Once Upon a Time

**Moonitic** · 12-10-2004 03:48 PM

Once upon a time, this was a nice board, filled with supportive, interesting, sometimes colorful, clever and intelligent people. There was, even in the case of disagreement, a certain amount of respect that went into the posts. Only on occasion, did things degenerate. This was THE place to come for information & answers. Everyone, it seemed, wanted to be here.

Now, it seems like it has become fencingsucks' little brother. People have left, disgusted. Gone is the wit, replaced by crass jokes about sex & the like. While there are a few gems now, they've become tarnished by the rather childish & less than stellar discussions that seem to have seeped in. Are people that obsessed about sex (& other "things")that they have to constantly bring it on a FENCING message board?

Now, before I start getting tagged for being "old" & a "prude," etc., I'm as open as the next person. However, there's a time & a place for some of this stuff. It's sad that this, what was once a haven, is becoming THE place for it.

I miss what we once had. I understand growth, but this isn't growth. This is fungus.

**D'Artag-NOT** · 12-10-2004 04:07 PM

I feel your pain. Let's us not desert, okay?

**D+F+P=Hadouken!** · 12-10-2004 04:15 PM

while I may not agree with you, I see where you're coming from. However, this is the water cooler, so we talk about what comes to mind.

**npkeith** · 12-10-2004 04:43 PM

Moonitic -
I understand where you are coming from about civility and social standards on this board. However, I also agree with Hadouken - this is the "water cooler" board that was specifically created to allow people to post off topic and aside comments, so as not to clog up the other (on-topic boards). I agree that some of the humor is a little crass, or even R-rated, and that there are "under-age" members being exposed to posts that they shouldn't be, but then that is what parents are for. Everything I've seen, read or heard about internet safety says that parents should screen their child's content.

There is a fundamental dichotomy at play here - "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend, to the death, your right to say it."

**davtsung** · 12-10-2004 05:21 PM

I think the forum to a degree allows all of us to assume an alter-ego that may or may not be reflections of our true selves, and even when it is, it does so to varying degrees. Unfortunately, I think a few people choose to interact with others in this forum solely as their alter-ego which makes it hard to really connect with them.

**achilleus** · 12-10-2004 05:54 PM

One of the great things about discussions and conversations is that the direction they take depends heavily on the people involved.

When the WC was populated by people who had a fondness for creative writing, and every post was a story, I stopped reading. I had no interest in reading it, and had nothing to add. In fact it took me a long while to start reading the WC after Fantasyland was created.

The current make up of the board is very different than what it once was, and thus the posts are very different than what they once were.

Personally, I find the WC much more interesting now than in the past.

If you would like to see a change, rather than telling everyone how uninteresting you find their posts, you should try creating topics and discussions more suited to your interests to attract like minded individuals.

**Moonitic** · 12-10-2004 07:19 PM

Originally Posted by achilleus

One of the great things about discussions and conversations is that the direction they take depends heavily on the people involved.

When the WC was populated by people who had a fondness for creative writing, and every post was a story, I stopped reading. I had no interest in reading it, and had nothing to add. In fact it took me a long while to start reading the WC after Fantasyland was created.

The current make up of the board is very different than what it once was, and thus the posts are very different than what they once were.

Personally, I find the WC much more interesting now than in the past.

If you would like to see a change, rather than telling everyone how uninteresting you find their posts, you should try creating topics and discussions more suited to your interests to attract like minded individuals.

Actually, I find some of the posts insulting, not "uninteresting." If it is uninteresting, I'm not going to read it. Insulting, degrading, etc. things need to be dealt with.

Yes, the Water Cooler is open to numerous topics. But why should those numerous topics have to deal with how horny people are? Come on. Have some class. Use your membership wisely & with some semblance of responsibility.

An interesting note to "freedom of speech" & "our rights to say what we want": This, essentially, is Craig's board. He makes the rules. We play by them. Gav (& likewise myself, Zelda & Swordsman in the "other world") was trusted to see that his board kept up the standard that he created.

Since it was brought up: FantasyLand was created after its members discussed with Craig what we can do with such a forum, both at the time it was created & in the future. Not one time was what was posted degenerate into something inappropriate, unless it was someone who decided to mock what we were doing. That is the one thing we share in our core group. There are standards.

As I said, I'm all for having fun & for blowing off steam (I'm friends with a bunch of crazy people), but some things should be kept private. That's what PMs are for. I'm not complaining about being bored, etc. I'm stating that it's simply sad that the moderators actually have to do their job so often now, whether it be because someone has decided to "pull a prank" or talk about their sexual desires on a daily basis. It's not right when people are trying to do some fun writing, only to have it tarnished by someone commenting about masturbation "just because they can."

Davtsung, I definitely see where you're coming from.

By the way, if everyone has a right to say something, then I was fully within my rights to make a statement too. That said, I'm done.

**davtsung** · 12-10-2004 07:38 PM

Self-restraint is perhaps the most difficult right to exercise in any democracy- it is in our everyday life (as witnessed by our current T.V. standards: remember when 'The Simpson's' were the 'worse' thing on TV?), and it is certainly true on this forum. I don't wish for moderator-censorship but I do hope that more of us (and myself included perhaps) be more considerate of others in the type of things we post. Recently, FTH informed us of the scathing PM's Cornflower received due to a hoax thread. I honestly don't know what is worse: posting a hoax thread which inflamed fellow forumites, or forumites who respond so hostile to another member. The exercise of self-governing reflects the faith of all of us in maintaining this great forum- the sloth of egotism will necessitate moderator influence, to which end, why bother participating in this forum at all?

"I am a firm believer in democratic representative government as the best form for those who have the tolerance and self-restraint that is required to make it workable" Bertrand Russel

**achilleus** · 12-10-2004 07:43 PM