Towards a new RI

[norton ash]

This thread shows exactly lurkers are hesitant to post. Enjoy jerking eachother off, clowns.

norton ash LIKES this

[Laodicean]

[coffin_dodger]

This thread shows exactly lurkers are hesitant to post. Enjoy jerking eachother off, clowns.

- cracking insult!

Hey, look, I know I'm a relative newbie here, so I feel a bit awkward broaching the subject, but has anyone else noted how few new members join RI? Is that the way the concensus like it? Are new members intruding on a well established group of elders that have been there, seen it and heard it all? I honestly don't know.

[ShinShinKid]

Quiet please...we'll release shortly a response from the ivory tower:

[82_28]

I didn't start this thread in order to foment any arguments, but to think about bringing RI back to what it once was. Personally, on a day to day basis, I see no race, gender or disability.

Reminds me the other day of some guy in a wheelchair trying to get up the steep hill I live on and I offered to give him a push up the hill. He got pissed at me and didn't want my help. I wasn't trying to help because he was incapable, just to ease his burden because we could share in the time spent. Being kind to some equates to being an asshole to another "some".

[Kristine Rosemary]

Keep posts short. Edit so no scrolldowns.
New inet = brevity is soul of wit. If you can't cover your
post with your hand, it's too long. No need to quote at
length from other sources. Make a link. Make art also.
We need more art. Meaning grafix, pix. Too many words
already. Thanks for the chance to comment.

[Luther Blissett]

This thread shows exactly lurkers are hesitant to post. Enjoy jerking eachother off, clowns.

- cracking insult!

Hey, look, I know I'm a relative newbie here, so I feel a bit awkward broaching the subject, but has anyone else noted how few new members join RI? Is that the way the concensus like it? Are new members intruding on a well established group of elders that have been there, seen it and heard it all? I honestly don't know.

I don't know. It was hard to start or to feel like I was ready to say anything. It took forever. I hear similar things from people I've tried to bring onboard.

[Jerky]

It is definitely NOT an easy board to get started on as a poster (as opposed to mere lurker). You really have to WANT it and stick it out, seeing as there is a bit of a longish waiting period before you're allowed to post unmoderated.

I think the joining process should be streamlined somewhat. There have been times when I've forgotten my password and had to renew my membership (I've been Jerky, Yer Old Pal Jerky, Sweet Tooth and now back to Jerky again over the years, since the first few months of this place), and I noticed how difficult it was to get up and running and back into the swing of things. Thankfully, as I'm friends with Jeff, I was able to contact him and get his assistance IRL. But I really think the blocks to joining should be either lifted or reduced.

My long-winded 2 cents.

Cheers!
yer old pal Jerky

[Jerky]

Also, another two cents, although I, too, get annoyed by SLAD and AD's insult ping-pong match, I have to agree with SLAD that Willow's comments were more than a touch troubling, coming as they do from a moderator.

I also think calling for BlueNoseClaret to be evicted is going overboard. He definitely holds and promotes some views and positions that could fairly be characterized as extreme, I don't think they're SO beyond the pale that outright banning is warranted.

I now sit back and wait for one of the board's hyperventilating correctness cops to comb through my entire posting history to dig up the fewhree "questionable" posts of mine that caused a bit of a ruckus a year or so back.

I kid, of course. They've probably have those posts dug up and ready to go for a while now!

Sincerely,
yer old pal Jerky

[smiths]

the reason articles get posted in full is that after a couple of years the originals go missing, anyone who does a search for 5 year old news stories is bound for heartbreak

so the theory has gone that posting full length snips here with original link preserves the whole record, and in truth it has worked

it does, however, produce very long tedious pages of repeated text which is not very aesthetically pleasing


my prediction on Palestine/Isreal/Jews/Antisemitism is that when Israel stops being a fscist murderous tste people will stop writing about it


and as for the gender issue, how is it fair or right to berate a group of people who have turned up to a place voluntarily and chosen to stay and contribute for their perceived sexism? this is shadow boxing

lets stick to the actual issues rather than creating an issue

[coffin_dodger]

Also, another two cents, although I, too, get annoyed by SLAD and AD's insult ping-pong match, I have to agree with SLAD that Willow's comments were more than a touch troubling, coming as they do from a moderator.

