What to do?
Feb 17, 2009 by
libjpn
Sorry for the lack of posts, I'm trying to upgrade a textbook and the deadline has been moved up.
If you have been following things at the mothership, there was the monthly? bi-weekly? irregular? beat up on OCSteve comment thread (it seems like a regularly scheduled event) and now that the circus tents are being rolled up, I have to ask, what is the best strategy? OC, absent agreement with your points, what would you want people like me, who appreciate you speaking, to do? Be quiet? Stick up for you? Anyone else? Thoughts?
Comments
Feb 17, 2009, 20:22:55 OCSteve wrote:
There is nothing [i]to do[/i] LJ, other than what you and others do now – which is to engage me civilly. I certainly don’t expect you to agree with many of my opinions, and I get plenty of support from regulars when things turn too personal (which I appreciate).
There are a lot of newbies around. My favorite lately was the woman who questioned, “who is this von creature and why is it allowed to post it’s thoughts on the front page”… When you have that level of basic unfamiliarity with the site and its history then I can’t expect much other than what happens. On the one hand you [i]want[/i] new readers and you want them to participate. OTOH…
A general observation – there seems to be a lot more tolerance for obscenities and generally nasty comments these days (the attack on publius the other day comes to mind). I do think that tends to lower the overall quality of discussion. But I can’t expect our few front-pagers to be ever-diligently patrolling comments either.
It’s getting damned scary out there. Tempers are short and I can understand why.
But again, in terms of you personally (and anyone else who comes over here) just do as you always have, which is to try to be civil.
Feb 18, 2009, 01:15:42 marbel wrote:
I hardly even scan ObWi these days so I can't do anything there. But I'll send you a collection of virtual hugs to use when sympathy is needed ;)
(((((((((((((((((((( )))))))))))))))))
Feb 18, 2009, 11:02:18 John Thullen wrote:
You're fine, OC.
I weighed in on the Publius thread, with obscenities, in support of his post, which is my way of enforcing the posting rules.
I play sports. Some shitheads understand only the baser rhetoric.
I mean, you could quote from Catullus, or the New Testament, or maybe Robert Frost, but sometimes a good loud "fuck you" organizes the dimmest of brain cells.
I'm a little different. If you wanna go for for the "f" word, I'm happy to engage.
On the other hand, I've been a little out of sorts lately.
Feb 18, 2009, 12:41:47 libjpn wrote:
Well, I didn't weigh in at all, so I felt a little bad that I didn't come in and at least say something. I sometimes feel that simply stepping back can be taken as watching you get beat up.
There's another thing, and I think that everyone suffers from it, so I'm not claiming that it is a problem with one side, but there is this siren's call of being the voice in the wilderness. Like I said, we all succumb to it, it's a way to separate ourselves from the crowd, but in these short tempered times, its going to catch more flak than usual, I think.
Feb 18, 2009, 21:41:05 Slartibartfast wrote:
"But I'll send you a collection of virtual hugs to use when sympathy is needed"
OCSteve cannot take your call right now, as he is in parentheses. But leave a message, and he'll call you back when he gets a chance.
OCSteve is a trooper for taking all the crap without dishing back. You're a better man than I, Steve.
Not saying that's a particularly difficult thing to be, but props.
Feb 18, 2009, 22:47:26 john miller wrote:
OCSteve, I am hoping you did not see my comment as part of the piling on. You are, in some ways, one of the most valuable members of the ObWi community, precisely for the reasons I laid out in my comment.
As far as the profanity, I tend to agree with you that it is getting out of hand.
I also second Slarti's comment about your being a trooper. I have nothing by which to judge that comparative manliness of you two.
Feb 19, 2009, 08:56:32 OCSteve wrote:
Hugs back Marbel – as always!
Thullen – When [i]you[/i] curse it is not an obscenity – it is poetry.
LJ – Never feel an obligation to weigh in on my side. I don’t have that expectation of anyone. I appreciate it when it happens – but I by no means expect it. Hell I’m not going to automatically stick up for you if you say something dumb and get the crap kicked out of you over there! ;) ;)
Slarti – like you don’t take your ration of crap…
John Miller – Never – I value your feedback highly, as much as anyone’s here. In fact, you are so reasonable and so balanced that I look to you to determine when I am getting out of hand these days.
My ObWi motto is – when John Miller says you are getting out of hand – go away for a few days. ;)
Feb 19, 2009, 09:11:54 john miller wrote:
Okay, OCSteve, that is going a little too far. And do me a favor. If I or the others here give you a sense you are getting out of hand, or it is just too heavy with the crap over there, come over here, post something, anything.
Don't want you to disappear for any length of time. My withdrawal pains are horrible.
Feb 19, 2009, 09:38:49 OCSteve wrote:
Not too far at all John. When other people tell me I am full of shit I argue back. When you tell me, I listen...
Feb 19, 2009, 12:24:54 russell wrote:
It's true, the profanity is getting thicker at ObWi. I'm guilty of that myself. Probably a good idea to dial it back.
Regarding civility generally, IMO a lot of ground gets covered by simply not being a jerk. A rule honored in the breach often as not, not least by me, but there it is.
Intent will out.
Feb 20, 2009, 00:29:25 Slartibartfast wrote:
"IMO a lot of ground gets covered by simply not being a jerk"
Which you do extremely well, russell. Lots of folks could take your behavior over there as an exemplar. Not saying you're perfect, but you tend to lean more toward persuasion than lambasting, or some twisted notion of verbal revenge.
Feb 20, 2009, 02:00:53 john miller wrote:
I second Slarti.
This thread is getting to be a love fest. I thought the whole purpose of this site was the opposite.
Feb 20, 2009, 02:50:48 russell wrote:
[i]This thread is getting to be a love fest.[/i]
Maybe instead of "take it outside" the name should be "get a room"! :)
Many thanks for the kind words, they go two ways.
And not to throw too many logs on the kum-ba-ya campfire, but I more than second slarti's comment re OC. The man takes the heat with a smile.
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