Is it just me, or have emotions been running high all around? Has the shrillness level gone up several decibels, is the carpet mined with sparks waiting to happen?
(It's a serious question. It may just be me. Lately I have been high of emotion, shrill, and kinda sparky. I can't tell whether this is bigger than me, though.)
Posted by Katarain (Member # 6659) on :
Might have something to do with the impending doom of the election. Sky's falling or something--with everybody convinced that the world will end if their side doesn't win... Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
It's bigger than you, and it's bigger than Hatrack.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
That was my sense, too, but the evidence from my life was (by its very nature) quite personal and me-related.
I'm a little worried about how all this energy will eventually get defused.
Posted by AmkaProblemka (Member # 6495) on :
It isn't just you.
There is an election coming up that is very frustrating, as there is no real alternative being offered.
There is a war, that whether or not it was right to enter into, we are now obligated to clean up after and it is a very difficult and frustrating task that is involving the loss of lives on both sides.
And every once in a while, things just come to a head. People say truly insulting things, and other people get rightly offended. Anyone who hasn't offended someone else on this board, please raise their hand.
Posted by AmkaProblemka (Member # 6495) on :
The world won't end, but it won't get better either. (edit: in relation to the election) And that is very, very frustrating. I think in general, people are losing faith in society (I know I am) and want to just close up and do nothing, but know that this is wrong too.
But doing something just makes you realize how very little you CAN do. That is very frustrating, and you can get angry when you see people who have more power than you but still do nothing.
[ September 19, 2004, 03:17 PM: Message edited by: AmkaProblemka ]
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
I don't think I've offended anyone, but that's mostly due to the fact that I don't post much that isn't me-related. Posted by MaydayDesiax (Member # 5012) on :
Amka hit the nail on the head. The election's got the whole county worried.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I also think that there is a major seasonal shift, for those of us in North America, anyway.
Plus, there have been quite a few hurricanes right in a row. Weather affects us more deeply than we know. I believe that, anyway.
Add to that the news in the world, and things get frenetic, like a squirrel scrambling across the road trying to get the last acorns of the season.
The light is diminishing. When there is less sunlight, there is less vitamin D.
Those are some of my thoughts about the general mood.
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Truthfully, I can't say that I give two damns about the election either way, for various reasons.
However, I have a great deal of personal stress and that certainly colors my interactions on the board.
Will the stress level overall go down? Probably - it tends to move in cycles and we're just experiencing a peak.
Patience, in most things, is a virtue and Hatrack is no exception.
-Trevor
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
For some reason the sparkiness seems distilled here. Maybe it's the lack of body language to use for interpretation, but it's probably also that it is an ideas-focused place, and there is less idle chit-chat here than there is in face-to-face conversations.
I mean, I know we have the hug thread and all, but it's pretty rare IRL to walk into a room and say some of the things we start threads on here.
(I am not thinking of any thread in particular, I promise. I can see where this could be a dicey point of misinterpretation. But we rightly may post about something we say on the news or read on the web, etc., and it usually would just be part of conversation, just now the rest of us may bring more to the reading of it. I think.)
Posted by AmkaProblemka (Member # 6495) on :
There is also usually not a hug room IRL either
I think it is because this is an idea forum, and a fairly diverse one as well.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
(((Amka)))
Posted by Frisco (Member # 3765) on :
I couldn't care less about the elections, but I guess the snarkiness is contagious. Maybe it's because winter is coming.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
<insert standard "it's the Hatrack cycle" reply here>
<insert comment on how Hatrack will become all fluff soon and people will complain about it here>
<insert group hug smilie here>
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
It feels more firey than usual for these cycles, Kama, but that's just from my perspective. It may be more reflective of my personal life than anything here.
On another note, I have this friend, he's a little guy from Haribo, and he'd like to get to know the inside of your nose a little better. *grin
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
So you're the one behind that conspiracy!
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Feh, I don't even have the energy to make the requisite pun.
-Trevor
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
uh ... *waves hands around ... it's not like I'm a pimp or anything. I just got these ... friends ... and they have needs ... and I've got bills to pay and all.
*shifty eyes
Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Edit: Point taken.
-Trevor
[ September 19, 2004, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: TMedina ]
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
You end up regurgitating information better left unsaid.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I always knew, secretly, Sara was a Catholic schoolboy.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I have a fascination with naughtiness that belies my prim exterior, 'tis true.
Posted by Aerin (Member # 3902) on :
"I'm not saying we should misbehave, but we should look as though we could." -- Oscar Wilde
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Aerin, haven't seen you in ages!
