OK...who couldn't care less about the "Unrecommend" controversy?

[WilliamPitt]

We're into Day Four of this nonsense.

Hobbies. People need new and better hobbies. I recommend stamp collection, orchid cultivation or relentless masturbation.

ANYTHING would be better than this kind of strangeness.

Go outside.

[babylonsister]

1. Me. nt

[cwydro]

2. Another DU tempest in a teapot.

I think it will be a good thing.

[Oregone]

3. Its just fodder for those who actually think they don't post complete shit

Once you accept your ability to generate trash, unrecs should no longer phase you.

[WilliamPitt]

4. I accepted that a long time ago.

:)

[seabeyond]

5. not only do i not care, but man... tis funny, the seriousness and reactions. n/t

[cwydro]

10. Isn't it though? nt

[elocs]

40. How about the ones who claim it is censorship. Yes, CENSHORSHIP!

And suppression. You can almost envision them going on hunger strikes to get UnRec repealed. Evidently this is one of the most very serious issues they have found here at DU and you cannot convince them otherwise.

[seabeyond]

41. hence the gigglin.... one of the few threads

i jumped in was the yelling of NO FREE SPEECH.

in my way of thinking, it adds to free speech. but then, none fo that really matters. either use the board or dont....

[NoPasaran]

6. Not sure about orchid cultivation

But a combination of stamp collecting and relentless masturbation runs the risk of getting pretty messy. Or so I'm told.

[SoCalDem]

7. waves hand wildly in air..n/t

[backwoodsbob]

57. with some of the suggested activities...

I'm not sure a wildly waving hand was the best response :P

[blondeatlast]

67. I thought this thread might dgenerate into Humority. turns out I was correct, and early on, too.

:rofl:

Thanks.

[wyldwolf]

8. I'm sure this has been said before.. but...

The only folks concerned about it are the professional "rec" collectors who post inflammatory crap then collect recs from DU's version of ditto heads.

Hopefully the anti-Obama/anti-Clinton/anti-Democrat posts that hog the Greatest page will be slowed at least a bit.

[WilliamPitt]

13. I was wondering about that

A lot of the names looked...familiar.

:eyes:

[HughMoran]

23. I have noticed

that a lot of the most upset posters are ones that like to take pot-shots at people and often post the type of "ditto head" type threads that have a lot of +1, K&R! & ditto! kicks - this has been cut back some and is a good thing IMO.

[TexasObserver]

97. Yes, indeedy!

No more of those annoying PUMA threads on the main page of the site. Finally, a way to let them know quickly and easily that their shit stirring taunts won't get traction on the greatest page.

[Catshrink]

9. Agreed. I just hide the threads.

There aren't as many as there were for MJ. I just hide them. Wonder what the next shiny object will be? I expect an "explosion" for the Sotomayor hearings but those are substantitive -- by that I mean about "something" that matters, not a sideshow.

[Lasher]

11. Well I think it's funny.

Other than that it's no big deal.

[tabatha]

12. If only this energy would be put to more useful activities.

Plastic is far more harmful to one's well-being than unrecommend. The latter is like a tiny drop in the enormous mass of non-biodegradable debris piling up in our oceans.

[beac]

14. The thing I like about the debut of "unrec" is that it also somehow eliminated the

annoying "ARE YOU SURE???" step of rec'ing. Now I can rec in just one easy step-- a real timesaver!;)

Otherwise, I have no dog in the unrec fight.

[JTFrog]

15. Go away, baitin'! n/t

[WilliamPitt]

16. Master baitin'

:P

[HughMoran]

24. That's Mr. Sir Master baitin' to you!

:P









Edit - can't even spell master correctly - doh!

[Arkana]

17. Me.

It's anathema to the attention whores who need their threads to show up on the Greatest page to feel validated.

[graywarrior]

18. There's a whole lot of panties in a bunch over nothing.

You'd think they were given a death sentence.

[alcibiades_mystery]

19. Me

It's dumb.

