What happened to intpforum?

[BurnedOut]

I have trying to dig into the history of intpforum and it is clear that the older posts were of a much higher quality. Checking out the 'Registered Members' section made me sad. I understand that all of them are real people but they seem like bots or something.

I remember that back in 2017, participation was slightly higher here. After my return in 2020, things seemed to have changed significantly again. It just feels quite lonely here. The feeling is similar to taking a walk in a city and knowing only a few people. That is what this forum has become: a city. This seems to be different than what it was: Palestine. If you don't know, some of the areas in Palestine are famous for hosting a lot of artists, writers, intellectuals, etc. Sure, it is a fucked up place it culturally scintillates beautifully.

I also feel that forums were in vogue in the early 2000s because they are much informal and devoid of strong regulations and oversight as compared to social media websites. I find forums better because I can be honest and genuine here than at Facebook (although, I am not on any social media except some texting apps due to necessity).

I also think that if this is the way intpforum stays, my participation in the future is highly dubious. This place's history is quite enrapturing. This place was like a dingy writer's cafe. Now it is a city with humans without much humanity or willingness to communicate. I don't even fucking understand why new users are coming in. If someone were to do a statistical analysis of postings of people other than the active ones, I am pretty sure that it is a DOWNWARD TREND. Also, it is easy to figure out that the posts are getting dumber and dumber (again, excluding the ones who are active) by looking at the average length of the OPs, the average length of the words used, gross lack of conjunctions (lots of conjunction indicate thinking, basically), too many verbs (treating the forum like a social media website), too many Is (people getting personal all the time and not really discussing anything that can be discussed upon). Of course, not all the symptoms are visible but I am sure that many of them are.

The old active users, at this point, seem like ghouls who wonder this place after being excommunicated from the society. I feel the same way and it is not a good feeling. After being somewhere for a while and investing your time and energy, you are naturally expected to foster participation and help the redshirts out or be welcome hosts and I am pretty sure every old user is a welcome person trying to integrate the redshirt by being genuinely posting in his threads but for some reason most of them are just registered as users and completely inactive and that makes all of us (the active users or quality posters) look like attention-seeking whores than shamans with tomes waiting to bestow knowledge.

And before you start objecting on why I am pressing on intpforum's essence of being 'intellectual' is because it was made precisely that reason. If you want to vomit about your red shorts or pink thongs, you can go to fucking Facebook or Twitter and tweet away like a lisping Forrest Gump. If you want to compare your financial dick size or show your ass or pop your boobs or click inane zoomed-in pictures of an innocent flower on your asshole, go to Instagram.

We keep forgetting that the internet was supposed to be a wonderful invention that WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO SUBSISTUTE HUMANS' SOCIAL LIFE. Forums kept this in mind too. Maybe this one. What the fuck do I have to do if Cog stays in a culvert or AK milks cows for a living? If you can walk the talk, you have the respect. But then I will have a lot of fucks to give if Cog stayed in a culvert and I knew about it because, well, Facebook or if AK milked cows for a living because they would not be allowed to become active participants without showing some of their butt cracks (psst: privacy violation) to the audience for them to judge if they are as clean as that of a hunky pornstar or that of a hobo. Suddenly, their caste is determined and they are devalued even if AK (hypothetically) an authority on cows and milk. Why do you need all this crap? Why is the veil of ignorance not being valued anymore? What are you going to get by shitting everywhere about how your mother's brother's pet dog's 10th puppy turned out to a wolf?

If you want to hate on me, go ahead. If you think that I am wrong, I don't care. Just try to be an active poster and see if you feel like you are in an ignorant city or not.

Thanks and new users, this is not your commode to just stockpile like turds and rot and inflate the number of members while dissuading people who come here for good discussions by showing that you don't really care.

 

[Rook]

things change. planet changed, dis neck o' da hood changed. people move on, whether onto discord, offline, etc. -- it is what it is. Don't know why I started posting shit here again, probably some deep-rooted nostalgic part of my mind that likes to waste my time on unprofitable ventures transpiring in an echo chamber constructed from my own febrile, fragmented thought feces.

anyway, if it ain't active, it ain't active; if a horse is dead, time for steak.

Fuck, in my teenish years I was all like 'Do this and improve that yadda yadda' and 'keep new members by blah blah blah' basically an idealistic little cunt attaching emotion to shit like this. now, this is like a rubbish dump and I find it lovely to romp around as a yard dog tearing apart moldy sofas and pissing on faded flyers for Lego Bionicle Conventions.

