Posted by Dr. Bob on November 9, 2010, at 10:08:28
In reply to I'm pro-block, posted by vwoolf on November 3, 2010, at 0:51:25
> Believe it or not I do support blocks, and I have said so often before.
>
> I think it is like the frame in therapy, without which it is not therapy. And like the frame in therapy, everyone hates it.
>
> I think that if we as posters are prepared to look, we will see ourselves reflected in the way we respond here on Babble. Bob is merely representing, in a shadowy internet kind of way, something internal to ourselves. He stays so far out of Babble that we can't know what he is really thinking. And so we start to project.....The frame (or block) represents the edge between ourselves and reality, and so defines us. It's not really about Bob at all, although of course he is the one who holds the frame and so catches all the crossfire.
>
> vwoolfThanks for reframing (sorry, I couldn't resist) this discussion. Could you elaborate on how a block might define a poster?
This reminds me of an idea we talked about when I was there, a new board that would focus on, to use your language above, learning about oneself from how one responds here. I like that idea very much. A lot of details would need to be worked out, but maybe it would make sense to start by trying to get an idea of how much interest there might be?
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> I think Dr. Bob should have engaged [Twinleaf] more on an explanation of where the limits lie rather than to direct threats of blocking.
> That's what saddens me about Dr. Bob's interactions with Twinleaf this time. I think Twinleaf recognized the benefit of approaching Dr. Bob in a more constructive way, and Dr. Bob didn't perceive the difference as I did.
>
> Dinah> Twinleaf's case has been the saddest of my time at Babble, I suppose because so evidently she has tried to be a kind, considerate and supportive poster.
>
> I'm not saying having issues of principle justifies anything, but I do think context is important. A person who had been a deputy once said that the training involved evaluation of posts out of context. ... Maybe he has some problem with people taking up issues of principle, I don't know.
>
> sigismundDeputy training involves posts out of context before posts in context. Like learning math involves multiplication tables before word problems. What issues of principle did you see her as taking up? Maybe I was wrong to engage her the way I did. Twinleaf, are you reading this? Do you have any questions about where the limits lie?
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> Yes, they were straightforward, and yes, they were brutal, but I got more therapeutic value in six months than I had received in years of professional "help". ... The members of the group grew stronger and closer by going THROUGH stuff, not by avoiding it.
> "Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run, than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing." ~Helen Keller
>
> ron1953Ron did seem to be exposing himself to danger and we did seem to be going through some stuff here. Was he saying he wanted me to be more straightforward and brutal?
> I thot I'd have a wee bit off fun and bypass autoasterisk for the word f*rt. I was feeling fun and playful. I later came back and tried to post someone and it said I was blocked.
>
> muffled> "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints
> The sinners are much more fun" - Billy Joel
>
> ron1953Since your freedom of speech is limited here, I guess your freedom to have fun may be, too.
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> Hmmm I was going to turn ON my tweet etc buttons so this could go 'out' there, but I dunno how?
> LOL, oh well.
> I did find the facebook, and the tweets are just new people added.
>
> muffledThe FAQ section on the buttons:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/faq.html#sharetweet
The settings page:
http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/settings.pl
Remember that if you turn them on, they're displayed after all your posts, not just particular ones.
The server automatically welcomes new posters on Twitter (which is linked to Facebook), but some tweets are from me. There might not have been any recent ones from me when you looked before, but there are now:
http://twitter.com/psycho_babel
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> I wonder what it would be like if there were a process where Dr. Bob's rules remained, but there were members who have demonstrated balance and the knack (and interest) in stepping in to mediate the issue. Instead of Deputies to enforce, there would be Mediators to intervene.
>
> SolsticeI also had the idea that posters could help other posters avoid blocks. :-)
But not of designating specific posters. That reminds me of the Elders Council idea that hyperfocus had:
http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/968745.html
Bob
a brilliant and reticent Web mastermind -- The New York Times
backpedals well -- PartlyCloudy
poster:Dr. Bob
thread:965628
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20101014/msgs/969374.html