Posted by verne on March 4, 2006, at 11:29:43
In reply to Re: Transference » AuntieMel, posted by 5 on March 4, 2006, at 4:06:52
5, (are you related to 7of5?)
I just took a closer look at the thread about nukes on the politics board and the discussion about ethics, transference, and blocks on this board.
I've said before that I don't think blocks should be for very long, and certainly not doubled or tripled. That's like an indefinite form of probation. (I'll get to the point later - like a sentence in German, you have to wait until the verb at the end to find out what I'm talking about)
I agree about the transference. Without Dr Bob's pic and active hands-on involvement, it wouldn't be much of an issue. It's hard to form an attachment with just the "webmaster".
When I first discovered Babble in 2000-2001, I thought it was the best site on the net to compare notes about medication - what's not said by the doctor or the pharmacist. What's really going on. I knew it wasn't my imagination when, for example, I gained 10 pounds overnight on Serzone. Babble spared me a lot of grief in my many drug trials and search for a "cure".
When I rediscovered Babble in 2004 I first noticed the politics, faith, administration, social, and other boards. Now Babble, for me, became a mixed blessing. Involvement on the other boards seemed to increase my level of anxiety and lead to more than the usual drinking.
It took me awhile to understand why the other boards even existed until one of the babble old-timers explained that these topics were causing others distress on the main board.
In other words, it was an attempt to quarantine and safely contain volatile "trigger" topics. This was the ultimate way to flag potential troublesome threads. (my problem is I open them anyway) Afterall, the main goal of the site is to be "supportive".
Which brings me to your recent trouble on the politics board - the post about "people with nukes". The babble-correct way to express it would go something like this: "The US has nukes yet doesn't want certain other countries to have nukes." or "wants nukes for some countries and not for others", leaving motives and judgment out of it.
But, perhaps, your style of posting - relentlessly exploring ideas and challenging another person's views, your kind of sharp, logically driven, brainstorming, debating, style doesn't always fit into the Borg - I mean Babble - model. How do you conform your thoughts to the Babble without losing yourself in the process?
What if you're more interested in content than style points? You want to get there without the acrobatics. And is there a way to discuss ideas in babble-perfect without sacrificing one's identity and joining the circus?
You may have arrived at your own answer. I noticed, lately, that when you venture too close to the edge, you stop and say, "...so there it is". As Tobey McGuire's character says in the movie, "Ride With the Devil": "I'm not saying it's good, I'm not saying it's bad, it just IS".
Verne
poster:verne
thread:615090
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20060225/msgs/615837.html