General Consensus On "Blocking"

[BrokenPaw]

Please stop and read this for a moment.

Online you become involved in a disagreement between you and another person.

You argue for hours over some trivial matter and constantly throw unfriendly words back and forth.

Soon other people get involved and injecting their own ideas and words into the conversation.

The moderators finally put a stop to it after 3 hours of wasted time and getting nowhere.

You and the other person take the discussion to private messages where the argument continues.

Finally the other person blocks you and you cannot reply to the messages sent to you.

In retaliation you block them out of spite.

No decisions are made, nothing gets done, and the idea that was argued about dies.

What went wrong?

What happened to being able to talk about ideas freely and responsibly between two people?

Why does it happen?

What might be a solution to it?

[Havegum]

At 3/17/13 08:33 PM, BrokenPaw wrote:

If a disagreement over some trivial, petty thing, gets this out of hand then both sides should try be more open minded, or at least try realizing when a discussion can't go any further.

If someone disagrees with my subjective opinion, that's perfectly fine, you're entitled to your own opinion just as I am entitled to disagree. If the discussion is about something that can be objectively measured or determined in some way, then there really shouldn't be an argument at all.

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 08:36 PM, Havegum wrote: <word>

What about if the subject isn't trivial and more serious, what then?

[Havegum]

At 3/17/13 08:36 PM, Havegum wrote:

That said, I do occasionally like to use the "invisible" function when I don't want anyone pestering me.

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 08:40 PM, BigBadtheBazz wrote: I would only block someone if they were being obnoxious as fuck and wouldn't leave me alone.

That's understandable but,

Might you block someone if they disagreed with you on something serious and weren't taking your side then?

Otherwise, who gives a fuck.

Many people are passionate about causes they support. They care about issues, and talking about them.

[Havegum]

At 3/17/13 08:39 PM, BrokenPaw wrote: What about if the subject isn't trivial and more serious, what then?

If someone genuinely thinks murder is okay, then the conversation is at a dead end from the beginning. Sure I could go on and on for hours about why it's wrong and how said person is horrible, but in the end I wouldn't accomplish anything.

Similarly, if someone had a different idea of a political ideal than me, then that's their business. It'd be interesting to hear what they have to say to defend their case, but I'm not about to partake in a heated discussion. It's perfectly possible to have a civil debate, so it's all about avoiding discussions that leads nowhere.

[poxpower]

At 3/17/13 08:33 PM, BrokenPaw wrote:

What went wrong?

One of the person was an immature idiot.
The solution is to recognize that such people exist and to avoid arguing with them because you will never win.

If you care about a person like this, never argue with them, just enjoy whatever it is you enjoy about that person. If they try to drag you into a debate and you see that they're crazy, stop arguing with them / concede.

These are what is known as "adult babies". Remember when your parents used the "BECAUSE I SAID SO!" argument when they were clearly wrong?
Well that's because there's people in adulthood who are like that. They are no rational or open-minded and they take any disagreement on whatever thing they believe as a personal attack / offense / sign of hatred.

So yes. That is what that is.

You can spot such people before entering into arguments usually.

1. Are they clearly stupider than they think ( high school or lower education or college degree in bullshit social sciences / arts?)
2. Do they believe in something clearly insane like astrology or yoga?
3. Are they always talking about being positive and encouraging?

These are the type of people who will avoid debates usually on the grounds that you are clearly too stupid for them / your negativity is a bummer.

So yes, Know the signs and deal with them accordingly.

[TheColourAwesome]

If nothing gets solved in 3 hours in never will. However if I had it my way there would be no mods. If the threads were shit than make some you enjoy. The people who bitch would leave and the community would be way more fun. People keep pushing for more intelligent conversation and when it happens people sign and say it boring.

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 08:53 PM, poxpower wrote: One of the person was an immature idiot.

The question is, who?

The solution is to recognize that such people exist and to avoid arguing with them because you will never win.

Somehow these people are elected into authority positions, what do you do then?

If you care about a person like this, never argue with them, just enjoy whatever it is you enjoy about that person. If they try to drag you into a debate and you see that they're crazy, stop arguing with them / concede.

That's actually a good answer, stopping or conceding shows who is the more mature individual. Not everyone is able to tell who is more mature though. What then?

These are what is known as "adult babies". Remember when your parents used the "BECAUSE I SAID SO!" argument when they were clearly wrong?
Well that's because there's people in adulthood who are like that. They are no rational or open-minded and they take any disagreement on whatever thing they believe as a personal attack / offense / sign of hatred.

This, and I have enough brains to admit I do this too and can't help it most of the time until after the incident.

You can spot such people before entering into arguments usually.
1. Are they clearly stupider than they think ( high school or lower education or college degree in bullshit social sciences / arts?)

