The Problem With PD is This (serious thread, not stupid attempt at sarcasm):

[The Wizard]

1.  Each of us, almost all of us, have gotten fat, stupid, and lazy.  We recognized the BIP, so we think we beat it (welcome to your new cell, same as the old cell).  We've put on filters because it's easier than thinking, and we all shout and bellow, but never fucking listen.  We - as a group - cannot even read anymore.  We SEE the words, and we may even KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, but we don't really LISTEN, because we've already decided we know everyfuckingthing and anything we don't know is just commentary.

Agreed.

2.  This isn't facebook for weirdos, it's facebook for REALLY FUCKING HUGE EGOS.  Yeah, I include myself in that.  It's not about discordianism now, it's about "Who's Who on PD".  It's about whining that your posts aren't appreciated, 60 seconds after you shit all over someone else's thread.  It's about screeching incessantly that you're an authority on something.  It's about ME ME ME ME ME.

Hadn't really considered this angle. Have to think about this before deciding whether agree or not.

3.  We've gotten so lazy being mad that we've forgotten how to have fun.  Also, this place is starting to resemble the hell scene from JTHM.  Everyone is desperate to BE SEEN BEING SOMEBODY (whether or not they're really like that makes no difference).  I can only speak for myself, but I'm a little sick and fucking tired of people insisting that people recognize how cool they are, or how they're a fucking expert on one subject or another, or how they're TOO IMPORTANT TO HAVE ANY FUCKING FUN, because it's BENEATH THEIR DIGNITY.  Likewise, in the threads that ARE serious, SHOW A LITTLE COMMON SENSE and DON'T ASSUME THAT YOUR WIT WILL BE FOUND FUNNY BY SOMEONE WHO SPENT AN HOUR OR SO THINKING UP AND WRITING A RANT.

Parts of this sound similar to what I wrote. But you hit the important part. Few people seem to be having fun anymore. THAT is where I think the real issue is.

I'll probably have more to say about this later, when I have more time.

[Dysfunctional Cunt]

I agree with Roger. It has got to be fun. For me it also has to make me think.

I don't have a fix but I do have a thought, if something isn't done people will leave and while some may never be missed, others will be.

[Eater of Clowns]

There's a definite feeling of one-up-man-ship around here lately, and not in the good way.  The Spiders project worked for me so well because I read everyone's awesome contribution and said "fuck yeah, I can challenge myself to hang with that crowd."  That kind of healthy respectful competition breeds better writing from all parties involved.  Instead what we've been getting is a lot of "fuck yeah, I can shit all over what's going on here."  The first is a rise to a challenge, the second is pure ego.  So what the Dok said on that, yeah.

I also think there's a bit of losing sight of pd as a group of people.  Let me rephrase that:  pd.com is a group of people.  The more people it becomes a group of, the more dissonance we'll get in the direction it goes, the content it churns out, the tone of arguments, etc.  Somehow a group of us, who have recognized and talked about how any group of monkeys will eventually cause these problems, have succumbed to these exact same problems.  I mean shit, how difficult is it to frame this whole debate in terms of conservative-true-to-how-pd-was-meant-to-be to progressive-how-great-pd-can-be-if-we-try?  Maybe I'm lolofivesing it though.

Fuck it if this made any sense, I've been drinking.

[BADGE OF HONOR]

For once in my life I'm agreeing with Ratatosk, the single worst problem here IMO is the personal attacks on people with different viewpoints.  They think something that someone doesn't agree with?  Well, they're clearly just a complete moron who should be shat all over.  I think it's a problem of trolling tactics honed so well on places like CoG being brought to bear here, bringing work home from work as it were.  

This is a place where everyone has at least something in common (at least in theory) and the kind of MY OPINION IS BETTER THAN YOUR OPINION SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR OPINION AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS type of reaction is incredibly divisive.  If that's how all serious discussions turn into, why bother?

[Doktor Howl]

I agree with Roger. It has got to be fun. For me it also has to make me think.

For you, that's fun.  I agree.

But not everyone does, at least not all the time.  And there's room for them here, too.

If you don't like fluff, DON'T CLICK.  If you like fluff and not rants, KEEP YOUR FLUFF OUT OF THE RANTS.

Before you hit the post button, ask yourself, "If this was my thread, would this be the sort of post I'd like to have someone make?"  Are you making things more fun for everyone, or just showing how witty you are?  If you're reading a serious thread, did you actually READ it, before writing a response?

