s really not a lot of fun to be involved in that kind of thing. I’ve had that happen to me on this board a couple of times and it’s too much like work trying to keep up. I don’t think that anyone can really understand that until they are in the same position of getting hounded from all sides by several worthwhile posters as well as idiots like Gonzo who come in spouting their content free BS…it can be disconcerting when suddenly you find that you are the fresh blood in the water on the SD, and the sharks are circling.
You still respond one at a time. You don’t get simultaneous posts unless you are answering several threads. Then I suppose you are spreading yourself too thin.
It’s my belief that it’s happened more than a few rare times, especially if you permit me to add “bigot” to the list of perjoratives. But even with the list standing as is, I can remember being called a racist more than “a few rare times,” including one highly offensive incident in which I was also called an Uncle Tom (what was presumably meant was Tio Tomás, since the accusation was that by holding my views, I was disloyal to Hispanics and that all my Republican friends laughed at me, their token Hispanic, when my back was turned).
Of course, since I’ve had eleven years of board membership, perhaps we don’t mean the same thing by “a few rare times.” But it’s happened enough to me that I remember it and am uncomfortable about it.
Wow, furt, you’re simply exuding wounded nobility here.
I almost hope someone’ll buy it from you; maybe one of those folks suckered into supporting the invasion of Iraq by Sam’s enriched uranium bullshit:
Civility’s all very nice and such*, but you nuts have cost the nation trillions.
Unless you pay us back with interest, you’re just going to have to put up with being treated with the disdain you so richly deserve for a few years.
*Especially if you can get those you disagree with to be civil, while you spew bile as in the above quote.
Heh the hardest thing for me to learn on message boards is that I don’t need to respond to every person who addresses me. Selectively ignoring people is very useful. Sometimes people will harass you and say you’re a chickenshit for not responding to them, but it really helps cut out the noise ratio from the gangs of morons.
Yup, and you can not pay strict attention to the not-moronic but tragically misguided too.
If you set out to win every battle that’s offered, you will be overwhelmed, no matter who you are, or how correct your beliefs.
