Many of the posts on the Oriented forums are informative and helpful, for newcomers and long-time residents alike. However, as in many forums, threads tend to degenerate quickly to sarcastic attacks and childish come-backs. I presume that most of us are adults. So why is it that people so often address others in such a manner on Internet forums, when they would not if they were standing face to face?
The moderators seem to be getting more assertive in directing the threads when they get off track (for example, Gus suspending Lobogau in the “pepper spray” thread and warning others in various other threads). Thanks for that. Let’s try to keep Oriented a valuable source for information and adult dialogue.
It’s also a platform for us to hurl insults and have them understood you big weenie!
With Chinese linguistic parameter for scolding someone barely exceeding (san ge zi), it’s refreshing and Western to bust out. Imposing your strictly utilitarian concept to this site would cut the hits 500 fold and they’d sink with the rest of the dotcoms - you low brow mongrel masquerading as the standard barer of decorum and etiquette.
If you want to be informed, stick to the paper. If you want interaction and petty insults with a mix of highly subjective opinions, stay here.
Woah, PlacardJoe – I did not “waste” all my time these past couple of years to put up a repository of hurled insults from closed-minded half-wits (uh, not you, of course )
But please do put up your OWN website, or start a Taiwan forum on another one. Then invite me and I will join in the fray (but only when I have the time).
You have a problem with living in Taiwan? Fine – express it in the Living in Taiwan Forum. Be prepared to back it up, though, and you better act civilized.
If I sense that a visitor is creating needless work on my part, and not contributing meaningfully to the thread – then they are out of here.
I do not believe I’ve done a particularly good job of enforcing the rules of Forumosa. I do plan to get better at it. Or invite someone who is.
Just to put in my two cents, I’m hoping to bring back slightly more “grown-up” standards of discourse to Open Forum. This means that calling someone you disagree with “Poopyhead” will no longer be tolerated and may very well result in a lifetime ban from the internet. I’ve talked to Bill Gates already and he is behind me 100%