Enough is enough...

HurricaneJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,823
After 6 fingers of Larceny, I've had enough. This is my manifesto. Criticize me if you like, ban me, castigate me, whatever. But I have enjoyed this forum for too long, and I'm just really unhappy about where it's headed.

My problem stems from some wanting to blame everything on the previous regime, and so badly want to believe that just changing offenses is some magic bullet that will bring us to the Promise Land. On the other hand, others are so sensitive to anything resembling criticism of the previous regime that they're quick to attack and denigrate the current regime, pointing out that what we have is no better than what we had.

For the longest time I've stayed away from this argument. I have tremendous respect for Coach Paul Johnson and what he accomplished over his long and illustrious career. He was a winner and won championships. No one wished him more success at Tech than me. But, I have become so tired of the defensiveness of the CPJ fans and the vicious, ever-consuming attacks by those who were ready to see him go, that I've done something I've rarely done until lately...I've begun to "ignore" fonts that can't let this argument go. Every praise for what Coach Geoff Collins is doing is not a hatchet job on CPJ. Every praise for what CPJ accomplished is not a lack of support for CGC and what he's trying to do. Get over yourselves.

The shame with this is that many of these fonts that are getting ignored have great things to contribute that I will now miss. Some are so obnoxious that my blood pressure is actually lower since ignoring them.

When I first joined this forum back in April of 2013, it was a small group who were really interested in what made Georgia Tech better. John and Eric were a great team. John handled most of the administrative stuff, and Eric, with his connections and endless graveyard shift free time provided a great deal of inside information. That's gone. Sorry to see Eric step back and John experience tragedy. The site isn't what it once was.

However, it is still the best thing out there for Georgia Tech fans who want to discuss GT sports and find out about recruiting. Waxing a little philosophical here, but I think the same thing that happened to Atlanta traffic happened to our site. So much additional traffic from other sites came in so quickly that instead of acclimating to the way we did things here, they brought the worst of their former forums with them, creating a clash of different forum decorum with them. We have the "no criticism, period" of the BBuzzoff crowd, we have the Big Cry from the StingTalk crowd, and everyone else recognizes something.

We need to move past the constant bickering that saturates the forum and get back to the original concept that John and Eric brought forward...GT fans getting together to discuss GT is a constructive way and learning about the things we love about GT. Also, the moderators need to back off. The great thing John did was create an environment where we self-policed. Way too many posts are being deleted or cleaned up. Too many of the moderators are being heavy-handed trying to be "fair-minded" in the posts.

So, moderators - back off. Everyone else - love GT and commiserate with your fellow fans about the thing you both love...Georgia Tech. Stop sniping and stop being so defensive. When we first came to the site, the discussion was about real GT information, and a lot of it was true insider information. Now, we have to wade through pages and pages of personal bickering and insults to get any nugget of information. I find myself snapping at my kids sometimes after coming on the forum. That's just an all-around bad thing.

I promise to not make any snarky comments towards anyone who posts something I disagree with. I promise not to be an internet tough guy. I promise not to ridicule someone else's opinion. I promise not to create strawman arguments. I promise to try to understand what my fellow GT fan is upset about or trying to share, and not take it as a personal affront if I disagree.

Phew! glad I got that off my chest. Sorry if I offended anyone, but this is getting ridiculous.
Amen
 

BainbridgeJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,210
The hive banned me because the head guy said he liked Coldplay and I replied with "know how I know you're gay?"

I don't think this place will turn into the hive
I take it back, people are getting moderated for some light hearted humor and whiny threads full of incorrect information are allowed to go unchecked.
 

4shotB

Helluva Engineer
Retired Staff
Messages
5,139
whiny threads full of incorrect information are allowed to go unchecked.

I have been a member here for a number of years and a moderator for just a very short time. It may be refreshing (or disheartening, depending on one's point of view) for you to know that the rules do not forbid whiny or stupid or ignorant or misinformed. Just trolling, obnoxious, rude and/or personal attacks. Whether that is good or bad is another topic altogether. When this place started up we didn't attract those kinds of posters so maybe the need to include these traits in the rules (trust me this is all speculation). I don't want to speak for the other moderators but there are many, many posts that I think are ridiculous for whatever reason but I have to let them slide. It's kind of like the cops....they can't enforce things based on laws that don't exist no matter what their own personal feelings may be.

I have found the other moderators to be reasonable and open minded adults. If you would like to see changes to the rules send us a PM. I am sure any rational and logically presented input would be considered. Maybe not as true with angry or emotional comments. Regards.
 

Technut1990

Ramblin' Wreck
Messages
960
I take it back, people are getting moderated for some light hearted humor and whiny threads full of incorrect information are allowed to go unchecked.

This isn't a news page though. The vast majority of us are the typical football fan talking. Some things we say are factual and some is off but is perceived as the author sees it. If you edit "incorrect" statements you will end up with a site that is visited by only those who are in the know, there will be way fewer fans.
 

BainbridgeJacket

Helluva Engineer
Messages
1,210
This isn't a news page though. The vast majority of us are the typical football fan talking. Some things we say are factual and some is off but is perceived as the author sees it. If you edit "incorrect" statements you will end up with a site that is visited by only those who are in the know, there will be way fewer fans.
I'm not referencing matter of opinion or lack of knowledge mistakes. I'm referencing the paranoid conspiracy theories that get presented as fact because it's for some of our fans to repeat these things than accept reality.
 

