Therapy for good threads gone wrong
 

Hi all- based on recent events, I thought I'd create a thread for commenters
who have come up with a thread that is thought provoking, meaningful,
useful, or otherwise good- only to see it come apart due to commenters
with attention span issues, ego issues, or IQ issues...

So, if you have come up with such a thread, only to see it ruined by some
knob, feel free to come to this newly created thread to vent. Go ahead, let
it out! Replies in all caps are WELCOME here, it's socially acceptable! Give
some details, maybe some funny or clever insults, make yourself better...

Caveat- if you are one of the "thread hijackers", please give others this ONE
venting area; after all, you've tainted all the other space. Thanks for
understanding! Trent King

It's very commonplace for a thread to eventually drift, just as most conversations do. Why does it bother you so much? Does it really bother anyone else? People are always free to try to bring it back.

The "going wrong" I've noticed usually happens when someone is an obnoxious jerk for no reason and/or refuses to engage in a good faith exchange of thoughts/ideas.

Fortunately that does not happen in the majority of threads on here.

ah memories....
 

Sometimes reminded of the early days of the internet when I used to go on AOL chat rooms for trivia quizzes only to see it degenerate almost every 10 minutes or so to someone kindly offering to meet someone else in a specific location to KICK THEIR A^% ..... followed by both parties listing a resume of attributes like "I am a former Green Beret " and "I have a 4th degree Black Belt in Karate" etc etc plus warnings like "you dont want any part of this" LOLOL. Amazing how many self proclaimed UFC Champion fighters used to be there....

(I love the term “knob” - perfect! May I borrow it when needed??😂

threads gone off topic
 

Peter- there's no fighting the premise here! You have a keen mind, so I'm
surprised this phenomenon doesn't trouble you more. Here's an example:

Thread- name your favorite player named "Mickey", other than Mantle...

Response- How about Mickey Stanley?

Response 2- Did you read what Paul Stanley of Kiss, recently said about the
other band members during an interview?

Response 3- I didn't care for Kiss, too much makeup.

Response 4- How about Mickey Rivers?

Response 5- Did anyone really like Three Rivers Stadium?

Response 6- I like Mickey Mantle!

See what I mean? Does this really need to happen? Of course not. My
thread was definitely done in jest, but I still suggest people use it. After all,
you wouldn't want me to respond to your next thread about baseball, with
questions or trivia about the Iditarod, right? :)

Nicedocter- I know the tendency of which you speak. My friends called that
"Twitter muscles", a term I find apt. The vast majority of folks here don't
cross that low rent line, thank goodness.

Trent King

Especially interesting when the thread starts about 1 player and a few posts later it is about a different player all together

Sometimes life is a big, sloppy mess and you just have to roll with it. There's no rules regarding "knobs" in society at large. Knobs are everywhere. They drive cars; they run for office; they comment on news stories; they're affixed to doors; they even collect baseball cards. Maybe you just need to laugh more and drink a beer or two. Life's too short to get in a snit about something so silly as to whether Roberto Clemente was better than Al Kaline or vise versa. They're both dead, and some day you will be too!

“If you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you.”
― Groucho Marx

There is actually a written rule, still in the rules section, that says you shouldn't hijack a thread. It is rarely enforced though...
.

Did I tell you about the time I jumped out of a perfectly good airplane? ..... Chortle

I kid, I kid.

Butch.

Thread for therapy
 

To SAllen2556:

1) Peculiar reference to death there, Buzz Killington (for all you "Family Guy
enthusiasts).

2) Thanks for proving my point! You went off topic, happily oblivious to the
spirit of the thread. "State's Exhibit A" has landed.

Keep on lamenting and venting, like-minded net54 folks!

Trent King

I get what Trent is saying. I think we see it happen here quite a bit but I think it happens in live conversations too. I think it is ok to make a post to nudge people back to the topic especially if there are still enough participants who are not done with the discussion. If the topic is one that really has momentum a knob will not be able to derail it. Once a topic has outlasted its useful life and is starting to die down, having it go OT is pretty easy.

Damn, that just made me imagine finding Kaline and Clemente arguing stats in the afterlife.

Either- But it's all about WAR.
Other- meh, just a counting stats for math geeks
Either- Yeah, but I was still better!
Hitler butting in - I was the best at WAR!
Gehngis Khan overhearing while walking by - F'n amateur.

Paul Stanley’s real name is Stanley Eisen, since he chose Paul Stanley to be his stage name Paul Frehley was forced to become Ace not wanting there to be two Paul’s in the band. I’m pretty sure drummer Eric Carr’s real first name was also Paul so he was forced to pick a different stage name when he joined years later.

This reminds me of something I was pondering yesterday.... Why don't Russian oligarchs start wearing parachutes? The way they keep stumbling out of windows, I mean.

Good threads gone wrong- great example...
 

Hi all- so, this morning I started a new thread in Watercooler sports talk,
in regard to Albert Pujols hitting 700 home runs. I had no idea one had
been started in the New Member Introductions page, until I looked at that
forum for a different reason altogether...

So, the thread for Albert in that forum lasted exactly nine posts before
"Isiahfan" began piping conspiracy theory that pitchers were grooving him
pitches, then the same guy started talking about the value of his 700th HR
ball a few posts later. Nicely done, class all the way...

Some people have hummingbird in their DNA, I swear it. Can't wait to see
how long it takes before someone hijacks my thread, which is simply a
congratulatory gesture toward a great player. Over/under is 5 posts:)

Trent King

at least we dont get 'a/s/l'