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3181. wonkers2 - 1/6/2009 4:00:51 AM Okay, the decision was made by you, but not announced so far as I could tell scrolling and reading back through the Inferno. You complained at length vociferously about Jexter, but so far as I can tell you never announced that you were cutting him off. That was pretty sneaky IMHO on your part. You left no doubt about your irritation with Jexter, but if you ever said you were expelling him from the Mote, despite the many people who came to his defense, I was not able to find it. Most dictatorial and undemocratic. Not a good way to encourage commaraderie and good feelings among a group of people who I have come to view as my friends. You are making a big mistake in my opinion which will not enhance the future of this little forum. You have banned an active long time participant out of your own pique and that of several former (JJ)and infrequent (VK and Jenerator) participants. And in doing so you have made my favorite thread, Politics, much less interesting. You may not give a rat's ass about what's happening in Gaza or Washington, or Minnesota, aside from the Vikings, but others of us do. And Jex was a source of plenty of interesting information and political commentary. Jenerator and JJ didn't like it because the are right wingers politically and VK for his own nitpicking reasons. I have participated in a fair number of forums and in every case there are wide variations in the quality of the posts and in the opinions expressed, but everybody seems to live with this. I've never seen anyone banished from participating although I don't doubt that it happens occasionally. From what I gather you are in the driver's seat, capable of doing whatever you want even to the point of taking done the site, but you should be able to see that what you want is not in all cases the same as what other people want and that failing to take into account the wishes of others does not benefit the future of our little group. 3182. vonKreedon - 1/6/2009 4:44:27 AM Volume if not the same as quality and indeed can be a bar to quality. Linking is not the same thing as thinking. Combining a large volume of linking combined with infantile insulting may be interesting to a few here, but it may also be the reason that there are few here.
3183. wonkers2 - 1/6/2009 5:16:54 AM That is very true. But I suggest you should scroll past the links if you already have all the information you need on a particular subject. I often do that but just as often I click on them and sometimes find pearls and sometimes turds. You never can tell. I don't think its much of a burden on anyone to scroll past a link. They don't take up much time or space. I frequently post links in lieu of making the argument in my own words or by paraphrasing the particlar piece by Paul Krugman, or someone else whose views I respect. I find it hard to understand why you find that offensive. I agree with you on "infantile insults." They don't add to our sense of mutual respect. However, the rants or flames have been much less prevalent here than on losts of other forums, e.g. Slate, Huffington Post and my local newspaper. There is apparently something about the Internet that breeds insulting commentary. I try to point my nasty insults at political figures rather than fellow Moties for the most part, unless I find their comments totally unacceptable. My current objection is twofold: 1. We need greater participation, not less. We will reduce, not increase our participation by banning current participants and 2. I object to wabbit's unannounced decision to X Jex. It didn't appear to me at the time that she lost her temper at Jex and when she and you and I and others were discussing the issue, that there was a consensus on a solution to the problems/issues or whatever you want to call them. I don't recall anyone BUT wabbit suggesting that Jex be banned from the Mote. It strikes me that what she did was out of pique and a personal power trip which was not in the interest of future of The Mote whose days appear to me may well be numbered. That's a shame because I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of the forum, both from individuals with whom I usually agree and from those with whom I nearly always disagree. However, I have never supported that anyone be banished from the forum. 3184. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 1/6/2009 7:00:29 AM Jexster pushes boundaries and steps on toes--it's in his nature-- but I have no trouble tolerating it because I find him interesting Vk, Jexster has been gone for a while now and you've contributed nothing but boilerplate and disapproval. You're like some lurking albatross who swoops down to criticize at every opportunity. Links are ways of saying: Check this out! And they keep people informed.
I'm also vexed because I still can't seem to discover what jexster did this time to merit permanent banishment, but it's certainly wabbit's prerogative to do so. As for needing volunteers, I've been around a long time and i've never been asked to help with a thread.
