Honestly, I kinda just don't really think mods should be stickying their opinions at all. I mean, they should absolutely give their opinion, but putting it out there, and then using their authoritative power to promote it is at best poor form imo.
Nevertheless, I agree that framing it as an opinion as you suggest is a "lesser evil" as such things go. Having said that, I've still seen some serious fuckery in my investigations of exactly that sort of behavior.
It's just not a good idea at all to use authority to push opinion. Until people learn what propaganda is (rhetoric to guide belief, especially from an authority) and learn how to appreciate such rhetoric (which we aren't really taught in school), I think it's essential that we take extra special care to avoid it as much as possible. Or maybe not get mad at people who call it out. :)
(A personal request, though really, I can take it.)
I think under different circumstances, the board could be structured and operated in a different (better?) way.
As things are, there is a certain amount of editorializing by our mod team. Some are better, or worse, than others.
I think it's at acceptable levels; this is not just another random board. We are, at this point, a connected community, and trust between pedes, including mods, is a relatively robust commodity here.
Having said that, I think your point is a good one, and I think your stance (Until people learn what propaganda is.... I think it's essential that we take extra special care to avoid it as much as possible) is pertinent and important.
In reflection, it seems there is room to think that Brent was not actually saying "it wasn't planned" but rather sardonically and sarcastically was commenting that "Sure. It wasn't planned".
Anyway, you called the post out, he received the feedback, reposted, differently. Don't know who got mad at you for calling it out...?
In any case, both he and you have indicated he/you "can take it". Seems like things are working OK.
As we cooperate and support the board servants we call mods, it's also important, in fact critical, that their positions do not fall into abuse (of authority), even if it is well-intentioned or unintentional. In that sense, I take the stance that the board community are in fact the real owners of the board, and the mods, while having a difficult and often thankless job, are here to make things work, while we are here to ensure that the mods work, properly.
With apologies for the lengthy and loquacious commentary, in case it wasn't clear: I think you made a good call. Please don't construe my comments to be an indication of opposition to your thinking.
I do not mind long posts that are long because they have points to be made.
I don't think your comment is in opposition to my thinking, but I did (through my misunderstanding) think your first post was. Or rather, I thought you missed my point, when in fact I missed yours. But that's OK, it didn't take much to clear it up.
I also certainly do not mind in any way comments in opposition to my thinking. On the contrary, I thrive on them (if they have points to be made). Points in opposition to my thinking are how I learn and expand my own thinking. I learn from those who disagree with me, and I love to learn.
In some cases I learn because I am forced, by reasoning and evidence, to concede my initial stance. Sometimes I learn because I am forced to make better arguments to support that stance. In either case, it is how I grow.
More to the point, learning what propaganda is, is I believe one of the main purposes of what we are going through. The world is literally run through propaganda, and it always has been. By always, I mean since first recorded history.
My research suggests what we think of as "the beginning of human history," or "the dawn of civilization" is not anything even remotely close to the truth. There is substantial evidence of advanced cultures going back tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of years. What exactly their technological levels were, or how they were constructed is a wonderful mystery, but after the research I've done, their existence as a world wide community of high tech (i.e. not "stone age" and in some areas at least, with knowledge beyond ours) is, to me at least, beyond a reasonable doubt.
Since then however, since our "dawn of civilization," the evidence suggests the same people have been running the show (at least in continuity of empires from the "fertile crescent" to now phase). They have been running it through propaganda; setting up an Authority to guide our beliefs. Expanding the scope, it hasn't been just "one side" that receives the propaganda. All of the oppositions are also led by propaganda that has a different story to tell, a different set of beliefs, setting We The People in opposition, across the world, in perpetuity, all done by the same group of people.
At this point, we practically have genetic memory of being guided by propaganda. Learning how to not follow, or even ourselves communicate in propaganda (using rhetoric to align community belief to the beliefs of the speaker) is no mean feat. Until we really learn how to respect our own thinking; to appreciate our own Sovereignty of Mind, we will still be subject to others propaganda proclivities.
Teaching the Sovereignty of Mind on a world wide scale is, I believe, the primary goal of the GA. It's not about releasing us from "slavery," per se, it's about releasing our minds from the slavery of The Matrix.
