Post feels very FB: Come at me! April 11, 2025 1:53 PM Subscribe
A recent Ask about JD Salinger sticks out to me as very un MeFi somehow. The question itself together with the OP's follow-up responses felt kinda Facebook: "Bold claim: come at me!"
Not the worst thing in the world by a long shot (and with respect to the OP, who contributes a ton of great stuff to MeFi!).
However, it was an opinion (not fact) based question, and despite compelling answers, the OP came back several times to double down. More than that: their responses seemed emphatic to the point of 'this is the answer; case closed.'
It just felt like someone had strong personal feelings they really wanted to share and weren't honestly looking for responses. Again, nothing inherently wrong with that on other social media sites, just... maybe not in the spirit of Ask?
I guess my real question is: Did this cross any guidelines or it it just a vibe I personally got?
Not the worst thing in the world by a long shot (and with respect to the OP, who contributes a ton of great stuff to MeFi!).
However, it was an opinion (not fact) based question, and despite compelling answers, the OP came back several times to double down. More than that: their responses seemed emphatic to the point of 'this is the answer; case closed.'
It just felt like someone had strong personal feelings they really wanted to share and weren't honestly looking for responses. Again, nothing inherently wrong with that on other social media sites, just... maybe not in the spirit of Ask?
I guess my real question is: Did this cross any guidelines or it it just a vibe I personally got?
This ^^
I see nothing wrong with it but with a few links it might have been better on the blue than on the green.
posted by ashbury at 2:04 PM on April 11 [9 favorites]
I see nothing wrong with it but with a few links it might have been better on the blue than on the green.
posted by ashbury at 2:04 PM on April 11 [9 favorites]
It's super chatty, I think, but those kinds of questions have been allowed for a while now. I agree that it would have been better on the blue with some more thoughtful links.
posted by cooker girl at 2:40 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]
posted by cooker girl at 2:40 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]
This is the kind of stuff that keeps people from signing up or coming back
posted by Mizu at 3:17 PM on April 11 [16 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 3:17 PM on April 11 [16 favorites]
I feel like this would have been rejected back in the day for being not a real question and then arguing with good faith answerers, but in the desperate for any engagement at all era of metafilter it certainly clears the bar of being any engagement at all.
posted by snofoam at 3:23 PM on April 11 [16 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 3:23 PM on April 11 [16 favorites]
922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a: "not every piece of content needs to be read or viewed. Flag it if it's bad, and move on."
Perfect response. FIAMO.
Was it a perfect question? No. Did we need a metatalk calling it out? Also no.
posted by chasles at 3:28 PM on April 11 [18 favorites]
Perfect response. FIAMO.
Was it a perfect question? No. Did we need a metatalk calling it out? Also no.
posted by chasles at 3:28 PM on April 11 [18 favorites]
I think Lemkin is giving lots of people a vibe. Busted onto the scene just a few short months ago with the infamous Porky's question, has already been the subject of some metatalk...feedback before this. I don't love flagging stuff here as a solution for anything anymore since I have Trust Issues with the moderation team, but of course that's an option. You can also just say things like "Lemkin, I think you're being weird about this" if you think that. He's very present. Probably here right now, reading this. (Hi, Lemkin.) He posted 3 questions to ask yesterday, maybe he just had a lot of big feelings he needed to work through. Who knows. As long as it's not about a movie from the 1980s or creamed corn the mods seem to be fine with it.
posted by phunniemee at 3:39 PM on April 11 [30 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 3:39 PM on April 11 [30 favorites]
I don't love flagging stuff here as a solution for anything anymore since I have Trust Issues with the moderation team...
You are not alone.
And here as I write this out I stare down at the
Note: Everybody needs a hug
just below and think double you tee eff question mark
posted by y2karl at 4:13 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]
You are not alone.
And here as I write this out I stare down at the
Note: Everybody needs a hug
just below and think double you tee eff question mark
posted by y2karl at 4:13 PM on April 11 [1 favorite]
I think Lemkin is giving lots of people a vibe
It’s my scene. And it’s a happening.
Can you dig it?
posted by Lemkin at 4:32 PM on April 11 [17 favorites]
It’s my scene. And it’s a happening.
