On-line personality

[Harbal]

Is that PC?

Of course not, what do you take me for?

[Hobbes' Choice]

You forgot 'pillow-biting', Hobbes...that's my favorite.

You love pillow biting?

[Hobbes' Choice]

You forgot 'pillow-biting', Hobbes...that's my favorite.

You and Hobbes are too interested in buggery.

Hobbes, if you we're less clueless, you'd know I was referring to the imaginary car that was being driven to brokeback mountain, that the sugar went into.

Fucking hell, you've even got a car in your fantasy world. Have you exchanged emails yet?

[henry quirk]

No, but yer ma does.

[Greta]

There's far too much politeness going on round here

Compared with whom? What? Trump? Russian service staff? Kanye West? George Carlin?

I'd say the rudeness on this forum is close to groundbreaking. On the plus side, there's not much need to step on eggshells - so I can call the lot of you a bunch of brain-dead, testosterone-blinded asswipe apes and not worry about causing offence (rather the contrary).

:)

[Harbal]

I can call the lot of you a bunch of brain-dead, testosterone-blinded asswipe apes

That goes for me, too. I'm totally with you on that, Greta.

[Greta]

I can call the lot of you a bunch of brain-dead, testosterone-blinded asswipe apes

That goes for me, too. I'm totally with you on that, Greta.

Oh yes, Alfie, you're in it up to your ears ;)

[sthitapragya]

There's far too much politeness going on round here

Compared with whom? What? Trump? Russian service staff? Kanye West? George Carlin?

I'd say the rudeness on this forum is close to groundbreaking. On the plus side, there's not much need to step on eggshells - so I can call the lot of you a bunch of brain-dead, testosterone-blinded asswipe apes and not worry about causing offence (rather the contrary).

Honestly, this forum has been a revelation to me. No one has ever spoken to me the way people here do. I come from a culture where money and status are worshiped unlike anything you have ever experienced. So I have always been an entitled brat. When I first came to this forum, I was shocked and offended at how people treated me simply because I was not used to it. But It is humbling and keeps me grounded. And over time it has stopped bothering me. So in a way, I am thankful to this forum for making me experience something I have never experienced in my life and making me learn to take abuse in my stride and give back just as I got it.

[Greta]

Honestly, this forum has been a revelation to me. No one has ever spoken to me the way people here do. I come from a culture where money and status are worshiped unlike anything you have ever experienced. So I have always been an entitled brat. When I first came to this forum, I was shocked and offended at how people treated me simply because I was not used to it. But It is humbling and keeps me grounded. And over time it has stopped bothering me. So in a way, I am thankful to this forum for making me experience something I have never experienced in my life and making me learn to take abuse in my stride and give back just as I got it.

Philosophy forums are robust! The other forum I go to has had its brutal moments but this one takes the cake

At times both forums call to mind the philosophers scene in Terry Pratchett's novel, Small Gods. He clearly had a strong grasp of philosophy and the nature of its participants:

And then a door burst open down the street and there was the cracking noise of a quite large wine amphora being broken over someone's head.

A skinny old man in a toga picked himself up from the cobbles where he had landed, and glared at the doorway.

“I'm telling you, listen, a finite intellect, right, cannot by means of comparison reach the absolute truth of things, because being by nature indivisible, truth excludes the concepts of ”more“ or ”less“ so that nothing but truth itself can be the exact measure of truth. You bastards,” he said.

Someone from inside the building said, “Oh yeah? Sez you.”

The old man ignored Brutha but, with great difficulty, pulled a cobblestone loose and hefted it in his hand.

Then he dived back through the doorway. There was a distant scream of rage.

“Ah. Philosophy,” said Om.

Brutha peered cautiously round the door.

Inside the room two groups of very nearly identical men in togas were trying to hold back two of their colleagues. It is a scene repeated a million times a day in bars around the multiverse—both would-be fighters growled and grimaced at one another and fought to escape the restraint of their friends, only of course they did not fight too hard, because there is nothing worse than actually succeeding in breaking free and suddenly finding yourself all alone in the middle of the ring with a madman who is about to hit you between the eyes with a rock.

“Yep,” said Om, “that's philosophy, right enough.”

“But they're fighting!”

“A full and free exchange of opinions, yes.”

Now that Brutha could get a clearer view, he could see that there were one or two differences between the men. One had a shorter beard, and was very red in the face, and was waggling a finger accusingly.

“He bloody well accused me of slander!” he was shouting.

“I didn't!” shouted the other man.

“You did! You did! Tell 'em what you said!”

