Lost discussion thread revisited or what????

[westgrandboulevard]

Showing your true mettle......

[Jerry Oz]

I'm releasing an album full of songs about my courage. It's what I consider to be heavy mettle music...

[arr&bee]

Those within the industry say it's going..double aluminum.

[westgrandboulevard]

An essential element for success.

[splanky]

Hellooooooo,is anybody else here,i know it's saturday and the sun is shining but darn is anyone else here,this is the biggest difererence from the old days nobody talks much these days..somebody say something.

When I first saw this thread I thought it would be addressing the fact that serious reflection
and intelligent discussion of current events on the forum is rapidly vanishing from SDF and
the Clubhouse but I was mistaken. I don't pretend to be trying to tell anyone what they should talk about but for some time I've been wanting to say this:
There are about 5 or 6 threads here that I just don't get ...There is no discussion in them.
Just strings of one or two lines jokes. Maybe I've lost my sense of humour...

[144man]

When I first saw this thread I thought it would be addressing the fact that serious reflection
and intelligent discussion of current events on the forum is rapidly vanishing from SDF and
the Clubhouse but I was mistaken. I don't pretend to be trying to tell anyone what they should talk about but for some time I've been wanting to say this:
There are about 5 or 6 threads here that I just don't get ...There is no discussion in them.
Just strings of one or two lines jokes. Maybe I've lost my sense of humour...

We recently had a serious thread going on Scottish independence. You have had ample opportunity to start a thread on the US mid-term elections, for instance, but obviously have chosen not to do so. There are certain American issues I read about in the UK Press, which it surprises no one discusses on SDF, but I feel it would be presumptuous of me to start threads on internal US affairs. I also think most UK matters are of little interest to the majority of US members.

You are possibly right that 5 or 6 threads of one or two line jokes are a couple of threads too many, but yes, you probably have lost your sense of humour.

[splanky]

We recently had a serious thread going on Scottish independence. You have had ample opportunity to start a thread on the US mid-term elections, for instance, but obviously have chosen not to do so. There are certain American issues I read about in the UK Press, which it surprises no one discusses on SDF, but I feel it would be presumptuous of me to start threads on internal US affairs. I also think most UK matters are of little interest to the majority of US members.

You are possibly right that 5 or 6 threads of one or two line jokes are a couple of threads too many, but yes, you probably have lost your sense of humour.

In case you didn't notice, I posted on the thread about about the Scottish independence
issue. I don't usually start threads myself except to get a question answered because most
of things I care about are foreign to most of the forum these days. I acknowledge that. I've
peeked in on a few of those other threads and read through pages where I was waiting for
somebody to say something really funny ; didn't happen. There are dozens of so- called
American issues that I don't give a shit about so what goes on in a UK I've never seen is
a moot point...O well..Carry on with the jokes...

[Jerry Oz]

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender looks at him and says 'Hey pal. Why the long face?'

[westgrandboulevard]

I backed that same horse last week, at ten to one.

It came in at quarter past four.

[144man]

A horse walked into a bar and saw two dogs sitting at a table. He went over to them and asked them what the time was. "Quarter past four", came the reply. The horse thanked them and left the bar.

One dog turned to the other. "What do you think of that?", he said with surprise. "That horse could talk!".

[westgrandboulevard]

A man in a movie theatre notices what looks like a horse sitting next to him.
"Are you a horse?" asked the man, surprised.
"Yes", came the reply.
"What are you doing at the movies?"
The horse replied, "Well, I liked the book."

[144man]

No doubt he was sitting in the stalls.

[westgrandboulevard]

This little sequence gently but effectively illustrates that everyone has 'stuff' which can get us down and make us feel stressed and unhappy, but some of us here are seriously trying just that little bit harder to do something about it, all in the process of cheering ourselves up.

[Jerry Oz]

This little sequence gently affirms that I may indeed be nuttier than a fruitcake, but thank God I'm not alone!

[144man]

We all need a little bit of madness to keep us sane!

[Jerry Oz]

And thankfully, 'little bit' is a subjective measurement as some of our posts reveal...

[arr&bee]

Hey splanky,how ya been,don't blame these decent folks for all the nonsense here,you know that i'm currupting them but they keep coming back for more....if i ever get serious for longer than oh say five minutes,call the number at the bottom of the post and have me committed.

[westgrandboulevard]

You're not corrupting me, Arr&bee [[that's impossible ), and none of this is nonsense - it's perfect sense to many....although I have indeed long assumed you are making your posts from a maximum security twilight home, somewhere.....haha

[Jerry Oz]

Perhaps we should start a 'what makes you feel funky' thread so we can have serious discussion about world events and other things. Although I submit to you if you read these threads in earnest, you'll see they do have plenty of serious discussion about a great many things.

[westgrandboulevard]

The threads, including this one, to which Splanky was referring [[and to which I'm a major contributor, but can also understand Splanky's point of view) are what I regard as 'workshop' threads.

I see them as an online substitute of the staff room, where people chatter to each other, and move with the spontaneous conversation, wherever it leads. I contribute to these threads in the hope I'm offering a suitable response, even if usually under pressure from shortage of time, and I receive much support in return. They are 'buddy' threads, where penfriends can gather, instead of being on a more private 'one-to-one' basis. The content often has more to do with what is being left unsaid, than what is actually up there on the screen. Just being able to contribute is very beneficial, and a great outlet for expression. And, of course, we are gently competing with each other, to best the last post, and that's healthy.

