I am not offended by anything on line. If I don't like it, I just scroll by.
I am not offended by anything on line. If I don't like it, I just scroll by.
I also wish there was a mail way to send money to the forum. (I've been anti Paypal since it was forced on the users by Ebay, due to Postal money orders being safe (had one incident only and when Postal police handle things....), and do to my loss of choice of acceptable payments (I don't take plastic), as well as their last update that I saw, where they wanted the rights of a bank, without the regulated responsibilities.
The ignore function, sometimes works, as long as the person isn't a moderator. We had that issue here, with a mod calling us racist (name calling and got away with it.), without evidence, just opinion, on something that I have stated is subjective and loaded to begin with.
Other people probably support the forum, just to cause drama. I have a LEO relative who does that stuff everyday. I hear about all the 15 year old acting, drama in his unit as people pull pranks on one another (liquid ass, as a recent example) With the exception of quotes, you just don't see their f me posts. That is the same tatic that the news uses to keep people watching. Create drama and people will tune in both to watch or to get angry at. I try not to participate, as I don't need any of their drama in my life, I have my own. This is a place to learn, relax and try to exchange idea's in an adult, non confrontational matter. There are things that have been discussed here, that I do not agree or deal with/live with as there are in life. The difference is when people try to be in your face about it, IMHO. They act the same as Westboro church (I dealt with them when my bosses niece, fiance came back from the war in a box).
I haven't been here much lately and I wonder if the nastiness is part of that? Maybe just life changes. Anyway, I just checked in and this thread was at the top of what's new and Alan's note reminded me that it is the new year. I support the forums not necessarily for what they are now but for what they have been for me in the past....a light at the end of a long, dark hole that said, yes, you can live a different way, and no, you are not going to be totally alone in doing it.
That was long before 2008 when frugality became cool.
Regarding the OP, I think I just opt away....some people who are touchy...I skip their threads and some people who are aggressive...I skip their responses and just avoid public policy entirely. Mostly I am interested in how people manage their everyday needs and households and that stuff (except for the obvious....i.e. salad spinner!) tends to NOT generate a whole pile of conflict.
Anyway, I am glad you guys are here and maybe I should check in more often. If only I were being more frugal...I might feel less fraudulent!
Just as an FYI, that mod was a carry-over from the old regime and is no longer here as a direct result of the activity you mention, so I'm not sure how she "got away with it".Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
She may have lost the moderator title or may have given it up, I don't know that: (one example from the time frame) http://www.simplelivingforum.net/sho...ghlight=redfox Then she did the Ignorant Dolt comment. It wasn't until she didn't like peoples views and responses of her financial situation that she left (not a direct result), here: http://www.simplelivingforum.net/sho...l=1#post171323 So I think your combining the events.
You're right, I'd forgotten about the Ignorant Dolt incident. What I remember most is the discussions about her comments on the moderator forum and the PM's exchanged with her. We try not to air our dirty linen in public.
"Things should be made as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler." ~ Albert Einstein
I try to ignore annoyances, here and in IRL, but it's easier said than done.
As things get less friendly people are certainly less apt to come here, whether it is a conscious decision or not. This is supposed to be fun, right? Who wants to listen to a bunch of old cranks?
I have found myself clicking over here less and less, not because of any particular person or persons, but because we are now below critical mass. We've had a some newcomers, but few stick around. I'm an old crank myself, and even I find it hard going.
I'll stick my neck out and say that I dislike the rehashing of old squabbles (particularly about members who are no longer here.) These differences in opinion seem quite minor to me and I can't understand why they have to be dragged out and gone over again and again.
I would like this to be a healthy and growing community. It doesn't seem like we are on that path.
"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” -- Gandalf
I just stop following a specific thread if I get annoyed but do not feel unsafe since I don't think anyone can hunt me down. On MM some threads start out fine but then get nasty & then I quit reading them. I don't see it as any big deal.
