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

Like I said, it was a guess.
I haven’t received the club list mailing either. Neither of us must be 'in'.
And I am sorry if you can’t detect the cues that tell you who is. They’re pretty hard to miss though.

I think the problem is a basic disagreement over what Able2know should be.

For those of us who have posted consistently over the years, Able2know is a community. Some of us don't want to accept that we are in the same community as others of us... but it is still a community.

- Some people want to see Able2know as a polite community of like minded people. The would welcome anyone as long as they follow the polite social standards.

- Other people see the problem with the "polite social standards" which set up a rather unbalanced set of rules based on ideology. No one in the in-crowd has a problem with rather strident posts claiming that "Black Lives Matter". They do have a problem with the idea "abortion stops a beating heart".

The point I am making is that both of these are political slogans that are not universally accepted (although no one would deny that that either of these is literally true). By setting up a and trying to enforce a standard of what is acceptable and what is not they are supporting one political ideology over all others.

The importand question is what civil conversation on Able2know would mean? Although we are a community that chooses to be together, we don't seem to have a common understanding on how our community should work.

Questioning everything is not necessarily a sign of cleverness. It is also the hallmark of pedanticism. You tread so close. People who are out to be gadflies seem a bit ridiculous when they cry about being swatted.

I don't care so much about it myself but it is irritating being argued with by someone who really has no interest in his own points. Do you do this for entertainment or to demonstrate how smart you are? And then you winge over how mean people are to you.

It means that when I read you I don't have clue what your point is going in and I may still not coming out. Its irritating but if that's how you want it stop whining when you get reaction.

If you think I'm mainstream here, you're not paying attention. My views sure aren't and I don't winge at the backlash. Its part of the deal.

Bobsal, I do think you are mainstream here. Which of your posts gets pushback from the left of center in-crowd? Give me an example.

I think you get pushback from the conservative clique, but I don't think you get any push back from the mainstream here.

Bobsal's rather pedestrian post swearing that he is not part of the in-crowd almost immediately got at least 8 upthumbs.

That made me chuckle.

That wasn't for me, binky. That was for what I said about you. I don't get thumbed up that much more than you usually.

Of course you are right, Bobsal.

One of the consequences of having an in-crowd is that people who are on the outside are attacked with personal insults. This happens especially when someone questions the "correct" ideological position.

As I noted before, offtopic personal attacks get more upthumbs than any other type of post. That is part of the problem.

Your personal attacks are appreciated and admired. People like them because they share your ideology.

Bushwa. There's quite a few here that absolutely can't stand me. I get it and I by and large do not engage them. Part of the reason they don't like me is I use the name, bobsal, that another user used here and on Abuzz. I "stole his name to "rehabilitate" it, he wasn't liked and I got kicked out off here for years in the beginning just like he did. I stayed away for years but when I came back some here still thought I was the other guy.

I also hung around with a couple of members that were RW and not at all diplomatic - grotto/black flag and skwerl X. They were funny as hell and kinda offensive so some of that got spilt on me. That's OK. Skwerl kinda disappeared and grotto passed about a year and a half ago though he hadn't been here in maybe 8 or 10 years. Memories are long. And there are those here who really don't like me and make no bones about it.

Trust me: I am surprised about the thumbs up, but I also know - it wasn't about me, it was about you.

Name a single person who is part of the left of center in crowd who can't stand you?

You are part of that ideological bubble. You stick up for your own no matter what they say. You insult people outside the bubble. This is a team sport (and you know it).

I see zero evidence that anyone in the bubble doesn't respect and support you. Give me a single example whether either you posted an unexpected position, or where anyone left of center insulted you.

Who here do I attack personally? Not you not even cj.

You asked why did everyone seem unhappy with you and I told you. I didn'y call you stupid or ugly or disparage your family or anything personally about you. You admit you are a "devil's advocate" that people here don't appreciate your opinions even when you decide to speak conversationally and discuss. All I did was agree with you.

