MetaTalk

I've noticed an uptick in the number of comments I see that express the desire to see violence done to someone, whether from face-punches or guillotines. I know that the general MeFite psyche is bruised and battered after an exhausting 16 months since the election, but these types of comments leave me feeling like the only place I know on the internet with sane discourse is losing its way. I'd like to remind people that though their violent fantasies may feel justified, they are still troubling for others to read.
posted by BuddhaInABucket to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 10:23 AM
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It's been a rather crappy past decade for me.. Wife passed away in '09 as y'all well know, diagnosed with T2 diabetes and stage 4 kidney cancer last June, surgery to remove a kidney and tumor last September, and ongoing chemo to reduce the metastasis in my lungs, and I'll eventually need surgery to rebuild my left shoulder due to a bone lesion. Through all this - y'all have been the most kind, caring, considering, and just gently awesome folks I could ever as for. Even when I'm having a really crappy day, I end up reading something on here, or talking to a MeFite on twitter (I'm @mrbill) that just makes me smile and cheer up a bit. So, in short, I'm all schmoopy right now.. thank you. Thank you Matt, Cortex, Jessamyn, and all y'all.
posted by mrbill to MetaTalk on Apr 17 at 4:08 AM
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Good Saturday evening, MetaFilter! This week, I want to know what you've been reading, watching, listening to, or otherwise enjoying and want to recommend to everyone else who's looking for something new to enjoy!
posted by Eyebrows McGee to MetaTalk on Apr 21 at 5:08 PM
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A little bug came across me, out of nowhere, and reminded me: MetaFilter! It's been a handful of years since I've posted, and over a decade since I joined - with the Facebook et. al controversies of the world, I am thrilled to be back on the first "social network" community I joined aside from the myriad forums of the late '90's and early naughties. I am beyond thrilled to see that the same substance that drew me here to begin with is alive and well (HTML tags, yes!). Any other folks return after an extended hiatus? I have some profile work to do here but, feedback wise - is the magic still here? It still seems like it but we are fantastic at tricking ourselves into what we want to believe.
posted by deacon_blues to MetaTalk on Apr 18 at 10:34 AM
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Instead of Reddit I use MetaFilter. Instead of Twitter I use Mastodon. I'm interested in what your other alternative platforms are? I'm also interested in platforms like MetaFilter that are designed/maintained by people that are trustworthy. These choices matter because I'm trying my best to be a part of a more ethical/social platform and still stay connected with a digital community. What are your recommendations?
posted by Fizz to MetaTalk on Apr 15 at 10:22 AM
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I *swear* I read an article here on MetaFilter about a study done that measured creative output in rural areas compared to urban ones. It found that urban areas had more creative output due to the higher concentration of creative types. There was synergy in being around other creative people that made you more creative yourself. I'm Googling and have searched the site but cannot find it. It was not a formal research paper but an article (that likely cited a study/studies). I'm helping with a UU sermon on creativity and would like to reference it if only I could find it! If it rings a bell for you, I'd greatly appreciate it!
posted by Twicketface to MetaTalk on Apr 18 at 11:41 AM
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Do not go gentle into that good night
posted by Sophie1 to MetaTalk on Apr 13 at 7:05 AM
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Good Saturday evening, MetaFilter! This week, AugustWest wants to know, "Do you have any heroes and if so, who are they and why are they your hero?"
posted by Eyebrows McGee to MetaTalk on Apr 7 at 5:43 PM
1 user marked this as a favorite

Tired of increasingly bloated, over-designed web interfaces? Looking for a way to enjoy your content without all the dozens of JavaScript trackers and endless needless geegaws? Give the new MetaFilter Reader interface a shot! Clean, classic design; mobile friendly; it even comes with its own games!
posted by cortex to MetaTalk on Mar 31 at 10:15 PM
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Sometimes people misspell their tags on posts. An example: this old post of mine which I tagged with bobbygentry instead of bobbiegentry. (I’ve since fixed this.) Right now, when you search by tag you get back a list of matching tags and tags that contain your search as a substring. I think it would be helpful if we also returned a list of results that have similar spellings in case the post you’re trying to find has a tag typo.
posted by Going To Maine to MetaTalk on Apr 21 at 6:13 PM
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I'm not sure this is the right thread, but I view at as related. I've become increasingly aware of caustic comments directed at other users. Among the comments I've seen recently (left standing): - telling users the article they shared in their FPP "is crap" - [your comments] come from such an, seemingly intentionally, uneducated... [more]
posted by cichlid ceilidh to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 12:50 PM
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In parallel with a policy of anti-violence (in our speech hereupon), I think we should also enact a (additional) policy of pro-loveliness. For: our abjuration of violent language would leave, in a sense, no visible trace; but a visible emphasis on loveliness would surely tickle every true heart, and inspire a competition to be loveliness’... [more]
posted by the quidnunc kid to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 3:01 PM
40 users marked this as a favorite

I would also like to see less violent rhetoric and overt "I want to see this person suffer" language on the site. Even if it's purely hyperbolic, it makes me feel unwelcome and uneasy on MetaFilter. What upsets me the most is that increasingly I see this language being directed not just at the neo-nazis and the like, but also at people... [more]
posted by saltbush and olive to MetaTalk on Apr 22 at 3:53 AM
39 users marked this as a favorite

