Yet another newsfilter post September 23, 2005 8:47 AM Subscribe
Yet another newsfilter post featuring a topic that's being covered all over the US media but that's OK, because it concerns a bad thing involving a Republican. And if it were the same topic but involved a high profile Democrat? Then it'd be shouted down with comments about how it's a bad post.
Poor Republicans are so oppressed. I dislike newsfilter posts but please spare me the wounded republican schtick. It is the price of power. Kind of like mosquito bites are the price of a cottage weekend.
posted by srboisvert at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by srboisvert at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2005
We need a fourth section of the Filter--NewsFilter, where folks can post this sort of stuff. The background should be yellow.
posted by LarryC at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by LarryC at 8:53 AM on September 23, 2005
Boy, you've really got a stick up your rear about this one, don't you?
I didn't think this was a particularly bad post. I even learned something.
(even I learned something)
posted by selfnoise at 8:55 AM on September 23, 2005
I didn't think this was a particularly bad post. I even learned something.
(even I learned something)
posted by selfnoise at 8:55 AM on September 23, 2005
Hmmm. White text on a yellow background...
posted by alumshubby at 8:56 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by alumshubby at 8:56 AM on September 23, 2005
Newsfilter should be black background with black text. Oh, and absolutely no pictures. Very symbolic that way.
posted by mystyk at 8:57 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by mystyk at 8:57 AM on September 23, 2005
We need a fourth section of the Filter--NewsFilter, where folks can post this sort of stuff. The background should be yellow.
I'm for that. Someplace for Katrina, Rita, etc. Those that are interested or obsessive newshounds could participate and those of us that aren't (or prefer getting our information from the likes of TPM) can do it there.
Poor Republicans are so oppressed. I dislike newsfilter posts but please spare me the wounded republican schtick.
You're way offbase. I'm neither a conservative nor a Republican but the fact that if Dios posted something like this FPP he'd be eaten alive means that this place is turning into an echo chamber of minority view point holders who are stunned when their candidate loses the general election.
posted by jperkins at 8:59 AM on September 23, 2005
I'm for that. Someplace for Katrina, Rita, etc. Those that are interested or obsessive newshounds could participate and those of us that aren't (or prefer getting our information from the likes of TPM) can do it there.
Poor Republicans are so oppressed. I dislike newsfilter posts but please spare me the wounded republican schtick.
You're way offbase. I'm neither a conservative nor a Republican but the fact that if Dios posted something like this FPP he'd be eaten alive means that this place is turning into an echo chamber of minority view point holders who are stunned when their candidate loses the general election.
posted by jperkins at 8:59 AM on September 23, 2005
What about this, this, and this? They were bad things concerning involving a high-profile Democrat.
In summary, this callout sucks ass.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:00 AM on September 23, 2005
In summary, this callout sucks ass.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:00 AM on September 23, 2005
if Dios posted something like this FPP he's
Should've read: if Dios posted something like this FPP but concerning a Democrat he'd have been...
posted by jperkins at 9:00 AM on September 23, 2005
Should've read: if Dios posted something like this FPP but concerning a Democrat he'd have been...
posted by jperkins at 9:00 AM on September 23, 2005
jperkins, a data point:
I'm a bit of a news junky, and that post was the first I'd heard of Frist's troubles. I just went back over my morning news sites, including CNN, Drudge, my local newspapers, and a select number of blogs, and not a one is currently mentioning this story on their front pages. You posted a link to cnnmoney, but that's not a section I visit unless a headline of interest takes me there.
So, I'm glad it was posted. It gave me enough info to go out and read the primary sources for myself.
posted by ewagoner at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
I'm a bit of a news junky, and that post was the first I'd heard of Frist's troubles. I just went back over my morning news sites, including CNN, Drudge, my local newspapers, and a select number of blogs, and not a one is currently mentioning this story on their front pages. You posted a link to cnnmoney, but that's not a section I visit unless a headline of interest takes me there.
So, I'm glad it was posted. It gave me enough info to go out and read the primary sources for myself.
posted by ewagoner at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
What about this, this, and this? They were bad things concerning involving a high-profile Democrat.
Martha Stewart is a high-profile Democrat? What, she gives out campaign contributions?
posted by jperkins at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
Martha Stewart is a high-profile Democrat? What, she gives out campaign contributions?
posted by jperkins at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
It should also have a cartoonish map as a header, with the U.S. badly proportioned and taking up about 80% of the world, and sea serpents and mermaids out in the sea between the U.S. and everywhere else. Puerto Rico should be spelled "Porto Rico"; Africa "The Dark Continent," etc.
posted by Tuwa at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by Tuwa at 9:02 AM on September 23, 2005
You're not allowed to offer your opinion, apparently. To quote loquacious:
For fuck's sake. Grow a hide. Or a chitinous carapace. Either.
posted by loquacious at 2:46 PM EST on September 22 [!]
posted by Rothko at 9:05 AM on September 23, 2005
For fuck's sake. Grow a hide. Or a chitinous carapace. Either.
posted by loquacious at 2:46 PM EST on September 22 [!]
posted by Rothko at 9:05 AM on September 23, 2005
Martha Stewart is a high-profile Democrat?
