:up:

If they would like to join again, they can send an email to info@thephilosophyforum.com.

Do you , , have any insight into why they chose to leave?

Or then anyone else for that matter?

Does seem pretty extreme when there's the option to just not post for a period of time, do other things.

Erasing themselves from the forum likewise pretty extreme choice.

So does seem concerning.

Oh now you care. After he's gone. Yeah. How typical of you

If you'd really care to know such information may (possibly) be found by observing my and his limited interaction from my posting history. (Which in fact I wonder if is even possible to view)

I'll give you my opinion point blank. If you'd like. But that shall be delivered privately, you can message me, if you'd like. Otherwise, don't speak ill of the (no longer posting). Have you no respect? :lol:

For my part, I'm here to argue, but I do very much appreciate all voices and perspectives on the forum.

As far as I know this is the only place on the entire internet you can really interact with people in total and complete opposition, which is an incredibly precious resource for the critical thinking process and understanding society as a whole (to increase, rather than decrease, compassion for all members of our wider community of humanity).

I even very much appreciated most, if not all, the posters that I've interacted with and were banned. Though I do see the justification for the bannings, and it was due to actions outside my interactions with them, such as spamming, harassing others and the like, people refusing to argue in good faith is a fact of life we need to learn how to politically deal with, so their periodic presence is valuable insight into breaking what may otherwise be an intellectual bubble that hides from rather than engages with the wider society.

I explained what happened in the Shoutbox.

One particular member began editing their posts to remove everything they had written, because they'd decided they didn't want to be a member of TPF any more. When I asked about it privately they asked me to delete their account and blank their posts in one fell swoop.
— Jamal

The whole story:

Mystery member posted a new discussion that consisted of a book title, a link to the book, and basically nothing else except for some words to the effect of "here is a book" (not even anything concerning the book's content). I deleted it for low quality and neglected to tell mystery member why I did so. Mystery member began self-erasing, and the rest is history.
— Jamal — Jamal

Oh now you care. After he's gone. Yeah. How typical of you — Outlander

I was not aware of any issues. I was arrested a few weeks ago, then held in a psychiatric facility on suspicion of "illusions of police harassment" and held for observation for psychosis, so have my own stuff to deal with.

Since my time is anyways usually limited I try to only engage on one thread at a time so as to be able to participate in good faith, answer responses to my comments, and not be all over the place (which I would honestly love to do, but if I can't actually commit to a conversation and get into it, it's not really contributing to the debate).

However, I do very much care about all members of our community and their wellbeing. However, I err on the side that we're all here to argue about stuff, and that's what people expect from me if I disagree as I expect it from them if they disagree with me (by err, I mean assume people here can deal with encountering opposing points of view).

I was not aware of any issues. I was arrested a few weeks ago, then held in a psychiatric facility on suspicion of "police harassment", so have my own stuff to deal with. — boethius

That's actually the most interesting thing I've read here in a long time.

Anyway, he made a post about Trump and I made a reply along the lines of "that's the kind of person people relate to, as the average person's nature is low-brow, impulsive, and is basically the lowest common denominator", like I couldn't care less about the topic I just felt that was a fact that adequately answered the question and he completely ignored my post and just called me a "Trump worshiper", despite, again, simply giving my factual input as to the dynamic of the modern politic. Basically just an honest factual analysis of human nature as to how it relates to modern politics. Again, truly, I couldn't care less. So in my opinion, the individual in question is perhaps a bit sensitive or otherwise on a hair-trigger on certain if not many topics. I wouldn't take it personally, I suppose.

Exactly.

The solution is to not post for a period of time and have a break from the Internet or the forum. According to the explanation of events by , he started to self-erase. I believe he did it in a state of anger, and his emotions were out of control. Deleting the posts is an extreme option, indeed. Imagine everything you posted for years vanishing like the smoke in the air.

If they would like to join again, they can send an email to info@thephilosophyforum.com. — Jamal

But everything he posted with his old user profile is now permanently deleted, right?

Deleting the posts is an extreme option, indeed. Imagine everything you posted for years vanishing like the smoke in the air. — javi2541997

I have different view. Some people may experience a change in how they see the world and feel embarrassed or self-conscious about their past ideas. Sometimes we need to make radical or symbolic change in order to move on.

That's actually the most interesting thing I've read here in a long time. — Outlander

I will make a post about it.

Honestly when I realized I was being "One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nested" my thoughts were "thank God for high school, I am prepared for this scenario."

