Resistance is Futile.

luka

Well-known member
ive got a new blocking technique im feeling positive about. i want to be able to talk to the people i like talking to for the benefit of people who like listening wihtout having the experience ruined for me by getting bogged down in madness. i think this will work going forward.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
well, that escalated

clarify further

I probably vilified barty more than I meant to, borne of frustration. I do find him personally aggravating, in the way that will happen in any group dynamic. I'm sure some people feel that way about me. but, he undeniably injected a tremendous amount of energy and he wrote passionately on his interests which - tho I don't share them - is the best spirit of this place. it's true some of the issues were/are a failure of understanding - I think he was right in that "axe the thanks button thread" about the division between viewing this place as a bunch of chums in a club vs a public space where some of us are friends and some aren't (which it had traditionally been) and that's fine. or even preferable.

the really problematic stuff -which wasn't just one person - was a good bit of the truly mean-spirited slipping in under of the guise of it's all jokez/banter - the era of innumerable thread tags - and weird mind games (the strong belief many of us have about sock puppet accounts, for one). I don't think it was malicious in a planned way, just something that got out of hand. that was the toxic - yeah that word - downside of banter. Dematerialisation etc - which was great - was before that got out of hand.

@entertainment I probably won't quit entirely (it's hard) just ease off to low-key music talk. it's been a tense few months. we're arguing about arguing. the investment of time and energy isn't worth the trouble.
 

luka

Well-known member
apologies to people who dont like seeing 'strong language' as they call it on television.
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
seeing someone lose their mind here doesn't make me feel vindicated, just sad

it's true, we're all adults, this shouldn't be impossible

but the more I think about it, the more I think there may be something in the idea that the center here isn't holding better than it is anywhere else

it's borne of the current moment, but the fundamental tension is a division of deeply held beliefs

that specifically touch on how to view and talk about the world in a meaningful sense, beyond just what kind of art do we like etc

productive discourse exists in a pretty narrow band of shared belief which we may be slipping out of

fwiw I whole-heartedly agree with getting rid of likes. and thread tags tbh. if those things are technically feasible without headaches for sufi (idk).

remove the incentives of gratification and "winning". and the not so jokey in-jokes.
 

sadmanbarty

Well-known member
FFS.

I was going to say that Barty is a real loss, certainly not the malign influence its being suggested he is and it would be great to have him back. That everyone should just calm down a bit, take a step back as all of this stuff is eminently avoidable with just a bit of personal restraint, and that its also been great to have Luka back and that people should be commended for keeping their worse instincts in check...

Luke just sent this to me. Cheers Droid, it genuinely does mean a lot. One thing I really found particularly unpleasant were the attacks on my moral character which were just entirely unfounded; if people knew the who I am and what I give my time and money to I think they’d be a bit embarrassed at how they caricatured me. So it is very nice of you to say that Droid. It's more of a relief to see you've written that than you might think.

Again I’m sorry to anybody who ever felt I’d been rude to them, it really wasn’t my intention. I always tried to be affectionate to other users and to champion them, but sorry if things got lost in translation a bit. Just to clarify there were certain things attributed to me that I just didn’t actually do (being Beagle, writing nasty tags, playing mind games, etc.), so in those respects I do think the animosity towards me was often misguided and ultimately contributed to a very warped perception of me and my posts.

Anyway, how about you lot stop squabbling. Take the weekend off, shake off the residual tension and come back on Monday with a fresh start.

Do me proud.
 

luka

Well-known member
blocking is the solution. it's the only way not to get bogged down. im just glad that this one definitely cant be pinned on me cos i was at work when it all took a slide into darkness yesterday.
 

luka

Well-known member
i feel a sense of responsibility to my fans. i have to battle through for them. i can't take the easy way out like barty has and just disappear.
 
Welcome back barty!

I thought as much on the book deal spoof. It’s luka’s way of dangling a carrot to get people to up their game
 

droid

Well-known member
Great to see you Barty. Really no book? Thats a shame.

God knows Ive had my moments but when Im tempted to go nuclear on someone I try and think about their RL situations. Padraig may come across as taciturn and gruff (especially recently), but I know him as a wide eyed and amazingly friendly dude, Luka's occasionally awful behaviour and outbursts are belied by the fact that IRL hes a thoughtful, soft spoken gentleman. Tea is actually a bit of a laugh, youd be happy to have a pint with him. John Eden may come across as an authoritarian collosus who will crush you if you show dissent, and actually thats pretty much how he is.

Point is, you may not succeed, but try a bit of empathy, and if you cant muster it up, just dont reply, come back later. You dont know how much incandescent righteous fury you lot have been spared simply because I try and follow the rule to not post when Im angry.
 

luka

Well-known member
there is a fucking book! but it was very, very naughty of me to reveal it cos obviously it puts the pressure on. it was also what shiels thought it was.
 

luka

Well-known member
Great to see you Barty. Really no book? Thats a shame.

God knows Ive had my moments but when Im tempted to go nuclear on someone I try and think about their RL situations. Padraig may come across as taciturn and gruff (especially recently), but I know him as a wide eyed and amazingly friendly dude, Luka's occasionally awful behaviour and outbursts are belied by the fact that IRL hes a thoughtful, soft spoken gentleman. Tea is actually a bit of a laugh, youd be happy to have a pint with him. John Eden may come across as an authoritarian collosus who will crush you if you show dissent, and actually thats pretty much how he is.

Point is, you may not succeed, but try a bit of empathy, and if you cant muster it up, just dont reply, come back later. You dont know how much incandescent righteous fury you lot have been spared simply because I try and follow the rule to not post when Im angry.

i did this
 

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
Padraig may come across as taciturn and gruff (especially recently)
fwiw, I believe I have said this myself upthread, and if I didn't in so many words then I certainly do now

can also confirm that John Eden is an authoritarian colossus brooking no dissent, albeit appearing as an almost impossibly nice and sensible fellow, mailed fist velvet glove style
 

luka

Well-known member
i really like Padraig and Droid in real life. Padraig is the exact opposite of his online persona. i can vouch for this 100%
 

entertainment

Well-known member
And Barty, the only way you've been talked about in your absence is with affection and frustration that it came to that. 100% true unless I really missed something.
 

luka

Well-known member
I feel really strongly that this blocking stuff is a bad idea luke

itll probably just be patty. hes been out to get me for a while now. its not something i can deal with. i cant imagine anyone else will do anything to merit that treatment
 

luka

Well-known member
im not going to try and convince anyone that hes conducting a mad stalker campagin but thats how i feel about it and i have to take decisions to protect my own enjoyment of the forum becasue otherwise i cant use it. and as there are various people here i really enjoy talking and doint see why i should lose that then blockiing it is
 

entertainment

Well-known member
it's just dawning on me how i'm a carefree chipper dog in a room of people, wagging his tail thinking everyone is friends and all is lovely, not picking up on any signals or smelling any tension at all until the screaming starts
 
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