Can you dig it?
posted by Lemkin at 4:32 PM on April 11 [17 favorites]
This thread should go well. I certainly can't see how it couldn't!
posted by easy, lucky, free at 5:15 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
posted by easy, lucky, free at 5:15 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
I met Lemkin for the first time in a small village outside Marrakesh.
posted by kbanas at 6:05 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
posted by kbanas at 6:05 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
I browsed the question in question at the time, and the comments, and surmised that the poster was a strong Salinger fan who had been waiting soooo long for a promised new work. The post was an attempt to process their disappointment that it had not yet arrived, and may never arrive. It was like they wanted something to argue against in the heat of their distress. While it was essentially uninteresting to me, it was a legitimate Ask albeit with the emotions of the OP on show.
posted by Thella at 6:27 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
posted by Thella at 6:27 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
I'm just gonna say this. The fact that there are so few active members on this site that one dude has been the subject of multiple MetaTalk threads just because, "I dunno, man..." should really give folks pause for reasons that have nothing to do with that member. I don't think "iffy vibes" would be that noticeable if the viber of iffiness were not the only voice in the room.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:45 PM on April 11 [36 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:45 PM on April 11 [36 favorites]
I agree w both kittens for breakfast & phuniemee. Dude has more engagement history in that last five months than I have since idk 2009?
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:55 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:55 PM on April 11 [4 favorites]
Oona O'Neill, Lemkin and I caught The Gun Club at Camden Palace in '83.
posted by clavdivs at 8:07 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
posted by clavdivs at 8:07 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
I think the opening act was The Alarm.
posted by Lemkin at 8:09 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]
posted by Lemkin at 8:09 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]
Dude has more engagement history
SockPuppetFilter:
I think this Lem-dude is a MeFite who buttoned, but just couldn't stay away.
posted by Rash at 8:43 PM on April 11 [8 favorites]
SockPuppetFilter:
I think this Lem-dude is a MeFite who buttoned, but just couldn't stay away.
posted by Rash at 8:43 PM on April 11 [8 favorites]
Mizu: "This is the kind of stuff that keeps people from signing up or coming back"
What does “this” refer to above? Do you mean the weird Ask itself or this weird Meta about it?
posted by Vatnesine at 9:01 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
What does “this” refer to above? Do you mean the weird Ask itself or this weird Meta about it?
posted by Vatnesine at 9:01 PM on April 11 [5 favorites]
The weird meta about it. This is the stuff that pops up in your brain when you have social anxiety. "What if I ask a question wrong and then other people see it and talk about it somewhere else that everyone can see?????" Like, that's just your anxiety talking, nobody would actually care that much right???
posted by Mizu at 9:06 PM on April 11 [38 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 9:06 PM on April 11 [38 favorites]
You know how "they" say that the Republicans take Trump seriously, but not literally and the Democrats take Trump literally but not seriously? Well I am not exactly sure how, but I think one of those applies here. Regardless, I appreciate Lemkin's efforts to create engagement and willingness to be a lightening rod.
You do know that Lemkin spelled backwards is Nikmel. And almost Mikel.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:21 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]
You do know that Lemkin spelled backwards is Nikmel. And almost Mikel.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 10:21 PM on April 11 [2 favorites]
Oh, Mizu, then I read it exactly wrong, because my interpretation was that you were agreeing with the MetaTalk poster that the Ask was not a good contribution to MetaFilter.
Thanks for clarifying that you actually meant the opposite!
posted by demi-octopus at 3:21 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
Thanks for clarifying that you actually meant the opposite!
posted by demi-octopus at 3:21 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
If I’d meant the opposite, I would have said “That is the kind of stuff”, not “This”. I’m glad I had the opportunity to clarify.
posted by Mizu at 3:29 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
posted by Mizu at 3:29 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
The fact that there are so few active members on this site that one dude has been the subject of multiple MetaTalk threads just because, "I dunno, man..." should really give folks pause for reasons that have nothing to do with that member.
This for sure. As the user base continues to transition from a large internet discussion site to something more the size of a large-ish high school, the whole nature of the site is changing.