Now, well, the folk I had surreal chatbox sessions with ain't here no more and that's that. Time to grow up I guess, maybe I'll join facebook, open a bed and breakfast, knit sweaters, torture myself with a blowtorch... life has myriad pleasures.

 

[The Grey Man]

final straw

So, yesterday I did something I've done only once before on this forum, which was to report a post. You might know whom I'm talking about but this member openly posted calls to violence against certain groups, spammed the forum with various vitriol, and wrote things that could have been...

intpforum.com

I shouldn't even be here. I was only supposed to return for a one-week stint, but the few remaining active members who actually want to have intellectual conversations persuaded me to stay by their lively responses to my threads. Leaving was probably one of the best decisions I've ever made, although Inex and I still talk.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Welcome to your first personal intpf user's existential crisis, you achieved it faster than your predecessors Neo. You are well on your way to finding what you need somewhere, not necessarily here.

Aside from that I find your intellectual snobbism to be somewhat grating, but I'm sure you can work it out as you grow up.

If you check what the people were talking about in the early times of intpf it was everything from red shorts to intellectual stuff, they weren't as exclusive about the content they created as you romanticize it to be.

 

[scorpiomover]

I have trying to dig into the history of intpforum and it is clear that the older posts were of a much higher quality. Checking out the 'Registered Members' section made me sad. I understand that all of them are real people but they seem like bots or something.

I remember that back in 2017, participation was slightly higher here. After my return in 2020, things seemed to have changed significantly again. It just feels quite lonely here. The feeling is similar to taking a walk in a city and knowing only a few people. That is what this forum has become: a city. This seems to be different than what it was: Palestine. If you don't know, some of the areas in Palestine are famous for hosting a lot of artists, writers, intellectuals, etc. Sure, it is a fucked up place it culturally scintillates beautifully.

I also feel that forums were in vogue in the early 2000s because they are much informal and devoid of strong regulations and oversight as compared to social media websites. I find forums better because I can be honest and genuine here than at Facebook (although, I am not on any social media except some texting apps due to necessity).

I also think that if this is the way intpforum stays, my participation in the future is highly dubious. This place's history is quite enrapturing. This place was like a dingy writer's cafe. Now it is a city with humans without much humanity or willingness to communicate. I don't even fucking understand why new users are coming in.

People IRL have been saying the same about TV and the internet in general.

I joined the forums in the 00s. It was fun.

I remember when I joined INTJf. It was fun.

Then in a forum, someone started pushing their ideas on everyone else, and it stopped being fun. So lots of people left.

Some went to another forum on the same site. Then the same thing happened again.

Some went to another forumon the same site. Then the same thing happened again.

People are leaving, because the internet is no longer a place to discuss ideas. The internet has transformed into a medium for putting your social message across and as a medium for transforming the world into your vision of a utopia.

 

[Minuend]

I assure you people in 2017 were saying the same stuff. So did the people who were here in 2016 and 2010.

Maybe it's just you who are growing up? You've matured and wisened up? What came across as intellectual, insightful or thought provoking when you were younger, just seem lackluster and uninspired to you now.

 

[BurnedOut]

Aside from that I find your intellectual snobbism to be somewhat grating, but I'm sure you can work it out as you grow up.

Of course, I am demanding for a full-scale discussion on quantum physics.

And what is it that I am romanticizing? Do you condone intpf being treated like a sewage canal akin to contemporary social media?

 

[BurnedOut]

Maybe it's just you who are growing up? You've matured and wisened up? What came across as intellectual, insightful or thought provoking when you were younger, just seem lackluster and uninspired to you now.

Well, your point does not really say anything about what I have written about intpf and not me. I doubt its relevance here.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Aside from that I find your intellectual snobbism to be somewhat grating, but I'm sure you can work it out as you grow up.

Of course, I am demanding for a full-scale discussion on quantum physics.

And what is it that I am romanticizing? Do you condone intpf being treated like a sewage canal akin to contemporary social media?

Who is treating it like a sewage canal? Give me examples. I assure you that you would have an easier time arguing this place was a sewage canal back in 2013 when I joined. I loved swimming in all that sewage waste, it was great.

