Man up.

[Krysos]

We post crap on this blog, to the already converted, but there's no organization, and it largely falls on if not deaf, but hardened, cynical, and frustrated ears. Why is it that we don't endeavor to post the kinds of things that we are all in tune with on a 1,000 different unrelated blogs. Why don't we swarm them with our knowledge? There's a million blogs out there with comments sections that aren't political. Sure, a great many are well-censored, and will prevent our point of view from being heard, but we can still have some kind of effect. Why don't we? Why do we engage in this cosmic fap-off, where we only give the information we're aware of to the already converted?

So. I challenge you all to post provocative links and ideas to sports blogs, cooking blogs, home fucking repair blogs, literary blogs, whatever online source with a comment section. Bombard them with your subversive and threatening ideals. Challenge any dipshit that says that their blog is focused on making cupcakes, and not considering the morality of depleted uranium. Imagine the eyes that view your impassioned pleas, and yet remain silent. GET INSPIRED, get angry, and believe. Believe that each little thing you do adds up to the tipping point, and resist all the reasonable and cynical resistance that the back of your mind tells you to believe in.

This blog here is a great resource, filled with tuned in and like minded people that have an exceptional ability to read between the lines. But where is our faith in humanity? Do we really need to believe that we're all such tuned in and perceptive people that we're doomed to some kind of sad and noble failing? Too beautiful for this world type bullshit?

Stop the circle jerk. Post what you know in sports blogs, culture blogs, any fucking place that lets you post a freaking link. Find a way to liberate yourself from the belief that it's pointless because they have satellites, data logging internet shit, mass media, and whatever woo type shit that really, really scares the pants off you. Man the fuck up. There is nothing they can do to prevent change that in any way is as powerful as convincing you to believe, "meh, why bother, it's how it's always been and always will be."

[seemslikeadream]

you sure have jumped to a bunch of conclusions buddy

[82_28]

Stop the circle jerk. Post what you know in sports blogs, culture blogs, any fucking place that lets you post a freaking link. Find a way to liberate yourself from the belief that it's pointless because they have satellites, data logging internet shit, mass media, and whatever woo type shit that really, really scares the pants off you. Man the fuck up. There is nothing they can do to prevent change that in any way is as powerful as convincing you to believe, "meh, why bother, it's how it's always been and always will be."

I do post to other places with comment sections albeit with other screen names. I come here for the circle jerk. I like bouncing ideas off the people here because I consider this place friendly to "fringe" subject material. I'm rarely made to feel like an idiot in this here place and thus it "gives me strength" to go out into the world. And you know, I really actually use RI for what I do in my encounters in meat-space. It compliments my life. For better or worse, it is a link and data repository for me. I like to think my presence here is one of "returning the favor" for what Jeff has been writing about through the years and my "growth" in and of rigor and intuition. You're never going to find a perfect web-board (this isn't a "blog" here btw).

In essence, I comment on a few choice newspaper sites, a number of Denver sports blogs, weather blogs, an OCD message board (that I think utilizes this same software -- though I'm trying to quit obsessing over OCD and don't go there much anymore). It literally depends on what the subject material is. Yes, I do take what I know to all those places just as I may choose to go to one pub over another. However, RI is "my pub down the street" and I consider the attitudes, personalities and words of fellow members here as those of friends.

Tell me Krysos, are you here by way of Jeff's writing or from some other vector? If you came here by way of Jeff's writing, I believe and I'm going out on a limb here, that you wouldn't think it important that people "man up" and would understand the "charter" of this "dump".

Sometimes I wonder what the point of this place is here. Often I wonder how much Jeff wonders the same thing. Then I just put it past me and enjoy the fact that we even have this place at all. Do you think that people, in the annals of history congregated in places in meat-space in order to convert or in order to converse? This place is for conversation and self/social edification.

[Luther Blissett]

I like the refinement of analysis that happens here. Just this week Krysos and I refined some analysis via PM.

And once a good idea is refined, researched, backed up, and verified here, I often take it to the streets (of the internet). I post a lot of the stronger positions on facebook where it reaches friends of mine from around the world and on another message board that is really popular with people in my city for culture stuff.

