• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Online Mentality of Scientific Forums

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
imported post

I'm a member of several online forums which focus on various aspects of science and higher education, including physics, astronomy, chemistry, etc.

On one such forum, I grew fed up with it's increasing descent into the cesspool of political correctness. As some of you may have judged by my posts here, I am by no means a radical! In fact, I'm a down to Earth, common-sense person, all around. I like to hear the opinions of others, but I prefer they come with substantiating evidence, legal citation, and other references. Judging from the stellar examples I've seen from many here, I think this is a common theme on this forum.

Earlier today, I changed my signature on the science forum to indicate my support for the lawful carry of firearms. I even toned it down - way down!

And this is on a forum where we have repeatedly discussed various firearms issues in open forum without incident on many previous occasions.

Well, along comes a mod, whose country I won't mention. He erases my signature, rails against it while claiming I created all sorts of forum inflammation, and threatens me with a banning.

I've been on that forum for five years and 12,000 posts!

A "banning?" For simply including firearms carry in my signature, a right provided me by my own country's constitution?

Is he utterly mad?

Or is he merely a product of the anti-gun culture of his country?

I would argue the latter.

Having either moderated or admined forums since 1986 (24 years) I would also argue his position as a moderator on a board wide open to worldwide membership should be terminated until such time as he is able to come to grips with the fact that his country's gun control mindset doesn't necessarily (and most often won't) apply to the members of several hundred countries who frequent that message forum.

Whether or not that message forum will ever unscrew themselves from the hole they've dug (which began years ago, believe me), remains to be seen. Personally, I don't think they're capable of doing so any longer. I think they'll just continue to wither, while trying their best to convince themselves that they remain an ongoing concern.

However, I find this to be true of many social groups who tend to close themselves off from other sources of input, both pro-gun and anti-gun.

It is the very nature of the open debate process by which men hear opposing arguments, and, taking the best while forgetting the rest, grow. It's how we, as a society, improve ourselves - the exchange of old ideas, the flow of new ones.

It's the very essence of online message forums!

Sadly, some forums forget this, and begin squashing anything which contradicts the status quo.

I, for one, am glad to see that OpenCarry.org continues to tolerate dissenting opinion. I may not agree with it, based on either experience or education, and you may not agree with it, based on these or your own reasons, but it remains a healthy thing to do. Indeed, the amendment which most of us old dear is but one after another which affords us the ability to discuss these and other issues in the first place. :D

I don't know what will happen to that forum. Time will tell.

In the meantime, I've thoroughly enjoyed these forums, the comments of its members, and look forward to spending more time here!
 

Doug Huffman

Banned
Joined
Jun 9, 2006
Messages
9,180
Location
Washington Island, across Death's Door, Wisconsin,
imported post

Sounds about like touching on science here, it's pretty pointless, and some here would have education, worse, higher education, the worst form of elitism.

None the less, welcome. I look forward to reading of your insights.

Either we are equal or we are not. Good people ought to be armed where they will, with wits and guns and the truth. NRA KMA$$ damn the Obamination and its teeth.
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
imported post

Wow. I was suspended until the end of the month and wrongly accused of trying to bait the mod team.

All because I simply put words to the effect that I support our second amendment rights to keep and bear arms as both a hobby and means of self-defense.

For a bunch of scientists, they're not too bright, are they?
 

tekshogun

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
1,052
Location
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
imported post

As I'm sure we've all observed in the past, just because someone is a scientist or an advocate thereof, does not make them smart or well-informed. And online, political correctness is a chosen ground depending on who you are and where you are on the net. It is like the religious nuts bashing the science nuts and vice-versa on the Yahoo Answer forums (funny to watch as neither one of them can prove the other wrong).

With that said, as far as how you are treated or think you've been treated on any forum; this is an old quote that I sent to someone as a joke from my old days using BBS's.

"Now you see, welcome to just another realm of many, where the political and ideological borders of the real-world do not exist. In the real-world, who or what God is may be questioned but online, there is no question, no matter where, for God is the SysOp."
 

Sonora Rebel

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
3,956
Location
Gone
imported post

I used to work at JHU/APL doing strange things for strange people. Many (most) were brilliant in their particular disciplines. Outside of that however... Oh my! :shock: 'T'was there that I coined the phrase:

"Some people have been educated beyond reasonable usefulness."

You may use that lineat your discretion. Many persons who are citizens of countriesother thanthe United States have no Constitutional guarantees about anything. (Never have)This would include freedom of speech. It's not in their psyche or histories to bear arms w/o 'permission'. 'Statists' ... in essence. Education and even intellectual brilliance or genius does not automatically impart 'wisdom' or even the talented application of their learning. Many erstwhile brilliant people have been 'dead wrong' over the centuries. I've known PhD's to call IT for computer problems who'd not looked to see if their surge-protector was turned on or even plugged in.
 

Carnivore

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2008
Messages
970
Location
ParkHills, Missouri, USA
imported post

Now that you won't be on the science forums for a while, let us get you fully converted to a gun nut.. then on your signature line upon your return to the science forums you can include the O.C.D.O. link we in the gun toting community are always on the lookout for new converts... Just let em know you found a utopia where the scientist have guns.
 

Sonora Rebel

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
3,956
Location
Gone
imported post

You can use one of my old sig lines; "A round downrange cannot be recalled..."



Pure physics!
 

tekshogun

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
1,052
Location
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
imported post

Carnivore wrote:
Now that you won't be on the science forums for a while, let us get you fully converted to a gun nut.. then on your signature line upon your return to the science forums you can include the O.C.D.O. link we in the gun toting community are always on the lookout for new converts... Just let em know you found a utopia where the scientist have guns.

