Blandness is evil, or why Dissensus is shit

john eden

john eden

male pale and stale
I agree that people posting up essays here doesn't aid conversation but posting a link to something larger elsewhere with a summary can be good.

A few sentences or paras is good.

I think pages of one line posts by the same poster (or a couple of posters) makes me think I am intruding on a private convo or monologue.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
what i learned from spending so many years working in coffee shops as a kind of professional conversationalist is that conversation is like a kind of bouncing ball. the aim is to keep it moving. to generate momentum. you live in terror of it colliding against a soft surface and dropping lifelessly to the floor. youre trying to shift angles and trajectories etc youre trying to vary the pace
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
you try to keep everyone on their toes as that's when they are fully engaged and alert. you dont want predictable returns because it allows automatic responses to kick in. the conversation becomes rote and mechanical.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
i usually have a very strong aversion to people posting other peoples essays etc because it feels like outsourcing your thinking. it feels like a way to avoid taking ownership of your own thoughts and feelings and responses. and it feels like an appeal to authority. a way of saying dont mess with me or my big brother will beat you up.

none of us are particularly bright but i dont think that should stop us from thinking for ourselves anymore than being a bit shit at football should stop you kicking a ball about in the park. the process of doing it for yourself, even if it seems redundant, as its been done better before, by someone else, is healthy.
 
Leo

Leo

Well-known member
luka said:
it's to do with my belief in flows and blockages. sometimes it would be better if i let the pressure build up before posting. to build up a head of steam as it were. so the argument has more heft.
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on the other hand, mental constipation can also lead to a hefty pile of crap. ;)

luka said:
i can also see that for people in other time zones etc who arent following the discussion in real time it can be like coming across the transcript of a pub debate the day after it happened. that it has a 'you had to be there' quality which doesnt always translate.

without the energy of the moment there's not always much left.
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this is sometimes an issue for me, but usually not a huge problem.
 
C

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
Also can we stop pretending reinviting Zhao will make this board better? Jesus christ you actually start getting non-white members on this board under the age of 30 and you want the guy who thought he had a pass to throw around the n-word because he was Asian back.

Mixed fucking priorities.
 
C

CrowleyHead

Well-known member
Never mind the inane faux-allyism so he could get disgusting anti-semitic jokes out of his subconscious to prove he was smarter than anyone.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
When did either of those things happen (genuine question) - I don't remember either, but then there are so many threads on here that I've never read
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
zhao was annoying and one note but luckily hes not the candyman and saying his name wont make him come back in any case.
people shouting at each other might be preferable to blandness but it's not the ideal we're groping towards.
 
B

baboon2004

Darned cockwombles.
It's not fair or reflective of the truth to dismiss him as annoying and one note - whether or not you agreed with him (and Lord knows I had enough arguments with him myself), he made the forum more interesting as he was genuine with his point of view. I know for a fact Mr Tea misses him too, but is too bashful to admit it.

I can't remember what happened near the end of his stay at Dissensus, and I'm sure it wasn't pleasant, but given recent arguments here as well as all the historical ones, that's not unique. Anyways, I have no wish to set up myself up as his defender, but completely writing off the lengthy contributions of people who aren't here any more isn't the ideal we're looking for either.

Obviously the racist stuff Crowley highlights would change my benign view, but I'll wait til I've read through the links to comment.
 
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Mr. Tea

Mr. Tea

Let's Talk About Ceps
baboon2004 said:
I know for a fact Mr Tea misses him too, but is too bashful to admit it.
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Lol. You're kind of right actually - I mean, I know luka is consciously trying to wind me up most of the time we clash, but zhao was so painfully earnest about EVERYTHING.

Regarding anti-Semitism, he was one of these people whose "anti-Zionism" is just so out-there it was hard to read as anything but anti-Semitic on some occasions, I think. I don't recall him using the n-word but to be honest it wouldn't entirely surprise me.

Edit: to be clear, the clashes were unpleasant and wearying much more often than they were entertaining or interesting, so no, I don't think we need him back. Although as luka says, it's not like he's going to reappear because we mentioned him.

Scott was great though, and I never saw him exchange a cross word with anyone so no idea why he buggered off. The beer chat has died completely since his absence.
 
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luka

luka

Well-known member
scott probably just got bored. i hardly ever see him even on facebook or twitter any more.
maybe im being uncharitable towards zhao but as tea says it just got exhausting. so shrill. and so repetitive.
 
padraig (u.s.)

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
a thing - there are big areas where my tastes just don't overlap w/dissensus. for example, I don't care at all about drill, ATL rap, or tbh modern rap in general.

I'm not going to contribute to those kinds of threads, but I'm still glad they exist. I always enjoy people dropping expert knowledge on a subject they are or were passionate about.
 
luka

luka

Well-known member
yeah this is inevitable. if im honest what's happened to bartys questionaire thread drives me to despair. but why should it?
the place is big enough to sustain discussions on things i dont know about/dont care about/want to eradicate!

its even big enough for long, long threads that go on for years despite only having one contributor
e.g. the eurocult film thread
the state of origin thread.
 
padraig (u.s.)

padraig (u.s.)

a monkey that will go ape
CrowleyHead said:
a pass to throw around the n-word because he was Asian back
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not saying this didn't happen, esp as there were long stretches where I wasn't around, but it'd surprise me

the left antisemitism thing a bit maybe but idk. tea linked recently to a dissection of muslimgauze that I wrote (+ then forgot) a few years ago + zhao's comments in that thread were p level-headed.

gods know dude had some sketchy positions - AIDS denialism I definitely remember - but idk a lot of seems like it as from a shriller Internet time in general

tbc I'm only half-serious when I say bring him back. whereas I am dead serious about scottdisco.
 
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