Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

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Gallstones
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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gallstones » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:22 pm

Bella Fortuna wrote:I'm coming in late to this discussion so I apologise if it's been discussed previously, but any idea what separates a "senior" mod from a regular one, or is it just meaningless hierarchy? :think:
Able to do more things but not quite as many things as the admin. And boss the other mods around.
LIFE did not/does not want to delegate admin powers to any one. He wishes to keep them for himself alone.
Last edited by Gallstones on Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
But here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights. ~Rachel Maddow August 2010

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gallstones » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:24 pm

Warren Dew wrote:
Gallstones wrote:There was a poll. The staff voted on who they felt would make the best second in command. Starr did not get the vote but she is who LIFE wanted. I have no idea why he bothered with the poll.
One can learn from a poll without being bound to the single top vote getter.

Personally, I have to say that letting that staff choose their own leader could well have been worse.
Not if you know who won the poll.

Why mislead the rest of us in thinking we had input when we didn't? Just appoint who you want and cut out the game.
But here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights. ~Rachel Maddow August 2010

The Second Amendment forms a fourth branch of government (an armed citizenry) in case the government goes mad. ~Larry Nutter

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gallstones » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:27 pm

Dev, I know what you are up to and I think you are a shit. I mean that in the most affectionate way. :flowers:
But here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights. ~Rachel Maddow August 2010

The Second Amendment forms a fourth branch of government (an armed citizenry) in case the government goes mad. ~Larry Nutter

devogue

Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by devogue » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:40 pm

Gallstones wrote:
devogue wrote:I'm not having a go at the girl or trying to stir up shit (much), but why is starr the top mod on Ratskep? She seems to have risen from nowhere within the wider RDF community to a position of almost Timonenesque power. How did that happen? :dunno:

I don't get it, and I think that her personality and personal compass have had a massive effect on the Ratskep vibe (I remember starr being fairly reactionary and conservative here as lbon). Can you imagine how different it may have been if Topsy, sciwoman or someone even slightly more relaxed had been in the driving seat?

There was a poll. The staff voted on who they felt would make the best second in command. Starr did not get the vote but she is who LIFE wanted. I have no idea why he bothered with the poll.
Who did get the vote?

In retrospect, I also think it's a bit of a shame that the RDF community, especially the more vocal and respected big-hitters, didn't take just a little bit longer on Rationalia to catch their breath and decide together the best way to build their new forum rather than gratefully put the nearest cock in their mouths (sorry about that :hehe: ). They had a fantastic opportunity and the luxury of time afforded by this forum (and advice born of experience) to build something really special and avoid the mistakes we were perhaps pressured in to at the birth of TAF and (to a much lesser extent) Ratz. Instead, everyone jumped gratefully in to LIFE's vehicle (I'm honestly amazed by your revelation, Gallstones) without a second thought.

Now some of you may think I'm exaggerating and full of it, and that all is sweetness and light on Ratskep and always will be, but I remember the gloating, the schadenfreude, the overbearing and pompous moral arbiters on RDF who cheered the Ratz community's first banishment from Dawkins to TAF, how a lot of RDF members laughed at us and cheered Timonen and Dawkins for their decisive and correct action in getting rid of us and our filth. And I remember how some of those people clung gratefully to Rationalia when Timonen and Dawkins made them walk the same plank eighteen months later . Well, Rationalia is our third try at getting forum life to a point where things don't implode horribly (I'm counting HoC) - I would say the Ratskep community has at least one schism in the pipeline.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure.

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Warren Dew » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:46 pm

Bella Fortuna wrote:I'm coming in late to this discussion so I apologise if it's been discussed previously, but any idea what separates a "senior" mod from a regular one, or is it just meaningless hierarchy? :think:
My impression is that LIFE is more interested in the technical aspects of keeping the site running, and wants to be able to delegate responsibility for moderation to a single individual.

devogue, I think you miss the point of Rational Skepticism. Rational Skepticism was not an attempt to "do right" what Richard Dawkins Forum "did wrong". Rational Skepticism was an attempt to recreate the Richard Dawkins Forum without changing it.

In the event, I think the problems with Rational Skepticism are exactly the problems the Richard Dawkins Forum would have had, had it stayed up. The beginning of the trend towards politically motivated censorship was already evident at Richard Dawkins Forum, and the rules changes made to facilitate that were greeted with approval by the majority of the membership. Ultimately I think that most of the people who went to Rational Skepticism got exactly what they wanted - a site where progressive liberals can pretend that they're right and the rest of the world is wrong.

While it's always nice to blame a single scapegoat, I don't think either Josh or starr can be characterized as the primary problem at their respective forums. Certainly the other admins at Richard Dawkins Forum also tended to act as if their opinions were the only ones that mattered.
Last edited by Warren Dew on Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gallstones » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:50 pm

IIRC, Topsy got the vote.
But here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights. ~Rachel Maddow August 2010

The Second Amendment forms a fourth branch of government (an armed citizenry) in case the government goes mad. ~Larry Nutter

devogue

Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by devogue » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:53 pm

Gallstones wrote:IIRC, Topsy got the vote.
As someone who was active on Ratz and RDF she would have won universal approval and instant respect from both communities.

Where are you Bernard? Why did you pick starr?

