I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is disappointed with the childish attitude of the moderators. The Nevada crash thread and Ed's reply should not have been locked.
Ed has posted with a signature that he is "at war with those who think OTR trucking is easy". He was called on it and ,to his credit, gave an explanation that rationalized his bitterness regardless of whether you agree or not. The moderator's policies here are sort of "discuss this, but don't tell us how you really feel".
Ed declared war, was called out on it, and gave some degree of explanation. Probably hundreds here, if not thousands, had wondered about the signature and substance of his posts. Now I would expect that most understand a lot more than they did yesterday.
In my line of work, safety is paramount. We are told that if being called on a safety issue hurts your feelings then leave them at home. The same should apply here. There cannot be a lively discussion without some conflict. Without it this site is just a bunch of foamers trying to see who can take the most pictures/videos and talk in what they think is the lingo of the trade.
What would a forum be without drama?
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
TDM and Ed,
I certainly welcomed your comments on my Nevada thread. I don't see a problem with spirited debate.
See - there's the problem. A thread gets locked and two new threads pop up in it's place.
FWIW, the Nevada thread had run it's course, in my opinion. Time to sit back and find out what the investigators have to say.
The other - well sometimes you just have to let off steam. There really wasn't anything to say afterwards.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Thank you tdmidget for that reply and support. This was one of Multiple situations I found myself in back about 11 years ago. I was heading East on I80 in Nevada Hurts me to this day to talk about it. Guy riding a Jap Sports bike Passed me and wiped out when he lost it from hitting a chunk of debris in the road. Guy was wearing a Helment so he survived the Crash. Trouble was he was NOT wearing Protective leathers and peeled himself like a freaking Bannana. I grabbed my Qualcomn got an Ambulance rolling to my Postion ASAP but I was 45 MINS away from the NEAREST ONE. In the Meantime this kid is screaming please KILL ME as loud as he can until he passed out from the pain. He died before the Ambulance crew got there his Mother was on the crew I lied and said his last words to her were tell my Mother I love Her Not LET ME DIE. You live with that for the rest of your life.
Try seeing a family broke down on the side of the road in -30 below temps middle of winter with a Blown Alternator. Saw that in the Winter of 99 what did I do had a Wrecker called for them. Hauled them to a Hotel near a Repair shop in the area. Paid out of My Pocket for their Room since I could tell they were down on their Luck Paid for the Tow and repairs. Then I got out of there. 2 Weeks later I was in the Yard boss called me into the office and went they never got your name all they had was the Truck # they wished to thank you with this Letter. It read to the Driver of Earl Henderson #9800 We wish to thank you for everything you did for us that cold night 2 weeks ago. Multiple drivers sped buy and refused to stop and help you and only you stopped and Helped.
You see OTR is not for e veryone neither is being a RR worker we both are the Unseen force that keeps the Nation moving yet without the 2 of us out here day in day out this nation and its Economy whats left of it is Dead.
.
Dont get why these threads get locked so quick. If there is no name calling and such why not let the guys say what they have to say. You dont want to read it....dont click on the thread. It's that easy. How long till this one gets locked
BucyrusThat is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's?
Or your opinion for that matter.
Murray Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's? Or your opinion for that matter.
Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's?
Opinions are just that, most are without any factual basis. Facts, things that make a difference. And usually it is the big puffers and blowers that seem to muddy up the waters.
RRKen Murray: Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's? Or your opinion for that matter. Opinions are just that, most are without any factual basis. Facts, things that make a difference. And usually it is the big puffers and blowers that seem to muddy up the waters.
Murray: Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's? Or your opinion for that matter.
And like a bad toenail fungus, these people persist on going and going and going...just like the Energizer Bunny.
Murray RRKen: Murray: Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's? Or your opinion for that matter. Opinions are just that, most are without any factual basis. Facts, things that make a difference. And usually it is the big puffers and blowers that seem to muddy up the waters. And like a bad toenail fungus, these people persist on going and going and going...just like the Energizer Bunny.
RRKen: Murray: Bucyrus: That is fine for your opinion, but why should your opinion prevail over everyone else's? Or your opinion for that matter. Opinions are just that, most are without any factual basis. Facts, things that make a difference. And usually it is the big puffers and blowers that seem to muddy up the waters.
That is because no one else in the world counts besides themselves.
RRKenThat is because no one else in the world counts besides themselves.
http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/195424.aspx
Murray RRKen: That is because no one else in the world counts besides themselves. http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/195424.aspx
RRKen: That is because no one else in the world counts besides themselves.
I have seen that video before, no?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZRZicGzpQ
Murray http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQZRZicGzpQ
I dated a gal who looked like that. Needless to say, it was a one hit wonder!
RRKenI dated a gal who looked like that. Needless to say, it was a one hit wonder!
Was this the girl?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uV0MtVWIN8Y
Horrors no! That would give me nightmares.
Back to the subject at hand. There is a reason that the original thread had 244 replies. That is because there was difference of opinion and thus, conflict.
Trains is a journalistic enterprise and by association, so is the website. Journalism is about a lot of things, like accuracy, fairness, timing (scoop!),and sales. Yes, sales, otherwise known as circulation. Nothing else matters if you have no readers, no circulation. No one will see how accurate, fair, or fast you were without it.
