Forum bashing from the hosts

[hellbilly]

I picked a few recent shows at random this week to listen to (and may have OD'd on the "Hugs, Positive Thinking and Remote Psychic Healing" topics) noticed a little ribbin' from the hosts directed at this forum.. you guys catch that (assuming maybe there are still a few listeners here ) ?

At the same time though, they're still selling the forum on key points such as "It's free.. over a gazillion posts by a billion members!" ..but the number of members likely includes the dozen or so daily spambot registries, and the posts frequently amount to not much more than "wat".

Not related to the bashing, but I'm thinking the reason for the recent loss to the godawful Turks show isn't so much because people didn't vote, but because the show is drifting more and more into pointlessness.

eh?

[Sam Gunn (since nobody got Admiral Naismith)]

I caught that.  Honestly I just started listening to the show again this week for the first time in about a year.  I guess for me the show just got kinda boring and repetitive after a while.

[Bill Brasky]

I think the forum took off in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome direction than Ian had envisioned as a complimentary aspect of the show, and is now viewed as a bastard hunchback cellar-dwelling freak circus that he is loathe to acknowledge as his progeny.  Its a totally common Psych 101 reaction you'd see in a parental response to a child of great expectations that turned out bad, which is par for the course in any living thing that received no stewardship from its guardian during its formative years.  This forum is a living, breathing social experiment of anarchy in the raw form - which obviously did not work to its vision. 

It is proof that within the society, a degree of governance is required for sanity and social harmony, and a segment of the population will accept the operation of an interior mechanism preserve the public good above a certain minimum standard that would not exist without it.  The less standards, the lower the bar, and it becomes 4chan - a simple and obvious fact that could've been easily discovered by looking at 4chan.  That environment is not conducive to the intelligentsia that would be hoped to populate the forum, attracted by the show and its ideologies.

If it had gone the other way, somehow contrary to the natural order of social drain, it would be heralded as a glimmering example of Anarchy and extolled with pride.  He would say with the regularity of a metronome "Visit the BBS where we have no rules, and everyone gets along."  It would be the Pride of the Polish Navy, floating in a sea of mothers milk.  Instead, it is an embarrassment - the human element always finds its level within a lawless environment like water.  The association to the show is the veneer, but the failed concept is the core of his disdain and what angers him the most.  A great deal of time and effort went into finding the core of human nature, which can be summed up in four little words:  People are fucked up. 

There is a more valuable side to this forum, though.  We, as a group, do not suck anybody's cock, or pull any punches.  It is a tremendous source of truth amid a triangular network of forums where criticism is lacking.  It is the barbarian among the gentrified, the rogue elephant swinging dick wearing lampshade hat, festooned with suitcase nukes and kicking up sparks among the powderkegs.  It is the swashbuckling deathmobile smashing through the parade spewing vulgarities with reckless abandon.  And you gotta love that. 

[Osborne]

penis

[Bill Brasky]

...And now a word from our sponsor. 

penis

[BonerJoe]

I think the forum took off in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome direction than Ian had envisioned as a complimentary aspect of the show, and is now viewed as a bastard hunchback cellar-dwelling freak circus that he is loathe to acknowledge as his progeny.  Its a totally common Psych 101 reaction you'd see in a parental response to a child of great expectations that turned out bad, which is par for the course in any living thing that received no stewardship from its guardian during its formative years.  This forum is a living, breathing social experiment of anarchy in the raw form - which obviously did not work to its vision. 

It is proof that within the society, a degree of governance is required for sanity and social harmony, and a segment of the population will accept the operation of an interior mechanism preserve the public good above a certain minimum standard that would not exist without it.  The less standards, the lower the bar, and it becomes 4chan - a simple and obvious fact that could've been easily discovered by looking at 4chan.  That environment is not conducive to the intelligentsia that would be hoped to populate the forum, attracted by the show and its ideologies.

If it had gone the other way, somehow contrary to the natural order of social drain, it would be heralded as a glimmering example of Anarchy and extolled with pride.  He would say with the regularity of a metronome "Visit the BBS where we have no rules, and everyone gets along."  It would be the Pride of the Polish Navy, floating in a sea of mothers milk.  Instead, it is an embarrassment - the human element always finds its level within a lawless environment like water.  The association to the show is the veneer, but the failed concept is the core of his disdain and what angers him the most.  A great deal of time and effort went into finding the core of human nature, which can be summed up in four little words:  People are fucked up. 