[stray cat]

20. worse than some stupid things politicians get hung up on

[Stevenmarc]

21. Let's face it the only people that have a problem with it

are the ones that live for the personal validation they get from having their posts elevated above others

[TorchTheWitch]

33. Yep, and as much as they complain about it

they'll be be falling all over themselves gaming the unrecommend feature they profess to hate so much the same as with the recommend feature.

Not having a greatest page at all would clear up all this nonsense.

[pipi_k]

44. Yay...someone with the same idea...

I've been saying the same for a couple of days now...

Get rid of the "Greatest" page and the problem disappears.

Well, that one, anyway. ;)


If people are going to act like children, well then, bigod, they should be treated like children.


They can't have their pudding if they don't eat their meat, and NO Greatest page for them either...!!!!

:7

[TorchTheWitch]

62. There ya go

I think (at this point anyway) the greatest page is far more trouble than it's worth. Seems that all it is is kiddies peeing in the pool anyway.

Pee in the pool - no more swimming
Won't eat your meat - no pudding for you

Simple.

[Buns_of_Fire]

79. And if you pee in the pudding, you're REALLY in hot water!

Or at least in slightly warmer water.

[TorchTheWitch]

105. so swimming in your meat would be good

and peeing in your pudding would be bad

it's all so simple.

:rofl:

[Occulus]

128. It's the threshold to get there, I think

Face it- it's really, really easy to get just five recommends. Even with unrec, that threshold is and has always been far too low. Three times that number would be more reasonable, but still pretty easy, given the number of people that post here.

[fascisthunter]

58. and maybe those who think that way are jealous

[TorchTheWitch]

80. jealous of WHAT?

Damn, I can't believe the egos here! Anyone who gets emotional about whether or not their threads get to the greatest page here has got some really serious issues. And it's astounding that even needs to be pointed out.

Wow.

[hileeopnyn8d]

92. Agreed

and don't forget those who are worried about losing revenue/hits on their websites.

[Buzz Clik]

22. k&u

[Dr.Phool]

25. As long as relentless masterbation is an option, I'm in!

[malaise]

26. Me n/t

[glowing]

27. I really don't care if its there or not, but I love, love, love the rec now.

Not having to switch pages to "be sure" I want to rec is so delightful.

[wyldwolf]

28. I'm considering a new money making scheme

[jus_the_facts]

29. I personally have a whole lot more on my mind these daze.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eb5-q1RSLn4

....facing the second degree murder trial of the sorry piece of excrement that killed my 2month old great nephew..his only begotten son no less...everything else in the whole world is meaningless except that justice be done...should be the death penalty IMHO...but life w/o parole will have to do. :evilfrown:

[Laelth]

30. Gracious. I hate making this comment to a writer I respect, like you.

But who made you the Supreme Judge of what I ought to care about? How much more pompous can you get than to be the Judge of what concerns are legitimate and which are not?

Don't you have any better hobbies than to demean, criticize, and attack those of us who care about DU enough to voice our opinions about how it might work best?

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[seabeyond]

36. it is called having an opinion and using a message board. n/t

[omega minimo]

51. "Don't you have better hobbies than to demean, criticize, and attack those of us who care about DU"

"Don't you have any better hobbies than to demean, criticize, and attack those of us who care about DU enough to voice our opinions about how it might work best?"

The "demean and attack" attitude came out of the woodwork loud and clear, as soon as the change was announced, raising red flags about how it will be mis/used.

Someone of WP's stature mocking the legitimate questions about this, fans the flames of disregard that others are displaying.

The detractors already have a hobby. Now they have a new toy.

[Moochy]

52. Bingo

[Laelth]

53. Hear, hear! n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[lumberjack_jeff]

86. Yup. n/t

[azmouse]

54. Let's see... demean, criticize and attack.

Yep... that's what you just did to the OP. How are you any better?

[Laelth]

63. I care about DU. The OP is telling me to shut up, and that I shouldn't care.

I hope you can see the difference.

:dem:

-Laelth

[azmouse]

64. And people who like the 'unrec' feature don't care about DU?

:shrug:

I think the fuss over the feature is causing people who wouldn't use or wouldn't care about the unrec feature to try to antagonize those who are VERY vocal about it.