She is both high-profile and a Democrat, so yes.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:07 AM on September 23, 2005
She is both high-profile and a Democrat, so yes.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:07 AM on September 23, 2005
This is a pointless callout. Yes, I think that most callouts are pointless, but this one is especially pointless. You're whinging about a post because a hypothetical post by a no-longer-active poster would have drawn a lot of complaints? What exactly do you want? Do you want a quota system whereby we have an equal number of conservatives and liberals all of whom are allowed to complain at equal volumes about an equal number of issues? There's a liberal bias here. Are there not allowed to be sites with liberal biases? Most importantly, has this not been discussed before? This week even?
posted by anapestic at 9:08 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by anapestic at 9:08 AM on September 23, 2005
I propose we repurpose this thread to complain about jperkin's complaning in this thread.
posted by delmoi at 9:10 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by delmoi at 9:10 AM on September 23, 2005
Are there not allowed to be sites with liberal biases?
posted by anapestic at 9:08 AM PST on September 23
No, because the liberals already control the media, the executive branch, the legislative branch, the churches, and soon we get to appoint another member to the Supreme Court. Ah, it's good to be the king.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by anapestic at 9:08 AM PST on September 23
No, because the liberals already control the media, the executive branch, the legislative branch, the churches, and soon we get to appoint another member to the Supreme Court. Ah, it's good to be the king.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2005
jperkins, I think the point everyone's trying to make is that you're wasting our time.
posted by wakko at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by wakko at 9:12 AM on September 23, 2005
Yet another newsfilter post featuring a topic that's being covered all over the US media but that's OK, because it concerns a bad thing involving a Republican. And if it were the same topic but involved a high profile Democrat? Then it'd be shouted down with comments about how it's a bad post.
Also, jperkins you cannot call someone a hypocrite because what they do in one situation is diffrent from what you imagine they might do in another situation.
posted by delmoi at 9:13 AM on September 23, 2005
Also, jperkins you cannot call someone a hypocrite because what they do in one situation is diffrent from what you imagine they might do in another situation.
posted by delmoi at 9:13 AM on September 23, 2005
I propose we repurpose this thread to complain about jperkin's complaning in this thread.
er, I meant "I propose we repurpose this thread to complain about jperkin's complaning in that thread.
posted by delmoi at 9:14 AM on September 23, 2005
Hey delmoi, how about we repurpose this thread to complain about this community building effort?
posted by Chuckles at 9:14 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by Chuckles at 9:14 AM on September 23, 2005
...this place is turning into an echo chamber of minority view point holders who are stunned when their candidate loses the general election.
Yeah, you're not a Republican fuckwit. No way. Not at all.
posted by mr.curmudgeon at 9:17 AM on September 23, 2005
Yeah, you're not a Republican fuckwit. No way. Not at all.
posted by mr.curmudgeon at 9:17 AM on September 23, 2005
0 to All about Rothko in 14 comments. Sir, your performance art piece "Sustained freakout random walk across metafilter" is brilliant, I expect we will see it in the Moma in our lifetimes.
There are many good reasons to post about this, partisanship and newsfilter aside, information is always going to be news to someone, flag it and move onski.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:30 AM on September 23, 2005
There are many good reasons to post about this, partisanship and newsfilter aside, information is always going to be news to someone, flag it and move onski.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:30 AM on September 23, 2005
Hey delmoi, how about we repurpose this thread to complain about this community building effort?
Eh, I was originally going to post that in my first comment, but decided not to. But by that time I posted it the thread had deteriorated already. Jperkins had already appointed himself, apparently, as the sole arbiter of FPP quality and trashing someone with far more metafilter experience.
posted by delmoi at 10:25 AM on September 23, 2005
Eh, I was originally going to post that in my first comment, but decided not to. But by that time I posted it the thread had deteriorated already. Jperkins had already appointed himself, apparently, as the sole arbiter of FPP quality and trashing someone with far more metafilter experience.
posted by delmoi at 10:25 AM on September 23, 2005
Bad form to shit in the thread. It makes me much less sympathetic to this callout (which I also think is pointless),
posted by OmieWise at 10:28 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by OmieWise at 10:28 AM on September 23, 2005
jperkins, I think the point everyone's trying to make is that you're wasting our time.
Well yeah, but only because MeFi is just a leftist echo chamber.
posted by gyc at 10:29 AM on September 23, 2005
Well yeah, but only because MeFi is just a leftist echo chamber.
posted by gyc at 10:29 AM on September 23, 2005
Sorry jperkins. I know it is newsfilterish, but it is a potentially very important subject and at the time I did not see it on the front pages of CNN or MSNBC (although I might have missed it on MSNBC as the story there seems to have preceded my post by about a half hour). I just don't understand the level of ire this has raised with you. Sorry if I have offended you.
As for news that perhaps should be on the front page but is not, New Orleans is now flooding again. Water is flowing over the levees and into the Ninth Ward.
posted by caddis at 10:32 AM on September 23, 2005
As for news that perhaps should be on the front page but is not, New Orleans is now flooding again. Water is flowing over the levees and into the Ninth Ward.
posted by caddis at 10:32 AM on September 23, 2005
Dear Mr. jperkins : Bravo! You have discovered the super-secret double standard of Metafilter. As one of our token conservatives, we tolerated you, but now that you managed to work out the inner-workings of our covert agenda, you now may know too much.