“Look, I merely suggested, to indicate the nature of paradox, right, that if Xeno the Ephebian said, `All Ephebians are liars—' ”

“See? See? He did it again!”

"-no, no, listen, listen . . . then, since Xeno is himself an Ephebian, this would mean that he himself is a liar and therefore—"

Xeno made a determined effort to break free, dragging four desperate fellow philosophers across the floor.

“I'm going to lay one right on you, pal!”

[sthitapragya]

Honestly, this forum has been a revelation to me. No one has ever spoken to me the way people here do. I come from a culture where money and status are worshiped unlike anything you have ever experienced. So I have always been an entitled brat. When I first came to this forum, I was shocked and offended at how people treated me simply because I was not used to it. But It is humbling and keeps me grounded. And over time it has stopped bothering me. So in a way, I am thankful to this forum for making me experience something I have never experienced in my life and making me learn to take abuse in my stride and give back just as I got it.

Philosophy forums are robust! The other forum I go to has had its brutal moments but this one takes the cake

At times both forums call to mind the philosophers scene in Terry Pratchett's novel, Small Gods. He clearly had a strong grasp of philosophy and the nature of its participants:

And then a door burst open down the street and there was the cracking noise of a quite large wine amphora being broken over someone's head.

A skinny old man in a toga picked himself up from the cobbles where he had landed, and glared at the doorway.

“I'm telling you, listen, a finite intellect, right, cannot by means of comparison reach the absolute truth of things, because being by nature indivisible, truth excludes the concepts of ”more“ or ”less“ so that nothing but truth itself can be the exact measure of truth. You bastards,” he said.

Someone from inside the building said, “Oh yeah? Sez you.”

The old man ignored Brutha but, with great difficulty, pulled a cobblestone loose and hefted it in his hand.

Then he dived back through the doorway. There was a distant scream of rage.

“Ah. Philosophy,” said Om.

Brutha peered cautiously round the door.

Inside the room two groups of very nearly identical men in togas were trying to hold back two of their colleagues. It is a scene repeated a million times a day in bars around the multiverse—both would-be fighters growled and grimaced at one another and fought to escape the restraint of their friends, only of course they did not fight too hard, because there is nothing worse than actually succeeding in breaking free and suddenly finding yourself all alone in the middle of the ring with a madman who is about to hit you between the eyes with a rock.

“Yep,” said Om, “that's philosophy, right enough.”

“But they're fighting!”

“A full and free exchange of opinions, yes.”

Now that Brutha could get a clearer view, he could see that there were one or two differences between the men. One had a shorter beard, and was very red in the face, and was waggling a finger accusingly.

“He bloody well accused me of slander!” he was shouting.

“I didn't!” shouted the other man.

“You did! You did! Tell 'em what you said!”

“Look, I merely suggested, to indicate the nature of paradox, right, that if Xeno the Ephebian said, `All Ephebians are liars—' ”

“See? See? He did it again!”

"-no, no, listen, listen . . . then, since Xeno is himself an Ephebian, this would mean that he himself is a liar and therefore—"

Xeno made a determined effort to break free, dragging four desperate fellow philosophers across the floor.

“I'm going to lay one right on you, pal!”

See? Terry gets it.

[Greta]

See? Terry gets it. :D

That was written in 1992 so all the pushy nonsense must have been going on long before web forums :)

[sthitapragya]

See? Terry gets it.

That was written in 1992 so all the pushy nonsense must have been going on long before web forums

I read a few of his books, though I don't remember anything about them. I just went and check and I have the light fantastic and sourcery. I think I will read them again. I have forgotten everything.

[Greta]

See? Terry gets it.

That was written in 1992 so all the pushy nonsense must have been going on long before web forums

I read a few of his books, though I don't remember anything about them. I just went and check and I have the light fantastic and sourcery. I think I will read them again. I have forgotten everything.

IMO Small Gods is the best of them. Lots of good ones - Thief of Time. The Fifth Elephant. Lords and Ladies. Feet of Clay. The Truth ...

[Hobbes' Choice]

No, but yer ma does.

That's what you wife told me when I was banging here yesterday.

[Hobbes' Choice]

There's far too much politeness going on round here

Compared with whom? What? Trump? Russian service staff? Kanye West? George Carlin?

I'd say the rudeness on this forum is close to groundbreaking. On the plus side, there's not much need to step on eggshells - so I can call the lot of you a bunch of brain-dead, testosterone-blinded asswipe apes and not worry about causing offence (rather the contrary).

Thanks, I'll take that as a compliment. Try to spell "arse" properly - this is a British website!! You moron!