posted
Rivka - I love you. You are my hizzo. You add a tremendous amount to this forum on a variety of topics and are extremely educational and fair-minded to boot. You have an affinity for fluff, but I forgive you that because you add SO MUCH to this forum that your fluff-orientedness is charming rather than obnoxious. Please don't think my comments are in any way directed at you.
However, for the rest of you - you seriously need to stop taking over threads and turning them into almost real-time-like exchanges. There are instant messaging programs for that, and you don't have to hijack someone else's thread.
Oh, I know - you won't be able to continue upping your post count and making landmark threads every two weeks. But, at the same time, you'll stop making people want to hunt you down and kill you.
I think it's a fair trade.
Posts: 7600 | Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
Can I break your kneecaps if the fluff doesn't stop?
To be honest, there just isn't much that calls me to interact with this place anymore. It's probably natural, but i think hatrack is starting to pass me by. I know that sounds extremely codgerish, but there just isn't that call to post anymore. Maybe I'm growing up.
Posts: 1800 | Registered: Apr 2000
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posted
I'm not announcing that I'm leaving or anything. I'm sure I'll always take time to check in every now and then, as long as I have good friends to interact with.
But let's face it: The demographic of Hatrack has shifted dramatically in the past two years from an intellectual community that dabbled in fluff every once in a while to a Fluffy community that dabbles with intellectualism every once in a while.
Posts: 1800 | Registered: Apr 2000
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quote: So I'll have to forgive your continued intolerance for "fluff." I live in hope that some day you will understand. (((((Ralphie)))))
You know, Rivka, it's not the fluff. Like I said, when you get all fluffy it doesn't bother me. I've been known to indulge in fluff from time to time.
I think it comes down to this:
In every relationship people have to put in what they take out, or the other party will eventually become resentful that they are being taxed without any compensation. Fluff has it's place on Hatrack, just like serious debate does, and I appreciate them both for what they are.
Then I see what I can only imagine are kids sign on, give NOTHING to the community in the way of debate, unique perspective, intelligent conversation or even comedic value but rather jump from thread to thread, topic to topic, littering the place with banal smilies*, instant message-like "banter" and basic derailment to talk about what maybe all of three people want to talk about. And it usually comes down to NOTHING.
When the fluff is relegated to a few threads, and it's pretty obvious which threads those are, that's fairly benign and pretty much expected. When people feel they need to make nothing but fluff threads, or WORSE, infect non-fluff threads with their tired campaigns of pro-smilie something somethings, then they are taking away without any intention of giving back.
I'm not a curmudgeon. Good gravy, I barely post anything myself that couldn't be catagorized as fluff in the narrowest terms. But my hope is that I don't simply take from the forums, and that I do my part (like you do, and countless others) to add to it and keep the checking account balanced.
I mean, isn't that the whole point of Ralphie Luv™?
(*which are not even fulfilling their intended purpose, which is to assist people in conveying how they feel or what they mean as we are limited in expression, tone and mannerisms on the net.)
posted
Ralphie, I think it comes down to two things.
The first is how we define such things as "giving to the community" and "comedic value." I think you and I may have different perspectives on those.
The second is perhaps frame of reference. You were, I am certain, a lovely, giving teen. You expect others to live up to this model.
I was an obnoxious teen. Plenty of people -- including in fandoms I was a member of back then -- should have squished me like a bug, but tolerated me instead. I figure today's teens (within some limits, and I think we've already established that my idea of those limits is very different than some others') ought not to get squished either. Besides, I kinda think they're cute and entertaining, 'least sometimes.
Honestly, I find the excess use of smilies SO much less offensive than some of the other nonsense around here. And I simply ignore that.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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quote: Honestly, I find the excess use of smilies SO much less offensive than some of the other nonsense around here. And I simply ignore that.
She didn't mean offensive, she meant annoying and infuriating.
There are a lot of things that smilies are less offensive of here at Hatrack. What specifically do you mean?
Posts: 4229 | Registered: Dec 2002
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posted
I don't think anyone thinks smilies are offensive, just annoying. To me, they represent nothing more than an excuse not to talk, not to express how you really feel.
Posts: 1800 | Registered: Apr 2000
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quote:But let's face it: The demographic of Hatrack has shifted dramatically in the past two years from an intellectual community that dabbled in fluff every once in a while to a Fluffy community that dabbles with intellectualism every once in a while.
Pat and Toni have it right. I'm very near putting out a petition to OSC and Kristine Card to ask the removal of all but the original emoticons -- the new ones were sweet as a gift, but utterly impractical and fairly dangerous to the health of the forum. Rather like fruitcakes.
