Oh yes, completely disappeared.  I hadn't even noticed, but now you mention it, it's quite peaceful and pleasant.  Like when that leaky tap finally stops dripping. aaaaaaahhhhhh

Undertoad wrote:

A quiet peaceful forum is a dead forum. That's what you've wished for, and that's what you shall have.

You're not wrong. We are reaching the point where we are too few to bring an aha! moment. We need different kinds of thinkers to have that.




 

xoxoxoBruce wrote:

What can you do, sit back and watch people make declarations you don't agree with and not speak up?

That's the hard part isn't it. Are folks here for engagement or not? Sarge had  a unique perspective and Grandfather despite a desire to twist tails and creep provided some valuable insight especially around the pandemic. It does reflect the wider world though, actual conservative thinking has had its oxygen sucked up by crackpots so normals are reluctant to say what's on their minds. For instance, it sounds pretty absurd right now for a right winger to express worry about the Federal budget after the now absurdist GOP destroyed the work of previous administrations, so naturally we mock the person who says it even if its actual conviction. We have to be more intentional but it will be a struggle, a struggle we can't have with a limited number of voices.
 

Undertoad wrote:

It causes me to remember too well that more of you will be annoyed than will be interested.

I hope this is a misperception.

Undertoad wrote:

sir it gives me absolutely no satisfaction to see how things have gone

Seems like you may have hot buns...

Last edited by monster (3/02/2021 10:58 pm)

footfootfoot wrote:

Undertoad wrote:

This thread has killed any remaining interest I have in sharing anything here. It causes me to remember too well that more of you will be annoyed than will be interested. I truly and honestly do not want to be an annoyance.

Yeah, well, that's not how I feel so don't put words in my mouth; that's annoying.

No. Wait. I, umm, that's not...

But seriously Toad, I've learned a lot from you over the years, especially about tolerance and principles.

So apparently if he throws out an idea we must salute or slink.
Nope, homey don't play dat. If I don't agree I'll say so.
If I agree I'll say so, or not sure I ask for more detail.
As far as I'm concerned that's the way it should work.
 

I don't really care for echo chambers; I don't need other people to affirm my opinions. The thing I hate about most search engines and "if you like this" type algorithms is that I don't want more, similar suggestions. I want to see things I'd never heard of or thought of. The marketplace of ideas.

Thinking back to several years ago, I remember the cellar was more of a mosh pit and less of a social club. Perhaps that's because rather than just ignoring someone we didn't want to see or hear about we chose to run them out of town on a rail.



 

As a (very) generalized trend, the mainstream of the right-leaning political spectrum has spent the last several decades becoming increasingly detached from evidence-based opinions, drifting further and further away from the possibility of having a reciprocal conversation grounded in commonly-accepted facts. And now, after all that disconnect, the angry man on the TV box is telling them that liberal-socialists want to Cancel Culture them if they don't aGrEe WiTh eVeRyThiNg from the deep-state, Chinese Venezualan George Soros "approved content" playbook.

For Christ's Sake, how about people just share their opinion, and people say whether they agree or disagree without it being a grievance fest of the martyred "last few deep thinkers who still believe in fReE sPeEcH"
 

Last edited by Flint (3/03/2021 5:31 pm)

Not done by moderators.

I don't post here as often as I used to but back in the day, I loved this place and thought it was the best message board on the internet.

But something changed and I have often tried to put my finger on it but it's elusive.

There's a reason why a lot of posters aren't here anymore - it's a long list - Dave, Jag, zengum, hot pastrami, etc.

The diversity of viewpoints and the equality of everyone was healthy.  But it broke down around 2013 or so.

Anyway, I'm rambling but this has been an issue with me for a long time and is at the root of why I don't post here anymore.  The Cellar in it's heyday had no equal. 

If I can try to put the issue in a nutshell,  I guess I'd  say that there is no longer any mystery how every poster is going to react to any given post.  It's like an old married couple who don't talk anymore because they already know what the other person is going to say so they don't bother anymore.

Everyone here is awesome and I miss what the Cellar used to be but, as BB King said, the thrill is gone.

The Cellar was better when it had more people. That's it. Mathematically, there was more diversity.

There's no mystery, and no need to blame declining membership numbers on cAnCeL cULtUrE, i.e. people 1 inch left of dead-center, i.e. the completely natural human habit of disagreeing about stuff.

If I threw a temper tantrum and left, that would be on me. I would be the crybaby who rage quits because different opinions exist. There is no social justice squad who assassinates perpetrators of thought-crime
 

Diaphone Jim wrote:

Limey wrote:

Not done by moderators.

So there is a magic button that any Cellarite can push to erase all past posts and other activity?

 
I think when a member deletes his account all his posts go too.