First reaction (DERAIL)

[living easy]

Dawkins:

"Surely there has to be something wrong with people who can resort to such over-the-top language, over-reacting so spectacularly to something so trivial. Even some of those with more temperate language are responding to the proposed changes in a way that is little short of hysterical. Was there ever such conservatism, such reactionary aversion to change, such vicious language in defence of a comfortable status quo? What is the underlying agenda of these people? How can anybody feel that strongly about something so small? Have we stumbled on some dark, territorial atavism? Have private fiefdoms been unwittingly trampled?

Be that as it may, what this remarkable bile suggests to me is that there is something rotten in the Internet culture that can vent it. If I ever had any doubts that RD.net needs to change, and rid itself of this particular aspect of Internet culture, they are dispelled by this episode."

Haha, all those Dawkins devotees got owned by the man himself.

Even PZ Myers jumped in to tell you all stop whining:

"If you don't like it, fine, go somewhere else. I know, that sounds so cavalier, but that's the reality of it all."

http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2010 ... sucked.php

I wrote in an RDF thread about two weeks ago: "Is it me or has the quality of this forum just gone down hill?....Everyday this forum begins to mimic more and more the behavior of the most revolting fundie theist." It seems that Dawkins realized this as well, and decided to clean house, and fuck some of his devotees in the ass while at it.

[eXcommunicate]

I wrote in an RDF thread about two weeks ago: "Is it me or has the quality of this forum just gone down hill?....Everyday this forum begins to mimic more and more the behavior of the most revolting fundie theist." It seems that Dawkins realized this as well, and decided to clean house, and fuck some of his devotees in the ass while at it.

This is nonsense. Which forums did you participate in? I participated chiefly in the Politics forum and had a blast and learned a LOT from the people I debated with. An open forum is not a closed moderated debate between academics. Perhaps that's what Dawkins wants from now on --that's fine with me. But his and his web team's reaction to all of this is callousness, to put it kindly. I can't tell you how many other new atheists I referred to Dawkins' site precisely because of the great discussion to be had on his forum and the great community feel. His forum had grown to 85,000 members, with 2000-3000 new posts per day, but decides to throw it all away, taking draconian step after draconian step after getting butthurt by a few nasty commenters out of the thousands of regular users that used the forum every day. Then, this "Message from Richard..." is like a slap in the face, quote mining the worst comments he can find and ignoring very real arguments and questions regarding the changes and how they have been handled in order to justify the actions of his webmaster.

EDIT, to everyone else: Unfortunately, what we've seen of the man and know of him from his debates, books, and lectures, is that he will not change his mind on this. He is a bulldog. He's our bulldog, but he's a bulldog. Nothing we say will enlighten him in any way.

[Don't Panic]

I wrote in an RDF thread about two weeks ago: "Is it me or has the quality of this forum just gone down hill?....Everyday this forum begins to mimic more and more the behavior of the most revolting fundie theist." It seems that Dawkins realized this as well, and decided to clean house, and fuck some of his devotees in the ass while at it.

This is nonsense. Which forums did you participate in? I participated chiefly in the Politics forum and had a blast and learned a LOT from the people I debated with. An open forum is not a closed moderated debate between academics. Perhaps that's what Dawkins wants from now on --that's fine with me. But his and his web team's reaction to all of this is callousness, to put it kindly. I can't tell you how many other new atheists I referred to Dawkins' site precisely because of the great discussion to be had on his forum and the great community feel. His forum had grown to 85,000 members, with 2000-3000 new posts per day, but decides to throw it all away, taking draconian step after draconian step after getting butthurt by a few nasty commenters out of the thousands of regular users that used the forum every day. Then, this "Message from Richard..." is like a slap in the face, quote mining the worst comments he can find and ignoring very real arguments and questions regarding the changes and how they have been handled in order to justify the actions of his webmaster.

Here's the quote mentioned: http://forum.richarddawkins.net/viewtop ... 4#p2736074

[Fastin]

I wrote in an RDF thread about two weeks ago: "Is it me or has the quality of this forum just gone down hill?....Everyday this forum begins to mimic more and more the behavior of the most revolting fundie theist." It seems that Dawkins realized this as well, and decided to clean house, and fuck some of his devotees in the ass while at it.

