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March 29 2024 8.42am

What's the point of General Talk?

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View Pikester's Profile Pikester Flag Worthing 04 Oct 17 10.06am Send a Private Message to Pikester Add Pikester as a friend

Apart from the 'Dead' threads which usually come through quicker than the Beeb - what is the point of General Talk?

People with an opinion that they'll never change, will never climb down from, will never say "Now I've heard a few more facts I've changed my mind" - like it's a massive weakness to change a point of view - constantly sitting at keyboards typing the equivalent of:

"Yes it is"
"No it isn't"
"Yes it is"
"You're a w***er!"

Many times I've been on here and read something in the first post which I've agreed with and then someone else counters it and I change my mind and then someone else counters again and I revise my opinion further.

Why is that so difficult for some people?
This is an internet message board for a football team. There's no prizes. It's not a debating society. There's no shame in being wrong and no shame in changing your view when more facts come to light.

Threads on here reach 20 pages with the same arguments that are on page 1. If someone can't argue their opponent into agreement and can't beat them into it either they seem incredulous that another human being won't agree with them.

Knowing that it rarely, if ever, happens what's the point? I'd have so much more respect for people who admit they formed an opinion based on what they knew at the time and then changed it when they knew more facts - not just keep banging the same drum all the time.

The best example is probably Brexit - a decision so important it should never have been foisted on the general public with a "Here's a couple of leaflets from both sides, pop into a booth and make one of the most important political decisions in this country's history would you."
And now everyone is stuck with this label Brexiter, Remainer, Xenephobe, Little Englander, Europhile.

The truth was a lot of people were fed up that the country was seen to be propping up the likes of Greece and making large payments to French farmers etc. Slightly more than half the voters protested against this without being aware of the full consequences and mostly not believing it would make a blind bit of difference. They're not all suddenly racist bigots..... except in General Talk where everything is black or white.

There may as well be an agree or disagree button on every topic and just have a vote at the end of every week. Then the winner can go home and tell his family 'he WON' - because that's the most important thing on here, right?

 


You fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name.

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hedgehog50 Flag Croydon 04 Oct 17 10.12am

Some of the jokes and put-downs are quite funny though.

 


We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

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View Stirlingsays's Profile Stirlingsays Flag 04 Oct 17 10.14am Send a Private Message to Stirlingsays Holmesdale Online Elite Member Add Stirlingsays as a friend

When you see people putting their point of view it's easy to assume that they are trying to change the opinion of the person they talk to.

The point of general talk is to 'get an opinion' out there. The person you are debating with may not agree, but the debate isn't really for them. It's to that person reading whose viewpoint hasn't been decided.

Very few debates end with someone changing their mind....Some may alter later upon reflection...That's happened to me. But in general you are correct in stating that it looks silly and childish.

People in general wrap up their opinions within their self worth and image....So even if you could prove a person wrong about something they would most probably just double down on their original viewpoint.

Some people are self assured and open minded but they are a minority.

 


'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

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View chris123's Profile chris123 Flag hove actually 04 Oct 17 10.15am Send a Private Message to chris123 Add chris123 as a friend

There should be a ban on imported content - so no clicking on links - original debate only - it would render some posters silent.

 

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hedgehog50 Flag Croydon 04 Oct 17 10.16am

Part of the problem is that we are not face to face. I'm sure we would be far more polite and reasonable if we were (well, with one or two exceptions!)

 


We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

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View Stirlingsays's Profile Stirlingsays Flag 04 Oct 17 10.19am Send a Private Message to Stirlingsays Holmesdale Online Elite Member Add Stirlingsays as a friend

Originally posted by chris123

There should be a ban on imported content - so no clicking on links - original debate only - it would render some posters silent.

It would probably reduce some of the lazy political posts somewhat.

 


'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

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jamiemartin721 Flag Reading 04 Oct 17 10.24am

What's the point of anything, its all a distraction from the inevitability of mortal existence. General talk, like having kids, or sniffing glue; it's just as way to temper the howl of the futility of human existence.

 


"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
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View Lyons550's Profile Lyons550 Flag Shirley 04 Oct 17 10.27am Send a Private Message to Lyons550 Add Lyons550 as a friend

Originally posted by Pikester

Apart from the 'Dead' threads which usually come through quicker than the Beeb - what is the point of General Talk?

People with an opinion that they'll never change, will never climb down from, will never say "Now I've heard a few more facts I've changed my mind" - like it's a massive weakness to change a point of view - constantly sitting at keyboards typing the equivalent of:

"Yes it is"
"No it isn't"
"Yes it is"
"You're a w***er!"

