Are we plateauing?

Bhavana

euripides said:
There's a health forum I visit where it's incredibly frustrating - people take quite extreme stances depending on their personal issues, and there's constant flaming going on. Even with divergent views on spirituality, system and intuition, it rarely gets that bad here. At least we mostly seem to accept that there are various ways of doing things.

I feel the same way about this forum - been a member for a long time, but have not participated consistantly, and really only more recently - but I have noticed that people here do seem to get along well, and even if there are little disagreements, I have yet to see one escalate into a major fight. Without it being my intent, I can tick people off sometimes, just in the way I come off in this way of communicating, yet no one has ever jumped on me for it. Even more amazing, I have only had one moderator warning for straying off topic...and even that warning was very cordial. Thanks everyone here, for your patience and kind attitudes towards each other, and to newcomers. It can't always be easy!

Emily

I'm a bit of a lurker these days, but I enjoy seeing new members join. Every new face contributes and even if they do ask questions that have been asked before, there is someone to answer them.

I'm also not a big fan of resurrecting threads from years ago, mainly because it reminds me of members that are no longer around. The forum has changed over the years but it's still a fun and friendly forum with good Mods that stop flame wars in their tracks.

So yes, I do think the forum plateau's out every couple of years but then we have new and interesting members join who bring all sorts of new ideas and questions with them.

gregory

Marina said:
I know I can be pretty fiery and a tad... rude... when discussing passionately (Mercury in Scorpio, lol!), but I think people need to feel shaken sometimes in order to think. I just got tired of people missing the point of the discussion (the idea) and focusing on how I am this' and 'that'.

YES indeed, going for the poster, not for what was said.

Marina said:
It's okay, lol! Sighing makes me more dramatic.
Sadly you cannot see here a video of me throwing my arm across my forehead and turning my eyes upward like a romantic heroine about to faint due to stress

And you do it so well !

Marina said:
It is related, because these... intolerant reactions to 'thorny' topics... make people who like to 'question' more unwilling to do so, and contributes to the 'plateauing' of the discussion in the forum. I do not blame newbies for posting newbies questions, as it is their absolute right to do so - I blame long-timers (like myself) for limiting themselves to answer these question and never come up with more thought-provoking topics. That said, I know why some of us end up like this - we get tired of the easily-offended people, who see any questioning as a disrespectful act against their personal practices.

Yes - exactly - that has killed quite a few discussions here. Mods do try and let us be free to express ourselves - and some people use that as a chance to attack individuals, often in an underhand way, so that they cannot be called out for making personal attacks. One thing that is CRITICAL is for people to read what is actually posted and respond to that, rather than saying "Oh well, you WOULD say that because you are x - y - z - a fan of Lady Gaga...." which adds nothing to the discussion but makes one feel there's no point carrying on.

MareSaturni

le_charior said:
That IS sad! I'll just imagine it. May I also suggest the gesture called Diadem, as shown on this side, fourth image down the site? http://old.hannover.gay-web.de/huk/wissenswert/wiss-schwulenklischees.htm It's suited for romantic heroines and any other sort of, erm, queens... That's what I would use in this situation!

I like that website! And now that I have done the Diadem gesture with perfection, I'll put on my blase-actress face and do the "Asche auf Schulter" one. I have always wanted to do that but I don't smoke, and I refuse to sacrifice my lungs for the sake of elegant disdain, lol!

gregory said:
Yes - exactly - that has killed quite a few discussions here. Mods do try and let us be free to express ourselves - and some people use that as a chance to attack individuals, often in an underhand way, so that they cannot be called out for making personal attacks. One thing that is CRITICAL is for people to read what is actually posted and respond to that, rather than saying "Oh well, you WOULD say that because you are x - y - z - a fan of Lady Gaga...." which adds nothing to the discussion but makes one feel there's no point carrying on.

Hey, I am a fan of Lady Gaga!

