Richard Dawkins' forum run by prefects with swagger sticks?

[Meekychuppet]

I forgot I posted in here, but I now see that post is hilarious and farcical. Dawkins is turning in to a right tosser. Topsy was always an arse as far as I could see, she just couldn't wait to ascend the mod's hierarchy and start banninating people she didn't like. I imagine she was thrashing way on her clitoris as she did it.

Just have to say something here ... As much as I find the moderation of RDF to be fundamentally negative and counterproductive, creating issues rather than resolving them, I would never characterise any of the staff members in the way Meeky is here. They're regular, fallible people who make mistakes and get away with it for three reasons: the heirarchical structure of the membership/staff dynamic, the design of the guidelines, and the completely impenetrable, isolated exclusivity the staff foster for themselves.

I know, it's not the most intelligent criticism, but this is the thing. Dawkins is upper middle class to upper class, speaks using impeccable received pronunciation and he's running a moral crusade. A man like that does not need to give the world extra reasons to think he's a wanker, and the average working class chap is just going to hear a university toff telling them what to think.

Like it or not, that is what he faces. He can debate Dinesh D'Souza et al all all he wants, but he won't change anything as long as he comes across as a galavanting member of the ruling class. Sorry - that's just the way it looks to most ordinary people who cannot understand the nuances of what he is saying.

[CJ]

I forgot I posted in here, but I now see that post is hilarious and farcical. Dawkins is turning in to a right tosser. Topsy was always an arse as far as I could see, she just couldn't wait to ascend the mod's hierarchy and start banninating people she didn't like. I imagine she was thrashing way on her clitoris as she did it.

Just have to say something here ... As much as I find the moderation of RDF to be fundamentally negative and counterproductive, creating issues rather than resolving them, I would never characterise any of the staff members in the way Meeky is here. They're regular, fallible people who make mistakes and get away with it for three reasons: the heirarchical structure of the membership/staff dynamic, the design of the guidelines, and the completely impenetrable, isolated exclusivity the staff foster for themselves.

I know, it's not the most intelligent criticism, but this is the thing. Dawkins is upper middle class to upper class, speaks using impeccable received pronunciation and he's running a moral crusade. A man like that does not need to give the world extra reasons to think he's a wanker, and the average working class chap is just going to hear a university toff telling them what to think.

Like it or not, that is what he faces. He can debate Dinesh D'Souza et al all all he wants, but he won't change anything as long as he comes across as a galavanting member of the ruling class. Sorry - that's just the way it looks to most ordinary people who cannot understand the nuances of what he is saying.

Not often I agree with MC but over the time I have been involved with RDF and have read TGD I wholeheartedly agree with MCs sentiments about RD and his 'silver spoon' Oxford Prof' attitude. RD has no idea how to communicate to the person of average IQ and below that came across in his programme about Darwin when he talked to the school kids, it was a new definition of patronising!

+1

However the issue at TDF NOW isn't RD as much as RichardPrins and the rules he has had to implement. Given the rules there, the 'police' HAVE to be draconian.

[Hermit]

All these people are doing is banning anyone who disagrees, thinks differently, anyone who doesn't think the way they do.

The worst thing is that the people running the forum do not realise how much they are increasingly behaving like the people running the fora of the enemy.

I have never been a fan of the 'Dawkins is as bad as any religious bigot' but the truth is that he is dangerously close to making this a reality.

Dawkins - in spite of what the moderators at RDF say - is probably not even aware of what is going on in his forum. When he looks in, he rarely strays beyond the Richard Dawkins section, and as far as private messaging is concerned, you can't really expect him to read the volume addressed to him, so he just gets to read what others deem worthy of his attention. Guess who does the filtering?

a 'Free Thinking Oasis'

Minor point. It's 'A Clear-Thinking Oasis'.

Topsy was always an arse. ... I imagine she was thrashing way on her clitoris as she did it.

I could be wrong here, but the way I see it is that Topsy has found a peer group that is to her liking and whose acceptance of her is therefore a very fulfilling experience. Her performance as a consummate spokesperson of the forum's Центральный комитет's is more a manifestation of her feeling of solidarity than a desire for self-satisfaction, be it physical or mental.

