- I feel like I'm about to be accused of kicking someone's puppy.

The only question would be- who would get swept up for defending? The poor mistreated puppy, or the poor misunderstood kicker?

I read your statement to mean that there is concrete evidence in this community that new threads do not create fracture here, and if that is so I would like to see it.

I see where the disconnect came in there. Yes, I was speaking more generally.

But I think there are examples here, like movies, music, etc, but it's clear that others think that those threads *have* in fact fractured the community.

I still maintain that the fracturing already happened. There are already groups within groups here, and some of those groups never ever speak to each other. That has nothing at all to do with thread creation.

Sean, I'm glad you're actually calm. For my part, I think the reason you sound emotional and dramatic is that you're being very defensive. Because, well, you're on the defense. You're defending your right to a new thread. But it ends up looking like you're backed into a corner by anti-proliferationistas and lashing out to get free.

MM is currently at, I shit you not, Chuck E. Cheese for lunch with his office, but will, I'm sure, chime back in when he gets back from having his ass handed to him in skeeball.

Thank you, honey. I would like to report that I did not, in point of fact, get my ass handed to me in skeeball.

Unfortunately, I am not able to report that.

As the WHOAOMGWTFPANDA amount of posts about this:

I am not contemplating withdrawing the proposal. I think it has merit and intend to carry it to a vote.

It'd be awesome if everyone here would take a nap already what with the "You're being vehement!" "No, *you're* being vehement!" "Nuh-uh!" "Yuh-huh!" "Yo' mama!" flying around here.

I do not like the proposed "Try it in OM first" idea because I have addressed a certain weird tendency towards reticence in the gamers around here (and, probably, around the world) when it comes to discussing their hobbies in a place not designated for it. I don't know why it happens, I would love to present the empirical evidence that people seem to be asking for, but I can't. I can only shrug my shoulders and go "Yeah, gamers are weird. WTF, you know?"

I feel like the asshole that dumped an M-80 into an anthill, but then I'm sure everybody who has ever proposed a thread and watched the resulting fireworks probably feels the same way. I wish it weren't so, but what can you do?

Mine dos pence for now.

Sorry about the truncated post earlier; hit Tab and Enter by accident et voila! Nonsense happened.

I still maintain that the fracturing already happened. There are already groups within groups here, and some of those groups never ever speak to each other. That has nothing at all to do with thread creation.

I think that niche threads don't help that, though, as some of the groupings I see look to my eyes to come from the subcommunities formed in particular threads. It fosters insularity.

anti-proliferationistas

I think we need a new word. Like preservationists.

Sean, since you asked, here's a few examples and my reactions to them:

You don't the the fragmentation has already happened? Really? You don't see how we've already fragmented into our little groups, with (in some cases) almost no contact between said groups?

You honestly believe if we only had just the one Natter thread, we'd all just talk to each other?

The fragmentation has already happened. Pretending it hasn't does nothing to prevent it.

To my eyes this reads as intentionally condescending and somewhat insulting. Sorry, but that's how it reads to me.

The argument that fragmentation will destroy our community because it has destroyed so many other communities also holds no water at all, because it is highly selective, and completely ignores the other posting boards that allow individual user thread creation and are doing just fine, thank you.

The argument may hold no water for you, but it clearly holds water for our opposition. It's very dismissive of their position. Being dismissive has a very different tone than disagreeing.

...

Those are not the total, they are examples. You aren't outright calling people asshats, but I'm reading your tone, and I may be wrong on this, as very combative and intentionally inflammatory. Typically that tone does not help a discussion.

I still maintain that the fracturing already happened. There are already groups within groups here, and some of those groups never ever speak to each other. That has nothing at all to do with thread creation.

I think there's a certain amount of "fracturing" that will exist on any board that has more than one place to talk. Some people will be more attracted to certain subjects than others, and some will frequent areas that others do not. It's like a giant Venn diagram, with various states of overlap.

My opinion on the anti-proliferation stance (and I don't attempt to speak for everyone, and I personally am not die-hard for or against, I prefer to decide on a thread-by-thread basis) is that it involves questioning whether a trend toward thread creation will take the community in a direction which is not in keeping with the ideas that the folks who originally created the community had for its... vision and mission statement, if you will.

I think the reason that the thread discussion keeps coming up is that we still don't have an answer on what thread creation will do, because MM still hasn't finished that damn time machine yet.

I think that niche threads don't help that, though, as some of the groupings I see look to my eyes to come from the subcommunities formed in particular threads. It fosters insularity.

Okay, I can kind of see your point, but... then again, not really.

I don't honestly see how the subcommunities were caused by the threads.

But I know that you honestly do.

We're each seeing things the other is not seeing.