It seems there are people here who find it «tough» to be able to debate in an unpolite way on the internet. I find this totally ridiculous. My day job has been to meet the «hardest» juveniles from an area of 2 million people. These 16-18 year olds scream these «tough» harsh words in our faces every day, threatening with violence to others or themselves, and all that jazz. Some of them have a history of violence with lethal weapons. Unlike the tough and macho guards that you would typically see in a US juvenile hall, we don’t use force or fear. We stay calm, open and friendly. It works. That’s my perception of being tough. I’m taking a break from this board until it’s possible to discuss old coins in a friendly manner, without being accused of being a sissy by someone that doesn’t know me. «The mountains are calling, and I must go.»
One thing I've learned from my study of ancient history is that the world has always been burning. The barbarians are always at the gate. The flood is always imminent. A man must listen to a higher power, build his ark, and save his family and as much of creation as possible, and he must do it over and over again, every day of the week, every moment of the day. The calm, measured institution of order must meet chaos in all things, however small or seemingly insignificant. My son was very much distressed at the recent riots and desperately wanted to do something. I asked him what he had in mind, but he had no idea, which is what led to his frustration. I told him that the best thing he could do was to improve himself in any way he could, and take care of the people closest to him - to be of service to his family, his girlfriend, his coworkers, anyone who crossed his path. To make being itself better for everyone around him. I told him that it might not feel like you're doing anything important, but in fact, you become the mortar that holds together the bricks of civilization itself, and withstands the onslaught of the philistines.
Beautiful picture and thought. I very much agree with you about the need for civility. I do hope, though, that you don't stay away too long. You are a very valued member of this forum, and I believe and hope that the worst is behind us.
Yes good points, the "average" level of discourse is basically a reflection of the global average ability, with a heavy focus on vapid meme posting. 90%+ is pure garbage, however occasionally one encounters some autistic genius' magnum opus or other true gems, and more frequently organic hive-mind collaborations that far surpass what I've seen produced elsewhere. It's like sitfting for pearls in a vat of pig filth which takes time to learn, but the pearls are there. I won't disagree that it's a spawning ground among other things, but again where else but a spawning ground do you go to disrupt, monitor, or nip nascent movements in the bud? Indeed! You may notice that a certain someone here decided to sit out that whole "discussion". Figured this was an opportunity to go meta and offer unsolicited context though, as the actual debate itself wasn't really of much interest. Anyway, thanks for the blessings and the same to you, times are chaotic but this chaos and upheaval also reveals and creates amazing opportunities for those with open eyes. I hope everyone here stays strong and even if one's personal circumstances are bad, there is always hope. Perhaps all this is the birthing pains of a brighter and better new world? Hard to say but I'm passionately fighting for it, I owe my babies nothing less. Take care everyone.
Kiddo, I was ruling Usenet Newsgroups(AKA message boards) like cDc(Cult of the Dead Cow) while you were likely a gleam in your Papa's eye. Edgelords? Pffffftttt....
Haha wonderful, an honest to goodness OG. You're unicorns these days. Yes I was a merely a glint, so I can scarcely imagine how cancerous things are now for you in the realm. No wonder you've wound up here!
It's easy enough to look the word up in an Internet dictionary if you're unfamiliar with it. And, no, it doesn't literally refer to the Biblical, capital-P Philistines! phil·is·tine /ˈfiləˌstēn/ noun a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts, or who has no understanding of them. "I am a complete philistine when it comes to paintings" adjective hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts. "a philistine government"
The word "Palestine" derives from "Philistine" etymologically, but I don't think the Palestinians are ethnically related to the Philistines, who are generally believed to have been among the "Sea Peoples," and to have originated in the Aegean -- in other words, they were probably related to the Mycenaeans.
I thought the point of that post was pretty clear. I didn't read it the way you did at all. Basically he was saying several people posted offensive comments that violated forum rules and he had to remove a whole thread because of it. An admin shouldn't have to do that. We can do better.
No, it's not remotely a joke; it represents the consensus of scholarly opinion. Just compare the ancient pottery of the Philistines and Mycenaeans -- they're pretty much the same. Because the Palestinians live in Palestine, which the Romans named after the Philistines, you think that means they're descended from the Philistines, who weren't Semites? A lot of different kinds of people lived in that area thousands of years ago. Are you trying to inject something political about the Israel-Palestine conflict into this thread now? Wonderful! And next time, if you don't know what a word means, look it up yourself. I'm done. You're on my ignore list now.
That's not what happened, as you'll know if you read this thread. Multiple people may have technically broken the rules. Exactly one person posted an offensive comment (that COVID-19 is a hoax.). Everyone else was responding to that comment.
Ciao, late to the thread(s) as ever. From my Usenet days, one of the most important things i learnt was....Do not feed the Trolls.
I suggested a while back that this thread has served its purpose, and that the moderators should close it. I'm happy to repeat that suggestion.