A discussion board like this, is by it's very nature, going to be having turnover--lots of it. If you are posting personal opinions about just anything on your mind on a daily basis, it makes you vulnerable to criticism. It's a micro-community, where some of the aggressive, like-minded people decide to run off someone that is outside their circle. Some of the people try to be very lawyer-like, intellectual,and dissect every statement, to come up with some meaning. They go so far as to critique your punctuation. Other people are strictly emotional creatures, hypersensitive, and easily offended. But with both types: Anything you say, can be interpreted negatively, and used against you. See? People will come and go, but the participation doesn't increase. You've got hundreds of registered users, but a couple dozen participants. One reason is, is that there is too much stuff discussed that is not germane to the voluntary simplicity lifestyle. I believe the content, the subject matter, really needs to be um, simpler. Downsized. Ha. I think you actually have some people here that are In-voluntarily living simply, who are upset because they aren't living extravagantly! Well, aren't they? That's my littlebittyopinion. So, an interest board really has to keep focused on the Interest, rather than the complexities and problems of the participants about every single issue in their lives. It isn't about furthering a sociopolitical agenda, either, outside of how best to cope with social change, and public policy that affects us, and how-to live within your means and be satisfied, and especially, being able to do so after you are past your peak earning years. <I say that instead of "retire", because you really should not retire, in the sense that still being productive in some way IS living. I've attempted to draw people out on "what kind of music do you like" in a very provocative way, and gotten very few responses. Why is it relevant? It was to see how you listen to music, what genre, and by what media. My opinion is, one way people really waste their money, (while a relative few entertainers become extremely wealthy), is attending high-profile arena concerts of Iconic Performers. . It's really more an indicator of conspicuous consumption and the fanatical behavior of being in a crowd, than listening to music. I know of hard-working people who don't have $ to waste, but wear concert attendance like a badge of honor. Same with being a stadium Sports Fan. One lady I worked with, went through bankruptcy,changed jobs, got divorced, then starts whining that she needs to give up her two cats, that she's had for years, because she can't afford them, anymore. So, one of them that has medical issues and requires medicine, she has put down. I finally step in, & take the other one, and give it a home. It joins several others I have that were in dire circumstances when I found them. But, then I see that that same person is attending KC Chiefs' Games on a regular basis and bragging about it, going out to eat, trading-up cars, has salon hair, is dressing for success, this kind of thing. She, needed to simplify, and not treat her pets as disposable. But, she'll never "get it". To her, life is all about the appearance of "Living Large". Her values are wrong. The things I tend to talk about are symptomatic of that type of person. That is why I get silly about people that come on here, and want to share about their luxury vacation. One in which they were catered to, provided for, and the only thing they "did" was consume, for several times their usual weekly cash expenditure. If you need a vacation, by all means take one. But, sitting on an airplane for hours and hours is not relaxing, and you will not be a better person for having done so. You'll Just have less money than before, and be fatter and older. See? Another thing is, threads have gone and on and on and on here, that are just "pity parties" about unsolvable personal issues. I don't think that they will ever "get it", either. Everything is all someone elses' fault, especially someone like littlebittymee. See? Or, an extended discussion of some stoopid, improbable mooovvee plot or Tee-vee show, that goes on for weeks and weeks and weeks. So, Okay-- watch some tee-vee, go to a movie--occasionally. But, that stuff isn't the epicenter of voluntary simplicity, or your life. Well is it? I just figure that t some of the troubled people we have who express their dissatisfaction with their lives, or with what I, or anyone else says here, to the point of emotional distress, should join a local support group to achieve peace of mind. They may need expert help resolve their relationship issues, their family problems, or to meet up (only)with like-minded people who want to deal with(for example) feminist issues, partisan politics, etc.,or whatever. And for gads sakes, they should stop splitting hairs and being overly analytical about what people say, here. See? In summation, my fellow Americans: I have attempted to give an explanation for my motives for my zany "Ink Blot Test" posts, and dropping my infamous, terrifying, littlebitty thread-killer bombs(figuratively speaking), that I am so notorious for. But, unfortunately, some of them Red Adair himself could not extinguish. Ha. How do you like that? No need to answer that question. Hope that helps you some. Thankk Mee.
Last edited by Packy; 2-4-15 at 2:41am.
Packy, I'm seeing a connection between the other thread you posted about nostalgia for "the way things were" on this board, and your post. I'm seeing a lot of frustration about having gotten away from how to help and support people who are sincere about voluntary simplicity, and who have chosen that lifestyle with a cheerful heart.But, that stuff isn't the epicenter of voluntary simplicity, or your life.
I would agree that we are not as voluntary-simplicity-focused as we were, and a lot of those crazy simple livers we remember--those who lived in RVs and houseboats and hung out in nudist colonies because they loved their simple lives so much--are not around. Many of the rest of us, myself included absolutely, are simple liver aspirants, and we're doing the best we can. Maybe we still live in a two-story home. Maybe we still drive a car. Maybe we still indulge in a gazingus pin of one kind or another, but we need each other on this simple living journey nonetheless.
I see now that your comments, which many have so strongly objected to, are based on judgement of our behavior and our lifestyles. I think I mentioned seeing Paul McCartney once, so I'm assuming that's me you're talking about with your Iconic Performer comment. I don't mind. I don't take offense, and I didn't at the time, but I've explained why earlier in this thread. I enjoy your posts, I laugh at them and ones I don't understand I brush off. However, just as you don't want to be judged or "put in your place," please don't judge the rest of us. We're trying! That's why we're still here. Simple living means different things to different people--we all have our reasons. God knows we're all VERY different personalities on this board, and that's one of things I value.
On the other hand, I also would also like more threads generated on the pure practical and philosophical issues related to voluntary simplicity. Maybe we've all been here so long, those topics have been gone over again and again, and we're comfortable enough now to fall back on kafeklatsch conversation, which you obviously don't really like. So, would you mind just ignoring those threads and let us have our fun?
When you said you tried to start a thread on music, if you recall, no one responded to "what one song do you like"--and none of us responded until the question become what songS do you like. It was a good topic, the OP was just too hard to answer (at least speaking for myself).
Please try to see the many threads that ARE simple living related--all the great budgeting threads, cheap food threads, small house threads, etc. etc. There are tons of them. That being said, I'm going to try to start more voluntary simplicity threads because that's our reason for being here. I have so many books I can' simply pull out a quote that we can discuss perhaps. I don't want anyone on this forum to feel they have to run off or want to run off--including you, Packy.
Hope that helps you some.
"Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it--every, every minute?" Emily Webb, Our Town
www.silententry.wordpress.com
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