Also, whenever I hear from one of my (typically liberal) friends that they have some joker they went to high school with spouting conservato-fascist bullshit on their facebook pages, I try to request them and always send them the message: "Hello, I'm friends with xxxxxxx. I saw your comment on xxxxxxx and was wondering if you would accept this facebook request as I don't get many opportunities to have a discourse with people whose views differ so much from my own, as all of my friends have roughly the same politics and values as myself." It's worked out well for me so far. I've been peppering their pages with wage inequality research and Koch Bros. stuff, which all of their Tea Party friends read. I'm trying to start wildfires via that venue that I hope might spread much faster than cooking blogs.

[elfismiles]

That approach reminds me of something I did many years ago shortly after 911 ... with phone solicitors and door to door solicitors. I'd tell them straight up I had no intention of or interest in talking with them about whatever it was they were hawking but that I'd really like to ask them a few questions. So then I'd start with some generally vague political question like "what do you think is the state of the country right now?" Then let them lead and as soon as I had a bead on where I thought they were coming from I'd try and find common ground and give them little parapolitical mind-bombs dependent upon what they said. I'd usually steer the conversation towards 911, the wars, covert ops, telling them about Depleted Uranium, suicide rates among returning GIs, building 7, etc. etc. Had some great conversations and got a real sense of what others were thinking while seemingly subtly steering them towards a broader understanding of the subjects discussed.

Haven't done that in a while but ... at the time it was really gratifying.

I like the refinement of analysis that happens here. Just this week Krysos and I refined some analysis via PM.

And once a good idea is refined, researched, backed up, and verified here, I often take it to the streets (of the internet). I post a lot of the stronger positions on facebook where it reaches friends of mine from around the world and on another message board that is really popular with people in my city for culture stuff.

Also, whenever I hear from one of my (typically liberal) friends that they have some joker they went to high school with spouting conservato-fascist bullshit on their facebook pages, I try to request them and always send them the message: "Hello, I'm friends with xxxxxxx. I saw your comment on xxxxxxx and was wondering if you would accept this facebook request as I don't get many opportunities to have a discourse with people whose views differ so much from my own, as all of my friends have roughly the same politics and values as myself." It's worked out well for me so far. I've been peppering their pages with wage inequality research and Koch Bros. stuff, which all of their Tea Party friends read. I'm trying to start wildfires via that venue that I hope might spread much faster than cooking blogs.

[JackRiddler]

Your apparent assumptions:

1. We agree. (For my part, there are a few people on this board I'd rather hope aren't propagating their views elsewhere!)

2. We're not already doing what you say. (Said assumption is rather insulting to those who are, or have been for a long time.)

3. The particular tactics you describe would be effective. (From experience: not always or even usually the case.)

4. They would be more effective than other actions (like in meatspace).

5. Macho slogans are going to motivate.

Other than that, 82_28 said it well. This discussion is (usually) interesting and productive to many of us, and not (generally) a circle jerk.

And no way am I getting myself banned from the Cupcake Blog.

http://cupcakeblog.com/

[norton ash]

Oh, Riddler, don't piss off those cupcake people. They're worse than scientologists.

[barracuda]

Lots of people here do that already. Hugh, for example, is all over the web with his take on fascist control of the media. And you be hard pressed to accuse folks like elfismiles, or Wombaticus Rex, or DoYouEverWonder, or operator kos, or Jack Riddler, or any number of other posters here of not doing enough to spread the word outside the board, if you know their storied histories. I mean, 82_28 was summarily kicked off of a cat board for over-politicizing the conversation. How 'bout them apples?? Shades of Marat.

But technically the type of activity you're advocating is known as spamming. The best example I can give is an old poster named castanblaidd who would post his opinion that the H1N1 virus was being engineered for population control on literally hundreds of websites. Most of the examples I saw when I followed up on this had been marked as spam by various admins, or ignored entirely. This is not to say that such a campaign couldn't have some impact. But my own approach would tend to be more organic.

