After......

[JonnyBGood]

......leaving these boards for a few days and returning yesterday it occurs to me that we are all living in what has been likened to the "inside the box" scenario. We are all so caught up in ourselves and competing with each other for what is left that we've missed our chance for something better. We have in fact become what we most feared through fearing that very same thing.

Firstly on these boards you have a select number of posters who are viewed through various and vastly different causes as the best posters. This can be due to reasons of longevity, connections, ability and originality. As can be seen some of these reasons are meritous and some are not. It is hard to divide and define these as a) every single poster has all of these qualities to some extent and b) like everyone else I am 'inside the box'.

Longevity is simply those who have been around for a certain amount of time. There is, and remains unspoken if not given voice to, an idea that only those of us who have been here and lived through a cycle of the boards (I'll explain this later) can actually articulate properly any views on the PA boards. This is blatantly a fallacy of the worst kind but despite anything anyone will ever say this will remain. This cannot be blamed on the forums because it is present in all societies regardless of size or the quality of the society.

We also have, and this one does remain unspoken as any who do speak of it lose what is contained in it, a huge cliquish tendency among the entire community. Before this was not as harmful as there remained diversity, however due to the shrinking of the community because of factors impossible for us to influence, ie when PA went pay to play or the geometric factor when related to people leaving, the various "factions" condensed. This was unfortunately inevitable but was sped up due to the creation of #forums and a side effect of PA going pay to play, as in the decreasing numbers joining the forums. We are of course only really seeing this factor over the past few months as everyone nearly always waits a while before starting a forum account.

The first two factors are interrelated, and similarly the second two are. There is and remains an ability to post and express in an entertaining and amusing style ones thoughts on all things (this does apply to all boards and not just GD). To a certain extent this is something that you either have or you don't, but it is also something learnt and we all do have the capacity to post in the aforementioned fashion. Occasionally though we find ourselves coerced by the group dynamic and just blend in as we feel that our own efforts would go unnoticed in a sea of mediocre threads and banal posts.

We then have originality, this being the capacity to post on subbjects not previously discussed and debated and to take an alternative method in posting on the boards. This has been affected by the downturn in the influx of new posters and unfortunately can only be affected by the current crop of posters to a very small extent. Diversity is life and growth, as proved by countless empires, is the only way to survive. However there can remain a decent level of threads on the boards without this quality assuming the first one, ability, remains present and is never repressed by those of us unwilling to lose any supposed place we have in Planetarion and the boards.

For these reasons and some minor others we have this image of some people as the best posters. Largely we can never view ourselves as that for the simple reason that what others view as best about us we have always possessed. This idea is inherently destructive and limiting. Through this idea of the forums we are limiting the ability of new posters to have their threads discussed in a decent fashion. A number of us are more responsible for this, anyone who uses the words "go away you dont know anything" are in fact expressing their own inadequacies and fears by diminishing the original poster's image. Hopefully most of us by now do recognise these individuals as the pathetic creatures they most certainly are. I would hope that nobody confuses this with condemnation of those who don't wish anything good for these boards, Shaigar and TDO are two of the very few of this type present.

We are all afraid to differing degrees of losing status and respect from others. This is totally subjective though and damages what we are trying to keep, as I said earlier 'through fearing we have become what we most fear'. This is not circular logic as one might originally think but a largely unexpressed thought amongst all people. When we insult others, and I mean really insult not playful teasing, we show our fear of them and are hatred of what we suppose them to be. But through hating we are diminshing our own self-worth as when we are hating and insulting we are not showing the best qualities of ourselves and our own inherent abilities. This is how we destroy ourselves. And combined with the decreasing community size this becomes ever more damaging.

This cliquish interpretation remains still though, and whilst I have discussed and expressed it, coherently I hope, I have not yet sufficiently analysed how to stop it and improve the quality of the boards. But once we realise, in our own unique ways, what I have tried to discuss above, what is happening all we need to change is the will and the desire to change. This is the same in all societies everywhere. Freedom of speech and expression leads to open discussion and this in turn can only improve society in all its forms. If we try we cannot but suceed. This will must come from all of us though, or at least a large percentage, or it will only be the lighting of a candle that is instantly snuffed out. It is and will always remain your choice, you make a decision every second even if you don't think about it as by not doing anything you are avoiding and perpetuating the original state of affairs. You must choose yourself, the rest of us are irrelevant in the end of the day. Make your choice.

[eple]

you spend waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much time here

but yes, you are right, right indeed. facinating stuff I say, facinating. Keep up the good work Johnny my good man. Jolly good.

Got the first post!

[NEWSBOT3]

Originally posted by JonnyBGood

right,
now say that again
only put it in less than 10 lines
and make it readable in less than a half hour.
ta.

[JonnyBGood]

In accordance with NB3's wishes "try and you can only suceed". For proof read the first post.

[Obliterate]

Originally posted by JonnyBGood
But once we realise, in our own unique ways, what I have tried to discuss above, what is happening all we need to change is the will and the desire to change.

What are the chances of that happening tho?

[JonnyBGood]

Originally posted by Obliterate


What are the chances of that happening tho?

As I said, if we think about it we are doing something positive. If we try to improve we are doing something good. The chances of that depend on individuals mainly, this is why I wrote this as I hope to encourage some people to think of things as they haven't done so before. I believe the chances of it are very good, otherwise I'd have ****ed off somewhere else ages ago.

