Finally, what is it with this thread and endlessly bashing ceepolk and settar? In a place that decries personal attacks an awful lot of you seem to delight in them. It is sick. You cheapen yourselves. You want to talk about skepticism, sure. Don't like a particular position or idea, I can understand that, but the endless snickering and mocking is disgusting. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
I agree with you, but I confess that ceepolk and Setar are sterling examples of people that anyone critical of A+ can point to as "the ones who would line you up against a wall if given a chance." (And yes, I am dead serious.) I think you are doing a fine job of defending the A+ forum, ApostateltsopA, and refuting some of the more exaggerated claims against them, but you do overstate the case a little when you say no one ever gets banned just for disagreement. I remember several cases of ceepolk summarily banning someone for making a
slightly dodgy comment, without even giving them the opportunity to walk it back or explain themselves, and threatening bans for disagreeing with someone in a fashion she didn't like.
Now, as you have pointed out (and as the A+-haters here don't seem willing to accept), they don't
have to put up with dodgy comments or people who need to be "educated." And that's fine. I think the arguments a lot of y'all here at JREF are making - "Well, if they don't allow debate then it's not a
real skeptics forum!" - are missing the point. They want a forum where people who drop by to explain why feminism is stupid or racism doesn't exist because race isn't real and white is a race too blah blah blah can just be booted. I don't really see the problem with that per se.
Where I think A+ is going wrong is that they aren't just summarily disallowing the bingo-card troll arguments, they are calcifying around a very specific set of ideologies and calling troll on anyone who raises an eyebrow at them. For example, try defending capitalism or questioning socialism. You won't be
banned for that, but you'll be subjected to an avalanche of f-bombs from Setar and sneers from much of the rest of the gallery, and unless you can maintain Spock-like reserve in responding, you will almost inevitably find yourself walking the ban-or-suspension plank. I have seen this happen several times. Ditto the whole "Islamism" debacle. Terrorism is bad but it's racist to say so if they are brown people unless you acknowledge that they are only terrorists because of Western colonialism.
It's not so much that you can't disagree with those propositions, but it's very clear that those propositions are held dear by the dominant personalities, who will go after anyone who disagrees with them with the
intent of provoking you into saying something that will get you banned. And since they keep adding rules like "You
have to respond when
Setarsomeone asks you a question" (even if it's leading and straw-mannish) or "If you refer to 'walking on eggshells' you are a troll and will get banned," yes, it's really hard to have the fortitude, patience, and tactical acumen to engage in discussion about one of their shibboleths without hitting a tripwire.
Now, having pointed out my issues with A+, I've gotta say that some of you critics are being a wee bit disingenuous too. Like
recursive prophet - dude, I will take you at your word that "Sun Princess" was a mistake and not deliberately intended as condescending, but even at the time, I was skeptical. Especially since I was reading both forums when you got banned, and I remember how you posted your "reasonable questions" there while coming back here to chuckle and guffaw. Really, how is that not trolling?
The most reasonable point has probably been made, multiple times, by
Myriad: if you find these people so broken and ridiculous, why not leave them alone? Instead of spending all this time stalking them? I mean, what is the deal with tracking them on Twitter and Facebook and across the Internet, bragging about how you know all their real names and what they look like and can follow the details of their daily lives, etc.? I haven't seen anyone say anything actually threatening, but that is pretty creepy and I cannot help thinking that some of you are doing it hoping that they will read your posts and be freaked out.
It seems she took offence to me calling her Ophie. No offence intended Ophelia, Ophie was just a word I typed but if you want to read more into it, by all means. So now I can cite appearing in a blog alongside my appearances on Cops and The Jerry Springer Show so soon I'll be joining the elite world of the A-listers
