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

[Adios]

I wasn't very eloquent about trying to present this idea before, so instead of trying to cut through 20+ pages of idiocy to revive the first thread I started on the topic, I'm making this shiny new one. I'd really like everyone's feedback on this, provided it's thoughtful rather than some lame attempt at a snarky one-liner.

I think the problem is that for whatever reason, PD has become less a place where people trade ideas and thoughts about what's going on in the world around them, how their interactions with the world around them effect themselves and others, and how we might be able to harness and/or direct that and more about presenting everything from a personal and purely self-centered framework.

IOW, we used to bitch about our jobs/politicians/etc. and apply these gripes to a larger framework or use them to build to an overarching point about something besides ourselves, now we just bitch about our jobs/politicians/etc. BECAUSE of how it effects us. It's one thing to occasionally interject an interesting or amusing purely personal story into the dialogue. It reminds us that we're some bizarre permutation of a tribe and that we're here to help each other progress and build. But when that kind of dialogue overtakes everything else and becomes the FOCUS of the site, we've really literally become nothing more than "facebook for weirdos". The foundation of this site is the desire to understand the processes that rule our environment well enough to be able to use them for our own ends (even if we have wildly differing ends amongst ourtselves), not the desire to know what you and your boyfriend did last night or what petty personal tribulations you are going through on a daily basis. I apologize if that's not what some of you want out of PD.com, but you are free to discuss all of those things amongst yourselves via PM, or IRC, or, you know, some other forum that's meant for that sort of thing. I used to think that unfettered growth of this site was to be desired for its own sake, now I realize that was just ego talking for me and that really this place might be better off (in the context of it's original stated purpose) being smaller and leaner. I don't know what can be done to impose this, and I'm not certain that I should even attempt to impose anything here anymore, but I want everyone to be very clear about what my problem is, at the very least.

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.

Holy fuck yes to all of that.

Dok, explain a little please. Does your comments extend to things like the book I am writing? Just curious.