Cyber-status: Self-Reminder

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Surprise! This is a quicky shorty.

clockwork orange overkillIn my previous 4-part series Games of Unknowledging, one of the general classifications of ignorance, or in this case so much information ready, available at your fingertips or just a mouse-click away, practically every hour of every day is a prime example of Time and Mental Constraints. It means that given how quickly information is available in our high-tech modern world, we online users, computer geeks, iPhoners and Androiders “cannot possibly study and understand all things. We must leave some alone, select what subjects deserve our needs and attention. As a result, this form of ignorance is a product of inattention and can be lost for a period of time or forever.“ Being the eternal student and lover of broad education in as many areas of life and disciplines as possible, I really struggle with these constraints! After almost 8-years of blogging here and 40+ blogs I’m following, one of my recurring restraints is now my inability to keep up in a timely fashion with all the WordPressers that post/publish every 1-2 days, or sometimes multiple posts per day!

Should I feel negligent, a sense of remorse? Have I committed the horrible offense of biting off more than I can possible chew, let alone digest? Do all our fellow bloggers go through similar questions, doubts, and feelings of disappointing? Do hyper-frequent bloggers expect every single follower to have 20-, 35-, 50-minutes per post multiplied by whatever number they follow — in my case 43 for a total of 43 x 35m = 1,505 minutes, or possibly 25.1 hours — if all 43 posted a new post per day!? When would I write and compose blogs? When in the hell would I sleep? Is this the avant-garde definition of internet obesity? 😵

Back at ground control, there is a problem
Go to rockets full, not responding
Hello Major Tom, are you receiving
Turn the thrusters on, we’re standing by
There’s no reply

Que the perfect song for this insanity…

Earth to Professor. Come In Professor!

Now of course, more realistically and suspending my incorrigible tendency for satire, all our bloggers we follow do not publish every single day, I know that. Why not? Because they do realize (correct?) that all regular bloggers that not only write and post, but also READ other blogs, can’t possibly be in front of the monitor or on their iPhones/Androids 14-hours, 18-hours, or 25-hours straight per day, right? After all, WordPress is NOT setup like that popular, non-stop, 25/7 social-media platform with only a 140-character limit that even the President of the United States uses tweeting international and national headlines, and political, legal, religious, sporting, or scientific personal opinions that aren’t original from his half-functioning brain, right?

major tom in space

No, WordPress isn’t like that. WordPress is for intelligent, well-considered and planned blog-articles of more than 140 (or less) kindergarten characters that have good original stimulating content from various genres of life, right? These types of blog-posts illicit (demand? require?) quality valuable time and attention from their readers, yes? Thus, my struggle to manage well even my fond favorites of 10-12 blogs, much less 40+ blogs! Hahahaha, who am I kidding? My head and body scream at me if I sit in front of my computer monitor for 3-hours straight a day! There have been times when I pushed that beyond 4-hours — I won’t share details what bodily function became painful before I realized the time spent! I can get very, very focused when in that mode. My personality is such that I try hard to give someone my undivided attention. I was raised that way.

We’re Only Human

Well “informed” or overkill? A bed of roses or hate-cultivator? The debate has been presented before and raged since 1991. Is a hyper-library of all imaginable information-on-steroids good or bad for society? It is a never before seen colossal-version of our U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. Free-speech is a legal right here, sure. But it does also involve concurrent responsibility, that is to say that the speaker/writer has as much accountability for their content as the listener/reader has to understand, filter and scrutinize before judging its value. When the topic is serious, impactful, or even life-saving or life-risking, I believe this interchange should NOT be a fly-by-night 5-second operation. With the advent of internet this accountability has exponentially swelled and it’s only growing in size as billions upon billions of people are given a microphone or camera to a global audience. Julian Assange and Edward Snowden, naming only two, lit up the Pandora Paradox™ that perhaps outshined (and outburned?) the Hiroshima or Nagasaki bombs.

human leagueMy round-about point with all this is to say I have been having a difficult time kindly and responsibly following all your blogs I’ve liked and selected to read and follow. I think maybe 15-20 could be better manageable; anymore than my current 43-45 I just simply cannot get to everyone if several publish daily. “I’m only human“ afterall — as he hums The Human League song — and only capable of limited time to read, comment, and willingly indulge in WordPress conversations or parleys, while simultaneously finding some limited time to compose and publish my own blog-posts. Hah! I have a total of 13 drafts, unfinished posts currently going back to February 2015! What tha hell? 😲

