Is Bellgab Forum Dying?

[Dyna-X]

I would challenge this somewhat.  I've made a fair number of snooty intellectual posts and rarely been mocked about it.  Maybe folks have just scrolled past to get to the next dancing anime gif, but at least they were (technically) tolerated.  And Dyna I implore you to remember we had a multi-page discussion about calculators on the Hoagie thread.   

Water under the bridge now.  Lets just say expat brings out my former training and the next thing you know I'm splitting hairs with him. In my heart I know that science isn't everything and that the truth lies in some murky mystery zone. We can take that to the bank.

[Dyna-X]

MV, do you trust in your hands-off leadership style and trust of the overall group dynamic to manage itself will ultimately keep your site from turning into 4chan Lite? Many sharp folks have left through the revolving door. Sure, that will happen on any site, but incivility is on the rise and good people eventually just think "enough." A certain amount of civility is a prerequisite to intelligent discourse, else things get like a cage of poop throwing monkeys.

Bellgab isn't to that point yet, but from what I can see just a little shifting of the winds or a few Friday night invasions of the Hyksos of Chan could change that in a hurry.

I'll admit splitting hairs on isotopes is something nobody wants to hear about, but I hope the bar (unintended pun) can be raised by some of good folks here.  This will be the best defense.

[starrmtn001]

MV, do you trust in your hands-off leadership style and trust of the overall group dynamic to manage itself will ultimately keep your site from turning into 4chan Lite? Many sharp folks have left through the revolving door. Sure, that will happen on any site, but incivility is on the rise and good people eventually just think "enough." A certain amount of civility is a prerequisite to intelligent discourse, else things get like a cage of poop throwing monkeys.

Bellgab isn't to that point yet, but from what I can see just a little shifting of the winds or a few Friday night invasions of the Hyksos of Chan could change that in a hurry.

I'll admit splitting hairs on isotopes is something nobody wants to hear about, but I hope the bar (unintended pun) can be raised by some of good folks here.  This will be the best defense.

THIS!!!  ^^^

[Dr. MD MD]

MV, do you trust in your hands-off leadership style and trust of the overall group dynamic to manage itself will ultimately keep your site from turning into 4chan Lite? Many sharp folks have left through the revolving door. Sure, that will happen on any site, but incivility is on the rise and good people eventually just think "enough." A certain amount of civility is a prerequisite to intelligent discourse, else things get like a cage of poop throwing monkeys.

Bellgab isn't to that point yet, but from what I can see just a little shifting of the winds or a few Friday night invasions of the Hyksos of Chan could change that in a hurry.

I'll admit splitting hairs on isotopes is something nobody wants to hear about, but I hope the bar (unintended pun) can be raised by some of good folks here.  This will be the best defense.

Cuck.  :

If you want intelligent discourse then start it yourself, you lazy ass! I'm sure others would join in if you did but no, you just want to bitch about a lack of civility and pine for the PC days of the Obama administration. Where the fuck do you live? Mt. Olympus? 

[Nobody]

In my heart I know that science isn't everything and that the truth lies in some murky mystery zone.

From what I understand of it, science is man's attempt to extract the truth from that murky mystery zone of which you speak.  Whilst science may not be everything, and a truly good scientist understands that scientific statements come with an unspoken preface of, "As far as we know," I hope we can agree that it beats dealing with the world strictly from a basis of fear and superstition.

We can take that to the bank.

Speaking for myself, the only thing I would feel any degree of confidence in taking to the bank nowadays is that the assertion, "Your ignorance is just as good as my knowledge," will mean the swift end of any country that starts taking it seriously. 

I would hope that science does not have to be perfect in order to be taken seriously because asking any human undertaking to be perfect is asking too much.

[Nobody]

I'll admit splitting hairs on isotopes is something nobody wants to hear about,

Maybe, but how do you know that no one wants to hear about it? 

Perhaps it is possible that people do want to hear about it, but they don't know they want to hear about it until after they've heard about it for the first time? 

Writing something on the Internet is like casting a message in a bottle into the ocean: you can never be quite sure where it is going to end up, or who might find the message you've sent to be of keen interest to them.

but I hope the bar (unintended pun) can be raised by some of good folks here. 

If you love people (as opposed to "wanting what is best for them"), don't expect too much from them.

Gabbers gonna gab.   Perhaps the only real question around here is: how seriously are you going to take it?

[Jackstar]

« Last post by Jackstar ℗ on Today at 09:13:33 »

Polyurethane, kids. Ask for it by name.

[ItsOver]

One of my favorite movies! I grew up only about a mile from where they filmed all the cop cars rolling down the embankment in the chase scene. (US12 & Illinois 176)...

I hope Illinois has placed an historical marker to commemorate this most hallowed Blues Brothers event.