[Doktor Howl]

There's a definite feeling of one-up-man-ship around here lately, and not in the good way.  The Spiders project worked for me so well because I read everyone's awesome contribution and said "fuck yeah, I can challenge myself to hang with that crowd."  That kind of healthy respectful competition breeds better writing from all parties involved.  Instead what we've been getting is a lot of "fuck yeah, I can shit all over what's going on here."  The first is a rise to a challenge, the second is pure ego.  So what the Dok said on that, yeah.

I also think there's a bit of losing sight of pd as a group of people.  Let me rephrase that:  pd.com is a group of people.  The more people it becomes a group of, the more dissonance we'll get in the direction it goes, the content it churns out, the tone of arguments, etc.  Somehow a group of us, who have recognized and talked about how any group of monkeys will eventually cause these problems, have succumbed to these exact same problems.  I mean shit, how difficult is it to frame this whole debate in terms of conservative-true-to-how-pd-was-meant-to-be to progressive-how-great-pd-can-be-if-we-try?  Maybe I'm lolofivesing it though.

Fuck it if this made any sense, I've been drinking.

Makes perfect sense.

There is no need to shit on someone for having a little silly fun.  Likewise, there is no need to derail a serious thread to show what a zany character you are.

[Doktor Howl]

For once in my life I'm agreeing with Ratatosk, the single worst problem here IMO is the personal attacks on people with different viewpoints.  They think something that someone doesn't agree with?  Well, they're clearly just a complete moron who should be shat all over.  I think it's a problem of trolling tactics honed so well on places like CoG being brought to bear here, bringing work home from work as it were.  

This is a place where everyone has at least something in common (at least in theory) and the kind of MY OPINION IS BETTER THAN YOUR OPINION SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR OPINION AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS type of reaction is incredibly divisive.  If that's how all serious discussions turn into, why bother?

Strange as it may seem, I agree.  And yeah, I've been guilty of that a time or three in the last 8 years.

[Dr. Paes]

Sense being made, ITT.

Last 10 or so posts

This.

[NotPublished]

I don't know.

I am ALWAYS up for causing some sort of disturbance,

I don't know if I have ever shared content, if I see an opening and where I can give some input then I will do so.
But otherwise, I'll keep doing what I do. Whatever that is.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Problem isn't fluff, or narcissism, or heavy-handedness, or any of that shit.

There are three problems:

1.  Each of us, almost all of us, have gotten fat, stupid, and lazy.  We recognized the BIP, so we think we beat it (welcome to your new cell, same as the old cell).  We've put on filters because it's easier than thinking, and we all shout and bellow, but never fucking listen.  We - as a group - cannot even read anymore.  We SEE the words, and we may even KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, but we don't really LISTEN, because we've already decided we know everyfuckingthing and anything we don't know is just commentary.

2.  This isn't facebook for weirdos, it's facebook for REALLY FUCKING HUGE EGOS.  Yeah, I include myself in that.  It's not about discordianism now, it's about "Who's Who on PD".  It's about whining that your posts aren't appreciated, 60 seconds after you shit all over someone else's thread.  It's about screeching incessantly that you're an authority on something.  It's about ME ME ME ME ME.

3.  We've gotten so lazy being mad that we've forgotten how to have fun.  Also, this place is starting to resemble the hell scene from JTHM.  Everyone is desperate to BE SEEN BEING SOMEBODY (whether or not they're really like that makes no difference).  I can only speak for myself, but I'm a little sick and fucking tired of people insisting that people recognize how cool they are, or how they're a fucking expert on one subject or another, or how they're TOO IMPORTANT TO HAVE ANY FUCKING FUN, because it's BENEATH THEIR DIGNITY.  Likewise, in the threads that ARE serious, SHOW A LITTLE COMMON SENSE and DON'T ASSUME THAT YOUR WIT WILL BE FOUND FUNNY BY SOMEONE WHO SPENT AN HOUR OR SO THINKING UP AND WRITING A RANT.

It's really fucking simple, people.  Show a little consideration, stop worrying about your status/image/expertise so fucking much, and loosen up a bit.

And someone smack Enki.  No, fucking serious here.

I think this is pretty spot-on.

Also, I think we're bored. We do need drama and conflict, but we need it elsewhere, or we start being the Fox of Chaos and eating our own entrails.

[Doktor Howl]

Problem isn't fluff, or narcissism, or heavy-handedness, or any of that shit.

There are three problems:

1.  Each of us, almost all of us, have gotten fat, stupid, and lazy.  We recognized the BIP, so we think we beat it (welcome to your new cell, same as the old cell).  We've put on filters because it's easier than thinking, and we all shout and bellow, but never fucking listen.  We - as a group - cannot even read anymore.  We SEE the words, and we may even KNOW WHAT THEY SAY, but we don't really LISTEN, because we've already decided we know everyfuckingthing and anything we don't know is just commentary.