I think it's easier to make the case that there were more people in 2010 - 2015 and on the whole the users that were active were also friendly with other active users. Having more users that you could discuss and play with as well as those users being very friendly and active helped create an atmosphere where one didn't feel lonely and also it was supportive of extensive intellectual discussion.

Back in 2014 I could read threads made by Absurdity, THD, Salmoneus, TA, Kuu, Fukyo, Hado, Minu, Cav, CC, Bronto, Rook AKitty Scorpi Coggy Dair (still with us ) and a milion others and react to what they were doing. Now there is much less content to react to for everyone who's left.

If anything making this place into an intellectual facebook would increase the amount of intellectual stuff being produced among the "sewage". I would personally ban all religion and politics though, they draw the most insane people in, other than that the moderately insane are welcome to stay.

I'd say it was inevitable, we can't blame the moderation for controlling the drama, can't blame this place getting overrun with tinfoil and weird stuff (although search engine optimization to exclude crazy topics and advertise cool topics would help a lot), I think the forum would need a very careful content moderation, post editing and temporary bans etc. that is so labor intensive that it would be impossible to pull off, people simply grow out of the phase of using intpf and move on to their next life phase, or they set up improved versions of intpf communities without the bad stuff.

 

[Minuend]

Maybe it's just you who are growing up? You've matured and wisened up? What came across as intellectual, insightful or thought provoking when you were younger, just seem lackluster and uninspired to you now.

Well, your point does not really say anything about what I have written about intpf and not me. I doubt its relevance here.

You think there's 0 chance you've matured and changed for the better where you more easily see the flaws in other people's perspectives?

There's no point in answering a lengthy thought bubble if the bubble is based on erroneous assumptions. As long as I consider it more likely you've changed rather than the forum, there's no reason for me to write a lengthy post answering your every concern.

 

[Rook]

One man's utopia is another man's abyss. I'm sure there be many stronk big swole brain forums out there that offer such mental challenge to make the gods themselves weep in perplexity. One need but search.

Minu speaks in general sense, cogent point being that back then folk were negging 2, and some outgrew what is offered here.
She notices such a trend in you; Me2 for that matter. She's relevant to topic at hand, yet not ego-coddling, which some might find antithetical to their expectations.

Sewer canal... man... that which times erodes, time erodes. Social media is a sewer canal with millions of sparkling diamonds hidden among the trillions of poop nuggets if you diligently sift through it; lots of cool people and cool stuff out there.

No one treats this place like a sewer canal(that would entail active participation and vocal opposition to server, owner, mods, and users... where be that bro?), or a city of strangers that developed from a Palestinian internet cafe/sex dungeon/coffee house, it's just a fucking forum with an archive of posts and far fewer users than, say, 8 years ago. Metaphors don't get your ass out of water if you're drowning.

Start Kwantum Physics thread then instead of bitching about intellectual denigration. if not many fish bite, dis might be not the neuro-superior utopia you seek.

 

[BurnedOut]

My bad, I used the wrong tense. What I meant was, it has the potential to be used as one if we keep allowing free entry to everybody.

They use a test at intjf to let you in. People often screech at it but it only seems logical now.

Also, courtesy of another thread: https://clarityofsignal.com/2017/05...es-gchq-and-cointelpro-disruption-techniques/

 

[BurnedOut]

Who is treating it like a sewage canal?

My bad, I used the wrong tense. What I meant was, it has the potential to be used as one if we keep allowing free entry to everybody.

They use a test at intjf to let you in. People often screech at it but it only seems logical now.

Also, courtesy of another thread: https://clarityofsignal.com/2017/05...es-gchq-and-cointelpro-disruption-techniques/

 

[BurnedOut]

You think there's 0 chance you've matured and changed for the better where you more easily see the flaws in other people's perspectives?

Again. I am talking about posts made by non-active users.

As long as I consider it more likely you've changed rather than the forum, there's no reason for me to write a lengthy post answering your every concern.

But there's no problem to you for gaslighting me? I call it gaslighting because you are being adamant about continuing it brazenly whilst making your unfounded assumptions on my own perception of my maturity which has no relation to the evidences I cited for the deterioration of the forum which are rooted in psycholinguistics.