[Ahriman]

If everyone reads the first post, and applies it to themselves before giving their position some thought then the forums ought to become a nicer and more positive experience. I know absolutely that this is true. My only real point is that (being the cynic that I am) I can't see people doing this.

You point out that the lessons you bring have been learnt before, but to my thinking they are never remembered far enough to be of use besides grief for what was once available. Very slowly I think that humanity as a whole will get a grip and realise what's actually good for them, but not yet. This is not to say that we shouldn't strive for a better environment, but rather to say that taking into account humanity's astounding weaknesses I think it will be a longer road than it ought to be.

Another problem with humanity is it's skill at focussing on the bad things which I'll admit is a problem I'm most certainly crippled by. We should acknowledge bad things, but not focus on them so heavily.

Another thing people need to do is chill out while reading the forums; they might then be more receptive to noticing when an insult is merely a joke, or a pointer to something else. Misunderstandings create a lot of strife, but a forum without those complexities would just be boring.

I'm sure there's a lot more to be said, so perhaps I'll post further when I've given it greater consideration.

[SepH]

all very interesting, but I think its to long for the majoity of the Board dwellers to read.

[Ahriman]

Originally posted by SepH
all very interesting, but I think its to long for the majoity of the Board dwellers to read.

Jonny: maybe in bullet point format next time eh?

If people can't be bothered to even read it, then why would they be interested in bettering themselves? It's quite hard to strangle my cynicism when reality nurtures it so.

Originally posted by Ahriman
... then the forums ought to become a nicer and more positive experience.

Do we really want that to happen?

[mpr0733]

I started this 'positive' thinking a long time ago on the Frying Dutch thread, to no avail. But then again, our very own smallish community is more susceptible to outside influences than the pa community/boards currently are.

[Fungi]

blergh

[Mushroom]

said

[KaneED]

An essentially philosopically analytical essay about the PA forums?

Hats off and trousers down to you Jonny sir.

[Aryn]

jonny you rawk so much!
unfortunately i only read the whole thing because i know you've got awesome things to say. had it been almost anyone else i prolly wouldn't have read it.. and i have a feeling a lot of people here feel the same way. i hope they read it and understood

[Ahriman]

Originally posted by Lord Boredom
Do we really want that to happen?

'We' ought to, but 'we' are too stupid to know what's best for 'us'.

[Matrim]

I am the best poster, everyone else be silent.




Apart from that I like what you wrote.


I hope that the best posters apart from me will say that it's crap, because then both you and they will benefit from it.


I hope this is not a nasty trick.




Matrim

if i'd read this crap when i was new i would have attacked you without mercy.

as an ensign i acted exactly as i do now.

stop being such a naive twat.

good is good. power is power. some of us never gave a ****.

[Ahriman]

Yahwe, your sig has such a terrible rhyme to it

Just because things are the way they are doesn't mean that they are best like this though. I really do hope that while I'm cynical on the outside, a small part deep inside me is saved from it, and I always keep that little bit of idealism.

As it is, I have to dig too far The rest of the world is clearly to blame

[Mirai]

Congradulations, Jonny, You've accurately identified Plato's Cave allegory's existance on these boards.

Without actually saying that.

[JonnyBGood]

Originally posted by YahweII
if i'd read this crap when i was new i would have attacked you without mercy.

as an ensign i acted exactly as i do now.

stop being such a naive twat.

good is good. power is power. some of us never gave a ****.

I never claimed to have all the answers

**** knows what you said, i don't have time to read your mindless drivvel. shorten it down please

Originally posted by JonnyBGood



I never claimed to have all the answers

you claimed to have a problem.

[Snurx]

Nice written.

We are all so caught up in ourselves and competing with each other for what is left that we've missed our chance for something better.

Are you a hippie Jonny?

When we insult others, and I mean really insult not playful teasing, we show our fear of them and are hatred of what we suppose them to be.

That's simply not true. I'm only afraid of one person on any forum anywhere, and I don't hate anyone on this forum, or anyone else online. And I do a lot of insulting, despite how crappy it probably is.

Freedom of speech and expression leads to open discussion and this in turn can only improve society in all its forms.

Well, I've had my doctor recommended dose of bull**** for the day. Some of the people that I find most annoying in the world are people I only object to due to what they openly discuss. (I.E. hippies, protestors, feminists; stupid people.)

"Just say you'll love me."

I shall do no such thing.

After reading your entire message, I have come to the conclusion that you are Freud. So remember, the light at the end of the tunnel may be you. Good night.

We should acknowledge bad things, but not focus on them so heavily.

Focusing on bad things gives us a chance to improve them and get better at whatever we are doing. I learned this as an English student last year.

[Ahriman]

Originally posted by MonotoneMan
Focusing on bad things gives us a chance to improve them and get better at whatever we are doing. I learned this in as an English student last year.

I think you misunderstand my meaning. Our priorities need to be slightly less weighted in favour of self criticism. It's just not healthy.

Jonny you talk complete and utter sh*t.

You compound this by writing in an appalling manner.

STOP IT!

Our priorities need to be slightly less weighted in favour of self criticism. It's just not healthy.

I agree with that when it's self criticism. Criticism by others is a means for fixing our mistakes and bettering our performance. Without it, we would continue to make the mistakes.

And Jonny: I agree with Aryn. You're a good poster.