Has the Fence Post rotted?

[TheBigB]

Seems like the Fence Post pretty much has died off. Thoughts?

[michael medeski]

Thoughts?

over-moderation.

"one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch" or one douchey moderator can "rot" the whole forum.

If one apple/moderator in a bunch/forum is indeed rotten/douchey, it emits gasses/vibes that can be absorbed by other apples/people in proximity, causing them to begin to rot/get ****ed as well. the phrase can also be used to describe negative after-effects. for example, if one moderator calls someone a liar and constantly over-moderates every conversation, it tends to make others not want to post and waste their time jumping through the thousands of hoops it takes to have a decent conversation.

it seems the people that control the forum prefer to have D-BAGS, overzealous christians, and spammers run the forum rather than grown people having a discussion or GOD FORBID! an argument on it.

the FP would probably be better off changing it's name to the "Bible Post" if it wants people to actually post again.

[LuciusBeebe]

As a member of this forum for five years, the thousands of posts that I left in my wake included many arguments, squabbles and tiffs with a lot of people over a broad range of subjects. There were things that happened that made me question my participation on this forum. I heard that one poster took it upon himself to show up at another's work place because he was angry about an internet argument. Another time, somebody was upset because "tea b**ger" was not a forbidden term on the forum, so they cried to KPC's owner until he made it so. For years I have been gob-smacked by the juvenile behavior on display by so many posters here.

But always there was fairness in the moderation.

I stopped posting because that changed. The rule of the day turned into "cry loudly and you'll get your way". Annoyance turned to frustration, frustration turned into exasperation, and exasperation turned into anger... And now the forum is basically dead. I've checked in from time to time to see what's going on, and from what I can see, nothing has been going on for months. What once was a forum with people of all stripes chiming in daily on news of the world has dwindled to a trickle of a handful of you tossing missives into a cave to see if anyone is there. They're not. I don't blame Tater and Homey, they should post as they like. We all dealt with people like them since 2007. Night Fire was exactly like them. The forum was lively because of people like Night Fire. But, more importantly, it was vibrant because we were allowed to bicker and argue.

For some reason, all that changed. Nobody was allowed to argue with anybody. Nobody was allowed to jibe, toss barbs, challenge others. Well... let me jog that back. The cry babies were allowed to do that. They were allowed to insult people, display poor manners, and act like children. But the second they got their own medicine, they cried to the moderators. Again, this was nothing new. People have been complaining about me to the mods for years. But toward the end of last year, for whatever reason, things shifted. Now the crybabies are coddled, protected. They get their way. Any parent knows what happens when you protect the cry baby. The crying becomes louder and more frequent.

So, yes, Medeski is right. The Fence Post is dead because of over moderation.

Disagree with me as you like, but the proof is in the pudding. Nobody comes here any more. What once was a bustling marketplace is now a ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds.

[No Adventure Is Too Small]

As a member of this forum for five years, the thousands of posts that I left in my wake included many arguments, squabbles and tiffs with a lot of people over a broad range of subjects. There were things that happened that made me question my participation on this forum. I heard that one poster took it upon himself to show up at another's work place because he was angry about an internet argument. Another time, somebody was upset because "tea b**ger" was not a forbidden term on the forum, so they cried to KPC's owner until he made it so. For years I have been gob-smacked by the juvenile behavior on display by so many posters here.

But always there was fairness in the moderation.

I stopped posting because that changed. The rule of the day turned into "cry loudly and you'll get your way". Annoyance turned to frustration, frustration turned into exasperation, and exasperation turned into anger... And now the forum is basically dead. I've checked in from time to time to see what's going on, and from what I can see, nothing has been going on for months. What once was a forum with people of all stripes chiming in daily on news of the world has dwindled to a trickle of a handful of you tossing missives into a cave to see if anyone is there. They're not. I don't blame Tater and Homey, they should post as they like. We all dealt with people like them since 2007. Night Fire was exactly like them. The forum was lively because of people like Night Fire. But, more importantly, it was vibrant because we were allowed to bicker and argue.