Either agree and cite your view or disagree and cite evidences. I am not playing, "Momma, I got a boo boo." I consider this as something to be considered seriously. It can perhaps be solved to a great extent if there are any modes of

1. Preliminary testing the users by write-ups, etc

2. Autopurging users after a certain amount of time

3. Autoflagging shitposts by some metric: too many links (maybe we can exclude wikipedia and certain good websites)

4. Autoflagging shitusers who are extremely belligerent and nonsensical on an average

5. Timely cleanups of threads which have zero replies + ultra-small trivial OP

6. Allowing the posters to enforce rules in their threads: accepting a word count ; autoflagging aggression ; etc.

I believe that much of the above stuff can be automated to a good extent. We need a robust NLP system in the server like that in a lot of high-traffic websites who try to keep their sites pristine. Also, this won't result into privacy violation of any sorts if there is no cache storing or info sharing with any company. Technically, everyone's privacy here is in peril because of this site's indexing by search engines. So i don't think being able to analyze users to some extent by scripts will make much of a difference. It will also make the life of moderators much easier over here if they have a better administrative system.

My overall philosophy underpinning quality control lies in this: You cannot protect free speech if you don't isolate yourself and community. With intrusion and data harvesting being a commonplace thing, we cannot keep walking down the path of 'live and let live and overbreed' because too many idiots are landing here with no desire to respect the forum's essence. There needs to be change in perspective because we are fighting with middle and late millenial chimps who have a diminished capacity for thinking
(https://www.theguardian.com/education/2020/feb/29/children-reading-less-says-new-research)

Also, fake users are a real thing. I don't know why a bot or a disinformer would try to fuck with us here but, the pace at which privacy violation is continuing, I have begun to believe that intpf's deliberate inundation by shitposts and fake users is a real possibility.

If in case ever in the future, users being active and there is lively discussion regarding things that Google does not like, that is a real thing. But if even a small quantity of people here express controversial opinions on a regular basis, I think shitposts will start romping up i automatically.

Anyway, i would love to try the above experiment if we are able to form some kind of a cabal to deliberately get in the crosshairs of the social porn industry: social media

 

[BurnedOut]

Lastly, my concerns lies in the fact that it is unpredictable whether intpf will be deserted or not. If it does, well, it was a good journey to a good extent and if it does that, it won't die a glorious death in the minds of users who chose to go AWOL: us.

What i essentially mean is that, there is also a chance that intpf will be infiltrated by new users at a rapid pace and this is mainly because MBTI, despite being fucked over and over again by researchers, is still gaining traction to the extent of turning into a virtual monopoly in the corporate sector. What if these newly labelled INTPs end up in intpf? I am pretty sure that these eyeless new-gen corporate heifers will be largely dimwit (given by the pace at which kids are getting dumber). Even worse, they will be here due to peer pressure and there is an even better chance they are instagrammers or facebookers or twitterians.

So maybe, I am just REALLY CONCERNED than having a mere existential crisis because this place has been one of the best support systems at certain points of time in my life.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Who is treating it like a sewage canal?

My bad, I used the wrong tense. What I meant was, it has the potential to be used as one if we keep allowing free entry to everybody.

They use a test at intjf to let you in. People often screech at it but it only seems logical now.

Also, courtesy of another thread: https://clarityofsignal.com/2017/05...es-gchq-and-cointelpro-disruption-techniques/

Well, I can see this human wave of filthy unvaccinated refugees (your words not mine) hitting our servers right now. We are peaking at 5 users and I don't count myself as a regular user.

This forum is so far down in search engines and cross links that nobody new is going to find it, if you have cash you can spend it on google ads and target intellectual keywords that would draw the elites you want here.

Or I don't know become a bot and spam links to this forum everywhere, on reddit etc.

There is a trilion things you can do to get what you need here and everywhere else. Maybe it's time to do something instead of wallowing in this existential crisis of yours. Or you can integrate your lack of desire to do any work and accept that you actually don't want any change.

Here to relax, complain and vent for a while? INTPf has got you covered.

 

[Puffy]

As the others have said, this kind of discussion is nothing new. I joined in late 2009 and there were even discussions of this type happening around then saying "it isn't like the glory days anymore" with many first-generation users from 2007-2009 leaving the forum. Believe it or not "INTPf is dead" is an integral post-ironic part of this forum's essence.

This place has been experiencing a slow death over many years IMO. I wouldn't say it's simply about a decline in quality of posts so much as that of the community life. Whenever I log in these days there's 5 or less users active and only a few fresh posts. The madmin team are basically awol. There's a certain sense of denial in not recognising that this place is already past its time and that any measures you'd take are basically too late.

