Topic: Son, we need to have a talk. (Read 20774 times)

ImRonBurgundy? · « **Reply #50 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 16:13 »

I should change it, I know.

Dazed · « **Reply #51 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:00 »

I'm still pretty new here, and thus far I don't think anyone's really bitten my head off. I do notice people being a little touchy sometimes, but I think that's pretty much par for the course with people, whether in meat life or on the tubes. Not a huge deal at all, imo.

Eris · « **Reply #52 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:09 »

I swear this was brought up in either one of Kieffer's threads or Clara's thread. There is this thing that people are a bit harsh to new people, or people who frequent the WCTs/General Discussion. New threads have been shat on a lot. It was brought up and people agree we should do something abotu the clique-y stand-offishness of the place.

Yes, people need to remember that there is a thing called "fun". That was definitely brought up in Clara's thread. I don't really see why Patrick needed to start a thread telling us how we are all arseholes that can't take a joke, because we kind of already covered this? I am generally the kind of person who tries to be nice to everyone and give them a chance and all that palaver, but even then I will still jump on a bandwagon or call someone new an idiot on occasion. It's something that I know and feel a little bad about afterwards, but hell, we're all human. This thread seems like Patrick getting annoyed at something little and deciding to make sure we all knew he was annoyed (but that is just my reading of the situation, please don't yell at me if I have gotten it wrong, ok?).

Eris · « **Reply #53 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:10 »

Also, here is my mug

It is too hot for tea, though.

Patrick · « **Reply #54 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:18 »

Quote from: tania on 02 Feb 2009, 14:51

see this is weird cos i think james is one of the most frequently hilarious and brilliant contributors to this forum and i'm sure lots of other people will agree with me on this. i'm being nitpicky but seriously, what is this statement supposed to be based on?

What about the people who don't, and just think he is being a dick? Are you saying we should just ignore everybody who is offended by the way somebody treats them? I am not saying that James is going around being a dick. Quite to the contrary, I honestly like the guy. I'm saying that there is no reason for him to defend dickery for dickery's sake.

Quote from: Jeans on 02 Feb 2009, 13:16

Patrick if this is your idea of not being a dick to people we don't know then honestly I don't think your word holds a lot of weight in this argument.

Man, I qualified myself as having made a joke not 3 posts down and they still would not accept it. And when people act pissy at me despite me trying to explain myself, yeah, I go on the defensive. Thanks for your time. (see what I did there? I did it again. I AM SO SELF-FULFILLING I COULD SURVIVE ON MY OWN SHIT FOR A DECADE)

Also, for Tommy: that doesn't answer the question, nor does it solve the problem. Working hard at building a new building is just going to leave the shitty old ones crumbling, and it's going to leave a lot of people homeless. Refusing to address the problem seems to be born out of pure laziness and an unwillingness to sacrifice people's respect. I know you've got cool-kid status, so you've got plenty to lose by pissing people off (which is why I am doing it, because I know nobody gives a shit whether I come or go). But man, if you're going to sit around while the other cool kids go around pissing in the preschoolers' lunches, you are just as bad as they are.

(Hannah your assessment is not inaccurate, but it is only half accurate. Yeah, I overreacted by starting an entire thread, but honestly, it only gets half-discussed and nothing ever comes of it, and the same shit keeps happening despite it)

tania · « **Reply #55 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:21 »

i kind of like ryan's username. he is really awesome and one of my favourite people here and it's sort of a reminder that even he still had to start out somewhere.

i am kind of thinking that the more you draw attention to things the more you single people about and make everything awkward and so maybe if new people are being treated shitty, starting an entire thread and throwing blame around is kind of counterproductive? like hannah said? and not only did we kind of address this already, like hannah also said, but it might be more productive if we could just be civil and discreet about it whenever incidents do occur and then move on? like if you're at a party and you're there with your friends, and you're drinking and having fun, then some people you've never met before show up all like "oh hey we heard there was a party" and you are mean to them, wouldn't you prefer for your friends to say to you "hey, why were you mean, stop being mean" and you are all "oh dang i am sorry" and they are all "it's cool, don't worry about it, let's go do some shots" than for them to stop the party and make an announcement that people should stop being dicks to the new people which not only feels awkward but also everyone knows they are talking about you? cos that feels like a bit of a similar analogy to me.

patrick, i really am curious as to who thinks james is a dick, besides you. i've heard a lot of praise and not a single complaint from anyone else. he is an excellent contributor and i really think this would definitely be a much less intelligent and funny place without him. i think when he said he was kind of a dick he was mainly referring to your accusing tine, and now that you've admitted you don't dislike him either the whole thing is sort of silly and redundant. if you're going to say people think he's a dick, name some people or else it's a pointless accusation and equally pointless argument.

