How This Forum Changed Me

[Martin Hash]

This forum isn't as active as it once was but that's to be expected when there's no new blood. We have gotten a few real sign-ups in the last year but they never post. This is my second forum, and my first went through the same thing. I post for entertainment mostly, but also to evolve personally. I thought I'd point out the changes I've made to my thinking because of the feedback I get here...

By-in-large, folks don't post here if they don't have self-confidence or the intellect to defend themselves, so this is a very concentrated version of life. Since I'd posted so much previously, there was little at first that changed; I practiced my trolling, and admired a good play, mine or others. The biggest change I experienced was huge in my life because it was so timely: I ran for political office. That was my first big dive into real people, not the cloistered environment of Asperger's programmers. I had a pretty high opinion of what I thought other people thought of me; I took it for granted that everybody was impressed by my accomplishments.

This forum cured me of that! It was a hard fall, but luckily, I took the beating before entering politics. If I'd entered the real world thinking like I did before, the blows probably would have been unrecoverable. I needed to be prepared by the callousness and outright hostility toward me. I was also able to adjust my strategy and not naively go out into the public. This place was perfect preparation but without the evilness. We don't have evil people here, we're more-or-less respectful of each other, but out there, it's a fuckin' worthless pit of despair. How the human race continues is questionable?

Thanks guys, reality is a bitch, and I'd rather hear it from you.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Thanks for hosting!

It is a damn shame that forums like this have been neglected in favor of Facebook or Twitter. They incentivize rank sophistry.

[Xenophon]

Thanks for hosting!

It is a damn shame that forums like this have been neglected in favor of Facebook or Twitter. They incentivize rank sophistry.

I agree. Forums in general are dying out in favor of the reddit model or private facebook groups, which don't encourage the kind of open discussion we have here.

These forums, and the DCF back in the day, helped me to be ready to defend my worldview against people who wouldn't pull any punches. Because of that molding period, I've had to re-evaluate things I previously held as truth. There is a side effect to that, as once the blindfold comes off, you can't go back to your prior way of thinking. That can cause a lot of consternation, especially when sharing ideas with people IRL, who usually don't bother having a lot of justification for what they believe is true.

We fight like any cloistered group of people. But even the people that irritate me the most I've grown to have a begrudging respect for. I mean, I think I could even stand to be in the same room as them, if they're at the other end of the table, of course.

[Hanarchy Montanarchy]

Thanks for hosting!

It is a damn shame that forums like this have been neglected in favor of Facebook or Twitter. They incentivize rank sophistry.

I agree. Forums in general are dying out in favor of the reddit model or private facebook groups, which don't encourage the kind of open discussion we have here.

These forums, and the DCF back in the day, helped me to be ready to defend my worldview against people who wouldn't pull any punches. Because of that molding period, I've had to re-evaluate things I previously held as truth. There is a side effect to that, as once the blindfold comes off, you can't go back to your prior way of thinking. That can cause a lot of consternation, especially when sharing ideas with people IRL, who usually don't bother having a lot of justification for what they believe is true.

We fight like any cloistered group of people. But even the people that irritate me the most I've grown to have a begrudging respect for. I mean, I think I could even stand to be in the same room as them, if they're at the other end of the table, of course.

Well put.

Our popular social media encourages the worst kind of argument by giving people a metric to measure how popular their position is. It makes people ignore the strength or reasoning behind a proposition in the service of getting positive feedback. It is just data-driven sophistry on a global scale.

Here, negative feedback is the currency of the realm, which can certainly be more frustrating, but also more interesting. Too bad it doesn't really seem to be a scalable format.

[SuburbanFarmer]

For my part, I’ve learned a lot as well. Some of the criticism is correct, some wrong, but generally we do learn how to stand for a position, and not make claims without evidence.

[C-Mag]

Good Comments team.

And thanks as always Marty for putting up with our shit.

[Hastur]

Good Comments team.

And thanks as always Marty for putting up with our shit.

+1

[clubgop]

This place was perfect preparation but without the evilness. We don't have evil people here,

Let's not be too hasty here.

As for the forum, it helps me hone my arguments and set ups. I am better able to pick apart arguments and sift thru the wreckage.

[Zlaxer]

The forum allows me to blow off steam from all the shit going on in the world. Fuck the PRC, Fuck commies...