If we get rid of the emoticons, we get rid of the fruitcakes that use them. Or at least force them to evolve.
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
How, exactly, can we disagree with them? One of the problems people have repeatedly cited throughout this thread is that it's extremely difficult to draw a political position or moral stance from " ."
Or do you think these emoticons aren't being used irresponsibly and for pretty freaking idiotic reasons?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
And I should know which thread you're talking about because there's an emoticon that points the direction, or what?
Posts: 3293 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
I'm not rolling my eyes because I disagree with you, I'm rolling my eyes for the way you chased Ralphie away. If I have to choose between smilies and Ralphie, I choose Ralphie.
I withdraw all my comments. Forget it. This is why I hate getting involved in non-fluff threads around here.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Er. What's the reason? And why did you withdraw your comments? All I've asked so far is if you think the emoticon use is abused irresponsibly. Also, which thread you were referring to that clearly espoused your positions.
All I'm looking for is some kind of stance. Are there any real arguments for keeping the emoticons at the expense of Hatrack's intellectual health? Not to mention the loss of Pat and Ralphie and me and several other friends who've mentioned to me just how bored they are as a result of Hatrack's intellectual decline.
If people want pretty smilies and nothing more, I'll be the first to direct them to P-Web. If they want the anti-smiley, they're welcome to Ornery. But what I've always loved about Hatrack is the balance between Funny (from among the many, their queen, Toni) and intellectualism (from among the many, their poisonous fish, Fugu). I hate to see that balance destroyed by idiots who can't express themselves in any better way than obnoxious circular heads. Hatrack deserves better.
posted
I have read mine. Quite carefully, both before and after I posted. I try very hard to do that every time I post -- although I don't always succeed.
I also read Ralphie's very carefully. I always do. Her subtlety and wit make that a necessity. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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I have been known to utilize the occasional smiley, heck, if the latest mafia game would have been played, I was going to communicate exclusively through smilies. We're not saying eliminate them entirely, I think we are just asking every one to calm down a little with the smiley usage.
quote: We're not saying eliminate them entirely, I think we are just asking every one to calm down a little with the smiley usage.
Do you really think that's the message this thread sends? Maybe I'm not the only one who needs to reread parts of this thread.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Fie on you, PC. I know not of this [code] of which you speak. (And it cost me my burnination points for Fla, although I did get me Christy back.) Teach me this [code], or I will attempt to ineptly burninate the silly state where you live, too. With smilies. And I will siphon the gas from your tank.
quote:... smilie ejaculations ...
Good grief, Pat, just because Papa Moose is busy with the new baby and all, doesn't mean you can practice all your private perversions all over the board. Do I have to say it for him? Do I? Do I?
Glad this isn't a thread about onanism.Posts: 14017 | Registered: May 2000
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posted
You know it's getting bad when I'm getting sick of all the fluff.
Leonide and I were just saying the other day how we only opened about 1 in every 8 threads. Too many people start threads to pick up AIM conversations where they left off. It's one thing for us to have some inside jokes that pop up in the middles of threads (sorry, Kayla)--it's only natural as we get to know each other better--but to have an entire thread devoted to an inside joke you share with two other people from AOL is just annoying.
I like the original smilies. They convey emotions. I can't see why anyone would ever need to do The Wave or get up and dance during a post.
And though it's a great ego boost, we really don't need the "point and laugh", "slap the ground like an ape as a form of showing satisfaction", or "my head fell off" smilies.
We already had an embarassed smilie. We already had a sticking-out-your-tongue smilie. We already had a scared smilie.
The waving, shrugging, hat-tipping, and flipping off smilies are pointless. "Hi.", "I don't know.", "You're welcome.", and "Go suck an egg." are phrases, not emotions.
The devils are watered-down evil. Besides, the devil doesn't smile. The closest he comes is maybe an evil grin.
The kissing, crying, and hugging smilies are just as annoying as real life PDA.
If you speak no evil, hear no evil, and see no evil, please do us the favor of not typing it.
The sleeping smilie is lame. If we start needing a smilie to show every reason we're not posting, this forum's going to get pretty dirty.
The wall-bashing smilie is useful. A shame it's overused (and normally not in the proper instances). The muttering smilie seems to be the only other good thing that came out of the new batch, but I'd be glad to give it up if it meant the others went away, too.
So I plead to all the newbies...please let the fluff become funny again!
Posts: 5264 | Registered: Jul 2002
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posted
Let me just reiterate: smilies are annoying, except the core smilies that are merely graphical versions of their original ASCII counterparts. And AIM is the mind-killer; Hatrack Chat is just it's red-headed stepchild.
Posts: 37449 | Registered: May 1999
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