[Pyramid*]

Originally Posted by Stu

I'm on a few hot headed forums dominated almost entirely by male, educated, patronising movie buffs. We slag each other off constantly when we disagree with each other and it makes for some downright hillarious discussions which everyone forgets about in the morning. Trolls and people who simply can't be arsed making interesting, informative posts are mercilessly hounded out and instantly banned. Are we all bullies?

One glove does not fit every hand. These are also forums where no kids are allowed, there is only one or two very strict moderators who are outside the group dynamic, there are relatively few year end competitions, you leave your feelings and personal life at the door, every thread is usually relevant and highly readable, nobody bothers double accounting, drama about the forum off the forum simply doesn't exist ... and really the groups on these forums tend to be intelligent, caustic old bastards far worse than Shaun at his most scathing being mainlined through the veins InOne levels of alcohol abuse whilst being force fed all my adolescent years of general nihlism.

Then again according to the theme of this thread we are all reprehensible bullies on those forums. Then again it doesn't apply to us because only those who can handle it, post with us, and leave all personal and real life emotions and connections at the door are those allowed stay and enjoy the mere anarchy of it all.

See what I'm getting at? I know my defensive post, again by thread theme, spotlights me as some tyrannical monster but hey at least I contributed more to the thread than, say, Jordan's post. If we had all at one time or another been obnoxiously respectful to one another MeMyself&I and Raph would still have vaginas, BigLover would still be undergoing chemo, and Thomas would be welcomed as a darling of enigmatic discussion. And virtually three quaters of this forums best moments and threads would never have happened.

Good post. And no, I wouldn't class that as bullying. I'd class that as getting rid of driftwood and the very type that actually bring good forums down.