Education doesn't always play a factor into the argument. It has some pull but not all of it. You can't assume education will be an outright deciding factor in an argument.

2. Do they believe in something clearly insane like astrology or yoga?

Isn't that "picking" on someone's belief system? Having different beliefs is what makes people unique.

3. Are they always talking about being positive and encouraging?

Don't we need positive people to balance the negative people in the world?

These are the type of people who will avoid debates usually on the grounds that you are clearly too stupid for them / your negativity is a bummer.

That's true, very true. I agree with that. I just do not understand why people cannot get along without being complete jerks to each other. How hard is it to say "Thank you" or "Please" or just respect another person's beliefs anymore, no matter how different they are from you.

So yes, Know the signs and deal with them accordingly.

This is often harder said than done but you make a good argument. I respect that.

A+

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 08:56 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote: If nothing gets solved in 3 hours in never will.

That's not entirely true.

However if I had it my way there would be no mods.

Not everyone agrees with your ideas is the thing, and you cannot have your way. If we had no mods then who cleans up the trash that is strewn on the board everyday (example: The Soup Squad jokeman threads with nudity).

If the threads were shit than make some you enjoy.

Not everyone is capable of entertaining themselves and want others to make "fun" for them.

The people who bitch would leave and the community would be way more fun.

That also takes away their positive contributions. Say some big name left the community for good because of the way the forums were, how might that effect everyone else or the website itself?

People keep pushing for more intelligent conversation and when it happens people sign and say it boring.

Those people have no input to interject into the conversation then, if they complain let them. Surely they will do something to fix it, right?

[BumFodder]

never happens to me because im not a fagget lel

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 09:25 PM, Entice wrote: Blocking people is really petty, I'd only do it if they literally spammed my inbox and I had no choice

Agreed, I've had to do this because of bots messaging me trying to phish my account.

Otherwise it's pretty easy to ignore people

That too.

[ChloBro]

Lmao @ arguing with someone in PMs.

[TheColourAwesome]

At 3/17/13 09:22 PM, BrokenPaw wrote:

At 3/17/13 08:56 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote: If nothing gets solved in 3 hours in never will.

That's not entirely true.

I never said it was.

Not everyone agrees with your ideas is the thing,

I didn't say they did, hence my way.

Not everyone is capable of entertaining themselves and want others to make "fun" for them.

So? People need to learn how to make threads. It's a give and take situation. This is a community run by the community. Don't act like it's someone else's job to keep you entertained because it isn't.

That also takes away their positive contributions. Say some big name left the community for good because of the way the forums were, how might that effect everyone else or the website itself?

And the anonymity and no mods would bring in more people. Big names don't mean shit. The best posters are the big names because they don't over react and they're fun. Newer people take everything too seriously. Did you see the thread about the guy you though everyone hated him after 50 posts?

Those people have no input to interject into the conversation then, if they complain let them. Surely they will do something to fix it, right?

So do you have answers or just smug rhetorical questions? Of course you don't because everything you've said has been hypothetical. Don't tell me you wouldn't change NG to how you would like if you could. I'm sure it would upset some people. I never said it was the right thing to do, I said it was how I would like it. No everyone is going to happy in any situation anyway.

This conversation is boring and will continue to be. You're going to nit pick everything I say so go ahead. You have no argument, It was never my intention to start one.

[poxpower]

At 3/17/13 09:18 PM, BrokenPaw wrote:

Somehow these people are elected into authority positions, what do you do then?

Then you're fucked unless you can go behind their backs and get them removed.
Your other option is to leave.

Not everyone is able to tell who is more mature though. What then?

Well if the two people are stupid then what can ya do? haha

Education doesn't always play a factor into the argument. It has some pull but not all of it. You can't assume education will be an outright deciding factor in an argument.

It's just a sign. Pretentiousness is a big tell of whether or not a person will be receptive to arguments. One way to tell if someone is pretentious is if they think they are better than they really are and in the debate arena that means they think they're smarter / more educated than they really are.

Of course you can't tell unless you yourself are smart enough to recognize this. But if you spot it, run away.

Isn't that "picking" on someone's belief system? Having different beliefs is what makes people unique.

No, some things are false.
People who believe false things are typically bad at arguments / logic.

Also you can be unique without believing false things. Uniqueness can come simply from you doing things that other people around you don't.

Don't we need positive people to balance the negative people in the world?

Just saying, be wary of these over-smiling happiness obsessed people because they are crazy. They are just waiting to use negativity as an excuse to shut down debate, which is not "balancing out" anything, they're just being nazi dicks, like that psycho teacher lady from Harry Potter. Man wasn't she a total bitch? Always smiling but then she turned out to be a crazy psycho.