[Meekychuppet]

I am certain that Dawkins spends little time there, but the new moderation was brought in because the Webmaster argued that the site is a reflection of Dawkins himself yes? I m sure that was the short and skinny of it. I don't think the current image is any better than what went before.

Personally I think there is a caste system there.

Edit: I didn't mind Topsy's personal preference. What I did mind was her insistence that everyone else should think her way.

I am simply not so thrilled with my opinions that I think they are compulsory for others.

[klr]

Just to clarify, someone has posted me a PM, rather upset about the OU thing. That's not the point. I am a fan of the OU and I wish knowledge were more accessible than it currently is - I think academic superiority and snobbery in this manner is ridiculous. The point is that an ego of the stature of Thor's logically should look down on the OU, not be a part of it. That's what is so amusing about egomaniacs, their total commitment to making it as difficult as possible for others to climb the ladder they did.

Agreed, that was my problem with his position as well. It was perverse. Thor seemed to find some way of twisting situations around to suit his own ego and make them part of his own 'myth'.

...
Dawkins - in spite of what the moderators at RDF say - is probably not even aware of what is going on in his forum. When he looks in, he rarely strays beyond the Richard Dawkins section, and as far as private messaging is concerned, you can't really expect him to read the volume addressed to him, so he just gets to read what others deem worthy of his attention. Guess who does the filtering?

AFAIK, RD does read his own PM's. I have to say I was staggered to find this out. I had assumed that he had the receive PM feature simply switched off, given the amount of correspondence he would receive otherwise. In fact, I was so certain of this that I more or less stated it as fact on those occasions where people asked on the forum if it was possible to contact him via PM. But it seems I was wrong.

Of course, receiving PMs is one thing. Responding to them (in whatever fashion) is another matter. What he might do in terms of redirecting PMs that he does not want to deal with directly (and does not want to ignore) - I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat the mistake of assuming to be fact what I don't actually know.

[CJ]

AFAIK, RD does read his own PM's. I have to say I was staggered to find this out. I had assumed that he had the receive PM feature simply switched off, given the amount of correspondence he would receive otherwise. In fact, I was so certain of this that I more or less stated it as fact on those occasions where people asked on the forum if it was possible to contact him via PM. But it seems I was wrong.

Of course, receiving PMs is one thing. Responding to them (in whatever fashion) is another matter. What he might do in terms of redirecting PMs that he does not want to deal with directly (and does not want to ignore) - I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat the mistake of assuming to be fact what I don't actually know.

When I first joined RDF I PMed RD. The PM sat in my out box for six months before I deleted it. I think I'll go and send him another one and see how long it stays in my out box.

[klr]

AFAIK, RD does read his own PM's. I have to say I was staggered to find this out. I had assumed that he had the receive PM feature simply switched off, given the amount of correspondence he would receive otherwise. In fact, I was so certain of this that I more or less stated it as fact on those occasions where people asked on the forum if it was possible to contact him via PM. But it seems I was wrong.

Of course, receiving PMs is one thing. Responding to them (in whatever fashion) is another matter. What he might do in terms of redirecting PMs that he does not want to deal with directly (and does not want to ignore) - I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat the mistake of assuming to be fact what I don't actually know.

When I first joined RDF I PMed RD. The PM sat in my out box for six months before I deleted it. I think I'll go and send him another one and see how long it stays in my out box.

Good luck.

Seriously, I cannot blame someone in his position for taking a very selective attitude when it comes to something like this. Can you imagine how much snail mail he gets everyday?

It's also possible that he just didn't use the PM system at all for a while.

[Pappa]

AFAIK, RD does read his own PM's. I have to say I was staggered to find this out. I had assumed that he had the receive PM feature simply switched off, given the amount of correspondence he would receive otherwise. In fact, I was so certain of this that I more or less stated it as fact on those occasions where people asked on the forum if it was possible to contact him via PM. But it seems I was wrong.

Of course, receiving PMs is one thing. Responding to them (in whatever fashion) is another matter. What he might do in terms of redirecting PMs that he does not want to deal with directly (and does not want to ignore) - I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat the mistake of assuming to be fact what I don't actually know.

When I first joined RDF I PMed RD. The PM sat in my out box for six months before I deleted it. I think I'll go and send him another one and see how long it stays in my out box.

