ASFN Community - Formerly Rampant Negativity

[Chris_Sanders]

It sucks that we have three pages discussing this. Be negative, just don't be a jerk about it. Be positive, just don't ignore the facts.

Why is that so hard and cause for so much debate?

This is precisely what needed to be said. Now we need people to listen rather than point fingers.

 

[40yearfan]

I definitely lean to the koolaid side even though this franchise makes it tough to stay positive. I've gone down the darkside path but I just got tired of being miserable so I made a conscious choice to try and put the best face on everything. I certainly understand why many of you can't do that.

If you listen to some of the darksiders, they maintain they're just the offset to the rah rah group. I look around though and I really don't see that balance. I see people that are cautiously optimistic and I see people that have serious doubts but I also see people that are convinced this franchise will never, under any circumstances, do the right thing (intentionally).

That means we have a lot of people in the middle (left and right of the line) but we also have a fair number of people at the far end of the negative side with little or nothing at the other end of the spectrum. I understand the people in the middle (that, by far, is most of us) but I too tire of the very small group that blasts this organization for every move, always taking the dimmest interpretation of each action by Whiz, Graves or the Bidwills.

For those of us that are just trying to be hopeful, the extreme negativity sometimes feels like a concerted effort to dash our hopes. After awhile, someone on the hopeful side of the fence starts feeling like they've been mugged so they fire a shotgun blast in the general direction of the darksiders. And then, someone from the darkside will take it personally (granted, it often is intended that way) and off we go. More often than not, the real extremists aren't even involved in the flareup, they've just set the stage for the drama that follows.

I don't know if there's a solution for this, it's pretty much just life on a message board. I think we've all seen it worse at other places and it's been worse here too. It stands out more this offseason because, to many of us, it actually feels like this organization made a real effort this offseason.

Oh, well, it is what it is (whatever that means). I'd suggest a group hug but I'm pretty sure at least two of the dark-siders are pick-pockets.
Steve

Only two???

 

[Mulli]

you said one line in one post after someone brought it up to you... as opposed to an entire thread scolding half of a fan base who's usually told to shut up or go root for another team.

that seems appropriate.

Lighten up, Francis.

 

[Zeno]

Or...you geniunely would like to provide input that may lead to an improvement to the board (with our without you).

Candor is a strong contributor to making things better.

Then send a Mod a PM saying "I am leaving because...", to actually ask your account to be deleted is just an attention grabber, when it is much easier to just go and not log in anymore. I've done as much on other boards, when it gets too much I just stop going to the site.

Anyways...negativity is all relative. Some are pessimists, realists or optimists and it reflects in their posts...most have a little bit of everything and some sway drastically from one pole to the other on a nearly weekly basis.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

This. Wow.

Asking to have your account deleted versus never logging in again...makes no sense unless you never intend to really go away and just want to vent.

I believe that people have trouble stepping away from arguements and are wanting the option removed from them.

There is a poster on this board that asks me to ban them "so they can get work done"

 

[Chris_Sanders]

This....is what is happening. Well stated.

Do unto others as you would have done unto you.

Basically I don't want to hear finger pointing as an excuse to be asses to your fellow posters.

 

[Zeno]

I believe that people have trouble stepping away from arguements and are wanting the option removed from them.

There is a poster on this board that asks me to ban them "so they can get work done"

LOL

Thats borderline addiction. Reminds me of this photo...

You must be registered for see images

 

[Cheesebeef]

This is precisely what needed to be said. Now we need people to listen rather than point fingers.

really? so the other side can continue to be jerks and tell people they should go root for another team and get lost? good to know, because that's what you just agreed to.

the negative people aren't being jerks... THEY'RE USING FACTS. People don't like those facts and end up being JERKS back. THAT'S the issue chris. how you don't see that is beyond me.

 

[Doc Cardinal]

ok

 

[Pariah]

It sucks that we have three pages discussing this. Be negative, just don't be a jerk about it. Be positive, just don't ignore the facts.

I think it can actually just be boiled down to the bolded. It's really that simple.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I definitely lean to the koolaid side even though this franchise makes it tough to stay positive. I've gone down the darkside path but I just got tired of being miserable so I made a conscious choice to try and put the best face on everything. I certainly understand why many of you can't do that.

If you listen to some of the darksiders, they maintain they're just the offset to the rah rah group. I look around though and I really don't see that balance. I see people that are cautiously optimistic and I see people that have serious doubts but I also see people that are convinced this franchise will never, under any circumstances, do the right thing (intentionally).

That means we have a lot of people in the middle (left and right of the line) but we also have a fair number of people at the far end of the negative side with little or nothing at the other end of the spectrum. I understand the people in the middle (that, by far, is most of us) but I too tire of the very small group that blasts this organization for every move, always taking the dimmest interpretation of each action by Whiz, Graves or the Bidwills.

For those of us that are just trying to be hopeful, the extreme negativity sometimes feels like a concerted effort to dash our hopes. After awhile, someone on the hopeful side of the fence starts feeling like they've been mugged so they fire a shotgun blast in the general direction of the darksiders. And then, someone from the darkside will take it personally (granted, it often is intended that way) and off we go. More often than not, the real extremists aren't even involved in the flareup, they've just set the stage for the drama that follows.

I don't know if there's a solution for this, it's pretty much just life on a message board. I think we've all seen it worse at other places and it's been worse here too. It stands out more this offseason because, to many of us, it actually feels like this organization made a real effort this offseason.

Oh, well, it is what it is (whatever that means). I'd suggest a group hug but I'm pretty sure at least two of the dark-siders are pick-pockets.

Steve

lol... seriously, if those who usually insult the darksiders actually had a sense of humor like Steve's, that would go along way to dealing with said insults. the above is funny.

