Dysfunctional Extended Discussion

[Howie]

There have been many many posts in both this forum, (the Extended discussion Forum) and the philosophy Forums ,that are very interesting and insightful. Or should be There are members who think out their topics and give well thought out and sometimes lengthy answers. Great!! These topics are getting blogged down by ignorant and abrasive people. Sadly those are the members who get responded to. So do you have to Google a rebuttal and add a few swear words to hold a decent Fucking conversation?

[The Blue Meanie]

I agree for the most part. BUT at some point or other, almost everyone who posts in this forum, myself included, has occaisionally made such posts, and God(s)(or-lack-thereof) knows, I swear way too much on the internet in real-life. But I think we need to keep in mind that Extended Discussion acts as a much-needed pressure-vent, and if we didn't have it and if we didn't allow and put up with the occaisionally frustrating disintegration of intelligent discussions, such things would spill over into other parts of the forum. I think Extended Discussion, Senseless Banter, Religion and Spirituality, Beyond Dreaming, Philosophy and Help perform VERY important functions in keeping DV on the whole so well-ordered and reasonably unchaotic, and they prevent discussions in other parts of the forum from going off on tangents and getting unmanageable. I think the occaisional degeneration of intelligent discussion into meaningless and pointless, annoyiung puerile retorts is just a price we must pay and put up with - the alternative is worse, that such stuff could spill over into other sections of the forum.

[pj]

So do you have to Google a rebuttal and add a few swear words to hold a decent Fucking conversation? [/color] [/b] 'Tis the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. It is a lot more necessary for people to be civil and diplomatic, even in rabid disagreement, when they are face to face. The threat of you stomping the shit out of me for being obnoxious, rude and disrespectful is real in that case. Here, our identities are obscured, hidden or feigned. You probably don't know where I am. There are therefore no real consequences to me rhetorically stomping on your feet, spitting in your face or interrupting you. I can be one tough, brave hombre from here, in spite of you being a landscape business owner who is in great physical shape and could rearrange my face with ease. If you want a REALLY good conversation, do it over a beer, face to face, with guns on the table. So a one word answer to your not so rhetorical question is... Yes.

[Howie]

Yes Blue Meanie. You are right. Thanks. I think that is what I was doing > venting. I personally think if those posts were just ignored it would lead to some of those members leaving eventually. But it's all good. 'Tis the nature of the beast, I'm afraid. It is a lot easier for people to be civil and diplomatic, even in rabid disagreement, when they are face to face. The threat of you stomping the shit out of me for being obnoxious, rude and disrespectful is real in that case. Here, our identities are obscured, hidden or feigned. You probably don't know where I am. There are therefore no real consequences to me stomping on your feet, spitting in your face or interrupting you. I can be one tough, brave hombre from here, in spite of you being a landscape business owner who is in great physical shape and could rearrange my face with ease. If you want a REALLY good conversation, do it over a beer, face to face, with guns on the table. So a one word answer to your not so rhetorical question is... Yes.[/b] So true. I really never took that into consideration. Everyone can be brave and know it alls over the net. Hmmmm.

[Universal Mind]

I have a major habit of responding to the jackasses. I try to have civil discussions and debates with people who respectfully disagree with me. I often don't respond to the people who agree with me because there isn't much more to say than, "Yeah. Yeah." Unfortunately, that's not where the real fun is. I LOVE to argue, and people who snap at me are offering me verbal crack. I might tell them that they don't have to act like that, but I admit that arguing back is a riot. On the other hand, when I want to take a touchy subject and just leave a question for others to discuss and flat out say that I don't want to take a side, it is ridiculous when somebody can't get that through his thick skull and keeps accusing me of taking a side and acts like a horse's ass about it. But putting obnoxious people like that in their places is fun.

[Howie]

Two good points universal. Opposition is the whole point. There is no sense in patting each others back. The people that I am pointing the finger at do not usually have their own opinion. And I think it is important to realize that you could be wrong, right? Another --> But putting obnoxious people like that in their places is fun.[/b] Thanks guys for perspective.

