Are these threads really right for MetaFilter?

September 12, 2001 3:52 PM

Is this really the venue for moments of silence and lists of condolences? Especially when posters order 'do not comment here'? We saw how well it worked in the case of the first thread.
posted by darukaru to Etiquette/Policy at 3:52 PM (17 comments total)

Yes, I am a heartless, soulless bastard, and you may freely wish death upon me. But if we abandon the whole idea of the site as links and discussion, what do we have left? Just another message board. One great edifice crumbled yesterday. Let's not let it knock another (although smaller) down today.
posted by darukaru at 3:54 PM on September 12, 2001

Agreed, though I think given the circumstances it is understandable. The first was a troll, the second, well meaning, but probably slightly misplaced on Metafilter.
posted by johnny novak at 4:02 PM on September 12, 2001

No, I'm with you. I was just coming in here to ask how many days we needed to allow for shock/grief before calling for a moratorium on linkless posts or links that link MetaFilter.
posted by willnot at 4:30 PM on September 12, 2001

y'know, I would've thought the same thing, but I think the 2nd link may actually be a good thing. it helped me, to focus my thoughts specifically on condolences. maybe it was misplaced on MeFi, but I didn't have anyplace else really "public" where I'd want to post.

on the other hand, I don't think it should go on like this forever, either.
posted by epersonae at 5:08 PM on September 12, 2001

Looks to me like the moment of silence thread is now doing some good. Strange good for a 'noisy medium', but good none the less. Thank you to Iceberg and SilentSalamander for showing the way.
posted by daver at 5:16 PM on September 12, 2001

Hi...

As one who posted in the most recent condolence thread, I just want to say that people need time to heal, IMHO. You certainly won't lose what you have built here by allowing people to air their grief for a couple of days. If anything, it will make it stronger.

posted by webchick at 5:32 PM on September 12, 2001

Jeez.. I'm really sorry you can't afford to skip a thread there, guys. I understand TIVO is coming out with a special MetaFilterFilter just so everything that you see is especially to your liking.

I forgot to tell you how compelling I found your link to an x86 Linux ELF executable, daru. You should do a whole damn day in MetaFilter yourself. I just love when those '0' comment threads pile up.


posted by Perigee at 5:35 PM on September 12, 2001

I thought it was cute. And DMCA/copyright threads usually do get a response here. But y'know, that was before the entire goddamned world changed yesterday. I even asked for it to be deleted. So, kindly get stuffed.
posted by darukaru at 5:38 PM on September 12, 2001

By the way, please attack zedzebedia, whoshotwho, Den Beste, dagny, kliuless, and ryanshepard, who all have posted 0-comment threads since the WTC was blown up.
posted by darukaru at 5:50 PM on September 12, 2001

I'd like to suggest that anyone here who is being an asshole should please stop being an asshole. (I hope you know who you are.) Metatalk is here so we can address these issues. Leave the sarcastic, snarky bullshit, and especially the personal attacks, on the Yahoo boards from whence you came.

We're all emotionally drained. Let's not turn on each other.
posted by jpoulos at 6:10 PM on September 12, 2001

Thanks jpoulos. What you said.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 11:33 PM on September 12, 2001

I am sorry if ppl thought that condolences thread was not the right thing to have on metafilter... I realise that it was not a discussion, and should probably have just made a page to handle it.. I posted on the other metafilter specific forum whether or not it could be moved somewhere other than the main page - metafilter may be a place for intelligent discussion, but this does not preclude the community from also contributing to items like this. If people wish to, and are ready to, post a message of condolence, so be it. Otherwise continue with your discussion on the rest of the site..
posted by Mossy at 1:04 PM on September 13, 2001

Mossy - I don't think anybody was meaning to call you out in particular. It's just that there seemed to be a trend starting which runs counter to the way MetaFilter generally works. I don't think the question is so much was your thread appropriate right now given what's happened so much as when will threads like that cease to be appropriate on MetaFilter. At least that's the way I felt about it. I've sort of reach saturation level on this and would like to move on. I understand that others - particularly those who have lost somebody they know and love will be on a different schedule for that than I am.
posted by willnot at 4:59 PM on September 13, 2001

I posted on the other metafilter specific forum

On the what now?
posted by rodii at 7:36 PM on September 14, 2001

On the "metafilter-specific" section of MeTa, i.e., here.
posted by gleuschk at 9:53 AM on September 16, 2001

********cross posted from MF***********

Thank you all.

If there is any consolation to this, people are moving on past the "event" here in NYC. I can only assume that others in the rest of the country are doing the same.

It is strange. I have only been working sporadically for the past month and that has left me with alot of time to work through the images, the loss, the sheer violation of all that the attack holds for a person who lives in one of the two target cities. For others, it has been a different story.

I have noticed persons who have not had time to grieve. They mutter to themselves, sometimes they lash out in public in a variety of ways. When I see this behavior, I simply let them be. It hits us all at different times. For those of us who have had the time to work through it, it is incumbent upon us to simply listen, understand and help those who are really just experiencing it. We need to look for and give those people some room for their emotions.

So, thank you all for having a moment of silence here at MF. It meant and means alot. This is the first time that I have been back here since the "event". I am encouraged by the response.

Good health to all of you.

J-
posted by tp3wen at 8:20 PM on September 28, 2001