This is nonsense. Which forums did you participate in? I participated chiefly in the Politics forum and had a blast and learned a LOT from the people I debated with. An open forum is not a closed moderated debate between academics. Perhaps that's what Dawkins wants from now on --that's fine with me. But his and his web team's reaction to all of this is callousness, to put it kindly. I can't tell you how many other new atheists I referred to Dawkins' site precisely because of the great discussion to be had on his forum and the great community feel. His forum had grown to 85,000 members, with 2000-3000 new posts per day, but decides to throw it all away, taking draconian step after draconian step after getting butthurt by a few nasty commenters out of the thousands of regular users that used the forum every day. Then, this "Message from Richard..." is like a slap in the face, quote mining the worst comments he can find and ignoring very real arguments and questions regarding the changes and how they have been handled in order to justify the actions of his webmaster.

Yep the Politics forum is where I spent most of my time as well. Really glad to see you made it over here. Glad to see Simon_Gardner made it over as well; as I have spent countless hours reading the stories/links that he posted.

[living easy]

The forum started going down hill when you joined, "living easy". The collective level of stupidty in your posts apparantly got into the forums themselves, infected Josh, and then got transmitted to Dawkins.

Haha, mission accomplished then. You can give me credit for single handily taking down the largest atheist forum in the planet, and for being a prophet of it's demise. Apparently Dawkins cared more about opinions of people such as me, who never gave a fuck about him, than to those of his most devoted fans. He wants to weed out the shit stains, but he'll always be a shit stain in my book.

But most likely his angry devotees, are going to return to him like abused wives, begging for his autograph and buying his slop even more fervently than before. That's the nature of our pathetic beast.

[tytalus]

First, some perspective:

living easy 578 Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:07 pm

living easy's posts (578) and when he joined RDF (couple months now, woo hoo) from the member list. Take his posting here with all due seriousness.

Second, hi PZ! I'm...not really your target audience I suppose, not that worked up about this. Seldom get worked up over much at all. There do seem to be some matters of principle where I disagree with Prof. Dawkins and his website admins, and I can empathize with those who are much more involved in the now-dead forum than I ever was, or who are just more prone to emotional outbursts I guess.

[living easy]

First, some perspective:

living easy 578 Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:07 pm
living easy's posts (578) and when he joined RDF (couple months now, woo hoo) from the member list. Take his posting here with all due seriousness.

Actually I've been on the forum much longer than that screen name let's on, since Dec 07 to be exact.

[cowiz]

First, some perspective:

living easy 578 Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:07 pm

living easy's posts (578) and when he joined RDF (couple months now, woo hoo) from the member list. Take his posting here with all due seriousness. [/quote]

Actually I've been on the forum much longer than that screen name let's on. [/quote]
Sockpuppet huh?

[tytalus]

First, some perspective:

living easy 578 Wed Dec 30, 2009 8:07 pm

living easy's posts (578) and when he joined RDF (couple months now, woo hoo) from the member list. Take his posting here with all due seriousness.

Actually I've been on the forum much longer than that screen name let's on.

That's nice, although I have little reason to believe you, and less reason to care, given the predicted response of believers to the closure of the forum which you have dutifully fulfilled here.

[Heresiarch]

Oh I felt so important and mysterious.

You are important and mysterious!

[cowiz]

Oh I felt so important and mysterious.

You are important and mysterious!

And grizzly

[Horwood Beer-Master]

...Oh I felt so important and mysterious...

If only he knew.

[Bella Fortuna]

Oh I felt so important and mysterious.

You are important and mysterious!

I like you more and more.

[AshtonBlack]

Oh I felt so important and mysterious.

You are important and mysterious!

Because it's a mystery why she thinks she's important........













(Kidding, please don't kill me.)

[living easy]

given the predicted response of believers to the closure of the forum which you have dutifully fulfilled here.

I'm just teasing you kind folks. I'm actually going to miss the forum, it was fun while it lasted. I'm not the one who got spit in face, but I can understand the anger of those who devoted so much to that site only to be treated like disposed used q-tips. I can't say that any of this is surprising. It's all been eroding for sometime now--entropy in full display.

I can't say that I didn't enjoy all the drama that ensues in the aftermath, but at the same time I'm saddened to watch the building burn. Tezcatlipoca is the god of chaos that brought both dread and affection.

That's some passionate ambivalence for you.

I'm on your side. I'm also sleeping with your enemy.