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[Ninshub]

I don't care.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting these words, but I'll explain why they rub me a little in the wrong way.

While I'm very sympathetic to those people wanting to delete their posts if they're going to be taken to a part of the forum they won't and don't want to have access to, at the same time to mass-delete posts in a thread one has been very active in shows potentially a disregard for the forum and other members, present and future, because the thread then becomes pretty unreadable. That's why the "I don't care" words that you added there (which again I'm maybe misinterpreting) upset me a little.

I think, Linda, you also mass-deleted your posts in another thread, the "words of encouragement from scientism" one, that wasn't taken to the hidden forum, so I don't understand the motivation there.

Yeah, not a fan of mass deletion of posts.  I fully presume when I post something that its eternal and thus I have to be prepared to stand by my words or eat appropriate crow.  Sure, the ability to delete a recent post made in haste is one thing, but coming back to mass delete seems a tad disingenuous to me: imagine trying to do that in a conversation?  "You know what, I've decided I don't want to talk with you all on this topic any longer.  Further, I want you to wipe any/all comments I've made from your memory.  Have a nice day and carry on." 

Yeah, not a fan of mass deletion of posts.  I fully presume when I post something that its eternal and thus I have to be prepared to stand by my words or eat appropriate crow.  Sure, the ability to delete a recent post made in haste is one thing, but coming back to mass delete seems a tad disingenuous to me: imagine trying to do that in a conversation?  "You know what, I've decided I don't want to talk with you all on this topic any longer.  Further, I want you to wipe any/all comments I've made from your memory.  Have a nice day and carry on." 

I'd have to strongly disagree with the appropriateness of a comparison with a conversation.

The very nature of ordinary, real-world interactions between people is the ability to move on, to forget, to let bygones be bygones. It is the weird unreality of a technological medium which remembers everything, forever, which stands in such stark contrast with the ways humans have always related to one another which makes it so difficult to come up with ways of dealing with it. Not just as administrators or moderators, but as ordinary readers or contributors.

There is a need for a way of moving forwards, not nailing our shoes to the ground with such an unforgetting technology.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting these words, but I'll explain why they rub me a little in the wrong way.

While I'm very sympathetic to those people wanting to delete their posts if they're going to be taken to a part of the forum they won't and don't want to have access to, at the same time to mass-delete posts in a thread one has been very active in shows potentially a disregard for the forum and other members, present and future, because the thread then becomes pretty unreadable. That's why the "I don't care" words that you added there (which again I'm maybe misinterpreting) upset me a little.

To be fair to me, Laird (if not also you) knew that moving the thread would mean that my posts would be deleted, and elected to go ahead and do so anyways, instead of simply excluding the conspiracy theorist posts from the threads, as had been done up to that point. If there was a concern that the thread would become unreadable, then why would the two of you go ahead and take actions which would ensure this outcome? At the very least, given that you did so, you shouldn't be able to bitch about it afterwards.

I also notice that this particular criticism does not get levied at proponents, when they do the same.

No one has ever been obliged to participate in threads or respond to others' questions (expect perhaps for a few specific circumstances involving mods). I don't participate in far, far, far more threads than I do. From my perspective, it's as though I chose not to participate in that particular thread, retroactively. While I feel that I have some responsibilities to this forum, I also have a responsibility to myself, and my responsibility to myself takes precedence when I make these decisions.

That is why I don't care that Stan and the other CTers are missing out on trolling me.

I think, Linda, you also mass-deleted your posts in another thread, the "words of encouragement from scientism" one, that wasn't taken to the hidden forum, so I don't understand the motivation there.

As we recognize, nbtruthman was simply trolling. At the time, it was interesting and amusing to participate. But the moment passed. I might not have deleted them had I not been deleting other posts already. But I didn't see anything enlightening going on whose loss would be felt. There wasn't any active conversation going on, that I interrupted by deleting posts.

Linda

Yeah, not a fan of mass deletion of posts.  I fully presume when I post something that its eternal and thus I have to be prepared to stand by my words or eat appropriate crow.  Sure, the ability to delete a recent post made in haste is one thing, but coming back to mass delete seems a tad disingenuous to me: imagine trying to do that in a conversation?  "You know what, I've decided I don't want to talk with you all on this topic any longer.  Further, I want you to wipe any/all comments I've made from your memory.  Have a nice day and carry on." 

I am always prepared to stand by my words. If you want to come back to something I've said, I will stand by it, or eat crow where necessary. I won't deny that I said something just because a post was deleted.

There's no way that this is comparable to wiping your memory, nor would I want it to be. If we participated in a conversation, then that is all still there in our memory. Nobody is going back and revisiting old conversations, just because there happens to be a record of them. And I know for sure that they weren't doing so in order to make me address something I actually said. That almost always consists of someone claiming I said something else, and I have to drag out the old post in order to show them that I didn't say what they claimed, at which time I get accused of having edited it. I guarantee you, deleting posts is only going to hurt me when it comes to "standing by my words".

Linda

I also notice that this particular criticism does not get levied at proponents, when they do the same.

You just haven’t cared to notice.

You and Chris made lots of posts that have since been deleted. It’s a bit silly really imo.

That is why I don't care that Stan and the other CTers are missing out on trolling me.

Don’t flatter yourself dear. I couldn’t give a shit about you not being there.

I do however give a shit about being able to read threads without having people deleting their posts left right and centre.







Stephen (makes me more important)

Points taken Typoz.  I still see some corollary to trying to "unsay" something.  The selectivity of it seems, well, "off" to me.

[Ninshub]

I also notice that this particular criticism does not get levied at proponents, when they do the same.

You're really off base on this one, Linda. I chose to respond to you because you used the words "I don't care" to a query from another member. The only other person who mass-deleted was Chris, the topic was brought up to him in PM by Laird, and he has now left the forum definitively.

Further, you're the only one who mass-deleted posts (meaning all of them) in a thread not moved to the hidden forum. I just wanted to understand your motivation and I thank you, with no sarcasm intended, for spelling it out.

I bear you no ill will - just bringing up the topic of mass deletion.

Sorry to hear about Chris's decision.  I thought his posting on COVID-19 was wonderful and it was truly valuable for me personally as he served as the first one to really bring my attention to the virus.

[Laird]

The only other person who mass-deleted was Chris

I just wanted to note in your otherwise very on-point post, Ian, that Linda and Chris are not the only ones to have mass-deleted their own posts, although the other person to have done so did it a long time ago, so it's perhaps not so memorable right now.