What does help my time and mental constraints for keeping up with all of you is that over the 8-9 years I’ve been blogging, numerous blog sites I selected, for whatever unknown reasons, have vanished, been deleted/deactivated, or have become lethargic. I see these cyber-deaths as a positive for the living! Their end provides the opportunities for new or active, yet to be discovered and exciting blogs and bloggers. A fluid circle of life! These song lyrics from one of my all-time favorite bands, lyricist, and drummer, have been slightly modified to protect the slightly heathen innocent:

No, followers are not for rent
To any god, site or government.
Always hopeful, yet discontent
He knows changes aren’t permanent –
But change is

(paragraph break)

Live Well — Love Much — Laugh Often — Learn Always

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62 thoughts on “Cyber-status: Self-Reminder”

  1. NOTICE — The following comments by SoM were intentionally kept in moderation because of previously discussed infractions and ignored warnings by this commenter. I’ve decided to “approve” it or release it for now to say to all readers it should be remembered and perhaps goes without saying that his comment is strictly HIS personal views and choice of words, and not a reflection of any majority consensus. His views and opinions expressed here are soley his or maybe his “specific source,” if ever provided. His comments will garner continued moderation until able to follow the newly posted Rules of Conduct in the “Professor’s Netiquette” page on the above green menu bar.

    SoM’s last (unedited) comments were as follows:

    ————————————

    The human mind is perfectly capable of processing loads and of information.

    The secret to success is getting a mind of your own and teaching it how to think properly.

    In the West, this has been happening since Aristotle, or for about 2500 years.

    Students who are, more often than not, overloaded by their professors, attain success by developing mental filters that cut out the irrelevant and go straight to the meat.

    The “Games of Unknowledging” is reminiscent of Shakespeare’s, “Much Ado about Nothing.”

    The global warming hoax, white privilege and “tax cuts for the rich” are examples of how the left creates mega-issues out of problems that don’t even exist.

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  2. Hello Professor. I do understand your point. I also went through something similar as I expand into more areas than I use too. When faced with this issue I changed how I was consuming information from the many blogs I go to. I get emails with posts and if I check the boxes comments. I now read the beginning of the post in the email. IF I find the subject interesting or I want to read the whole post, I click on the links and jump online to finish reading and to comment. I also only feel the need to comment if I have something to add to the subject or post. IF the post gets my interest I will likely comment. However I am much more selective about using the button that gives notification of all comments. It got to the point when I was doing that I couldn’t follow them all, and I couldn’t get to my email. Now if the conversation is interesting or a subject I want to learn about I devote time to the conversations in the comments, often going back to read them all several times so I have a full understanding. This system has made my reading and blogging time more efficient.

    On the subject of multi-posts per day and my blog specifically. I do post many times a day if something I am reading is a thing I feel some people who read my blog may want to know or have missed. I don’t expect everyone to read everything I post. I don’t do that to others blogs. I post only what interest me or things I want to have others learn about. I would hope people pick what they feel they want to learn about or read on my blog. Not everyone will want to read everything. I look at it this way. I have a large toy box , and it has many toys in it of different types, for different people. I just hope that some of the toys are interesting enough to some of the people following me. Never fear skipping a post on my blog if you don’t have time or the subject doesn’t interest you. Don’t feel a need to like or comment if you don’t feel the post warrants that. I know when I go back to school my own blogging time will shrink and I will have to be even more selective in where I go and which blogs I comment on. I will regret that , but there is nothing I can do about it , just as you wrote. Be well and enjoy life. Hugs

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    • Sounds like you have found a good manageable system for your blogging Scottie. Well done! 🙂

      If there’s one thing I greatly appreciate now about the world wide web or internet and blogging it is that whether people use it strictly to spread/scream out THEIR INDIVIDUAL propaganda, or promoting truly helpful information, products, or services… if ANYTHING it does/SHOULD give a person the quick realization of just where they fit in/on a planet of 7.5+ billion! Your true size; a reality check! Hahahahaha! That’s some SERIOUS FREAKIN’ PERSPECTIVE, eh!? 😄 Hence, just the size or reach of the internet and the number of consumers for it is extremely humbling, mind boggling, as it should be! For the super arrogant however, I think its usefulness goes way over their head, escapes them, i.e. they’re so blinded by self-absorbtion or group ideology they don’t even fully realize it CAN (or will) turn on you and devour you as well — a double-edged sword if you will — if you don’t respect it in humility. We are all way past the point of complete individual privacy if you do not fully appreciate the Cyber-Monster. That “potential” does sort of redefine the analogy: the bigger they are the harder (and easier?) they fall. 🤔 😉

      Thank you Scottie for some great feedback!