Reading the subtext of this thread that doesn't seem to be what it's about. You're at risk of losing an important support system for yourself, and a place where you felt a strong sense of connection. I don't think you're the only person in that position and I can relate to that. However, rather than putting a lot of energy into saving this place, many have tried before and failed it's unlikely to work, I think that same energy would be better placed in finding other means in your life to fulfil the needs this place provides for you.

 

[Cognisant]

I can’t speak for everyone but personally I just don’t have as much to say anymore, I’m an adult now and my mind is filled with boring adult concerns. I suppose I could still give a rousing speech about the ethical treatment of AIs if I put my mind to it but it just doesn’t matter as much to me anymore, compared to my real world concerns it seems trivial.

I think as a community in our late twenties to early thirties or older we’re mentally exhausted by work and some of us probably have kids, what little energy we have life is spent sparingly on personal interests/hobbies/projects which leaves nothing but fumes in the tank for participating in debates. I suspect that in about twenty years from now the forum will see a resurgence as we all become old fucks with nothing better to do, unless we do have something better to do in which case although INTPforum may die new communities like it will crop up elsewhere.

Indeed VRchat is probably where it’s at and I’d go there but I’m afraid of being the old man making Simpsons and Monty Python references to a crowd of Zoomers who think I’m senile.

Or I’ll be that religious old man ranting about the coming technological singularity while some witty upstart keeps poking holes in my beliefs and calling me stupid.

 

[BurnedOut]

Here to relax, complain and vent for a while? INTPf has got you covered.

That's the best part

 

[EndogenousRebel]

I'm somewhat new. (am I?) And I joined off of a really low point in my life after not being in the classical forum game for many years. I was apart of some, even was staff on some before then, but my interest became more focused and my pleasure based media consumption switched to dopamine delivering systems like YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit. So at said low point (a catastrophe actually) I decided that I needed to engage in higher level discussions to regain the high level of communicative competency I felt I lost. So I came here.

Not that I've done a deep analysis, but the people here definitely have a character of their own that you just won't find easily in a lot of spaces. Especially with such concentration. Not necessarily making a value judgement, this is just what I've observed. Maybe this is bias, but eitherway I would prefer this to a practical endless sea of ghosts who post things to get worthless internet credit on other sites. There are no doubt people that do want to have a good discussion are there too, but more and more many people are giving a fuck about their online persona even if it's anonymous. So it's pretty conclusive that this type of space, a forum, will always attract those that are genuinely interested in... Whatever you would call the discourse we have here. It just so happens that intps click on philosophical forums more.

As for THE MAN. I think they admins toe the line of being liberally permissive and being cunts very well. I honestly wish they would flat out ban racists and xenophobes upon identification, but my experience with autocratic forums makes me understand and be grateful that they aren't worse <3

One mans trash is another mans salvation. You may not like what the next evolution of the forum will be, but I bet you a lot of the people still here don't really care that much, and good portion will probably still be here even if there is only one interesting thread a week. Some people are too bothered to be bothered by little things like "quality" in post. Really have a problem? Go in that fucking thread and just post a single letter grade for the thread.

B-

 

[ZenRaiden]

I did like many posters who are no longer with us.
However I do not care.
For all I care you could all be bots and Id be happy the same way I was happy with the previous posters.
Forums are not for networking or connecting with people.
At least not for me.
Its just like hobby for writing shit down and having some responses.
Its inefficient and waste of time for me, but its a fun way to think about stuff that normally I cannot entertain in my mind in day to day events.

AH yes forums, what are they, why even have avatars or names?
Should I read that ones guys response I keep skipping?
Why did I not read his response in the first place?

 

[Hadoblado]

By my assessment, this forum was already dead by 2017, and at the time I joined in 2011, people were already proclaiming it dead (although I didn't see it this way at the time). Minuend has a point about interpretation but isn't necessarily addressing your point about your current comparison of posts from now and then made through the same lens.

There are other factors, but mainly it comes down to the equilibrium between intake and members leaving. Membership is transactional and there is no longer much here for high-value contributors (if they even find the place). Worse, there are substantial reasons for such contributors to avoid this place. Few people here are genuinely interested in exchanging ideas, rather, they are more interested in pushing an ideology by dismissing the views of others. This is fine when you have a diverse cast of perspectives and they can all bounce off each other, but how much diversity can you have with ten or so people?