I appreciate BuddhaInABucket posting this. It lets me know, at least, that I’m not alone in being troubled by the fantasies of violence. That’s the primary place I part ways with my liberal pals. I’m deeply committed to an ethic of peace, and convinced that’s the only way to make the world what it ought to be. Before Trump, I had blithely assumed... [more]
posted by Pater Aletheias to MetaTalk on Apr 21 at 5:23 AM
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I've been troubled by the some of the language used in the politics threads. There's understandably a lot of anger and frustration about what's going on in the government, and where there's frustration there's name-calling and pillorying those that we disagree with. My problem is when it goes beyond name-calling and "OMG this guy SUCKS"... [more]
posted by Elly Vortex to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 11:56 AM
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guys guys guys guys guys guys I JUST got a job offer, from my #1 choice, they liked me so much they increased the initial salary by a LOT (from 10% less than what I'm making now to +10%) , and changed the job title from Coordinator to Manager, and I pretty much got everything I was going to push for in negotiations. oh and it's a shorter commute... [more]
posted by Fig to MetaTalk on Apr 24 at 11:42 AM
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Wow, so, this thread is full of examples, more so as it goes on, as to why I no longer feel safe on metafilter, in particular as a Jewish and mentally ill person. Thanks to all the people pushing back against violent rhetoric. I was going to say some stuff about how all humans are humans and metafilter is by far not the most left-leaning place on... [more]
posted by colorblock sock to MetaTalk on Apr 24 at 5:38 PM
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I’ll be honest and say I’m not bothered by the violent fantasies, but I am super bothered by another thing that cichlid ceilidh pointed out — namely, stuff like calling FPPs “crap” or even just general derision toward an FPP, like saying it seems pointless, or saying you think the comic strip it’s about sucks, or calling the video annoying, or what... [more]
posted by holborne to MetaTalk on Apr 21 at 7:08 AM
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Guillotines are fucking awesome. posted by Artw I approve this message. [view]
posted by Madame Defarge to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 8:20 PM
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> I listen to people talking like that and wonder how quickly they would turn the blowtorch on me if I said the wrong thing or if I were seen to be the wrong kind of person. This is one reason I comment a lot less on MeFi these days; I understand that people are very upset with the current political situation and I'm not going to ask... [more]
posted by languagehat to MetaTalk on Apr 22 at 7:10 AM
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Any sort of Nazi, neo- or otherwise, does not deserve a single shred of respect from anyone for what they choose to believe and act on. This should not be an arguable point. Agreed! I am not sure anyone is actually arguing that the Nazi POV deserves respect? However, the subject of this post is not "should we be forced to say... [more]
posted by a fiendish thingy to MetaTalk on Apr 23 at 6:52 AM
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With apologies to Chrysostom John Scalzi’s Old Man, Fools Day!, Wuhan, China, Soviet X-Ray, Downtime (Pacific), Barry Winchell, Joe DiMaggio Paul McCartney, Cynthia Nixon, Singaporean baker, television, North Korea , South Korea, James Monroe Delwarian iceberg, bathroom bomb, Billy Ray, paper jam Brando, Educate Your Eye, and Cheap AND... [more]
posted by unliteral to MetaTalk on Apr 19 at 4:46 PM
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I'm not joking when I talk about guillotines. What does this even mean!? Like, unless you literally have a guillotine, this is just lefty internet tough guy talk. [view]
posted by FJT to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 10:49 PM
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I think some folks approach spaces with pre-formed ideals of etiquette that are culturally exclusive to a certain level of income where mental health is both a treatable expense and where the institution has always been on your side. there's an understanding of civility as due diligence and refrain; but there's also, in my opinion, the... [more]
posted by a fiendish thingy to MetaTalk on Apr 24 at 1:00 PM
27 users marked this as a favorite

In local news, my kid's special education aide just won teacher of the year based on my nomination letter. That made me very happy. It's not just one of the district's highest honors, it also comes with a little money, though it still seems like such an inadequate way to say thanks for all he does. Here's the letter I submitted. A couple of... [more]
posted by Stanczyk to MetaTalk on Apr 22 at 7:15 AM
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I think it's important to remember that language like this may make you, the commentor, feel better, but it probably doesn't make anyone reading it feel better. [view]
posted by selfnoise to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 11:03 AM
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- Is your reading comprehension that astonishingly bad I said exactly this recently, so I assume you're quoting me? As if this is on the same level as violently wishing someone harm? For the record, I was replying to a comment that twisted something I'd said into an accusation that a newspaper editor was an anti-semite. Which was... [more]
posted by zarq to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 1:27 PM
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Even for those of us not prone to killing others, I think using dehumanizing phrases like "monster" and "garbage" for people doing horrible things keeps us from addressing some root causes of any given societal problem. If only "monsters" are racist, then "good people" can't be racist and it becomes so much... [more]
posted by lazuli to MetaTalk on Apr 23 at 6:25 AM
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Just once, I’d like for someone to start a MeTa that asks people very gently not to be quite so cavalier about speaking in a way that taxes their fellow MeFites emotionally, and not have so much of the response be “How dare you tell me I can’t say what I want! You are the worst people, and you are empowering... [more]
posted by Etrigan to MetaTalk on Apr 24 at 3:47 AM
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I think everyone who belongs to a group nazis/rightwingers have historically targeted (like I am) is plenty aware of who threw the first punch. I don't have my head in the sand. I see what's happening. And I still avoid threads with violent language, because it drains me. Whenever I express myself that way, I end up feeling like I've wounded myself... [more]
posted by cichlid ceilidh to MetaTalk on Apr 20 at 8:41 PM
23 users marked this as a favorite

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