I mean... Chris, are you REALLY lecturing people here after you went around for like three days posing as a negative people are writing sarcastic post after sarcastic post trying to paint the negative people as idiots? talk about hypocrisy. And that's to say nbothing of you as a moderator, but as a poster, you were playing the role of a complete jerk there and you knew it. practice what you preach and your message might actually be heard.

 

[Cheesebeef]

On the other hand, you ALWAYS see people say "i'm getting sick of your attitude"... "why are you a fan?" "do you wear opposing team's jerseys to games?" and THOSE are insults.

Well Cheesebeef....you've confused me with someone else....I challenge you to show a thread where I ever said that...which you can't.....so if you are saying that about me personally you are a frikkin idiot and not cool at all.

huh... I said I've seen in it many a thread. never said you say it specifically. you say "I've confused you with someone else..." where did I accuse YOU of anything?! I said "you always see PEOPLE say..." not YOU always say.

and now i'm a frikkin idiot. once again... i bring up facts about something else and the response from one of the non-negative people is to call me an idiot.

thanks for proving my point for me.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

you said one line in one post after someone brought it up to you... as opposed to an entire thread scolding half of a fan base who's usually told to shut up or go root for another team.

that seems appropriate.

That simply isn't true.

Let me be clear since I see people are glossing over what I am saying:

Voicing negative opinions - That is perfectly acceptable.

Virtual badgering threads / people with that negativity is bad for this community. It is anathema to the very principles this board was founded upon.

I am just asking you to consider what you write before you toss it out there.

Please don't try to warp what is being said here.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I mean... Chris, are you REALLY lecturing people here after you went around for like three days posing as a negative people are writing sarcastic post after sarcastic post trying to paint the negative people as idiots? talk about hypocrisy. And that's to say nbothing of you as a moderator, but as a poster, you were playing the role of a complete jerk there and you knew it. practice what you preach and your message might actually be heard.

It absolutely was/is hypocritical. I can be a better poster as well.

 

[Cheesebeef]

It absolutely was/is hypocritical. I can be a better poster as well.

i love you Sanders!

 

[Jetstream Green]

unless some one here can honestly say they talk to the Cardinal front office in person and the players on a daily basis and have witnessed proof to back anything up before not even a preseason game has been played for better or worse, then to be serious and argue to an extreme about what you THINK...well

btw, to quote the Christmas Story...I like the Scarecrow...because that is about as much sense as some of my observations about this team

 

[Chris_Sanders]

really? so the other side can continue to be jerks and tell people they should go root for another team and get lost? good to know, because that's what you just agreed to.

the negative people aren't being jerks... THEY'RE USING FACTS. People don't like those facts and end up being JERKS back. THAT'S the issue chris. how you don't see that is beyond me.

That hasn't been said once.

Repeating it over and over isn't going to make it true. However, it is an excellent example of how we are so busy trying to be "right", we damage the conversation.

 

[Doc Cardinal]

huh... I said I've seen in it many a thread. never said you say it specifically. you say "I've confused you with someone else..." where did I accuse YOU of anything?! I said "you always see PEOPLE say..." not YOU always say.

and now i'm a frikkin idiot. once again... i bring up facts about something else and the response from one of the non-negative people is to call me an idiot.

thanks for proving my point for me.

My bad.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

and now i'm a frikkin idiot. once again... i bring up facts about something else and the response from one of the non-negative people is to call me an idiot.

thanks for proving my point for me.

I can't find this post but calling anyone an idiot on either side isn't acceptable.

We need to work together to improve the tone of this board or it is going to be a long season.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

i love you Sanders!

I can not ask people to be better posters and to consider the feelings of others without doing it myself.

I take this **** seriously after all

 

[chickenhead]

I don't ignore anyone. I generally don't like it because it leaves you with incomplete threads, and besides, to continue the Star Wars analogy, you can still feel the presence of the force.

I don't know that this board has been "too" negative, but I will say it's irritating when a 10 pages thread is 80% conflict between 2 posters, with lots of quotes and rebuttals--and especially rebuttals within quotes in a different font color. Consider taking it to PM. There are other fans in there making good posts that are hard for me to find as I'm desperately trying to skim past your duel. But that's just me.

One possible reason for the negativity is that it's simply easier to look at numbers and assume a player's productivity will decline (as players' productivity does). Or that past performance does not predict future success. Or that it's far easier to find players with similar stats who have washed out than ones that haven't--because most players do. This is just pragmatism, but cumulatively it can seem quite cynical. Sometimes maybe don't take someone else's hopes so seriously.

I can't wait for the season to start!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I know what you mean. I started a duplicate thread and instead of the mod simply merging the threads, they left it up and added a snide comment instead.

I could have handled that better. My apologies for not just merging it.

 

[Cheesebeef]

That hasn't been said once.

Chris... you agreed with Jersey who said the negative people need to stop being jerks and the others need to start using facts. That's what you agreed to, correct?

the problem with that is the question: if merely using facts MAKES you a jerk, what else can you do? And the idea that all the other side has to do is "use facts" means they aren't being jerks as well, no? I mean, that behavior is SPECIFICALLY saved for the negative people and isn't used to describe the other side at all in what you agreed to, am I wrong?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Chris... you agreed with Jersey who said the negative people need to stop being jerks and the others need to start using facts. That's what you agreed to, correct?

I was only agreeing that people need to not be jerks and listen when people use facts.

I didn't mean that to be one side versus the other. Sorry I should have been clearer.

 

[Jetstream Green]

hey chickenhead, more important matters...get Via from your avatar to give me his autograph...and it better not be some Eagle crap he signs it on