It's a really awkward feeling when you see a thread that sounds interesting and you click, but then it's turned into another [the problem with the left] or [the problem with Trump] or [the problem with atheism] or [the problem with religion] thread. It's alienating when there are obviously some profoundly bad takes but nobody seems to notice or address them as such. It makes the drop in the quality of discourse normative.

For what it's worth, onesteptwostep is our current token religious guy and he's worlds better than da_blob IMO. As frustrating as I find the pivoting, that's worlds better than the mud that blob made every thread into. Cog is still our anti-religious guy and he's a much more sophisticated interlocutor than back in the day (and would be my pick for current MVP of general forum contribution even if we disagree often). There are plenty of people who were the contributors of yesterday, who still check in on the forum from time to time, but are no longer invested in contributing their thoughts because it's not worth their time.

 

[Deleted member 1424]

There's a lot of competition. Modern social media is killing the forum concept entirely. The format is simply too slow and soapboxy. Niche interests are better served other places. People engage more with visual, realtime content than with static, unwieldy, blocks of text. Even the anti-social trolls and toxic transients have their own safespaces that better feed (and monetize) their inclinations now. Parasociality is becoming the norm.

Plus this forum's central concept is inherently narrow and... weak. Most traffic is mild, passing curiosity in an outdated pop sci concept. 'INTP' can bring people in that relate to archetype, but it doesn't really help codify a social infrastructure. Plus people that genuinely relate to the INTP archetype are rather unlikely to advertise this place, so that limits whatever organic growth that would be possible with a less selected for population.

I don't mind the tranquility personally. There have been worse phases. This place is peacefully doomed without a radical change in concept, but if you change the concept then it's already dead, no?

 

[Puffy]

There's a lot of competition. Modern social media is killing the forum concept entirely. The format is simply too slow and soapboxy. Niche interests are better served other places. People engage more with visual, realtime content than with static, unwieldy, blocks of text. Even the anti-social trolls and toxic transients have their own safespaces that better feed (and monetize) their inclinations now. Parasociality is becoming the norm.

To be honest that's one of the things that's kept me here as long as it has. At least for myself, I generally put a lot of time and thought into my posts. But only as I love the process of putting a post together. The threads I enjoy are the ones that allow me to be able to better understand and articulate my views on a subject by virtue of engaging in the thread.

There isn't really a good substitute for that online, as you say. I've long thought about making a blog, just as it seems a large part of my motivation for being here is self-expression and that might be a better substitute. I will do that but at the same time it misses the community aspect that a forum provides.

I don't know how I come across to others. But I've been here for almost 12 years and for me an awful lot has changed in that time. Staying here feels like continuing to wear old clothes that don't fit anymore. I don't relate to the person I was back then anymore and feel like my lingering here is a form of resistance, clinging to the existential limitations of the old self as what is safe and comfortable, out of fear of stepping into the new and the uncertainties of what that brings.

I'm going to follow Glaerhaidh's initiative and take my leave from INTPf as well, thanks for the nudge. It's been a pleasure to share in this community with you all. Wishing that all good things come to you in the next chapters of your lives post-covid, whatever that should bring or look like for you.

 

[onesteptwostep]

Catharsis is a helluva drug they say.

 

[BurnedOut]

Feels like my intpf midlife crisis is ameliorating.

Now i feel better being a relic than some data that can be exploited and later deleted.

 

[The Grey Man]

I've just now had to apply certain beliefs discussed in my more recent threads and elsewhere. Without going into details, my faith in the relativity of phenomena in general and corporeal death in particular has been tested. This seems like as good an occasion to leave for good as any. I can't run from my own thoughts forever.

 

[onesteptwostep]

Ascending as if you were Jesus.. you heathens.. you cannot be as gods!

 

[DingusLord]

A sinking ship is ever so romantic.

 

[Cognisant]

 

[crippli]

This thread blows my mind. I'm not a fan of memory lane. It's like, whore to start?

I really like this site where it is. Seems very healthy to me. If needed i'd put pay the server costs.

 

[BurnedOut]

A sinking ship is ever so romantic.

Well, who'd like to drown with a sullen face?

 

[Daddy]

 

[Grayman]

I have trying to dig into the history of intpforum and it is clear that the older posts were of a much higher quality. Checking out the 'Registered Members' section made me sad. I understand that all of them are real people but they seem like bots or something.

