DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... A personal plea to the board

This is very accurate. I believe people have short memories or it's that we sometimes, in our own minds, romanticize the past.

I agree with the sentiment set forth by Saint, but the reality is this board has never been a Kumbaya type place. Talk of people being thin skinned or needing a thicker skin to post on this message board has been around since 1999 and I really don't see that changing.

I have to agree Saint...It does suck to read a lot of this anymore. I've actually contemplated going off in a post that I know would get me banned for a long time just to get away from it all. lol.

The main reason for all the arguing is simple really.

We are all passionate fans of the Cleveland Browns.

I can remember watching Brian Sipe...I was at the first game Kosar played. I saw the drive...the fumble. I'll bet some posters here didn't even get to see that, but i did see some good football along with those epic downers.

We all have a desperate need for this team to win. It consumes us.

Problem is that we have no control. It's not our team, and I doubt we all collectively have a billion dollars to buy it either.

We all have liked certain coaches and gms. Personally I think none of them were given half a chance to succeed. Instead of tweaking weak spots, we clean house.

Then we argue about it.

We have all liked certain schemes...when they change, or fail for lack of players, we argue more.

We all have liked certain players. They get put into bad situations, or injured, or cut, or not drafted. The same goes for players we don't like. Yeah we argue about that too.

Forget hindsight is 20/20..we argue.
Forget a billion offenses and defenses...we argue.

I don't post much because I can't change the past..
I also cannot control the future...

Really just want to read news about the browns today.

I really can't do much but just let it go.

I'd rather be happy than right as well.


What people really need to remember is that everyone has an opinion.

It's when someone does whatever they can to dis-credit someone else so that they can be 'right' that problems start. It's insane really.


This is a forum for discussion.

Throwing around ideas is one thing. This should be friendly debate.

We however don't need to be 'right', because we are not Haslam, or Farmer, or Pettine.

This is where it all goes south....Let it go my friends.

Jules you posted a couple of very appropriate comments on the old board that let me know I was over the top.

I'm very willing to let you keep me in line if you notice any nonsense from me. There are a few others on here who I've never seen post hurtful words.

I'm working very hard not to do what I used to do, which is to engage in what will be an extended back and forth that does nothing to contribute to the thread.

I've failed a couple of times, but I promise to put effort into it.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Maybe I'm guilty of 'romanticizing the past,' but I seem to remember the discourse being a bit less rancorous during our winning streak last season. When we were tied for 1st, there was discussion and divergence of opinion, but seemingly a lot less bickering.

Anyone else remember it this way?

Clem,
I do remember it being a little less contentious, but there were still some gloom and doomers who were waiting for the other shoe to drop. I think the off-season is usually the worst where some posters have to constantly try to prove themselves right over others or make it point to go back and forth posters just to get a rise out of them.

I do find it ironic that some of the more blatant offenders chose to come to this thread and chime in.

There are some that just make the threads unreadable at times. There are some threads I don't even bother reading because the title has agenda written all over it. But, sometimes, those are the more entertaining to read when they are wrought with conspiracy theory and name-calling.

I don't know.....

I just love the Browns and have fun with this dysfunctional family we call DawgTalkers. I don't care if I'm right or wrong or if my opinion is more correct than others. Hell, I'd take being wrong and admitting it every single time if it meant that OUR team raised that trophy!!

i certainly do.

Its a lot harder to argue when all you can say is 'this or that guy almost cost us the win'

If we almost lost the super-bowl, i'd be happy just the same.

I think even then we had people pimping this or that player. Almost like impending doom is coming if they play/don't play.

The Cleveland Browns certainly screwed up the heads of millions...lol Me included.

yeah.... you have to be a 'special kind of crazy' to be a Browns fan, for sure...

Yeah, a special kind of crazy for sure!

This board offers a variety of threads and interests for commentary. If a thread does not interest someone, then just do not visit it.

However, I do believe we should lessen the self righteous attitude, name calling, demeaning comments and become a bit more respectful with our expression of thoughts. This would make for a more enjoyable and meaningful experience for all.

I think I'd enjoy it a bit more.

That said, I've been here for a looooooong time, and have developed a "sixth sense" about when a thread will take a turn. (-maybe it's not so much e.s.p. as a familiarity with screen names... hehehe)

Some days, I really can't handle it. Some days, I like to get my popcorn, and enjoy the show.

From this, I've learned what Jules said so succinctly: it's Human Nature. That means: the difference from one day to the next- is me.

j/c

I don't believe anyone has brought this up - we have had at least two frequent posters suspended (I think) in the last week. This detracts from the board as a whole as we are deprived of their input (our loss and theirs). While the posters probably deserved some form of retribution for their content, we need to re-examine ourselves and what we did to provoke such extreme reactions, This is not good therefore before you post a rebuttal to a post that you object to, review it and evaluate whether your post could cause an extreme response prior to posting. Thank you...

I have been here for a long time. It was not always this bad. Sure, there have always been heated debates. But recently certain posters turn every thread into personal attacks on people's character. That crap gets old and it makes it pointless to read further. If you can't stick to the topic at hand then do us all a favor and shut up.

I don't know, the fighting was much more fierce back in the day.

I remember the outright attacks in regards to how one viewed Tim Couch. I remember Leslie Dawg, who was from the same county as Couch, sending me a PM telling me they were going to cut my ________ off and shove it down my throat.

I remember being called Venereal Disease [VD} because I did not think Couch was a good qb.

The fighting was intense. It's just that there was more football talk back then than there is now.

Yup, those were the days.

I even remember a few pm's to me, from a certain someone that were of questionable content.