2.  This isn't facebook for weirdos, it's facebook for REALLY FUCKING HUGE EGOS.  Yeah, I include myself in that.  It's not about discordianism now, it's about "Who's Who on PD".  It's about whining that your posts aren't appreciated, 60 seconds after you shit all over someone else's thread.  It's about screeching incessantly that you're an authority on something.  It's about ME ME ME ME ME.

3.  We've gotten so lazy being mad that we've forgotten how to have fun.  Also, this place is starting to resemble the hell scene from JTHM.  Everyone is desperate to BE SEEN BEING SOMEBODY (whether or not they're really like that makes no difference).  I can only speak for myself, but I'm a little sick and fucking tired of people insisting that people recognize how cool they are, or how they're a fucking expert on one subject or another, or how they're TOO IMPORTANT TO HAVE ANY FUCKING FUN, because it's BENEATH THEIR DIGNITY.  Likewise, in the threads that ARE serious, SHOW A LITTLE COMMON SENSE and DON'T ASSUME THAT YOUR WIT WILL BE FOUND FUNNY BY SOMEONE WHO SPENT AN HOUR OR SO THINKING UP AND WRITING A RANT.

It's really fucking simple, people.  Show a little consideration, stop worrying about your status/image/expertise so fucking much, and loosen up a bit.

And someone smack Enki.  No, fucking serious here.

I think this is pretty spot-on.

Also, I think we're bored. We do need drama and conflict, but we need it elsewhere, or we start being the Fox of Chaos and eating our own entrails.

While I AM tasty, I think we should find someone to vent all this stack gas onto. 

But if not, I'll just listen to Lady Gaga and eat me a Roger steak, rare.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

For once in my life I'm agreeing with Ratatosk, the single worst problem here IMO is the personal attacks on people with different viewpoints.  They think something that someone doesn't agree with?  Well, they're clearly just a complete moron who should be shat all over.  I think it's a problem of trolling tactics honed so well on places like CoG being brought to bear here, bringing work home from work as it were. 

This is a place where everyone has at least something in common (at least in theory) and the kind of MY OPINION IS BETTER THAN YOUR OPINION SO YOU CAN TAKE YOUR OPINION AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR ASS type of reaction is incredibly divisive.  If that's how all serious discussions turn into, why bother?

Strange as it may seem, I agree.  And yeah, I've been guilty of that a time or three in the last 8 years.

As far as I can remember, PD has always trolled itself. There seems to have been a decline in a certain brand jackassery on the boards in the past year or so though and I think it kind of changed the normal dynamics of the forum. In the past, we always had someone who was being a shit-head and so we were able to loose our vitriol on them. There seems to have been a slight uptick recently in that certain brand of jackassery I mentioned, but because it's been a while it seems alien to some of us.

I mean, when was the last time we really had an Eldora or even an Aini? I mean, Nigel is the closest thing to that these days. The board seems to have become soft.

Maybe it's just because I don't go on troll outings anymore, but there don't seem to be as many lulz here as there used to be in large part because 1) we don't have a scapegoat/whipping boy to heap proper abuse on and 2) the amount of Serious Business mixed with livejournal/myspace/twitter horseshit has gone up.

Personally, I have always come here for the lulz. I try to avoid posting personal stuff here, because I don't see much value in posting that sort of shit. I mean, really, who the fuck cares? People reply to make conversation, but it's about as interesting as a facebook feed most of the time. I'm not saying people can't post that stuff here, they can do whatever they want but they can't expect not to be made fun of if they start posting really stupid shit that nobody cares about. There seems to have been a real hesitance to make fun of people lately and I'm not sure why. Maybe everyone is mellowing out. Maybe I should start saying what I think a little more often instead of ignoring it, even if it pisses someone off.

I do, however, agree that PD has become "facebook for weirdos" to some degree.

[Juana]

bringing the Twilight parody project back

I considered doing that myself, but when I realised how many unfinished and ongoing projects I still (in my personal life, not just related to this place) have I kinda went "eh".

Sorry about that.

No worries and ditto. It's how it goes.

[Doktor Howl]

I mean, when was the last time we really had an Eldora or even an Aini? I mean, Nigel is the closest thing to that these days. The board seems to have become soft.

Naw.  Nigel posts content when the mood hits her.  The closest thing we have to an Aini is Enki, and we have nothing resembling Eldora.  That landwhale is one of a kind.

[Shibboleet The Annihilator]

Enki is more like one of the trolls from 07-09 (AKK, etc) but not as bad and at least the kid is trying.

Nigel is like Eldora/Aini in that she stirs shit and then throws a shitfit when the inevitable and entirely predictable backlash occurs.