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It's related to actual trolling that happens, but some of it might be a deliberate attempt to shut down threads due to their subject matter and mods need to look into who is doing it, because it causes more work for them and stifles some interesting threads. Also, unless someone can produce hard evidence of ill will (e.g., contradictory personal information), bringing old posts into a thread to attack the person who made it should lead to an infraction. The digging is a habit that seems taboo on most other forums. The weird hostility is why I long ago became an infrequent poster here. I don't need experiences that train me to be angry and more guarded.
Yeah you're right we agree in a lot of our thoughts.
Now I'm not just an innocent person here, I'm a player, been running forums for years, owned several or I forget how many, I've been at every level of forum administration including writing the code.
Moderators just don't have time for that kind of stuff. They are unpaid volunteers who do the job as a hobby because they have special interests related to the areas they moderate, and enjoy doing their duties as a public service volunteer kind of thing. With such a large forum as CD even with all the tons of mods they must have, I still can't believe the moderators have time to read all the posts, let alone get sufficiently into a topic where member X is digging up stuff from member Y's posts in other topics and giving them a hard time. Mods just don't have time for that stuff. They can't read every topic or every post. Best they can do is read the report log, and I've done that as supermod and that gets really boring, it's just a punch list of reports and some mod or supermod has to close the report or it remains open forever. (My last big job was supermod, I had to close every last freakin' report log item. We ran a clean ship there and I bet CD is the same.)
So what I'm telling you is that there just isn't enough manpower or womanpower to run the entire forum and read 100% of all posts. Or if it is then CD vastly exceeds my expectations.
That digging bothers me too, and I think that would be best discussed in psychological terms. It almost looks like some members either keep notes or do a lot of real-time research (view a member's posts, all of them) then come back with the dirt.
My own psychological explanation is the same as I had years ago after graduating as a psych minor. I think there is a type of people who feel inadequate, probably lead boring lives with lots of spare time and no other interests to take up their attention... I don't know why some turn to hate. They seem to want to express extreme opinions and tear down other members, in order to build themselves up.
I guess they are assuming a zero sum game, where to build yourself up somebody else has to go down.
I think that's the psychological basis of the digging attacks. Bored people who turned nasty and decided to do their best to stir up some drama.
I've sometimes got disgusted with CD and left for periods of time. I also sometimes get disgusted with this or that CD section, quit posting there because the posts were too annoying to read.
Meanwhile I'm enjoying the forum sections I enjoy (including Psychology) and meeting many nice new friends as I join new areas of CD, having a good time! (And when I don't I just pop out for a while...)
ETA:
& LOL @ Spork, one of my new friends who overlaps me in several mutual interest areas!
Lovehound, I think what really makes so much difference, as with many things in life, is intent.
I mean, digging aside, if I have spoken with a particular poster a number of times, I will feel like I am familiar with them and remember some of what they've said. Sometimes that's with someone I really like, and sometimes it's with someone I find somewhat tiresome. But some folks have patterns that become memorable over time.
Now if your intent, is to attack people and be nasty and negative, then that is going to come through.
But I've referred to posting history in many cases. Someone assumes a poster is one gender and I know them to be another, someone said he wanted a vasectomy after LITERALLY YEARS of telling us all how he had no sex drive and was 100% opposed to the entire concept of relationships, and only consented to interact with women platonically, so I'm obviously like "wtf dude?" I don't even need to dig, we've been interacting a long time. Sometimes you feel compelled, when you remember something about someone, to point to things they've otherwise stuck by like a hill they are willing to die on, and be like, "um what about...?" It doesn't mean I'm stalking anybody, but if you stick around and talk to the same people day after day for a good long time, some of them will remember you, your internet anonymity will fade somewhat.
I guess what bugs me, as you have pointed out somewhere, is that there is a huge difference between spotting someone being trollish, fake, or seriously contradictory in ways that make you go and giving no allowance for the fact that people can and do change their minds and adjust their positions.
That's a lot of my point, that some have the expectation that once a member joins the forum they have become fixed in time. Post something and then later if you change your mind the forum won't let you take it back (you can't edit old posts) and members won't let you forget it and keep dragging it up over and over. We should just let dead topics stay dead.