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  3. Professor, don’t stress yourself out! You are but one person… a good, thoughtful, and engaging person. Still, you are human; and, we humans are profoundly limited. I do the best I can with following and participating in blogs, and I’m content with that. We just can’t be all things to all people… even to ourselves.

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  4. I live by a number of rules: one of which was provided by Mae west (according to Better Midler anyway) and it is “Fuck if they can’t take a joke.” (or any other thing I want to fill in for “take a joke”). I delete blog posts left and right if the blogger doesn’t have a good track record or if they have a good one, but the header for the post is vague or indistinct or if they want me to watch a video. Watching videos is possibly the least effective way to transmit basic information (nuances, yes, info no.).

    Fuck ’em if they can’t type it out for me to skim.

    Your posts are infrequent and in general interesting and the header was curious to say the least, so I read it. But don’t get mad if you end up in my electronic waste bin, heck half the stuff I write ends up there, even before I send anything out.

    Cheers!

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    • Watching videos is possibly the least effective way to transmit basic information (nuances, yes, info no.).

      Hahahaha! Do you realize Steve you are speaking about almost every single social-media platform? 🤣 And I agree with you on videos, except with good/great comedy or satire, e.g. Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, or Jon Stewart just to name three greats, when I’ve missed their shows. 😉

      HAH! “Steve’s Electronic Waste Bin“! How often does it require emptying? 😛

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  5. I am fairly new to the blogging world, a babe in the woods really. While I have been writing my blog for a little over a year now it has only been in the last 2 months that I have been actively following other bloggers and discovering a whole new world of reading enjoyment. As I started to follow more and more blogs I found that more and more bloggers were following me. I felt obliged to follow anybody who followed me and further obliged to read every single blog post they made regardless of my interest level. That lasted for about 3 weeks before I realized I cannot continue to stay up into the wee hours of the morning sometimes reading mindlessly numbing posts out of obligation. So then I did something which I am not proud of and actually made me feel like I was being deceiving. I started to click the like button on posts regardless of if I read it or not. That lasted about 2 days before I thought fuck it!! This is not me, why am I doing this shit!?

    So here is what I do now, if someone follows me I go out to their blog and take a look, I read 1 – 4 posts depending, if I find at least one of them interesting I will follow, if none of them had any interest for me I will not do an obligatory follow. I have my settings so I get an email for each new post for those I am following. Every single day I set aside time to go through and review all those new posts. I ONLY read what I find interesting, I ONLY like posts that I read the entire blog entry and I ONLY comment if I feel I have something I want to say, I no longer comment for the sake of making a comment.

    I have some people who follow me that have never liked or commented on my blog and have probably never read it but I don’t care, I still read and comment on their blog because it is funny or interesting. I am not reading, liking or commenting on blogs for quid pro quo, I read for pleasure and knowledge, simple as that!!

    I know for myself I only want people to read my blog for their reading pleasure and enjoyment, if they do not like my stuff they do not have to read it, nobody has to follow me, I don’t advertise so I do not get paid for clicks.
    Dang, I sure can run my mouth sometimes…Sorry I hijacked your blog post 😛

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  6. I blog regularly and simply cannot keep up with all the blogs around me.
    However, those that do not instantly reply to my posts and leave drooling praise I delete from my personal blog list instantly.
    It matters not where in the world you are. My posts simply must take precedent.
    For others such as your self, I have a set of special dolls that I simply stick pins in if you don’t visit my blog within 23.5 minutes of me posting.

    I prefer to read shorter posts -usually of around two lines. This gives you people more time to read my posts.
    I have a servant who reads longer posts to me, usually when I am on the loo.

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  7. All of my blog posts have hidden meanings in them. Most of them, if read backwards and then translated into Sanskrit, will open up a vortex into which you can go to receive free money from my banking pal, Jimmy. So, if you want to get rich, STOP reading all blogs but mine. Also, STOP writing your own blog. You’ve no time for it if you’re going to be reading mine all the time and doing all that translating I mentioned earlier. Hope this makes things easier for you. See you in the vortex, Jimmy’s pal, The Pontificator.

