Is the AH Forum a washout?

[Guest]

Jesus.

What the fuck happened to the AH I used to know?

Where's the spirit? Where's the guts, huh?

How in the hell did we allow political bitching threads to take over?

Fuck you, those who believe their own personal agendas are more important than the whole.

And shame on us for allowing it to continue.

 

[cloudy]

Most of the old-timers, long-timers, whatever, have left, moved on, or got fed up with it. I miss the wit and the intellect of Perdita, Pops, Abs ('course, I talk to her every couple of days), Lou, and a bunch more that I didn't mention. Zoot is only rarely here anymore, and it just hasn't been the same for me since Colly passed.

The intelligence level isn't anywhere close to what it used to be, and there are way too many assholes calling it home these days.

 

[voluptuary_manque]

But leaving is like letting the gangsters take over your neighborhood. If you love something, fight for it.

 

[Guest]

But leaving is like letting the gangsters take over your neighborhood. If you love something, fight for it.

I don't know if I want to fight for it any more.

So much apathy. So many asshole-ish threads.

 

[SweetWitch]

I don't know if I want to fight for it any more.

So much apathy. So many asshole-ish threads.

The assholes have taken over because they've been given that power. When they spout off, it's just too much of a temptation to respond. It escalates from there, resulting in hurt feelings, alienation and abandonment. I've often wondered why we give them that power. Why respond to something that has no real merit? If it's ignored, it disappears and the assholes move on to more fertile ground.

Many threads open discussion that is of interest to a lot of members and, invariably, at least one asshole chimes in with personal attacks that border on threat. Why respond to that? Shouldn't it be beneath someone who is enlightened? Why not consider the source, feel momentary pity, then move on? Do we have to respond and give them more fodder for their attacks? The only reason some of them act like that is because they can and because they have so little power in their real lives.

There are people who can debate a topic without persona vendetta. There are others who wish to be hateful, spiteful and rude. They irritate. They inflame. They rejoice in the havoc they cause. That's their nature. Just blow them off and continue the discussion with those that have some social grace.

Just a thought, for what it's worth.

 

[Darkniciad]

Politics and the three ( thousand if you count the alts ) stooges ran everybody off long ago.

So much for "It will die down after the U.S. election", huh?

This forum is no longer a supportive place, because some asshat will always come along to step on you when you're down, destroying all the positive vibes you pick up in a heartbeat. A thread of interest about writing -- hell, any non-political thread -- will be on page 2 under umpteen political threads in a couple of hours. The contest threads are dead, because they've been demonized.

The game and silly chat threads can't even stay on the first page beneath the dump truck loads of politics.

Banish the political threads to a sub-forum, and a combination of new blood/lost souls might wander in, but as long as those threads are clogging up the forum, it's just too hostile to be attractive, and will remain so. This isn't going away, it's just going to switch sides every time we switch administrations.

 

[TE999]

I think there are several people that start and post on the political threads that haven't had their opinions challenged before, and now they are, and they don't like it one little bit. There's two sides to every issue and each deserves an equal airing without being mocked and ridiculed. The level of adolescent sniping and vitriol has reached unbeliveable levels.

I suggest we start a PH...Political Hangout. Let the wranglers go there. I'd rather do FlashFics, Word Chains, Naked Party, Last and suchlike instead of constantly stumbling over cat fights about issues no one here has any control over except when they vote.

 

[SweetWitch]

I think there are several people that start and post on the political threads that haven't had their opinions challenged before, and now they are, and they don't like it one little bit. There's two sides to every issue and each deserves an equal airing without being mocked and ridiculed. The level of adolescent sniping and vitriol has reached unbeliveable levels.

I suggest we start a PH...Political Hangout. Let the wranglers go there. I'd rather do FlashFics, Word Chains, Naked Party, Last and suchlike instead of constantly stumbling over cat fights about issues no one here has any control over except when they vote.

Nice AV, Tom.

 

[Stella_Omega]

But leaving is like letting the gangsters take over your neighborhood. If you love something, fight for it.

I love many of the people here. The forum itself is not exactly a piece of property worth fighting for.

I keep coming back because this is where I know I can find you, Sarah, Dark, Slyc. TE99, lots of folks If you-all were to be found elsewhere I'd go there.

Shouldn't it be beneath someone who is enlightened?

Dunno about the rest of us, but I'm not here to be enlightened.

We are just basic human beanz, with a desire for some pleasure and ease. It's mostly just a social club, yanno?

 

[SweetWitch]

We are just basic human beanz, with a desire for some pleasure and ease. It's mostly just a social club, yanno?

But when you go out to a social club on Friday night and some asshole has too much to drink, becomes beligerent and insulting, what do you do? Do you get in his face or do you turn your back because he's obviously a fool? My grandfather once asked why anyone would want to argue with a skunk. There's no way to win and there's no way to avoid the stink.

