Is SC&P worth it?

[Mugshot]

I'm sure that some members must have been raised by the sweetest of the woodland animals if they cannot stand to even look in the direction of a rather more robust discussion for fear of being offended by an opinion or seeing a naughty word.

 

[Tin Pot]

No it wasn't. It was primarily a market-place, and by extension a meeting space, a place for arguing and discussion and for legal disputes. You're thinking (through rose-tinted specs) of an academy.

Yes it was, including the bit when all arguments were settled with daggers.

 

[coffeejo]

"It's not the destination, but the journey."

Or, it's the act of debating that's the most fun.

 

[Andrew_P]

I think @jonny jeez tries too hard to flex his intellectual muscle both in threads and picking fights within threads in SC&P. Sorry that's how it comes across to me and often it looks like a bit of a failure.

I only ever view the forum as new posts and have found myself by accident in the middle of a whole thread full of people flexing their intellectual muscles or just plain being arses. Entertaining from the outside but it looks bloody stressful for some of the participants.

 

[User169]

All I was trying to do was warn you about posting things that are hard to substantiate (accusing someone of lying and thieving) in a public forum. I'm not defending Sam, I was trying to protect you. But what do I care? Carry on as you were.

Oh come on. Scam Allardyce is hardly going to be trawling cycling fora for peeps to sue.

 

[User169]

Oh come on. Scam Allardyce is hardly going to be trawling cycling fora for peeps to sue.

Oops. Blimmin autocorrect

 

[EnPassant]

Yes.
The information alternatives prior to the internet were/are invariably owned by somebody and in the one glaring UK example of not being privately owned (Aunty beeb) are still run by people predominantly from a narrow background and socio-economic group.

The press have the :- 'freedom to print such of the proprietor's prejudices as the advertisers don't object to'." - Hannen Swaffer

Here you can get information from people who might or might not have other agenda's but at least they are often balanced by folks with other biases. Critically none of it is for profit or viewer ratings.
This is true of all forums of course, but this one at least has some basis of people who care about the environment and futures other than their own short term ones (or at least, more folk like that than other places).

 

[Mugshot]

And look at the ones who've liked this. You just know they will, it's how they operate.

I hadn't noticed it before you pointed it out, so I've liked it for spite now

 

[User482]

Is it worth the space on the board, does it achieve anything anymore, is it worth the admin resource.

I have learnt a great deal from the section in the past but often, it seems at some cost. However, more recently it feels as if the patterns of the section are repeating more frequently and that less is actually being discussed..or learnt.

New posters are frightened off, leaving the same members (me included) repeating the same views, to the same audience...with inevitable results.

The pattern that I see more often now is along the lines of.

Op, posts a question or view
Responces are given, some of which are provocative, some not and some just down right rude.
Posters assume a position and refuse to budge an inch for fear of looking as if they have made a mistake, are misinformed or made to look daft.
This repeats for a while untill tempers flare and the thread is locked...or removed.

So what has that achieved. More importantly, to those just gaining sufficient privileges to see the section for the first time...how does it make the site look.

The pattern above is now becoming so common that threads sometimes become locked within the first few pages of discussion, often with insults flying in the very first reply.

Claims that the thread attracts passionate discussion from intelligent folk , seem hollow to me because if we have true passion and intellect, surely we would also have the capacity to see the futility of allowing that pattern to continue.

I believe that enemy's are made in one topic...that the blinkers then come down and the myopia is carried across through other threads, I also wonder if the increased aggression and level of insults is ever used to deliberately close a thread to remove an opinion, topic or mistake.

I want sc&p to work but to do so it needs to attract far more varied input, from a more varied membership

So is it all worth it to you?

I'm glad you brought this up: some of the worst behaviour I've seen on SC&P came from you.

 

[jonny jeez]

I think @jonny jeez tries too hard to flex his intellectual muscle both in threads and picking fights within threads in SC&P. Sorry that's how it comes across to me and often it looks like a bit of a failure.

I only ever view the forum as new posts and have found myself by accident in the middle of a whole thread full of people flexing their intellectual muscles or just plain being arses. Entertaining from the outside but it looks bloody stressful for some of the participants.

I don't see anything wrong with stretching my intellectual muscle, better that, than not use it at all right.

Happy to admit that I am not as well educated, articulate or concise as some...but none of that means that I, or anyone like me, shouldn't feel happy to visit sc&p.

No need to apologise.

 

[Inertia]

This is a serious post and there's not even a witty bit at the end so take it or leave it.
SC&P is the best part of cyclechat. I rarely contribute but always read.
I find it generally informative, enlightening and for the most part generous and polite.
It'a usually the first place I turn to for informed comment about a news story I'm interested in. At the risk of embarrassing them I'm particularly interested in hearing what @theclaud , @Flying_Monkey and @i'mtypingthisonaphoneandcantbearseddoinganymore@s think or know about a subject.
It's also good to read how people with a completely different outlook respond to stuff.
There's a huge amount of specialist non cycling knowledge on this site and its a privilege to have it shared.
My very first post on cyclechat was in the previous version of this forum. It was immediately challenged. This is a good thing but it's also the reason i don't post here so much. One has to be prepared to put time and effort into your postings here. Given I get so much out of reading the thing I'm ashamed to say I don't really have the inclination to put the effort back in.
I genuinely don't get the accusations of bullying that get bandied about the so called usual suspects. If you post shite it'a going to get challenged. That's not bullying.
Special mentions to @dellzeqq for thought provoking quality (i remember a thread about mental health and personal freedom which made me think about my own professional practice) and @Andy in Sig for unshakable self belief in the face of reason. There's always some laugh out loud moments.
Seriously, I like this bit of cyclechat even though I'll probably back out again through laziness.
I told you there was no punchline

Well if you don't post in quantity you make up in quality, very well said sir

 

[marknotgeorge]

You know I've got remote access to your iPad's camera...

Why do want to look at his piles?

 

[Mrs M]

I'm a bit scared of SC&P
Some folks could start a fight in a crisp packet

 

[jonny jeez]

I think you need to address this obsessive need of yours.

Its a wish Adrian...not a need

 

[Smokin Joe]

Eight pages on whether a sub forum no one has to visit should exist or not.

Jeez.