Eris · « **Reply #56 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:25 »

Patrick, it only gets half-discussed because there is only so much people can say about the situation before people start repeating themselves and then everyone stops listening. What are we supposed to do, tell everyone that you are not allowed to get mad at someone if they get offended at a joke? some people will take things a different way and get annoyed at different things, so there is no way to control individual people's reactions. Do you want mods and admins to post a sticky saying "CHEER UP YOU FUCKS"? Tempbans for anyone being dicks to newbies? You're telling us things a lot of us already know, but there is nothing really to do other than hope that people realise they are being jerks and start lightening up. That is, unless you or someone else can think of soemthing that would drastically change how people think.

KvP · « **Reply #57 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:28 »

my ugly mug -

est · « **Reply #58 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:29 »

Man, this shit again. Oh no, how terrible. There is a bunch of people who know each other and you are not a part of it. Oh no, a bloo bloo fucking bloo. sack the fuck up

Also: replace the red thing on Han's mug with a light blue thing and that is what is on my mug.

Oh, I also have a mug with a polar bear on. It's tops.

Patrick · « **Reply #59 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:31 »

@Tania: It was an example, as I clarified. And the point is that popularity is a bulletproof vest around here.

Using your same analogy, if there's a bunch of people at a party throwing food at anybody who comes in the door, then yeah, I think it's justifiable to stop the party and say "Hey, stop being dicks, we are trying to have a party here."

I don't understand why people have to shit down my throat for refusing to let it slip back out of the spotlight. If people know there's assholery going on, they are more careful to not be assholes themselves. Then again, I expected this to happen as soon as I hit the "post" button to start the thread. My lack of faith in people's resolve has never failed me yet.

Dazed · « **Reply #60 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:33 »

James is a dick because he stole my name. Your popularity vest doesn't scare me you malodorous bastard.

est · « **Reply #61 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:34 »

Yeah but the problem is that we noticed that people are being harsh to new people and that we need to remember how to have fun about three complaint posts ago. Since then a few cool posts have popped up and while it's not an instant fix I feel like hopefully we're heading in the right direction.

tania · « **Reply #62 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:36 »

also, if you really, REALLY feel this is a problem worth starting a thread for, you should probably consider lowering the accusing tone. original post again -

Quote from: Patrick on 02 Feb 2009, 07:00

I know I am going to get shit for this. Which is why I'm glad I'll be out of the country and, due to those circumstances, pretty much incommunicado for the next month.

Nobody here can take a joke. I have seen countless instances of people making what look to me to be good, friendly ribbing. Instead of the butt-end of the joke taking it like a reasonable person, they blow up in the other person's face and start getting way too goddamn serious.

And what's worse than anything is that it is people who have been here long enough to know better. We should be ashamed of ourselves, talking like we want to make the forums more welcoming, and then going around and being shitcunts to anybody who says anything about our mothers or whatever the fuck. Maybe the one thread where this isn't true is the insult thread.

Basically, if you are going to be a prick to people, get the fuck out, go home, see the world, vent your frustration, just fucking stop what you're doing. You are the fuckers who complain about the forums going sour. If you don't throw your trash in the river, you won't have to deal with the flood.

i'm doing a bit of assuming here, but the bolded bits kind of sound like really harsh complaints towards individual people which you've half-heartedly tried to disguise as general complaints. if you think the forum's going downhill, what's wrong with saying "hey guys, i think the thread's going downhill - what do you think?" people won't listen and be civil towards you unless you're civil to them. we're all sort of nerds who hang out on a message board all day so there is little doubt in my mind that if you ask everyone to participate in a discussion about the quality of this forum, most of them will - they hang out here all day anyway. but you get all high and mighty and yell at them, well, unfortunately they'll probably just tell you to fuck off and walk away. i probably would, i don't like being yelled at. them's the breaks.

