Comments on: The Goat Chronicles 3 – July 27, 2011

By: tra

tra — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 23:00:10 +0000

Though Cypress Grove has (understandably) given up on locating their goat farm at the edge of NIMBY-infrested Arcata, thankfully they haven’t given up on putting it somewhere in Humboldt:

http://www.times-standard.com/news/ci_18614832

By: Ian Ray

Ian Ray — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 04:29:39 +0000

That cartoon is dumb, wrong, and super-wrong.

By: kevpod

kevpod — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:28:26 +0000

While I personally prefer that people identify themselves just as they do when they communicate in person, it’s OK if they go by cute pseudonyms as long as they SAY something.

By the way I just saw this:

http://www.notquitewrong.com/rosscottinc/2011/08/03/so-youre-mad-about-something-on-the-internet/

By: Ian Ray

Ian Ray — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 03:19:45 +0000

I don’t think Kevin meant anonymous versus identified commentary so much as useless versus useful commentary. He can correct me if I’m assuming too much.

Personaly, when I consider the claims made in an Internet discussion thread, it is useful if there is some data to analyze. Irrational theories and emotionally-charged statements can’t be critically analzyed. For example, the Jason Robo story consisted of numerous unsubstantiated theories, fallacious arguments, and named individuals participating.

By: tra

tra — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 18:42:46 +0000

Here’s a good discussion of the merits, and perils, of allowing anonymous comments:

http://labs.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/08/post-1.php?ref=fpblg

By: tra

tra — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:15:57 +0000

I agree completely. The endless exchange of meaningless insults is both tiresome and pointless.

By: kevpod

kevpod — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 19:22:11 +0000

It’s a sick, seductive syndrome that sucks energy. The victims of Internet poisoning are misspending their intellectual energy crafting stinging insults to each other rather than dealing with issues in any interesting way. A waste, and something I have discouraged here.

By: Ian Ray

Ian Ray — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 18:59:20 +0000

Kevin, you’re right. Too many Internet discussion threads devolve into grandstanding and monologues. It is difficult to listen to each other in an arena where everyone is busy attacking each other.

By: kevpod

kevpod — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:12:41 +0000

I drew the opposite conclusion from the same data set. My sense was that there was a substantive, if somewhat burly discussion, which yielded far more useful information than the average online bickerfest.

Even when the blog people made an insult-filled incursion, they couldn’t draw anyone into their chronic poo-throwing, so they got bored and went back to their usual arenas.

I’m moderately gratified at how the discussion here is a discernible cut above that which you find on the other online fora. There are fewer comments, but they’re of a better grade.

By: Ian Ray

Ian Ray — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:03:25 +0000

Every time I felt like the dialogue was starting to build toward a greater discussion about issues that intimately affect us all, it seemed to spiral down a narcissitic vortex.