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    • And I KNOW then you have all those KISS albums, playing them backwards, you evil, time-traveling, purple-people-eater-of-godly-innocent-humans!!! 👹😆

      STOP this, STOP that, STOP the STOPPING even! LOL You are brilliant Jeff and that’s why you are always welcome at my abode and bar… umm, if I can get out of this dayum vortex!!! 😉

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  8. The desire to connect, or rather to feel connected, a sense of communality, albeit vicariously derived, and once in a rare while, a true friendship forged. But what’s the price of admission? I get the impression that after about three years most of us have had enough. We’re reluctant to forego those upsides, but the energy for consuming yet more mediocrity or rehashes of the same tired arguments has all but dissipated. Seems to me a great many bloggers focus too much on output and too little on the quality of it. It might be an idea if they reduced the frequency of their posts by a factor of four —at least— and spent four (make that ten) times the amount of time and effort on crafting their pieces, either in terms of wordsmithing, or the thought that goes into them. Ideally, both. I say all this having produced by own fair share of mediocrity and crap writing, for which I apologise. H ❤

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    • As usual H, in commenting/replying to your equisite and eloquent thoughts and written oratory, all I would essentially do is reveal my lack of superb writing and composition in comparison. So what do I do? Hahahahaha… I voluntarily make a fool of myself trying! I’m such a numbskull sometimes, but I embrace my mediocrity, happily. I’m quite sure that is a DSM-5 diagnosable disorder! LOL 😛

      Again and again, thank you H for your feedback and all you bring here. I find it all most enriching!

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      • I sound terribly snooty about it all, don’t I? It’s because, rightly or wrongly, I see blogging as being a (budding) writers’ medium, and yet I just don’t see much evidence of people really taking a lot of care in what they produce. Rarely do I see a piece in which the syntax is flawless, the punctuation correct, the thought-flow well-reasoned and sequentially displayed. Those aren’t easy things to achieve, and I rarely even come close myself, but I at least want to see the effort being made if I’m invited to read others’ words. Conversely, I expect others to read my own output only if I make a commensurate effort. Your own posts are some of the best-researched one could ever hope to come across within this medium, and you certainly can write very well, so please don’t think I’m directing this at yourself — you’re a deep thinker and a clear and eloquent writer. I also consider you a true blogging friend, one of only a few I have. H ❤

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        • You don’t sound “snooty” H, not at all. You ARE however, very accomplished in creative, inticing, stimulating, engaging writing. You are sometimes overly humble about this gift and it isn’t necessary! Please embrace your proper literary position, okay? AND you are a professional publishing editor for Pete’s sake!!! LOL 😀

          Btw, if I ever commit any horrid syntax, glaring incorrect punctuation, or terrible grammar, PLEASE take the liberty in saying so to me! I DO NOT WANT TO BE READ at the same 9th grade level of our U.S. President! 😨 Deal?

          … — you’re a deep thinker and a clear and eloquent writer. I also consider you a true blogging friend, one of only a few I have

          HAH! Well, I think you might be sipping a beverage with a hallucinogenic honey, but thank you kindly H. You are being too kind my Friend. ❤

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        • Hello Hariod. I think people have different views of what the many diverse blogs should be about. I view the internet as an information resource. I agree being able to write well enough to pass the information along correctly is important, however, it is for me not the most important thing. In fact, I find that if a person has written the post at too high a level it is either distressingly hard to read or worse too hard to comprehend. I think a happy middle ground is fine. Be well. Hugs

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          • I find that if a person has written the post at too high a level it is either distressingly hard to read or worse too hard to comprehend.