Josefbugman · « **Reply #63 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:39 »

Dude, your trying to do a good thing, but if I am honest I haven't suffered anything (I know I am not the newest guy here but still), sure it will take some time for me to become one of the regulars, but good grief thats the fun of it. The fun of getting to know people, see what they are like, how they tick thats the fun thing about places like this, its not made of fine crystal.

Also, est? I thought you said your mug had a polar bear in it, now that I would pay to see.

Eris · « **Reply #64 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:40 »

Also, I haven't seen anyone "throwing food at everyone who comes in the door" recently, even if that is the past week, probably longer. If this had been said a month ago, we all would have (probably gotten mad at you) seen this as a legitimate problem, but we're already getting better, or at least some of us are trying.

estmugs

est · « **Reply #65 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:41 »

Quote from: Patrick on 02 Feb 2009, 17:31

Using your same analogy, if there's a bunch of people at a party throwing food at anybody who comes in the door, then yeah, I think it's justifiable to stop the party and say "Hey, stop being dicks, we are trying to have a party here."

Also, your analogy here is incorrect. From what I have experienced it is more that there's a bunch of people having a party and sometimes shitheads come in so we swear at them until they leave or I kick them out forcibly. If people are nice and fit in with the tone of the forum then there's generally no problem. The problems start when people act like shitcocks from the get go, can't tell that they don't fit in with the general tone of the forum (that's life) or are generally just some other flavour of moron.

MadassAlex · « **Reply #66 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:42 »

I wonder what would happen if everyone stopped using the board to stroke their own egos?

tania · « **Reply #67 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:46 »

i'm not so sure i know what you mean by that either.

est · « **Reply #68 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:47 »

Yeah Alex, please explain what you mean by that

Metope · « **Reply #69 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:49 »

My mug!

I was home earlier and was surrounded my amazing mugs (including a couple of mugs that says "Trolls of Norway" and a mug with a picture of bamboo and when you pour hot stuff in it a panda appears behind the bamboo), but I had no camera. It wasn't until I was back in my apartment that I realized I could have used my web cam. Well, what's not done is not done, here I am with my huge Starbucks mug. It's not as cool as the others but it'll do.

Be My Head · « **Reply #70 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:57 »

You guys are so cliquey, has anyone ever noticed that before?

est · « **Reply #71 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 17:59 »

pfff, whatever new guy

Alex C · « **Reply #72 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:00 »

He wants to taste the curb!

Gilead · « **Reply #73 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:01 »

As a new person I sure found it incredibly difficult to assimilate in to the forum. Now if you'll please excuse me, I have to put on The Smiths and cry about how noone loves me.

est · « **Reply #74 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:01 »

Woooo, let's lynch him, wooooo

est · « **Reply #75 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:02 »

Oh hey let's lynch Tom too, wooooo

Eris · « **Reply #76 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:08 »

This thread has gotten entirely too silly.

Be My Head · « **Reply #77 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:11 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 02 Feb 2009, 18:06

I think that makes sense doesn't it?

Excuse me, I have to go cry about how some people on the internet were being mean to me

On a more serious note (I agree about this getting TOO SILLY), interbutt cliques are a natural phenomena, they can not be stopped, so don't even try.

It's part of the reason I enjoy sometimes posting on 4chan or last.fm, too many people/forced anonymity = no cliques

fatty · « **Reply #78 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:16 »

Dear Blog Thread,

Nobody is listening to me any more a bloo blooo

Love, fatty.

tania · « **Reply #79 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:17 »

if you've been here a while it's a given you are going to see a lot of people come and go. not to act like an authority on this, i know others have been here much longer but i've been here since 2005 or so and the rule i seem to have observed based on my own entry and on how others have been welcomed is that if you try to contribute at least a little bit and are nice to everyone, there is almost no way they won't be nice back toward you. we're occasionally a bit harsh but a really substantial portion of people still decide to stick around. when we're nice to each other, we're pretty goddamn nice in that we invite each other to meetups and sleep on each others' couches and send each other mail packages and offer each other advice in difficult times and occasionally make out with each other. stuff like that. as far as message boards go i really don't think we're all that bad.

Dazed · « **Reply #80 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:22 »

Quote from: fatty on 02 Feb 2009, 18:16

Dear Blog Thread,

Nobody is listening to me any more a bloo blooo

Love, fatty.

