Your punishment/banning is Korrgan getting a two week ban. Try not to slash your wrist.

I support this.

Hush!

pew tannings
ewe rammings
who's damning
chew candy
new sanding
blue panting

I feel that way too. In the past, I found "omg dramaz" enjoyable at times, I will confess.

But, over the course of this entire year, I have been thrust into it involuntarily, and it is really just not fun at all.

And it takes away the entire purpose of these forums, which is to have fun with each other.

About time getluv got banned. The mods never do shit about the countless times he has attacked me but now you decide to ban him for this because he participated in a thread that attacked Libs. Talk about double standards, even more pathetic considering the situation and contributions.

Can we just get rid of The Water Cooler entirely? It's seriously the worst place ever. And how about banning people that don't talk about movies or sports or video games or something other than stupid shit. It's time to get back to basics and that means weeding out the you-know-whos.

I disagree with all this anti-Water Cooler talk. Sure, situations like this occasionally pop up there (and in The Site), but looking at it logically you notice a few things. First, it's only occasional. Most of the time, people use the forum as it's intended: to discuss things that do not fit into one of the other forums. Second, when these things do happen, it's pretty much always the same people who get involved and make it lame. Most of the us, even if we do choose to comment, do so without ever really getting angry or mean. The vast majority of KJ just doesnt care about this crap, so they either ignore it or dont let themselves get sucked in. Third, it never lasts for long. Yes, two weeks from now when everyone is back and posting, some of the relationships will be different. But again, it goes back to a small handful of people who will be affected. The rest will simply forget about it and go on as usual. Finally, if you're not interested in normal "water cooler" discussion, it's incredibly simple to ignore the forum, or if you decide to click it, ignore the threads you dont like. I dont understand how a situation like the other night's could really have a negative effect on your enjoyment of this place...if you wanna talk movies and music, just stick to those forums.

Also, I disagree that this place "should be about" talking movies, video games and music. I've never been to a forum that didn't have a common, "community" hangout. The Water Cooler has been there since day one, to my knowledge, and while it may have started out because people needed a new box office spot, if the general userbase is more interested in discussing their lives and stuff than films, that's just how it is. To say we should ban the people who dont talk about movies or sports or whatever is incredibly stupid. Because (aside from the general stupidity of the idea) I'd bet good money you will find that there are very, very few (if any) who are exclusive to the Water Cooler. In fact, all the major players in this big thing spend significant time in other forums (except maybe Mav, who doesnt seem to spend significant time anywhere).

I guess what I'm saying is, at the end of the day, I havent really seen any major change in this place. People still post many more threads in Cinemania than I care to read every day, and the same goes for every other forum, and the Water Cooler is still occasionally plagued by shitty controversy. If you disagree, and think the "focus" needs to be shifted, just shift your focus; stick to what you like and as far as you're concerned the Water Cooler will be gone.

On the other hand, there are about a half (maybe a full) dozen or so people here who would make my every day if they'd post a thread a day with real, interesting movie discussion, and if "closing the watercooler" would somehow make that happen, I wouldnt care. But, it wont happen (the people posting more, or the watercooler closing), so I dont really see a point in worrying about it.

I disagree about Water Cooler being just always bad, it's just bad RIGHT NOW.

I think his name was joe.

Joe is suicidal.

Let's be realistic though. People will end up saying shitty things about posters and it can't be expected for them to only say nice things. Face it; at this time it might seem like this tread will set the tone, but the atmosphere changes and the pattern of forum life has been something else in the past and will be in the future. Everyone needs to create an environment that gently curbs the worst tendencies we can be fixed/stuck in. I don't think you can possibly fairly say that some people are just twats. Sure, they might refuse to look any deeper, but if they were able to remember that these are just words on a screen, and therefore by their ultimate nature are not the things that truly matter, then we could end up not having half the forum broken apart. Basically we need to remember to look beyond this silliness. I mean, yeah, I agree that given christian's character he has the ability to look beyond what was said.

Respect has to do with the way people truly relate to each other, and it is by our deeper qualities and attitudes that we end up knowing it. The mob mentality is unfortunate, because it takes any real humanity away from it. In the mob forum members act towards each other as if they are car parts and, however well engineered, it is only by remembering why and acting for the spirit of why we should, that we are deserving of more than the scrapyard.

Which makes him more dangerous on the day of reckoning!

Argos is Argos

Read the first post again. Most of the people banned were attacking one another and making alot of personal attacks(some of them downright mean spirited and immature) against one another and whos to say what he did say to you wasnt taken into consideration. We really want a hands off approach on the forums but not if it turns to total anarchy and drives away alot of posters who dont want to tolerate the type of environment the watercooler has turned into.

Yes, but I browse other forums, and even if I'm not reading threads with empty words it affects people's moods. In other words there's no complete escape from the atmosphere of the forum. The way they argue and treat each other in one place always affects others. Besides I think it should always be encouraged for everyone to do what they can create the best environment for its own sake.

But it has often been anarchy with people making random and baseless 'jokes' about others using crystal meth etc.

The rules will never sculpt what people think of each other or how they wish to get along. I think we clearly need something like more direct discussion about why debating/discussion works as it does. Or we should at least act in good faith towards developing an awareness that there are deeper issues that are more important than the crap we face. Otherwise, we will see more immaturity and lack of good spirit as we miss a multi-layered understanding with that sad and rigid obsession over who exactly said what. Otherwise brutality is inevitable because people simply forget that there IS MORE THAN THIS OUT THERE.

Well, I'm not saying we have to expect chip and korrgan to read about philosophy. But when the atmosphere becomes more calm, considerate, and grows a basic balance, then it affects everything. I'm just saying it's good and right to make it a priority to create a general recognition of how the forum communicates and functions in its many affective forms, obvious or not.

Thanks. ;P

Of course. It isn't very fun when you're the one in the drama, right? But when it happens to other people, sure, what a blast.

I was typing up a long response, but I must say I'm (again) disappointed in this place. And Korrgan gets just a two-week ban for this? Not the first time she's done this shit.

Sorry, but that's kinda ridiculous. I'm back off to retirement anyway so don't mind me, but no wonder all the good people left.

This place is what we make it, and that means each and everyone of us. There are times we ALL could have stepped in, said something, done something to make things better. It's much easier to sit around, blame the way this place has become on others: mods, admins, owners, specific users, cliques, etc.

Are those people to blame? Mods and Admins were put in place to keep things civil, yet things got out of hand on their watch. That makes them responsible. But are the rest of us to blame as well? No doubt about it.

Everyone needs to stop passing blame, look in the mirror, and realize that this place is what we make it.

No its not. Its what the big screen makes of it, and since movies have been so uninspiring lately, I've been forced to talk about random crap like housing trouble and my continuous undying love for Hillary Clinton. I have no problem passing the blame...onto the movie industry. I can't even get psyched for Quantum of Solace since Casino Royale was such utter crap.

Well I'm just gonna come out and say it. I thought this whole thing was kind of entertaining and fun. I mean... I know I ended up the fool, but honestly, the WC and this place in general for me is for fun, and any kind of drama that does that for me, to be perfectly honest. You just have to take the internet for what it is... this stuff happens, you might as well carry a light heart about it. I think by banning people for 'fighting' or instigating stuff, this place is just going to inadvertantly feel more dead.

So yeah, I'm not really anti-dramahz here. I mean I know it's a different situation for Libs who obviously was put in a wringer and again, um... sorry, but I can't say I'm as woe is me! about this event as the rest of you guys. Doesn't feel any worse than the 5000 "incidents" that have come before it.