Well this is either gonna be a hit or miss thread, but here goes.
This is a thread to talk about your favorite things/times on this forum before it dies at the hands of the institute itself. Users gone or still here, old threads you enjoyed, debacles ad debates. Whatever.
So I'll get things started:
You remember JJ and freedom4me going at it? That always amused me.
What about a couple months ago when we got destroyed by spam bots? One of them actually got a couple dozen posts or something like that.
Remember Liberty Student?
What sorts of things are you going to miss on these forums?
I had a revelation today that I'd never get in the top 25 posters on this site. That's been my aspiration for like, ever.
Ha, kiss my feet, you lowly top-50er. But how the mighty have fallen. Which is one reason I'll not be migrating to this new debacle.
Clayton -
What?
Clayton you're leaving us?
Clayton, will you go to Autolykos's forum? Don't dissappear on us.
Also, guess who's back?
@Gotlucky
Bingo
I couldn't possibly guess. I see that JJ is lurking on the Who is online.
I guess it's kind of a fitting time for me to make an appearance, what with everyone lamenting and all...
I'll always remember the charm of the overall aesthetics (and yes, the "imperfections") of the forum software and setup here. It was kind of fun when you finally figured out the tweaks necessary to get done what you wanted to. (Of course it did get old having to explain them all the time, hence the very first beginner thread).
Other than that sort of thing though — the things specific to this crappy and unique platform/setup — I'm not too worried about missing anything, as we're going to have these forums archived in some way or another, and (thanks virtually entirely to Blake) we'll still have an online community to go to.
The main thing is just getting used to a new forum look and a few different operational things.
It kind of works out fittingly...what with the Mayan "new beginning" cycle upon us.
Be happy folks. All that's going on is we're getting some new software essentially. The Mises online community will still have a home. Just a new address.
Andrew Cain!
He was the greatest poster ever.
It's been a long time since I've been around, but I guess a lot of old folks will be coming back to say their piece once word continues to get around. I did have some fun here back in the day, and lurking every now and then has been good too. See you all on the outside
I remember Birthday Pony :D
And all the battles over who would start the Low Content Threads :D
OMG anyone remember "poster of the month"? I don't remember why that died
I remember GilesStratton (later hayekianxyz) turning from an Hoppean anarchist into a big-time statist.
Inquisitor seeming like the most knowledgeable guy here, but leaving just after I came.
Niccolò being a huge troll for Catholic anarchism.
Brainpolice posting walls of text in every thread.
Stranger being a shameless conservative and giving the left libertarians lots of quotes to get upset about.
---
'twas an exciting time, folks. Joining this forum right as the Ron Paul 2008 tidal wave began to surge, getting lots of social-democratic myths busted and being in the middle of the short-lived libertarian YouTube explosion of 2009/10. I was young, free and on the internet discussing metaphysics. What more could you want?
I think Poster of the Month died because I won it once, and immediately let loose a bunch of snarky posts that discouraged the higher ups.
My fond memories are of gradually learning stuff here, the aha moments.
My humble blog
It's easy to refute an argument if you first misrepresent it. William Keizer
Good lord, it's John James!
Sir, I shall never forget that glorious reply you gave to my first post that introduced me to the beauty of these forums...
"brwy"
@ Clayton
You can't be serious. You're really heading out?
Yea, you got the feeling he had an IQ of 140 or something but really, really poor judgement. Ricky James reminded me of him somewhat latter on.
Yea Brainpolice, lol. And there was this time he wrote on his blog how terrible people at the forums were, like totally non-left.
Yea and didn't he have a partner? Some old guy who'd always back him up? Maybe with 'byzantine' in the name? For me I recall ERO Ollovietto (or something), he had a Walter Block avatar, great poster, very combative a little bit intolerant of any foolishness in opposing views that he would pounce on and deconstruct immediatly and mercilessly, but he got purged by Danny when he couldn't make the adaptation from the 'fight club' days to Lilburne's bow-tied police forum. And remember Juan? Haha that guy, I've never seen a poster more intolerant of people who disagreed with him. Didn't really bother to back it up either, just made it clear how strongly he felt about it. But it was kind of fun when once in the while he spoke for the same side of the argument you did and he used his aggro on your opponents. Also the guy with the Max Stirner avatar? The self-admited nihilist and devil's advocate? In a debate the guy never stopped asking questions, he was like a questions machine.
I haven't been here long, but looking back at threads started a few years ago, the posters were much more hostile towards each other. It was kind of entertaining to read...Maybe we should call each other names more often.
There were so many epic, massively educational and insightful threads over the years. Relatively new users should spend some quality time reading through the archives of the past several years. This was probably the best place on the whole internet to argue about just about anything.
Why anarchy fails
I remember 4 years ago starting here as a hardcore Rothbardian. Someone told me Rothbard wasn't the be-all end-all, that it was only a matter of time until I grew past the Rothbardian phase. It just blew my mind how ignorant of an idea that was. Now 4 years later I'm past Rothbardianism and fiercely critical of almost all ideas, and it still blows my mind hwo ignorant everyone is...I wish it was only a matter of time for everyone.