[Dyna-X]

Cuck.  :

If you want intelligent discourse then start it yourself, you lazy ass! I'm sure others would join in if you did but no, you just want to bitch about a lack of civility and pine for the PC days of the Obama administration. Where the fuck do you live? Mt. Olympus? 

An uncivilized person would take see cuck and think "those are fightin' words" and would be "triggered" into posting vulgarities and memes.  Civility involves restraint. Obama-era PC is not Obama's fault and we are giving him too much credit - the failed theory that contorting language can change reality began in earnest when he was still in grade school.  On the other hand, he certainly didn't do anything to stop it and he towed that line well, didn't he?  I guess psychologists would call him an enabler. College campuses as best I can tell are the incubators of PC talk innovation. I'm glad Bellgab isn't a safe-zone. Those that want the safe zones are really just seeking civility, but they are going about it in the wrong way. History has proven this idea will fall flat on its ass. They have no memory of what existed once upon a time when laws were not needed in a (mostly failed) attempt to legislate good behavior.

I'm not lazy, just befuddled by people that seem hell bent on taking the race to the bottom.

Civility and pornography do have something in common in that they are both tricky to define and you know them when you see them.

*Other things that are Obamas fault are open for debate in the politics thread

[Dr. MD MD]

An uncivilized person would take see cuck and think "those are fightin' words" and would be "triggered" into posting vulgarities and memes.  Civility involves restraint. Obama-era PC is not Obama's fault and we are giving him too much credit - the failed theory that contorting language can change reality began in earnest when he was still in grade school.  On the other hand, he certainly didn't do anything to stop it and he towed that line well, didn't he?  I guess psychologists would call him an enabler. College campuses as best I can tell are the incubators of PC talk innovation. I'm glad Bellgab isn't a safe-zone. Those that want the safe zones are really just seeking civility, but they are going about it in the wrong way. History has proven this idea will fall flat on its ass. They have no memory of what existed once upon a time when laws were not needed in a (mostly failed) attempt to legislate good behavior.

I'm not lazy, just befuddled by people that seem hell bent on taking the race to the bottom.

Civility and pornography do have something in common in that they are both tricky to define and you know them when you see them.

*Other things that are Obamas fault are open for debate in the politics thread

Exactly! I was just generating a little comedy value off of your post for my own enjoyment.  Often, this is all people are doing here when others get triggered by it. 

I agree with you though.  I prefer civil intellectual discourse but can be equally comfortable throwing poop at the other monkeys, if that's what it comes to. Everyone should just calm down a bit more and concentrate on having fun and/or interesting times here. It's good that we got past this Orwellian PC phase of history. It doesn't mean we've thrown civility away entirely though, only that it may be more selectively applied. There may occasionally be hurt feelings but I think truth and honesty are worth it. 

[aldousburbank]

Everyone should just calm down a bit more and concentrate on having fun and/or interesting times here.

[Dr. MD MD]

[aldousburbank]

[Dr. MD MD]

[aldousburbank]

[Dyna-X]

Maybe, but how do you know that no one wants to hear about it? 

Perhaps it is possible that people do want to hear about it, but they don't know they want to hear about it until after they've heard about it for the first time? 

Writing something on the Internet is like casting a message in a bottle into the ocean: you can never be quite sure where it is going to end up, or who might find the message you've sent to be of keen interest to them.

If you love people (as opposed to "wanting what is best for them"), don't expect too much from them.

Gabbers gonna gab.   Perhaps the only real question around here is: how seriously are you going to take it?

N. your posts on this thread may be the wisest of them all. Perhaps I am projecting the frustrations of a lifetime of casting bottles upon the water and having meaningful dialogue maybe 1% of the time. Ultimately, those here are just a cross-section of society at large. A bit of thought, but largely cheap shots and fecal memes.  There is an idealist within that wants better for everyone, but realizes that such change can't be forced, coerced, or legislated. I'm a prude by current measurements, but by measurements of 1978 US suburbia, I would probably be average.

What I am alarmed about is the decline of practical standards that represented a society that could launch people to the moon and produce rock on vinyl albums whose grooves were like roads of gold. Dammit, I want a toaster that can last 20 years, not some cheap plastic piece of junk that I can automate to serve me at 6.am. that fails within 3 years.  Civility includes restraint from the greed that propagates planned obsolescence.

On science, it has its place. It can explain 99% of everything we can sense.  I prefer to see it as a methodology and not a psuedo-religion as practiced by hard core political atheists. The murky area I refer to is the zone where someone can win the lotto twice or get struck by lighting twice on the same calendar day three years apart. What is the mechanism that drives this?

I might be taking things too seriously.

[Dyna-X]

OK, OK..... I'll play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQrlDzqUCA

[trostol]

MV's original post derided C2Cs uneducated callers and the sites namesake measured the credulity of some guests based on his own scientific knowledge.

