Not even lurking.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Thas heavenly of you CPD!  How do you all feel about WSB, Does he fiti n with the discordian loop?

What is a WSB?

William Burroughs.  Wrote some good stuff, but snuff scenes occur more or less at random, so I never read any of his shit, ever.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Never mind, go on confirming his observation that this is a tough crowd.

I liked his OP, but apparently I'm the only one.

I liked his OP, too.  But the continual harping about our insular-ness has me smelling a poptart.

I'll go to another thread now. 

[Faust]

Never mind, go on confirming his observation that this is a tough crowd.

I liked his OP, but apparently I'm the only one.

I liked it and I hope he sticks around.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

He only said it once. And here's the thing:

WE ARE INSULAR AS FUCK.

We're aggressively hostile to new people. We have a ton of in-jokes. We are all very familiar with each other. We write a lot and it's often content-heavy or has a backdrop of context a new person simply can't pick up on. This forum is unfriendly... both actively and passively... to newcomers.

Same pattern every time. Wouldn't matter whether it was or was not Poptart, basically once someone decides to show the noob what because they don't care for their jokes or the tone of their first post it's all over, and they might as well be Poptart because they're either going to explain themselves, thereby making it worse, or defend themselves, thereby making it worse, or go on the offensive, thereby making it LOTS worse, or they do what the vast majority do, which is just go away and never post here again.

We don't even bother with a glimmer of recognition of the 50-post suggestion anymore. Nope. We don't so much as wipe our asses with it. First post and you know that SOMEBODY, probably somebody who hasn't posted anywhere in any other thread for weeks at a time, is guaranteed to come out of the woodwork to shit on the noob.

[Cardinal Pizza Deliverance.]

Thas heavenly of you CPD!  How do you all feel about WSB, Does he fiti n with the discordian loop?

What is a WSB?

William Burroughs.  Wrote some good stuff, but snuff scenes occur more or less at random, so I never read any of his shit, ever.

Oh, that guy. I dunno, Odibex, I don't worry too much over the Discordian stuff. I just like hanging out with a bunch of people who think and say what they think and then talk about the whole thinking thing.

[Pæs]

I HATE YOU NEW GUY. I HATE YOU LIKE FIRE HATES THE RAIN. I HATE YOU LIKE JUSTINE SACCO HATES COMMON SENSE. I HATE YOU LIKE IAN MCKELLAN HATES SPENDING ALL DAY SITTING IN A ROOM BY HIMSELF PRETENDING TO BE TALKING TO HOBBITS WHEN THEY ARE IN FACT SEVERAL ROOMS OVER BECAUSE OF CAMERA TRICKS.

WE WERE FINE BEFORE YOU CAME, OKAY?

YOU'RE NOT MY REAL DAD.

[hooplala]

Hi new guy.

This is how we get around the holidays.

[Pæs]

LOOKS LIKE HOOPLA IS SIDING WITH POPTART. I'LL REMEMBER THIS HOOPLA.

I'LL REMEMBER THIS NEXT TIME YOU KNOCK ON MY DOOR AND ASK FOR A CUP OF SUGAR AND I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT FOR THINKING THAT IN THIS DAY AND AGE YOU CAN TRUST YOUR NEIGHBOURS TO PROVIDE YOU WITH BAKING INGREDIENTS OR A MIDNIGHT SNACK, YOU PRICKTICKLING SPAGLORD.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

He only said it once. And here's the thing:

WE ARE INSULAR AS FUCK.

He said it twice, but I am nitpicking.

We're aggressively hostile to new people.

Unless you mean Phox and Freeky, who are hardly, if ever, around, I think that reputation is hardly earned anymore.  Looking at it objectively, the new person shows up, we're nice, new person shits the bed, we all laugh.

Example:  Carnival.  Shows up, we're all reasonably pleasant, so Carnival decides it's time to explain why "Black people cannot be trusted to manage their lives". 

I'm trying to think of a counter-example that has occurred in the last year or so.

We have a ton of in-jokes. We are all very familiar with each other. We write a lot and it's often content-heavy or has a backdrop of context a new person simply can't pick up on. This forum is unfriendly... both actively and passively... to newcomers.

Not sure we can do anything about the passive end of things.  I mean, we explain things when asked, point out the relevant threads, etc.  Actively?  Compare us to Giraffe.  We're not so bad.

Same pattern every time.

"Hi, new guy!"

"You People are in need of my teaching."