After seeing a total of 7 doctors, 6 of them psychiatrists, in 2 hospitals over 5 days, I was not diagnosed with anything and free to go.

However, I think this tried and tested technique to deal with trouble makers will not be an isolated incident and it behooves anyone in the trouble making business to learn from my experience (what got me there and how I got out).

Anyway, he made a post about Trump and I made a reply along the lines of "that's the kind of person people relate to, as the average person's nature is low-brow, impulsive, and is basically the lowest common denominator" — Outlander

Agreed, wise, measured, fact based, if not common sense.

ike I couldn't care less about the topic I just felt that was a fact that adequately answered the question and he completely ignored my post and just called me a "Trump worshiper" — Outlander

That seems an unfortunate reaction, though the high emotions during this time is understandable. I've been seeing children killed nearly every day for almost 2 years. I find it sometimes difficult to function and contribute what I can to it stopping (such as messing with police when opportunity presents itself).

So in my opinion, the individual in question is perhaps a bit sensitive or otherwise on a hair-trigger on certain if not many topics. I wouldn't take it personally, I suppose. — Outlander

Seems accurate.

These are trying times where world views and identities are being challenged from multiple directions.

I will make a post about it. — boethius

Please do. But! Try the Lounge.

It's complicated/concerning, in the country I'm from "police harassment" means people who are sworn members of a municipal police force committing civil rights abuses, not what one might expect from the context of your story (you were harassing members of a police department).

It's still all, very, very interesting.

Mystery member posted a new discussion that consisted of a book title, a link to the book, and basically nothing else except for some words to the effect of "here is a book" (not even anything concerning the book's content). I deleted it for low quality and neglected to tell mystery member why I did so. Mystery member began self-erasing, and the rest is history. — Jamal

That does seem unfortunate, but also extremely usual measures which are usually remedied by enquiry about the deletion etc., that would be hard to predict a strong reaction in this case.

Thanks for the clarification.

Please do. But! Try the Lounge. — Outlander

I pretty much only hang in the lounge these days :) as the hot political topics are placed there for safe keeping. Which is fine, I do appreciate them being somewhere.

It's complicated/concerning, in the country I'm from "police harassment" means people who are sworn members of a municipal police force committing civil rights abuses, not what one might expect from the context of your story (you were harassing members of a police department). — Outlander

Also not expected here in Finland, but once encountering corruption everyone now tells me it's super usual and high level in Finland, old boys network etc. Unfortunately no one sent me that memo before. I was doing business in Finland precisely to avoid dealing with corruption.

↪boethius Exactly.

The solution is to not post for a period of time and have a break from the Internet or the forum. According to the explanation of events by ↪Jamal , he started to self-erase. I believe he did it in a state of anger, and his emotions were out of control. Deleting the posts is an extreme option, indeed. Imagine everything you posted for years vanishing like the smoke in the air. — javi2541997

I do hope the issue can be resolved and the posts brought back.

Deleting the posts is an extreme option, indeed. Imagine everything you posted for years vanishing like the smoke in the air. — javi2541997

It is extreme, and inconsiderate to members who have engaged in good faith, as it makes a nonsense of threads when one side of a dialogue is removed. I am surprised it is allowed; I would suggest that in general it should not be allowed, as it somewhat undermines the value of the site as an archive record.

Members need the ability to delete the odd post they might make in haste or anger, but to delete one's entire contribution is to destroy not just one's own work, but the full meaning of the contributions of one's interlocutors. And that is a deliberate destructive and malicious act.

Finland — boethius

Finland? BWAHAHA oh mate. No offense. I know many good Fins. Alright just these two guys. But really? Free health care? Free everything?

This is basically you guys if you keep that crap up.



No and I mean I talked to a Finnish (aspiring) politician. He made it seem fair. Sure, if someone's wife or husband is killed in a car accident and they are in true irretrievable anguish (which I believe the concept of such to be a lie) they can live the rest of their days in reasonable dignity. That sounds fine. But we all know, what sounds good on paper and that echos between the halls of good and wise men, does not always translate to the so called "Real world".

Our past ideas can be embarrassing, no doubt. But not forgetting (or erasing in this case) the past can help us to understand how we are in the present and how we would look like to be in the future. I have changed during these four years in the forum. But I don't regret any of my 6,291 posts. Each post represents a footprint of my existence here. From now on, how can a new member ever know that tim wood existed here? :sad:

:up:

I am surprised it is allowed; — unenlightened

Me too. I thought the site owned our posts and threads and they couldn't be deleted.

