Is it me?

[Harold Godwinson]

Am I the only person on this forum who seems to notice and get fed up with the amount of members who hijack threads with nothing but negativity?

If I post a picture of something I've made do I really care if 'dingo dog bag' would have made it bigger?

Or if I'm chatting about kit or what I carry do I care if someone on the dole doesn't have it?

Instead of trashing a thread with pointless comments or irrelevant ones personally I'd have thought it both polite and even helpful to say nothing.

Or is that just me? In this crazy world of entitlement and keyboard warriors maybe I'm the one whose out of order?

So is it me?

 

[nigelp]

…..

 

[slowworm]

Personally I've never felt the need to run off to a mod. It's a forum and you get different views. You can engage with them or ignore them and go on to the next one.

This place is one of the most helpful and friendly forums I've ever used, even though I don't agree with everyone.

 

[Broch]

I think that part of the richness of this forum is the occasional tangential discussion. I really don't believe in the thread ownership thing. A bit like a discussion around a table in a pub - you start a topic of conversation, there may well be a few valid opinions, ideas, and comments, but then it quickly turns to banter and it depends on the value of the discussion whether it comes back or not.

The other thing I always do, if I find a response to one of my posts or threads a bit irksome, is look at the time it was sent and consider how many glasses had been consumed - again, a bit as you would do in the pub.

Yes, we have a habit of drifting off topic, a bit of banter, lightening the discussion some times, but, in general, I have not experienced a more supportive and considerate forum anywhere else.

 

[TeeDee]

Am I the only person on this forum who seems to notice and get fed up with the amount of members who hijack threads with nothing but negativity?

If I post a picture of something I've made do I really care if 'dingo dog bag' would have made it bigger?

Or if I'm chatting about kit or what I carry do I care if someone on the dole doesn't have it?

Instead of trashing a thread with pointless comments or irrelevant ones personally I'd have thought it both polite and even helpful to say nothing.

Or is that just me? In this crazy world of entitlement and keyboard warriors maybe I'm the one whose out of order?

So is it me?

Just read the post and comments that I think lead to you posting the above.

Thread hijacks are a thing - but like day time drinking they can also lead to interesting places on occasion.
Other times it just leads to getting bladdered and wastes an afternoon.

The Forum is a bit of a Microcosm blend of society - so you will get a mix of people , some whom don't think in the same way as you , me and we don't think in the same way as them.

Speaking personally- I've tried ( small 'T' ) to use the adage of ' Be strict on yourself but tolerant of others '( and often I do fail.... ) - there are certain people that it seems ALWAYs seem to want to take a thread in a particular off topic and direction and then it feels quasi personal.

Unfortunately , One just need to bite ones tongue or hope others will show a basic level of unspoken etiquette and only colour within the lines of the picture book with the crayons.

Others however are more naturally akin to Picasso on acid whilst riding a tricycle...



IF push does come to shove , and you are feeling its becoming endemic - I wouldn't wait or ask or expect for the Mods to intervene - I Think like real life Policing their own tolerance for off topics and swear words is expected to be higher than the muggles they judicate over. And honestly I don't understand the rule of law that is seemingly applied.


Your saving grace - which is a last resort but for sanity can be useful , is the IGNORE button - This will remove a repeat offenders comments from triggering you - like a twisted Black Mirror episode they will be muted within your version of our community until you change the default setting back.

For temporary relief this can be a useful crux - I have a few people on Ignore - and sometimes I think I have failed in my Tolerance test, so its possible I need to review their content and have their comments become active again.

Or Not.



I guess in terms of metaphor it depends if you can walk through a Gallery and not be offended by art you don't like yourself. ( something I clearly fail at - but I'm trying to appreciate all art, just slowly )





< I appreciate my own post maybe subjectively considered off topic as its included Art as a metaphor - I would defend it as to make the post interesting rather than dry and boring.. So its likely its just boring >

 

[Toddy]

"Others however are more naturally akin to Picasso on acid whilst riding a tricycle..."
Brilliant

@Harold Godwinson
Honestly, I hadn't noticed, but I apologise if you feel that the Mods ought to have been more pro-active.
I will have a read through your posts and the replies though.

Thing is, we're members too. We join in the conversations, and let's not forget, that's really what the forum is; it's a place to converse.
The bit to remember is that everyone's viewpoint is driven by their own real life experiences, for most of us, very few here just sit and quote what they read online, so the replies you get will be from that, sometimes uncomfortable, reality.