I myself (as I stated above) started a topic seeking advice and as the topic progressed I learned and evolved my initial position, and was criticized for it. Then when I quit playing along speculation started and my old topics were mined for use as ammunition against me, since I wasn't going to show up in the topic and keep letting them beat me up. They continued on for days even without my feeding them, until a moderator closed the topic. By then it had gotten really ugly, and that was days after my last post.
I guess I just don't like it when this turns into a blood sport, killing the OP.
That's a lot of my point, that some have the expectation that once a member joins the forum they have become fixed in time. Post something and then later if you change your mind the forum won't let you take it back (you can't edit old posts) and members won't let you forget it and keep dragging it up over and over. We should just let dead topics stay dead.
I myself (as I stated above) started a topic seeking advice and as the topic progressed I learned and evolved my initial position, and was criticized for it. Then when I quit playing along speculation started and my old topics were mined for use as ammunition against me, since I wasn't going to show up in the topic and keep letting them beat me up. They continued on for days even without my feeding them, until a moderator closed the topic. By then it had gotten really ugly, and that was days after my last post.
I guess I just don't like it when this turns into a blood sport, killing the OP.
Yeah that's not cool.
When someone says, "Yeah, my perspective has changed, I no longer support that position now. I have quite literally changed my mind." then it's time to accept that and roll with it.
What is kind of kooky about holding someone to their now-obsolete position, is that a lot of the time, people were pushing back, like they hoped that person would change their perspective, but then once they do, they don't want to LET them. That makes about zero sense.
Why am I reminded of Monty Python's "Argument Clinic" sketch right now? lol
One thing about CD is that it's monolithic, unchanging. We can post all we want about it, discuss changing things, but no matter what you think somebody else already thought of that and asked and was turned down. Avatars? Asked and declined. Signatures? Asked and declined. Both numerous times.
With CD what it is is what it is. If you get tired of it take a vacay. It will always be waiting when you decide to resume.
Myself, I'm just going to start fewer topics in some forum areas. In my experience the OP usually gets the worst treatment, so if you don't start topics you aren't as high profile. Be polite and ignore the barbs and you can get along pretty well discussing a topic without getting attacked. Much.
We all know OPs who start those topics on purpose, and then get in there with an attitude! Spork, I bet you know exactly what member I'm thinking of, but let's just keep the identity to ourselves!
Definitely more negative, too many liberals spewing their hatred here on CD.
The problem is polar political parties engaging in identity politics. You can't change your identity, so once you start seeing it as identity politics your position is frozen and there is just no point in discussing anything with a person like that.
This forum specializes in the Sum Zero Game mentality which can be seen as a bit sophomoric to people who do not see any topic in a totally black and white manner.
Very few topics discussed here are completely right or wrong , black or white but are truly open to multiple options/ resolutions in correcting said problems/ issues.
Immigration, government policies, politics, healthcare, including mental health and just about any other topic here should and can be discussed rationally. While you may not agree with another poster, if they provided you with some sort of resource, of which you can pursue and further your knowledge about the topic discussed, it is a positive interaction.
One does not have to be constantly providing internet links to the topic being discussed, please do your own due diligence and learn a bit more about the subject before you completely naysay the topic.
If you are uninterested, or just disinclined to do so...then scroll on by...don't kick up a hornets nest if you don't have to. Sure, it's fun to set off the Narcissistic posters, and watch them go Ape $hieet about something that you wrote, but we know that you do have better ways to spend your time.
It is already hard enough to truly read the infliction and tone in a internet post....so reserve strong, emotionally backed judgements until you are absolutely sure that your interpretation is correct.
Adulting is tough stuff in the current year....and we all know adults, especially as they get older...do not like to be told that they are wrong about much of anything......so decorum and a wee bit of manners might go a looong way.
The only thing CD has taught me is that there are Xers and Boomers that are as petty and clueless as most millennials.
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and giving no allowance for the fact that people can and do change their minds and adjust their positions.