GET A BLOG

Inlander · « **Reply #81 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:22 »

There's not a damn thing wrong with this forum that can't be fixed by all you fuckers contributing to my weather story thread.

KvP · « **Reply #82 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:24 »

FUCK YEAH I FOUND IT

mooface · « **Reply #83 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:35 »

okay i think the important thing for us to come away with in this thread is complete recognition that i, mooface, am the owner of the Best Mug.

lalala here i am with my cute circus mug that says "who is in my cup?" on it...

oh shit who IS in my cup?!

it's a lion!!!

and that is why i win and i will always win.

true story: i've had this mug since i was like 5 years old, and when i was a kid i would always drink my milk from it really fast so the lion wouldn't drown. (okay okay i still do it)

Lines · « **Reply #84 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:36 »

Was ist das? Das ist der ball. Ist der ball rund? Ja, der ball ist rund. Ist der ball schwartz? Ja, der ball ist schwartz.

Inlander · « **Reply #85 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:38 »

It kind of looks like you've coughed up a large ball of phlegm in the shape of a lion.

KvP · « **Reply #86 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 18:39 »

DAMN YOU MAI

I HAD IT IN MY GRASP

Blue Kitty · « **Reply #87 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 19:18 »

KvP, your avatar reminds me of RawrxSkittles.
Please...please change it.

Patrick, man, why didn't you just post this thought in one of the other threads about how much the forum sucks right now?

EDIT: Thanks man.

MrBlu · « **Reply #88 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 19:59 »

Quote from: crohnsy on 02 Feb 2009, 13:35

I will stand with Patrick on this one. I've lurked enough to get a picture of this forum. There's the clic of people here who are all friends and have known each other forever that just seem to not want new people around. Theres this image that new users are welcome but its a pretty daunting task to break into a clic thats unwanting of meeting new people in the forum. obviously not everyone in this group are like that, but there are a good few and they make their opinion known at every chance.

If you can't handle that this forum grows and changes then it should be locked with the selected memberbase.
It could be like that forum with only one user

The Pokemon one? That guy is just sad.

jhocking · « **Reply #89 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 20:48 »

Quote from: Ballard on 02 Feb 2009, 14:47

Forumites who I remember from 2007 who don't really post much anymore:

Ally(Bee)
Tyler
Switchblade
Rizzo
heretic
Chuck

There's certainly more that are slipping my mind.

dude what the fuck is wrong with your brain

huda
gryff
mnementh
duchess tapioca

I mean seriously

Quote from: pwhodges on 02 Feb 2009, 11:19

I think he means the Sweeping Generalizations thread, which got a bit narky for a while around the middle of page 2.

Well now I'm glad I never even bothered to peek in that thread. The topic title just sounded so tedious to me, like we're bringing the music forum here too.

Slick · « **Reply #90 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 20:55 »

I wanted to reply to some posts but seriously I do not feel it is necessary. Patrick, this was kind of messed up.

Here are my mugs! I like my mugs a lot!

The brown ones with coasters are my newest acquisitions (actually I got them the same time I got a set of tiny black ones but I only seem to have one of those left off on the left there) and they are the present favorites. They look really good with coffee in them. I think they are just a really nice colour, plus they all have matching saucers which is a big plus.
In the front are the old favorites, which are second hand to me from my aunt and uncle. They also came with some shallow bowls in the same colour scheme, and I have liked them for a long while. I thought I had more of them, but maybe they are getting broken over time? That thought makes me sad, they are my favorite favorites, really.
The little black one there I have already mentioned.
The two black ones to the right are just occasion/branded mugs. The shiny one I got from the Waterloo Symposium in Undergraduate Mathematics (my school hosted a mini math conference one summer when the Canadian Undergraduate Math Conference was in B.C.); I think it's actually just a 40th anniversary Waterloo mug that they had lying around and gave to us to give away. The other one you can't really see the label on because it is in black. You can see it in real life and it is actually pretty cool. It was the second mug I got from ATI, at the end of my second co-op term with them. It is a solid mug.
The beige and the green beehive mugs in the back are actually the first mugs I ever bought and probably the first kitchenwares I bought after leaving home. My roommate first term brought an electric kettle and two bowl-sized mugs suitable for doing instant noodles, so I went out and bought us two mugs for tea or hot chocolate or whatever. Funny story, I was actually mortified of having them at one point in time because there was this guy in res who was excellent (amazing) at lying, and convinced me beehive mugs were a taboo on campus because of the beehive mug killer. He would kill people and leave beehive mugs at the scene. It was much more convincing the way Max said it, I am just summarizing. The green one is kind of cracked but still works, the beige one might be my favorite mug. I spent many nights drinking many cups of tea out of them as I worked away on my first year math assignments. Oh times passed, times of the past.
The last two are the colourful flowery pair on the left. Those came to me through way of my good friend Kael. He does not care much for his own material possessions and if he is not using a thing and sees someone else would use it he will give it to them. Also he was leaving the province. I like those mugs because they remind me of Kael's awesome outlook on life. I think his is superior to mine in many ways.
Also there is my tiny french press to the side.

