Chicago MMXII

I think so, even if it's unspoken. But I know that there are cases in which it is or has been spoken.

dan m what is your opinion on the matter?

srs question: do you think there is a 'party line' on certain ilx threads where groups of posters will gang up and bully anyone who does not conform?

Yes.

What Jesse said, essentially. I'll say only that I think there have been a few well-meaning, possibly misguided posters who've been chased away because they didn't quite sync up with the consensus, or they expressed their views in an unorthodox manner.

dan m what is your opinion on the matter?

I think there is and I'm not sure what can be done about it. The same behavior has existed on just about every message board I've ever used.

I also think that, for better or worse, certain posters get tarred for expressing an unpopular opinion and are then dismissed out of hand forever more.

Regardless of what else they might post, that is.

To some extent I think it's about the standards of the community, but sometimes that gets stretched into bullying.

btw I have no idea what jvc's situation was but the notion that he was advocating a race war seems preposterous

I think ilx's bully/asshole-ism is kind of just human nature. Which is why I am a misanthrope.

people are the most terrible. it's why i like the company of plants and animals.

I did some reading up on this last night after j/v/c left. I think this is a fair summary of events:

1. Someone on the U.S. election thread linked to a delusional and racist National Review Online article.

2. iatee said "it basically reads like the suburbs thread."

3. j/v/c said "Really? I missed the part with the open racism and predictions of a race war." (That is, j/v/c claimed that the suburbs thread contains no such ugly racism.)

4. iatee responded "maybe you should go reread it I distinctly remember you declaring a race war the same day you wished cancer on all of us."

5. (Backstory: About a year ago, j/v/c complained on the suburbs thread about other posters' crass stereotyping of suburbanites. This led to some tweaks and zings directed at j/v/c, to which he responded by saying "I hope you all die of cancer.")

6. (However, he did not, in fact, "declare a race war" either in jest or in earnest.)

7. j/v/c did not take kindly to iatee's post on the election thread and started a thread on the Moderator Request Board to express concern about what he characterized as "wildly untrue accusations."

8. On that thread, moderators decided that, while aggravating, iatee's post wasn't "actionable." Other posters, while not necessarily taking iatee's side, argued that he was clearly being hyperbolic and that j/v/c should shrug it off.

9. At that point, Roberto Spiralli, in an attempt at a joke, posted:

1-2-3-4 i declare a race war
― heated debate over derpy hooves (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Thursday, August 2, 2012 5:20 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

pretty hard to misinterpret this post tbh

― Roberto Spiralli, Thursday, August 2, 2012 7:30 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

10. j/v/c strenuously objected to this false attribution. Some people pointed out that RS's post was a joke, but nonetheless, it appears to have been the last straw for j/v/c.

that's a good summation!

I must admit, and this may make me a bad person, that I lol'd at the fake "1-2-3-4, I declare a race war" quote. In fact, I am loling just thinking about it right now.

what a mess

wild

srs question: do you think there is a 'party line' on certain ilx threads where groups of posters will gang up and bully anyone who does not conform?

Yes. Not insofar as opinions about a particular thing are concerned (although maybe that's the case on threads that I avoid) but there is definitely a "party line" on how people should act/express themselves and deviation from that norm definitely results in group mockery.

I've said it before but I'll say it again, threads like the zing thread and the posts very much in character thread tend to be repositories for this kind of attitude policing and I think they are shitty. I'm thinking of one controversial poster in particular who can post something as innocent as "Raining again," get quoted in the posts very much in character thread, and then it's a thinly veiled shitpile on that poster for however many posts it takes people to get it out of their system.

After reading the modreq thread I am basically more convinced than ever of my position on posters ganging up on other people.

Yeah, I'm a little disappointed in some of them. It's like zingsharks sensing LOLblood in the water.

http://www.cnt.org/news/2012/08/03/igo-carsharing-to-pilot-a-carsharing-peer-to-peer-program/

That's neat! One of the things I liked about owning a car is that I felt like when the economy completely collapsed, it would be a valuable asset as I could hire myself out as a gypsy cab. This would probably be better, though.

I wonder if the lake is what's giving me GI distress.

That car sharing thing is really cool. I am finally getting over my compulsion to have a car, but if I ever did, that program would be really interesting.

There is already a p2p car sharing program in town. Idk anything about it except the bit I read in the Red Eye. I'm eager to see how this turns out - will owners be cool about having strangers using their cars? Will there be hurt butts? Will everyone honor the schedule the same as with regular IGo cars?

IMO the next big thing should be a hitchhiking program. I can't tell you how many times I've been desperate for a cab and wished that one of the hundreds of cars going by could just give me a fucking ride. Or vice versa, thought that I'd be happy to give a distressed looking person a ride.

