i go out to the world, and the world comes in to me

[stormsewer]

I joined a community. This makes me nervous for two reasons: 1) I don't need another temporal black hole, and this community certainly is one. (And though it's fun sometimes, arguing metaphysics is not exactly what I'd call productive, not something I want to spend large chunks of my life doing.) 2) I notice a lot of people who are active in communities have friends-only LJs. The only reason I can come up with for this is that they encountered people in communities who didn't like them who then proceeded to harass them at home. I'm hopeful I won't have to deal with that, myself, but a community like convert_me seems like an easy place to make enemies...

Comments

[still-just-me.livejournal.com]

I notice a lot of people who are active in communities have friends-only LJs. The only reason I can come up with for this is that they encountered people in communities who didn't like them who then proceeded to harass them at home. I'm hopeful I won't have to deal with that, myself, but a community like convert_me seems like an easy place to make enemies...

Hey, that's what killfile's for. No need to go friends-only: Just ban any offending intertwerps (http://gerbilsage.livejournal.com/profile) from your journal.

Now you know...
(http://seanbaby.com/readers.htm)
GO JOE!

[stormsewer]

Hmm. I'll have to learn more about this "killfile" you speak of.

I don't really expect to have problems from the g-sage. I dislike his methods and I'm confused as to what his goal his (I think he likes it that way), but I did actually think that the thrashing he dealt out to theswede was well-deserved- a taste of his own medicine. (theswede and I usually agree, but I usually don't like his methods, either, and as a matter of fact my first huge argument on convert_me was with him.) The g-sage seems to have decided not to put me in his sights for the time being (I'd like to think it's because he knows that trying to bait me won't get him anywhere, but who knows), so I don't feel the need to take sides just yet...

[still-just-me.livejournal.com]

theswede can be awfully pedantic, but I have a soft spot for him. I debated him one time over something like whether there is any true reality (which I argued there is), and it was as respectful a debate as you could ask for.

gerbilsage sometimes wants to deconvert people and shake pre-existing notions out of their heads, which I respect, and sometimes it seems he wants to win by bullying, which I don't. I've never witnessed theswede do such a thing, so I'm not sure what you meant by "his own medicine". He presses the issue, yes, and he calls people on their bullshit, but he doesn't go way out of line like g-sage (to my knowledge).

And curiously, I still think theswede came out ahead in that one, as I said to g-sage in this thread (http://community.livejournal.com/convert_me/734733.html?thread=33619725#t33619725).

[stormsewer]

theswede often says things like "your beliefs are an abomination before humanity," "I am truly ashamed of being the same species as you," "Fuck [your] god, fuck it up the ass with a shovel, sideways," and, like gerbilsage, is generally very fond of using variations on "you're wrong" as an argument, which approaches I consider "less effective." His utter certainty in the correctness of his opinions kind of bothers me, as well, to the point where he comes off as dogmatic as those he fights against. (This is the nexus of the argument I had with him, incidentally.) In many cases I applaud him, though. Not always.

[stormsewer]

Oh, hold on. I hadn't seen this when I posted that comment. Huh.

[still-just-me.livejournal.com]

Might be he was referring to your post. I thought he was referencing this discussion. (http://community.livejournal.com/convert_me/734733.html?thread=33604109#t33604109)

[stormsewer]

Ah, that would make sense. I had only read that when it was just beginning. Wow, that dorianezra is annoying. He shoulda read my post... 'Cause if he were really a Taoist, he wouldn't be starting sentences with "If you were truly a Taoist..." (And if he knew gsage at all he wouldn't try to pull shit like that on him.) I dunno, something about that kind of condescension rubs me the wrong way. And yes, gsage can be just as bad, if not worse, when it comes to that, though he usually does it in intellectual terms, not spiritual terms, which is a lot less annoying to me, personally.