I never really felt a real connection with anyone here, but I have a strong attachment to the incredible resource that these forums have been. Intelligent political discussion is my passion and I've taken for granted the opportunity to hop on the web and start a discussion with like-minded people in this uber-niche. My mind has been consistently blown and expanded from this learning experience, and I find my mind blown once again trying to fathom how the world's online center for anarchism finds itself without elementary forums access. Literally, there's absolutely no excuse, and without even knowing any details I call BS and conspiracy.
It's been a fun ride. I wish you all best of luck in your experiences. Challenge EVERYTHING, remember whatever you believe is simply the least-wrong answer you've acknowledged.
AJ:This was probably the best place on the whole internet to argue about just about anything.
This. A thousand times, this.
Well, while we're on that subject, I'd like to say that even if I haven't been here all that long, I have to say that this is the only forum I've ever been on where I felt like I truly fit in, and that with every post I feel like I've just participated in a movement that's going to be in history textbooks someday (in private schools, if you catch my drift.)
Also, hashem, you sound like you won't be joining us on the other forums. Why is everybody so discouraged about the forum move?
@hashem
What are you now, instead of a Rothbardian? A Hayekian? Misesian? Hoppean? Keynesian? Smithian? Jeffersonian? Hamiltonian? Lincolnite? Caesarean? Marxian? Krugmanite? Friedmanite?
etc.
Also what made you dislike Rothbard more and more?
SM - it's over. The liberty movement is disintegrating. Better get a low-paying government janitorial job while you can.
Wheylous, that was freaking creepy.
Jesus Wheylous, cut it out, that's horrific.
I'm going to have nightmares...
Who the hell spends their time making that kind of stuff?
I'm going to miss this place.
Even in its worst days it still functioned as a kind of outlet for me, kept a community going with posters getting more educated and teaching each other through these threads in a kind of indirectly collaborative way. This is why it was worse when many of the knowledgeable older members left.
In addition I've found it a useful place to scratch out, develop and test ideas among peers who might at least half be interested in the same subject, and who I don't always have to start a conversation with a page 1 to use a metaphor. A good example would be the thread on the law of returns, I've since actually wrapped my head around what confused me here and have developed an argument and simple diagram with which I could combine and elaborate the best of what Rothbard and Mises have had to say here (while critiquing where I think both erred, needless to say this might also make a good article!). Don't know if I would have reached the same position without an intellectual "wall" to bounce off.
The other thing I do value are the debates I had with others here, often with Student, Economistintraining and Neoclassical (before he left). I found Neoclassical to be quite interesting, though he may never know that.
"When the King is far the people are happy." Chinese proverb
For Alexander Zinoviev and the free market there is a shared delight:
"Where there are problems there is life."
@ idol and fegeldolfy
Exactly. Thanks for the sweet dreams, Wheylous.
And that's the Doom Paul meme for ya.
If you really want nightmares, try this with the volume on:
Actually, I cracked up watching that.
I wonder what vive is going to do.
My favourite days were the battles between the cultural leftists and the cultural rightists which was embodied by Brainpolice vs GilesStratton. Stranger and Byzantine (he was banned due to linking to niggermania) were also on the rightest side. When Niccolo was around agorism was a bit more popular.
Juan, was pretty annoying as was the KnightofBAWAA if anyone remembers him.
I also have a little fondness for the troll extraordinaire Nathyn. I too must express sadness at the coming break-up of the Mises forum and the forthcoming Balkanisation. There's nothing better for a forum than a good amount of traffic. Otherwise nothing changes for a while.
May be one day someone will overhall the main Mises site and integrate the forum we always needed and wanted. Then we'll really be back in business.
The atoms tell the atoms so, for I never was or will but atoms forevermore be.
Yours sincerely,
Physiocrat
Physiocrat: May be one day someone will overhall the main Mises site and integrate the forum we always needed and wanted. Then we'll really be back in business.
Alas, institutional memory cannot be regained. Most will be lost.
Not all will be regained but I'm optimistic some can and will provide a foundation for a bright future.
Been a while.
I check in a couple time a day to see what you young whipper-snappers are up to. Don't really have anything to contribute except that I have had a great learning experience reading all the action here over the years.
The complexion of the Institute will be forever altered without this community forum.
It does seem to me, however, that the internet forums have life-cycles. I am confident that the animating principle demonstrated here are now, and will continue to be demonstrated elsewhere. I look forward to that discovery but will fondly regret the passing away of this particular marketplace of ideas.
Blessings to you all.
"Oh, I wish I could pray the way this dog looks at the meat" - Martin Luther
Many awesome posters here over the years. I owe a great deal of intellectual gratitude to many here though 'Liberty Student' has probably inspired me the most.
Read until you have something to write...Write until you have nothing to write...when you have nothing to write, read...read until you have something to write...Jeremiah
Anyone remember Vichy Army ?