Turning my back towards the soapbox

[Marcus]

Neither with the ambition to change its current state nor am I suffering from the illusion of changing anything, all I´m saying is that sadly the Paddock has turned from a place for interesting things into an online-soapbox for political ushers.
Following the common advice instead of constant nagging not to participate any longer all left for me to do is not to contribute anything to the paddock or pay attention any longer.
If you´ve been observing things closely, I´m not the first one.

BFN,
Marcus

 

[Nick]

Marcus,

I agree, although you might not see this. I do not think I have ever started a political discussion but if I see one I cannot accept I just cannot seem to help commenting, it is so easy from behind the defenses of a keyboard. I suspect a reaction is what some thread starters are after. The smart thing would be to ignore them but I am not that smart.

Some think this is attention seeking, I don't think so although who really cares what I think. All it does is feed the fire and as the same subjects keep cropping up time and time again I'm obviously kidding myself if I think I can change anyone's opinion.

I have said it more than once but this time I must try harder, like many other Brits recently BFN.

 

[Mark]

I couldn't have said it any better myself Nick.

I just browsed through it all now and suddenly thought, "wht bother, no-one ever shows even the slightest glimmer of ever understanding another person's views, EVER. Not once." That just doesn't sit well with me.

So I too am giving up commenting, contributing, or adding to the fires.

 

[Al Wohlstrom]

People think that they actually might bring someone around to their way of thinking. A person convinced against his will................................. A discussion does stimulate thinking.

 

[David Morton]

I've just logged in for the first time in many weeks and I am saddened about the amount of bullshit and bandstanding in the paddock area. Al, a lot of these posts are not attempts at discussion at all - they are total dross and of virtually no interest. I guess it may be a transatlantic thing as most of the crap you 'americans ' spout is based on the fact you have virtually no history and in the larger world it is of virtually no interest.
Before I stopped reading things in the paddock, I had a block on several subscribers and I think that would stay in place if I was to keep reading. Which I don't think so. Marcus seems to have succinctly and accurately hit it right on the head with his comments. Some of the idiot americans killed the paddock stone dead. I think they know who they are as I has never responded to any of their diatribe.
Now - I must leave again before you all start getting up on your soap boxes and bullshitting and now get on with affairs of state and watch qualifying from India.
I notice quite a few former readers have stopped as well.
I'll keep my 'membership ' alive in case I want to sell things.
If any of you want to keep in touch, my email is [email protected]
If you don't thats fine as well.

 

[Terry Oxandale]

David, I've always enjoyed your Paddock postings, and hope you continue in the future. As I've said in the past, the lack of responding is the best way to relegate the subject posts to a "no interest" status. But this takes more discipline than it appears many of us have.

Many times I have a genuine desire to "check" myself into reality, and post a question with a goal of obtaining responses that will broaden my knowledge of a topic that is heavily influenced by ideology. I found I had to suspend that practice in the last 12 months or so simply because I was no longer getting any benefit, which happens so often when 'contributors' (sorry, that's the best term I can think of at the moment) cannot successfully blend passionate ideology with objective reality of all facts. It's one thing for a string to twist and turn into something that represents American thinking at its worst ("I'm right, everybody else is wrong, and don't confuse me with facts"), and die, but now these posts seem to be starting off straight-away in this manner...and it saddens me to see an informative, and many times, light hearted forum turn black and tarnished.

 

[Mike Pass]

I agree with the comments above about the demise of the paddock as a source of wit, good debate, information, amusment and entertainment. It is very sad that the more entertaining contributors have given up in the face of the opinion mongers.
Mike

 

[Bob Fechter]

I too agree, its gotten very ugly. No more from me.