General

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

John James — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:16:47 GMT

I think if we get a good enough coder there's a way we could give the forum steatopygia.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Wheylous — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 20:12:52 GMT

Guys - this forum is too simplistic. We need more complex arabesque curves.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Kelvin Silva — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 03:02:08 GMT

well i personally like how the forum layout looks like, but the list of threads should be improved.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

NonAntiAnarchist — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:50:25 GMT

I think Mises is a fucking boss for walking out on those wannabes.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Autolykos — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 02:29:39 GMT

proxyamenra:
I have never laughed so much in the last month. Man, I have tears in my eyes.

I know this is late, but what exactly were you laughing at?

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

John James — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:39:28 GMT

Someone took a bite outta dat guy's ass!

And he dropped his mask on the ground. I wonder if he knows it's there.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Caley McKibbin — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 11:15:32 GMT

Perhaps we need the government to build reliable forums because of the clear market-failure.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Clayton — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:30:17 GMT

Oh, and about sarcasm, I am in love with sarcasm. I love it so much, I even laugh when I'm on the butt end of good, quality sarcasm. I want to be Mencken when I grow up. Sarcasm is like a verbal razor blade that can slice through the waist-deep rat's nest that the hive mind weaves out of thin air. It's like carseats. Or Osama bin Laden. Or the American Dream. They are all 100% pure, unadultered, refined, sugar-enhanced, twice-fermented bull shit.

Of course, sarcasm is a weapon that can serve good or evil so it should be used with care and newbies should not be subjected to more sarcasm than they deign to deal. Most importantly, sarcasm should almost exclusively be aimed at ideas, not frequenters of the boards unless a particular frequenter is a known troll or all-round ass. In that case, I say let the verbal razor-blades flay them alive!

Clayton -

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

John James — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:19:13 GMT

Clayton:
Perhaps we need the government to build reliable forums because of the clear market-failure.

What if Mises.org is an arm of the government?

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Clayton — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 05:11:34 GMT

They just really need to fix the damn forum software and I think we'll see an increase in the number of contributers.

This.

Perhaps we need the government to build reliable forums because of the clear market-failure.

Clayton -

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

John James — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:55:58 GMT

Bob Murphy calls Mises.org "the biker bar of econ blogs."

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

John James — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:48:15 GMT

Ancap66:
I have encountered the Mises atmosphere at another forum... what were the similarities?

Both forums have blunt features and bland aesthetics. This creates an impersonal flavor which, due to the anonymity of the internet, can sometimes induce hostility.

That sounds like "the Internet".

The forum members feel intuitively that they are right about an issue, but because everyone else in society expresses a contrary opinion, it is very easy to slip back into propaganda-feeding zombie mode. In these circumstances, people react defensively to contrary opinions because they're afraid of being "bitten".

I actually think that's the case here a lot less often than most other places. Indeed, here people generally have a good idea of what their philosophy is and why they subscribe to it. They are also usually at least somewhat familiar with basic concepts of economics, political philosophy, and logic. In most other places, you are quite likely to find all of these (to borrow the OP's term) "lacking". It is for this reason that it is in those places you would typically see the auto-defense response...as claiming to subscribe to something and having no real understanding of what it is (let alone why they subscribe to it) is a very vulnerable place to be.

I find that people here are quite willing to have their positions challenged, and will actually engage in actual debate, or at least intellectual discourse, most of the time.

Despite what others may say, I find that there is a certainly level of intellectual respect and courtesy for others who display not even necessarily a certain level of knowledge, but just a certain level of genuine interest and intellectual honesty. (Of course exhibiting healthy logic goes a long way.)

Just because the tone may come off a bit locker-roomish doesn't mean there is animosity or disgust. As Neo said, most of the posts here are from "regulars" who more or less know each other and have at least somewhat of a rapport. You can't let people who basically know each other busting each other's balls make you think this is actually a hostile place.

I actually feel kind of sorry for anyone who does...and fear for them if they ever venture virtually anywhere else on the Internet. (I suppose YouTube is curbed because of the character limit.) But seriously. Go anywhere. Visit some blogs. Visit other forums. Sure the aire is a bit more intellectual here, and the vocabulary is a bit higher, and the subject matter is that which a lot of people might consider dry, or above their heads, or outside of their realm of concern or interest...but an Internet forum is an Internet forum...is an Internet forum.

Every one is going to have essentially the same dynamic. Just in different degrees and different flavors. If you don't like the one you find, there are literally a million others to choose from. Go check them out.

The members are also very sarcastic, which is what happens after you've seen a line of cars driving off the same cliff, and can seemingly do nothing to stop them.

Maybe. But I still tend to think you find this anywhere. Although you may be right that it's more common among higher-level thinkers.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Ancap66 — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 04:04:34 GMT

sarcastic...defensive and a lil attacky? anyone else experience this?

I have encountered the Mises atmosphere at another forum... what were the similarities?

Both forums have blunt features and bland aesthetics. This creates an impersonal flavor which, due to the anonymity of the internet, can sometimes induce hostility. The YouTube comments section is an extreme example.
The forum members feel intuitively that they are right about an issue, but because everyone else in society expresses a contrary opinion, it is very easy to slip back into propaganda-feeding zombie mode. In these circumstances, people react defensively to contrary opinions because they're afraid of being "bitten".
The members are also very sarcastic, which is what happens after you've seen a line of cars driving off the same cliff, and can seemingly do nothing to stop them.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

Neodoxy — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:42:45 GMT

Forums are generally "attacky". I make it one of my goals to try to keep discussion as civil as possible, but trust me, with how stupid both parties think the other party is within an ideological internet debate, it's really great that we have as civil a community even if there there are one or two people who are not... Team players.

Re: It seems like this community is a little lacking?

proxyamenra — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 03:21:57 GMT

I have never laughed so much in the last month. Man, I have tears in my eyes.