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Poll: Should a poster be expected to read (or at least skim) all posts before posting in a thread?
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<blockquote data-quote="Snarf Zagyg" data-source="post: 8357394" data-attributes="member: 7023840"><p>Here's the thing. Yes, a message board is a public forum. And ....? So what?</p><p></p><p>Try this thought experiment. Imagine that <em>every single one of your posts here disappeared, tomorrow. </em>You with me? Now, what would happen? How would your life change? How would this forum change? How would "the public" change?</p><p></p><p>This isn't specific to you. I've been around for a while. I've been involved in flame wars on usenet. On listservs. On websites that still used the blink tag. And the vast majority of my writings, my arguments ... they've all disappeared. They are gone. All that <em>stuff</em> that mattered so very deeply at that very moment, all those trolls to be vanquished, all of those posters to be put into their place, all of those wicker men to be burned down with or without Nic Cage in them? </p><p></p><p>Didn't matter. </p><p></p><p><em>I close my eyes</em></p><p><em>Only for a moment, and the moment's gone</em></p><p><em>All my words</em></p><p><em>Pass before my eyes, a curiosity</em></p><p><em>Dust in the wind</em></p><p><em>All my posts are is dust in the wind</em></p><p><em>Same old arguments</em></p><p><em>Just a drop of water in an endless sea</em></p><p><em>All we write</em></p><p><em>Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see</em></p><p><em>Dust in the wind</em></p><p><em>All our posts are dust in the wind</em></p><p><em>Oh</em></p><p><em>Now, don't hang on</em></p><p><em>Nothin' lasts forever but the earth and sky</em></p><p><em>It slips away</em></p><p><em>And all your wins and arguments won't another minute buy</em></p><p><em>Dust in the wind</em></p><p><em><em>All our posts are dust in the wind</em></em></p><p></p><p>There's a reason that everyone (EVERYONE) knows the xkcd comic ... THERE'S SOMEONE WRONG ON THE INTERNET. We've all been there. That rush of putting someone in their place. Of knowing you totally pwned him. Of feeling the exhilaration of making sure that "the public" wouldn't misunderstand the argument.</p><p></p><p>...and? Eh. The sad fact is (and this is why we all know that comic so well) no ... one ... cares. The public doesn't care. There is no cheering section following the blow-by-blow. It's the saying that I use- you don't wrestle with pigs, because if you do, the pig likes it, and you both get dirty. In a short period of time, the conversation will have moved on, the threads will have moved on, and whatever thing was so super important ... won't be. </p><p></p><p>This place is nice because we talk about dragon, and fireballs, and stuff that should be fun. I amuse myself by writing out these long posts, sometimes I hide weird quotes (no, not the obvious ones) or acrostics in them- not because I expect people to find them or care, but because it makes me laugh. </p><p></p><p>If you get enjoyment out of the argument, then, really, that's good for you (I'm not being sarcastic). But it's not enjoyable for me. And as soon as I see someone (almost always incorrectly) start dropping informal logical fallacies on a board where people discuss "How awesome is my Warlock???," I take them approximately 193% less seriously. </p><p></p><p><em>PS- You should branch out from the Roman material; ethos, pathos, and logos are straight-up Aristotle regardless of any later appropriation by Cicero. However, if you truly care about argument and winning, you should note that people are not logic machines. If you want to appeal to people and convince them of the rightness of you cause/argument, you don't do so by logos alone. </em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Snarf Zagyg, post: 8357394, member: 7023840"] Here's the thing. Yes, a message board is a public forum. And ....? So what? Try this thought experiment. Imagine that [I]every single one of your posts here disappeared, tomorrow.[I] [/I][/I]You with me? Now, what would happen? How would your life change? How would this forum change? How would "the public" change? This isn't specific to you. I've been around for a while. I've been involved in flame wars on usenet. On listservs. On websites that still used the blink tag. And the vast majority of my writings, my arguments ... they've all disappeared. They are gone. All that [I]stuff[/I] that mattered so very deeply at that very moment, all those trolls to be vanquished, all of those posters to be put into their place, all of those wicker men to be burned down with or without Nic Cage in them? Didn't matter. [I]I close my eyes Only for a moment, and the moment's gone All my words Pass before my eyes, a curiosity Dust in the wind All my posts are is dust in the wind Same old arguments Just a drop of water in an endless sea All we write Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see Dust in the wind All our posts are dust in the wind Oh Now, don't hang on Nothin' lasts forever but the earth and sky It slips away And all your wins and arguments won't another minute buy Dust in the wind [I]All our posts are dust in the wind[/I][/I] There's a reason that everyone (EVERYONE) knows the xkcd comic ... THERE'S SOMEONE WRONG ON THE INTERNET. We've all been there. That rush of putting someone in their place. Of knowing you totally pwned him. Of feeling the exhilaration of making sure that "the public" wouldn't misunderstand the argument. ...and? Eh. The sad fact is (and this is why we all know that comic so well) no ... one ... cares. The public doesn't care. There is no cheering section following the blow-by-blow. It's the saying that I use- you don't wrestle with pigs, because if you do, the pig likes it, and you both get dirty. In a short period of time, the conversation will have moved on, the threads will have moved on, and whatever thing was so super important ... won't be. This place is nice because we talk about dragon, and fireballs, and stuff that should be fun. I amuse myself by writing out these long posts, sometimes I hide weird quotes (no, not the obvious ones) or acrostics in them- not because I expect people to find them or care, but because it makes me laugh. If you get enjoyment out of the argument, then, really, that's good for you (I'm not being sarcastic). But it's not enjoyable for me. And as soon as I see someone (almost always incorrectly) start dropping informal logical fallacies on a board where people discuss "How awesome is my Warlock???," I take them approximately 193% less seriously. [I]PS- You should branch out from the Roman material; ethos, pathos, and logos are straight-up Aristotle regardless of any later appropriation by Cicero. However, if you truly care about argument and winning, you should note that people are not logic machines. If you want to appeal to people and convince them of the rightness of you cause/argument, you don't do so by logos alone. [/I] [/QUOTE]
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