For some reason, all that changed. Nobody was allowed to argue with anybody. Nobody was allowed to jibe, toss barbs, challenge others. Well... let me jog that back. The cry babies were allowed to do that. They were allowed to insult people, display poor manners, and act like children. But the second they got their own medicine, they cried to the moderators. Again, this was nothing new. People have been complaining about me to the mods for years. But toward the end of last year, for whatever reason, things shifted. Now the crybabies are coddled, protected. They get their way. Any parent knows what happens when you protect the cry baby. The crying becomes louder and more frequent.

So, yes, Medeski is right. The Fence Post is dead because of over moderation.

Disagree with me as you like, but the proof is in the pudding. Nobody comes here any more. What once was a bustling marketplace is now a ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds.

Very well stated!

[hideaway70]

As a member of this forum for five years, the thousands of posts that I left in my wake included many arguments, squabbles and tiffs with a lot of people over a broad range of subjects. There were things that happened that made me question my participation on this forum. I heard that one poster took it upon himself to show up at another's work place because he was angry about an internet argument. Another time, somebody was upset because "tea b**ger" was not a forbidden term on the forum, so they cried to KPC's owner until he made it so. For years I have been gob-smacked by the juvenile behavior on display by so many posters here.

But always there was fairness in the moderation.

I stopped posting because that changed. The rule of the day turned into "cry loudly and you'll get your way". Annoyance turned to frustration, frustration turned into exasperation, and exasperation turned into anger... And now the forum is basically dead. I've checked in from time to time to see what's going on, and from what I can see, nothing has been going on for months. What once was a forum with people of all stripes chiming in daily on news of the world has dwindled to a trickle of a handful of you tossing missives into a cave to see if anyone is there. They're not. I don't blame Tater and Homey, they should post as they like. We all dealt with people like them since 2007. Night Fire was exactly like them. The forum was lively because of people like Night Fire. But, more importantly, it was vibrant because we were allowed to bicker and argue.

For some reason, all that changed. Nobody was allowed to argue with anybody. Nobody was allowed to jibe, toss barbs, challenge others. Well... let me jog that back. The cry babies were allowed to do that. They were allowed to insult people, display poor manners, and act like children. But the second they got their own medicine, they cried to the moderators. Again, this was nothing new. People have been complaining about me to the mods for years. But toward the end of last year, for whatever reason, things shifted. Now the crybabies are coddled, protected. They get their way. Any parent knows what happens when you protect the cry baby. The crying becomes louder and more frequent.

So, yes, Medeski is right. The Fence Post is dead because of over moderation.

Disagree with me as you like, but the proof is in the pudding. Nobody comes here any more. What once was a bustling marketplace is now a ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Over the years, I have both agreed and disagreed with you and others, and we were allowed to flesh that out on the FP. Sometimes I, and others, overstepped the line, but we would issue our personal apologies when appropriate, and move on.

The FP''s New World Order is so restrictive and so slanted toward coddling whiny cowards that none of us veterans participate with any regularity any longer. It is no longer a place for stimulating debate. It has become boring. A drag.

It is too bad because the FP had the potential to be something great. Control freaks and egos have nipped that potential in the bud.

[Copycatted]

As a member of this forum for five years, the thousands of posts that I left in my wake included many arguments, squabbles and tiffs with a lot of people over a broad range of subjects. There were things that happened that made me question my participation on this forum. I heard that one poster took it upon himself to show up at another's work place because he was angry about an internet argument. Another time, somebody was upset because "tea b**ger" was not a forbidden term on the forum, so they cried to KPC's owner until he made it so. For years I have been gob-smacked by the juvenile behavior on display by so many posters here.

But always there was fairness in the moderation.