            Agreed Scottie. A blogger or an author should consider his audience on a few different levels. It could increase one’s workload and change the timeframe/deadline, but a middle ground is probably a good rule of thumb, at least at first. When reads and comprehension are difficult, I think there should be a reasonable, assumed attitude of mutual effort, i.e. the audience make attempts to improve their reading-comprehension skills and expanding their vocabulary, while the writer/author makes some attempts to ELABORATE liberally on critical points and some important ones too. A comment section is ideal for a blogger like myself! When I’m too lazy to explain clearly and in varied ways/styles, a reader can simply pose their confusion or question at the end! Problem solved, right!? I guess this means I treat my blog and followers/readers like I have students in my classrooms or families in psych/A&D assessments. 😀 😛

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        • Hello there dear Scottie, and thanks for the response. You’re perfectly correct that achieving a middle ground is the ideal, not being overwrought, or puffed-up — heeding Hemmingway, Orwell, Strunk & White, et al. Though I do think syntax should always be correct, grammar and punctuation, too, naturally. These are the basic tools of writing, after all, and there isn’t really a middle ground for them; it’s a case of them either being right or wrong. I am neurotically fastidious about this sort of thing, although most often fail to live up to the standards I demand of myself and expect or hope for in others. Blessings on the day! H ❤

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  9. 😆 This is one of my favorite posts in a while. I’ve been wanting to write about this for almost a year and never disciplined myself to just sit down and write it (too busy reading other people’s blogs!)

    Now, I don’t have to. You did it much better than I could have – with a talented writing style and a much richer sense of humor than I possess. (No, I’m not trying to borrow money from you) 😆

    I believe many people just don’t think about the time constraints of reading a diverse group of blogs. I receive posts from some of my favorite sites via e-mail and occasionally rotate them, while some stay in the rotation. Your blog is one of the “permanent” ones (in case you were interested). Oh, and I follow more than 100 blogs – all have something interesting…

    😁

    I occasionally post oh, maybe three posts in a span of a few days, but usually have a week or so between posts. I figure people don’t need to hear from me too often. Besides, I write about things most people don’t want to think about so why would they want to read about it. Right? 😀

    Thanks for giving me a smile. Peace.

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    • Hahaha…Ashift,

      Thank you for your compliments and decision to make mine “permanent”! 🙂 And as always, I do appreciate your feedback and supportive comments! Also feel free to offer any opposing or different perspectives, along with your approvals. They are welcomed too. 100 blogs!? 😮 Woah, more power to ya brotha! You are blogging rock-star my man. I could not do that many! LOL

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      • Yes, I follow too many blogs, but quite a few are photography or art and take a short amount of time to enjoy. And many only post once a month or even less. Seriously. (I guess they read more often than write). So, it isn’t as bad as it sounds. 😀 Also, there are some that I have forgotten about. 😦 Oh well. They all had something I found interesting.

        Thanks for the invitation. I never shy from making my opinion known unless I feel that it will fall on “deaf ears”, then it isn’t worth the effort. I enjoy putting my perspective out there. 😀

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        • …unless I feel that it will fall on “deaf ears”, then it isn’t worth the effort.

          Agreed. It is wise to pick and choose your most important ‘battles,’ the ones you stand a decent/good chance of being heard and well understood. It’s a slightly different position when YOU yourself are pushed into the Moderator’s position and must decide (like in a classroom with 1-2 disruptive students) whether certain behavior is detrimental to the learning environment for the other students. This is why I have 3-4 comments that are sitting in Moderation still; both authors of those comments have been warned several times about basic (classroom) conduct and what I prefer/want here on my blog and they repeatedly ignored/ignore the warnings. I honestly do not understand why ADULTS cannot utilize simple common courtesies & online etiquette!

          Presently I’m still undecided what to do with their childish, disrespectful behavior. I may wait a few more days and allow them here, unedited. But does doing so nurture a learning environment where EVERYONE is properly respected? 🤔 Why do incidents like Charlottesville, VA, for example, keep popping up in my head if I allow these people to continue? LOL Hmmmmmm, to be determined later. 😉

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  10. Professor about those individuals in moderation. You used the word adult. I don’t think they are acting like adults at all. They are not even acting as young people because young people for the most part can understand classroom decorum and requirements. In my opinion from not having children nor raised little ones, those in moderation are acting like toddlers who are unable to understand the world around them, yet will scream and throw a fit to get their way. OK, I am going to put my snark back into the shed and get started being helpful and understanding. 😝😜😋😅😃😄 Hugs

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    • You know Scottie, there are many school campuses, domestically and abroad, who actually have a “Student Government” for these sorts of issues in a classroom, on campus, or in their community, sort of like a Congressional Hearing Panel that is made up strictly of the students — with only the staff & Principal as standby moderators; i.e. do not participate in the hearings — the class and/or Panel handle behavioral infractions. Quite democratic actually, but more importantly TREMENDOUS opportunity for valuable life-lessons! I wish I was able to turn this “case” over to all of you to decide their discipline or fate. 😉

      What do you think?