Of course, bah, we can talk about the physics of firearms. There is a lot there, you know, mechanical engineering, thermodynamics, ballistics, and physics in general... :lol:
 

sudden valley gunner

Regular Member
Joined
Dec 13, 2008
Messages
16,674
Location
Whatcom County
imported post

tekshogun wrote:
As I'm sure we've all observed in the past, just because someone is a scientist or an advocate thereof, does not make them smart or well-informed. And online, political correctness is a chosen ground depending on who you are and where you are on the net. It is like the religious nuts bashing the science nuts and vice-versa on the Yahoo Answer forums (funny to watch as neither one of them can prove the other wrong).

I love this. LOL:pneither creationist or evolutionist have any "proof" of their theories. I was asked which side I was on I told them I am waiting for the correct answer to be discovered or bestowed.

"Scientists are Only Human —and Not Immune to Dogma." -James P. Hogan

A great read is Kicking the Sacred Cow by the above author. Tells how a scientist who don't believe in one hoax, will full heartedly believe in another. He offers tons of alterior explanations for "hardened facts" of the science world some of them out there but others very plausible. Like the origen of Venus very interesting and I believe mostly plausible theory better than what most scientist now believe. But shows how modern science has become very close minded.
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
imported post

Evolution has been proved about as well as anything. The theory was supported by all kinds of circumstantial evidence, but since we've begun mapping genes there's really no longer any doubt.
 

tekshogun

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
1,052
Location
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
imported post

marshaul wrote:
Evolution has been proved about as well as anything. The theory was supported by all kinds of circumstantial evidence, but since we've begun mapping genes there's really no longer any doubt.

There will remain to be doubt unless we can find something defnitive proof. Even with mapping genes, we can not PROVE evolution, only that there are and were species related to each other because their genes are similar in one way or another. We can see survival of the specifies fit most to changing surroundings, but that does not show/prove anything about genes changing or mutating over time, only that "version A" was better equipped for survival than "version B or C".

I hear what you're saying marshaul, and you're preaching to the choir ( :) what an ironic use of words) but no one can say for sure how anything started and how, exactly, it progressed from one snapshot in time to the next. They can give you snapshots, just not the transition, at least not yet.
 

marshaul

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Aug 13, 2007
Messages
11,188
Location
Fairfax County, Virginia
imported post

Well, you're right, but as I see it, the only possible other explanation for that amount of overwhelming correlation is that "God made it that way to test our faith!".

Then again, being that that IS the other main theory out there, and can't be proved or disproved, I suppose that we'll never know. :lol:

Then yet again, what is there about which couldn't be argued "it isn't really that way, God just made it seem so to test our faith!".

I hereby believe that we all live in little bubbles to provide energy for robots, and that God created the Matrix to test our faith.
 

tekshogun

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 17, 2009
Messages
1,052
Location
Greensboro, North Carolina, USA
imported post

marshaul wrote:
Well, you're right, but as I see it, the only possible other explanation for that amount of overwhelming correlation is that "God made it that way to test our faith!".

Then again, being that that IS the other main theory out there, and can't be proved or disproved, I suppose that we'll never know. :lol:

Then yet again, what is there about which couldn't be argued "it isn't really that way, God just made it seem so to test our faith!".

I hereby believe that we all live in little bubbles to provide energy for robots, and that God created the Matrix to test our faith.

:lol:

I'd rather stick withthe thought that "science is the key to our salvation" than be some rat in box.
 

XD40coyote

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 29, 2007
Messages
706
Location
woman stuck in Maryland, ,
imported post

Makes me think of the kid with aspergers who left a forum that discussed the stupidity of animal activists, when he got mad at being taunted for being too closed minded about cockfighting or something or another. "They" were being mean to him, so he left. Wasa real shame as I liked the kid. Maturity was the issueI think. Wish I could locate him now, as I have questions about aspergers ( I am certain I have a mild form of it, what with my history of being weird, too smart, and also prefering to be alone most of the time- socially I am a mess).

There is however another form of "genius". As kids these types have- GASP- friends and stuff, and are extroverts-OMG. Straight A students, but ask them what they learned last year and they give you a blank stare. I knew one once, she was top in her graduating class. What does she do? Teaches yogaand is a vegan or something. She had this great paying nerd job, working with the Hubble Telescope crew, but she quit so she could go be a hippy. One time she was with a college friend, and I tried to talk to them, and it was like " you are dirt, go away" was being directed at me. Oh wellI guess the aspergers was flaring up and I was socially stinky or something. BTW teaching yoga is fine, but veganism and all that animal rights crap is for STUPID and FAIL. Yes, I have researched their side inside and out and upsidedown. It is full of FAIL. Just like anti gunners.
 

Dreamer

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 23, 2009
Messages
5,360
Location
Grennsboro NC
imported post

If anyone here still has ANY belief that Academia and the "scientific research" world are even marginally independent and free from political influence, just do a web search on the University of East Anglia.

If they can engineer the ENTIRE global warming fiasco through blackballing research that proved them wrong, and initiating character assassination campaigns in the media against "contrary researchers", then I believe we should find it difficult to believe ANYTHING that comes from ANY university that takes funding from any government or Foundation...

Academia (particularly the "research" fields) has been a tool of political, corporate, and social-engineering Foundations for the better part of two centuries.

What surprises me is that you haven't been outright kicked off these forums for taking a pro-gun stance...
 
Top