What is the short term/long term future of a2k?

I think this is a completely made up narrative. Who has ever taken a position they disagree with because a person they have never met also took that position? I know that people who advance unpopular positions gravitate to this narrative because "everyone is picking on me because I'm not in the in-crowd" is more palatable than "no one is supporting me, maybe I should listen to their arguments" but I for one have never expressed an opinion other than my own. That doesn't mean there aren't schools of thought here and people's beliefs tend to run together, but to say that someone is actively advocating a position they don't believe in because of what his or her friend posted previously just feels like an ad hominem attack. "I don't like what you are saying so I will discount your argument by saying you are just part of a clique and don't think for yourself" is a lot easier than rebutting a legitimate argument that runs counter to yours.

As for A2K, this type of old-style board has significant competition. Someone who wants a quick answer to a question is often better served by going to a site that is specific to their question or a place like Yahoo Answers. If you have a specific interest, there are chat boards that cater to just what you want. I could try debating who the greatest tennis player of all time is here but the conversation is going to be much better at a tennis website. If you just want to socialize, Facebook works great and we've lost a number of former regulars there. A general, all purpose site seems less efficient and honestly people posing basic questions here are often subject to ridicule instead of help. Still, A2K has loyal sub-cultures (puzzle solving has been brought up) and IMO is much better moderated than a lot of places. No one is telling me how much money they made from home working on the Internet. I doubt A2K will see much growth going forward not because of any particular failing of the site or the community but just because times have changed. A site revamp won't change that.

I get the cold shoulder from many who agree with many things I’ve said. Some have even gone so far as to change their avatar. I’m guessing because it represented some things we both admired. They did not want to be associated with me in any way because of other unrelated positions I held. But also because their other 'club members' did not approve of me.

Are you sure that is the reason? Why would you assume that someone changing their avatar was about you (unless they told you as much)? I've never received a club mailing telling me how to support and who to shun.

I changed mine because of yours. I din't give you the notes from the meeting cuz you talk to lead foot.

I don't think you are. I think you refused to sign the new ToS.

Not saying they will advocate something they don’t agree with. You made that up. They will side with their friend, is what I said. You can do that without saying much.

ANYONE not voting for Biden next election...is helping Trump. Make no mistake about that...and I do not care how blue or red the state is. ANYONE not voting for Biden is helping Trump.

Trying to reason with someone denying that...is like trying to reason with an asparagus stalk.

There is no question that there is an "in-crowd" here. The in-crowd is significantly left of center and behave in severals ways that I found counter-productive.

- They not only tolerate personal attacks against outsiders. they cheer them. The most popular posts (by upthumbs) are when Izzy or Setanta or Glitterbag call someone a moron or a fascist.

- They actively try to push viewpoints out of threads. If you question the politics of #MeToo in the #MeToo thread, you will get bombarded. If you talk about the science of language in the Talking Chimpanzee thread, you will get pages of insults.

The in-crowd has actively tried to define the culture here... but it is a culture of conformity. People who challenge the social norms have attacked. When you are on the outs with the in-crowd, several members will follow you around from thread to thread making offtopic insults. You will get downthumbed for saying the most innocuous comments.

In my opinion, it is the active attempt to enforce a narrow set of acceptable viewpoints has been highly destructive of the culture of Able2know.

I personally think that the rules against personal attacks, and taking grudges from thread to thread should be better enforced. But really... it is up to us to make up the culture here.

Your right, of course. I'm showing no talent as a vegetable whisperer.

Right at this moment, we see an upsurge in a conservative clique.. to counteract the liberal one. It is nasty and it is not often reasonable. I think this is a new development. I don't think it is a good thing.

Look at the number of threads that have liberal members and conservative members shouting slogans and insults at each other. Is this really what any of us want?

It’s not ’one crowd’, but several. Sometimes they fight among themselves. That limits their influence. Like Setanta often cancels out Izzy or vice versa. There are also enough “unaligned” people at any given time to keep an interesting thread going. In other words, a2k is not one monolithic wall of morons either.

No, we want to discuss butterflies, dammit.

Exactly. Although I got some pushback for making this point on page two of this thread.

Max, what makes you describe it as an "in crowd" as opposed to just accepting that the majority of frequent posters reject rightist solutions to social problems?


Is it really a "culture of conformity"? I think it's possible to raise questions which challenge the prevailing outlook without being beaten down. I get the impression that sometimes people come here itching for a confrontation rather than a discussion. They usually obtain their end.


But how can viewpoints be "enforced"? In any group of people some ideas will be more popular than others. But unlike a confrontation in a bar or on the street, no disagreement ends in fisticuffs; the worst that can happen is getting thumbed down below the threshold of visibility. To which I say, "So what?"

The problem isn't that there's an in crowd, but that Max can't break into it. I can't break into it, either but I don't give a poop. In fact I'm not even sure if I know who's in it.

Hey Max! Who's the in crowd??

maximillius is of the mind that each and every one of us is in an ideological bubble too. I've tried to free him from that suffocating net. So far no good.

The in crowd is obviously anyone who disagrees with you.

He just loves being the devil's advocate, which gets tiresome, then when he gets serious people don't trust he won't get all devilishly advocative on us.

Actually Bobsal, you fit right in to the in crowd.

On another thread, you called me a "fly in the ointment". I took that as a compliment. I have never tried to "break into" the in-crowd. If I wanted to it wouldn't be that difficult to do. It means accepting the politically correct beliefs and not questioning the "right" answers.

Yeah! Whats up with them anyways, the bastards!