I think I've figured out General Discussion.

[WilliamPitt]

The problem isn't the topic 'o the day, whatever it may be. The problem isn't religion, or politics, or trolls.

The problem is that GD is populated by a lot of REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES.

Whenever REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES get into a debate on something, or see a debate on something, or even have a random thought cross their mental screen, they will start a REALLY BIG THREAD about it.

This will cause the other REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES to dive in, and the resulting sound is like two icebergs colliding in the North Atlantic.

One must have, I think, a REALLY BIG PERSONALITY to deal with this forum on a daily basis. I think I am one of the REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES because I have posted in this forum every day since May of 2001. Everyone else flees into the Lounge. Not me. I am a REALLY BIG ASSHOLE, and so I am down for the crunch. :)

I described it as a 'problem.' It isn't. It is what it is. We need REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES on the liberal side of things to take the fight to the REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES on the other side. They have the advantage, because their friends own all the TV networks.

But we will catch up.

So, no problems here. GD is aaaaaalright. REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES make life worth living, and brawling for.

:toast:

On Edit: Yes, I am talking about you, the little cube mouse, the quiet one who sits on the couch at parties...but becomes a RAVENING TIGER online...you know who you are...

[XanaDUer]

1. Clash of the titans, eh?

...

[WilliamPitt]

3. Clash of the Assholes

is more appropriate.

:hi:

We need assholes.

[XanaDUer]

8. Well, I wasn't going to say it...

But, yeah, we need 'em.

[yvr girl]

13. That's true

If they weren't there, the crap would just pile up.

[WilliamPitt]

14. EXACTLY

Snarky wisdom is still good wisdom. :)

[yvr girl]

22. I was being more literal...

never mind

[WilliamPitt]

24. Don't make me put you on Ignore again...

[yvr girl]

28. Like I possess that kind of power

I can't even really take credit for the 'incident' - I dealt the cards, but you played the hand.

[WilliamPitt]

37. 'Incident'?

Did I miss a memo?

[yvr girl]

38. It's not like you to play coy

It was like you were dead to us all, we gathered around your lifeless corpse and speculated on the cause of your demise. It could have been an episode of CSI.

It seems you've blotted it out. No worries.

...you may want to curtail banging your head against the wall

[WilliamPitt]

42. You're talking about when I was silenced by the lapdance?

I recovered from that in nine seconds and moved on. Y'all were looking at my shadow. :)

[yvr girl]

44. I missed that little show...

But it would seem to be for your 'eyes' only.

I was talking about a different incident. If I recall, you were giving a clinic on how fast you could...post. You were shockingly fast.

[WilliamPitt]

45. I was indeed

Most of the time, I'm nice and slow.

[yvr girl]

46. ...Like when you're driving

and stuff. Safety first.

Part of the wisdom of age - when to be fast and when to enjoy the drive.

[Frederik]

59. Now that's well said!

[shraby]

30. Assholes are the ones who make

life interesting.

[Cleita]

2. I have no personality let alone a big one.

But lately I haven't been into thinking very deeply about anything and GD allows me not too.

:toast:

[DearAbby]

4. And I for one and glad you are here....One big one to another

:applause::woohoo::applause:

[shraby]

31. Love the way you set up

the smilies!!!!

[Catchawave]

60. I've always wanted to see what more than 1 woohoo guy

looks like:

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

he's so damn cute!

Edit: Thought they'd run into each other!

[villager]

5. thick skin, too, Will...

But hey, if you believe GD is so Darwinian, shouldn't you posit a "creationist" version of the forum...just to be "fair?"

[WilliamPitt]

7. What would a "creationist" version of this forum be about?

Would I have to argue that Skinner is Jesus?

I'll do it.

[villager]

9. or is it all Skinner's "intelligent design?"

:evilgrin:

[WilliamPitt]

10. AIIIEEEEEEE!!!

[babylonsister]

6. As a wee personality ( doesn't make me bad), I agree.

I can't compete, but what the hell! I'm that much smarter for being here and listening to you folks of intelligence and bombast.
:evilgrin:

[AZCat]

11. I've never heard the sound of two icebergs colliding...

But I have heard the sound made when two assholes collide.

There was this one time... never mind - it's a long story. The point is that it involves me, and I am admitting - nay - embracing my assholology (that being the belief that my opinion matters and you all need to hear it - often).

[WilliamPitt]

12. Two icebergs colliding in the North Atlantic sounds like

Elmore James playing guitar.

At least, it does according to Lester Bangs.

[Spider Jerusalem]

17. I think that was the meth talking.

[WilliamPitt]

19. But it talked so well...

[AZCat]

20. Wow.

Now that sound I have heard.

Perhaps it's a riff on the old tale of the Sirens... :shrug:

[DearAbby]

41. That reminds me....one time at band camp...............

:rofl:

[RBHam]

15. I've been called an "acerbic personality"...

Does that count?

[WilliamPitt]

16. Definitely

[ariellyn]

18. I'm glad SOMEBODY'S figured it out...I was wondering what

the hell was going on here about a week ago.

[XanaDUer]

21. *Chuckle*

Were you here for the primaries?

Blood ran.

[ariellyn]

34. I was, it was nothing like last week--last week was the worst

I've seen in two years.

[XanaDUer]

36. Now that you mention it,

Yes. I have a job now, so I am not on as much as I was during the primaries.

[K-W]

23. Cheers WilliamPitt

I was voted most opinionated person in my high school graduating class.

[Left Is Write]

25. Oh...well, that might explain a lot, but...

it doesn't explain what I'm doing here.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

26. Yeah that and the place being trolled big time

[cry baby]

27. This is my favorite forum...

I can't believe people really don't like it here. I love the big personalities here.