[Stretchysumo]

I don't use Facebook, but I'll block someone's number if they're annoying the shit out of me. I don't block people because of they don't side with me in an argument.

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 09:37 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote: I never said it was.

Alright then.

So? People need to learn how to make threads. It's a give and take situation. This is a community run by the community. Don't act like it's someone else's job to keep you entertained because it isn't.

I agree people need to learn how to make threads, there's not question that's an issue. How or what can someone do to make a better thread though?

At the same time, the entertainment value of the community draws new people into the community and brings in revenue to the contributors and website.

In a way, it sorta is a job.

And the anonymity and no mods would bring in more people.

That's good though, more people means new ideas and more community. The downside is new people do not always bring desirable contributions to the community. Since the community decides what is right and wrong, the majority holds the power in a way.

Big names don't mean shit. The best posters are the big names because they don't over react and they're fun. Newer people take everything too seriously. Did you see the thread about the guy you though everyone hated him after 50 posts?

After a while big names get boring and start to run out of ideas. New people grow into better posters after a while. Not to mention, they bring new ideas and more fun to everyone else. Experience (as in, post quality, not quantity) shows what you truly are.

No I didn't see that thread, please show me it.

So do you have answers or just smug rhetorical questions?

I have answers but I don't want to step on anyone's toes. I like talking about this kind of thing, group discussion is fun. I apologize if I've upset you, I wasn't trying to.

Of course you don't because everything you've said has been hypothetical.

We're discussing a topic not fighting. I'm trying to instigate different ideas and thoughts. Don't take offense alright?

Don't tell me you wouldn't change NG to how you would like if you could.

Honestly I try to make as many people happy as I can. It's hard and impossible to impress and satisfy all of the people all of the time. If I could change NG to how I want it to be, I'd rather make it fun for everyone not just myself.

This conversation is boring and will continue to be. You're going to nit pick everything I say so go ahead. You have no argument, It was never my intention to start one.

I'm not fighting with you relax okay?

[TheColourAwesome]

At 3/17/13 09:56 PM, BrokenPaw wrote: I'm not fighting with you relax okay?

Look, all I'm saying is all it comes down to is the attitude of the people because a good attitude means better threads. Instead of focusing on what makes a good thread we just need to make more of them and if you don't like them than make a thread you do. People like to act like this place is dead because it's easy. It takes the presser off them to make threads and gives them an excuse to bitch which can be fun at times. But it's lazy and it helps no one. That attitude, not the threads but that attitude is what destroys a community.

It's simple. Don't act like NG owes you anything. Don't act like you deserve good threads if you're not willing to make them. If you're not having fun than leave or at least keep it to yourself or just don't blame NG. Simple.

[BumFodder]

Horrible thread

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 09:38 PM, poxpower wrote: Then you're fucked unless you can go behind their backs and get them removed.

That's true sadly, or you oust them some other way if they're corrupt.

Your other option is to leave.

Which, hurts the entire system.

Well if the two people are stupid then what can ya do? haha

Watch and wonder why I guess.

It's just a sign. Pretentiousness is a big tell of whether or not a person will be receptive to arguments. One way to tell if someone is pretentious is if they think they are better than they really are and in the debate arena that means they think they're smarter / more educated than they really are.

I can see how that might factor into it. Both parties need to be educated on the subject and not "educated" in one direction or the other.

Of course you can't tell unless you yourself are smart enough to recognize this. But if you spot it, run away.

Not every argument is avoidable though, sometime you have to hold your ground against idiots.

No, some things are false.

Yes, some things are false, of course that depends on the opposing parties definitions of "true" and "false."

People who believe false things are typically bad at arguments / logic.

Not everyone who believes in a different outlook on life than the other party is instantly wrong, they just have different answers for the same question.

Also you can be unique without believing false things. Uniqueness can come simply from you doing things that other people around you don't.

Beliefs influence what person a person is and what they do. It ties into how they carry themselves and what they produce for everyone else. They create good for the rest of us.

Just saying, be wary of these over-smiling happiness obsessed people because they are crazy. They are just waiting to use negativity as an excuse to shut down debate, which is not "balancing out" anything, they're just being nazi dicks, like that psycho teacher lady from Harry Potter. Man wasn't she a total bitch? Always smiling but then she turned out to be a crazy psycho.

If everyone is miserable and no one is positive, it's gonna be a dark and gloomy world. I understand what you mean though.

If you lean too far to one side of an subject you're liable to fall off the entire discussion. I think you need a balance between "positive" and "negative" compromise is the key.