Also, perhaps the covert boyzone militia is already recruiting through coded messages, just another reason to take foundation board elections opsec very seriously!
posted by snofoam at 5:17 AM on April 12 [8 favorites]
This for sure. As the user base continues to transition from a large internet discussion site to something more the size of a large-ish high school, the whole nature of the site is changing.
Also, perhaps the covert boyzone militia is already recruiting through coded messages, just another reason to take foundation board elections opsec very seriously!
posted by snofoam at 5:17 AM on April 12 [8 favorites]
"What does “this” refer to above?"
"This" is why this site needs threaded comments.
posted by jonathanhughes at 5:17 AM on April 12 [11 favorites]
"This" is why this site needs threaded comments.
posted by jonathanhughes at 5:17 AM on April 12 [11 favorites]
Also, just going to say that I think people actively participating in Ask have every right to raise concerns about how that part of the site is managed. There have been a lot of changes in what is allowed there, both in terms of rules and norms, without any real attempt to get a consensus from active user stakeholders. The value of that subsite comes from their contributions.
posted by snofoam at 5:21 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
posted by snofoam at 5:21 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
How would threaded comments have helped elucidate that this? The question was if "this" meant the whole Metatalk (so it would theoretically be a top level comment) or the subject of the Metatalk (so it would theoretically be a top level comment).
It was an unclear comment that was clarified using words and everyone left the conversation satisfied, everything worked fine.
posted by phunniemee at 5:22 AM on April 12 [7 favorites]
It was an unclear comment that was clarified using words and everyone left the conversation satisfied, everything worked fine.
posted by phunniemee at 5:22 AM on April 12 [7 favorites]
"How would threaded comments have helped elucidate that this? "
Because it required additional explanation. If the question was visually connected to the statement, there would have been no question about what the question was about.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:40 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
Because it required additional explanation. If the question was visually connected to the statement, there would have been no question about what the question was about.
posted by jonathanhughes at 7:40 AM on April 12 [2 favorites]
phunniemee: "How would threaded comments have helped elucidate that this?"
Ta da!
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:46 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
Ta da!
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:46 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
Sorry, I can't stop using this feature, it's been needed for 20 years!
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:55 AM on April 12 [9 favorites]
posted by tiny frying pan at 7:55 AM on April 12 [9 favorites]
If the question was visually connected to the statement
Which. Statement.
Which statement do you believe it could have been connected to via a threaded comment.
posted by phunniemee at 7:58 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
Which. Statement.
Which statement do you believe it could have been connected to via a threaded comment.
posted by phunniemee at 7:58 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
I flagged the AskMe. OP shouldn't be debating/discussing answers. I've always felt OP involvement in an AskMe thread is to either respond to questions with requested information or to simply say thanks. This is very chatty. If OP's replies fallen into those categories, I think it would have been fine.
posted by Atreides at 8:48 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
posted by Atreides at 8:48 AM on April 12 [4 favorites]
I read the AskMe in question and cannot understand the need for this MeTa
I appreciate the need for community norms and I don't think the AskMe grievously transgresses norms. The question provoked responses and the discussion seemed to have value for all involved.
I do get a stifling purity vibe on MeFi sometimes, like there is an acceptable way to engage and a person is corrected when their way isn't The Way. If we are concerned about declining activity on the site, we can think about what is likely to welcome engagement and what might discourage folks from trying.
posted by ginger.beef at 9:00 AM on April 12 [18 favorites]
I appreciate the need for community norms and I don't think the AskMe grievously transgresses norms. The question provoked responses and the discussion seemed to have value for all involved.
I do get a stifling purity vibe on MeFi sometimes, like there is an acceptable way to engage and a person is corrected when their way isn't The Way. If we are concerned about declining activity on the site, we can think about what is likely to welcome engagement and what might discourage folks from trying.
posted by ginger.beef at 9:00 AM on April 12 [18 favorites]
I do get a stifling purity vibe on MeFi sometimes
Only sometimes?
posted by june_dodecahedron at 9:34 AM on April 12 [20 favorites]
Only sometimes?
posted by june_dodecahedron at 9:34 AM on April 12 [20 favorites]
And here as I write this out I stare down at theIf you're not going to use your hug, can I have it?