Please cooperate and leave immediately. Remove the url for this site from your bookmarks, and never return. There's no need for this to get ugly. Let us never mention this again. Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Metafilter.
posted by crunchland at 10:34 AM on September 23, 2005
Please cooperate and leave immediately. Remove the url for this site from your bookmarks, and never return. There's no need for this to get ugly. Let us never mention this again. Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Metafilter.
posted by crunchland at 10:34 AM on September 23, 2005
0 to All about Rothko in 14 comments. Sir, your performance art piece "Sustained freakout random walk across metafilter" is brilliant, I expect we will see it in the Moma in our lifetimes.
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:30 AM PST on September 23 [!]
Um, people are complaining about jperkins. Oops!
posted by Rothko at 10:38 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by Divine_Wino at 9:30 AM PST on September 23 [!]
Um, people are complaining about jperkins. Oops!
posted by Rothko at 10:38 AM on September 23, 2005
er, I meant "I propose we repurpose this thread to complain about jperkin's complaning in that thread.
While I agree with you that jperkin's behavior in that thread was inappropriate, and while I feel that bringing the matter here only made things worse, I am compelled to note that your failure to close your quote is a clear indication that the terrorists have already won.
posted by anapestic at 10:43 AM on September 23, 2005
While I agree with you that jperkin's behavior in that thread was inappropriate, and while I feel that bringing the matter here only made things worse, I am compelled to note that your failure to close your quote is a clear indication that the terrorists have already won.
posted by anapestic at 10:43 AM on September 23, 2005
...and you quoted loquacious pulling your card the other day in a thread that had nothing to do with that and referencing your indignation about being called on cheering on a hurricaine because that is going to wean us off oil . And now I'm just feeding your persecution complex, but I can't help it, it's like eating too many Cheetos. Oops!
Why don't you take a few days off and come back as the smart, albeit somewhat over intense guy you normally are. (this is a compliment).
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:49 AM on September 23, 2005
Why don't you take a few days off and come back as the smart, albeit somewhat over intense guy you normally are. (this is a compliment).
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:49 AM on September 23, 2005
if Dios posted something like this FPP but concerning a Democrat he'd have been
1) Who cares?! Who cares if liberals have bizarre reactions based on their politics?! There are plenty of levelheaded commentators among the noise.
Get over it. Grow up and get over it.
2) It's really uncool to keep bringing up members who have said they want to distance themselves from the site. Don't drag the man into arguments he has nothing to do with.
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:55 AM on September 23, 2005
1) Who cares?! Who cares if liberals have bizarre reactions based on their politics?! There are plenty of levelheaded commentators among the noise.
Get over it. Grow up and get over it.
2) It's really uncool to keep bringing up members who have said they want to distance themselves from the site. Don't drag the man into arguments he has nothing to do with.
posted by sonofsamiam at 10:55 AM on September 23, 2005
means that this place is turning into an echo chamber of minority view point holders who are stunned when their candidate loses the general election.
I submit that you are imagining it, for some reason. You should probably back away from the blue for until you catch your breath.
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:08 AM on September 23, 2005
I submit that you are imagining it, for some reason. You should probably back away from the blue for until you catch your breath.
posted by sonofsamiam at 11:08 AM on September 23, 2005
Why the post in question is shite: It has nothing to do with left/right/GOP/Democrat. It's Newsfilter. There's nothing interesting about those links. It's indicative of a style of bad posting best summed up as, "Here's a major topic I'd like to discuss. Because MeFi requires links, I'm going to dig up some generally-related links about this topic, knowing full well that the ensuing discussion will simply be about the topic, not any content of any links."
Those Martha Stewart posts were shite as well. Doesn't excuse this one.
I'm a bit of a news junky, and that post was the first I'd heard of Frist's troubles.
You may want to reconsider that "news junky" label. This story has been around for a few days, at least.
posted by mkultra at 11:15 AM on September 23, 2005
Those Martha Stewart posts were shite as well. Doesn't excuse this one.
I'm a bit of a news junky, and that post was the first I'd heard of Frist's troubles.
You may want to reconsider that "news junky" label. This story has been around for a few days, at least.
posted by mkultra at 11:15 AM on September 23, 2005
Ya know, if clavdivs, aaron, holgate, Miguel Cardoso, Evanizer were here...
posted by Bugbread at 11:17 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by Bugbread at 11:17 AM on September 23, 2005
Divine_Wino:
If you see Rothko/AlexReynolds as a troll, why do you respond to him? Doesn't that increase the likelihood of this thread becoming all about him - which ostensibly you wish to avoid?
posted by dash_slot- at 11:20 AM on September 23, 2005
If you see Rothko/AlexReynolds as a troll, why do you respond to him? Doesn't that increase the likelihood of this thread becoming all about him - which ostensibly you wish to avoid?
posted by dash_slot- at 11:20 AM on September 23, 2005
Ya know, if clavdivs, aaron, holgate, Miguel Cardoso, Evanizer were here...
posted by bugbread at 11:17 AM PST on September 23 [!]
::sigh::
I miss each of those guys.
posted by dash_slot- at 11:20 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by bugbread at 11:17 AM PST on September 23 [!]
::sigh::
I miss each of those guys.
posted by dash_slot- at 11:20 AM on September 23, 2005
Divine_Wino:
If you see Rothko/AlexReynolds as a troll, why do you respond to him? Doesn't that increase the likelihood of this thread becoming all about him - which ostensibly you wish to avoid?
