Not "feeling the love" on the Charlotte forum (HOA, how much)

[ctribucher]

Is it just me, or are the daily discussions getting more and more aggressive lately here on the Charlotte forum?

I understand that this is a public forum and everyone is entitled to post their opinions as long as they are in compliance with the TOS. But lately, I feel like many threads are just a mechanism to pit one group against another.

For instance, the recent HOA thread went from someone questioning if they have legal grounds to sue their HOA for being too restrictive in their opinion, thus preventing them from selling their house, to a discussion of whether or not HOAs have too much control over the day to day activities of the people in the neighborhood. And then the thread attempted to lay blame on why HOAs are in existence in the first place.

Then, we have another forum that discusses the driving habits of people in NC. This degenerated into a battle of who the worst drivers are - Northerners, Southerners, Midwesterners, or folks out West.

Another thread started out discussing shopping mall preferences in Atlanta vs. Charlotte, which slid into a debate over which city is "better", based on the stores in each location.

Are we getting stressed out here? Is it the economy? Fear of the swine flu? Or are we all just feeling argumentative lately?

I don't know what's going on and I don't fault anyone for participating in the discussions... I just wish it could be a bit more civil. I'm sure people will say "if you don't like the threads, don't read them" and to an extent I agree with that sentiment. I may just be bowing out of the CD Charlotte fray for a while and let y'all simmer down.

But before I forget, I want to thank those of you who provided assistance with all of my questions since I moved to Charlotte 18 months ago. I appreciate the time you spent helping me get acclimated, and I only hope I can pay it forward someday.

Carry on!

[mullman]

Yep, I'm grumpy.

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by mullman

Yep, I'm grumpy.

Me, too. And irritated w/ misconceptions about "why things are the way they are" not only in Charlotte but in "the South."

[superk]

Are you and I reading from the same page, or did you see my comments today in the chat forum?

Some of the forums are becoming downright brutal. I guess maybe people are taking out some of their pent-up frustrations online.

[mullman]

Originally Posted by anifani821

Me, too. And irritated w/ misconceptions about "why things are the way they are" not only in Charlotte but in "the South."

The whole ATL shopping vs CLT shopping thread was just over the freaking top to me.
I suppose there must be people whose entire life, per se, is shopping or consuming.

[superk]

I've got to admit, though. Charlotte constantly coming out on the top of a lot of bad lists kind of hurts from a civic pride point-of-view. First it was #14 for dangerous cities, now #3 or 4 for poor air quality, the rankings for unemployment and loss of home values.

[sheenie2000]

Depends on the mood I'm in. Usually I'm nice, but if I'm in a bad mood, I can get obnoxious.
And what better place than an online forum to let it out!

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by mullman

The whole ATL shopping vs CLT shopping thread was just over the freaking top to me.
I suppose there must be people whose entire life, per se, is shopping or consuming.

Evidently. Some even took offense when you asked how much $$$ they were putting aside for the future, Hee Hee. I had been thinking the same thing b/f you wrote it - wondering why there was this huge obsession in where to shop, especially since they were not comparing two shopping malls IN THIS CITY.

[lovesMountains]

I know what you mean, must be the stress.

I feel like the cat in this pic some days:

[anifani821]

Originally Posted by sheenie2000

Depends on the mood I'm in. Usually I'm nice, but if I'm in a bad mood, I can get obnoxious.
And what better place than an online forum to let it out!

SHEENIE - you and I have been posting together for a pretty long time and I can never remember even one sentence where I thought you were being obnoxious. Funny, yes . . .logical, definitely. . . factual, yes . . .pointed, perhaps . . . obnoxious, NO WAY.