This boat is sinking and and it's sad, but maybe inevitable. At this point we all seem to know what to expect from everyone else and that can get dreary. The ennui is beyond palpable and it's getting a lot harder to even care what happens here.
3185. magoseph - 1/6/2009 9:32:28 AM Like Alistair here Message # 2027 in thread 147, I thought that Jexster would be back after the inauguration. 3186. David Ehrenstein - 1/6/2009 4:20:47 PM Adios! 3187. wonkers2 - 1/6/2009 5:29:54 PM Same for me, very sadly and reluctantly after ten years or whatever it's been. A little more democracy would have been nice. 3188. magoseph - 1/6/2009 6:16:29 PM Adieu, chère Mote! 3189. anomie - 1/6/2009 8:28:21 PM What's with these adios's adieu's and bye's. Why deprive the rest of us when you're pissed off at just one person? Now where's that holiday spirit? 3190. TheWizardOfWhimsy - 1/6/2009 8:44:10 PM Now where's that holiday spirit?
Ask wabbit.
3191. psychprof - 1/6/2009 10:46:56 PM This place disappears w/o Wabbit. I am so thankful for all she has done and does do, and she is my much respected friend. I support her, and I trust in her judgment...completely. I no longer post here with any frequency, but I lurk enough to know she was doing her best to be fair.
Also, Irv Snodgrass is now Irv Snodgrass PHD...
3192. robertjayb - 1/6/2009 10:50:00 PM Lay off wabbit. Wabbit did what wabbit thought best. Bullies, and jexster is/was a bully, seldom respond to reason and polite entreaties. They push and probe until the only available response is to accept the abuse or administer a good whacking. In addition to all the other chores wabbit performs for the mote and moties, wabbit is the designated whacker. jexster needed whacking. wabbit did it.
Good. 3193. vonKreedon - 1/6/2009 10:51:32 PM Dr. Irv! Whoo-hoo! Please send congrats from me. 3194. thoughtful - 1/6/2009 11:47:38 PM congrats to Irv...I remember him most fondly. 3195. wonkers2 - 1/7/2009 1:01:51 AM Designated by whom, Robert. By herself, it seems. I don't recall any such designation. I'll miss you and my other friends at the Mote. But for me it's a matter of fairness to Jex and to us all. Enjoy your smallerizing little circle. 3196. anomie - 1/7/2009 2:06:17 AM I hope you reconsider, Wonks. I'd miss you and the others. Maybe after a cool-off period Jex will be back too. Who knows? I don't usually get involved in the meltdowns, but I think it would be a shame to lose any long-time posters. The circle is small as is, but it's a big part of my on-line time despite my small number of posts.
This storm wil pass, mate. Clear seas ahead...(Or whatever the Cap'n might say). 3197. wonkers2 - 1/7/2009 2:22:49 AM Thanks for the friendly comment, anomie. I'll consider it, but I'm not inclined to change my mind. I wonder how one person was allowed to exercise her power in such a unilateral and arbitrary way. Whatever her positive contributions have been to The Mote, this action is unwarranted and unfair, in my opinion. 3198. wonkers2 - 1/7/2009 2:26:39 AM Seems to me there should be room both for anal retentives and whatever you call the opposite! I personally prefer the opposite, but I'm opposed to banishment of anyone simply for being annoying without having committing a grave offense to the group. I could name names as to who are anal retentives and who are the opposite, but I think we all know who they are. 3199. arkymalarky - 1/7/2009 2:41:06 AM Wonk, I will only say that MsNo and I both support this and the situation was made clear in the Inferno weeks ago. Wabbit didn't go rogue and there was plenty of information and comments made preceding the decision. 3200. arkymalarky - 1/7/2009 2:59:01 AM Wonk, I will only say that MsNo and I both support this and the situation was made clear in the Inferno weeks ago. Wabbit didn't go rogue and there was plenty of information and comments made preceding the decision.
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