Many times I've been on here and read something in the first post which I've agreed with and then someone else counters it and I change my mind and then someone else counters again and I revise my opinion further.

Why is that so difficult for some people?
This is an internet message board for a football team. There's no prizes. It's not a debating society. There's no shame in being wrong and no shame in changing your view when more facts come to light.

Threads on here reach 20 pages with the same arguments that are on page 1. If someone can't argue their opponent into agreement and can't beat them into it either they seem incredulous that another human being won't agree with them.

Knowing that it rarely, if ever, happens what's the point? I'd have so much more respect for people who admit they formed an opinion based on what they knew at the time and then changed it when they knew more facts - not just keep banging the same drum all the time.

The best example is probably Brexit - a decision so important it should never have been foisted on the general public with a "Here's a couple of leaflets from both sides, pop into a booth and make one of the most important political decisions in this country's history would you."
And now everyone is stuck with this label Brexiter, Remainer, Xenephobe, Little Englander, Europhile.

The truth was a lot of people were fed up that the country was seen to be propping up the likes of Greece and making large payments to French farmers etc. Slightly more than half the voters protested against this without being aware of the full consequences and mostly not believing it would make a blind bit of difference. They're not all suddenly racist bigots..... except in General Talk where everything is black or white.

There may as well be an agree or disagree button on every topic and just have a vote at the end of every week. Then the winner can go home and tell his family 'he WON' - because that's the most important thing on here, right?

Good post.

The best threads are when this happens without doubt...the problem is it takes a lot of effort to debate effectively as you have to listen to what the counter argument/point is in order to then propose an alternative....they are on here...just drowned out with the playschool stuff...and it always seems to be the same individuals as well.

Perhaps there should be a Politics board for them to exist on?

 


The Voice of Reason In An Otherwise Mediocre World

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View Rudi Hedman's Profile Rudi Hedman Flag Caterham 04 Oct 17 10.27am Send a Private Message to Rudi Hedman Add Rudi Hedman as a friend

Originally posted by jamiemartin721

What's the point of anything, its all a distraction from the inevitability of mortal existence. General talk, like having kids, or sniffing glue; it's just as way to temper the howl of the futility of human existence.

Can I borrow your needle and brown?

 


COYP

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View Midlands Eagle's Profile Midlands Eagle Flag 04 Oct 17 10.30am Send a Private Message to Midlands Eagle Add Midlands Eagle as a friend

Originally posted by Pikester

Apart from the 'Dead' threads which usually come through quicker than the Beeb - what is the point of General Talk?

People with an opinion that they'll never change, will never climb down from, will never say "Now I've heard a few more facts I've changed my mind" - like it's a massive weakness to change a point of view -

The point of General Talk (which is what you asked) seems to be for the same half dozen people to try and verbally bash each other senseless on every single thread thus ensuring that the majority of HOLers who might have something to say, stay well away.

There should be two General Talk forums with the first exclusively for nickgusset, hedgehog50, Hrolf The Ganger and two or three more to argue with each other until the cows come home and a second forum for the rest of us who might want to discuss issues without the rabble rousers involved

 

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View Stirlingsays's Profile Stirlingsays Flag 04 Oct 17 10.31am Send a Private Message to Stirlingsays Holmesdale Online Elite Member Add Stirlingsays as a friend

Originally posted by jamiemartin721

What's the point of anything, its all a distraction from the inevitability of mortal existence. General talk, like having kids, or sniffing glue; it's just as way to temper the howl of the futility of human existence.

That's true only in a creator-less universe....and I'm not talking about the almost certainly false 'personal gods' here. There could be a point...but perhaps we don't understand it...or like it... almost certainly we aren't the focus.

Besides we live on via those kids. That's half of you, minus the consciousness.

Besides, leaving the world a tiny bit better than you came in has a point to it.

Edited by Stirlingsays (04 Oct 2017 10.34am)

 


'Who are you and how did you get in here? I'm a locksmith. And, I'm a locksmith.' (Leslie Nielsen)

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View Pikester's Profile Pikester Flag Worthing 04 Oct 17 10.33am Send a Private Message to Pikester Add Pikester as a friend

Originally posted by jamiemartin721

What's the point of anything, its all a distraction from the inevitability of mortal existence. General talk, like having kids, or sniffing glue; it's just as way to temper the howl of the futility of human existence.

Christ! I'm off to chuck myself under a bus.
But I think you're basically agreeing with my original post so I'll die happy.

Yes! winner!

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You fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name.

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