Note: Everybody needs a hug
just below and think double you tee eff question mark
posted by aubilenon at 9:47 AM on April 12 [5 favorites]
I hadn't seen the AskMe under discussion until now, but after reading it, I don't understand the need for this MeTa. Although the type of question and the discussion that follows is not something that interests me personally, I dealt with that by not taking part. I can see that the Asker did respond a couple of times in the discussion, but I've seen plenty of back-and-forth in other questions that did not result in a call-out like this.
IMHO this kind of MeTa is a lot more destructive to the community than an AskMe on a topic that doesn't interest me or that is framed in a way that doesn't resonate.
posted by rpfields at 10:06 AM on April 12 [26 favorites]
IMHO this kind of MeTa is a lot more destructive to the community than an AskMe on a topic that doesn't interest me or that is framed in a way that doesn't resonate.
posted by rpfields at 10:06 AM on April 12 [26 favorites]
If people don't mind my saying so the AskMe 'Hide my hair' is doing the lord's work
posted by ginger.beef at 10:22 AM on April 12 [3 favorites]
posted by ginger.beef at 10:22 AM on April 12 [3 favorites]
If you're not going to use your hug, can I have it?
🫂
posted by HearHere at 10:31 AM on April 12 [5 favorites]
🫂
posted by HearHere at 10:31 AM on April 12 [5 favorites]
Looking at Lem's desire to have a back and forth chat about Salinger, I think it's less a post for FB than it is, with a link or two for bulk, a post for the Blue.
posted by kensington314 at 1:50 AM on April 13 [2 favorites]
posted by kensington314 at 1:50 AM on April 13 [2 favorites]
Some people need to GYOFB.
posted by tommasz at 5:59 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
posted by tommasz at 5:59 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
Idk looking at that 2001 post about Michael Landy there was a ton of really dismissive shit-talking and I went profile by profile and damned if almost every single one of them didn’t have their OFB. So much yelling. Maybe go outside for a change.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:13 AM on April 13
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:13 AM on April 13
MetaFilter: everyone left the conversation satisfied, everything worked fine.
posted by Wordshore at 7:49 AM on April 13
posted by Wordshore at 7:49 AM on April 13
Lem's desire to have a back and forth chat about Salinger
People seem to be too turned off to my trip to have noticed, but it was actually a straightforward question that eventually received a conclusive answer. I asked “Am I missing something?” and the answer turned out to be “Yes, you missed Matt Salinger saying his father knew he was leaving behind manuscripts that would require years to make publishable.” Had that been the first reply, I would have marked it Best Answer and not bothered to check again for any later ones.
If the people who flagged the thread as not conforming to Ask MeFi standards didn’t also flag the off-subject replies about Joyce Maynard, I question whether their stated motives are their actual ones. And if one has a beef with me because I contribute too much to the site, make a call-out based on that and then we can have a discussion about MetaFilter’s problem with over-engagement.
posted by Lemkin at 8:55 AM on April 13 [9 favorites]
People seem to be too turned off to my trip to have noticed, but it was actually a straightforward question that eventually received a conclusive answer. I asked “Am I missing something?” and the answer turned out to be “Yes, you missed Matt Salinger saying his father knew he was leaving behind manuscripts that would require years to make publishable.” Had that been the first reply, I would have marked it Best Answer and not bothered to check again for any later ones.
If the people who flagged the thread as not conforming to Ask MeFi standards didn’t also flag the off-subject replies about Joyce Maynard, I question whether their stated motives are their actual ones. And if one has a beef with me because I contribute too much to the site, make a call-out based on that and then we can have a discussion about MetaFilter’s problem with over-engagement.
posted by Lemkin at 8:55 AM on April 13 [9 favorites]
Au contraire, Lemkin. I think your recent dedicated and variable posting history has earned you some Official Metafilter Get-Out-of-Jail-Free cards. You may slap these cards down on the (metaphorical) table in order to win arguments or avoid criticisms. (Not indefinitely, of course.)