Good luck.

Seriously, I cannot blame someone in his position for taking a very selective attitude when it comes to something like this. Can you imagine how much snail mail he gets everyday?

It's also possible that he just didn't use the PM system at all for a while.

To begin with, he simply posted interesting stuff he'd found in new threads and never, ever responded to replies at all. After a while he began interacting more and more by occasionally responding to questions and eventually joining in debates. I think he would have been better off sticking to just posting and not replying.

[CJ]

AFAIK, RD does read his own PM's. I have to say I was staggered to find this out. I had assumed that he had the receive PM feature simply switched off, given the amount of correspondence he would receive otherwise. In fact, I was so certain of this that I more or less stated it as fact on those occasions where people asked on the forum if it was possible to contact him via PM. But it seems I was wrong.

Of course, receiving PMs is one thing. Responding to them (in whatever fashion) is another matter. What he might do in terms of redirecting PMs that he does not want to deal with directly (and does not want to ignore) - I have no idea, and I'm not going to repeat the mistake of assuming to be fact what I don't actually know.

When I first joined RDF I PMed RD. The PM sat in my out box for six months before I deleted it. I think I'll go and send him another one and see how long it stays in my out box.

Good luck.

Seriously, I cannot blame someone in his position for taking a very selective attitude when it comes to something like this. Can you imagine how much snail mail he gets everyday?

It's also possible that he just didn't use the PM system at all for a while.

PM 'sent'.

The same thought occurred to me. He could have somebody else read his PMs for him.

[klr]

...
To begin with, he simply posted interesting stuff he'd found in new threads and never, ever responded to replies at all. After a while he began interacting more and more by occasionally responding to questions and eventually joining in debates. I think he would have been better off sticking to just posting and not replying.

I know you've raised this point in another thread recently, and I have to say I tend to agree with it. Speaking generally, I don't think it's a good idea for a public figure to be doing that on a regular basis. Yes, it's good to see someone make themselves accessible, and willing to debate with ordinary Joe Public on a one-to-one basis sometimes. But all the same, they get dragged into some petty and insignificant arguments if they are not careful, especially given that some users are not there to have a polite discussion. And whatever about the forum, RD does it even more out on the front page (don't mention the war ). I'm not divulging any state secrets here BTW - anyone can examine his or any other user's comment history on the front page.

It's also possible that he just didn't use the PM system at all for a while.

PM 'sent'.

The same thought occurred to me. He could have somebody else read his PMs for him.

Whatever, I just hope to fuck (for your own sake) that you didn't mention my name in any way.

[Pappa]

Yes, it's good to see someone make themselves accessible, and willing to debate with ordinary Joe Public on a one-to-one basis sometimes. But all the same, they get dragged into some petty and insignificant arguments if they are not careful, especially given that some users are not there to have a polite discussion.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he was more measured, but he responded without taking time to reflect, and made himself look more than a little irrational and silly. By all means do it if that's what he wants, but I do think it's the kind of thing he should avoid.

[klr]

Yes, it's good to see someone make themselves accessible, and willing to debate with ordinary Joe Public on a one-to-one basis sometimes. But all the same, they get dragged into some petty and insignificant arguments if they are not careful, especially given that some users are not there to have a polite discussion.

It wouldn't have been so bad if he was more measured, but he responded without taking time to reflect, and made himself look more than a little irrational and silly. By all means do it if that's what he wants, but I do think it's the kind of thing he should avoid.

It's possible that because he doesn't normally deal with the public in this way (because that's the way things are for someone in his position), that he is not quite attuned to this sort of environment and it's peculiar dynamics.

[ficklefiend]

I've never left RDF and haven't really ended up on anyone's radar either, although the times where I have made noise about mods I've always received PMs saying "what is your problem?" etc.. Immediately it is made personal. Trouble is, they will never be short of support because it's a big forum and so many people want a slice of that mod power. They will brown nose their way up regardless.

[Shaker]

Ah, Kevin, it was different in our day, mon ami ...

[klr]

Ah, Kevin, it was different in our day, mon ami ...

Oh yes, those were days my friend,
I thought they'd never end ...

... apologies to Mary Hopkins.



Sorry for the musical derail. Well, not really ...