[juroara]

I dont come to these forums to vent, I come to read some interesting conversations and see some other point of views. sometimes they just really really piss me off but when they piss me off a lot, I leave for a while. I think if you need to vent you should probably just randomnly type it word. save it. dont read it. and come back to it in three days when your head has cleared up. that should help prevent a lot of unecessary fights. I think everyone needs to remember regardless of their reasons for coming here they need to still follow the rules. And I also feel that certain areas, like beyond dreaming, spiritual/religion should only be for people who actually believe in something. If you dont believe in anything beyond dreaming, that forum aint for you. And if you dont believe in anything spiritual or religious, that is NOT an invitation to bash people in the specific forum for it.

[Universal Mind]

And if you dont believe in anything spiritual or religious, that is NOT an invitation to bash people in the specific forum for it. [/b] That forum was set up so that such disputes don't happen in other places. I think it was a great idea. The other forums are supposed to be especially friendly, with the political territory getting some extra slack, and I think they should be. If people start talking about the connections between dreams and spirituality in forums, it is good that they have a place to go for disagreements. Leo used to always relate his Catholic beliefs to his dreams, for example. He also did a lot of talking about his religious beliefs in Beyond Dreaming, as a lot of others have done. The religion forum was a great place for people to go and talk to him and others about disagreements. It is like a trash can for religious discussion conflict. It is necessary. It is very difficult to keep smiling and walking on your tip toes when somebody says you are going to burn forever.

[The Blue Meanie]

I think everyone needs to remember regardless of their reasons for coming here they need to still follow the rules. And I also feel that certain areas, like beyond dreaming, spiritual/religion should only be for people who actually believe in something. If you dont believe in anything beyond dreaming, that forum aint for you. And if you dont believe in anything spiritual or religious, that is NOT an invitation to bash people in the specific forum for it.[/b] I strongly disagree with you about Religion/Spirituality. It's important as a pressure-valve, but also: atheists aren't people who don;t care about religion - that's a common misconception. I myself am an atheist, and take religion very seriously. Religion and Spirituality are for people to discuss those topics. Even BETWEEN religious groupings there will be disagreements, and I don't think disallowing atheists to participate in the discussion because they don;t believe anything, is fair at all. As for Beyond Dreaming, I agree with you juroara to a certain extent. I myself think beyond dreaming stuff is absolute crap. And, I deliberately stay away, for the most part, from Beyond Dreaming because I don't want it spilling out into other areas of the forums. But, occaisionally I'll chip in and discuss Beyond Dreaming stuff from a "devil's advocate" viewpoint, or in the hypothetical. But not to stir or cause trouble (Though once or twice I have, and am guilty of that). I think, though, that for the most part people who don;t believe in Beyond Dreaming type stuff don;t post there, simply because they see it as completely silly and are glad the discussion is contained in one place.

[Indecent Exposure]

I ithnk its realtively well kept I do apolgise for my behaviour in the lounge, where I shouldnt ahve parcipitated in turing a firendly conversation into a heated debate I deifntely agree with blue meanie on the topic of the R/S section Im agnsotic and yet takin an A level in Religious studies, because I ifnd religion to be intereasting. I do think however, there needs to slighty stricter rules regarding staying on topic ive been a demonfor that (im new to this foum business) but i'll try to stay on topic fro mnow on and if i see the opportunity to raise an intersting point, i will make a thread isntead =) Imran

[juroara]

I strongly disagree with you about Religion/Spirituality. It's important as a pressure-valve, but also: atheists aren't people who don;t care about religion - that's a common misconception. I myself am an atheist, and take religion very seriously. Religion and Spirituality are for people to discuss those topics. Even BETWEEN religious groupings there will be disagreements, and I don't think disallowing atheists to participate in the discussion because they don;t believe anything, is fair at all. [/b] are you so sure you disagree with me? I didnt say there shouldnt be disagreements in the R/S section. ofcourse there will be! there are plenty of disagreements between christians alone. But what I said was everyone still has to follow the rules. I dont think bashing and flaming other people *not arguing* is something that should be allowed on any forum here. Unless the rules changed on me?

[The Blue Meanie]

Well, actually I may have got you wrong but: And I also feel that certain areas, like beyond dreaming, spiritual/religion should only be for people who actually believe in something. [/b] I get the not bashing part, but it sort of sounded as though you were saying as well that only people whpo believe in something religion/spirtiuality-wise should post in that forum. That seemed clear to me, but maybe I misunderstood you...?

[Neruo]

Am I a part of the solution, or a part of the... problem ?