What values do we share?

What I said before is perfectly coherent with what I said more recently . I have simply gone into more detail . And I include myself in the pack . I am white , my converation is superficial , I no doubt think I am more educated than I am . I can be humorous and talented within those limited parameters .

What's wrong with that ?

Originally Posted by AlternateGray

I can only speak for me, but I don't come here to battle hate-mongering nitwits. Or to gently persuade them. There's a thousand different forums out there with people who are chock full of hateful and extremist views, if I should get a hankering to walk on the weird side. It's interesting to see other points of view, but this is not so much a public street as it is a... coffee shop with no coffee... and I don't know about you, but I'd be upset if a group of neo-nazi's or gang-bangers staked out my favorite hang-out place, not because they have no right to be there, but simply because there's a time and a place to have to deal with the ninnies of human nature. The cellar is not necessarily that place for most of us, I think. (I pretty much just took Skysidhe's point and rehashed it, didn't I... )
We could almost, in fact, change the cellar's tag-line to: "The Cellar. 99% Asshole Free." (Unless you're talking about funny assholes, of course; that's different. People pay to listen to funny assholes.)

I come here to deal with intelligent, reasonable, funny people, most of whom seem to have a good deal of common sense- and whose opinions differ from mine, often, but not to the point where I reject them out of hand (e.g., declarations of racial superiority of any sort... except the Jews. Israel rules.) Unless you're highly charismatic and articulate, you've got to have a little in common with someone, be able to build up the trust, before you start the brainwashing.

Which reminds me, the membership drive for the Freemormons has started. Check your free will at the door, please.

Originally Posted by dar512

No that was a great example. You made the little light bulb turn on over my head. It actually explains a lot, I think.

Why we tolerate diverse views - maybe not extreme views, but diverse.
As a culture we act, or come to act as a guest in UT's web site.

Why did the rowdy AGers upset the oldtimers - If someone crashes your dinner party and starts walking on the tables and insulting guest, you'd be upset too. I think someone actually made a comment along this line at the time.

Why is UT tired - He doesn't just host the cellar, he is the host (of the virtual dinner party). That's tiring.

So now I wonder if UT planned this or if it happened organically?

I suspect someone could make a doctoral dissertation out of analysing this and how the environment was created.

Then we only tolerate those who agree with variations of what we believe in. Intolerant.

[BigV]

It is clear to me that everyone on this board shares a strong desire to be heard.

A large majority also wishes to be understood.

Some of those choose listening to others in their search to find willing ears, thereby reinforcing the hopes of the first group, and the cycle repeats.

[skysidhe]

Originally Posted by BigV

It is clear to me that everyone on this board shares a strong desire to be heard.

A large majority also wishes to be understood.

Some of those choose listening to others in their search to find willing ears, thereby reinforcing the hopes of the first group, and the cycle repeats.

yeah good one and.....

We value the ones who read and rarely post. We want to be those people too.Reading and not posting so much. I think maybe if those people would post we would sit back and read awhile instead.

Originally Posted by dar512
What values do we share?

The Cellar: Where we can all agree to disagree; yet, love is in the air.

Excerpt from the song Love Is In The Air:

"Love is in the air
In the rising of the sun
Love is in the air
When the day is nearly done

And I don't know if you're an illusion
Don't know if I see it true
But you're something that I must believe in
And you're there when I reach out for you"

all, NoBoxes.

[BigV]

I wish to ammend my earlier post. I stand by those remarks with respect to the part of the population of this board that takes part in the posting.

There is another part of the population of this board I had overlooked, not being a member myself; they are known as guests. Those lurkers are certainly part of the family, but demonstrate no desire to be heard here. I can only guess about the values they share. Perhaps they're shy, or lack confidence in their opinions, or maybe they agree so completely with the posts that nothing further need be said. Just guesses, all.

But I overlooked them before and now I include them. Why are they here, what values they hold, much less share can only be know in the past tense, when they post and tell us, thereby saying goodbye to the mysterious passivity of the land of the lurkers.

[Undertoad]

I think about twice as many people read as post, at this point. I agree that they are valuable and interesting and I wish we knew more about them.

Y'all should know that the high numbers of guests listed, are about twice as high as they should be, because at any given time we are being spidered by Yahoo! and Google, and those spiders look like guests to the system.

Yahoo! in particular seems to have no clue that the threads from 2002 do not contain any new information, so they just boldly re-spider the entire site a lot.

[Tse Moana]

Now you're generalizing the Guests. I think some of them (a lot?) just have no interest in participating here as they wind up here after googling something or another and just read whatever it is that was returned as a search result.

I'd also wager a good guess that many guests come to see the IotD, that's what got me here.

Then, obviously, there are those that do come back (frequently?) and lurk. For those, yes, I agree with what you said, we cannot know what it is that is keeping them silent. Shyness, lack of confidence, agreeing completely, it may all very well be. They could also just not be interested in actively participating, they're happy with reading some bits here and there
and then going on to someplace else.

[DucksNuts]

Boobs seem to be a common value here.

[Stormieweather]

I come read without logging in until I find something I wish to respond to. Even while composing a post, I get logged out and have to log back in to post it.

So it often looks like I'm here as a guest...even when I'm here surfing...which is a LOT .

I try not to run my mouth when I have nothing much useful to say, so I'm not a high quantity poster (luckily for you all!).

Stormie

Oh, and I have boobs as well.

[BigV]

"It's all about the dowas."

Hi peeps! Was a lurker but now a poster.

Should the tolerant tolerate the intolerant? Of course not! That's how the nasty buggers get into power.

I follow Nature's dictum; variety, variety, variety! But just like in Nature, when something gets too big for its boots something else comes along and undoes its laces. Nothing like falling flat on your face to ruin pomposity and seriousness.

One life, use it or lose it. And allow others to do the same!

[Trilby]

Hi, Tin Man! Welcome! (I have to be the Official Greeter as xobruce is probably still a-bed

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by BigV

"It's all about the dowas."

Dowas ROOOOOOOOOCK!!!

[footfootfoot]

We value peole who keep their promises...