I'm not familiar with that character from Harry Potter, sorry :(

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 10:08 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote: Look, all I'm saying is all it comes down to is the attitude of the people because a good attitude means better threads. Instead of focusing on what makes a good thread we just need to make more of them and if you don't like them than make a thread you do. People like to act like this place is dead because it's easy. It takes the pressure off them to make threads and gives them an excuse to bitch which can be fun at times. But it's lazy and it helps no one. That attitude, not the threads but that attitude is what destroys a community.

Agreed.

Is there a way to change attitudes then?
How, can NG give off that "free" vibe and loosen people up?

It's simple. Don't act like NG owes you anything. Don't act like you deserve good threads if you're not willing to make them. If you're not having fun than leave or at least keep it to yourself or just don't blame NG. Simple.

Unfortunately that's easier said than done.

[poxpower]

At 3/17/13 10:11 PM, BrokenPaw wrote:

Your other option is to leave.

Which, hurts the entire system.

Yeah well you'll notice most people don't like confrontation and "leave it up to smarter people" to decide.
Which is how stupid people go through life believing nonsense and how society degrades as the stupids vote more stupids into office.

Yes, some things are false, of course that depends on the opposing parties definitions of "true" and "false."

Well not really.
For instance, tigers can't fly.

If you're arguing against someone's who's definition of "true and false" allows for tigers to fly, then you should probably run away because you're about to get raped by a cult leader / LSD addict.

If everyone is miserable and no one is positive, it's gonna be a dark and gloomy world. I understand what you mean though.

Nah, no one is all negative anyway.
They're just trying to use that argument as an out to not argue.

Trying to call other people cynical for telling them they're idiots for trying to plant donut seeds.

[Swag-in-a-Bag]

-Never had that happen to me so i dont know what that feel like

[BrokenPaw]

At 3/17/13 10:27 PM, poxpower wrote: Yeah well you'll notice most people don't like confrontation and "leave it up to smarter people" to decide.
Which is how stupid people go through life believing nonsense and how society degrades as the stupids vote more stupids into office.

Yep YEP YEP THANK YOU YEP

And just so it's clear, I hate confrontation but I try to bust out of my shell. I hardly post on newgrounds because I'm literally afraid of saying the wrong thing and getting reprimanded for it or causing a battle.
I don't wanna hurt anyone but it's hard to explain and talk about things, at least for me.

Well not really.

Then how about the legality of something say, the right to marry who you want or be who you want to be. Perhaps if abortion is okay or not okay?

This is just a better example of what I meant. I didn't mean something along the lines of that (flying tigers).

If you're arguing against someone's who's definition of "true and false" allows for tigers to fly, then you should probably run away because you're about to get raped by a cult leader / LSD addict.

It's fun to watch those people from afar and observe them.

Nah, no one is all negative anyway.
They're just trying to use that argument as an out to not argue.

It's hard to keep feelings out of arguments for most people, especially me. This is a problem I'm trying to work on.

Trying to call other people cynical for telling them they're idiots for trying to plant donut seeds.

lmfao

[TheColourAwesome]

At 3/17/13 10:18 PM, BrokenPaw wrote: Is there a way to change attitudes then?
How, can NG give off that "free" vibe and loosen people up?

Just don't or think you deserve anything from NG. How that's done is something different entirely. But I don't have the right to ask that of people. So it might not ever happen. I'm sick of arguments turning personal and the crazy amount of pride people have in continuing an argument until a thread does get locked. People think other people care so they get embarrassed and have to come out on top. Anyway, good talk I guess.

[Darthdenim]

Blocking people can only lead to cultural myopia.

It's as bad as moderators.

[372]

Well if you are both mature enough to have a disagreement without down right trying to insult each other in the first place, and if you go into the debate knowing you're probably not going to change the person's mind; You should be able to have a healthy discussion in which you learn a new point of view. Weather you agree with it or not.

The best way to have a successful debate is to be aware of your own semmelweis reflex and to not ...well... be a dick.

[TheColourAwesome]

At 3/17/13 10:40 PM, Darthdenim wrote: Blocking people can only lead to cultural myopia.

It's as bad as moderators.

I've seen your videos and they're hilarious. You compare mods to rape. You're such a loser, dud.

[BumFodder]

At 3/17/13 10:44 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote:

At 3/17/13 10:40 PM, Darthdenim wrote: Blocking people can only lead to cultural myopia.

It's as bad as moderators.

I've seen your videos and they're hilarious. You compare mods to rape. You're such a loser, dud.

lol

[Darthdenim]

At 3/17/13 10:44 PM, TheColourAwesome wrote:

At 3/17/13 10:40 PM, Darthdenim wrote: Blocking people can only lead to cultural myopia.

It's as bad as moderators.

I've seen your videos and they're hilarious. You compare mods to rape. You're such a loser, dud.

That's not me.