i only ask because the posts here really seem to be more personal and demeaning here compared to the posts in the godfather forum, which is the only other forum i've visited. the only reason i even looked at general discussion is to see why dontom was leaving because he seemed to fit right in when it came to the godfather. i figured things would be a little more heated since the topics are more controversial than our favorite movie, but i honestly was totally unprepared for the hatred i encountered. but now i think maybe i jumped to conclusions too quickly. people are apologizing and leaving left and right, so it made me think that maybe things have been more personal and insulting than usual, hence the apologies and exits. do you guys notice it is worse than usual or is this just typical and i am just getting my first taste of a "real" message board compared to the godfather thread.

Didn't you know? Everyone is having PMS this week. :p

You just gotta' know folks, Jimbo. Once you hang around these degenerates long enough, you'll be all right. But it does pay to grow some skin if you dare step into the G.D. zone (interesting initials...hmmmmm).

It's difficult to keep a board running on one film. Obviously, this seems to succeed, but it's only every so often when a decent thread is posted in the Godfather forum. Here, it's far worse. I seriously don't know why I am on here. It's worrying.

That said, it isn't always this bad. But last week or so has been the most chaotic since the muckraking bonanza of "vote against Kerry" phase last year (not "vote for Bush").

Mick

Yeah, and the "Blame Bush for Everything" phase...

Jimmy, there is truly no RIGHT time to check out the General Discussion forum. There's been many a time I've regretted getting embroiled in a thread that took place there, usually involving politics (you should've been around this time last year when we were in the middle of a Presidential election)!!

Sometimes I still cringe when I take a look, and especially when I dare to post what's on my mind. Sometimes, I make a concerted effort to stay away from it completely for days at a time.

You mention checked it out only because of dontomasso's parting post. I respect your curiousity...and hope you continue to peek in every now & then because ugly as it gets, it seems to have gotten you a little interested in the passion of politics! Just beware when you do...whether you post or do not post, agree or disagree it's almost rarely going to be civil. People TRY to remain civil and respect each other's opinions, and sometimes that works out for a bit. But it's not the norm. Even when some make an attempt at sarcasm and/or humor, there are always those who just can't take it and hit the roof.

Just don't quit the list like some tend to do. I think that when you put a bit more thought into how you structure a post, even if it's on a 'hot' topic...you'll have alot to add and alot to learn in the GD forum!!!

And even when you stay away from it, there's ALWAYA the Trilogy and other forums to keep you amused !!!

Good luck!!

Apple

Some of us actually enjoy some real political debate, but I agree that it has gone too far, as I've expressed in many of my recent posts. It's one of the reasons I started my own blog. The problem has been that people (DT himself, calling me a moron and accusing me of taking drugs) makes these arguments personal, and it turns into an attack on someone's character (much like realpolitik more often than not) and the debate degrades into mudslinging until either all parties kiss and make up, or SC/JGeoff have to come in and close the bar for the evening.

Personally, I think this is one of the best boards on the internet for it's discussion. We have a nice variety of members that promotes a plethora of different opinions, whether you agree or not. Some of my fondest memories of posting revolve around free speech/religion arguments with Plawrence. And yes, we do have a strong set of people here who, like myself, are on the right side of the spectrum. That doesn't mean that we don't have people on the left either, but I think there is a conservative majority, which is unusual for a message board (that isn't outright political in nature). Frankly, it would get pretty darn boring around here without political arguments or subjective disagreements.

Look...I think that we have to examine this from a perspective of comparison between the Gangster BB and the "majority" of internet forums.

- We have an extremely active member base. Most forums, if they are lucky, last maybe 1 or 2 years, and then die out. This one has longevity that is fun for those who are longtime members and for those who are new because it's an already established community that meshes well.

- We have a variety of people from across the globe. This isn't a community that is limited by borders or walks of life. We have someone from just about every race, nationality, creed, code, color, etc. on this site, and it makes for some really fun conversations.

- We don't have forum hijacks. Many forums are oftentimes "hacked" or "hijacked" by a disgruntled member (often one who is reprimanded by a moderator) who chooses to respond by maliciously manipulating the board/website in order to ruin it for everyone. Because of the steadfast and fair moderation from Geoff and SC, none of that goes on here. In fact, many "troublemakers" (MichaelMontanaMancini comes to mind) are given chance after chance in an effort to redeem themselves.

-We don't have asshole hackers. Do some of us know computers well? Yes. Are we assholes? No. I've been on a few forums where "members" would post a link, or file, only to find it was a trojan. One was a member who registered under a new name, claimed to be 7 years old, and likes to make games. It took a short time to realize that his "text game" was a poorly constructed DOS virus.