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
A big blowup would provide good popcorn fare for those of us in the hatrack back seat.
Posted by vwiggin (Member # 926) on :
Yeah, but there are more exciting things to do in the Hatrack back seat though.
- Beren
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
Heh...I've noticed that a lot of people on Hatrack have been rather cranky lately.
*mourns the sun*
space opera
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
I don't think Hatrack's any more edgy than it usually is at this part of the cycle, Sara. I think you're feeling a bit more fragile, though, and are noticing it more.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I know I've been more cranky than usual lately. Don't know why, other than stress.
Dagonee
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
It's a definite possibility Tom, fer shure indeed.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I feel a lot more cranky that I have been in the past, at least here.
I am sick of it, to tell you the truth.
I think that is why Hatrack goes in cycles. People get tired of debating serious issues, particularly when some of the people they are debating with have little or no moral compunction to warping the truth, or ignoring the issues in favor of debating precedence and/or procedural difference.
I use to stay away from the more serious isses...and I am remembering why now. I have no problem with people disagreeing with me...just ask Alucard, or Dagonee. We have differed on a lot, and at times even gotten a bit short with each other, but we always resolved it.
Sometimes it is a problem with the way I phrased something...or a lack of clarity on my part, that lead to the disagreement. Sometimes it is because we are on opposite sides of the issue, and are too far apart to reconcile. And yet others it is because we just didn't understand one another's position.
One way or another, we still respect each others opinions, or at least the right to hold an opinion other than what we ourselves believe.
Not everyone is so respectful though....which is why I usually don't bother to post in the political threads much, except to debunk obvious lies...on either side.
Sara, while Hatrack DOES go in cycles, each cycle has it's own particular flavor, and I think this cycle has been a bit more touchy than the last few.
Too bad there isn't another LOTR movie coming out to deliver us to fluffdom again...
Kwea
[ September 19, 2004, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Kwea ]
Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
We should write a letter to Peter Jackson and ask him to do a fourth one. It could even feature Hatrack as central to the plot. And an Alvin cameo (Maker, not Chipmunk).
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Aw, come on, Alvin the Chipmunk would be much more fun:
Yuletide, yuletide time is near Time for mead and time for cheer We’ve been good, but we can’t last Hurry yuletide, hurry fast Want a shiny bell to ring Me, I want the Dark Lord’s ring We can hardly stand the wait Please yuletide, don’t be late.
Posted by Yozhik (Member # 89) on :
I was really cranky, but I got it out of my system over on Nauvoo. I came this close to calling somebody a "whited sepulchre."
[ September 19, 2004, 08:11 PM: Message edited by: Yozhik ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Ooo! That's almost as nasty as calling them, say, "corrugated siding."
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Dag....
Thanks.
Now I have Alvin the Chipmunks voice stuck in my head....
Kwea
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
quote:I came this close to calling somebody a "whited sepulchre."
This is EXACTLY why I don't post at Nauvoo. All niches get filled, and I like not having to claim the idiots. Posted by TMedina (Member # 6649) on :
Actually, I can hear Alvin hissing, "My precious!"
-Trevor
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Golllllluuuuuuuuuum!
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
No, it's not just here. LiveJournal's been very prickly lately, too. And I myself have been walking around throwing things, and I don't even pay attention to politics or the war. Maybe it's the weather or something.
Posted by Yozhik (Member # 89) on :
quote:All niches get filled, and I like not having to claim the idiots.
To whom are you referring? To the self-righteous guy that disagreed with me, right?
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
I agree that it is a cycle, but I stand ny my weather-season theory. Loss of light, or too much. So much comes down to that.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I don't think that is the only reason, Liz...but it may be a good part of it.
Posted by Elizabeth (Member # 5218) on :
No, of course it is not the only reason, it can just exacerbate things.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Yozhik, I honestly don't even read or post enough to remember user names, but it's not you. (I know you go by a different name there.)
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
There has been no example of nastiness or crankiness on Hatrack in a very long time that approaches the levels it used to get to. Barring RL's thread, a person who isn't really a Hatrack regular, all that I've seen are people strongly disagreeing, which is wonderful.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I have had to rein myself in a bit, I know I am getting cranky, for lack of a better word. I hope I have contained it, but even so i feel bad sometimes.
But I have contributed (I hope that is the right word... ) to some serious topics,more than I use to, so that is probably why as well.
Some of what I am discussing is personal, although I might not say so in the threads.