Yes, I lost my temper. I apologize to you all. I'll fucking sit on my hands in the future.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:27 AM on September 23, 2005
If you see Rothko/AlexReynolds as a troll, why do you respond to him? Doesn't that increase the likelihood of this thread becoming all about him - which ostensibly you wish to avoid?
Yes, I lost my temper. I apologize to you all. I'll fucking sit on my hands in the future.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:27 AM on September 23, 2005
That's not enough. I need you to fucking sit on your FUCKING hands.
Or give me $3.50.
posted by selfnoise at 11:31 AM on September 23, 2005
Or give me $3.50.
posted by selfnoise at 11:31 AM on September 23, 2005
A man has his limits, I threw a quarter as hard as I could towards the Hudson river, that will have to do.
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:39 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by Divine_Wino at 11:39 AM on September 23, 2005
About the Frist post, it was news to me and it would be fine if someone posted the same damning crap about a Democrat as well. These are incredibly powerful public figures who are abusing their positions of power, that's news whether it upsets your Newsfilter issues or not.
And it was a worthwhile post because, as was noted above, the mainstream newsmedia wasn't doing all that much to cover it.
posted by fenriq at 11:41 AM on September 23, 2005
And it was a worthwhile post because, as was noted above, the mainstream newsmedia wasn't doing all that much to cover it.
posted by fenriq at 11:41 AM on September 23, 2005
I flagged it as "fantastic post/comment".
posted by exlotuseater at 11:45 AM on September 23, 2005
posted by exlotuseater at 11:45 AM on September 23, 2005
Oh yeah, and
blah blah echo chamber blah blah.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:45 AM on September 23, 2005
blah blah echo chamber blah blah.
posted by exlotuseater at 11:45 AM on September 23, 2005
Also, jperkins you cannot call someone a hypocrite because what they do in one situation is diffrent from what you imagine they might do in another situation.
Nearly all of the first thirty posts are nothing but shitting there because they didn't like either the message or the messenger. And I don't see where you commented there asking people to knock it off. Not that you're by any means the person who determines either an FPP or a comments worthiness. But I don't see you praising the virtue of keeping threads shit free.
posted by jperkins at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2005
Nearly all of the first thirty posts are nothing but shitting there because they didn't like either the message or the messenger. And I don't see where you commented there asking people to knock it off. Not that you're by any means the person who determines either an FPP or a comments worthiness. But I don't see you praising the virtue of keeping threads shit free.
posted by jperkins at 11:58 AM on September 23, 2005
As one of our token conservatives...
And now folks are trying to dismiss my claim that the FPP in question was newsfilter by claiming that I'm a conservative. Those who think that should read my comments in this thread, or this one, or this one. Attempting to dismiss my objection to FPPs that are newsfilter on the basis of personal politics isn't going to cut it in.
What could have saved that post? How about addressing the more significant issue of why Republicans keep having run ins with the law. It's not just Frist. Currently that would include: Rove (beyond Plamegate, he's been implicated as having had dealing with Abramoff), Delay is potentially in the shit for illegal campaign contributions, the Governor of Ohio just took a plea agreement and some of his colleagues are in trouble for investing pension funds in rare coins that didn't exist (and that's where the dam is going to break - out of Ohio when one of those guys flips and says, "don't send me to prison because I have some good stuff to share with you about widespread voter fraud"), the Governor of Kentucky just gave a blanket pardon to a bunch of his staffers, that guy with the Young Republicans who bilked all of those seniors out of cash and then split with the money, etc.. Now that would've been a good FPP.
Two links to effectively the same current news story? That's newsfilter.
posted by jperkins at 1:22 PM on September 23, 2005
And now folks are trying to dismiss my claim that the FPP in question was newsfilter by claiming that I'm a conservative. Those who think that should read my comments in this thread, or this one, or this one. Attempting to dismiss my objection to FPPs that are newsfilter on the basis of personal politics isn't going to cut it in.
What could have saved that post? How about addressing the more significant issue of why Republicans keep having run ins with the law. It's not just Frist. Currently that would include: Rove (beyond Plamegate, he's been implicated as having had dealing with Abramoff), Delay is potentially in the shit for illegal campaign contributions, the Governor of Ohio just took a plea agreement and some of his colleagues are in trouble for investing pension funds in rare coins that didn't exist (and that's where the dam is going to break - out of Ohio when one of those guys flips and says, "don't send me to prison because I have some good stuff to share with you about widespread voter fraud"), the Governor of Kentucky just gave a blanket pardon to a bunch of his staffers, that guy with the Young Republicans who bilked all of those seniors out of cash and then split with the money, etc.. Now that would've been a good FPP.
Two links to effectively the same current news story? That's newsfilter.
posted by jperkins at 1:22 PM on September 23, 2005
You could have said any of that stuff in the first place, without jawing about EchoFilter and recent unpleasant flamewars. Your point would have been made and, I'd wager, accepted.
It is your attitude that people are reacting to, not your criticism of the post per se.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:33 PM on September 23, 2005
It is your attitude that people are reacting to, not your criticism of the post per se.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:33 PM on September 23, 2005
Sorry jperkins. I know it is newsfilterish, but it is a potentially very important subject and at the time I did not see it on the front pages of CNN or MSNBC (although I might have missed it on MSNBC as the story there seems to have preceded my post by about a half hour). I just don't understand the level of ire this has raised with you. Sorry if I have offended you.
