Off Topic Mod Poll

[colognehornet]

Thank you all for your views. It is rare for a poll to be unanimous (even if only 8 people voted) It is even more rare for that to be followed by an action directly contrary to the vote.
Yesterday evening I asked H to find someone else who would take over modding from me. One other person had volunteered when I did and hopefully he will now take it up.
I think the mod needs to care less about how people post and be more relaxed than I am. I have found the political threads on this board toxic to use a phrase initially coined by Yorkie for some time. Initially I simply stopped looking and posting there but as a mod I have to. Giving that to another enables me to post on only threads I enjoy. The deciding factor for me was when I posted a hypothetical question to try to make people think and a moderate poster took me to task, determined what I thought and accused me of simply posting to even up the board and defend someone I was not defending. When there can be that degree of mistrust from a moderate then it is time to step aside and let someone else have a shot. I believe this board will not attract more neutrals due to how we post on the political threads and if I cannot help make a change then I need to let someone else follow their vision.
Again though thanks to those who did support me.

p.s. - this is not a hissy fit, nor something I have done without consideration and I am not a Diva so do not think the board is all about me. By tomorrow night I guess we will all be debating a football match - which is great. COYH

There is no mistrust Leo, that is only your interpretation. I think maybe that 'having a vision' is a little bit over ambitious - anyone seeing a thread called 'Effects of Brexit' is going to know in advance that it could get 'hot' on there. It's the most divisive issue in Britain for years - and will divide us, just the same as it has the rest of the country. With the rest of the country the wounds may not heal, but with us they can. If a newcomer comes onto our board then he needs a thread to 'lock him', something which interests him, and that means having a broad spread of threads. Not just politics, not just football.....you know what I mean. We need to also further develop a 'welcoming culture' - it actually bothered me a while back that a QPR fan came on here to express his respects for Graham Taylor (on a separate thread) yet I was the only one to thank him for it. If you wish to remain as a mod, then do so and you have my support - but it's an advantage not to be too much of an idealist doing it.

 

[Leo]

I don't think we need to explain or interpret. I think you are one of the most interesting posters on this board Cologne and always enjoy debating with you - especially if we can "cross swords". you learn a lot that way. Thanks to you I confess I recently bought and read a copy of The Communist Manifesto in order to understand it better - which was how I was so sure about the "international" aspect. It has been fun - the best debates are with those you do not agree with. When you misunderstood - is that more accurate than mistrusted - what I was trying to do I realised that I was not achieving what I had hoped. I cannot operate half heartedly - I either believe in what I do or do not do it. I cannot mod a board where it is OK to think of political opponents as scum. I am happy to step down so I can just enjoy the non political bits and leave those who clearly are more angry than me to argue their corners. The board is not at all about individuals but each of us like to behave as we believe. I am not a dictator despite how it may have seemed and so step down with a happy heart.

 

[colognehornet]

I don't think we need to explain or interpret. I think you are one of the most interesting posters on this board Cologne and always enjoy debating with you - especially if we can "cross swords". you learn a lot that way. Thanks to you I confess I recently bought and read a copy of The Communist Manifesto in order to understand it better - which was how I was so sure about the "international" aspect. It has been fun - the best debates are with those you do not agree with. When you misunderstood - is that more accurate than mistrusted - what I was trying to do I realised that I was not achieving what I had hoped. I cannot operate half heartedly - I either believe in what I do or do not do it. I cannot mod a board where it is OK to think of political opponents as scum. I am happy to step down so I can just enjoy the non political bits and leave those who clearly are more angry than me to argue their corners. The board is not at all about individuals but each of us like to behave as we believe. I am not a dictator despite how it may have seemed and so step down with a happy heart.