I stopped posting because that changed. The rule of the day turned into "cry loudly and you'll get your way". Annoyance turned to frustration, frustration turned into exasperation, and exasperation turned into anger... And now the forum is basically dead. I've checked in from time to time to see what's going on, and from what I can see, nothing has been going on for months. What once was a forum with people of all stripes chiming in daily on news of the world has dwindled to a trickle of a handful of you tossing missives into a cave to see if anyone is there. They're not. I don't blame Tater and Homey, they should post as they like. We all dealt with people like them since 2007. Night Fire was exactly like them. The forum was lively because of people like Night Fire. But, more importantly, it was vibrant because we were allowed to bicker and argue.

For some reason, all that changed. Nobody was allowed to argue with anybody. Nobody was allowed to jibe, toss barbs, challenge others. Well... let me jog that back. The cry babies were allowed to do that. They were allowed to insult people, display poor manners, and act like children. But the second they got their own medicine, they cried to the moderators. Again, this was nothing new. People have been complaining about me to the mods for years. But toward the end of last year, for whatever reason, things shifted. Now the crybabies are coddled, protected. They get their way. Any parent knows what happens when you protect the cry baby. The crying becomes louder and more frequent.

So, yes, Medeski is right. The Fence Post is dead because of over moderation.

Disagree with me as you like, but the proof is in the pudding. Nobody comes here any more. What once was a bustling marketplace is now a ghost town, complete with tumbleweeds.

Oh Auntie-m,Auntie-m,I missed you the most while I was gone. Just kidding on each,went into search myself and found this post when I saw it back in a time when I couldn't get to it. But just in case any of you retired Seniors are out there hiding behind one of those tumble weeds HELLO HELLO

[evilkumquat]

Sounds like I've missed out on lots of fun.

[2cents]

Not to worry when Mitt Romney is elected, it will be just the right fertilizer to get the vine growing back up the Fence Post. But who knows, if that happens, women might not be allowed to post anymore. Come to think about it, are there any women moderators?

[blue adept]

Not to worry when Mitt Romney is elected, it will be just the right fertilizer to get the vine growing back up the Fence Post. But who knows, if that happens, women might not be allowed to post anymore. Come to think about it, are there any women moderators?

I don't believe it is rot, as much as boycott by the GOPers. I believe it started when Lil Ricky had his Blazing saddles moment, and the GOPers couldn't deny the truth.

[james_t]

Not to worry when Mitt Romney is elected, it will be just the right fertilizer to get the vine growing back up the Fence Post. But who knows, if that happens, women might not be allowed to post anymore. Come to think about it, are there any women moderators?

jennyk, aka Jenny Kobiela-Mondor, night editor, movie critic and pop culture blogger for KPC Media Group.

[edeevee]

What happened to the Fence Post is, tragically, indicative of what's happening in our country. It used to be that you could have a political discussion in your living room with friends, in the break room with your co-workers, on city street corners, in letters to the editor and in places like this. The discourse might get heated, rowdy, and impolite but at the end of the day we could all shake hands (or shake our heads) and go home until we were ready to pick up the sword and have at it again. These days, my liberal friends only talk to fellow liberals, my conservative friends only talk to other conservatives. It might be a better way to get affirmation, to hear only what you want to hear ... but it's a lousy way to run the world.

How did it happen? In the time honored way. Those in power wish to stay in power. The powerful ones perceived a threat. They squelched it by placing unbalanced restrictions on the opposing side. Some of those in the protected class enjoyed this "victory" and perpetuated it by running to daddy every time someone said something that hurt their feelings.

Now, the owners of the Fence Post have every right to protect their property. They have the right to run this place however they see fit. However, as an outlet of public information, don't they also have a moral obligation to promote the exchange of facts, beliefs and opinions - whatever "side" they might originate from?

I'm not blaming jamest for this. Historically he has been tolerant, patient and fair. I'm blaming whoever signs his paycheck. If the Fence Post and it's exchange of ideas is to survive it has to be with equal respect and freedom for all sides of an argument. And that has to start at the top. Mr. Householder? Mr. Witwer? How say you?