A 'what makes you feel funky' thread is a good idea, and could be started at any time, as can any other thread. The drawback seems to be that most listed members don't actively participate, and many may literally view SDF as a simple substitute to passively watching TV. I may not contribute much if anything to topics which address world events, but there is certainly a place for them. There's a place on SDF for any topic as long as it is acceptable to discuss it, and there are people who wish to do so.

That said.... the music, the memories and the history of Detroit should always be represented by the majority of threads. If they are not, that doesn't reflect too well on the silent majority, rather than those who are giving time and attention to say 'something' here...

[Jerry Oz]

I've no problem with his input at all. Just wondered why he'd concern himself with the nature of a thread when he admittedly doesn't create many of them himself and his participation is limited in others. I often contribute to more serious threads and find that they die out after a few days of topical relevance. Of course, many are leery of participating due to the frequent dust ups that occur when someone has a problem with another poster over a past thread. C'est la vie.

[westgrandboulevard]

It's always a reality that the few represent the many.

C'est la vie, as you say. And I've even heard French people say it....

[Jerry Oz]

It, as my one of my buddies would say: 'Whatever, Yo.'

[westgrandboulevard]

If you can't fight it, and it has to be, then it has to be.

[Jerry Oz]

That's what I said in post #173.

[arr&bee]

West you should run for prime minister,or prime ribs,or prime time,whatever the headman over there is called,because you articulate well my good fellow,i raise my tea cup to you...[of course you know that this tea will knock your socks off].

[westgrandboulevard]

Arr&bee, I could perhaps run for Rhyme Administer, and quote poetry [[I'll put in a good word for you) - or I might just be better off running for a bus.

[144man]

If wgb becomes prime minister, we should all run for cover.

[Jerry Oz]

If he ran for president, he'd have my vote. Better the devil that I know than these greedy bastards who keep driving us off the rails.

[arr&bee]

Yeah the crooks ,and they tell me i owe em taxes at...100%above factory invoice...the crooks.

[144man]

Why do I think that an honest politician would also be incompetent?

[Jerry Oz]

Consider that any coalition he could form would have to include a number of cooked fellows. How could he be honest while also furthering the goals of ne'er do wells? He would be incompetent for the simple reason that he couldn't do one good thing without signing on to do ten bad deeds. So, good intentions or not, he'd be incompetent at being honest or otherwise in general.

[westgrandboulevard]

Hmmmm.

So, what would you suggest as an alternative?

[Jerry Oz]

I meant 'crooked fellows' although 'cooked' sort of works, I guess...

And I have no alternative under the current model of national government. However it occurs to me that true representative government is impossible on the national level for a country with 300+ million citizens. I propose that our country split into five super states that all govern themselves in accordance to their citizens' wishes. Each of these would have representatives on the national level who would only legislate issues that affect the confederation.

[westgrandboulevard]

That sounds good to me.

We all need to have busy lives, so it's essential we can pass our thoughts, opinions and wishes to someone else further up the chain to progress, and then liaise at a later date - as long as we are prepared to do the same for someone else, who wishes to pass on the same to us.

[Jerry Oz]

Do unto others...

[westgrandboulevard]

Verily. As you sow, so you reap [[at least that's something I hope will happen to others who behave badly towards me...)

[Jerry Oz]

I try not to care but it depends on how badly they behave. Flipping their middle fingers or calling me names are irritating but quickly forgotten. Trying to steal from me or causing harm to my family is not.

[westgrandboulevard]

I like harmony, and wouldn't really wish ill on anyone - but I'm aware that many will be thinking solely of themselves. That makes it rather unwise for me also to think of them.

[Jerry Oz]

They'd love it if you'd give them the pleasure of taking time and hating them.

[westgrandboulevard]

Then we'd all be on the down escalator.

No, I'd rather travel alone.

[Jerry Oz]

It seems like the world is much meaner than it used to be.

[westgrandboulevard]

We are becoming far more aware of the actions of others, who we may feel have been given much more opportunity to act in what we believe to be an offensive manner, than in previous times. Previous disciplines and restrictions have been relaxed or removed.

[Jerry Oz]

Perhaps. I think that every nut seeking attention realizes that he has to go big on shock and awe in order to be noticed by the instantaneous [[albeit short) news cycle.

[westgrandboulevard]

Absolutely. Everything has become over-hyped, and some of the precision to detail, standards and values has become blurred.

Example: if someone uses bad language, it is more acceptable now. It is true that no-one dies because someone else uses bad language and, in that respect, it doesn't matter so much. That's looking at the big picture.

The reality is that if two people sat together, one articulate, the other not so and using bad language, the articulate one will receive more attention and respect in most instances.

[Jerry Oz]

But with the foul language being accepted, it eventually becomes acceptable. There's language being used during television prime time that would have resulted in swats from my mother. Followed by a bar of soap to clean up my mouth for the next time I thought to talk like that again.

[arr&bee]

Great point fellas,but as we know all too well we live in a world gone mad,as the church folk might say..it's the devil's time now.

[Jerry Oz]

The devil resides in many churches. John referenced this in Revelation. The world is now his playground.

[arr&bee]

I think i saw him at the playground once,he was on the sliding board.

[westgrandboulevard]

Next day, he became Secretary of your Treasury....