My apologies to you as well. I'm afraid that where I'm bitching and moaning about the frequency that posts that link to current news in general may've been construed as objecting specifically to your post. It's not and I should've made that explicit before now.
My tolerance for these type of posts may be low simply because of the number of individual posts that have been made recently containing a single link or two to a news story about Katrina and/or Rita that would've been better served by being posted within an existing thread. I thought the method that was used when there was so much breaking news about Karl Rove (one to three threads that were active for days with updates being posted there) was much better than a new FPP for each update.
Again, my apologies.
posted by jperkins at 1:36 PM on September 23, 2005
My apologies to you as well. I'm afraid that where I'm bitching and moaning about the frequency that posts that link to current news in general may've been construed as objecting specifically to your post. It's not and I should've made that explicit before now.
My tolerance for these type of posts may be low simply because of the number of individual posts that have been made recently containing a single link or two to a news story about Katrina and/or Rita that would've been better served by being posted within an existing thread. I thought the method that was used when there was so much breaking news about Karl Rove (one to three threads that were active for days with updates being posted there) was much better than a new FPP for each update.
Again, my apologies.
posted by jperkins at 1:36 PM on September 23, 2005
oh, you're still here?
posted by crunchland at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by crunchland at 1:38 PM on September 23, 2005
You could have said any of that stuff in the first place, without jawing about EchoFilter and recent unpleasant flamewars. Your point would have been made and, I'd wager, accepted.
That was all I said initially, as an aside, in my first comment. It was responded to by three or four people (who didn't add a damn thing to the thread) but felt it necessary to point out that I was pointing out that I thought that the post was newsfilter.
And there were a lot of people here who immediately jumped on the, "he's only bitching because it's about someone he agrees with politically" bandwagon. And it is becoming an echo chamber here, cause we're driving out any conservative who speaks up. I've seen it time and again - like that Hitchens link. Yeah, Hitchnes is (imo) a dumbass but those responses were just rude. And no one said anything about them.
posted by jperkins at 1:43 PM on September 23, 2005
That was all I said initially, as an aside, in my first comment. It was responded to by three or four people (who didn't add a damn thing to the thread) but felt it necessary to point out that I was pointing out that I thought that the post was newsfilter.
And there were a lot of people here who immediately jumped on the, "he's only bitching because it's about someone he agrees with politically" bandwagon. And it is becoming an echo chamber here, cause we're driving out any conservative who speaks up. I've seen it time and again - like that Hitchens link. Yeah, Hitchnes is (imo) a dumbass but those responses were just rude. And no one said anything about them.
posted by jperkins at 1:43 PM on September 23, 2005
I think the thing that gets echoed the most is the term "echo chamber". I suffer irrational bouts of irrationality when that term is used
posted by edgeways at 1:52 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by edgeways at 1:52 PM on September 23, 2005
I would like to point out that scant days ago there was a metatalk thread created specifically to praise the holder of a conservative viewpoint. He was specifically praised, no less, by liberals who found a lot they could respect from someone they almost wholly disagreed with.
It's not an echo chamber. Metafilter has assholes in it, who will do things like try to shout down anyone they disagree with. But they're not the majority and they don't exemplify metafilter policy or tendency.
Newsfilter objections are one thing, although I personally think it's a silly thing to object to, but this echo chamber nonsense is simply untrue.
posted by shmegegge at 2:07 PM on September 23, 2005
It's not an echo chamber. Metafilter has assholes in it, who will do things like try to shout down anyone they disagree with. But they're not the majority and they don't exemplify metafilter policy or tendency.
Newsfilter objections are one thing, although I personally think it's a silly thing to object to, but this echo chamber nonsense is simply untrue.
posted by shmegegge at 2:07 PM on September 23, 2005
Why don't you take a few days off and come back as the smart, albeit somewhat over intense guy you normally are. (this is a compliment).
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:49 AM PST on September 23 [!]
I have no tolerance for bullies. I had nothing to do with jperkins' complaint. The outrage over my comment is complete bullshit given what comes out of other people here. Keep trolling and I'll simply throw your bullshit right back at you, same as the others.
posted by Rothko at 2:19 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by Divine_Wino at 10:49 AM PST on September 23 [!]
I have no tolerance for bullies. I had nothing to do with jperkins' complaint. The outrage over my comment is complete bullshit given what comes out of other people here. Keep trolling and I'll simply throw your bullshit right back at you, same as the others.
posted by Rothko at 2:19 PM on September 23, 2005
shmegegge writes "this echo chamber nonsense is simply untrue."
I understand what you're saying, but as one of the people who brings up the echo chamber (and I have to admit, the most echoey thing right now is probably the term "echo chamber". It's like the "boyzone" of late 2005), I have to mildly disagree. That is, I don't think it's a perfect and complete echo chamber; there are good folks arguing well here and there, and being respected here and there. I guess when I say it is an echo chamber, I mean that it is more of an echo chamber than it could/should be, like saying Hot Topic shoppers are immature, when there are certainly some Hot Topic shoppers who are mature.
