Would someone like to rescue this house?

[Nemesis]

Graham, I think Lime has the right idea. This forum would be a better place for a number of folk if we simply blocked you, and your other sad chums. Rather a pathetic bunch really. Myabe you could find another school playground all to yourselves.

 

[Pford75]

Nemesis...the fact is that you contribute a hue amount to the site and are hugley knowledgeable about period buildings, traditonal building, conservation and many other things. To block you would remove a lot of the value from the site...that I and others have benefitted from.

However, interpersonal communications are not one of your fortes (judging by the number of people you manage to offend on a regular basis). I know you don't care for the opinion of me or others....but it is a great shame that your undoubted knowledge will not be heard by as many as it could.

Back to my original point.....how many people in the general public know who/what SPAB/SAVE are and the good work that they do? Are we agreed that we would like to increase this number?

 

[Nemesis]

But you see, you offend me on a regular basis. You have never met me of course. Sanctimonious tellings off such as you regularly dish out here - dear me. You may get away with at work, but it doesn't work with me. I gather interpersonal communications are not your forte. And I'm not at all interested in anything now you have to say.

I think that the conservation organisations have ben doing good work for a very long time, and will continue to do so in future. That's with you or without you.

 

[Pford75]

Back to my original point.....how many people in the general public know who/what SPAB/SAVE are and the good work that they do? Are we agreed that we would like to increase this number?

 

[skier-hughes]

From the numbers who visited Otterton Mill whilst I was there none at all

 

[Nemesis]

The conservation organisations are increasing in number. I'm not interested in playing your games, or Graham's, or the rest of you sniggering in the corner of the playground.

 

[skier-hughes]

What games?

Whilst I spent several hours at Otterton Mill, I didn't see/hear of any members of the public who new of them.

All people visiting a Mill.

 

[Penners]

Graham ..... This forum would be a better place for a number of folk if we simply blocked you, and your other sad chums.

What a great idea! The Robert Mugabe approach to dissent.

 

[Nemesis]

Well, it was Lime's suggestion... and apparently very easy to do via the forum software.

 

[Penners]

Quis custodiat ipsos custodes?

 

[Nemesis]

Dunno, I have courgettes to plant and manufactured 'quarrels' to ignore.

I think manure spreading in the reality rather more interesting than the virtual sort.

However - for P. Edant:

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? I believe.

 

[shelli]

Who custards the custard maker? *

No stop don't all shout at once I know what it really means and so does anyone who's ever read any Terry Pratchett - ie half the population of the known multiverse

 

[skier-hughes]

Chris Tarrant?

 

[Nemesis]

Or indeed - who makes the custard for the ice-cream maker?

 

[Nigel Watts]

O civile, si ergo,
Fortibus es in ero.
O Nobile, Deus trux!
Vatis enim? Causan dux.

 

[Craig]

That's quite funny, Nigel.

 

[Nemesis]

Cave canem?

 

[shelli]

That's a bit scary actually Nigel

Oh - I see "Cows 'n' Ducks" - now I get it

 

[Nemesis]

Quackers I would say.

 

[DaveBrigg]

I take few prisoners these days.

I think I too may back out of this web site, which is a huge shame as I have gained so much and so valued people's advice and views. Good bye

Another valuable member of the forum lost. Another group of people making polite, thoughtful and occasionally critical comments being met with:
I simply feel bloody angered by your remarks
Oh, for God's sake
You have no idea
no you don't know.
this whingeing
terribly childishly pleased with themselves
Myabe you should have kept out of it. (sic)
That's one of the most depressing, distressing and arrogant posts I have ever read
No you don't have any idea, none at all
Your arrogance, ignorance of so much and plain rudeness is breathtaking. I find you offensive
I think you are abusive.
leap in with both feet, with a spot of misplaced sanctimony
you, and your other sad chums. Rather a pathetic bunch really.
I'm not at all interested in anything now you have to say
the rest of you sniggering in the corner of the playground

It's to their credit that no-one seems to have responded in kind.

I don't have much experience in rescuing old buildings, but enough experience on this forum to see a repetition of the same pattern. Every month or two someone makes an innocuous comment which receives a personally abusive, aggressive reply. Usually someone new to the forum then puts their head above the parapet to express disappointment that such a helpful forum could degenerate into spite. This person then receives their own personal attack suggesting that they know nothing, and need to keep out and shut up. This time it was Vicky, Moo, Pford75 and Graham. Last time it was family Wiggs. The time before it was me, then flyfisher and so on, back to before the forum changed. I expect a similar attack in response to this post.

There is only one common denominator.

Most times, once the nastiness has run its course there is an outbreak of jollity as the innocent majority try to reclaim their forum and re-establish the friendly and supportive tone which is why they joined. Every time, I hope that it is the last spat, and every time, a month or two later, I get proved wrong.

It may be my imagination, but there seem to be fewer posters and fewer active members of the forum than this time last year. For every person such as Vicky who openly states their intention to leave there must be others who just go, or log on very occasionally and navigate through the insults to find something interesting. I can envisage a time when so many people who care about period properties have 'not been taken prisoner' by someone who should be on the same side, that when it comes time to face the real enemies, they will find only a handful of people left.

I have a lot of respect for most of the people on this forum, including those like Vicky with whom I sometimes disagree, and those who are trying to steer the forum back on track without resorting to insults or telling people that they know nothing. It would be a shame if the gradual erosion of people willing to express an opinion continued to the point where the forum ceased to be viable.