 

[Stella_Omega]

But when you go out to a social club on Friday night and some asshole has too much to drink, becomes beligerent and insulting, what do you do? Do you get in his face or do you turn your back because he's obviously a fool? My grandfather once asked why anyone would want to argue with a skunk. There's no way to win and there's no way to avoid the stink.

Well, see.

A) these guys aren't drunk once in a while, they come here to be trolls, and not just on friday nights.

b)I have never known a social club that didn't have rules, and bouncers to enforce them.

In any case, as I've said, if i can know where my friends are that's where I'll be too, and it doesn't have to be here at lit.

 

[rgraham666]

In my case I'm not here as often because I'm still embarrassed as hell at the way I acted earlier this year in Chicago.

As far as the aristocrats here, I make liberal (ha, ha) use of the ignore button. They're free to speak and I'm free to ignore them.

 

[kromen]

As long as I've been a member, i figured i would have hit 1000 posts by now, but it seems rather moot since most of the threads just end up as links to something else to prove a point. I just rather not comment. I would love to get back to talking about writing, sex, and sexual writing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Dear Lurker,

The posts above are a recurring rant the Usual Suspects inflict so they feel relevant. They want us all to feel guilty for discounting the poverty of their contributions.

 

[Isis56]

Then where do I post?

I just posted a thread about keeping short stories short, but after looking through the forum I thought maybe I'd misplaced it. It seems that advice from one author to another is more likely to be found in the story discussion forum.

As long as I've been a member, i figured i would have hit 1000 posts by now, but it seems rather moot since most of the threads just end up as links to something else to prove a point. I just rather not comment. I would love to get back to talking about writing, sex, and sexual writing.

If you want to discuss writing, why not do so? There are obviously others who would respond to a thread if you were to pose a question.

Lastly, isn't it the duty of the moderators to ensure that threads stay within the general guidelines of the sub-forum? I would think that most of the threads about minimum wage and the like would have been moved to the General Board.

 

[cloudy]

Lastly, isn't it the duty of the moderators to ensure that threads stay within the general guidelines of the sub-forum? I would think that most of the threads about minimum wage and the like would have been moved to the General Board.

The AH is unmoderated, just like the GB. The only thing that ever gets moved is spam.

 

[matriarch]

I just posted a thread about keeping short stories short, but after looking through the forum I thought maybe I'd misplaced it. It seems that advice from one author to another is more likely to be found in the story discussion forum.



If you want to discuss writing, why not do so? There are obviously others who would respond to a thread if you were to pose a question.

Lastly, isn't it the duty of the moderators to ensure that threads stay within the general guidelines of the sub-forum? I would think that most of the threads about minimum wage and the like would have been moved to the General Board.

Firstly, there are no moderators for the AH, never have been.

Sarah, Cloudy, I'm with you. The AH isn't the place it used to be. All the heart, intelligence and family feeling seems to have seeped away.

I keep coming back, in the hope that there'll be some spark of the old AH, the wit, the banter, the humour, and the gut-wrenching laughter. Even when we debated politics, we tried to do it with graciusness and respect for the other person's feelings. What we get now is terrifyingly angry, vicious, abusive and insulting if you so much as dare to disagree with them.

I don't need this.

 

[Edward Teach]

I don't know if I want to fight for it any more.

So much apathy. So many asshole-ish threads.

How you gonna fight, Sarahh? You can't have a decent discussion with them-- they make shit up and are posting ten hours a day. I can't post 5,000 words a day, let alone try to counter a bunch of inaccurate nonsense and personal attacks.

I tried to be nice to Ami when he first came here, but then, for no good reason, he went ballistic one day and got personal. I told him that I would never respond to him again and I haven't.

I have wondered if JBJ is more than one person, like a group of frat boys or something. His posts seem schizoid.

For some reason or reasons, they are determined to take over this fourm and I say let them alone. They don't want to just talk to each other -- they want attention. If we don't give it to them, they'll leave.

I will, repeat what I've said all along: The best thing to do is virtually ignore them. Let them talk to each other.

 

[Guest]

How you gonna fight, Sarahh? You can't have a decent discussion with them-- they make shit up and are posting ten hours a day. I can't post 5,000 words a day, let alone try to counter a bunch of inaccurate nonsense and personal attacks.

I tried to be nice to Ami when he first came here, but then, for no good reason, he went ballistic one day and got personal. I told him that I would never respond to him again and I haven't.

I have wondered if JBJ is more than one person, like a group of frat boys or something. His posts seem schizoid.

For some reason or reasons, they are determined to take over this fourm and I say let them alone. They don't want to just talk to each other -- they want attention. If we don't give it to them, they'll leave.

I will, repeat what I've said all along: The best thing to do is virtually ignore them. Let them talk to each other.

