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Don't say anything to somebody on the forum that you wouldn't say to his face. When I see personal attacks, I imagine the attacker puffing himself up to try to look bigger. Like they say, louder doesn't make your arguments better.

   

Back in Canada for a couple months and took a quick look at CKA and all I have to say is nothing will change and this forum is dying a slow death. The behavior of certain people that I HAD respect for is gone as they have become raving loons.

   

I'm responding to this bit but reserve the right to respond to more of your posts later.

All are not equal on here.

Trevor is above all and has the final say on any issue. If he really gets pissed he can pull the plug and none of us have any say over that.

Hyack, to my mind, is the Senior Moderator right now and while I'm not speaking for anyone else I know I will defer to him as the Senior Noncom around here. I am NOT his equal.

To me it also makes a difference when someone has been around here for a long time. The number of posts may not be that important to me but the years that someone has been here do count when someone new picks a fight with them. Noobs come and go but those who've stuck it out for the long haul have earned credibility and they've also earned a measure of tolerance and leeway on behavior that should not be extended to new members.

Also, the thing about money is more important to Canadians than to Americans. There was a time when I supported Free Republic with significant donations and then got banned anyway for correctly pointing out that Rush Limbaugh could not get elected President with his then-recent history of addiction to Oxycontin. Americans don't GAF if you pay anything. Off you go.

Somehow Canadians hold it against you if you support a Canadian site. I've never figured that one out and it comes up at least two or three times a year.

Maybe if more Canadians supported this site then I wouldn't be so remarkable and any perceived influence I have would be negated. So feel free to sign up for monthly donations.



Yet here you are trying to invoke some level of superiority. It's rather ironic because in claiming to condemn said superiority you are claiming to be superior to those who would do so.

Don't feel too bad about that. The title of the topic is for everyone and that puts you and me and everyone else in fine company, doesn't it?

   

You are missed.

   

I'm with Ray. All people have to do is not post things they wouldn't say to someones face. Problem solved.

But given today's political climate of divisiveness, fake news, antagonistic jingoism and manufactured hate is it any wonder some of it spills over to forums on the internet? Hell, I don't think we're doing all that badly for a bunch of extremely passionate people who vehemently disagree with each other about almost everything.

BTW In no way am I advocating for personal insults being allowed but I'm glad this topic came up so we can discuss it like adults rather than just accept it as the norm.

As for the people who've left? I'm sorry but they left by choice and that's their loss. My feeling on the subject is that if they haven't got thick enough skin to take the odd (rather tame compared to some sights or life) insults that are used on here then perhaps they made the right decision by staying away because it's almost as inevitable as the sun rising in the West that someone is going to disagree with you and when they start losing the argument may feel compelled to resort to personal insults.

So, I'd like to see alot of them come back because it was fun to spar with them and maybe because I spent 32 years in an environment where insults were part of your everyday life I don't take them all that seriously especially since the people on this site who use them occasionally are normally decent people who just got far to wrapped up in a topic to remain rational.

   

   

That's pure bullshit!!!

   

Apparently I was wrong. It's only some of us who aren't doing to badly because we're extremely passionate people who vehemently disagree with each other about almost everything, except for Ray who's here to wax philosophical.

Better?

   

Two brief comments:

1. On your second comment, I am not trying to invoke superiority, nor do I understand why you think I am? The one thing I am known for on this site is long posts, and I specifically included that in the list of things that do not matter and should not matter.

2. On your first comment, an ass is an ass. Being toxic is being toxic. It's a problem if anyone gets a pass on those sorts of issues. I'm not pretending people have equal power over the site but supporting the idea conducting ourselves civilly depends on us treating each other as equals (I think those things are clearly pretty different given what I was describing). The number of years don't matter "when someone new picks a fight" because they are picking a fight. If they cross a line, they cross a line. I'm also specifically saying the issue of money should not be important, in line with what happened to you with Free Republic, so I'm not quite sure why you brought it up?

   

   

I've been called stupid on here and didn't complain about it because its part of being on the internet. If people leave because they cant take it then it sucks to be them because what happebs to them when they get insulted for real? They call there mommy?

Ray is right you have to be nice to people but you have to be able to handle it when they are not nice to you too!

   

I'm bad for this, probably one of the worst. I'm willing to give it a shot. But it won't be taken lightly if people fling shit unprovoked and after all of this. Certain people on this board, on both sides, won't stop. We all know it. So when they don't, then what? That's why it's never got better, and if anything worse. 10 years ago we had many more admins and mods to keep the peace and "punish" people who were being dick bags. With only Hyack, he hasn't been able to do it, and that's not on him, he can't be omni present. It spiraled out of control. If you want to people to stop, give warnings again. Use the old CKA jail thing if it still exists. And Mods, be transparent if you do. I don't know if there is an option to, but the mod log should probably show a comment for a warning beyond a deleted post.

   

Thank you for bringing this up.

I have been on this site, reading and posting, for almost 13 years. I started on this forum in 2005. I was on here before under a username that I have since forgot the password and had to create a new name (and didn't have access to my email that I used).

That said, the reason I left the site originally is due to the nature of the insults being thrown my way and towards others. The decline of the civility in this forum since my first visit is why the activity here is so low, in my opinion.

There are certain individuals on this site that think they are above all because of their time on this site or their financial contributions. Rules have been selectively followed during that time. Newbies to the site are challenged often with the "I've been here longer" speech as if some 'newbie' dare question or debate a long term member. This is not a welcoming place for new people.

I came back to this site because I really enjoyed certain people and the discussions. If we want it to grow, we need to treat all as equals.

   

I agree with this as well. Asking someone what they're selling when they post in the introduction section is a surefire way to not have people come back. Yeah, we get a lot of spammers, but lets hold off being shit heads until they've proven to be a spammer.

   

Sorry but if they lurk before they join they have to know. Besides everyone has problems with spammers if they can’t take being asked what they’re selling then they probably don’t really want to be here.

   

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