Some want to know......Where are they know?

[MindThe Gap]

Some are currently asking, “Where are they now?” Where are some of those old posters who once contributed to giving this place life? Here’s one point of view.

 

 

The reason interesting, exciting and persuasive posters with something to say leave this and other similar type community forums, is due much to the fact that too many members here and elsewhere don’t want to be challenged to step outside of their little security zones of comfort, denial and yes, for some, self delusion; to entertain and respect other valuable viewpoints from people who suggest something other than what they might already believe or think. And they don't want anyone else to have that option either.

 

And when these interesting, exciting and persuasive posters with something to say and contribute, do find their way here, or even return here, it’s not too long until they become the public targets of the very people who preach civility and kindness towards others, and brand them as “Trolls”.

 

People who have differing points of view and who freely engage those differences with the membership here are now suggested to be “Trolls” and accused of baiting other unsuspecting posters into a discourse against their will, as apposed to having something legitimate to say, and saying it. Since when is challenging another posters publicly expressed point of view, facts or beliefs considered to be baiting in the real world? Isn’t this site supposedly for adults? I sure would suspect so, due to its adult subject matter at hand. If a “school safe traffic zone” type message forum is what many want here, then prepare yourselves for the adolescent type behavior and thought processes that will most certainly follow and accompany it.

 

When a certain West Coast escort gets up on his soapbox and basically blames certain posters here for many of his own personal postings and for his excessive “nail biting” and personal “annoyances” over the years, which subsequently then, and to his suggested dismay, forced him to explain, clarify and justify his own public statements and points of view; an escort who has had more free press and more free self-expression here than probably any other escort, then that should be considered a fair and adult discussion and challenge to engage in here. Not considered baiting. Not considered trolling.

 

The reason interesting, exciting and persuasive posters with something to say and contribute leave this and other similar type community forums, is out of sheer boredom, frustration, and yes, because of the hypocrisies of those who will do and say just about anything to keep and maintain a one dimensional forum of thought and expression for themselves.

 

Every single thread contained within these forums, is identical to every single magazine which you will find on the shelf at your local Barnes and Noble, in the sense that, there’s probably something there for everyone. Have you ever been in a Barnes and Noble and seen an adult forced to pick up a magazine, read all, or a portion there of, only to put it back on the shelf and start yelling and screaming at the surrounding customers what an outrage the contents were? Probably not. The healthy adult would simply have never selected the magazine in the first place, or at least, returned it to the rack and moved on un-assumingly to a section more suitable and of interest for their tastes.

 

It should be no different here, but it is, because there is very little adult behavior that exists here. The next time someone finds boredom over exciting content here, it should at least be no mystery as to why.

[Rick Munroe]

>The reason interesting, exciting and persuasive posters with

>something to say leave this and other similar type community

>forums, is due much to the fact that too many members here and

>elsewhere don’t want to be challenged to step outside of their

>little security zones of comfort, denial and yes, for some,

>self delusion; to entertain and respect other valuable

>viewpoints from people who suggest something other than what

>they might already believe or think. And they don't want

>anyone else to have that option either.

>

>And when these interesting, exciting and persuasive posters

>with something to say and contribute, do find their way here,

>or even return here, it’s not too long until they become the

>public targets of the very people who preach civility and

>kindness towards others, and brand them as “Trolls”.

 

Excellent point, MindThe Gap. I know some posters, like Will, left because their lives changed (got a monogamous bf, etc.), so they were no longer hiring escorts and this site no longer interested them, but others, like TruthTeller, left because of the very reason you mentioned.

 

Personally, I enjoy interacting online with people who have opposing points of view or who challenge what I say (or throw it back in my face, long after I've forgotten I even posted it). Even RockHard has, while trying to bait me, changed my thinking about something. Apparently, I once bemoaned the fact that Chelsea was no longer a gay paradise, having been infiltrated with straight girls and baby strollers. RockHard regurgitated that back up to me repeatedly and actually made me see that I was being silly and unfair. I mean, Chelsea wasn't always gay; maybe there were locals in the 70's who bemoaned the fact that their neighborhood was being infiltrated with muscle boys and leathermen. Or maybe not. But the fact is, instead of being upset that RockHard held a different point of view and mocked mine, I used it as a learning experience. And now, Rick Munroe lives in peace among the baby strollers and Carrie Bradshaws.

[Luv2play]

Just wait till they drive you off the island. See what you think then. x(

[Rick Munroe]

>Just wait till they drive you off the island.

 

Hey, if they drive me to the beach, I'll happily accept the ride.

[BgMstr4u]

I'm not the flashiest poster around, but I have to confess that I am reading and posting a lot less than I used to. There are a couple of reasons for that.

 

One is that the wit and verve factor has diminished. So what if it often veered toward the bitchy end of things -- as long as it was in fun I loved a lot of it. It occasionally made use of language in interesting and imaginative ways and was worth the time to keep current and participate.

 

Another is that I have gotten tired of left-wing ultra-correctness. It is virtually impossible to have a serious discussion about politics or other serious issues without being dumped on in one way or another. There are posters here who simply won't allow others to think differently than they do. And so I have stopped posting as much. There seems to be a party line and there's no straying off it without paying a penalty.

 

The upside is that it has saved me quite a lot of money. Escorts who are rude to people they disagree with politically (which is not to be confused with having a reasoned discussion) won't get my dollar. One of the purposes of the site is to give us a reality check before we hire. In that it is succeeding.

[MindThe Gap]

>but others, like TruthTeller, left because of

>the very reason you mentioned.

 

Hey Rick, thanks for mentioning the poster TruthTeller. Although I wasn't around here back in 2002, I did a search and found a lot of threads he posted in. I only had time to read a couple, but this one, about ass-licking had me laughing out loud in parts of it and the exchanges between posters were hilarious!

 

http://m4m.m4m-forum.org/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=4&topic_id=23032

 

>And now, Rick Munroe lives in peace

>among the baby strollers and Carrie Bradshaws.

 

I just love happy endings...and happy ends. }(

[+ Charlie]

Rick, I lived in Chelsea in the 60s, when it was definitely not gay, and the locals were grumbling about "those Village people" starting to move uptown. I don't miss those nights when it could be dangerous for a gay man to walk on 9th Ave.

[Guest n2colour]

It is virtually impossible to have a serious discussion about politics or other serious issues without being dumped on in one way or another. There are posters here who simply won't allow others to think differently than they do....There seems to be a party line and there's no straying off it without paying a penalty.

 

Some days, it seems to me that your qualifier, "about politics or other serious issues," is unneccessary as almost EVERY discussion seems to end up being about American politics, a subject I long ago became bored with. I used to wonder why these political polemics were everywhere on the site instead of on the threads set aside for them, but eventually figured out that as long as the official party line was being followed, it wasn't considered politics. Not that I stray all that far from the official party line all that often, but I'm not so insecure in my beliefs that I find it necessary to endlessly preach to the choir, revel in the misfortunes of others, or stifle free expression. I've heard enough to last half a lifetime and if I want to engage in that twaddle, I know plenty of far better places to engage in it. :+

 

That said, it is a free country, and no one else seems bothered by it, so the choice (speaking only for me) remains the same: generally ignore it or leave. It is sort of a "M4M Forum: Love It or Leave It" kind of thing. ;-)

[+ Lucky]

Doesn't anybody miss Chicago Boy?