My opinion... if people shut up about it the fuss would die down and so would any so-called 'abuse' of the unrec feature.



edit for spelling

[Laelth]

70. They care about DU too.

But they have no right to tell those of us who disagree to shut up and "get a life" as the OP does.

Don't you agree? And isn't it an attack to tell us to shut up about our concerns?

:shrug:

:dem:

-Laelth

[azmouse]

72. I think the OP is telling us to take a deep breath and not over-react

to something that in the big scheme of things is very, very minor.

[Laelth]

75. That's certainly not what it felt like to me.

Sounds like condescending snark to these ears.

The OP is demeaning and rude. I responded in kind.

:dem:

-Laelth

[omega minimo]

100. and the insults

weren't really insults.

[11 Bravo]

111. Please direct me to the "shut up" and "get a life" portions of Will's post.

I've read the OP several times, and so far they have eluded me.

[Laelth]

120. Honestly, I can't help you with that.

If those sentiments are not readily apparent to you, nothing I can write here will help.

:dem:

-Laelth

[lumberjack_jeff]

88. Personally, I hate it, but I have more in common with people who think it's a good change...

... than with those who ridicule everyone who has an opinion one way or another.

[azmouse]

91. I probably would have barely noticed the 'unrec' was there

except for the incredible fuss some felt the need to create.

I really, truly do not understand why some feel such a strong reaction to such a small thing.
It seems to be the DU way... sadly.

I've been around long enough (at DU, and just life in general) to know that these types of things are just not worth the level of vitriol they create. I've learned to sit back and wait to see how things develop. Only so many hours in a day and I prefer to make the best use of them. So after today, all these threads dealing with 'unrec' are being hidden. I've participated in a few just to see what was going on and now they've gone on too long.

[omega minimo]

99. The serial bullies are a vocal subset and tend to think they know what "nearly everybody" thinks

or should think and that they now have more control over that.

:thumbsdown:

[omega minimo]

98. The "fuss" was caused by the immediate flood of pettiness and belligerence of the RecLess Crew as

soon as they got their button. Is treating other DUers that way "caring about DU"?

:shrug:

[donheld]

85. Do you serve cheese with your whine?

[Laelth]

95. LOL. Absolutely.

:headbang:

:dem:

-Laelth

[Stuart G]

31. This discussion on this one...will never go away because.

the feature by its nature creates discord and anger.
.. The feature creates "the better threads" vs the "not better threads"

The discussion will never go away. Who needs more anger and discord in the world? Even if it a DU world. Thanks for reading this..

[NC_Nurse]

32. Count me in. Yawn.

[merh]

34. I'm starting to miss the Michael Jackson threads.

x(

Of course, this is just another thread on the subject.

[proud2BlibKansan]

35. Me - it's one of the silliest controversies ever

[Chorophyll]

37. Me. But then, I rarely post anything. ;) nt

[Cirque du So-What]

38. I agree that obsession with this topic is unhealthy

when it's concerned with individuals' egos that must be assuaged, but it's still worth considering that infiltrators can use the UnRec function to suppress important information. When I see a great number of seemingly innocuous threads with Recs at <0, I have to wonder about the agenda of some people.

[noamnety]

39. I think it's done two things.

One you can see in this thread - one of the unintended consequences is that people seem to have taken this as permission to be more openly rude/hostile/derisive about people who hold minority viewpoints here (those tending more toward the green party, less DLC). The nastiness seems to have escalated with a kind of mob mentality - "we don't want your kind here" but phrased in stronger terms. Read some of the comments in this thread, where nobody was even challenged, and think about the tone of them.

The other, which is more an intended consequence, is that if you look at the Greatest Page now, it's much more about "the freepers are idiots/the republicans are corrupt/let's admire the Obama family" and less about meaningful discourse of current policies. It concerns me that the majority of posters seem to want to check out of debating policies that the WH supports for the next 4-8 years. It concerns me that the public in general is happy to say "he's smart, he's playing chess not checkers, it's not our place to question him."

I don't think that's the best thing for the public to do, I am more concerned when it's not even the general public, but the people most interested in politics - ones that sought out a political forum - who are happy doing that.