I was not aware of any issues. I was arrested a few weeks ago, then held in a psychiatric facility on suspicion of "illusions of police harassment" and held for observation for psychosis, so have my own stuff to deal with. — boethius

Hmm

I have changed during these four years in the forum. But I don't regret any of my 6,291 posts. — javi2541997

But people are different, right? You don’t understand the move because you wouldn’t do this.

Members cannot delete their own posts. They can edit them, so they can replace the entire text of a post with a single character, which is what happened in this case.

Finland? BWAHAHA oh mate. No offense. I know many good Fins. Alright just these two guys. But really? Free health care? Free everything? — Outlander

Exactly why the situation is so surprising to me. But you will be able to make your own opinion as to the happenings. May take me a day or two but I will @ you so that you get notified. Would be off topic to continue here

But yes, system is good on paper and pretty good in the real world, but of course all systems have failings.

Hmm — frank

I will @ you too, so you will not miss it. It is truly an extraordinary tale that I not expect.

But people are different, right? You don’t understand the move because you wouldn’t do this. — Tom Storm

It's true that it could be a legitimate well thought out political act, so please elaborate if there are good reasons for the move; that you know first hand or then can speculate.

It's true that it could be a legitimate well thought out political act, so please elaborate if there are good reasons for the move; that you know first hand or then can speculate. — boethius

I didn’t say it was a thought-out political act. I said some people (for whatever reason) might want to erase their presence somewhere. I presented one such example I did not say that this is what happened, just that it was a possible explanation.

I didn’t say it was a thought-out political act. I said some people (for whatever reason) might want to erase their presence somewhere. I presented one such example I did not say that this is what happened, just that it was a possible explanation. — Tom Storm

True, political motivation is not required; things seemed in some way related to Trump, hence my impression.

Definitely you are correct there could be many good personal reasons we can't know about to erase an account. We cannot know for certain.

You don’t understand the move because you wouldn’t do this. — Tom Storm

Exactly.

Members cannot delete their own posts. They can edit them, so they can replace the entire text of a post with a single character, which is what happened in this case. — Jamal

Yes, yes. I know. We are only able to edit the posts, not to erase them. The same happens to discussions. I remember asking fdrake to erase a thread I started because I wasn't able to do it by myself.

I believe he couldn't have erased more than 9K posts, but as pointed out, he may have had a new view on everything, and then puff, vanished into thin air.

Definitely you are correct there could be many good personal reasons we can't know about to erase an account. We cannot know for certain. — boethius

:up: No worries.

he may have had a new view on everything, and then puff, vanished into thin air. — javi2541997

He has not vanished. I hope he is still around and not taken action which may be even more drastic.
That people can change is self-evident. I will not speculate as to the reasons but I wish him well.
Thank you, Tim, for all our exchanges. I hold and cherish the good times. You know it!

You have done what I've felt like doing at least 3 times. Be well.
Take care :sparkle:

I wish we had a chance to talk before you left. Not that that would have changed anything.
But still...I hope there is someone...to reach out to, who will listen...and somewhere else to go that gives you what you are looking for. Perhaps, peace of mind. :pray:

If you wish, I believe there is a way via @Jamal whereby you can ask for my email.
That happened after the banning of my good friend, Olivier5. Just for a few words...it can help...

Mystery member posted a new discussion that consisted of a book title, a link to the book, and basically nothing else except for some words to the effect of "here is a book" (not even anything concerning the book's content). I deleted it for low quality and neglected to tell mystery member why I did so. Mystery member began self-erasing, and the rest is history. — Jamal

From the Shoutbox:

Since @Moliere had actually replied to the OP, he might have a different view of the matter. I don't think I’m exaggerating when I say it had zero substance. The problem with my actions is that I didn’t bother sending a message to the member to let them know why I deleted it. I think I was feeling quite grumpy at the time—and now look what’s happened.

It would be interesting to hear about the book and @Moliere's response.
What was it?

Rather than a swift deletion of the OP without explanation, perhaps a more respectful response would have been to reply in the thread and request more information be provided.

It would be interesting to hear about the book and Moliere's response.
What was it? — Amity

Eh, not much of one. I was fine with it being deleted at the time for the reasons @Jamal mentioned.

I'll respond to an OP of any quality as long as a thought comes along that I think might help. But I'm comfortable with what Jamal has done -- I didn't expect it to lead to a member self-deleting, but I hope they come back.