In this case, where the Question is essentially “Lemkin’s Ask: Bad or Just Weird?”, the GOoJF card gives you the authority to sail into the thread and answer “Just Weird and That’s OK” and close the thread.
Your cards should be arriving in the mail shortly. Enjoy!
posted by Vatnesine at 9:17 AM on April 13 [5 favorites]
In this case, where the Question is essentially “Lemkin’s Ask: Bad or Just Weird?”, the GOoJF card gives you the authority to sail into the thread and answer “Just Weird and That’s OK” and close the thread.
Your cards should be arriving in the mail shortly. Enjoy!
posted by Vatnesine at 9:17 AM on April 13 [5 favorites]
The question itself together with the OP's follow-up responses felt kinda Facebook:
Is this something I'd have to be on facebook to know about?
posted by biffa at 10:39 AM on April 13 [3 favorites]
Is this something I'd have to be on facebook to know about?
posted by biffa at 10:39 AM on April 13 [3 favorites]
huh. this meta was really not necessary. I just looked through the whole Ask and ???
I am on FB and not sure what that comment is really getting at.
posted by supermedusa at 10:41 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
I am on FB and not sure what that comment is really getting at.
posted by supermedusa at 10:41 AM on April 13 [4 favorites]
Actually if you look real close between the pixels in the Salinger question you'll see an AI generated image of a veteran with a giant, elaborate birthday cake captioned "I had to bake this for myself because no one wished me a happy 101st birthday"
posted by phunniemee at 10:51 AM on April 13 [7 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 10:51 AM on April 13 [7 favorites]
an unclear comment that was clarified using words and everyone left the conversation satisfied,
not the people that want threaded comments. Only one thing can give them satisfaction.
posted by philip-random at 11:24 AM on April 13
not the people that want threaded comments. Only one thing can give them satisfaction.
posted by philip-random at 11:24 AM on April 13
People seem to be too turned off to my trip to have noticed, but it was actually a straightforward question that eventually received a conclusive answer. I asked “Am I missing something?”…
I think it might have been outright calling Matt Salinger a liar that stoked a lot of ire here.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:26 AM on April 13 [2 favorites]
I think it might have been outright calling Matt Salinger a liar that stoked a lot of ire here.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:26 AM on April 13 [2 favorites]
philip-random: "not the people that want threaded comments. Only one thing can give them satisfaction."
Reddit?
posted by Vatnesine at 12:27 PM on April 13 [5 favorites]
Reddit?
posted by Vatnesine at 12:27 PM on April 13 [5 favorites]
I agree with those who say this was not right for AskMe and a random link thrown in would have made for a great discussion on MeFi. But it technically fits in AskMe because there was clearly a question asked and the current published-only-in-some-random-MeTa-comment community policy says that's A-OK, so this is a definite flag it and move on moment. Plus, I also agree that Lemkin deserves a few GOOJF cards after being smacked about the head and shoulders a few times here with little or no cause so, even if it was a tiny bit outside the guidelines, well, *shrug*.
I'm pretty sure I first met Lemkin smoking weed outside a Pink Floyd concert in Auckland. 1988, it was, if I recall correctly.
posted by dg at 4:17 PM on April 13 [5 favorites]
I'm pretty sure I first met Lemkin smoking weed outside a Pink Floyd concert in Auckland. 1988, it was, if I recall correctly.
posted by dg at 4:17 PM on April 13 [5 favorites]
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s mom that you can’t call a rich celebrity a liar?
posted by toodleydoodley at 4:32 PM on April 13 [2 favorites]
posted by toodleydoodley at 4:32 PM on April 13 [2 favorites]
I'm pretty sure I first met Lemkin smoking weed outside a Pink Floyd concert in Auckland. 1988, it was, if I recall correctly
I stopped messing with Thai sticks after that. The only thing I remember about the show was crying during the “Comfortably Numb” solo.
posted by Lemkin at 4:51 PM on April 13 [3 favorites]
I stopped messing with Thai sticks after that. The only thing I remember about the show was crying during the “Comfortably Numb” solo.
posted by Lemkin at 4:51 PM on April 13 [3 favorites]
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s mom that you can’t call a rich celebrity a liar?
