Message boards are fetus

[death metal black metal]

People argue with talismans. It's not that they think they have a solution, but that they believe if they uphold a general principle, everything will work out OK.

They interpret this principle through themselves, through reward. For some, this is an ability to earn money; for those who oppose them, it's the ability to consider themselves right even though they don't make money, because they're more altruistic.

They aren't trying to solve any problems. They're trying to be right.

The two basic groups keep each other in balance, which prevents any change from occurring, so they are locked in an infinite cycle of argument. Nothing is decided. Nothing changes. Everyone goes home angry, sure the others are wrong and sure they're right, but not quite sure enough.

The human disease persists, and all we have is chatter to show for it. If a car is heading over a cliff, and the occupants of that car talk the problem to death and agree to disagree, who turns the wheel? God?

If the wheel doesn't turn, death occurs. We as a species are in control of our fate. Not everyone has the ability to understand what is needed. To turn the wheel, we need to filter out the chatter and find some wise leaders.

http://www.corrupt.org/transcendence/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1193516257

 

[Justin S.]

Of course, The Dark Legions™ in no way contribute to the impotent chatter with their heroic cyber-search for tomorrow's philosopher-kings.

Gettin' stuff done in the real® world!

 

[death metal black metal]

Of course, The Dark Legions™ in no way contribute to the impotent chatter with their heroic cyber-search for tomorrow's philosopher-kings.

Gettin' stuff done in the real® world!

Actually, if you'd read the news feed, you'd see we are.

Did I touch a nerve? The commentary was not directed at any particular board, person or ethnicity.

 

[hibernal_dream]

I have been noticing the same thing lately. Most people on forums aren't interested in learning from each other, they just want to be right. You rarely hear a reply such as "yes, that's an interesting point, tell me more", it's more often one person trying to dominate the other. What's the point, other than enlarging one's ego?

 

[Blowtus]

Personally I do my best thinking in the to and fro of a debate. It may look to an observer as though I am desperately clinging to a stated position for the sake of saving my ego or whatever, no doubt there is some level of that, but it's mainly about learning and thinking. I have found forums a great tool for honing my mind. I'm not here to achieve anything 'external' to myself though...

 

[OldScratch]

I have been noticing the same thing lately. Most people on forums aren't interested in learning from each other, they just want to be right. You rarely hear a reply such as "yes, that's an interesting point, tell me more", it's more often one person trying to dominate the other. What's the point, other than enlarging one's ego?

I once heard someone say that arguing on the internet is rather like competing in the Special Olympics...even if you "win" you are still a retard. This seems more and more true to me as time goes on.

Still, what Blowtus said above has merit. One can certainly learn or glean something from all this cyber-posturing, and sanctimony we probably all engage in sooner or later. You just have to sift through a whole lot of nonsense to find that worthwhile nugget or two...but such is life itself, really.

 

[Justin S.]

Actually, if you'd read the news feed, you'd see we are.

Garlic... Check.

Shocking bumper sticker... Check.

Rutgers campus map and infoterrorist flyers... Check.

Yes, it's only a matter of time before the Dark Legions rival the political clout of the local LaRouche campaign.

 

[death metal black metal]

Yes, it's only a matter of time before the Dark Legions rival the political clout of the local LaRouche campaign.

How to construct a strawman: quote some, but not the relevant parts, of something your opponent says.

 

[Seditious]

I have been noticing the same thing lately. Most people on forums aren't interested in learning from each other, they just want to be right. You rarely hear a reply such as "yes, that's an interesting point, tell me more", it's more often one person trying to dominate the other. What's the point, other than enlarging one's ego?

I'm not sure how relevant the phrasing is except as a social matter. so long as the person is indeed continuing inquiry, whether or not they explicate their appreciation of what's being said, surely they're interested enough in learning more.

I rarely give any praise when talking to theists, but I keep the dialogue going because there's something I'm looking for. Because I believe what I have reasoned to be right, I need to speak to their beliefs by way of my argument such that they will make a point interesting to me which may actually be relevant in proving I'm wrong.

These things take time, and I think the real problem is rarely does the average person push the dialogue to sufficient length for either side to feel something has been resolved (feeling we know enough to know we were wrong, or know enough about their beliefs to see why they're wrong, even if they don't yet see it). That's the real shame to me, not the attitude people engage in it with. So long as people have the passion and the ability to actually argue the points I'm not much concerned with anything else.

 

[Seditious]

Personally I do my best thinking in the to and fro of a debate. It may look to an observer as though I am desperately clinging to a stated position for the sake of saving my ego or whatever, no doubt there is some level of that, but it's mainly about learning and thinking. I have found forums a great tool for honing my mind. I'm not here to achieve anything 'external' to myself though...

indeed. if anything, the point of debate is to deserve the confidence one might have in going back to the world trying to accomplish something, not to actually be thought as achieving anything itself. I mean, whatever someone wants to do in the real world, good for them, but how about testing out how worth doing it is in the first place before you get to doing it... that's what this part of things is good for.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Are "fetus"? What?

