This Board Feels Like High School- Page 2

[Mary_Ethel]

Posted: 11/12/04 at 11:50pm

I agree with Spider.

I think the Board is like High School, but in a different manner than has been discussed.

Many around here do not disagree with a poster's opinion--instead they attack the poster; many trash other people's threads in the spirit of "fun," members band together in cliques just like children do at a High School playground.

What's unfortunate is that it's all so unnecessary.

People should be able to ENJOY their chosen hobby at an Internet Message Board WITHOUT dodging all the obstacles I have just mentioned.

[FindingNamo]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 1:14am

I think technically people in high school are no longer children, but rather young people, or young adults. And most high schools don't have playgrounds, per se, MaryFEthel.

[Ebonic_Singer]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 2:40am

Well yeah, the point of the random thread is to be completely random--bring up anything on your mind! It's not limited to age range or hussy status!

[etoile]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 2:54am

It's not like high school at all. I was *P O P U L A R* in high school.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 3:00am

so gimme your lunch money, bitch.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 3:09am

Seriously though, cliques only bother me if they ignore me completely. As long as SOMEONE acknowledges something I have said, I'm cool.
I don't need mojitos. *sniff* just an ear to listen *sniffle*

Updated On: 11/13/04 at 03:09 AM

[etoile]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 3:21am

Oh come here, Wolfie, I'll teach you the proper ploys when you talk to boys. La la la la.

[B.B. Wolf]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 3:30am

Ploys? Sounds dirrrrrrrrty.

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 8:58am

I think it's good that some of the special interest threads have taken hold....the smoking thread, the angst thread, the Adam Pascal thread.... Special little cultures have developed in each of them by virtue of people having a common denominator of interest. And I suspect that some online friendships have arisen in the process.

In general interest threads, the problem crops up when two or three "friends" come in and hijack the thread for their own purposes and start treating the thread like a chat room or having private (as in "no one else is welcome" discussions) that should be taking place via PM. Nothing kills a thread faster than when two or three people start conversing with each other in a thread when it's NOT about the topic. I enjoy the rapid fire witty exchanges that take place from time to time, but there is a lot of posting that is of no interest to anyone but the two people involve. I think of it as narcisistic posting...that goes on because the posters seem to think they look cool. I usually find it either boring or obnoxious, and stop reading the thread.

spider, I think that you perceive the clique thing to be more restrictive than it is.... I associate you, vaguely, with certain other posters on this board because you tend to always join in discussions with those people (and the same can probably be said about me), but I would never hesitate to add something to the discussion if it was of interest to me. I don't see you as being part of a clique that I'm not allowed to interact with. But by the same token, I'm not going to wander into the angst thread or the Adam Pascal thread, because I don't belong there... does that make sense?

Some of the ugliness invariably arises when a new poster shows up..which should be a good thing... but charges in and tries to "take over" by dominating discussions either with an attitude of authority or by sheer volume of posts...without getting the lay of the land first. I'm not targeting any one person here. There is always someone fitting that description, and occasionally they pull it off, but more often than not, it is just plain irritating.

Okay. That's my Saturday morning and I haven't had coffee yet ramble. A little disjointed, maybe, but honest thoughts on the topic at hand.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 10:03am

I tend to think of this board as more of an on-going party. People who know each other naturally come together to catch up and share a laugh. There are those who plant themselves in one spot, and those who drift around catching snippets of all the different conversations. Sometimes, someone will crash the party, and the tension level goes way up - even with the authorities being called on occasion. And of course, there are those who just like to find a quiet corner and watch.

Usually, the atmosphere is fairly ammenable, and the music is good - so I keep coming back to the party

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 10:31am

I like that analogy. Better than my interpretation, actually.

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 10:52am

spider, are you familiar with the term "atomic wedgie"?

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:19pm

papa - within the realm of my 'party' scenario, why do I picture you as the man at the bar with a martini and a pipe telling off-color political jokes?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:20pm

Because you're psychic, DGrant

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:22pm

If that's the case, pop, then perhaps you could explain why I feel like you're out in the backyard in the dim lighting enjoying a 'smoke' with some of our other regulars?

[popcultureboy]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:24pm

I refer you to my previous answer. I think.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:26pm

pop - I only think that because I wander out myself, occasionally

[ckeaton]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:26pm

I try to flit around between groups, never feeling completely part of one, but hoping that everyone at least likes me in one way or another.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:30pm

ck - at least in my party, you are always more than welcome!

[ckeaton]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 12:32pm

Thank you kind sir.
I feel like an assh*le sitting here, crying like a fool while Liotta dies on my Tivo-ed ER.

[Plum]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 2:01pm

I must say I get along better here than at most parties.

Then again, at my age people's ideas of parties involve darkness, lots of alcohol, and extremely loud music. Not much room for real conversation there.

[TGIF]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 2:33pm

I guess I would be considered in the Adam thread group *shrugs* We only made that because we took over all the other threads and made it about Adam. We felt bad! We didn't want to become like some of the over zealous Wicked fans (well now the Brooklyn fans). Anyway! If you are ever bored (this goes to everyone) Just hop into the Adam thread. There is usually someone there to talk to. And its not ALWAYS about him. :)

[bythesword84]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 4:01pm

I don't know, my HS wasn't overly clique-y but I don't know where I would be put on the boards because I haven't been here much at all lately.

[insomniak]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 4:10pm

iflit and DGrant are exactly right. I am a member of some of the metioned cliques- Adam nuts and Angsty teens. These were created as a place to discuss one topic, such as a crappy day or Adam in this show or that, but because it is the same group there all the time, we do make friends and the conversations vary. (I swear all 380 pages of the Adam thread are not 'OMG he's HOT! Really, there's a lot of idle unrelated chitchat) I also would not say this board is like highschool because highschool is far more exclusive, wheras people here are generally happy to talk to anyone who posts. You don't have to be a clique member to post on a clique thread, or at least not all of them.

Anyway, if you aren't sure whether you should post in a clique thread or not, just read a few pages and see what the general tone is and if you think you'd like to join.

[Mamie]

Posted: 11/13/04 at 4:24pm

I'd love to attend one of DGrant's parties. I'd be the one in the corner, hanging on to every word spoken by D and Margo. (Naturally I'm assuming that you wouldn't have a party if Margo wasn't there!)