I remember that back in 2017, participation was slightly higher here. After my return in 2020, things seemed to have changed significantly again. It just feels quite lonely here. The feeling is similar to taking a walk in a city and knowing only a few people. That is what this forum has become: a city. This seems to be different than what it was: Palestine. If you don't know, some of the areas in Palestine are famous for hosting a lot of artists, writers, intellectuals, etc. Sure, it is a fucked up place it culturally scintillates beautifully.

I also feel that forums were in vogue in the early 2000s because they are much informal and devoid of strong regulations and oversight as compared to social media websites. I find forums better because I can be honest and genuine here than at Facebook (although, I am not on any social media except some texting apps due to necessity).

I also think that if this is the way intpforum stays, my participation in the future is highly dubious. This place's history is quite enrapturing. This place was like a dingy writer's cafe. Now it is a city with humans without much humanity or willingness to communicate. I don't even fucking understand why new users are coming in. If someone were to do a statistical analysis of postings of people other than the active ones, I am pretty sure that it is a DOWNWARD TREND. Also, it is easy to figure out that the posts are getting dumber and dumber (again, excluding the ones who are active) by looking at the average length of the OPs, the average length of the words used, gross lack of conjunctions (lots of conjunction indicate thinking, basically), too many verbs (treating the forum like a social media website), too many Is (people getting personal all the time and not really discussing anything that can be discussed upon). Of course, not all the symptoms are visible but I am sure that many of them are.

The old active users, at this point, seem like ghouls who wonder this place after being excommunicated from the society. I feel the same way and it is not a good feeling. After being somewhere for a while and investing your time and energy, you are naturally expected to foster participation and help the redshirts out or be welcome hosts and I am pretty sure every old user is a welcome person trying to integrate the redshirt by being genuinely posting in his threads but for some reason most of them are just registered as users and completely inactive and that makes all of us (the active users or quality posters) look like attention-seeking whores than shamans with tomes waiting to bestow knowledge.

And before you start objecting on why I am pressing on intpforum's essence of being 'intellectual' is because it was made precisely that reason. If you want to vomit about your red shorts or pink thongs, you can go to fucking Facebook or Twitter and tweet away like a lisping Forrest Gump. If you want to compare your financial dick size or show your ass or pop your boobs or click inane zoomed-in pictures of an innocent flower on your asshole, go to Instagram.

We keep forgetting that the internet was supposed to be a wonderful invention that WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO SUBSISTUTE HUMANS' SOCIAL LIFE. Forums kept this in mind too. Maybe this one. What the fuck do I have to do if Cog stays in a culvert or AK milks cows for a living? If you can walk the talk, you have the respect. But then I will have a lot of fucks to give if Cog stayed in a culvert and I knew about it because, well, Facebook or if AK milked cows for a living because they would not be allowed to become active participants without showing some of their butt cracks (psst: privacy violation) to the audience for them to judge if they are as clean as that of a hunky pornstar or that of a hobo. Suddenly, their caste is determined and they are devalued even if AK (hypothetically) an authority on cows and milk. Why do you need all this crap? Why is the veil of ignorance not being valued anymore? What are you going to get by shitting everywhere about how your mother's brother's pet dog's 10th puppy turned out to a wolf?

If you want to hate on me, go ahead. If you think that I am wrong, I don't care. Just try to be an active poster and see if you feel like you are in an ignorant city or not.

Thanks and new users, this is not your commode to just stockpile like turds and rot and inflate the number of members while dissuading people who come here for good discussions by showing that you don't really care.

Who were you back in the day? Guess they didn't bury you deep enough...

 

[Grayman]

Few people here are genuinely interested in exchanging ideas, rather, they are more interested in pushing an ideology by dismissing the views of others. This is fine when you have a diverse cast of perspectives and they can all bounce off each other, but how much diversity can you have with ten or so people?

It's easier to dismiss by not responding. I don't think they are dismissing so much as don't know how to listen.

 

[onesteptwostep]

The more active users tend to dismiss with emotion rather than reasoning, so not a lot of insight are gained from discussions, especially on religion.

Religion is actually a topic that requires a lot of empathy as a base, then history and then metaphilosophy, but sadly, most would rather espouse their entrenched views rather than to think "I can see how that is.." There's also the complete hostility to what faith is when one doesn't even know what it is in the first place. Personally I find that offensive, firstly- secondly if you're oblivious as to what you're engaging in, don't engage it in the first place- which is where the forum is right now concerning anything that has Christianity in it.