Message Boards are glorious. A staple of the true modern age. Honest to God, if I didn't go onto message boards to delve deep into rhetoric and practice my writing skills 100 times a day, I would have failed out of High School. Message Boards are the one and only reason that I am a fucking excellent student, and the main reason why I am an intellectual giant. Are our arguments full of shit? Naturally. But not even slightly moreso than everything they'll ever tell you in a lecture hall. Are we stupid, childish retrograde ranters going in circles through a system that is flawed beyond sensibility? Yeah. Such is life. I'm proud of being part of the message boards instead of the academic communities; at least what we do isn't as archaic. There's at least an illusion of modernity or relevence in what we do.

 

[The Poona of Peshwa]

Yes, reading threads like the eugenics page and the racial dna profiling one give me the impression that biologists could really take a thing or two from the philosophical end of the heavy metal fan spectrum. You spelled relevance wrong, Mr. Pantera-quoting Intellectual Giant.

 

[hibernal_dream]

I'm not sure how relevant the phrasing is except as a social matter. so long as the person is indeed continuing inquiry, whether or not they explicate their appreciation of what's being said, surely they're interested enough in learning more.

Totally agree, except it's not always a matter of just being polite. You have to admit that half the people don't want to learn. There are good ways to approach an argument and bad ways.

Arguments are a good way to discuss things and to learn. Even taking a stand on something even though you don't agree with it is good - you think about how to defeat your opponent, while seeing the holes in your own arguments.

The bad way is when people take a personal stance and don't let go because their ego doesn't let them even though they are losing. Why? It's a message board, no one knows you. By conceding and admitting you are wrong, you yourself are benefiting far more than continuing with the whole charade.

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

Yes, reading threads like the eugenics page and the racial dna profiling one give me the impression that biologists could really take a thing or two from the philosophical end of the heavy metal fan spectrum. You spelled relevance wrong, Mr. Pantera-quoting Intellectual Giant.

Hehehehehehe. You people with blind faith in what your superiors tell you can be quite amusing. It figures that people of that sort seem to think spelling is such an important factor in intelligence. Typical academic blindness. If Einstien was posting on a board and made a bunch of linguistic mistakes, you'd call him an idiot.

"Can you judge a man by the way he speaks or spells? Is this more important than the stories that he tells?" -- Yardbirds

Mr. Pantera-quoting Intellectual Giant. That is a fantastic name for me.

 

[BlackMetalWhiteGuy]

I have been noticing the same thing lately. Most people on forums aren't interested in learning from each other, they just want to be right. You rarely hear a reply such as "yes, that's an interesting point, tell me more", it's more often one person trying to dominate the other. What's the point, other than enlarging one's ego?

While there are a few people like this, I'd like to think that most people don't actually post this way. Honestly, I don't think everyone is here simply for the glory of being the alpha-poster, but I wouldn't argue that "being right" plays no role in how one carries out a discussion.

First of all, if someone didn't already think they were right (or at least more right), they wouldn't even bother to respond and the discussion would end there. Alternatively, do you expect someone not to argue their point if they think another has erred in their thought process? I don't know about you, but I can't imagine reading something like "if humans evolved from monkeys why are there still monkeys!!!1" and NOT responding. By understanding how evolution really works and explaining it, I'm not trying to be right, I already am right, and by defining the concept more clearly, I am being altruistic by preventing him from future ridicule.

It's not until the other poster rejects the information that egos come into play, because I'm seriously not going to be like "oh, you mean one creature that we can't even prove the existence of created everything only a few thousand years ago and nothing has changed since then, and that you have no scientific basis for believing this? Wow, when you put it that way, life is just so much easier, I don't have to think as hard now, please tell me more!" While I don't consider myself to be the supreme knower of all topics, I still have enough of an education to understand the significance of testable hypotheses and falsifiability, and I am confident in my ability to evaluate the credibility of a source.

EDIT: SouthernTrendkill, please excuse my broken internet-sarcasm-detector, but are you joking, or are you serious?

 

[fates warning 666]

(pic)




Garlic... Check.

Shocking bumper sticker... Check.

Rutgers campus map and infoterrorist flyers... Check.

Yes, it's only a matter of time before the Dark Legions rival the political clout of the local LaRouche campaign.

i laughed out loud at this

 

[SouthernTrendkill]

EDIT: SouthernTrendkill, please excuse my broken internet-sarcasm-detector, but are you joking, or are you serious?

Joke? No joke. (in the voice of the vampire from 30 Days of Night).

I've been there, done that with academia. It's full of as much blindness and hubris as any gathering of silly teenagers.

 

[zoidberg]

indeed

 

[10293847]

How to construct a strawman: quote some, but not the relevant parts, of something your opponent says.

Well, the ironic part in this discussion between yourself and Justin S. is that he is doing exactly what you are implying happens in forums: One person starts an argument with another person for the sole purpose of belittlement. Other than ignoring, said person finds a perfect moment to start a shit-flinging war.

Whether the person who started the argument is right is meaningless. Arguments ensue, and in the end, nothing is learned and nothing gets done. That is what most people are looking to accomplish on messageboards I suppose.

 

[The Poona of Peshwa]

Joke? No joke. (in the voice of the vampire from 30 Days of Night).

I've been there, done that with academia. It's full of as much blindness and hubris as any gathering of silly teenagers.

According to your profile you're only 19 years old. How much academic experience do you have, and in what field?