But we definitely agree that MeFi is not a total echo chamber. Perhaps the disagreement can be likened to folks who say "Texas is a rural state" and other folks who say "Texas has Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, as well as Dallas, so it can hardly be called a rural state". Both kinda right, both kinda wrong.
posted by Bugbread at 2:20 PM on September 23, 2005
I understand what you're saying, but as one of the people who brings up the echo chamber (and I have to admit, the most echoey thing right now is probably the term "echo chamber". It's like the "boyzone" of late 2005), I have to mildly disagree. That is, I don't think it's a perfect and complete echo chamber; there are good folks arguing well here and there, and being respected here and there. I guess when I say it is an echo chamber, I mean that it is more of an echo chamber than it could/should be, like saying Hot Topic shoppers are immature, when there are certainly some Hot Topic shoppers who are mature.
But we definitely agree that MeFi is not a total echo chamber. Perhaps the disagreement can be likened to folks who say "Texas is a rural state" and other folks who say "Texas has Houston, the fourth largest city in the US, as well as Dallas, so it can hardly be called a rural state". Both kinda right, both kinda wrong.
posted by Bugbread at 2:20 PM on September 23, 2005
Matt, Please close down the site and burn the server. tia
posted by Dreamghost at 2:45 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by Dreamghost at 2:45 PM on September 23, 2005
/waits patiently for adults to return to MeFi and make it nice again.
posted by longbaugh at 3:02 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by longbaugh at 3:02 PM on September 23, 2005
This is the whiniest Meta I can remember seeing.
Surely jperkins needs a whaaambulance.
posted by clevershark at 3:24 PM on September 23, 2005
Surely jperkins needs a whaaambulance.
posted by clevershark at 3:24 PM on September 23, 2005
Nearly all of the first thirty posts are nothing but shitting there because they didn't like either the message or the messenger. And I don't see where you commented there asking people to knock it off. Not that you're by any means the person who determines either an FPP or a comments worthiness. But I don't see you praising the virtue of keeping threads shit free.
posted by jperkins at 11:58 AM PST on September 23 [!]
I, for one, flagged every single comment directed toward you after you announced the trip to Metatalk.
On the other hand, if you so disliked the FPP then you had the option to flag it and you had the option to bring your concerns to Metatalk. That is precisely what those two tools are available for. What you did not have the option to do was to complain about the quality of the post in the post itself. That is just rude and I am FRIKKIN TIRED OF IT.
It is as though you came into the room where a bunch of us were innocently watching and enjoying a television show and yelled at us to turn the damn channel because the show was crap.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:51 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by jperkins at 11:58 AM PST on September 23 [!]
I, for one, flagged every single comment directed toward you after you announced the trip to Metatalk.
On the other hand, if you so disliked the FPP then you had the option to flag it and you had the option to bring your concerns to Metatalk. That is precisely what those two tools are available for. What you did not have the option to do was to complain about the quality of the post in the post itself. That is just rude and I am FRIKKIN TIRED OF IT.
It is as though you came into the room where a bunch of us were innocently watching and enjoying a television show and yelled at us to turn the damn channel because the show was crap.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 3:51 PM on September 23, 2005
I for one, welcome our new Newsfiltering Overlords. (needs to be in every thread)
posted by prodigalsun at 3:53 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by prodigalsun at 3:53 PM on September 23, 2005
I would like to say something about the incessant whining recently regarding the quality of metafilter:
A lot of the older members of metafilter have been treating the recent $5 opening of new memberships like a Long September kind of incident. There's certainly some validity to that.
But you guys have the assiest memories I can think of. Even year 2000 mefi had crap posts and infighting. Lots of it, for the size of the membership. It's just that awesome members and amazing content came out of that period of mefi because you guys had enough of a sense of community to try to make it better. Now the sum total of your efforts to maintain mefi quality (as members of the community) amounts to this unceasing whine. There are good members who have left, not because of the new members, but because of the lack of that decent community spirit that valued positive contribution over negative reinforcement. I'm so fucking tired of under-14k members who don't post anything any more unless its to walk into a 100+ post train wreck and say, "this is why mefi sucks now."
I know I'm not a model poster, but at least I'm trying to improve. It'd be a lot easier if I had something other than sad-sack snarking to base my behavioral model on.
Just to mention, since a lot of the worst examples of what I've just described are old members who haven't been an outsider in years: One of the views of MeFi held by people who aren't members is that MeFites are elitist snobs who believe they know everything and can levy their judgements on anyone and anything. People have thought that since before the new $5 memberships were available.
posted by shmegegge at 5:06 PM on September 23, 2005
A lot of the older members of metafilter have been treating the recent $5 opening of new memberships like a Long September kind of incident. There's certainly some validity to that.
But you guys have the assiest memories I can think of. Even year 2000 mefi had crap posts and infighting. Lots of it, for the size of the membership. It's just that awesome members and amazing content came out of that period of mefi because you guys had enough of a sense of community to try to make it better. Now the sum total of your efforts to maintain mefi quality (as members of the community) amounts to this unceasing whine. There are good members who have left, not because of the new members, but because of the lack of that decent community spirit that valued positive contribution over negative reinforcement. I'm so fucking tired of under-14k members who don't post anything any more unless its to walk into a 100+ post train wreck and say, "this is why mefi sucks now."
I know I'm not a model poster, but at least I'm trying to improve. It'd be a lot easier if I had something other than sad-sack snarking to base my behavioral model on.