Madison Grant

Helluva Engineer
Messages
2,276
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/201...for-constitutional-free-speech-declining-nbsp
^THIS is the problem. People need to get a thicker skin. I'm sorry, but the more feminized and mommied our society has become, the less equipped for freedom we've become. Everybody doesn't have to like you, and everybody doesn't have to agree with you. It's not 'hate speech' if they don't, and they shouldn't be censored or banned. I put the over the top people on ignore (which is a neat little feature I rarely used prior to this whole debate OP outlines).

A free society requires a high tolerance for the discomfort of dissent. Never forget that. We are the only place in the world that has this level of freedom. Yeah, I know this is a private owned board and y'all mods can do what you want, but it's not healthy to be heavy-handed with censorship. Let people get their frustrations out.
 

FLTech

Georgia Tech Fan
Messages
91
After 6 fingers of Larceny, I've had enough. This is my manifesto. Criticize me if you like, ban me, castigate me, whatever. But I have enjoyed this forum for too long, and I'm just really unhappy about where it's headed.

My problem stems from some wanting to blame everything on the previous regime, and so badly want to believe that just changing offenses is some magic bullet that will bring us to the Promise Land. On the other hand, others are so sensitive to anything resembling criticism of the previous regime that they're quick to attack and denigrate the current regime, pointing out that what we have is no better than what we had.

For the longest time I've stayed away from this argument. I have tremendous respect for Coach Paul Johnson and what he accomplished over his long and illustrious career. He was a winner and won championships. No one wished him more success at Tech than me. But, I have become so tired of the defensiveness of the CPJ fans and the vicious, ever-consuming attacks by those who were ready to see him go, that I've done something I've rarely done until lately...I've begun to "ignore" fonts that can't let this argument go. Every praise for what Coach Geoff Collins is doing is not a hatchet job on CPJ. Every praise for what CPJ accomplished is not a lack of support for CGC and what he's trying to do. Get over yourselves.

The shame with this is that many of these fonts that are getting ignored have great things to contribute that I will now miss. Some are so obnoxious that my blood pressure is actually lower since ignoring them.

When I first joined this forum back in April of 2013, it was a small group who were really interested in what made Georgia Tech better. John and Eric were a great team. John handled most of the administrative stuff, and Eric, with his connections and endless graveyard shift free time provided a great deal of inside information. That's gone. Sorry to see Eric step back and John experience tragedy. The site isn't what it once was.

However, it is still the best thing out there for Georgia Tech fans who want to discuss GT sports and find out about recruiting. Waxing a little philosophical here, but I think the same thing that happened to Atlanta traffic happened to our site. So much additional traffic from other sites came in so quickly that instead of acclimating to the way we did things here, they brought the worst of their former forums with them, creating a clash of different forum decorum with them. We have the "no criticism, period" of the BBuzzoff crowd, we have the Big Cry from the StingTalk crowd, and everyone else recognizes something.

We need to move past the constant bickering that saturates the forum and get back to the original concept that John and Eric brought forward...GT fans getting together to discuss GT is a constructive way and learning about the things we love about GT. Also, the moderators need to back off. The great thing John did was create an environment where we self-policed. Way too many posts are being deleted or cleaned up. Too many of the moderators are being heavy-handed trying to be "fair-minded" in the posts.

So, moderators - back off. Everyone else - love GT and commiserate with your fellow fans about the thing you both love...Georgia Tech. Stop sniping and stop being so defensive. When we first came to the site, the discussion was about real GT information, and a lot of it was true insider information. Now, we have to wade through pages and pages of personal bickering and insults to get any nugget of information. I find myself snapping at my kids sometimes after coming on the forum. That's just an all-around bad thing.

I promise to not make any snarky comments towards anyone who posts something I disagree with. I promise not to be an internet tough guy. I promise not to ridicule someone else's opinion. I promise not to create strawman arguments. I promise to try to understand what my fellow GT fan is upset about or trying to share, and not take it as a personal affront if I disagree.

Phew! glad I got that off my chest. Sorry if I offended anyone, but this is getting ridiculous.

If we wear cool looking uniforms and lose by 5 TD’s. It’s all good. We have cool looking uniforms
 

GTNavyNuke

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
10,075
Location
Williamsburg Virginia
One comment and one suggestion.

This discussion could of CPJ and CGC could be replaced with our two primary political parties in this country. I think this dissention is an internet/ social media phenomenon and lack of basic respect for others.

Suggestion - try to get as many likes as posts. This site can be fun, if your aren't having fun, back off.
 

Augusta_Jacket

Moderator
Staff member
Messages
8,125
Location
Augusta, Georgia
One comment and one suggestion.

This discussion could of CPJ and CGC could be replaced with our two primary political parties in this country. I think this dissention is an internet/ social media phenomenon and lack of basic respect for others.

Suggestion - try to get as many likes as posts. This site can be fun, if your aren't having fun, back off.

Great post. As to the bolded part, I am not sure that's a great indicator of anything. I have twice as many likes as posts and I am one of the most opinionated debaters on this site... :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 

GTNavyNuke

Helluva Engineer
Featured Member
Messages
10,075
Location
Williamsburg Virginia
Great post. As to the bolded part, I am not sure that's a great indicator of anything. I have twice as many likes as posts and I am one of the most opinionated debaters on this site... :ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Don't take this personally, but I guess this shows the popularity of talk radio.

Thus I stand corrected, I don't recommend people work for more likes via that route.
 
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