Hi there THOMAS O'REILLY...

A fine Irish moniker if I ever heard one, shades of Oscar WILDE who once opined '...style is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to change it every six months...' whether Oscar was referring to 'fashion - dress sense' per se, or 'style' in our writing or the manner in which we verbally express ourselves, I've really no idea.

So I've chosen to tidy up my own writing 'style' and divest myself from engaging in any further instances of ad hominen that I may have unwittingly deployed occasionally with one or two others herein. Save for one, an individual I happen to dislike.

Thank you Thomas for adding you intuitive and astute commentary and opinions to this topic, I do appreciate your wide ranging views and opinions expressed herein as well. By the sound of it you've been around for quite some time, longer than I by all accounts, so your insights and views are well appreciated and contemporary to say the least.

The loss of our three ladies is not good, as I believe their intellectual presence was like a breath of fresh air, and had a much of a mollifying or conciliatory effect on some of the more 'ferae naturae' correspondents, who delighted in stalking their prey on Graham's Y's delightful Site ? I can only hope they see fit to return and give us all the benefit of their wise and thoughtful counsel before this entire Site wreaks havoc on itself, with a fusillade of testosterone laden missiles.

@o sung wu, well thank you kind sir. I feel like I look like a ripe plum. High praise indeed coming from your good self.

It is said s--t floats m'lord, though on this occasion you have proven that Cream doth also riseth to the surface at will, such with your excellent thread topic.

I have only had the luxurious blessings of partaking these here hallowed halls of opined excellence a short 2 months, however have had the benefit of being sent twice to the sin over this short sojourn.

It must have been something I said. What exactly that was I have not been duly informed despite proper and numerous inquiry with the powers that be. Such are the travesties of dictatorship and appearing as a mushroom to my fellows. :-)

It's a case of 'deja vu' the subject matter under consideration by your esteemed forum devotees and was most coincidental indeed thereby quickly catching my eye and purveying the content of what great minds our Aussie soil hath produced. :-)

If I may be so bold, you good self may wish to parlay College Binaries channel (below) when free time appears or the mood strikes thee, should OLO be quiet calm and still. He's a Brisbane lad and quite a wit I must say.

Philosophically speaking fwiw, I am torn between being a Hobbesian and being a Kant (apparently). lol

Immanuel Kant
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwOCmJevigw

John Locke
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-buzVjYQvY

Jimmy Voltaire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f8SGxLHu7M

How to Reduce Weirdest Beliefs - buy this book
aka OCCAM'S NIGHTMARE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OeUINoYWsg

Good day to you sir o sung wu,

Wherest thou shalt travel, may good fortune and good health greet thee and thy beloved ones on the path.

<smile>
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I think the question should go beyond why Foxy, Poirot and Susie have stopped. There are at least 5000 people, possibly 10,000 on the user list yet only a handful of people are active. Why?
I think it's because I - and probably many others - find the forum unwelcoming. I would like to have a genuine exchange of views; I don't think I know everything, I like hearing what other people think, and I'm prepared to change my opinion given a cogent argument. I'd like to discuss issues with people who take the same approach, that they might not know everything and might be prepared to change their opinion too, even if they hold different views to me.
But there seems to be a strong 'party line'. Say something that goes against that, and you don't get serious engagement and discussion, you're just labelled negatively (usually left-wing, even if you're not!) Some of the comments here about Foxy et al are doing this exact same thing, even in their absence!

(cont.)
I tend to post only when I can say something concrete about matters I have personal knowledge or experience of. I am regularly discouraged when the response is a label, a sneer, or straight denial of my experience.
One old example: I engaged oneundergod (well, it was a while ago) on the question of the definition of species v genera - I'm a biologist originally, and this was something I actually know about. OUG wouldn't discuss or consider my information: he'd (mis)read Wikipedia and I was WRONG!
Another example: On a discussion on Aboriginal issues, I told some personal experiences of being followed by the police etc when visiting Aboriginal communities, and noted that while this came as a shock to me, my Aboriginal contacts just took it for granted as a normal occurrence and were amused at my surprise.
The response here? I must have done something to provoke the police. I hadn't. The point of my comment was that this was a norm, I'd just accidentally come across it. But it could not be taken at face value as an example of why Aboriginal people might have problems with mainstream society and vice versa, and contribute to a discussion of how things might be improved, no, I had to be personally blamed. (I'm really non-confrontational, and have a lot of experience in mediation - people have said to me 'how can you just stay calm when people are going nuts around you?)
This is not about unpleasant language per se, but about an underlying attitude by many posters here, of personal put-downs. Genuine debate would be nice and could be productive. But if your response to people who hold different opinions to you is just to label them and put them down, rather than engage with the issues they raise, well, how secure is your opinion anyway?

Hi there COSSOMBY...

Thank you for your most comprehensive thoughts and conclusions as to why it is, (in your opinion) that so many contributors are choosing to leave OLO and the Forum ? Again I think you're absolutely correct, because of this combative climate that seems to prevail here and now. Which has been suggested by so many other contributors herein, as the fundamental reason why people absent themselves from this Site altogether ?

Moreover COSSOMBY, as a recidivist offender myself, who's manifestly assisted in creating this antagonistic and truculent environment, I can only apologise profusely, in an effort to create a more harmonious and amiable domain for others, in an attempt to eradicate (for my part) any remaining animosity and rancour that might still linger with some posters.

With contributors of yours, and THOMAS O'REILLY'S intellectual standing, I have great hope, this august Site can only develop exponentially, and benefit all who choose to add their cogent and well presented commentary herein, either to this Forum, OLO, or both, provided that is, those ( me particularly) who choose to engage in ad hominen behaviour, are held to account by the moderators.

Thank you, o sung wu.