Just to mention, since a lot of the worst examples of what I've just described are old members who haven't been an outsider in years: One of the views of MeFi held by people who aren't members is that MeFites are elitist snobs who believe they know everything and can levy their judgements on anyone and anything. People have thought that since before the new $5 memberships were available.
posted by shmegegge at 5:06 PM on September 23, 2005
Hey Jperkins, I disagree with you about this call-out. While the post was thin, it wasn't an op-ed and it was about something interesting. That was enough for me to take a look at it. I understand that you thought it was weak but I think you would have been better going to MeTa earlier.
I'm no saint. I've shit over threads when I probably shoulda just stuffed it and made the meta mention of it.
Oh, and it does suck to have to point back at a posting record to shut up the "He's OBVIOUSLY a REPUBLICAN STOOGE if WE DON'T AGREE 100%!!!" morons. But hey, they paid their five bucks too.
posted by klangklangston at 5:15 PM on September 23, 2005
I'm no saint. I've shit over threads when I probably shoulda just stuffed it and made the meta mention of it.
Oh, and it does suck to have to point back at a posting record to shut up the "He's OBVIOUSLY a REPUBLICAN STOOGE if WE DON'T AGREE 100%!!!" morons. But hey, they paid their five bucks too.
posted by klangklangston at 5:15 PM on September 23, 2005
1. Your low tolerance is a poor excuse for creating a mess in the original post comments section, in the midst of a discussion that several members considered useful.
2. What exactly is the issue with the number of FPPs? It takes me like 0.3 seconds to look at a FPP and know whether I will click on it or look at comments (and leaving out the ones that contain no explanatory text whatsoever, but like maybe three words, each of them a different link to aphrodite-knows-where, but it's just like how i approach it and not some kind of criticism of people who post like that). Is it a hardware issue? A personal disability? I mean, I can't believe it has something to do with the value of your time, given how much you've wasted complaining about it.
3. People should acknowledge the phenomena (1) that FPP conversations peak and subside rather quickly for members who do not refresh this page all day long and yet might have something interesting to gain/contribute (this may be a good thing in the scheme of things, though i've wondered what it would be like if conversations were listed by level of activity rather than purely chronologically, allowing something of wide interest to hold on a bit longer), and (2) that some stories have a longer arc and go through multiple changes in perspective and situation not to mention multiple angles, and thus are not suited to be contained wholly within a single FPP.
I come here almost every day, though I post sporadically. I've never had the complaint that there are too many FPPs, and I've never flagged a post (in fact, until this moment i didn't know how to do so). I'd like to think that it's because I'm not so self-centered as to believe that the everyone else should accommodate my aesthetic or organizational preferences, but such modesty might be negated by the fact that my posts can be lengthy and rambling.
My tolerance for these type of posts may be low simply because of the number of individual posts that have been made recently containing a single link or two to a news story about Katrina and/or Rita that would've been better served by being posted within an existing thread.
posted by troybob at 5:45 PM on September 23, 2005
2. What exactly is the issue with the number of FPPs? It takes me like 0.3 seconds to look at a FPP and know whether I will click on it or look at comments (and leaving out the ones that contain no explanatory text whatsoever, but like maybe three words, each of them a different link to aphrodite-knows-where, but it's just like how i approach it and not some kind of criticism of people who post like that). Is it a hardware issue? A personal disability? I mean, I can't believe it has something to do with the value of your time, given how much you've wasted complaining about it.
3. People should acknowledge the phenomena (1) that FPP conversations peak and subside rather quickly for members who do not refresh this page all day long and yet might have something interesting to gain/contribute (this may be a good thing in the scheme of things, though i've wondered what it would be like if conversations were listed by level of activity rather than purely chronologically, allowing something of wide interest to hold on a bit longer), and (2) that some stories have a longer arc and go through multiple changes in perspective and situation not to mention multiple angles, and thus are not suited to be contained wholly within a single FPP.
I come here almost every day, though I post sporadically. I've never had the complaint that there are too many FPPs, and I've never flagged a post (in fact, until this moment i didn't know how to do so). I'd like to think that it's because I'm not so self-centered as to believe that the everyone else should accommodate my aesthetic or organizational preferences, but such modesty might be negated by the fact that my posts can be lengthy and rambling.
My tolerance for these type of posts may be low simply because of the number of individual posts that have been made recently containing a single link or two to a news story about Katrina and/or Rita that would've been better served by being posted within an existing thread.
posted by troybob at 5:45 PM on September 23, 2005
One of the views of MeFi held by people who aren't members is that MeFites are elitist snobs who believe they know everything and can levy their judgements on anyone and anything.
Your comment sucked.
posted by yerfatma at 6:22 PM on September 23, 2005
Your comment sucked.
posted by yerfatma at 6:22 PM on September 23, 2005
Your comment sucked.
That's what my mom said!
wait...
posted by shmegegge at 6:26 PM on September 23, 2005
That's what my mom said!
wait...
posted by shmegegge at 6:26 PM on September 23, 2005
One of the views of MeFi held by people who aren't members is that MeFites are elitist snobs who believe they know everything and can levy their judgements on anyone and anything.
What's the point of being here if we don't know everything and can't levy judgements?
*swills his wine and munches his caviar with smugness*
posted by prodigalsun at 7:29 PM on September 23, 2005
What's the point of being here if we don't know everything and can't levy judgements?