I also think calling for BlueNoseClaret to be evicted is going overboard. He definitely holds and promotes some views and positions that could fairly be characterized as extreme, I don't think they're SO beyond the pale that outright banning is warranted.

I now sit back and wait for one of the board's hyperventilating correctness cops to comb through my entire posting history to dig up the fewhree "questionable" posts of mine that caused a bit of a ruckus a year or so back.

I kid, of course. They've probably have those posts dug up and ready to go for a while now!

Sincerely,
yer old pal Jerky

Thanks YOPJ. I've never really understood the banning thing. My first instinct is to engage in dialogue with someone that holds differing views, to see if their view has any merit and to convey my point of view. And to persevere. I'm also interested in the mindset of 'thou shalt not talk of these matters because THIS is the correct view and there shall be no dissention' and the role The System plays in that entrenchment.

[jakell]

I didn't start this thread in order to foment any arguments, but to think about bringing RI back to what it once was. Personally, on a day to day basis, I see no race, gender or disability.

Reminds me the other day of some guy in a wheelchair trying to get up the steep hill I live on and I offered to give him a push up the hill. He got pissed at me and didn't want my help. I wasn't trying to help because he was incapable, just to ease his burden because we could share in the time spent. Being kind to some equates to being an asshole to another "some".

A larger perspective would be gained by asking if forums in general are what they once were. I'm sure most people here touch down in other places too and I've noticed a general deterioration in the quality of forum usage as the internet changes. If the internet alters then why would people expect one particular place to hold out?
It's probably not too difficult to surmise why I went back into lurk mode.

[brainpanhandler]

It's probably not too difficult to surmise why I went back into lurk mode.

because you chose to?

[Luther Blissett]

the reason articles get posted in full is that after a couple of years the originals go missing, anyone who does a search for 5 year old news stories is bound for heartbreak

so the theory has gone that posting full length snips here with original link preserves the whole record, and in truth it has worked

it does, however, produce very long tedious pages of repeated text which is not very aesthetically pleasing
…
and as for the gender issue, how is it fair or right to berate a group of people who have turned up to a place voluntarily and chosen to stay and contribute for their perceived sexism? this is shadow boxing

lets stick to the actual issues rather than creating an issue

I definitely prefer full (or at least relevant extracts) of full articles and essays because the old stuff does go missing. This board is a phenomenal resource tool for that very reason.

Inclusion is a pretty nuanced topic and I think we could do a much better job of openness and coverage of gender / sexuality / feminism. The conversation about the Santa Barbara shooting was so dismaying for me, and I can't even really get through the War on Women and Everyone Loves Feminists and Environmentalists threads. For feminist discussion needs I have to turn elsewhere, like tumblr. It's too hostile here by comparison when that subject is raised and the discourse barely ever addresses intersectionality, radical feminism, or trans rights above a surface level. On one hand I do agree with you that we all voluntarily arrived here and brought our own experiences, knowledge, and interests (antifascism, fighting organized abuse, inequality, high weirdness, etc) which should theoretically by rights align with intersectional feminism, but when push comes to shove there's still some resistance there. There's value in that experience and knowledge, but it doesn't extend to topics that are natural parallels. I'll pledge to try harder, maybe start a thread or two and see how it goes.

For example, I just did a search for CeCe McDonald and there are only five mentions, by Project Willow and American Dream.

I don't see it as creating an issue because it's out there in the world and my experience is that it isn't handled ideally when it's brought to the board.

[Wombaticus Rex]

^^probably related to Barracuda's poignant points a page earlier, yeah?