Now if we're going to vote on every little thing that bugs someone? And then have gripe-fests in our Live Journals? Eh. Tiresome. Un-fun.

well clearly not for everyone. I like having gripe-fests in my LJ. Enjoy it MASSIVELY.

and as for Un-fun. several people find the sockpuppets un-fun.

so where's the social justice there? who is the underdog that needs defending?

Trudy-- I think voting was to...

I'm not saying it was all bad by any means, but I think it may go too far.

I also think its unfair to act like the concensus method was ALL bad and the "bullshit" appelation always grates.

Because, honestly, I see sockpuppets as a performance, even when they're putatively interacting with a person or two. And I don't come here for performance; I come here for conversation.

I see the stream of board conversations like a big party. Sometimes people will be talking quietly, sometimes someone half-cut will be telling a funny joke, and sometimes people will be hanging out by the chips and dip, grazing. And we have a bunch of different flavours of dip, just a click away.

majority rule is probably not gonna go away.

This is not actually what I'm saying. I understand that I am having problems stating my argument effectively, and for that reason alone, I'm about to just bow out, but I need to firmly state that this is a mischaracterization of my argument.

I have not once said here today that majority rule should go away.

Count me as one who's usually annoyed by sockpuppets because, as Teppy says, they generally feel more like performance than conversation, and because of the in-jokey aspect. Except that sometimes they crack me up if I'm pretty sure who's behind them and it fits the general tone of the conversation.

Given the choice, I'd rather be on a no-sockpuppet board than an all-sockpuppet-all-the-time one, but if this comes to a vote, I'll still vote against a ban, because it feels too much like legislating a personal preference.

ok.

I'll still vote against a ban, because it feels too much like legislating a personal preference.

I'm not telling you how to vote, but isn't most of the stuff we vote on down to personal preference? How is voting against sockpuppets based on personal preference different from voting to combine the Buffy and Angel threads based on it?

How is voting against sockpuppets based on personal preference different from voting to combine the Buffy and Angel threads based on it?

Well, one is a direct suppression of freedom of expression and one isn't?

I come here for conversation.

"I came here for an argument."

"Oh, I'm sorry; this is abuse."

Because, honestly, I see sockpuppets as a performance, even when they're putatively interacting with a person or two. And I don't come here for performance; I come here for conversation.

I see the stream of board conversations like a big party.

That's a good comparison, definitely. But I don't see the sockpuppets as participating in real conversation.

To use the party analogy, sockpuppets -- to me -- are the people who put the lampshade on their head and dance on the table.

I, personally, really dislike that. I know other people enjoy it.

But I still don't think that sockpuppets are participating in conversation, as such.

I have not once said here today that majority rule should go away.

Thanks for clarifying, because I thought that's exactly what you were suggesting. Or something about majority rule not always being what's best for the community from which I inferred that you wanted a different system in place. But maybe you were just making an observation, which I would agree with - the majority doesn't always do what's best. But it's the fairest system I know.