*swills his wine and munches his caviar with smugness*
posted by prodigalsun at 7:29 PM on September 23, 2005
I'm so fucking tired of under-14k members who don't post anything any more unless its to walk into a 100+ post train wreck and say, "this is why mefi sucks now."
Thanks for differentiating. I honestly don't know why they still stay since they hate it here so much.
posted by amberglow at 7:49 PM on September 23, 2005
Thanks for differentiating. I honestly don't know why they still stay since they hate it here so much.
posted by amberglow at 7:49 PM on September 23, 2005
prodigal:
don't forget to light your cigar with the $5 you didn't need to spend for your membership.
posted by shmegegge at 8:16 PM on September 23, 2005
don't forget to light your cigar with the $5 you didn't need to spend for your membership.
posted by shmegegge at 8:16 PM on September 23, 2005
I'm so fucking tired of under-14k members who don't post anything any more unless its to walk into a 100+ post train wreck and say, "this is why mefi sucks now."
Don't we have enough posts on the front page? Is it not busy enough? Adding more links wouldn't get rid of the bad ones. I'd say quality over quantity would be best, and there's only so many good links. The fact that not everyone has hours a day to find, post and comment on mefi doesn't mean they lose all privilege in having an opinion on quality.
(though I'm probably biased since, though I don't "hate" metafilter, it certainly did change around, well, the number 14,000.)
posted by justgary at 9:14 PM on September 23, 2005
Don't we have enough posts on the front page? Is it not busy enough? Adding more links wouldn't get rid of the bad ones. I'd say quality over quantity would be best, and there's only so many good links. The fact that not everyone has hours a day to find, post and comment on mefi doesn't mean they lose all privilege in having an opinion on quality.
(though I'm probably biased since, though I don't "hate" metafilter, it certainly did change around, well, the number 14,000.)
posted by justgary at 9:14 PM on September 23, 2005
it's not about making more links, it's about finding a more constructive way to deal with train wrecks. bad links happen. it's the way old members poo-poo in thread comments without actually contributing anything useful that drives me batshit.
posted by shmegegge at 9:21 PM on September 23, 2005
posted by shmegegge at 9:21 PM on September 23, 2005
justgary : "though I'm probably biased since, though I don't 'hate' metafilter, it certainly did change around, well, the number 14,000"
I dunno. It used the be all great-linky (ok, not at the very start, but a bit afterwards). Then it got locked to new members, and got political and snarky, and the members started infighting and holding grudges fiercely. Then it opened up again, and new members came in, and there was less infighting and more noobish junk/noise. Matt also put a hold on political/news stuff, and there was less political snarkiness. Then the population settled down a bit and everyone went back into infighting and holding grudges. And the hold on political/news stuff dissolved, so there was, once again, more political snarkiness.
It changed, yeah, but it (largely) just changed back again. Depending on what you think of politics, noob noise, and grudges will affect whether you see those as improvements or not, but from where I can see, it went from being a great site to a good site with bad stuff, and then around 14,000 to a good site but with different bad stuff, and then after a while back to a good site with the bad stuff it had before 14K.
posted by Bugbread at 8:55 AM on September 24, 2005
I dunno. It used the be all great-linky (ok, not at the very start, but a bit afterwards). Then it got locked to new members, and got political and snarky, and the members started infighting and holding grudges fiercely. Then it opened up again, and new members came in, and there was less infighting and more noobish junk/noise. Matt also put a hold on political/news stuff, and there was less political snarkiness. Then the population settled down a bit and everyone went back into infighting and holding grudges. And the hold on political/news stuff dissolved, so there was, once again, more political snarkiness.
It changed, yeah, but it (largely) just changed back again. Depending on what you think of politics, noob noise, and grudges will affect whether you see those as improvements or not, but from where I can see, it went from being a great site to a good site with bad stuff, and then around 14,000 to a good site but with different bad stuff, and then after a while back to a good site with the bad stuff it had before 14K.
posted by Bugbread at 8:55 AM on September 24, 2005
Man. Now granted you're not supposed to just shit in threads you don't like. That's true. I do think jperkins original griping commment did add something, however. The multitude of retarded AND hypocritical "just flag it, asshole" comments did not. Did I mention hypocritical?
posted by scarabic at 5:47 PM on September 24, 2005
posted by scarabic at 5:47 PM on September 24, 2005
(though I'm probably biased since, though I don't "hate" metafilter, it certainly did change around, well, the number 14,000.)
Well, so, and???
you'd rather go back to the closed (for more than a year) membership, pre-14k, when people could only sneak in 1 a month, and ...?
Before there was a 14k, etc, there was endlesss griping about the post-9/11 members, btw. (i was lurking then and saw the same whining, and fear or reopening membership then. if you don't like it now, what are you going to do about it besides whine?)
posted by amberglow at 7:36 PM on September 24, 2005
Well, so, and???
you'd rather go back to the closed (for more than a year) membership, pre-14k, when people could only sneak in 1 a month, and ...?
Before there was a 14k, etc, there was endlesss griping about the post-9/11 members, btw. (i was lurking then and saw the same whining, and fear or reopening membership then. if you don't like it now, what are you going to do about it besides whine?)
posted by amberglow at 7:36 PM on September 24, 2005
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posted by jperkins at 8:48 AM on September 23, 2005