Vers I've seen you stir crap sooooooo many times and get in everything from little squabbles to out and out rants... After a while I figured you out.

You've got a fetish for being taken to the woodshed.

I'm with you, Saint. It's way worse now than I've ever seen it. I went without hanging around & posting for a good while because of it. Would just get an idea of what was new & get out.

Now it's f.a./draft time & I have to spend more time here. It's borderline awful. Too many chips on shoulders & too much thin skin.

I agree. The board has been almost out of control lately. I find myself visiting less and less. Some guy would argue the color of the sky. This isnt a debate board, its a football board. We are all on the same team here.

Wait till we win the Super Bowl PDR, Swish, and several others will be singing Kumbaya with us

lol, probably.

j/c

I think all of this "Let's hold hands and sing Kumbaya" crap proves that America is becoming a nation of wimps!

I have zero problem when two people (or more) are in heated debate over a topic... it does get old when it becomes about "reading comprehension skills" and becomes more about a posters style and personality than the content of the post.

j/c

The way some of you cry, it's as if you would be happier to have this site as interesting as a 6 months old magazine in the jury waiting room.

As DC said most of us don't have a problem with the debating of the topic at hand it's all the snide comments back and forth that are the problem. I come hear to read what others (some I consider friends)have to say about certain topics or to see what is going on in the world but it's getting difficult to do so when you log into a thread that has 10 new posts but only 3 or 4 pertain to the topic cause the other posts are nothing but name calling and I'm smarter then you gloats. If you want to do that fine but do it PMs so the rest of us can read the board without wading thru the muck.

...coming from someone who has an abrams parked in their front yard!!!

As a long time poster on another board completely unrelated to sports, I will say that EVERYONE on here would be considered an angel compared to the arguments on that other board. I grew a very thick skin from my time over there before I came here, I think that's part of the problem. Too many people here take things personally and get offended at the drop of a hat. I think some of it also has to do with the demographic. A lot of members here are on the older end of the age spectrum and get offended easier than some of the younger people. At least, that's how I've viewed it.

Either way, I think skins need to get a little thicker and arguments need to stick to facts more than evolving to degenerate name calling. Also, less emotion and caring could probably be placed on interactions with the board for some. A combination of all three would help immensely. Personally, I have no problem with the personalities and attitudes on here.

I've tried to keep to the Golden Rule since joining the old board for one important reason:

There's always a chance I might meet any one of you face-to-face in the parking lot outside FirstEnergy some day.

I'd much rather be greeted with a welcoming smile than a reception like... "Oh, so you're that jerk..."

Yeah... that would pretty much suck.


p.s. it could still happen, but I'd like to be confident that it wasn't my posts that provoked it. "His problem, not mine," knowhatimsayin'?

All we really need is for the rules to be enforced, again, like they used to.

Like him or not, when Shep was in charge of the old board, there wasn't as much crap in Pure Football. It was football talk, or it was deleted. The debates could be heated as all get out, but there were lines that weren't crossed. That has changed. I saw a Ref say that we cannot use team smack names in PF a while back, but people smack one another, on a personal level, and it goes unpunished, and no one seems to care. The arguments in that forum are often as much about the personality of the poster as it is about the game, or the team. I know that I have been caught up in it a time or 2 myself. It's not the kind of "football talk" I prefer though.

Ah well, even Rome diminished over time.

In reality, we are all adults and should be better at self-policing.. but I guess that's "in a perfect world".. I see what you are saying.

I can't post on here as much as the company firewall had this site tagged for blocking (they actually expect me to work while I'm here!).

In my relatively brief time on this board, things just tended to become hard to bear this time of the year. Many call it silly season, and this one will go down as one of the silliest, at least in my memory.

People need to keep that in mind, both with what we post and what we read. I have been guilty of getting into it with posters, so the old "glass houses" phrase applies, as it does with pretty much everyone (except Clemmy, will someone just pick a fight with that guy?). :-P

Couple of things along that line.

I've never met a person (from here) in the tailgating I've done that I didn't like and get along with. Even those I've disagreed with, on here. I would hope those people would be able to say the same about me - but, who knows?

And further - I'm going to use his board name here - Swish and I were diasagreeing about something this past season. He was also thinking of going to the upcoming game, and I made the comment, on here, that "I'd love for you to show up. Here's where we'll be." (columbus tailgate guys, I did basically invite him to your tailgate......sorry for doing that without asking).

Swish took that as me meaining I'd like him to show up so I could berate him in person, or fight him, or whatever. That was the FURTHEST thing from my mind.

We got that squared away pretty quickly. He didn't show up - but he and I have pm'd, spoken on the phone a couple of times, and also have texted some.

Sometimes - in writing on a message board - the written word doesn't come across exactly as it's meant to be. Now, often times it does...but not nearly all the time.

Swish and I still disagree, but I'd still like to meet him sometime.

I tried but he ate my lunch.

...and tasty it was, too!

You're a damnfine cook, son- I enjoyed your use of 'spice'...

Same here. Even though we have come from varying backgrounds and professions, all have been people I have gotten along well with.



And in the past, you and I have had some very strong disagreements. I too said something that you interpreted as some type of threat that was certainly meant more as a warning of how others may perceive it and act on it. Certainly not myself. I believe that too was straightened out and you realized that it was your best interest I had in mind.

I hope some day that we get the chance to meet and that too is meant in the best possible way. What you say about the printed word is so very true. Many of the people I've met through this board seem very much like the persona on this board. Some are a stark contrast to what you would anticipate. But all have turned out to be very nice people.

general reply....

lol...we are all good people....we are just friggin' insane from rooting for this team.