Kwea
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
So it's not just me? I know I stayed off Hatrack for about five days due to crankiness, and since then I have purposely stayed out of all political threads (until after the election) and some of the religious threads. Because it was giving me this negative, black cloud over my head that I didn't need at this time of my life....
...but I, too, feel this will pass......
Farmgirl
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
It's a sign of just how warm and fuzzy Hatrack has gotten that this current state passes for crankiness.
*considers* I wonder if it is because so many of us have met each other now?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I think that kat's right--while the upcoming election has raised tensions a bit, this is nothing compared to the last presidential election. Remember how we were all at each other's throats at that point? I think that while tensions are cresting at the moment, relative to the general atmosphere of the current, gentler Hatrack epoch that we're experiencing, they're actually not all that far from the troughs we experienced around the 2000 elections.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I wasn't here in 2000 and I think there have been lower lows more recently. But everyone, including myself seems to be touchier and feelings are getting hurt more easily than in the past.
AJ
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
I'm so excited to have something fun to do at work instead of staring out the window watching traffic, I forgive you all in advance. I don't care how nasty anyone gets, I love you all.
Happy, happy, joy, joy.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I can't believe you would say that AJ! How insulting!
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
Bite me, dag.
Seriously, you need to shut your friggin' pie hole, before I come over there and shut it for you.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Anytime, li'l man!
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I'm pretty sure people are maintaining civility. That isn't the same thing as being easy-going, though, and more people seem to be taking breaks from it (like Farmgirl) than I'm used to. There also seems to be a higher level of (civilly expressed, but present) touchiness.
Then again, in 2000 I was pretty oblivious to anything but getting through the day, so my perspective is certainly altered.
[ September 20, 2004, 11:28 AM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
*throws lemon meringue pie at Dagonee*
*offers Sara an (edible) slice of her favorite pie*
AJ
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Mmmmm. Lemon meringue...
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
:plugs Dag's pie-hole:
Freak. How are you going to make a pie with this hole in the pan, stupid? Huh? You think that the dough and sweet cherry filling are just gonna SEAL it up by themselves?
What a marooon.
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
I have a soft spot for peach-and-blueberry. So pretty and so sweet, mmmmm ...
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I must not be paying much attention. I seem to be lost in a haze of bliss lately. Anyway, other than one incident a few weeks back, (coming on the heels of us almost losing CT for similar reasons), I can't recall anything that's been unpleasant. I guess I'm just dipping in here and there and avoiding most of the things that might get intense. Plus anyone who seems prone to hotheadness I quickly learn to fast forward through whatever they write.
Yesterday Sasha was very upset and that did bother me. But he isn't posting still, so it didn't affect the board.
Everybody just needs to go play airtoss and be happy!
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
quote:But doing something just makes you realize how very little you CAN do. That is very frustrating, and you can get angry when you see people who have more power than you but still do nothing.
Yes.... we all want to be dictators...
*spreads love and squishiness around Hatrack* Yah, the election coming up is definatly the cause of the upped tension. But that's good! We should be conserned and debating these very important topics.
I wasn't here in 2000... but I can totally see Hatrack being more heated then. Because I wasnt' there! tee hee...
"You know that hole, where you put your pie?" "My pie-hole?" "Yah, SHUT IT!"
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
quote:Everybody just needs to go play airtoss and be happy!
Anne Kate, I am addressing it in my own life by the following stress-reducing manuevers:
1) breaking out the juggling clubs again 2) morning jog in the cool air, even if only for 5 min 3) moisturizing inside and out (water and cool cucumber lotion) 4) more Christy-time
I expect successful stress-reduction in short order.
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
I haven't really felt that things on Hatrack have been overly tense lately (just normal levels). But I will say that with a certain new arrival, I think I will be keeping a low profile for awhile. I am... uncomfortable. More so that I can ever recall being here. I sincerely hope that changes.
Posted by the master (Member # 6788) on :
I can think of another poster who made me more uncomfortable, but since he's left me alone for a while, he's been reclassified as 'harmless' to me and has become part of the background of regular posters.
(This isn't an invitation to reopen communications, just observation)
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
::hangs head in shame::
Posted by Telperion the Silver (Member # 6074) on :
(((Bev)))
I'll protect you!
*puffs up*
Posted by beverly (Member # 6246) on :
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
*bumping* -- just because some seem a little more testy today, so I want to remind everyone that we are all friends, and people, and this too, shall pass.
Farmgirl
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Taunt]](graemlins/taunt.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Wave]](graemlins/wave.gif)
tee hee...![[Blushing]](graemlins/blushing.gif)