Honestly, I kinda just don't really think mods should be stickying their opinions at all. I mean, they should absolutely give their opinion, but putting it out there, and then using their authoritative power to promote it is at best poor form imo.
Nevertheless, I agree that framing it as an opinion as you suggest is a "lesser evil" as such things go. Having said that, I've still seen some serious fuckery in my investigations of exactly that sort of behavior.
It's just not a good idea at all to use authority to push opinion. Until people learn what propaganda is (rhetoric to guide belief, especially from an authority) and learn how to appreciate such rhetoric (which we aren't really taught in school), I think it's essential that we take extra special care to avoid it as much as possible. Or maybe not get mad at people who call it out. :)
(A personal request, though really, I can take it.)
Really good points.
I think under different circumstances, the board could be structured and operated in a different (better?) way.
As things are, there is a certain amount of editorializing by our mod team. Some are better, or worse, than others.
I think it's at acceptable levels; this is not just another random board. We are, at this point, a connected community, and trust between pedes, including mods, is a relatively robust commodity here.
Having said that, I think your point is a good one, and I think your stance (Until people learn what propaganda is.... I think it's essential that we take extra special care to avoid it as much as possible) is pertinent and important.
In reflection, it seems there is room to think that Brent was not actually saying "it wasn't planned" but rather sardonically and sarcastically was commenting that "Sure. It wasn't planned".
Anyway, you called the post out, he received the feedback, reposted, differently. Don't know who got mad at you for calling it out...?
In any case, both he and you have indicated he/you "can take it". Seems like things are working OK.
As we cooperate and support the board servants we call mods, it's also important, in fact critical, that their positions do not fall into abuse (of authority), even if it is well-intentioned or unintentional. In that sense, I take the stance that the board community are in fact the real owners of the board, and the mods, while having a difficult and often thankless job, are here to make things work, while we are here to ensure that the mods work, properly.
With apologies for the lengthy and loquacious commentary, in case it wasn't clear: I think you made a good call. Please don't construe my comments to be an indication of opposition to your thinking.
I do not mind long posts that are long because they have points to be made.
I don't think your comment is in opposition to my thinking, but I did (through my misunderstanding) think your first post was. Or rather, I thought you missed my point, when in fact I missed yours. But that's OK, it didn't take much to clear it up.
I also certainly do not mind in any way comments in opposition to my thinking. On the contrary, I thrive on them (if they have points to be made). Points in opposition to my thinking are how I learn and expand my own thinking. I learn from those who disagree with me, and I love to learn.
In some cases I learn because I am forced, by reasoning and evidence, to concede my initial stance. Sometimes I learn because I am forced to make better arguments to support that stance. In either case, it is how I grow.
More to the point, learning what propaganda is, is I believe one of the main purposes of what we are going through. The world is literally run through propaganda, and it always has been. By always, I mean since first recorded history.
My research suggests what we think of as "the beginning of human history," or "the dawn of civilization" is not anything even remotely close to the truth. There is substantial evidence of advanced cultures going back tens of thousands (maybe hundreds of thousands) of years. What exactly their technological levels were, or how they were constructed is a wonderful mystery, but after the research I've done, their existence as a world wide community of high tech (i.e. not "stone age" and in some areas at least, with knowledge beyond ours) is, to me at least, beyond a reasonable doubt.
Since then however, since our "dawn of civilization," the evidence suggests the same people have been running the show (at least in continuity of empires from the "fertile crescent" to now phase). They have been running it through propaganda; setting up an Authority to guide our beliefs. Expanding the scope, it hasn't been just "one side" that receives the propaganda. All of the oppositions are also led by propaganda that has a different story to tell, a different set of beliefs, setting We The People in opposition, across the world, in perpetuity, all done by the same group of people.
At this point, we practically have genetic memory of being guided by propaganda. Learning how to not follow, or even ourselves communicate in propaganda (using rhetoric to align community belief to the beliefs of the speaker) is no mean feat. Until we really learn how to respect our own thinking; to appreciate our own Sovereignty of Mind, we will still be subject to others propaganda proclivities.
Teaching the Sovereignty of Mind on a world wide scale is, I believe, the primary goal of the GA. It's not about releasing us from "slavery," per se, it's about releasing our minds from the slavery of The Matrix.