I must admit to also having read that book Leo. I am pleased that you are finally seeing the light I must also bury my head in my hands and say that it is not my favourite. Too intellectual, too much obsessed with systems, with historical inevitabilities etc. Real Communists feel it in the heart, not in the intellect. Better reading is 'The Prison Notebooks', from Antonio Gramsci (founder of the Italian Communist Party), or 'The conquest of bread', from Peter Kropotkin - also interesting, and also short, is 'The Green Book' by Muammar Gaddafi (lots of surprises there), for an insight into Islamic Socialism (which is very different to the way it is portrayed in the West). I think that if people are using words like 'scum' to describe their political opponents then it is their problem not yours. I do not feel the need because I think even Margaret Thatcher thought that she was doing good - at worst she was misguided. At worst some of her ideas were wrong, likely to cause suffering, but if I say she was 'scum', then I am describing her 24 hours per day - and I am sure she was not scum when she was preparing the breakfast for Dennis (unless she poisoned it of course).

 

[Leo]

I must admit to also having read that book Leo. I am pleased that you are finally seeing the light I must also bury my head in my hands and say that it is not my favourite. Too intellectual, too much obsessed with systems, with historical inevitabilities etc. Real Communists feel it in the heart, not in the intellect. Better reading is 'The Prison Notebooks', from Antonio Gramsci (founder of the Italian Communist Party), or 'The conquest of bread', from Peter Kropotkin - also interesting, and also short, is 'The Green Book' by Muammar Gaddafi (lots of surprises there), for an insight into Islamic Socialism (which is very different to the way it is portrayed in the West). I think that if people are using words like 'scum' to describe their political opponents then it is their problem not yours. I do not feel the need because I think even Margaret Thatcher thought that she was doing good - at worst she was misguided. At worst some of her ideas were wrong, likely to cause suffering, but if I say she was 'scum', then I am describing her 24 hours per day - and I am sure she was not scum when she was preparing the breakfast for Dennis (unless she poisoned it of course).

Glad I am not the only one to find it dry. Also I did not buy the historical inevitability bit - but we are straying into politics and away from wha tothers may wish to discuss on this thread. (As soon as I finished reading the CM I moved happily on to my latest Haruki Murakami novel)

 

[Toby]

Glad I am not the only one to find it dry. Also I did not buy the historical inevitability bit - but we are straying into politics and away from wha tothers may wish to discuss on this thread. (As soon as I finished reading the CM I moved happily on to my latest Haruki Murakami novel)

But, although I know it was down to personal circumstances that we are all aware of, you managed to call the worst person on this board something that, ironically I think is a perfectly suitable term, but was born out of anger/frustration.

Your future isn't dependant on this. You have your house, your kids, your life. I'm 31 years old, my future has been ruined in this country by racists, stupid people and old deluded fantasists.

Claiming you're better than others because you're not as upset is hypocritical. Oh wait, that's not even as bad as the insult you threw at me without apologising

This is your board now Leo (with 2 people wanting you to be mod again ) have fun defending SH, I'm done

 

[Leo]

Your post is everything that is bad with this board. A complete attack on me filled with lies and half truths, falsehoods and imaginings You keep saying you are done - but never are
I apologised for my rudeness to SH. It was one comment though. Justified or not (it wasn't) I did not repeat my mistake - instead I quit for a while as I felt I was not fit to post here. If I can be polite to SH - who you choose to call the worst person on this board - why can't others?
What are you talking about futures? I loathe brexit and regard Trump's presidency as horrible as much as any of you. I have children older and younger than you and grandchildren much younger so what relevance is your age. My youngest son has just emigrated to Australia to get away from here. My wife will probably never see him again. Do not presume to tell me what my life is like. You know nothing about it - you do not know that I was a Samaritan for over ten years due to childhood factors. It is why I reacted so strongly to you and Dan mocking a person who had committed suicide. If anyone understands that I do. I have zero self regard and the idea I consider myself better than any other human is false. Your post is made out of total arrogance and ignorance about me.
I have NEVER claimed I am better than anyone.- you dream these things. I am sure that if I threw an insult at you it was justified and reciprocated.
This is NOT my board, never has been and never will be. Who wants me to be mod again - they will be disappointed.
I was going to stay on the board for a while but avoid the political threads. You have now convinced me though that even that is not worthwhile
Be pleased Toby - you have won again.