:laugh:

The problem is the mob. LOL. If I challenge a certain kind of practice, please, do challenge me back and show me it's not what I think. I will disagree or I'll change my mind, depending on how convincing your point is. But some people use this opportunity to stir the mob into scapegoating someone (usually the person who posted the 'evil opinion') and all the discussion gets lost in petty individual attacks.

I do not say I have never been rude during a particularly heated discussion. I have apologized for those and acknowledge my mistakes openly. I have even said "I used to think XYZ, but nowadays I think ABC", because changing your mind is part of learning. I try to not offend people anymore, but the fact some people here take many topics too personally makes it hard to start any 'challenging' conversation.

In a forum of 25,282 members, someone will ALWAYS feel hurt by one comment, or one opinion - even if it was unintentional. The only way to never offend/hurt is to not discuss...

gregory

Marina said:
Hey, I am a fan of Lady Gaga!

And that does not make your views on tarot any less valuable or valid.

Probably

caridwen

Marina said:
I think a lot of the "interesting old-timers" left either because they were "invited" to do so due to their strong personalities, or because they got tired.

I have noticed this after a long hiatus and think it's a shame. There used to be some very strong characters here that have unfortunately either left or been sent on their way. Although sometimes controversial and impolite they added character - bland is as bland does I suppose

There also seems to be an AT way of reading Tarot and I have noticed this has swung wildly since I first joined. The forum (or the loudest members of the forum) used to be massive proponents of 'intuitive' style reading and now it seems to be 'learn by the book'. So there's been a swing from liberal to conservative.

eta

Marina said:
The only way to never offend/hurt is to not discuss...

I think you've hit the nail on the head

gregory

caridwen said:
There also seems to be an AT way of reading Tarot and I have noticed this has swung wildly since I first joined. The forum (or the loudest members of the forum) used to be massive proponents of 'intuitive' style reading and now it seems to be 'learn by the book'. So there's been a swing from liberal to conservative.

How odd. As one of the former, but one who fully agrees with "do what works for you", I see both still VERY much propounded. When I arrived, I thought it HAD to be by the book; I didn't even know there was another way - and there was a rather small - then - group going the other way. It is still very active.

And yes to Marina:

The only way to never offend/hurt is to not discuss...

That is being an issue as we speak. It cannot be allowed to be.

Melia

Marina said:
The problem is the mob. LOL. If I challenge a certain kind of practice, please, do challenge me back and show me it's not what I think. I will disagree or I'll change my mind, depending on how convincing your point is. But some people use this opportunity to stir the mob into scapegoating someone (usually the person who posted the 'evil opinion') and all the discussion gets lost in petty individual attacks.

Your comment that "the problem is the mob" has reminded me of a poem by Oriah Mountain Dreamer, called 'The Invitation'. In this poem she talks about being able to disappoint another to be true to ourselves and being faithless and therefore trustworthy.

Unfortunately in most forums there is a mob (or authority) ready to pounce on the person that dares to challenge, even if that person does so with intelligence, good reasoning and cordiality. If a challenge comes from a "newbie" (a term I detest) then the consequences of "the mob" can be even harsher.

The crowned one

gregory said:
How odd. As one of the former, but one who fully agrees with "do what works for you", I see both still VERY much propounded. When I arrived, I thought it HAD to be by the book; I didn't even know there was another way - and there was a rather small - then - group going the other way. It is still very active.

Yes I agree, to me it seemed more scholarly when I joined and now it feels sort of like a camp of free thought/no structure at times as far as reading idea's go.

I wonder if what is happening is not plateauing but disenchantment with tarot in general by some of the longer time members? Burn out?

gregory

The crowned one said:
Yes I agree, to me it seemed more scholarly when I joined and now it feels sort of like a camp of free thought/no structure at times as far as reading idea's go.

You aren't agreeing with me actually; I said BOTH are well active ! But I know what you mean !

The crowned one said:
I wonder if what is happening is not plateauing but disenchantment with tarot in general by some of the longer time members? Burn out?

I think there may well be a lot in that.

Are we plateauing?

Bhavana

Emily

gregory

MareSaturni

gregory

caridwen

gregory

Melia

The crowned one

gregory