These are just a few things that make our forum unique, successful, and fun. It's why I keep coming back. Many people know I took a hiatus this past semester because of my added courseload at Univ. I didn't tell many people. No need for a huge "goodbye" post. However, I was welcomed back with open arms after I was able to be active again.

Many people use these "goodbye" threads as a source of attention, and it's rather foolish. If you're leaving, get out. If you come back, we're not going to be vindicated. Life will go on. It's that simple.

Regards,
Double-J

thanks for the responses guy/gals. don't get me wrong, i'm not going anywhere. as a matter of fact, i think it is the best board on the net. (probably because its the only message board i visit regularly ) i'm just amazed at all that was happening this past year right under my nose and didn't even know it. all you have to do is scroll up to the top of the page and look at the top two posts to see how much i actually participate. afanseh and i have both been here for exactly one year, our member #s are consecutive, and he/she has over 2000 posts while i only have 50.

Bah, Afsanah posts on steroids. Everyone knows she's been juicing for the past year. It's only a matter of time before we have a board leader meeting, a hearing, and randomize post count drug tests to determine who was cheating and who was doing it right.

Clearly, I think I12 is the Barry Bonds of the steriod-induced postcount.

So what have we learned?
You have posted more today then anytime this whole year.
That today you came out to play for whatever reason and the and that if you stay around that you will just be another nut on the tree here like the rest of the group. Nothing more, nothing less.

Mister Fathersson, if I keep coming out to play with my nuts, will they end up on a tree too?

If you keep playing with "your nuts", the doctors in the white coats will come and take you away.-

Then again, I have seen you debate a bunch of "nuts" and stay as cool as a cucumber.

Ha, well, Pat's back. I think my cucumber shriveled into a pickle.

"There was...significant shrinkage." - George Costanza

Well, there goes the neighborhood.

I think that we should all go and visit Pat in Reading and give him a talking cardboard stand-up of Howard Dean so he doesn't feel lonely when he types on the BB.

Only if you bring along a large sox, so we can relax on the way.

See.. what you have to do is read the title of the thread... if it seems controversial.. and there's a lot of replies... that generally means there's a fight in there.

Of course.. sometimes there's a title like, "How many of you.." which tricks one into looking.. and really its just another fight.

You could also look to see who started the thread.. If its by, say, Patrick... then there's probably a debate in there. Well, there's definately a debate in there.

After you've been here a while, you learn which guys are... opinionated..

I love the BB.

And yeah, AppleOnYa is right... if you think this is bad... you shoulda seen the bush/kerry threads.. fun times, fun times.. :p

Yes, but it is worth noting that Patrick's debates are actually worthy ones. He writes them himself, for starters, and feels deeply. I also think that Patrick would be the first to admit he's no expert on what he believes in, but is simply trying to convince himself and others of things while debating them. A young, mature, opiniated and interesting asset to the boards, I feel.

Mick

Pat writes his own? I swear, *nearly* every debate he starts comes straight from an AOL.com or some other article that he looks upon as if it were the Bible.

And yes, I'm always happy to debate with Patrick, though I would respectfully disagree with you Mick on some of the qualities you've listed.

if you think things are too heated up here try the fantasy sports threads, where we all have fun any week!

Oh, believe me, I am looking forward to the Fantasy Football game on Yahoo, I have to recover from my dismal performance last year. Stupid autodraft blew my first two picks.

I call my boy Willis McGahee though.

i hate auto-drafts. we did it one year like that on yahoo and that was it. sportsline has a online draft feature, but you have to pay to have a league, but it is so much nicer.

So did JG (rimshot)

I hate autodraft....I love having that sleeper pick for say running back so I guarantee myself say a great quarterback and wide receiever and then in the last round pick up a running bakc that does as good as everyone else's first round pick

The problem last year was that the draft was moved up half an hour. So when I came at 7:15 or whatever, it turns out the day before it was pushed up to 6:45 so I lost my first three picks I believe because when I was shifting the auto-draft I did it to have players I wanted late to remind me if they were still available (i.e. Bills rookie Lee Evans, who was unproven last year) so I ended up with a couple of crappy picks.

I need Willis and McCalister this year, w00t!

Still crying about last years game DJ? :p C'mon, you lost to me for christsake. I'd have to travel thousands of miles to even see a real NFL game. And no you don't need those players, you need Keyshaun and Plaxico first.

(the smokescreen is up already)

Sorry to bring up a 3 day old post but I just wanted to clear something up..

I wasn't knocking Pat's debates in any way.. Pat's super smart and knows what he's talking about.. I love my Pat :p I was just saying.. there's more than likely a heated debate going on in there so if you don't want to see those then just skip them.

That's all. Carry on with your manly fantasy talk now. :p

Can I get some of what your smoking?