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      • I discourage that Professor. Too many pitfalls I can see. First, the fact is no one cares as much for your blog and your work as you do. Then there is the problem of outright attempts at intimidation. I know I have been on the receiving end of the scornful wrath those in moderation can deliver in their comments. While I can tell them what I think of them and even enjoy letting my campy snark side lose on them, it does degrade the comment sections on your posts when that happens. Your posts lose when the comments become an insult driven food fight. Two other points to think of, one is that some people get turned-off about the attitude of the comments in moderation and even more get tired and turned-off from the snark fights. Either way, people will just not bother to stay for the comments because of dealing with either situation.

        So I think you have done the correct thing. I think you should stay the course, and if you have a child who can’t follow the rules or interact with the other members, then those children need to be directed to programs better able to instruct them. You have far more education and experience than I so I will trust your judgement and listen to your reasons for your decisions. Many hugs and happy day.

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        • Those are all excellent valid points Scottie. You’ve given me more to deliberate on, thank you. 🙂

          I never thought I’d have to do this, but years ago when I first dealt with childish behavior and tantrums on my blog, I considered posting a Page designated for and spelling out specific, expected blog etiquette from Commenters. I kept it on the shelf, so to speak, primarily because it didn’t seem necessary, even given the topics I post about; i.e. BDSM, the Open-Swinger Lifestyle, religion, politics, etc, and I simply did not have a large enough following, much less reader participation. But now 8-9 years later and for the sake of exactly what you poignantly mention: for the sake of my blog’s integrity and learning environment… maybe now it IS necessary, huh?

          I’ll continue to deliberate on this. Thank you again Scottie.

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          • Professor if I may, I would like to add one other point. I was told a long time ago that a person rises to the standards of those around them. For example if you put someone from lower acceptable standards in with groups of higher acceptable standards, normally the lower standards rise up. The opposite is true in reverse, a person of high standards tends to lose them in a group of lower standards. I do not have any proof of this, but on a personal note I can see its practice in my own life. By reading authors such as yourself I have increased my vocabulary, I have learned to order my thoughts better, and even improved my grammar. The thing is I try, I put the effort into the task. Hariod and yourself are correct that being able to write well helps communicate ideas. I do not know if it will work or help those in moderation to be exposed to the community you have here. They have to be willing to put the effort into it, rather than ignoring what they find hard to do. I can not express properly the gratitude I have for so many of the blogs our friends have that have increased my knowledge and my ability to express myself. Nan, Ark, Victoria, John, Peter, Carmen, yourself, and so many more let me join-in and gradually grow. I would hope that the same could be said for the ones in moderation, however, they don’t seem to have grown much so far. Hugs

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            • That is another excellent point Scottie. As I was reading your comment there I was harkening back to my collegiate, pro, and semi-pro soccer career where my teams (and I especially) LOVED, ENJOYED playing against better teams & players for that very reason you speak of: it would inevitably improve our individual skills, team and play. I honestly dreaded playing significantly weaker teams because not only was it HARD to get up, highly motivated to find your best game for a full 90-mins plus stoppage time, but often it did not ultimately benefit our entire season. Honestly, those “lower level” skilled teams were simply a hard test for our heads/mentality, perhaps in a few ways a HARDER test than the excellent better teams. But your analogy is spot on Scottie, even for blogging and the environment of Commenters & Followers.

              And thank you again for kind words. Anger, hate, verbal tantrums, etc, can be tolerated… to a point. Everyone has the right to voice their personal emotions and should be heard, sure. However, there quickly comes a point when it turns into just a constant banging cymbal; how conducive is that loud ringing to everyone’s eardrums and to a learning environment, seriously?

              Have a great day Scottie. ❤

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        • @Scottie and Prof

          I think one should err towards not moderating, with the exceptions being if the comment is ridiculously off-topic or just completely inflammatory (no content whatsoever). The problem is deciding what constitutes reasonable communication and proper etiquette. Many of the blogger friends you named, especially Ark, have been moderated on other peoples’ blogs before and I’m sure if you asked those religious bloggers their reason for doing so they would tell you the person in question was acting childish, snarky, and insulting. Put it another way, they weren’t holding a discussion in good faith.