There is a more valuable side to this forum, though.  We, as a group, do not suck anybody's cock, or pull any punches.  It is a tremendous source of truth amid a triangular network of forums where criticism is lacking.  It is the barbarian among the gentrified, the rogue elephant swinging dick wearing lampshade hat, festooned with suitcase nukes and kicking up sparks among the powderkegs.  It is the swashbuckling deathmobile smashing through the parade spewing vulgarities with reckless abandon.  And you gotta love that. 

Exactly.

[fatcat]

I think the forum took off in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome direction than Ian had envisioned as a complimentary aspect of the show, and is now viewed as a bastard hunchback cellar-dwelling freak circus that he is loathe to acknowledge as his progeny.

win

[Rillion]

I think the forum took off in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome direction than Ian had envisioned as a complimentary aspect of the show, and is now viewed as a bastard hunchback cellar-dwelling freak circus that he is loathe to acknowledge as his progeny.

win

Like Frankenstein's monster I shall wander out into the world, bereft of a master, peering into the homes of kindly blind people hoping that they will accept me for who I am rather than fleeing in terror at the sight of my visage.  Perhaps then I may find peace. 

[CaL DaVe]

I love this forum.

I have not found a smarter, funnier, bitchyer, or sexier group of people on the internet... Oh wait, scratch the sexier part.

[atomiccat]

I love this forum.

I have not found a smarter, funnier, bitchyer, or sexier group of people on the internet... Oh wait, scratch the sexier part.

Is 4chan sexier?

[Harry Tuttle]

Why would someone think that this is something like "anarchy gone wrong"? I mean, can someone post the statistics showing number of deaths or serious crimes linked to this forum? As a control, I would like those numbers compared to other forums and to the show itself.

 

[BobRobertson]

It is proof that within the society, a degree of governance is required for sanity and social harmony, and a segment of the population will accept the operation of an interior mechanism preserve the public good above a certain minimum standard that would not exist without it.

Just as long as people keep in mind the difference between governance and government.

Private property takes care of governance quite well. I actually do agree with you that some explicit "rules" help focus things, and I loath spam. However, I disagree that these forums are unproductive or "too chaotic".

It's the people that make the difference.

[hellbilly]

I think the forum took off in an entirely unexpected and unwelcome direction than Ian had envisioned as a complimentary aspect of the show, and is now viewed as a bastard hunchback cellar-dwelling freak circus that he is loathe to acknowledge as his progeny.

win

Yep, and I agree with Drifter's full summary. Seems like the hosts might want to do something about the issues they have with the forum rather than poke fun at them though.

One bit I remember hearing is that the members who spend so much time here "must not have lives" and "would rather debate about it that do something in real life". I don't agree. They should be thankful that the posters who do spend time here are -for the most part- making good points along with the fun stuff.. and at the very least they're the ones keeping the forum alive. Not to mention the posters who rally for the show and try to get votes coming. I see a lot of AMP icons attached to a lot of posters, and they say themselves that the show would be nowhere without AMP dollars.

I run a forum of my own (it's the only other forum I visit.. I like this BBS too.. well I like the people here anyway, on any BBS) and can't imagine calling all the members there trolls or poking fun at them.

[CaL DaVe]

I love this forum.

I have not found a smarter, funnier, bitchyer, or sexier group of people on the internet... Oh wait, scratch the sexier part.

Is 4chan sexier?

Heavens no. I was referring to the vast amounts of pornography on the internet.

Que R3 rant on herpies and superior sexiness.

[CaL DaVe]

Even though this is Ian's forum, I really don't think the majority of regular posters care too much that he thinks of them as a freak show. I think it is a mini badge of honor. If they did care about what Ian or Mark thought about them, they would not last very long in here.

This place is great for hashing out ideas and shooting the shit. Like Brasky said, no one pulls punches, and I think if you really want to test your ideas, you have to be ready to give and take some blows.