Pie 1 said:
If you don't get condescended by one of the gang of four, then you get flamed by another for 'not keeping up' or told that you haven't got a clue what your talking about just because happen to disagree.
Fanta said:
Who could this fearsome foursome possibly be you're refering to?
Comrades Mrs M, Bob, Mr BC and Pooka! The revangist devils!
Pie 1 said:
And why does every little thing from shopping in Tesco's to a dance night at cafe cairo have to get turned into a political argument about fucking gentrification?
I was ticked off by Hatboy and Editor (no less) for politicising Tescos - or was it fireworks or nightclub flyers written in text messaging language - I forget. I was told - words to the effect of - to stop polluting such threads with political clap-trap. They did it nicely but the meaning was clear.
I thought about it and decided the criticism was right. People have been criticised on this thread for cliquery, condescension, arrogance, etc.,
but the main thing is not to be a crashing bore.
That's the cardinal sin of writing on a public bulletin board. In fact in any] sort of writing, from journalism to fiction to political manifestos to technical manuals. And something, incidentally, which Hatboy hasn't been accused of. I've never heard anyone say "Hatboy's a bore."
I'll read anyone who writes well on virtually any subject. That doesn't mean being a spelling and grammar snob - I'll read a dyslexic who's got something to say.
I mean someone who uses language in a way which (a) communicates something new - or something old in a new way - and (b) makes me laugh.
I'm particularly interested in people with this capacity from the political left. Lefties are notoriously turgid writers - Marx and the appalling Frog literary theorists being classic examples.
But good leftist writers do exist. I regularly meet people from the political right who grudgingly admire Orwell, Paul Foot, Tony Benn and EP Thompson, specifically for their writing skills.
"I disagree with everything you say but love the way you say it!"
I wish someone would say more about why exactly they feel alienated from this forum. I want people to feel welcome and would like to understand more about why some don't. If I'm at fault I'll think about specific criticisms and change what I post.
But Stella's right of course. Someone producing a crap argument on a serious subject can expect to get twatted.
Housing is a hot potato in Lambeth. Large numbers of poor and vulnerable people risk losing their homes to property developers for yuppies to colonise, and then to infect Brixton with their dismal Mrs Bucket-style cultural values.
It's not some spat about which Brixton nightclub to attend. It's deadly serious stuff. There's been one housing-related suicide on my estate in the last 18 months plus two sectionings under the Mental Health Act.
This website is influential - not just because some key people in the Council read it - which they'd deny LOL! - but because some good activists use these boards to hone their arguments. Nothing wrong with that. People like Pooka and Fanta are more useful than perhaps they realise.
This isn't brown-nosing but I like Hatboy, always have, always will. It's partly personal - he's been consistently warm and friendly to me on a human level. But it's also political. He's been like a rock in his support for some of the political things which wind me up about Brixton.
I have similar feelings about others who post here. But perhaps these sort of personal and political background connections can comes across as cliquey and excluding and alienating to people out of the loop, which is a shame. People should be welcomed and feel welcome.
But if you post a bad argument - if you walk into the kitchen - expect some heat. This is a discussion forum, not a group encounter session at the Maudsley.
If people can only come out with rubbish like that then no, I don't actually care what they think. Why should I? I'm a busy woman.
