Sometimes the TFP really bugs me.
 

No, really, sometimes it does.

Sometimes I'd really like to tell someone, "listen, you're an asshole, really, just one big dripping asshole."

You know those posts where you KNOW what you're reading is sooo much bullshit that you just want to yell at a person?

Sometimes I just want to say "listen, you dumb fuck, you're wrong. I could explain it, but why don't you, for the good of the gene pool, admit you're wrong, and move on."

Man that'd be easy, but it wouldn't be very productive, would it?

No, it wouldn't.

I appreciate that the TFP is a place where if someone wants to call bullshit on me, they have to take the time and explain why. In a civil tone even. I get it, and I appreicate it.

I do enjoy the level of discourse we strive for...but man, sometimes hitting the back button is a real challenge.

Anyone else feel the same way? Or am I the lone neandertal in a group of PhD's?


EDIT:
Ten minutes later....
You realize this is more about the TFP being an agent of civility than the TFP itself, right?

Heh. That's all I gotta say about this.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20040319l.jpg

This conveniently sums up what I feel.

Yikes, can you picture how Politics would end up? I don't even want to think about it.

Release your frustrations a little healthier way :)

People post here because they feel like they are part of a community. And once a community starts pulling shit like that, people will stop being a part of the community.

http://www.ventanger.com/

: )

Agreed. It annoys me how it's considered more important to be nice than honest. Seems like the politics threads always get shut down as soon as they start to get interesting.

The exhibition threads are good examples. I'm sure everyone here has at some time opened one of those up and thought "holy crap, you look like a horse that got hit by a Mack truck!" But if you expressed your opinion you'd be kicked off the board. I understand it may not be nice, but IMO that should be the risk you take in posting your pictures on the Internet.

However, the TFP is private property and as such the administrators can regulate what is said on it however they damn well please. That's fine by me. Nobody here is forced to use or fund it. It's just that I'd tone down the forced niceness stuff if I was running things.

Amen, shitwad.


: )

If I'm going be lectured on how being an asshole isn't condusive to good community...then just forget it, you're missing the point.

Besides, I know that.

Thing is, sometimes being an ass IS healthy. Humans have a violent animal portion. Denying it some form of release is not a good idea. Denying it exists is worse.

I'm trying to say that, for me, it sometimes takes effort to not say, "listen fuckwad, you're a shitcock."

If everyone else wants to pretend that they FEEL hearts and flowers all the time, fine.

The typed response may be polished, sure, but not the feelings behind them.

**** applause ****

I cannot even begin to tell you the number of times I have "self edited" my replys to the Sheep in politics. Still it is part of the game, but I have noticed I simply don't reply as much as I could . Mostly because of the effort it takes to play nice nice.

sometimes people want their friends and peers to write a blank check to whatever they want on their bullshit.

me? I appreciate and need someone to keep me in line and call shennigans if I'm espousing bullshit. That goes for anyone from my parents to my wife, if I'm never told, then I can never fix it.

So if you EVER see me post something that starts to smell or look like bullshit... please do me a favor, and call me on it. I rely on everyone else to be my mirror because I cannot always see what I look like to everyone else, I try hard to be the latter in my sig.

Yes, there are certain people to which the term "stupid" would be a compliment.

The desire to drag our discourse down toward the level of other sites is understandable. The lower common denominators of dialog have their common appeal. Typing whatever comes into one's head without regard for how this affects the level of other responses is far easier than consideration and self-editing. Focusing on our own individual wants isn't the same as focusing on the long-term broader view. All along, the vision here has been to work to create a site that offers an alternative direction to the common levels of discourse on the Internet.

I find myself pressing delete way more than enter.

I wish that I could say that in so few words and that eloquently.

But I can't so...

"Yeah! What he said!"

I've seen the thread you're talking about billege, and the guy wasn't rude or a smartass to you. I think something pissed ya off last night and you took what the guy said wrong. Calm down, man!!

-Lasereth

I am King dripping asshole.

yeah, but you're small enough that it's not hard to find diapers to combat your dripping asshole. good thing, huh?

There's being an asshole and there's being an asshole. Yelling at someone because they've frustrated you to no end is bad. Yelling at someone because they keep getting themselves into the same messes over and over and over again, and chronically complain about it but don't change their behavior (there's no one here I am thinking of when I make that statement) is not being an asshole, sometimes people just need a kick in the ass. A true friend delivers that kick.

Amen -- a community is about being friends. Frienship is about being honest. I dropped off another site because it drive me absolutely freakin' nuts that no one would call some of the sympathy whores on their bullshit. Co-dependency is bad. A true friend tells it like it is.
Politics inspires strong opinions, here, the politics forum here is a little boring, way too much of a lovefest. I love it when the gloves come off, and you can really lay into someone's opinion... you aren't belittling them, it's their insipid ideas that are the problem. If you can seperate the two, then it's fun. Dont call me names but I don't care what you call my ideas.

You are assuming an awful, awful lot.

That was irritating, but it was not responsible for this post.

what and where exactly are these "exhibition threads"? are they something that opens up after a while like the avatars?

I very much disagree with this because I imagine they already get enough flak about it off of the interne or have in the past. They partially removed the veil of the internet basically and showed themselves to the world which in this internet is a huge deal as you post one picture of yourself on the net, it can end up alllll over the world. I apprciate what is done in Exhibition and hell, some of the comments I have found offensive from just the compliments that people make like, "You're so hot, I wish I could sleep with you" or some such comment. But meh, what can you do really.