          The internet isn’t the best medium for deeper discussions around politics and religion. Yes, admittedly sometimes I get sucked into them too against my better judgement (one might say I’m even doing so now by typing this very post). They tend to turn into echo chambers of the like-minded or ceaseless snark fests when different sides do clash and rarely does anyone ever change their minds.

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  11. Hello consoledreader. I would like to talk to you about your second point first if you wouldn’t mind, because I think it is more important, at least it is to me. I love getting into an honest conversation on those topics you mention, along with many others on the web. I have several reasons, including where the people who will talk about these things are for me. I do not live in an area where people gather to have discussions. Yes I agree, often these comments can deteriorate in to name calling and slurs, but that is when a moderator is a good thing, to pull the conversation back on track. I admit I like reading a conversation that has both sides of an issue because I learn more that way. I have learned so much more history of the bible and what is in the book it self by reading the many comments of the community I mentioned as they talk to others who disagree with them, than I did in a church boarding school where we had chapel three times a day and all weekend church services. I do sometimes get discouraged when I will offer a comment that the person I am talking to decides to ignore completely or side step my point in answering because it doesn’t fit their narrative. I would rather they simply tell me they don’t know the answer or that they simply disagree with me.

    The issue here we are talking about are the people who come to a conversation to bomb throw, to disrupt, who have no intention of giving information or hearing out the other side. The ones who will not even address evidence or reality and not even the topic of the post. I have tried to engage several of these people in good faith, not to try to force them to agree with me but to talk about why they believe as they do. Instead I get insult, slurs, and in some cases nonsense in return. However, my point is that myself and others do learn a lot by these posts on these subjects. Also we get to join in and that broadens our own skills.

    As for your point about Ark, I do not think he needs me to defend him in any way, but I do see a difference between him and those in moderation here. For instance when he and Mel get to a certain point, Mel will moderate him. But even at that point Ark is still trying to exchange information, ask questions, and respond to Mel. That is not what ColorStorm and Silence of Mind do. I can understand why someone with the knowledge Ark has gets frustrated with some theist, I do not have anywhere near that level of knowledge and I get very frustrated with some of them that come to his blog that I have tried to talk with or who have called me out. Recently one theist used the entire comment to tell me just how stupid and dumb and a few other nasty things I was… because I did not simply state he was correct and everyone shouldn’t question him. That was on a comment not even directed to him by the way. My point is on the the issue of Ark’s interaction with a lot of theist there is history and the frustrations and antagonisms are displayed by both sides. The trick I have learned is to notice the point where the conversation takes a more rough tone, and that is normally when the theist either gets insulting or dishonest with the questions asked. That of course is simply my opinion.

    Lastly, I am willing to talk with anyone who really wants to talk about these or other issues. So thank you for the conversation. Hugs

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    • My point of bringing up Ark wasn’t to criticize him, but rather to show how it depends on the person’s perspective who is being rude and childish. I agree SoM and ColorStorm aren’t ideal interlocutors either. I still remember the time SoM was going on and on about the glories of the Western Tradition and only Christians like him understood it, but when I mentioned the Western Canon he had never heard the term before!

      I think it’s easy to claim one is open-minded and willing to change their mind given new evidence, but attitudes are harder to shift than you think. If you were to ask Ark why he holds his views, “evidence.” If you ask Tildeb, “reality arbitrated.” If you asked me why I hold certain views, “Evidence and the reality around me for most of my views.” The problem? We don’t agree on many points.

      Consider the various are “Science and Religion” compatible threads Ark recently posted.

      1) Did you really learn anything from those threads that you didn’t know before reading them? If so, what?

      2) Did you or anyone change their mind about a position they held after reading that thread? If so, what?

      3) What do you think would’ve changed someone’s mind about that issue?

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      • Consoledreader, more very good points. Regarding certain controversial topics, it does require sometimes extraordinary patience and superbly refined written (and oratory) skills to manage such volatile, short-tempered personalities — not easy — IF (great emphasis on “if”) they are not open to it; in other words, GENUINELY seeking expansive truths, evidence, consensus, facts(?), or plausibilities while simultaneously recognizing, as a whole and individually, human nature and imperfections, and perhaps more importantly the value of time. 🙂

        Thanks again for this excellent feedback CR.

        P.S. I will let Scottie address your 3-pointed question.