"Uhh"

"FUCK YOU I'M LEAVING"

While I do not entirely disagree with you, I will point out that many users have in the past either exploded or fit in very nicely, with no "hazing" at all.  That was 4 years ago.  Since then, and it isn't just us, the entire internet has gone all assburgers.  Everyone's got to show their enormous e-penis.

We don't even bother with a glimmer of recognition of the 50-post suggestion anymore. Nope. We don't so much as wipe our asses with it. First post and you know that SOMEBODY, probably somebody who hasn't posted anywhere in any other thread for weeks at a time, is guaranteed to come out of the woodwork to shit on the noob.

Yes, the assumption of solidarity from people who don't much like us to begin with is kind of annoying.

On the other hand, "HI!  YOU GUYS GET LOW MARKS" sets me off.  Consider it a personal failing of mine.

[Cain]

Thas heavenly of you CPD!  How do you all feel about WSB, Does he fiti n with the discordian loop?

What is a WSB?

Westboro Saptist Burch, the dyslexic schismatics from the better known Westboro Baptist Church.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Thas heavenly of you CPD!  How do you all feel about WSB, Does he fiti n with the discordian loop?

What is a WSB?

Westboro Saptist Burch, the dyslexic schismatics from the better known Westboro Baptist Church.

[Freeky]

How was I being aggressive and hostile?  I was trying to be helpful, not antagonizing. 

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

What about his first post was insulting? I'm not seeing it. He basically said that we write a lot and have a lot of in-jokes and he felt like his best bet was to just dive on in.

What's wrong with "Hi there, new guy, so what kind of stuff do you do for fun?" or some other conversation-starter?

I mean, basically what I see in this and pretty much every other new guy thread is zero attempt to engage; it's just a bunch of circling with hackles up. The assumption we, as a board, tend to apply to new people, and it's gotten worse over time, is that they're going to be dumbasses/up to no good. That's the filter we're wearing when we read their posts, and that's how we tend to respond. It's all OH GOD THIS GUY IS GOING TO CRITICIZE US YEAH SEE RIGHT THERE THAT SOUNDS CRITICAL KILL HIM.

However, the thing is, EVERYONE'S A DUMBASS. WE ARE ALL DUMBASSES.

It's not our fault forums are slow these days. But it is our fault if we can't take that moment to recognize our filters and ask whether ALL the new people are dumbasses because we are wearing a filter that only lets us see dumbassery.

So some other guy was a racist. I'm sure there will be more. That doesn't mean THIS guy is a racist. He's probably got something else horribly wrong with him, sure. But at least can we give him a chance to fuck up on his own merit? 50 posts maybe? Because I like it best when this forum is less like a pack of baboons and more like a pack of bipedal apes. That's why I come here.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

What about his first post was insulting? I'm not seeing it. He basically said that we write a lot and have a lot of in-jokes and he felt like his best bet was to just dive on in.

What's wrong with "Hi there, new guy, so what kind of stuff do you do for fun?" or some other conversation-starter?

I mean, basically what I see in this and pretty much every other new guy thread is zero attempt to engage; it's just a bunch of circling with hackles up. The assumption we, as a board, tend to apply to new people, and it's gotten worse over time, is that they're going to be dumbasses/up to no good. That's the filter we're wearing when we read their posts, and that's how we tend to respond. It's all OH GOD THIS GUY IS GOING TO CRITICIZE US YEAH SEE RIGHT THERE THAT SOUNDS CRITICAL KILL HIM.

However, the thing is, EVERYONE'S A DUMBASS. WE ARE ALL DUMBASSES.

It's not our fault forums are slow these days. But it is our fault if we can't take that moment to recognize our filters and ask whether ALL the new people are dumbasses because we are wearing a filter that only lets us see dumbassery.

So some other guy was a racist. I'm sure there will be more. That doesn't mean THIS guy is a racist. He's probably got something else horribly wrong with him, sure. But at least can we give him a chance to fuck up on his own merit? 50 posts maybe? Because I like it best when this forum is less like a pack of baboons and more like a pack of bipedal apes. That's why I come here.

I am obviously not ready for prime time.  I will return when the drugs have had a chance to clear my head a little.

Because I saw something totally different.  I saw You People and Insular and everyone pooping on the furniture together, this guy AND our regulars (and not-so-regulars), all at once...Like a synchronized swimming team going for the gold.  Only not with swimming.  With pooping.

[Freeky]

I dunno.  It's complicated and I don't want to fight about it and I'm wrong and I'll shut up now.  I'm sorry.