I don't know where you fall in that spectrum, Will, but whether you embrace it or not, I think you'll see more focus on the greatest page of the party that's NOT in power. I think our focus should always be on the people in office currently making policy.



Disclaimers: That doesn't exclude investigating and prosecuting prior crimes and corruption, which is important, nor is it an endorsement of contentless posts like "Fuck yeah, Kucinich" without additional substance.

[Laelth]

46. Hear, hear! n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Lars39]

42. I must read things here differently than most people.

I don't go to the Greatest page, I read the forums I want, but I go back many pages. My only complaint is that the Recommend should be on the right side, not the left. :)

[pipi_k]

45. Well I think it should be on the top middle...

You wanna fight about it?



:7

[dipsydoodle]

43. Me

.

[rrneck]

47. Me too.

A caveat: Outdoor masturbation may get you thrown into jail.

[NashVegas]

48. I Wish I Could Say I Couldn't Care

But I'm perversely enjoying watching a few egos, whose size is outmatched by their fragility, shatter. Especially when that ego belongs to someone in the "fail" crowd.

[fishwax]

49. I don't care about the controversy, but it doesn't bother me that people talk about it

DU is a perfectly fine hobby :) I don't think the change will be as drastic as people fear, personally, but I understand the desire of those who care about the community to discuss a not insignificant change to how it functions.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

50. Yeah, but it's only two business days, it being the weekend and all.

:hide:

[devilgrrl]

55. I haven't been paying much attention... guess that means that I couldn't care less...

because I couldn't.

:smoke:

[ChimpersMcSmirkers]

56. .

[azmouse]

59. Too funny.

The hypocrisy of the 'Ihatetheunrec-option' crowd. Sure isn't stopping them from using it on your thread! :rofl:

[KatyMan]

60. The Great Unrec Tiff is ridiculous

I had no idea some DU'ers were either incredibly petty whiny butts or, possibly, 13 years old.

[Kansas Wyatt]

61. I don't care.

If people don't like me or what I say, that is their right.

If I stand alone, then I stand alone.

I will never allow others to think for me or dictate how I must think.

[blondeatlast]

65. Me. Another excuse for abuse. Meh. nt

[Neecy]

66. Much ado about nothing.

[many a good man]

68. It's the greatest controversy since the DH rule in baseball!!!

[nadinbrzezinski]

69. Me, it is totally silly

as to hobbies I recommend role playing... person to person, that is, not on the computer.

Gardening

Walking

readying a book.

I posted the history of this three days ago... but lord god, the same people who SCREAMED when it was first tested, are SCREAMING now... I wonder why? Change that scary?

Could be a good thesis project though

:-)

[bridgit]

71. Oh I *could* care less, it's just not worth my time to do so buh'sides...

I am going outside back to the saloon after breakfast and laundry dries http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7v-MBdG3Fc

[varelse]

73. People will get used to the new feature in a week or two and this will die down

Same thing happens in other parts of the online landscape, or in any organization of humans. You make a change and it attracts a lot of panic, complaints, and attention. A month later, everyone's either figured it out or (in the case of about 1-5%) left in a huff and there's very little said about the "new" feature.

[kentuck]

74. Answer me this, Grasshopper...

Why isn't this thread on the greatest page??

[alcibiades_mystery]

90. Because it's not a particularly informative or insightful OP?

:shrug:

[Garbo 2004]

101. Because Will Pitt is being "oppressed" and "silenced?"

:cry:

:rofl:

:hide:

[earth mom]

76. UNREC. Here's some Karma for you. nt

[EFerrari]

77. If the admins go to all the trouble of trying to make the ranking system better,

we might take the trouble of seeing how it works. :)

[Blasphemer]

78. I don't care but I also don't care that other people do care...

I never even look at the greatest page so it doesn't affect me one way or the other but if it genuinely affects others enjoyment of DU then I could see them being upset. I've certainly gotten upset over changes at other websites.

[dysfunctional press]

81. don't use it, don't 'do' the greatest page, don't give a hoot.

just wish there was a forum for these people to take their waaahmbulances to.