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gallstones » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:56 pm

I have come to the realization that my having joined the RDF schadenfreude gloat bandwagon was not a true moment of glory for me. I was still new to RDF and still starry eyed. I have grown up some since and feel a certain measure of embarrassment about having done it--but, water under the bridge and all that.
But here’s the thing about rights. They’re not actually supposed to be voted on. That’s why they’re called rights. ~Rachel Maddow August 2010

The Second Amendment forms a fourth branch of government (an armed citizenry) in case the government goes mad. ~Larry Nutter

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Bella Fortuna » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:56 pm

devogue wrote:In retrospect, I also think it's a bit of a shame that the RDF community, especially the more vocal and respected big-hitters, didn't take just a little bit longer on Rationalia to catch their breath and decide together the best way to build their new forum rather than gratefully put the nearest cock in their mouths (sorry about that :hehe: ). They had a fantastic opportunity and the luxury of time afforded by this forum (and advice born of experience) to build something really special and avoid the mistakes we were perhaps pressured in to at the birth of TAF and (to a much lesser extent) Ratz. Instead, everyone jumped gratefully in to LIFE's vehicle (I'm honestly amazed by your revelation, Gallstones) without a second thought.

Now some of you may think I'm exaggerating and full of it, and that all is sweetness and light on Ratskep and always will be, but I remember the gloating, the schadenfreude, the overbearing and pompous moral arbiters on RDF who cheered the Ratz community's first banishment from Dawkins to TAF, how a lot of RDF members laughed at us and cheered Timonen and Dawkins for their decisive and correct action in getting rid of us and our filth. And I remember how some of those people clung gratefully to Rationalia when Timonen and Dawkins made them walk the same plank eighteen months later . Well, Rationalia is our third try at getting forum life to a point where things don't implode horribly (I'm counting HoC) - I would say the Ratskep community has at least one schism in the pipeline.

Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
Yep... and how with every blip of discontent there many people drift here for awhile and enjoy the hospitality, and then vanish again without a glance back. :sigh:
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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by devogue » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:57 pm

Gallstones wrote:I have come to the realization that my having joined the RDF schadenfreude gloat bandwagon was not a true moment of glory for me. I was still new to RDF and still starry eyed. I have grown up some since and feel a certain measure of embarrassment about having done it--but, water under the bridge and all that.
Fucking bitch. :hehe:

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Bella Fortuna » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:57 pm

Gallstones wrote:I have come to the realization that my having joined the RDF schadenfreude gloat bandwagon was not a true moment of glory for me. I was still new to RDF and still starry eyed. I have grown up some since and feel a certain measure of embarrassment about having done it--but, water under the bridge and all that.
That's long gone... I'm glad you're here. :flowers:
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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Warren Dew » Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:59 pm

Gallstones wrote:IIRC, Topsy got the vote.
That confirms my opinion that letting that staff choose their own leader could well have been worse.

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Gawd » Tue Feb 22, 2011 8:08 pm

Gallstones wrote:
devogue wrote:I'm not having a go at the girl or trying to stir up shit (much), but why is starr the top mod on Ratskep? She seems to have risen from nowhere within the wider RDF community to a position of almost Timonenesque power. How did that happen? :dunno:

I don't get it, and I think that her personality and personal compass have had a massive effect on the Ratskep vibe (I remember starr being fairly reactionary and conservative here as lbon). Can you imagine how different it may have been if Topsy, sciwoman or someone even slightly more relaxed had been in the driving seat?

There was a poll. The staff voted on who they felt would make the best second in command. Starr did not get the vote but she is who LIFE wanted. I have no idea why he bothered with the poll.
Like all dictatorships, a sham vote is used to provide a spectacle.

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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Seth » Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:03 pm

devogue wrote:I'm not having a go at the girl or trying to stir up shit (much), but why is starr the top mod on Ratskep? She seems to have risen from nowhere within the wider RDF community to a position of almost Timonenesque power. How did that happen? :dunno:

I don't get it, and I think that her personality and personal compass have had a massive effect on the Ratskep vibe (I remember starr being fairly reactionary and conservative here as lbon). Can you imagine how different it may have been if Topsy, sciwoman or someone even slightly more relaxed had been in the driving seat?
Suck enough leftist cock and you can rise to power anywhere in the left.
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Re: Ratskep discussion split from "What use is..." thread

Post by Seth » Tue Feb 22, 2011 11:05 pm

Gallstones wrote:
devogue wrote:I'm not having a go at the girl or trying to stir up shit (much), but why is starr the top mod on Ratskep? She seems to have risen from nowhere within the wider RDF community to a position of almost Timonenesque power. How did that happen? :dunno:

I don't get it, and I think that her personality and personal compass have had a massive effect on the Ratskep vibe (I remember starr being fairly reactionary and conservative here as lbon). Can you imagine how different it may have been if Topsy, sciwoman or someone even slightly more relaxed had been in the driving seat?

There was a poll. The staff voted on who they felt would make the best second in command. Starr did not get the vote but she is who LIFE wanted. I have no idea why he bothered with the poll.
Because it keeps the Proles happy to think they actually had some influence. Sucking cock, however, is how such things are decided over there, either factually or metaphorically.
"Seth is Grandmaster Zen Troll who trains his victims to troll themselves every time they think of him" Robert_S

"All that is required for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." Edmund Burke

"Those who support denying anyone the right to keep and bear arms for personal defense are fully complicit in every crime that might have been prevented had the victim been effectively armed." Seth

© 2013/2014/2015/2016 Seth, all rights reserved. No reuse, republication, duplication, or derivative work is authorized.

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