Yet in reality, anti-intellectualism here is enforced by peer pressure.  The mental schism is staggering. Why not just call this place BarGab and be done with it?

to be fair...most message boards..even those that are dedicated to purely scientific discussion..are almost always inundated by trolls at some point...aside from some rather childish trolls here this place seems to be more of a good natured ribbing and on occasion serious discussion about decent topics..this place is pretty far from being 4chan lite

[chefist]

BellGab dying? You can't kill the undead.

[Dr. MD MD]

OK, OK..... I'll play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTQrlDzqUCA

Mmmm! 

[trostol]

BellGab dying? You can't kill the undead.

your avatar is reminding me of

[Chocolate coated jackboot]

Bellgab can survive the departure of Art
Bellgab cannot survive the departure of Falkie

It's in the Brookings report

[chefist]

your avatar is reminding me of

Yea, that's a fitting movie for BellGabbers...


https://youtu.be/u7zHcbTnqME

[ItsOver]

your avatar is reminding me of

Heh, neat flick.

[Dyna-X]

to be fair...most message boards..even those that are dedicated to purely scientific discussion..are almost always inundated by trolls at some point...aside from some rather childish trolls here this place seems to be more of a good natured ribbing and on occasion serious discussion about decent topics..this place is pretty far from being 4chan lite

I guess if a site is kept edgy enough the trolls won't be able to get a solid place to stand. There will be no place to carve out a niche.
A science site or a chess club is a soft target.

Its not like 4 chan lite now, I just think it could become that in a New York minute. We must leave extreme vetting to evil veterinarians.

[21st Century Man]

Heh, neat flick.

Ahh, Barbara Crampton.  Loved her doing the S and M thing.

[MV/Liberace!]

MV, do you trust in your hands-off leadership style and trust of the overall group dynamic to manage itself will ultimately keep your site from turning into 4chan Lite?

i trust in my hands-off policy to allow the forum to evolve into whatever it evolves into.  i have no interest in where users take the forum so long as the content posted is legal and posted imagery is viewable from an office cubicle.  further, i reject the assertion that "4chan lite" is an inherently pejorative term.

Many sharp folks have left through the revolving door. Sure, that will happen on any site, but incivility is on the rise and good people eventually just think "enough."

enforced civility, since it's enforced rather than organic, is artificial and meaningless.  it presents an image enjoyed and appreciated by people like you, but it really accomplishes nothing in terms of affecting how people privately think, and it simply impedes the free communication of ideas.  and show me a study indicating civility levels are connected to how "sharp" someone is.  i know some pretty brilliant thinkers and academics who are steeped in incivility.  i'd also like to know what standard is being used to determine how "sharp" a user is, btw.

A certain amount of civility is a prerequisite to intelligent discourse, else things get like a cage of poop throwing monkeys.

the forum offers no guarantee of "intelligent discourse."  it only offers a script on a server on which users can post messages, so long as those messages contain legal content.  further, if it did offer a guarantee of "intelligent discourse," the responsibility would fall on a human being to arbitrarily determine which discourse is "intelligent" and which isn't.  take a look at the member list and let me know which bellgab user meets the standards of infallibility and objectivity required to make these determinations.  i will await his/her nomination and review it.

Bellgab isn't to that point yet, but from what I can see just a little shifting of the winds or a few Friday night invasions of the Hyksos of Chan could change that in a hurry.

so is it just certain words you'd like censored, regardless of context, or is it the general expression of certain thoughts and ideas that should be picked apart?  if context will be considered, i suppose the determination will be made by the proposed overseer referenced above?  if you're not asking for the censoring of particular words, are you instead proposing user accounts be wholly banned if the individual is believed to be a user of the website 4chan?  and what constitutes "use" of 4chan?  is it simply viewing the website, or must one actually post messages on it?  who will finance the cyber forensics task force required to determine if one has "used" 4chan prior to or while using bellgab?  i know bellgab doesn't make enough money to pay those salaries.  and if a criminal user has posted messages on 4chan, will he/she face bellgab prosecution if the content of those messages didn't specifically violate bellgab's standards of "intelligent discourse"?  so many questions, but hey... you've got it figured out and i want to learn.

I'll admit splitting hairs on isotopes is something nobody wants to hear about, but I hope the bar (unintended pun) can be raised by some of good folks here.

the epileptic dry-drunk mouth breathing insane neanderthal operations manager of a radio group i once worked for was fond of the term "raise the bar."  he dropped it at every staff meeting (tuesday mornings).  ever since, my keen sense of bullshit detection has been piqued when i hear/read it, almost without variation... but that's neither here nor there.

all of my snark aside, i've been reading composite examples of this same complaint for almost nine years,  and i'm no less likely to print it and wipe my ass with it today than i was nine years ago.

[MV/Liberace!]

THIS!!!  ^^^

boo.

[Art_s Farts]

MV, I wouldn't change a thing. It gives me something to do while taking a shit.

[Lilith]

boo.