[blondeatlast]

82. Kicking for "meh." (I love irony) nt

[UndertheOcean]

83. Me. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

84. Heh. I'm glad I'm not the only one who gets hit with the "you suck" button.

But it is a good case study of the kind of observation which people hate; an observation which there are more than two views.

You've annoyed and insulted those who think it's good, AND those who think it's bad in an attempt to pander to the uninterested.

[Posteritatis]

87. I find it hilarious, but that's probably a synonym of "couldn't care less" (nt)

[TexasObserver]

89. It's a thoughtful system, created by the admins, to better reflect DU's opinions.

It's a form of democracy. Try it.

[flvegan]

93. Me.

[JitterbugPerfume]

94. me

all of the angst is just silly

[iris27]

96. Didn't care about the Rec function when they implemented that, don't

care about the Unrec either. I don't think I've gone to the Greatest page once...only impact it has on me is what handful of links show up on the front page.

[SeattleGirl]

102. Me.

It's gone completely off the ridiculous scale, and has slid down the hill to the completely idiotic.

[Deja Q]

103. Care to help?

Or are you going to sit and type on DU all day like how I do? :evilgrin:

[REP]

104. Harumph. I actually do grow orchids and I couldn't give a shit about Unrec with Miralax

yeah, I grew this!

[Garbo 2004]

106. I browse the forums & rarely ever look at Greatest Page. The GP doesn't filter my reading. nt

[bemildred]

107. Me. I don't give a shit. I care more about Michael Jackson and how he died.

And I don't care at all about that either.

[Maru Kitteh]

108. I know you. You're that DLC operative with the powerful groupthink mind-control ray

The power.

I am dazzled.

[FlyingSquirrel]

109. Relentless masturbation can lead to painful side effects.

Worst that can happen here is a serious case of carpal tunnel. Well, maybe a seizure too.

[depakid]

110. I think it's sort of amusing to watch how petty people can be

If I were an admin on the site, I'd be little embarrassed on behalf of the membership.

[JimWis]

112. Me

[CakeGrrl]

113. Hah! +1

It's all about the positive recognition, and how much value is placed on it. No other arguments about censorship or threats to free speech are valid.

[HughMoran]

114. Perhaps we can create a special "Insufferable Sanctimonious Blowhard" forum?

It could have it's own Greatest Page and the O/P could vote for their own thread and only 1 vote to get onto the Greatest?

What do you think?

[rustydog]

115. Seconded! I move we adjourn

Thank you for the post.

[mamaleah]

116. Status on an internet forum is serious business. Almost as serious as status on a WoW PVP server.

Apparently, it's kind of the new cool kids corner of the lunch room. And those kids get mighty angry when you take it away.

[Redneck Socialist]

117. C'mon this is the funniest DU kerfuffle in quite a while

The entertainment factor is pretty high on this one.

[blondeatlast]

123. True that. nt

[redqueen]

125. Oh yes. No doubt about that.

[Release The Hounds]

118. The horror!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

119. Add me to the list. I really couldn't care less

and I can't figure out why so many people got their panties in a wad about it.

[RebelOne]

121. I could care less and I'm sick of seeing all the threads about it. n/t

[DinahMoeHum]

122. Hand raised.

It's good for shits and giggles, though.

[Blue_Tires]

124. means nothing to me

since my DU bookmark goes directly to LBN, and I've been skipping the 'greatest' page probably since before it existed...I am curious why the big three ever bother to upgrade site features every couple of years for all the bandwith-bloating shit they have to take...

[Renew Deal]

126. Obviously you do

[Generic Other]

127. Is "relentless" the right word?

"unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh..."

Just asking.

:+

[Voltaire]

129. Me! ME! ME!

More serious stuff to worry about in the world.

[Hansel]

130. Democratic Underground using a democratic system seems appropriate.

But instead of Rec or UnRec, I think the question should be "does this post rise to the level of the greatest page?"

Would the members advocating against UnRec also argue that only people who say Yes have the right to a vote? Is it okay to silence those who don't believe the thread should be prominently displayed on a site where most members think it lacks that level of significance?

A net vote of Unrecommend does not mean the thread loses status, it just means it's not elevated in status. No one is being silenced as a result. They are just not being given the level of prominence they seek.