A Golden Oldie

[Marmora Man]

I started a thread The Politics of Provision in the early days of this forum back in 2007. The thread was consciously meant to stimulate debate and dispute. It did this successfully, but all participants kept it clean, kept it polite and all enjoyed the craic.

It seems to me that the nature and tone of today's debates is darker, less forgiving and more polarised. THis is disappointing, what was once a place for grown up intelligent debate has gone downmarket. It may be why I find myself less and less inclined to join debates and simply use the forum to seek information, buy, sell and lend or borrow goods - but not engage with others. This may also account for the absence of other, early joiners, that have now left us.

[Huguenot]

Ha ha, there are many levels of darkness on threads.

Some of the more dispiriting are to be found those that have a direct impact on our lives. This often involves local planning activity, services, regulation or political decisions

I tend to find irascibility or short-temperedness to be rather trivial compared with the major crimes of dishonesty, misrepresentation, exploitation or manipulation.

Clearly if one is trying to commit one of the latter crimes, then armed with crocodile tears one could perceive bad temperedness to be so much more offensive.

Either way, 'real life issues' are going to attract a lot more passion than hypothetical musings.

[david_carnell]

Huguenot - I think you are letting a recent thread, where you have had vehement disagreement with MamoraMan amongst others, cloud your judgement.

I think you are right MM but sadly I see no way out. With descending into mawkish, rose tinted nostalgia I look back fondly on the forum 2-4 years ago and believe it was a better place than it is now.

People seemed to be more interesting, less silly, less abusive, and the threads produced reflected this. Old threads such as yours or one currently in the Lounge about "splashback tiles" show what we are missing.

I think essentially it is the principle of dilution. Too many people, whilst making the forum fantastic for the things you mention (buying, selling, etc) but it makes interesting discussion harder since the intelligent and witty voices are more likely to be drowned out by the shouts of the abusive and purile.

Maybe I sound like some MCC old-duffer complaining about pyjama-cricket, (or 20/20 as I belive it is officially known), rallying in the face of obvious progress, but I know I'm not the only one. The roll call of the departed is long and honourable. I may soon join them.

[Jeremy]

Guys, you have to practise what you preach. Who here is not guilty of occasionally being rude, polarised, unforgiving, condescending, or abusive?

[maxxi]

Aye... when I first posted on 'ere it were all fields!