Well, he is Captain America, I guess.
posted by Lemkin at 5:02 PM on April 13
Well, he is Captain America, I guess.
posted by Lemkin at 5:02 PM on April 13
Exactly
posted by toodleydoodley at 5:23 PM on April 13
posted by toodleydoodley at 5:23 PM on April 13
My laundry is cleaner, and fluffier since Lemkin joined.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:50 PM on April 13 [4 favorites]
posted by Mr. Yuck at 5:50 PM on April 13 [4 favorites]
THe trick is to take Lemkin seriously but not literally, metaphorically but not factually, semiotically rigid but linguistically flexible, non-rhotic (except in some areas of Rheinland-Palatinate), incidental to the plot but thematically insistent, out of phase so long as there's that ground fault in the speaker wire, bowled with some swing and on track for leg stump, struck confidently and fielded at mid off by Perry, noting the increasing humidity as it's impacting the definite bowler's wicket, as we look forward to play recommencing after tea on this third day of the Test at Chennai.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:13 PM on April 13 [11 favorites]
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 9:13 PM on April 13 [11 favorites]
You've made terrific contributions all across the Mefi spectrum Lemkin, and your many returns have made me nothing but happy.
And I'm doubly glad you're proving to be so unsinkable!
Though it's really too bad you've needed to be.
posted by jamjam at 12:38 AM on April 14 [7 favorites]
And I'm doubly glad you're proving to be so unsinkable!
Though it's really too bad you've needed to be.
posted by jamjam at 12:38 AM on April 14 [7 favorites]
jamjam: "
And I'm doubly glad you're proving to be so unsinkable!
Though it's really too bad you've needed to be."
Unsinkable like L Ron Hubbards private navy!
:-)
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 9:55 AM on April 14
And I'm doubly glad you're proving to be so unsinkable!
Though it's really too bad you've needed to be."
Unsinkable like L Ron Hubbards private navy!
:-)
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 9:55 AM on April 14
Lem's desire to have a back and forth chat about Salinger
People seem to be too turned off to my trip to have noticed
Assuming you include me in this group since you quoted me, Lemkin, I should clarify I meant it dispassionately and with zero shade. I just literally meant, in reference to the post, it doesn't seem like FB material, but in reference to your engagement with the AskMe thread itself, it did seem possibly better at home on the blue. Which is fine--I make minorly questionable posting decisions all the time, that's a very low stakes thing . This is just an antiquated message board humming along fitfully or maybe terminally on a dying planet.
I'm agnostic about your trip--I like people posting and I like frequent posters, and some of your stuff makes me scratch my head or register disagreement, and some doesn't. So it goes in all corners of the human world.
posted by kensington314 at 2:22 PM on April 14 [2 favorites]
People seem to be too turned off to my trip to have noticed
Assuming you include me in this group since you quoted me, Lemkin, I should clarify I meant it dispassionately and with zero shade. I just literally meant, in reference to the post, it doesn't seem like FB material, but in reference to your engagement with the AskMe thread itself, it did seem possibly better at home on the blue. Which is fine--I make minorly questionable posting decisions all the time, that's a very low stakes thing . This is just an antiquated message board humming along fitfully or maybe terminally on a dying planet.
I'm agnostic about your trip--I like people posting and I like frequent posters, and some of your stuff makes me scratch my head or register disagreement, and some doesn't. So it goes in all corners of the human world.
posted by kensington314 at 2:22 PM on April 14 [2 favorites]
BURN THE WITCH
posted by ginger.beef at 2:56 PM on April 14
posted by ginger.beef at 2:56 PM on April 14
I'd kind of like to know why this post was even approved. I presume, by virtue of the existence of the queue, that some are not. Why did anyone think this was a good idea?
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:42 PM on April 14 [9 favorites]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 3:42 PM on April 14 [9 favorites]
MetaFilter: Why did anyone think this was a good idea?
posted by Lemkin at 3:47 PM on April 14 [5 favorites]
posted by Lemkin at 3:47 PM on April 14 [5 favorites]
ever since I read catcher in in the rye and learned a few details about Salinger at a time when details were less available, I had the sneaky suspicion that he acted out every line in every book that he ever wrote.