As to what billege said though, I couldn't agree with you more. I used to read the Politics board ALL the time because there were some good threads. Many times, I'd start typing and I'd force myself to stop because I'd get myself kicked from the board.

I don't read the politics boards either.

1. I'd get kicked within seconds, because I'm that into politics, and it makes me into a monster.

2. You can't win an argument on their anyway.

Still billege, I think the basic tenets of the board say you can tell someone their wrong, or that their being immature, in a civil manner, but you better be willing to back up that analysis.

Of course, what we now have (thanks to billege) is a dandy little thread to which we can direct an individual whose
statements require a stronger and more ascerbic response than, "I don't agree."

Example uses...

I don't agree, and <b>here's why.</b>

or

<b>Here's what I think of you and your opinion...</b>

or

Your mom just called and left <b>this message</b> for you...

I have written full pages of rebuttals for some of the things people have said on TFP. I have erased every single one because it serves absolutely no purpose than to float my ego. Sometimes it feels good to actually write out the response you truly want them to see, then erasing. One must realize that these people won't change their fuckwad opinions because you told them to. They won't stop being an asshat because you flamed them in such an eloquent way. With that said, why waste any more time on them than you have to? Personally I have much bigger fish to fry.

Yes....they are, patience grasshopper.

Sometimes, especially with some of the recent Iraq threads, I've had to just close out of TFP to stop from posting something to get myself banned because of an individual (who has since been banned himself) just got my blood up and I was seeing red.

I do my best to stay away from politics in general because I have a very short temper for that kind of thing (something about not tolerating any bullshit, and my view is that politics is full of bullshit) ;)

I can see both sides of it. Though Hal/etc. wants to keep this as friendly as possible (especially Exhibition where people bare pretty much everything and hope for good comments), sometimes it would be nice to just drop a line to someone and say "Look, shit-for-brains, you're a fucking moron and need to be shot. Quit posting such insanely-fucking-stupid ideas." :D

I can count the number of flamewars I've had on both hands at all forums I've ever posted at in the last two years (about 30+). I just don't see the point at screaming at someone who will just resist your point and only see the "OMG U R SUCH A FHEG!" part of your flame. I like to push boundaries and fuck with ppl's heads more than outright flaming them. Get ppl talking about something they haven't seen or are disturbed by...that's my game.

I think this thead is a compliment towards good mods. Good Mods have the ability to distinguish between discussion, insults and the grey area between the two.

/speaking strictly about politics

---it's much easier to hit the back button and find something nice..

I'm glad that i can't be an outright prick. It serves no purpose other than the release of steam. I'm much more satisfied with a long, reasonably well thought out rebuttal. Plus, it forces me to think before i speak, which is something i often lack the foresight to do ITRW.

What you resist persists. :)

I think every time I've read someone posting shenanigans I've called them on it... and I have been called on bullshit once or twice already... even one yesterday I might add

but there are respectful ways of calling people on it... simply saying "You're a fucking stupid retard, and you're wrong" just isn't productive

I agree with that point. Although it is nice, if I am wrong about something, that someone doesnt come out and spew "u r fukn ReTard~" and explains why I am wrong.

Purely hypothetical of course, coz like... I'm never wrong ~

IIRC, Billege, when I first turned up here I wasted no time in dissing your ride in the motors section. You were none too appreciative of my comments, and with some justification as at that point I hadn't quite got my head around what this place is, and what it does. I wasn't banned for my rudeness, but I soon regretted such heedless slapdashery.

Opinions here are like people's cars. They're not up for criticism, as the barb inevitably sinks deep and ruins someone's day. It is incumbent upon us to try and lead by example; those opinions that run contrary to your own are but the framework, the shoddy relief that shows off your own searing wit and shining insight to best effect.

TFP is different. A lovefest, maybe, but it works - e basta.


edited to say:

D'oh! It wasn't your car, Billege, but we did have a charming little contretemps on that thread anyway. Here's some quality ribbing for the enjoyment of all:

http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/showthr...749#post421749

Billege said:

"I've been praying that castex would stop driving such a sucky car.

But a BMW wagon doesn't really suck, it blows.

It blows enough that there are high wind advisories when you come into town. That wagon would blow your hair dry, just so you can have the 80's "yuppie-do" you're soooo proud of. Blowing that much isn't usually a problem, but people in Texas are getting tired of the dust storms you're causing, and they're coming to kick your ass. In fact, if that car didn't blow as much as it does, it'd blow just a little more so we could use it to turn windmills. Intead your car can't even be really good at blowing, so we'll use it to keep the kids air beds inflated; if it can mangage that!"

ROFL!:D That's the way to do it.

Yes, internet forum angst. Could one day be partly responsible for high blood pressure, heart disease and maybe cancer.

But isn't part of the fun knowing that the fucktard windbag who, by many accounts resembles the epitome of an intellectual lightweight, never ceasing to restrict ones all encompassing expert analysis regarding everything imaginable,is probably relaying their version of how and what the world is to others minus the cloak of anonimity.

That in itself should bring some consolation.;)

OFKU0, well stated. I have a similar view.

I'm always solaced by the idea that some people will have to live out the rest of their days...as themselves.

I've found that as long as it's smart you can say whatever you want. That said....
Poop, doo-doo, crappy crappers crap crap.

Thats what other forums are for. I prefer to clutter up someone elses board, who dosent give a shit about rampid flames.