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“While I've been clearing up the forum I've come across endless topics that were great discussions and then certain people appeared on them, posted nonsense and took them over. End of dicusssion and page after page of endless, mindless drivel. Always the same people.
“I've been clearing up stuff like that for the past week so you can imagine how impatient I am when people suggest 'everything' has value or people who do that should be allowed to continue ("stopping them is mean, Simon is evil" etc ...). It's precisely because topics have value and should be preserved that I do it and because people should be allowed to enjoy the discussions they want.”
Simon,
I appreciate your work here. Never, ever is it my intention to add to it. You’ve done so much for all of us.
I’ve read some responses here of folks complaining that, in essence, there is value to be found in everything. I understand what I think they’re trying to say. But to think you evil is beyond the pale. You’re like the other honest person standing next to both of us. We all make mistakes, but we mean well and want nothing but good for everyone.
“I agree, good topics that are on the subject will typically meander a little, sometimes a lot but you can tell when the intention is to discuss the subject or not.”
It’s the area of “you can tell when the intention is” that I suppose is most perplexing. If we can't articulate it then the nebulous nature makes it harder to avoid. This thread is to elicit articulation of specific things, and whether those things are considered off-topic.
Recently I’ve had participants think evil of me. I knew those ideas were false, and was willing to speak of and to them to help those holding the notion. An idea surfaced that I was attempting to derail discussions. That’s not my style, and it’s certainly not my intent. There is nothing to gain in derailing a substantive discussion. Everyone who's engaged discussion with me knows I'm willing to hold frank exchange, even if the issue is an allegation of evil on my part. Most particularly I'm willing to answer questions for what those questions ask. From my perspective the thing that had folks stirred up (my evilness) was my standard-issue style of asking precise questions and expecting answer to those precise questions. When I would get a response rather than an answer folks thought ill of me for pointing this out, sometimes multiple times. The notion of my evilness was only further ingrained.
But I’m not in this thread to relive the past. I’m here to learn. This is one of my prime reasons for participating here and elsewhere. The second is to share. Recently my ability to share has been reduced. I’m working to learn and grow so this does not happen again, because I like learning and sharing.
By the way, when I was up in Canmore a few weeks back my time in and out of Calgary made our beer impossible. Maybe next time. I get over there every now and then. I had in interesting experience with a woman in a wig at the Sheraton in Canmore. We’d have had a blast talking it over. And, by the way, that Sheraton is a dump. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
Marvin Shilmer