Newbies. I have been posting at ILP for eight years and have seen the site go from tolerance to diverse opinions to intolerance as evidenced by the increase of ad hominem in almost every thread. It’s a meaner. nastier place than it once was. Am I alone in seeing this? Is this how it has to be?
No, you’re not alone. People have pretty much always had to pay their dues to earn respect around here, but that is different from what’s been going on lately.
I hate myself when I’ve been goaded to ad homs.
In some ways, ILP is reflecting what is happening in the “Real” world
where discourse has gone the same path. I suspect (although can’t prove) it is
related to our collective dissatisfaction to what is happening or what we perceive is
happening around us. It does not take a rocket scientist to see we have been (to use Marx’s word)
alienated from our world around us. I can’t speak for other countries but here in the U.S, the average
citizen has been marginalized in just about every facet of our lives. Economically, politically, socially,
we have been reduced to spectators in our lives. Economically, our incomes have been reduced and
made second class citizens with the income inequality in our country. For the first time in American history,
the children will have less then the parents. Every generation has gone beyond the parents in America and
today that is no longer true. My daughter (who is 29) will be less economically successful then my wife and I
and this is true all over America. Americans have been economically marginalized because of income inequality
what this has done is challenged people notion that American is the land of economic freedom and wealth.
The economic dream of success, of hard work and you will succeed has been destroyed by the new economic
oligarchy that rules America. The same goes for us politically. “We the people” is no longer true because
politics is the realm of the wealthy and powerful who because of their wealth now (for lack of better word)
own politics and politicians. Democracy doesn’t exist anymore because of income inequality and the buying
of the American political system by the wealthy such as the Kock brothers and other who have bought America.
Thus we have no voice in the political system and no voice in the economic system and so we take it out
in the only means left to us, available to us, the internet. We have a country full of deeply unhappy people
who cannot escape their fate of being marginalized from their own lives. So we turn to watching news of
pretend celebrities because at least they seem to have lives of their own and we turn mean in person and
on the net because we have no other choice, no other alternative. Deeply unhappy people in an deeply unhappy
country. ILP is a place of people trapped in their lives just as we are all trapped and it shows. We just haven’t
come to the understanding of what has happened in our lives. We are in denial as to what has happened to us
and that denial also fuels our despair over our lives. Now their are some who will voice the opinion that
no such thing has happened to them or America. Those people just haven’t seen it yet and perhaps they never
will. Some might say I am being uneccessarly dark and bleak but the fact is we live in dark and bleak times.
Only change can save us and not the type of change where we get plastic surgery or some superficial thing.
No, the change I speak of is where we must decide if the system we live in needs to change in some
deep and drastic way. My answer is yes, what is your answer?
Kropotkin
I hope you aren’t thinking of me in your OP. I’m a militant atheist, but I usually try to attack the idea, not the person. Most of the attacks I observe are on the idea, not the person.
I think that you are right, Ier. The place is much nastier and more superficial than it was three years ago when I joined.
I’m not sure I’ll be stay much longer.
Not you too, phyllo. This place gets worse with every decent member who leaves.
Ahh, you don’t think I’m decent. 
I’ve been riding you pretty hard. 
Believe it or not, I tend to enjoy our discussions. I get frustrated at times, as I’m sure you do, but you’re definitely one of the good ones around here as far as I’m concerned.
Can’t we all just get along???
ilp needs more oldies back, and regular noobs. yea, ad-homs, don’t help, don’t know why people feel the need to attack ego’s esp. its a general thing in life, where a females ‘ego’ is expressed somewhat in her looks [sexist argument I suppose, but a general observation tis all], males want to be tough-guys. this also applies for those who don’t consider themselves to be tough, but express a similar thing in terms of being an intellectual, hence the ad-hom.
thing is, to be a higher intellectual [well we all have 90bil neurons don’t we?] we have to place others below us, when we would make far better ‘intellectuals’, through the act of not trying to or needing to undermine others. must say I fail on that myself, but not towards other intellectuals but to tough-guys, and lazy thinkers.
strange behaviour when we consider that everything we do and think derives from and largely are an act!
I don’t think the rules are that crystal clear in preventing new members from ad homming, and my suggestion for newbies to have to tick an agreement upon signing up was dismissed… like many other ideas I have put forth have been.
It would be ideal if old and new members could co-exist side by side, but there always seems to be a revolving door of one in one out.
More thoughtfulness and working with each other, less laziness and petty snipes. I’ve always felt lax about ad hom. Being polite all the time just isn’t realistic and it’s good, even instructional, to have it out sometimes – but there is a more and less professional way to get heated, and have the courage to be the one to let it go and bring the conversation back to the central question. Above all, provoke thought and be a good communicator.
I think we should not fall into the marginalized quitter, but hang in there, regardless of the tone, the level of expression/comprehension, and the degree of resiliency ; it reeks of weakness and lack of compassion to go out when things don’t suit one’s fancy. Though i may be a rationalizing approbate.
You are. This is a place of hobby. It’s not volunteer work.
Well said, but at the same time I’m not teaching a class or trying to reach the troubled youth. I come here to have discussions and argue. With the best of intentions, to he sure.
Must forbid anybody from disagreeing with the ideological complacency around here or stirring up conflict from that of debate.
Don’t want to anger the ‘good’ old boys around here.
Don’t want to create controversy. No, we can’t have that.
Can’t have any aggression around here as that might tear a part our ‘special’ delicate snowflakes also.
Is that the future of ILP? 
statik,
With a little more effort over time, I think the reward can be pretty good. Look at it this way, it won’t be worth it to come here at all if the place is a dump.
I agree most with Peter K. Many of the oldies might simply have given up on philosophy as the world has become too bleak and they realized their wisdom didnt count for much. The young ones here realize much better the state the world is in and are much more cynical and their minds are uglier and cruder, but more to the point.
ILP was hit by a swarm of magog a few years ago (belligerent contrarians obsessed with the agreement to disagree. Some still lingering) with which the mods were not equipped to handle.