Now, as for being a cube mouse...not me! I'm too loud at parties and tend to like to run things.

[Az]

29. Forums like this have identities

And yes some personalities are central structures of that identity. But the identity has a nature of it's own. The typical topics find a certain balance. This becomes the identity that most come to know and feel comfortable with. But everyonce in a while a topic comes up that has been simmering below the surface for a time. And when it shows up it can cause an explosion.

This topic brings forward different aspects of the personalities around the forum. It changes the identity of the forum for the time the topic exists. This can cause a number of the forum members a great deal of discomfort and stress. The change in identity can strike them in the same way that a sudden change in personality of a friend can. They lose their sense of place. They lose their sense of involvement.

The trouble is that DU exists for multiple reasons. There is the social reason and there is the intellectual reason. The social reason is what gives rise to the identity of the forum. But there is also the intellectual reason for forums like DU. And when the simmering topics rise up they fullfill this aspect of its existance for many.

There is a tricky balance between these two poles. The social aspect of the forum is what defines its identity and likely survival. But the intellectual aspect is what defines its effectiveness at exploring ideas. Too much of one and the society dies. Too much of the other and it just becomes a social clique.

Big personalities lend themself to creating the social aspects of the forum. But they are not alone. Lurkers, agitators, reactionaries, and all the others smaller figures along with the more mundane form the infrastructure that the social structure plays out on. Large personalities can make a large difference. But there are other voices that need to be heard too.

[jonnyblitz]

32. LOL.. good post!

:thumbsup:

[Jersey Devil]

33. What do you think about a Boink & Post Night?

Did you ever wonder what the effects of getting laid have on posting and the quality of posts?

Me, personally, when I get laid my posts are veritable masterpieces, Pulitzer material (which reminds me, we ought to lobby for a Posting Pulitzer), cream of the crop, top of the heap.

Let's schedule a DU Boink & Post Night. I bet we can kick the shit out of each other afterward if we all get laid first.

Of course, some may want a smoke and a nap before posting, so we can have a two hour post boinking time delay.

[anarchy1999]

63. Wicked sense of humor!

n/t

[ultraist]

35. REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES...yes, that's what makes GD so interesting

The passion.

But I have to disagree that many of such big personalities here are likely the quiet ones at parties.

[tavalon]

39. It would be nice though,

if those really big personalities wouldn't sharpen their claws on one another and any other person who expresses a different point of view.

[WilliamPitt]

43. It would indeed be nice

So would world peace. Not gonna happen...anytime soon. ;)

[LibraLiz1973]

40. Just don't alert others to our Clark Kent personalities in the day.

Thats our cover

[Ellen Forradalom]

47. You all can clash to your heart's content

but I'm sitting here programming a hidebot to automate thread-hiding when the volume gets to be too much.

[Horse with no Name]

48. You know some assholes have passion...guess you can call it

assion--or passholes? Take your pick.
Personally one of my passions is medical ethics or the lack thereof.:)

[Swamp Rat]

49. ... little cube mouse?

WHERE??? Is she cute? :D

Here I am sweet little thang!!!

I like pepperjack cheese and Belgian ale and I will rock your little world from the nave to the belfry! ;)



PS. I pee in the holy water every night. :D

[WilliamPitt]

50. "I pee in the holy water every night."

I wet myself a little bit reading that.

:)

[Discord]

51. Your absolutely correct. I might not agree with everything

you post, or everything anyone posts. But when 2 bulls square off, it can sometimes get pretty messy. When an entire community of bulls sqare off... thin skinners need not apply!

[PsN2Wind]

52. My very first post to DU

was in response to your saying that everyone here could just "Kiss your ass". Being a newbie, I had to ask if we were to do so in alphabetical order or by seniority.

[WilliamPitt]

54. Ha!

I remember that thread. Glorious catharsis. I'm still crispy. :)

[Walt Starr]

53. I disagree entirely

This isn't about REALLY BIG PERSONALITIES, it's about REALLY BIG ISSUES and REALLY BIG ISSUES are cause for REALLY BIG DEBATE.

;)

[Taverner]

55. I am cube mouse...hear me roar

Roar!

[anarchy1999]

56. One thing about you Will, you can always be counted upon for the proper

perspective. You are a voice of reason in a horrific storm. Thank you.

I'm not a cube mouse, left it a long time ago. hopefully I'm not the "Ravening Tiger" you refer to.

Love you lots. And please don't ever stop!

[H2O Man]

57. I'm sure that you

were not including me in this. However, the less-insightful people who disagree with me from time-to-time aren't smart enough to figure that out. So that they are not lost in a fog of ignorance & confusion, perhaps you could clarify.

Other than that, I tend to agree with your post.

[KittyWampus]

58. Hillary/McCain In 08!

[Beetwasher]

61. Hey! Are You BITING MY SHIT?????

You must really like my new sig! ;-)

[seabeyond]

62. REALLY BIG ASSHOLE

bah hahahahahah

i love it

doing hte boogey dance. i think. and i be not afraid. one not only has to be a big asshole, personality, but one cannot be afraid, lol lol lol

[Wat_Tyler]

64. Nah, the way I see it is -

Some people use the threads in GD, regardless of what they're about, to either browbeat others in order to deal with their own personal issues, argue purely for the sake of argument, because they cannot bear the thought that there is a subject they have not weighed in on, because they can justify their own hang-ups and biases by attempting to rationalize a political theory around them, because they're very, very bored, or because they desperately need the approval and praise of others.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have threads to post in.