Is A2K Fixable?

Site seems to be operating just about the same way it did when it opened...back at the fall of Abuzz. Yeah, there is greater use of words the earlier forum blocked using ***, but for the most part, things are about the same.

This "non-toxic" idea seems a bit like putting lipstick on a pig...and supposing the pig will then become something other than a pig. It doesn't work.

Frankly, I MUCH prefer someone telling me to go **** myself...than saying the same thing using prettier words and pretending the re-worded "go **** yourself" is not exactly that.

Just my opinion on the issue, though.

Deliver roasted delicacies if you wanna flourish.
"Plato's Cave".
Gotta leave it - ta perceive it.

Have a great Day

Thank you, Mark. Hope your day is great also.

I'm sure someone smarter than I can easily understand what you were sharing in your remarks before the "Have a great Day"...but I cannot. If what you were saying is something I should grok, I'd appreciate you making your point more clear.

Do you have any theory to what might be the reason(s) behind the toxicity?

Do the orderlies know you're using the internet?

Dude, if you think this forum is toxic, you're welcome to leave. I can recommend you to these forums if you want where you won't have to see anything toxic, because the mods are quick to ban. Try CityData and Religious Forums.

I've been to many many forums. I've been banned by most of them because the mods were pricks. This is one of the places where I can speak somewhat freely.

So why don't you go, and we'll replace you with several people?

A2K doesn't need fixing. It's fine.

I actually agree in that I think there is a greater degree of toxicity here than in years past. That said, it appears to me that the world in general is also trending towards greater toxicity - certainly the general population in Australia is putting much less emphasis on manners, courtesy and civility than in years past; and anxiety and depression seem to be increasing significantly; and there seems to be a growing number of fundamentalists and fundamentalist groups, etc. I doubt that A2K is immune to that trend.

The problem is, I personally have heard the word toxic from several people.

Yeah I get it. I'm a blunt and highly pessimistic person. But why is it that the people who called me toxic were the very ones conspiring to push me away?

The boss at a library I worked at. After manipulating me by telling me to "think of myself as the boss and give her ideas (which it turned out she was more than happy to steal)", isolating me from coworkers thereby giving me extra duties, working me to the point where I messed up more often, working me harder yet cutting my hours.

A girl in the same place. Who broke my heart time and again, finally leaving me frustrated with her.

Yeah, I know. I'm blunt and pessismistic. But I'm also a fairly honest person who needs (and probly deserves) some friends. Instead for the last two years toxic people have told me I'm the toxic one, when they literally socially distance themselves from me. Funny fact. You know when this COVID thing hit? It was on the eve of my frienship breakdown with this girl. So I literally have decided to blame myself for the entire world. Everyone here is welcome to join the bandwagon. "Crucify!" you can say.

Or maybe... we can start to maybe more truly kind and trusting, to let people talk about what is worrying them, and instead of talking about "fixing" the forum by being more exclusive, we can do so by making it like the place I'd originally envisioned the library to be. A place for people to hang out in, to talk openly, to share their troubles with no judgement. Especially no judgement about the word 'judgment' and not dropping the 'e'. Will we sometimes get in heated arguments ? Yeah, but that's something not offered in the physical world, a lobby where you can kinda push through your hangups.

My mom and dad fight alot. But I wouldn't think of trying to shut down
ttheir arguments. It's important for people to vent feelings or they don't get resolved. The left vs right stuff on this forum is often censored on orher other forums, to the point where people feel they never have a place to feel welcome. If my parents weren't allowed to talk through their problems, we'd probably have a worse problem.

Absolutely.
A few subscribers - I've isolated 1 pre-dominant 'such' have/Has an overbearing tendency to, subliminaly/ally annoy or attack folk - To ease their own determinable 'distress'.
This 'Toxiticy' then spreads from poster to poster - Whilst this 'un-named' poster, from Southampton, UK - Giggles himself silly, over his daily exploits.

Sometimes - Debate - Goes 'Off the rails'
Sometimes - People 'Feed' on this.

I don't care if a2k survives - All I see here are 'bitter folk, fighting over the scraps'

I'm in-and-out, yr to yr - BUT! THIS COULD BE A GREAT PLACE FOR VISITORS TO COME TO - AND BY WEALTH OF INTELLIGENT MEMBERS - WALK AWAY - ENLIGHTENED.

The game is afoot.

Have a Great day - Everyone!

I've Never encountered you before.
How changeable you became - between 2 posts.

Have a Brilliant day!

Not at all.

I'm probably manic depressive. I say what I'm feeling with no regard to politeness or even non sequitur. And the word "toxic" seriously triggers me.

People are their best or worst at all times. And what you see about a broken forum is not the whole story. I've seen alot of forums where admins and mods have tried to kill discussion. But honestly, good or bad, as long as a forum has debate it's functioning.

Are you aware of 'PCD'?
Plato's Cave Syndrome?

I like to ask, before I condemn.

Have a Lovely Day.

We need new members, so we have to do our best to not scare them off. New threads often degenerate into a shouting match between two people, but that's nothing new.

It's just the low contributing membership that's disappointing.

Sometimes, opinions flare - That's not a bad thing - When someone visits A2K for the 1st time and says 'Hi Everyone'. (I encountered this, here, last Saturday) 'Roger' was welcoming, and the 2nd respondee was a 'knob' regarding the visitors' username.

Visitor = Adios.

Personally - I've only recently returned here - and a member has shown his claws - Not just to me.

I've noticed a few others (Long-Termers) Bickering amongst themselves (After 20+Yrs of Asking, hearing and regurgitation of All Topics, imaginable) A Marriage, of any Nature, is going to wear-thin.

Reset the Whole facade - Change the colour scheme, Step on Trolls Efficiently - Do SOMETHING. I'll be suspended again, shortly (A MOD No likey me) - But, I think this site CAN BE a great place to visit and a learning-centre for many.

You guys have a Wealth of Knowledge, experience and valuable insights to share - Time to Grow-Up, Face-Up or KILL this site by bickering over 3rd-hand Scraps.

Have a New Everything.

Mark.

Pretty much the first thing you did on your return was to attack Mame and Glitterbag then spread disinformation about the coronavirus.

You are normally very rude and nasty, signing off with some platitude about having a nice day changes none of that.

For once, I'm gonna agree with you.

This reset he speaks of, he apparently thinks won't involve him. Or you, for that matter. Either everyone gets banned, we get banned according to a biased ideal (Whose? Mine? Yours? His?), or the fact that the same people who joined are going to have the same problems with people, life, etc. means we'll just join again and the forum will be identical.

You want a new forum? Fix all of our problems so we're not toxic anymore. You can't? Well if izzy says you're a piece of work, I trust him. Nothing will change.

One problem is our motto, "Ask an Expert." We all think we're experts. A2K could be a poster boy for the Dunning-Kruger effect. Everybody has answers, but nobody has questions. I think a A2K is worthwhile saving, but whatever improvements that have to be made have to be made by the members.

Exactly.

"Ask an Expert' is a ridiculous title. Was, apparently, an 'alphabetically-introduced' Title to place the forum on the 1st-viewed chat-forum, google-headings.

So - New Title?
My Offering - 'The Happy Forum'.

Have a beautiful sunrise.
Mark.

"Ask an Aardvark" - That's good, too.
"Welcome to A Mature Forum, That learned From its Mistakes"
"Sorry We Pissed You Off, But We were slow Getting 'There"