I really love mugs a whole lot. I have actually a small list thought up of mugs that I want from my parents' house to be willed to me. I also want to steal a mug from work because it is a really nice mug and also steal a mug from my neighbours because I really liked it. Mugs are goddamned awesome.

ugghhh I said I wouldn't but I have to address two posts:

Quote from: Patrick on 02 Feb 2009, 13:03

And James, honestly, the way you're trying to uphold your apparent right to be a total dick to new people isn't exactly defending your case. You're basically saying, "You're right, this is what's going on, and you know what? I don't give a fatty shit, I'm going to keep shitting up the forum just 'cause I feel like bullying new kids."

That is not what I was saying at all. I was saying I do not like it when you get preachy and act superior, and I was not saying newb bashing is good but rather that, when I've been rude to people, it's because they are being awful.

Quote from: tania on 02 Feb 2009, 14:51

see this is weird cos i think james is one of the most frequently hilarious and brilliant contributors to this forum

actually you only think that because you are slightly crazy yourself

Ballard · « **Reply #91 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 21:01 »

Quote from: jhocking on 02 Feb 2009, 20:48

dude what the fuck is wrong with your brain

huda
gryff
mnementh
duchess tapioca

I mean seriously

Huda never really posted that much, the next two slipped my mind, and I am unacquainted with the last.

But yeah case in point.

tania · « **Reply #92 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 21:09 »

i went through my cupboard so i could pull out my favourite awesome mug that i love so much and post a photo of it here and then i realised my favourite awesome mug that i love so much is a NONEXISTANT OBJECT and all my mugs are boring and part of a set and have flowers on them. that seems strange and uncharacteristic of me. i feel like i would be that kind of person who has one favourite cool mug and i guess i don't. this thread makes me kind of want to go out and buy one.

Ballard · « **Reply #93 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 21:19 »

This thread makes me want to start drinking coffee because there is something really comforting about a big thick mug that you call your own and it sits there on your desk and calms you down.

But I don't like coffee. I like tea and hot cocoa but I find that I will generally always pick cold drinks over hot ones and so even when I want either one by the time I prepare it I've changed my mind.

Inlander · « **Reply #94 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:17 »

Quote from: Ballard on 02 Feb 2009, 21:01

Quote from: jhocking on 02 Feb 2009, 20:48
duchess tapioca

I am unacquainted with

And so it's happened. We have regulars who don't even know who duchess was.

A moment's silence, please.

Kevin Barnes · « **Reply #95 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:21 »

hey ballard nice avatar.

I find it strangely agreeable.

Ballard · « **Reply #96 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:23 »

Why, thank you Kevin. I thought you might.

Harry:

Quote from: Ballard on 02 Feb 2009, 21:01

But yeah case in point.

MadassAlex · « **Reply #97 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:39 »

Quote from: est on 02 Feb 2009, 17:47

Yeah Alex, please explain what you mean by that

I would, but it is honestly not worth the time it would take to debate.

Kevin Barnes · « **Reply #98 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:44 »

Why'd you even say it in the first place then? You're gonna throw out a broad, vague insult against the board and refuse to explain yourself? That is not square, homes. If anything this thread has shown that a number of the regulars are imminently reasonable. They deserve not to get slapped up without a good reason.

tania · « **Reply #99 on:** 02 Feb 2009, 22:45 »

Quote from: MadassAlex on 02 Feb 2009, 22:39

I would, but it is honestly not worth the time it would take to debate.

coincidentally, it is also not worth my time to read anything you post if you won't follow through with any sort of explanation or rationale.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Son, we need to have a talk. (Read 20774 times)

Gilead

mooface