I like reading differing views, they make me think, and it stops my own stagnating and becoming so rock solid that I'm not just opinionated but limited in my self and the way I interact with others. However, having rationalised though and come to a firm determination on my opinion, I don't think that's a mistake either.

I think that the replies you have had are pretty much spot on though. It's a broad kirk.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Chris]

There are some for whom it seems almost impossible not to mention politics in one way or another, but only a very small few. I honestly much prefer when the ‘no politics’ rule is strictly enforced as I don’t think it’s conducive to civil discussion online where people can more easily forget they’re talking to another human being.

Mostly with grumpy/critical sounding posts I use it as an exercise in just thickening skin and tolerance building. I tend to click ‘report’ on posts which fall questionably within the forum rules, or to alert a mod to something they might want to keep an eye on, just because sometimes due to ‘real life’ mods can be a bit light on the ground here, and it hopefully means they don’t have to read every single thread if they don’t want to. Once it’s reported I forget about it and respect their decision. Hopefully they’ll tell me to stop it if that’s a problem.

That said, the forum generally is full of incredibly thoughtful, knowledgeable and kind people. Many of whom I am sure I disagree with on a myriad of topics, but I like to think mostly we all assume the best intentions of each other. The world would be incredibly boring if we all agreed on everything.

 

[Stew]

This

Am I the only person on this forum who seems to notice and get fed up with the amount of members who hijack threads with nothing but negativity?

If I post a picture of something I've made do I really care if 'dingo dog bag' would have made it bigger?

Or if I'm chatting about kit or what I carry do I care if someone on the dole doesn't have it?

Instead of trashing a thread with pointless comments or irrelevant ones personally I'd have thought it both polite and even helpful to say nothing.

Or is that just me? In this crazy world of entitlement and keyboard warriors maybe I'm the one whose out of order?

So is it me?

It's interesting because having looked back through some of your posts, there are some that seem a bit negative and stirring things up. Largely not a problem to me for the level you're at there but it's maybe worth thinking on how others perceive things too.

I'm mostly used to the way forums go after many years of using them. Folk can ask for a advice on something very specific and you get those that have to say that it must be somethign completely different

It can also help to learn the way that people are - your comment about the bag above is obvious who you're referring to but after years of knowing them, it's the way they talk.

 

[grainweevil]

Second the usefulness of the ignore button. I've used it very sparingly, mind you, because seeing other points of view is a Good Thing. But some members are much lovelier people when you don't have to read their contributions any more.

 

[Stew]

Second the usefulness of the ignore button. I've used it very sparingly, mind you, because seeing other points of view is a Good Thing. But some members are much lovelier people when you don't have to read their contributions any more.

Indeed!

I think I'm down to one now. A previous person stopped posting and another got banned - seems quite telling. In the interim it made it much nicer.

 

[Wildgoose]

Ignore button is great, I’ve one permanent and a couple on probation!

 

[Harold Godwinson]

Good replies one and all... Indeed people in glass houses and all that, I will review my own future posts too... Thanks for pointing that out.

Maybe we're all guilty but if no one pulls us up for it then that becomes our norm and then others put us on iggy...

 

[TLM]

Your original point is not unvalid but ...

Sometimes the answer comes up fast but tangents are interesting too.
Sometimes there is no answer.
Sometimes there are only bad answers.
Sometimes ...

 

[Harold Godwinson]

"Others however are more naturally akin to Picasso on acid whilst riding a tricycle..."
Brilliant

@Harold Godwinson
Honestly, I hadn't noticed, but I apologise if you feel that the Mods ought to have been more pro-active.
I will have a read through your posts and the replies though.

Thing is, we're members too. We join in the conversations, and let's not forget, that's really what the forum is; it's a place to converse.
The bit to remember is that everyone's viewpoint is driven by their own real life experiences, for most of us, very few here just sit and quote what they read online, so the replies you get will be from that, sometimes uncomfortable, reality.

I like reading differing views, they make me think, and it stops my own stagnating and becoming so rock solid that I'm not just opinionated but limited in my self and the way I interact with others. However, having rationalised though and come to a firm determination on my opinion, I don't think that's a mistake either.

I think that the replies you have had are pretty much spot on though. It's a broad kirk.

cheers,
Toddy

Toddy honestly I'm not digging out the Mods or anybody else - it was a genuine question I was asking.