Wow, so yesterday's storm. There was a huge thunder clap around 5 and ... our power went out. Didn't come back until around 3 AM.

Kind of a bummer b/c Kr was at a dinner party all night, and I was looking forward to a night in with a movie.

I ended up walking around the neighborhood listening to This American Life, sat at Julius Meinl for a couple of hours with a book, and then came home and played a game on my charged iPad.

that's crazy! Especially because our power didn't go out at all. Though, tbh, it sounds like you kind of had an awesome night anyway.

Yeah, from what I could tell, it was just our block and only one side of the street.

I just waved at Jeff from my bike like a crazy person while he was jogging.

This is the third big storm this summer that happened without my realizing it had even so much as rained. I slept through two and I was in the mall when this one hit Schaumburg. Such a waste.

I didn't see you. There were like a million bikers. Where did you see me?

It was near a harbor, I smiled and waved but you seemed like you were in a zone and I just wanted to signal hiiiiiii. I was southbound, you were northbound. Belmont maybe?

It was a pretty good run. Best long one I've had in awhile.

I had a great bike ride too. Went to the plant conservatory to visit my plants, visited the 8 newborn piglets in the petting zoo and the sad rhino, had a sandwich and a beer in the shade while reading, stopped at the bird sanctuary on the way back north, walked out on the pier, had a quick and painless ride home. It felt really really really good to be outside and be comfortable instead of boiling.

Agree.

What's with all the loud helicopters? They been buzzing the area since mid-morning, and they've been especially active the past 20 minutes or so.

They're coming to get you, Barbra.

Good morning. I'm a pudu.

http://www.zooborns.com/.a/6a010535647bf3970b016768a57f5a970b-500wi

one of my three childhood favorites!
http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6160/6202706246_3b1f1e7ba3_z.jpg

pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu pudu

Ok - I know I should probably post this on some ILM thread (and I probably will - new thread 'oversold shows,' maybe), but Metro this weekend for Afghan Whigs was CRAZY! Joe Shanahan can suck donkey balls for all the times he oversells that venue.
And seriously ... why go to a show if your going to yack the whole time and play with your phone. I was seriously considering decking some dickwads who would not SHUT.THE.FUCK.UP. Afghan Whigs put on a great show for not playing for 13+ years. Good thing I didn't try to record it - would've been covered up by blabbing ... grrr.

i've never had any big problems at the metro but it can get pretty packed in there

I was just wondering if I should buy tickets for the upcoming show in October, but they're $35 and I would have to go alone because who the f among my friends is willing to shell out $35 to see the Whigs? With me?

No one. But I want to go! I don't even want to know how great the show was (yes I do)

Also I didn't see you at the most recent Agalloch show, Mr Prison. Were you there? I was in the same place I was for the last two shows, standing on that little bench area to the right if you're looking at the stage. It was great! They played for a really really really long time.

why go to a show if your going to yack the whole time and play with your phone. I was seriously considering decking some dickwads who would not SHUT.THE.FUCK.UP.

I HATE THIS. I have asked people to please stop talking or if they must talk, please go somewhere else in the venue.

Other than going to see the Protomen (lol) last winter, I haven't been to the Metro in a bazillion years but I've never had any major problems. Or I just assumed that whatever problems I was having were because I was at a dirty filthy stinking rock and roll bar.

Every show I've been to at Metro has been ridic packed, but I enjoy my personal space at shows a lot more these days than I did 10 years ago or so.

Me, too, which is why I haven't been to the Metro in a bazillion years. Protomen was fun because they opened and we had no interest in the headliner so we were home early, and half the audience were kids, as in minors there with their parents, and they are easy to push around and see over.

I was not at the recent Agalloch show (nor GBV this week - on-call for work both cases - grr). Do buy tix for Whigs (I already have mine for Oct. again and I rarely see two legs of a same tour) - they were great http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-afghan-whigs/2012/metro-chicago-il-73dce275.html.

Will you hang out with me? I don't want to go alone! How sad would that be.

I'm afraid to look at the setlist before I see if the show is sold out...

Yep - totally hang out with ya and my buddy would be cool with that, too (I'm sure you can deal with two 42 yr old music geeks occassionaly weeping for our rock n' roll salad days schtick). I know you listen to a lot of good tunes and I seem to remember you're some sort of educator (my gal just won Provost award for best freshman professor at Loyola - I hear about higher ed. all the time) - so there's plenty of between-set banter to be had.

bought my ticket, will go solo if i have to but you seem to be one of my people
we'll discuss when the time comes!

how nice that they have awards at loyola :-/ (congrats to her though for real!)