h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Well I have just clicked “stop being notified about new conversations” on the Forum page. This makes me sad because in the three or so years I have been regularly using h2g2 to Forum has always been my fave place.

Clearly things have changed and my feeling that personal opinions and anecdote have only limited usefulness in debate is a minority point of view. I don’t think I can enjoy myself in any forum in which people like SWL can just spout any old crud they think, and say “I know more about the world than you matey so that is the way it is…..” and if this is challenged getting shouted down.

No doubt this will probably seem like I am just having a hissy fit because someone disagrees with me but I really don’t think this is the case. In the time I have been on hootoo I have regularly disagreed with researchers and been able to have reasoned debate. To name but a few McKay, Zagreb, Blues Shark, SoRB, Blatherskite, Two Bit Trigger Pumping Moron, Clive the Ostrich thingy, Grey Desk, Psycorp, Jimster, AGC Ben, Kerr Avon. But I have never got arsey or fallen out with any of them (at least to the best of my knowledge) and these people represent a wide range of opinions.

The only person other than SWL who I have ever had a problem with is Della….

I really don’t understand how using personal experience as a toold for determining how the whole world works is a legitimate debating tactic. Still life moves on.

Knowing me I will probably change my mind in a couple of days/weeks and re-subscribe but I just feel so mad right now.

FB, I'm truly sorry if you feel I'm causing you a problem. I happen to entirely respect your point of view but the world exists through personal experiences. Graphs, data and a plethora of surveys don't tell us about the world either. They only give answers to questions where the person paying knows the answer anyway, or wants data skewed.

Do the figures tell the whole story about Auschwitz?

With regard to the RN issue, we're not that far apart really. Maybe my limited communication skills paint me into a corner.

Again, I'm genuinely sorry if I've nipped your

oh sorry to hear that FB

I hope that the things that I've mentioned recently haven't contributed.

Talking to some people is like wiping your nipsy; not pleasant but, your better off doing it than just ignoring the problem.

Bro in real life you will meet other unconcious racists, and double talking hypocrites, the forum and H2G2 is amongst other things a useful place for formulating arguments and strategies for dealing with them.

If all this fails its a good place to let off a little steam.

I notice you've got an apology from SWL, I got one of those too. Dont get too excited despite their extreme rarity they're actually worthless.

stay strong brother.

Well, you'll certainly be missed, FB.

I'm rather bemused about the whole links vs. personal experience debate that seems to be going on, and even more bemused about why it seems to be turning nasty. Surely it's obvious that 'argument by anecdote' has its weaknesses, and that stats and graphs don't tell the whole story.

As this happened just after you unsubbed from Dogster's thread where I complained about you and SWL derailing it by dragging in an argument from somewhere else, I hope that didn't have anything to do with your decision.

Anyhow, hope you'll be back.

Oh, and thanks for the tag - I didn't know it was called Pan's Labyrinth in English.

az

btw - you are on the front page today.

az