THIS PLACE SUCKS ! ! !

Where is this coming from? What the hell did I do to you?

To use your high-school analogy, if you don't like the new kids, ignore them. I'm not here to be a babysitter, we are all adults and if you don't want to see the philosophy threads I'm working on making ways you don't have to. I can't be faulted if you aren't getting along famously with them, I'm sure some of them aren't too keen on you either and I certainly am not going to take any responsibility for that.

I have no idea what you are talking about with kissing philosophy ass and trying to have friends (really?) but whatever, if I've crossed swords with you recently I hadn't noticed, and if I've offended you recently I don't know how.

Is this supposed to be some kind of satire?

Of Hawkeye or some-such?

Mostly it's just venting. Contrary to RG's comment above, he has made negative remarks about me recently, and to that little **** Mark Noble. Frankly, after years of being attacked by him while others far nastier than i have been ignored by him, i've reached the point at which i no longer have any regard for him. It does appear to me that he's going out of his way to propitiate a handful of loons from this other forum--i've seen about two or three sensible people from that group. In so doing, he makes live unnecessarily difficult for people who have been here for years and years. It's not really that much of a problem for me--if i left tonight never to return it would be no skin off my nose, and i'm sure RG would be relieved to here it. But it irritates the hell out of me that he's make unnecessary difficulties for long term members other than me (i can adjust), and especially those who aren't that slick in dealing with these sorts of things--all to please this handful of loons, or just because he can't resist tinkering with the site.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On a lighter note, G20 protesters have trashed downtown Toronto. The police chief says at least three police cruisers are totally write-offs (the mob set fire to them), and that 75 people were arrested today. The mob have been trashing bank branches and Starbucks outlets. (Why they focus on Starbucks in particular, i don't know--but certainly the coffee sucks.)

Set, I really hope you know you're one of my favourite people, despite your explosiveness. (Hell, I go off like a fire-cracker too.)

But, truly, sometimes you leave me winded and stunned.

In all reason, what is it that you attempt to achieve with threads like this?

What effect do you think they have? (The tags may give you a clue, nasty as they are.)

I wish I got to see more of the hilarious, witty, warm and wise you around here, I really do.

Re Robert's alleged "sucking up" to the Phil Forum folk.

Whatever your personal relationship with Rob, don't you think it reasonable, if you have landed people abruptly in a strange new world, that you feel a responsibility to help them adjust and give them the biggest chance possible to settle happily in the new place?

Don't you think, even if you have an emotional reaction to the help he has tried to give them, that it is unreasonable to then make all sorts of extraneous and un-supported claims about whether or not he has FRIENDS?

This has been my favorite hobby my entire adult lifetime, I'm sorry for those who don't like changes I make, and who, rightfully, feel like this is partly theirs as part of the community, but what do you really expect me to do?

This site exists mainly so that I can build on it, if you take the ability to build what I dream of away from me I don't think I'd run it anymore (I certainly don't dream of forum administration, I dream of community building). That is what makes this my favorite thing to do and a part of what made the community what it is today (it'd have died off long ago if I weren't into building and growing it).

I know changes I make piss people off, but I can't please everyone (and some people like the changes, though less vociferously than those who don't). But for the most part I think I've treated the community honestly and fairly and done about as good as I can do. I also think that even positive changes to the community can initially generate angst, as change is wont to, and that after time I can see if the impact is positive or negative and adjust.

RG: I appreciate your pumping in changes and bringing in new blood. This keeps the site alive, much to some troglodytes chagrin. You need to do so in whatever way you see fit in order to boost the hit rate.If you stopped and took a poll every time something worthwhile comes along, there would be paralysis.

Hit rate (visits) is what keeps advertisers wanting to toss their banners up on the site, which in turn defray the cost to run the site. Wait, wait!. I just noticed that the ads and banners disappeared? Where'd they go?

On the whole, I listen to Setanta to see if there's a kernel of truth or worthwhile insight that he might offer. This time he's just a nattering nabob of negativism as Spiro Agnew once said.

Generally, I've found you enlightening and entertaining. However, besides showing how much you're an ingrate and a narcissist who likes to hear his own voice snarl at anyone who'll listen, what positive do you contribute? Venting is one thing but attacking is a whole other thing entirely. This is RG's hobby...so criticism is one thing but you criticism sounds borderline-abusive. I see the addition of Philo as neutral at the worst. Why do you feel so elevated in status that you can damn the change and make it sound like righteous indignation?

So you gotta better plan, Stan?

G20 protestors are anti-capitalist. Therefore, after their hard day no the picket lines, where better to protest than that symbol of capitalism, Starbucks.

So, what was that order again? Oh, a tall vente latte mochiatta with cinnamon?

I agree there's a "handful of loons" but how can you tell if they all came from the philosophy forum? I haven't looked up many profiles but the few loons I came across here seem to have been polluting A2K long before any new members joined, like during the last month or so. Individual loons are easily ignored UNLESS they're forming into a "posse" and start speaking of a collective "WE".

Or start claiming that THEIR tags are better than YOUR tags. YOUR tags are graffiti in their tiny minds, THEIR tags are the ONLY relevant tags. I see your posts here are being zeroed out and I think the "WEs" are doing it. Not the philosophy forum members. Obviously I can't tell for sure. Just my

Good question there, so what's YOUR positive contribution?

it totally smells that way to me

but you knew that

Wow that post has only been up for one second and somebody zeroed it already. Would that poster come in here and explain why he did that? I'm curious to know his reasons.

fascinating isn't it

Ha! I never even noticed the thumbs up/down in the posts - just the topics! LOL. I am so blind.

Another fascinating thing is why only someone else's tags show up here and none of mine do, how many posters really tagged this as "Setantrum"? Who decides that, the moderator standing by?

Well somebody took notice of that complaint at least, the tags showing now read