Is it me? Because I really don't understand people and their need to try to make themselves look like they know better or just to argue a point.

I read plenty of posts on here where I think people are talking out their backside but I don't usual waste my time trying to correct them.

However sadly if they post on a thread I'm following then I have no choice but to read their drivel.

Anyway I'm waffling, so no not blaming the mods... Just questioning myself, and I'm starting to see that yes it probably is me, I need to be more forgiving and so pity more

 

[Toddy]

BcUK is like a village.....I live in a village, you don't ignore anyone, you might just nod and quietly pass by, you might offer a word or two, or you might stop and blether a bit...but everyone belongs, even if we don't always get on.

We're all different, we all have different lives, and interests and experiences. They're all valid.

The new folks who quietly accept it settle in fine, they join in things, they enrich life for all of us. The village (and the forum) thrives.

I ought to welcome the new folks more often, I rarely do these days but I used to invite them to come and join the conversations around our virtual campfire. I think that kinds of sums it up for me.
It's a sit down with a cuppa and a read through, catch up with what folks are doing.

I personally would like to see more of what folks make, but that's my bias. I very much appreciate craftwork, skill handcrafts. Traditional or otherwise. I do enjoy seeing the trips out, reading about them. I do enjoy the rambling multi page discussions on practical stuff, on sometimes some utterly off the wall and esoteric topics. Photographs and tales related...all good, all good

It's just conversation among generally well meaning and interesting people.

But, do you know what I value most from all the years I have been on BcUK ?

The friendships I've made the people whose company I thoroughly enjoy. People I've known, and if you've been here long enough, the ones we've lost.....Tom, Drew, Andy, Lee, Brian, Pete.... and so many others over those years. Friends we genuinely miss. Voices gone silent.

Come and join the conversations, we'll all budge round a bit and let you in near the fire, and the kettle's on....or in my case the quaich's passing around

M

 

[demented dale]

I will be honest. I can be an opinionated so and so and self righteous on certain subjects. I do find that for the most part I can disagree without being disagreeable. I have caught myself again recently and have recommitted to just talking about bush craft.

. I cant say I have noticed the negative comments that you are experiencing. I cant read everything so I dont doubt they are there. For me I am massively encouraged and in awe of anyone who makes something or creates positive content for others and I try to comment accordingly.
Many people on this thread have noted that we are a mirror of society and it takes all sorts. Whenever I am find negative influences it can be easily balanced with a thought of all the good stuff. The members of this forum have really helped me and I am richer for having joined. So Thank you, xxxxxx

 

[Woody girl]

I've been here a few years now, and I've had my ups and downs on the forum. !
I like to think I've settled down a bit now that I'm coping better with some real curved balls that life threw at me. We never know what people are coping with in their personal lives, which can affect how they come across without them being aware that its them, not everyone else.. (tho sometimes it is of course!)
Luckily, no one totaly gave up on me, and I must admit this forum is now a part of my life and I value greatly the kindness, friendships and contacts I've met and made.

 

[Kadushu]

Sometimes it's not what is said but the way it is said. Putting stuff out there is one thing but pretending it's gospel is quite another.

 

[HorseGuy]

There are some for whom it seems almost impossible not to mention politics in one way or another

Guilty as charged.
Sorry about that. I promise to try to behave in future

 

[HillBill]

Am I the only person on this forum who seems to notice and get fed up with the amount of members who hijack threads with nothing but negativity?

If I post a picture of something I've made do I really care if 'dingo dog bag' would have made it bigger?

Or if I'm chatting about kit or what I carry do I care if someone on the dole doesn't have it?

Instead of trashing a thread with pointless comments or irrelevant ones personally I'd have thought it both polite and even helpful to say nothing.

Or is that just me? In this crazy world of entitlement and keyboard warriors maybe I'm the one whose out of order?

So is it me?

Well, i know you refer to me with the 3rd paragraph. But you assumed a lot by making such a statement.

I have more kit than you can shake a trees worth of sticks at. I'm not on 'the dole' Been a self employed knifemaker for 16 years, Engineer before that, and military before that. What i am, is on the sick atm for various things i really wouldnt wish on anyone.

Yes, i can come across as being an A.ss, i know that. But i'm just direct, and mean no insult or offence (unless i specifically mean to insult or offend, and you'll know when i'm doing that, as you would have received a message, so as to keep it off the forum)

Just wanted to clear that up. No hard feelings.