And the reality of this board is that there's actually not much in the way of a solid consensus on much of anything here. This seems to be more of a "question" place than an "answer" place. We're not all singing the same song. And if you spend much time here monitoring responses and view-numbers to postings, you'll quickly realize that there are only about forty or fifty of us here at all. We're unlikely to constitute your personal army, as the anons are prone to saying. Which reminds me...

fap-off

Has the word "fap" now traveled beyond the confines of /b/ into a more widespread vernacular, or is this a tell as to your origins?

Anyway, your point might be better received if you'd demonstrate that you've "manned up" yourself, and provide some links to various comment sections where you've walked the walk. I'd be interested to see what the outcome of your endeavors has amounted to. And I might be more receptive to inspiration from a poster who had actually shown some real input and content in the context of this board, the RIGOROUS INTUITION DISCUSSION BOARD, which I'm sad to say, I have yet to experience from you on any but the most distanced and cursory level.


Kicked off a cat board moderated by Charlotte Corday...

[82_28]

And the reality of this board is that there's actually not much in the way of a solid consensus on much of anything here.

On that, I would have to agree.

(good memory on the cat board quip -- I'd forgotten it)

I do wish we had a good cadre of about another 100 or 2 members who posted regularly -- this includes agents who think they're clever enough to pass muster. I hate it when I wake up, check the site and see that I still was the last asshole who posted.

I think the subject material and the tact we take about such material scares a lot of people off -- it's free form, we don't appreciate assholes, the assholes who are here are loveable, we cover a lot of ground and time and space. I could go on and on about synchs at metafilter and would be SUMMARILY banished by way of all those fuckers thinking they're cooler than me. But here, I am free to do so. And nobody for the most part is an idiot about it. Even Hugh, he has his place. We also welcome outsiders, who as barracuda says, "walk the walk". So, just go that route man. Come here or don't come here.

I lurked here for a long long time and finally for some reason took the plunge to begin tossing up 10+ comments a day. But in those days it seems like there were some weirdos here, not just honest thinkers. I don't even know who those people were or are anymore. But again, all via my fascination with Jeff's writing.

[Montag]

Many message boards seem to be circle jerks IMO. They are overeregulated/moderated and they ban people with different views. It smacks to me of being back in Kindergarten; I've had my fill, of the infantilisation that is the Internet...

I write articles, I don't think I have much hope of being printed in the MSM, I've had some success getting a few pieces posted by fairly large alternative media sites. Frankly, I haven't set my sights much higher than that... I think a lot of people are very happy in their tunnel vision/ignorance, it's a somewhat sad thing, but I don't have the answer(s) for it.

p.s. I had an email exchange once with Ellen Brown, she told me the MSM won't publish her. She seems like a fairly accomplished writer so I don't see many possibilities other than the alternative outlets.

[Simulist]

"Before those cyber-evangelists from Rigorous Intuition showed up at my blog's door, I'd been sacrificing babies to the Pope. But now I hand out pamphlets with my new friends from the Campus Crusade for Jeff."

But seriously, folks... Has anyone ever "seen the light" because of an anonymous blog comment? Or maybe because someone on the internet verbally wrestled them from a "half nelson" into a cyber pinned-position?

(Well, I was once — but "the light" turned out to be an oncoming train!)

[Perelandra]

.
Try again in a couple years, when you've completed RI 101.

[Simulist]

Well, is it "Man up"?

Or "Man overboard"?

[Luther Blissett]

But seriously, folks... Has anyone ever "seen the light" because of an anonymous blog comment? Or maybe because someone on the internet verbally wrestled them from a "half nelson" into a cyber pinned-position?

The idea is that the truth gets told a thousand times in a thousand different places thus resulting in illuminating the masses on one more point (one billion to go).

[Simulist]

But seriously, folks... Has anyone ever "seen the light" because of an anonymous blog comment? Or maybe because someone on the internet verbally wrestled them from a "half nelson" into a cyber pinned-position?

The idea is that the truth gets told a thousand times in a thousand different places thus resulting in illuminating the masses on one more point (one billion to go).

Yeah. The "thousand points of light" thing never connected with me. (A "billion" points of it is a dazzling prospect though.)

But who has "the truth"? At best, each of us has pieces of it.