I would like to tell a story, true, from my youth. My high school years were in a place that was conservative beyond belief. If other places were the "Bible Belt" then this must have been the bible corset. The town was in the iron grip of one man, owner of the only daily paper and the only Television station. He was elected mayor, primarily on a racial platform. He did however know how to sell newspapers, as near as we had to the internet in the early sixties. In this environment he frequently published letters to the editor from a man who signed them as "Mose Carter". Mose claimed to have been cured of cancer by grapefruit juice among other even more outlandish claims. Mose was an atheist and apparently knew the bible by heart. He regularly provoked the bible thumping readers and then beat them at their own game of quoting scripture. People bought that fishwrapper just to see what that awful heathen had said that day. This went on for years.
People bought it because there was interest. There was interest because there was conflict. There was conflict because there was provocation. And because of all of these there was circulation.
As a journalist, without circulation you have failed. That's because there is no interest. Maybe you need some conflict.
There is a very limited number of people who will visit this site every day to see what someone else photographed. Similarly few who really give a *** what number locomotive was on what train. How many of those kind of threads have approached 250 replies?
So if you want participation , otherwise known in the old days as circulation, then you need some conflict, some interest. Boredom won't bring 'em back.
Although I don't generally agree with the views of ed benton, Bucyrus, or tjmidget, I agree strongly with their objection to the locking down of threads and other forms of censorship of the non-offensive expression of ideas. I find it really ridiculous that this continues to occur on these forums, regardless of who moderates. Some of the comments were over the top and should have been deleted as off-topic and personal attacks. But I'm sorry ed feels he must leave and I hope he doesn't. And I think midget got one thing right when he observed that this kind of action has a chilling effect on participation. I think of the past six months it already has.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
I don't know what's worse - the threads being locked, or the whining that comes after the threads are locked.
Move on, start a new topic, and fire up the calliope. Every time a thread is locked, the same 3 people predict it's the end of the forum as we know it.
This has been going on for years. We are still here.
It's the End of the world as we know it.. I feel fine.....
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
zugmann I don't know what's worse - the threads being locked, or the whining that comes after the threads are locked. Move on, start a new topic, and fire up the calliope. Every time a thread is locked, the same 3 people predict it's the end of the forum as we know it. This has been going on for years. We are still here.
So Zug, were you strapped down with your eyelids propped open a la' "a clockwork orange"?
Don't like it, don;t look at it.
Well geez man, you have several threads filled with the whining. It's not like I have ESP and can tell what is in a thread until I read it.
I stand by what I say.
Some people take getting a thread locked so personal. Pull on your big boy pants and get over it already.
Name one thread "filled" with whining. Rational discussion is not whining. Those with whom I have discussed this subject don't seem to agree with you.
As I have pointed out, discussion and disagreement are the source of interest.
Murphy Siding It's the End of the world as we know it.. I feel fine.....
Follow me, don't follow me I've got my spine, I've got my orange crush.
Which thread is it you all are whin-- er, suggesting got locked? (And if it's anywhere as far afield and full of whin-- er, "plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound"-- as this one, I bet I could tell you the reason without even looking.
Seriously though, I'm not aware of any threads we've locked in awhile. What I *think* you might be referring to is a thread where the POSTERS themselved locked their posts, which does not affect the status of the whole thread.
However, if you want MY opinion-- and I realize the odds of that would be highly in dispute-- this thread should be headed for the bone-yard and is probably a bit overdue for it's big send-off. However, I realize it's the weekend and y'all need a place to kvetch-- so if you're gonna do it, do it here.
John
tdmidget, getting back to Mose Carter, was he actually the publisher, keeping his circulation up? Anyone ever figure out who he was?
So once again, we have the phenomenon of a thread appearing to be locked by the posters when it really isn't. So what's the point of that supposed feature? As I'm writing this post, I don't see any magic button that would allow me to lock it. Perhaps it is just convenient?
And it also appears the main "whiners" are the folks who complain about a repetitive thread they dislike, including a former moderator.
jwhitten Seriously though, I'm not aware of any threads we've locked in awhile. What I *think* you might be referring to is a thread where the POSTERS themselved locked their posts, which does not affect the status of the whole thread. John
John,
What is the functional purpose of the forum allowing posters to lock their own threads? And how exactly does this work? In my Nevada thread, some posts were shown as being locked, but the rest of the posts in the thread remained unlocked, and gave no displayed indication of being locked.
However, those locked posts were actually locked against reply, rather than just displaying an indication of being locked. For a time, when those few posts were locked, the thread title on the forum page did not indicate any locked status. But last night the thread title on the forum page did indicate a locked status even though the thread was not actually locked. When you informed me that the thread was not actually locked, I posted that fact on the thread. Then, following that post, the locked message with the thread title on the page disappeared.
I am just curious about how this works. Is this just a software problem or is there some functionality behind this?
I have often suspected that he was indeed the publisher. The publisher is dead now and so would Mosebe if he existed. The paper does not have its archives available on line so no help there
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