I have no problem with that - JBJ's been on ignore forever. Ami and a few others go on and off ignore, lately back on because of starting so damned many threads. There are some threads I open, only to find post after post of "User On Ignore".

But everything becomes a political issue with this group. Every subject. And anyone with a different opinion is ridiculed. I'm tired of being mistreated in my home town bar, ya know?

They are driving off newcomers. If you just stepped into this forum for the first time, what would you think?

Laurel has said that assholes need a home, that even vitriol is allowed a place here on Lit.

It's working.

 

[Guest]

I think there are several people that start and post on the political threads that haven't had their opinions challenged before, and now they are, and they don't like it one little bit. There's two sides to every issue and each deserves an equal airing without being mocked and ridiculed. The level of adolescent sniping and vitriol has reached unbeliveable levels.

I suggest we start a PH...Political Hangout. Let the wranglers go there. I'd rather do FlashFics, Word Chains, Naked Party, Last and suchlike instead of constantly stumbling over cat fights about issues no one here has any control over except when they vote.

And I think that's crap, Tom. The people starting the huge numbers of political threads aren't interested in the opposing side of any issue.

And they're the ones doing the attacking.

We've had solid political threads before. Remember Roxanne? We've had serious political threads, with facts and solid discussion. I've had opinions challenged before, so have many others. This isn't new.

And why don't you be specific here? You are implying that "liberals" are now being challenged and we are the ones who don't like it "one little bit" so we're the ones attacking.

And I call bullshit.

 

[Epmd607]

It worked with Scouries, now that no one responds to him he stays on his two or three Scouries threads.

JamesBJohnson's gotta be on this board more than ten hours a day. I could come here at 5am, noon, 5pm, or midnight and the dude will be starting threads to get people to talk to him. I sign in so I don't have to see him and amicus and a couple of the others. James is old, lonely, miserable, and he takes pleasure in making other people miserable. I feel pity for him and Amicus, doesn't mean I have to sit here and read their nonsense, unless it gets quoted, which happens too much for my liking.

The thing about the content based boards is that they're all pretty much dead. Editors forum, story feedback and criticism, poetry feedback, have a couple posts a day. Maybe they're talking about stories in BDSM and GBLT. Oh well, there's always going back to writing actual sex stories...

 

[Liar]

Yannow, it's not very encouraging to try and bring something positive to the table here, when threads like these pop up all the time, taking a dump on the efforts. It might not be the intention, but the effect is that you're letting us know that the posts and threads actually being made to bring positive energy are apparently chopped liver. Because we're not Zoot. Or something.

Well fuck you then. I'm not gonna waste my time on people who think that I'm a somewhat lesser being.

There are some excellent, intelligent, insightful, fun and friendly people in this Hangout. I'm gonna talk to them. You're welcome to join us whenever you're done feeling sorry for yourself.

 

[cloudy]

The level of adolescent sniping and vitriol has reached unbeliveable levels.

Pot, kettle.

I don't mind "having my ideas challenged," but I've yet to see them "challenged" by you, or ami, or Zeb, or any of your other fellow wingnuts. All I've seen is you, ami, Zeb, Carney, and Austin doing your normal circle jerk routine in thread after thread after thread about the same damn thing.

(Liar: I always read your posts....always)

 

[Guest]

Yannow, it's not very encouraging to try and bring something positive to the table here, when threads like these pop up all the time, taking a dump on the efforts. It might not be the intention, but the effect is that you're letting us know that the posts and threads actually being made to bring positive energy are apparently chopped liver. Because we're not Zoot. Or something.

Well fuck you then. I'm not gonna waste my time on people who think that I'm a somewhat lesser being.

There are some excellent, intelligent, insightful, fun and friendly people in this Hangout. I'm gonna talk to them. You're welcome to join us whenever you're done feeling sorry for yourself.

Kiss my ass.

And actually, that's not what I meant to imply. There are still terrific people and topics here, that's the point. They are being hidden by the crap.

It's damned frustrating to have to sift through it all to find the gold.

 

[neonlyte]

Yannow, it's not very encouraging to try and bring something positive to the table here, when threads like these pop up all the time, taking a dump on the efforts. It might not be the intention, but the effect is that you're letting us know that the posts and threads actually being made to bring positive energy are apparently chopped liver. Because we're not Zoot. Or something.

Well fuck you then. I'm not gonna waste my time on people who think that I'm a somewhat lesser being.

There are some excellent, intelligent, insightful, fun and friendly people in this Hangout. I'm gonna talk to them. You're welcome to join us whenever you're done feeling sorry for yourself.

Nice hat!

When there's nothing worth commenting on, I don't comment. It's a community, a forum. It's not made by one, it's made by many. Personally, I don't have the time to engage with those who choose not to reason, I don't put them on ignore but mostly just ignore them; their views help to balance the cozy little world I've made mine. Use 'em a writing tool for villains, you won't find any better source of vitriol.