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      • Yes you are correct it is sometimes harder to change your view than most think, specifically if you have reasons for that view. I do disagree somewhat on the rude part, because most people start out being rational and can get angry or frustrated as the conversation goes on. That is understandable to me and it takes effort to reduce the frustration and bring your self back to a level headed discussion. That happens to me a lot with Tildeb for instance. Tildeb is smart and has a reservoir of knowledge but some times lacks understanding of what I am talking about or trying to convey. So when that happens I try to come at the conversation from another angle rather than get angry. However one thing I won’t do is ignore him, because in doing that I lose. The ones that will never change their minds are the ones not trying to have a conversation but instead are trying to give a lecture. For example I think of Tim Neil ( or is it O’Neil I am not sure ) and Citizen Tom. They are not interested in what others say, just that they can force others to agree with them. See I don’t feel the need to change anyone’s view or mind set, I just want to have a say and seat at the table. I can accept that. I know that sometimes people just won’t see the same thing the same way. Again using Tildeb, and remember I do respect him, that is a difference between us. We had a long running conversation that was going no where and just getting both of us upset, so I just felt we should agree to disagree. He did not want to and kept trying to get me to change my view. But I couldn’t change it because I did not feel the evidence he presented over rode the evidence I had.

        Just real quick, because I have to go make Ron’s supper, he is working tonight. With out going back and looking up the posts on Ark’s blog, I do think I learned a bunch of stuff. I learned a lot of history from John and Peter. I learned far more about origins of science and the races than I knew. I learned that science-development moved from country to country for some reason I did not understand.

        Sorry to cut this short. I will take my pad into the kitchen to try to answer if you want to keep going. Or I will see you after I get the supper cleaned up. Just let me know what I missed in my hurry. Be well, I am enjoying talking with you. Hugs

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        • @Scottie

          I actually wasn’t going to respond to this, but given Nan’s recent post I decided maybe there was more to say after all. So sorry for the extremely late reply. As I wrote over at Nan’s discussion about internet behavior, there are a plethora of cognitive biases that interfere with being able to listen to someone and have a fair discussion, especially on the internet.

          While it might be true that people get frustrated when they feel they’re making a good point that is not an excuse for bad behavior in the same way if one of my students hurts another student or calls them names out of frustration because the other person isn’t giving them what they want it or even engaged in those behaviors themselves doesn’t suddenly become okay. In my last discussion here on the Professor’s site on his satirical post, Robert Vella degenerated into a weird tirade of personal attacks (poisoning the well and ad hominem) towards the end of the “discussion.” I have no doubt he was frustated that I hadn’t changed my mind and was still attacking some of the points of the post. Logical fallacies (errors in reasoning and thinking, as well as cheap rhetorical tricks) don’t suddenly become good reasoning or good counterarguments simply because the person is frustrated.

          The problem with “show me the evidence” is that people have different ideas of what constitutes good evidence, what constitutes relevant evidence, and have different ways of framing and thinking about the same question.

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          • Hello Consoledreader. Just as you say there is different ideas of evidence I find the same difference of ideas of “bad” behavior. What some are appalled by others take with a laugh. You may find something just fine that I would feel is snarky. We all react according to the sum of our experiences. While I think there are no bad words, just bad ideas as George Carlin says , and I don’t mind swear words I still get angry or upset at some words when they are thrown around or especially at me. Then there is the word no one feels is OK to use, but again it is only letters or vibrations in air, but what it stands for is a horrible insult to human dynasty.

            Some times we have to do as I suggested I do for myself, just step back and try to take the emotion out of the conversation and deal just with the ideas. Be well. Hugs

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    • More great points Scottie. Thanks. Also, if I may add to your commentary of those “other” blog-discussions elsewhere and certain “personalities,” and I mention this NOT because it is any issue or hangup of my own, but it is with many others, typically hardline theists, Conservatives, Xians, etc, but the fact that you are totally comfortable in your sexual orientation and do not feel any need to HIDE from it — as you should not! — sadly, because of who you are, you are immediately judged and implicitly or explicitly regarded as, if I may, “sub-human.” I’ve watched those remarks used against you and it infuriates me. So…

      there you go, something that must be stated in regard to forms of moderation. 🙂 ❤

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      • Hello Professor. I find such joy and community companionship when the times I have been unjustly attacked such as you mention, to have seen the community come to my assistance and defense. It really shows me how great the people here can be. Got to make supper. Hugs

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