The Never Ending Pool

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In Bill Pagel's Norfolk Set List thread, Joshua Chamberlain remarked that The NEP was "just a message board." He had assumed (often, a foolhardy act) by what I had said, that I needed to cool off. At least, that was the jist of it, I believe.

If I'm not mistaken, Nutopia, a Moderator, here, made the same remark, some months ago, while addressing someone else. I'm quite sure that a few others have said this, as well, over the years, and if not here, then at DylanPool.

What, then, is meant by "just"? Ie, it's just a message board?

Usually this means that the subject is something short of something else. What the something else is and how it falls short will always be known only to the mind of the speaker of the statement unless they spell those two things out. "It's just a message Board" may very well mean some thing like: "It isn't a chatroom," or "It isn't a Conference Committee in the United States Congress," or maybe "It isn't a G-20 Meeting in Pittsburgh," or even, perhaps, "It isn't a mad rush for the stage at the beginning of Dylan's set."

Still the problem remains, once we know what "it isn't," to figure out in what way it differs that makes a difference to the person communicating the comparison and, presumably, to the person or persons to whom it is communicated. In any case, if the context of the conversation doesn't supply these necessary additional definitions, the statement is essentially meaningless and fails in its endeavor to communicate anything of importance, however slight the importance was thought to be.

I typically charge for this type of analysis of communication failures, but consider this a payback for the years of enjoyment I've derived from this message board.

I think you're correct. When most people say "It's just a message board" they want the recipient of the comment to cool off.

I think the implication here is that these type of internet fan forums are "for fun" and not to be taken too seriously.

Am I permitted to tell Warren to get a life here, or would that be considered a personal attack or something? Let's say, for instance, that a certain person on a message board could stand to not take ridiculous things so seriously....... how's that?

The question is whether taking something "so seriously" would be an acceptable reaction if it were not a conversation/dispute taking place on a message board. If not, then the expression still seems non-sensical to me.

I agree, Not Henry Porter.

It seems the next logical question is, under what other circumstances might the exchange in question have taken place?

Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
The question is whether taking something "so seriously" would be an acceptable reaction if it were not a conversation/dispute taking place on a message board. If not, then the expression still seems non-sensical to me.

Well... if the conversation was "in person" with a random stranger then you probably shouldn't take it too seriously. In fact, I question whether people would say "in person" what they say here. Nonsensical? I think not...

Regardless of whether such conversqations or disputes would take place "in real life," it did or does take place here (on a message board). So, when an expression that it is JUST a message board is used, it implies to me that if it were NOT a message board, the reaction would be more understandable. If that is not the intent of the person using the expression, then I think they are saying something other than what they mean.

I think it is possible that the exchange in question could or would not have taken place under significantly different circumstances. I think it is possible that the interactions facilitated by internet message boards are highly specialized and not comparable to interactions that might take place between individuals "in the flesh".

Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
then I think they are saying something other than what they mean.

Bingo.

Nutopia wrote:

QUOTE:
Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
then I think they are saying something other than what they mean.

Bingo.

I would normally be elated with this type of validation of my opinion, but since this is just a message board, I am not sure how I feel about our agreement here.

Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
Nutopia wrote:

QUOTE:
Not Henry Porter wrote:

QUOTE:
then I think they are saying something other than what they mean.

Bingo.

I would normally be eleated with this type of validation of my opinion, but since this is just a message board, I am not sure how I feel about our agreement here. :silly:

Kudos to all who have posted to this thread. I do think Warren tends to take things too seriously sometimes, although I do appreciate his desire to be honest and truthful, generally speaking.

It is just a message board and I think humor and reason should exist within it.

Thank you friends!

Clyde wrote:

QUOTE:
interactions facilitated by internet message boards are highly specialized and not comparable to interactions that might take place between individuals "in the flesh".

That's pretty much it right there.

And again, sometimes it's been fun arguing about worthwhile stuff on the internet. It used to be anyway, back when message boards were fairly new. But this is really beyond ridiculous, this whole thread, the comments on the other thread... Should people walk in lockstep on setlist threads, or is it all the threads? And Warren's problem is what exactly, that that Tim guy from the old pool told us his age again? I just don't care what Warren thinks about how people should behave on a message board. And I can't even believe I'm giving this five minutes of my time now. Who the fuck cares.