It wasn’t festering. It was just one of those things that stuck in my memory because it was so bizarrely off base. We’re more than good.
Same. I’ll miss you, @Stranger_On_A_Train, but you need to do what’s healthy for you. If you ever change your mind, i hope you came back.
FWIW, I wanted to highlight and agree with this sentiment. I’ve noticed it too. I do believe that the general state of the world right now is having a deleterious psychological effect on people. And I’ve noticed it both here on the board and in the real world. People are becoming less pleasant, less kind, less patient, less willing to give the benefit of the doubt. Posters here who I’ve known through the written word for literally decades now, posters who should be aligned in important ways, politically, culturally, socially, etc… are sniping at one another and getting into squabbles over things both big and small. Squabbles that I never would have predicted even a couple of years ago.
I wish I had the words to elaborate in more detail the sort of patterns that I’m noticing. But I’m not a psychologist. As @BigT says, it’s a feeling. But I think it’s real. And I’ve noticed it too.
I have no idea, and am absolutely not going to try to flow chart the matter. But SDMB moderators usually take reports of deceptive quoting seriously, and if there was a real issue I wish Stranger had simply reported it at the time.
Stranger, your posts have greatly enriched this board, and I have always looked forward to reading them. I hope that at some point you feel it worth your while to come back.
Stranger, I’ll miss your thoughtful, in-depth responses to an amazing breadth of topics. This board will indeed be poorer for your absence. Take care, and I hope someday you change your mind and come back.
I plus one this.
@Stranger_On_A_Train is incredibally knowledgeable and I often have to read his informative posts twice because the density of factual information is so high, I miss things.
I hate to see you go, Stranger, I’ve always gotten a lot from your contributions. Take care wherever your road takes you.
Damn, chalk me up as one more that feels the board is worse without your presence, @Stranger_On_A_Train .
But, you must do what is best for you!
Stranger, interacting with you really made life enjoyable and meaningful. I left the dope about 3 years ago for reasons similar to yours, and still come back to read your posts sometimes.
Whether it was Climate change, Nuclear Engineering, Submarines ….you could distill down the issue with cogent, funny and deeply insightful posts.
Forever grateful to you for sharing so selflessly. You made the dope richer, thriving and interesting for me. May you be happy and prosperous in your future.
Be well Stranger! and don’t be a …stranger! Your anti trump posts were the best.
Come back for the party when he’s gone!!
You will be missed. I always enjoyed seeing you put others in their place. I’m sorry to whatever extent my ill-advised choice to express a minor irritation made you feel worse. I’m horrified that people have been harassing you.
I’ve had to step back before, too, and if this is the end for you, I get it. But it will suck without you.
Guy picks a fight, doesn’t go his way, blames us, leaves. OK then!
Guy badly summarizes a long, complicated exchange, adds nothing of value to the thread. OK then!
You should acknowledge that it was a comprehensive and eloquent flounce.
We may never see its like again.
You can call this thread a Trainwreck of the highest order. Self-induced, too!
@JohnT ‘s summary was spot on in my opinion.
Agreed.
Look this place is something we each choose to do for entertainment. If it ceases to amuse, if it doesn’t scratch whatever itch it was scratching, we should stop. Stranger is in that place. Okay.
But leaving because you felt beat up after you opened up a Pit thread? Sorry. It’s the pit Jake. And for the Pit most of the response was very gentle, more constructive criticism, which he was free to take to heart and improve as a poster, or to ignore, thinking it is off base. He is free to ignore however many of he wants to.
None of us are entitled to kid gloves treatment in The Pit. None should expect that the rule of the Pit is that the OP never gets anything but support. Do not play in The Pit if your skin is thin and easily bruised.
I wish him the best in his future playgrounds!
The Dope was better when it was more snarky. People are getting soft in their old age.
I remember this place as once being a lot worse.
Unless you’re saying people who used to not be snarky are now snarky.
In general though, I remember a lot of cruel people and a lot of assholes. It could just be that so many of them got banned that we’re running out of people to fight with. I don’t generally like to fight with people, but I admit to being mildly entertained by low-level drama. I’m not proud of it, but I’m sure I’m not alone.
I see most of the drama these days as just that, low-level. Nothing to get too worked up about. I prefer that, I think, to some of the truly ugly things I’ve seen happen in the past.
I don’t blame anyone for leaving if they feel they need to. I know a lot of people who have and I’ve had to take my time outs also.
But just, my subjective experience of this board is that it’s way more pleasant than it used to be. Including the Pit.