I find it very fun to talk about religion and its place in society with atheists, but only if they are lapsed Christians or are religiously inclined- but if they come from a place of hostility it's simply a waste of time- which goes for all types of discussions, actually.

 

[Grayman]

The more active users tend to dismiss with emotion rather than reasoning, so not a lot of insight are gained from discussions, especially on religion.

Religion is actually a topic that requires a lot of empathy as a base, then history and then metaphilosophy, but sadly, most would rather espouse their entrenched views rather than to think "I can see how that is.." There's also the complete hostility to what faith is when one doesn't even know what it is in the first place. Personally I find that offensive, firstly- secondly if you're oblivious as to what you're engaging in, don't engage it in the first place- which is where the forum is right now concerning anything that has Christianity in it.

I find it very fun to talk about religion and its place in society with atheists, but only if they are lapsed Christians or are religiously inclined- but if they come from a place of hostility it's simply a waste of time- which goes for all types of discussions, actually.

Bigotry is an annoyance. Still, because many Christians tend to view everything through the lense of God, due to everything being created by him, every subject is ripe with religious perspective. This comes off to non-Christians as trying to constantly convert them and a general lack of respect for them to maintain their own views separate from God.

Also, INTP and Fi all annoyingly against debate. Everything has to be a boring discussion where they both spout out different perspectives with all the conversations being disconnected from one another. No one is willing to do the tug of war required to dig out the truth found between differing views.

Obliviousness or Ignorance is fine. I am on that team all the time. However, judgment in ignorance is another matter for sure. I think we agree partner. Maybe

Finally, empathy is good. Empathetic concern, sure, but sympathy can be toxic if given religiously. Truth with kindness but not kindness in spite of truth. Man what tangent am I falling into next!? Have a nice day friend Christian!

 

[Black Rose]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

 

[Grayman]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone.

Everyone is offended all the time no matter what you do. Just do the right thing be confident and tell those pansies to stick where the sun don't shine.

 

[onesteptwostep]

Like I've stated, empathy should already be a base and foundation when discussing faith. Faith in general is more emotional and relational rather than a static belief.

The majority of nonreligious people seem to be oblivious to this. Most see religion as an ideology- something akin to believing a theory. Basically, they've been conditioned secularlly to view religion that way. The whole science vs. religion framed by the New Athiests tend to lean this way.

Another issue is the jab at how Christians should be more moral than their secular counterparts. Learn what Christianity is before articulating things like this. It's almost as if they attack a form of a caricatured Christianity.

No one is responsible for one's ignorance, nor their emotions begot from their lack of understanding.

 

[Black Rose]

.

 

[Black Rose]

.

 

[Daddy]

.

 

[Grayman]

?

 

[Niclmaki]

Hah, this thread amuses me. (I only skimmed)

I somewhat forgot ya’ll existed until I got an email telling me ‘what I missed while I was gone’.

I was active for about a year after I joined (in 2012), but then went on a hiatus for several years. I am sorta back now. I doubt any of youse missed me, but I feel that likewise so it’s whatever, really.

 

[Angel]

This forum used to have mods that were invested in having quality content, but then these mods were harangued at every step by various users who found this too authoritative and wanted to have absolute liberty to say anything they want. Unsurprisingly, the people who once had a vested interest in keeping the place vital, came to lose that interest.

 

[Grayman]

This forum used to have mods that were invested in having quality content, but then these mods were harangued at every step by various users who found this too authoritative and wanted to have absolute liberty to say anything they want. Unsurprisingly, the people who once had a vested interest in keeping the place vital, came to lose that interest.

Not surprising on an INTP forum that people would be suspicious of authouritive actions. IMO

INTP – THE SCIENTIST

Motto: Always analytical (Source) Description: (Source) INTPs are quiet, thoughtful, analytical individuals who tend to spend long periods of time on their...

www.personalityclub.com

"INTP’s usually come to distrust authority as hindering the uptake of novel ideas and the search for knowledge."

Read more at: https://www.personalityclub.com/personality-types/intp/

 

[sushi]

i think the forum will rebound after a while,

most of the people went to hang out in reddit and personality cafe

but i admit reddit is the biggest stealer and competitor.

 

[OmoInisa]

This is a quality thread. Ironically a post lamenting the demise of the forum attracted contributions from some classic old time members, and an attractive thread resulted. Sweet nostalgia.

 

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