1. I figure A2k will be around for a long time.

2. I don't have any reason to think that a2k is going away anytime soon.

3. Do you have some reason to believe that A2k is going away anytime soon?

The other hang outs That died on me lasted about five years after I arrived. I think I recently passed the five year mark here, so it would not be surprising to me.

But personally I hope the Sys Op here is someone with deep pockets that can afford to keep it going just as a lark.

My understanding is that Able2know is part of a business plan, and that the owner sells similar sites for paying customers.

Oh jebus. The ideological bubble thing again. I'm in a bubble and you aren't? There's maybe 5 or 6 people here I agree with more than 80% of the time. If I'm in a bubble its got some big ******* holes in it.

I absolutely appreciate Edgar and politically we are miles apart. I absolutely think the world about glitter and we we agree maybe half the time and I don't go on the same threads she hangs out on because People on those threads don't appreciate my humor; she got sick of the bickering about bubbles and bubbles is a big bunch of horse ****. She's sick of the horse **** and I don't react nicely about it. If you can't get that, well that's your own bubble getting in the way. You and your bunch of bubble heads whine about how I don't buy into your crap, but I never ever cry because you don't buy into my crap.

I swear I am sick of your one sided ranting. You never ever hear me whinge about your ******* bubble and how you don't ever give my points a chance, not even when you, as you yourself admitted, **** all over my "Neither Liberal nor Socialist am I" thread, did I. You chased people off. The thought of your pedantic, devil's advocacy DRIVES people off threads. You see it and deny it at the same time. Cognitive dissonance.

I don't expect you to swallow my crap, I sure as hell do not have to swallow yours.

Maybe you ought to teach me a lesson and not try to swap my group think bubble with yours. Yep, that's the ticket teach me a lesson by not sharing that huge font of knowledge you carry around with you all the time.

This is the first time I've been angry in a long time, but all the ******* whining has finally gotten to me.

You are in a bubble Bobsal. I don't see you disagreeing with Glitterbag, or Real Music or Neptune or Izzy ever in any politically significant way. In what way are you politically different than Edgar?

However, you are focusing on the wrong thing. That you agree with a group of people isn't the problem with being in a bubble.

The problem is the bad bubble behavior (oooh aliteration).

- It is participating in page after page of off-topic insults. Often insulting a member is more important to you guys than having the discussion.

- It is bringing grudges from thread to thread.

- It is refusing to ever challenge bad behavior by people on your team (as you say glitter and Edgar).

- It is about judging posts by the ideology of the poster rather than the content of the post.

- It is about thumbing down completely innocuous posts en masse based only on the person who posted it.

There seem to be two prominent bubbles now. The in-crowd, a left of center group which bobsal is a part of, is still the most popular. Now there is a persistent conservative group that is asserting itself and gaining strength.

Where does that leave Able2know? Well we get thread after thread of the two sides shouting insults and slogans at each other. And you people seem to like it that way.

I can't hear you, your bubble is just too well conceived.

In case the tinting on your bubble prevents you from seeing I very rarely respond to those like cj, oralloy or lash who have never made a comment that did not contain an insult. Usually all they contain is insult, hell I don't even respond to you more than half the time.

Thumbing down is free speech, too bad you don't get that.

The rest of it as is the crap I've already commented on is repeated. Why is your repeating so OK? Why do we have to bow to your changes. No body's trying to shut you up what is your problem? You aren't the king of me!!!

I'm done. Type away as much as you want and I'll keep thumbing down your crap the same way you thumb mine down, hypocrite.

You have every right to say what you want, and I have every right to ignore it and thumb it down.

I am an in crowd unto myself.

G*d bless you, Edgar. You're one of the few who understand liberty.

For the record. I have never thumbed down any of Bobsal's posts. It is free speech in the same way burning the flag is free speech. It is a freedom I don't exercise because of my own personal values and ideas on how the Able2know community should work.

I wish the downthumb would go away. I don't use it.

I should give it up because you don't use it. Were you the youngest or only child?

For someone who who doesn't use it, you're awfully invested in it.