"Salinger briefly worked on a Caribbean cruise ship, serving as an activity director and possibly a performer."....
"Salinger wrote to Hemingway in July 1946 that their talks were among his few positive memories of the war, and added that he was working on a play about Caulfield and hoped to play the part himself"
So for 50 years perhaps he was acting out everything he wrote and I find no irony that the literary executive of the estate played Captain America.
posted by clavdivs at 4:14 PM on April 14 [2 favorites]
"Salinger briefly worked on a Caribbean cruise ship, serving as an activity director and possibly a performer."....
"Salinger wrote to Hemingway in July 1946 that their talks were among his few positive memories of the war, and added that he was working on a play about Caulfield and hoped to play the part himself"
So for 50 years perhaps he was acting out everything he wrote and I find no irony that the literary executive of the estate played Captain America.
posted by clavdivs at 4:14 PM on April 14 [2 favorites]
It seems especially timely to say that--rather than critique how others use and consume this site, participate in its communities, and use their own judgment when a post belongs to an ambiguous category--we should be grateful that there are still users eager to engage.
To me, I look at that post and say, "It isn't framed exactly how I would have, but it's an interesting topic. Dayenu."
posted by yellowcandy at 6:54 PM on April 14 [7 favorites]
To me, I look at that post and say, "It isn't framed exactly how I would have, but it's an interesting topic. Dayenu."
posted by yellowcandy at 6:54 PM on April 14 [7 favorites]
kittens for breakfast: "I'd kind of like to know why this post was even approved. I presume, by virtue of the existence of the queue, that some are not. Why did anyone think this was a good idea?"
I imagine it was approved because of the quasi-policy of approving anything that doesn't look like too much work for the moderators. Perhaps whoever approved it didn't think it was a good idea but approved it anyway because, based on recent history, refusing to approve it could turn into a much bigger shitfight than approving it. As it turns out, we are capable of acting more or less like grownups even when left unsupervised.
posted by dg at 9:54 PM on April 14 [4 favorites]
I imagine it was approved because of the quasi-policy of approving anything that doesn't look like too much work for the moderators. Perhaps whoever approved it didn't think it was a good idea but approved it anyway because, based on recent history, refusing to approve it could turn into a much bigger shitfight than approving it. As it turns out, we are capable of acting more or less like grownups even when left unsupervised.
posted by dg at 9:54 PM on April 14 [4 favorites]
This is the kind of stuff that keeps people from signing up or coming back
I've said this before and I'll say it again: I'm a 25-year user of MeFi and sometimes I think of something I'd like to post.
And then I consider that there might end up being a Metatalk thread specifically about my post and how un-Metafilter-like it is.
And I don't post.
posted by mmoncur at 3:02 AM on April 15 [21 favorites]
I've said this before and I'll say it again: I'm a 25-year user of MeFi and sometimes I think of something I'd like to post.
And then I consider that there might end up being a Metatalk thread specifically about my post and how un-Metafilter-like it is.
And I don't post.
posted by mmoncur at 3:02 AM on April 15 [21 favorites]
Perhaps whoever approved it didn't think it was a good idea but approved it anyway because, based on recent history, refusing to approve it could turn into a much bigger shitfight than approving it.
This is a cool theory but the mods have a long history of approving things through the queue that are highly personalized about individual users, long before we started sHitFiGhTiNg about it. What the mods like to sit on and hold up/prevent from posting are the MeTas that are critical of mod actions. Those are the ones they deem will be "fighty." Go review the tapes.
posted by phunniemee at 5:12 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
This is a cool theory but the mods have a long history of approving things through the queue that are highly personalized about individual users, long before we started sHitFiGhTiNg about it. What the mods like to sit on and hold up/prevent from posting are the MeTas that are critical of mod actions. Those are the ones they deem will be "fighty." Go review the tapes.
posted by phunniemee at 5:12 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
mmoncur, please feel free to post. this metatalk thread is about Ask, specifically:
their responses seemed emphatic to the point of 'this is the answer'... maybe not in the spirit of Ask?
I guess my real question is: Did this cross any guidelines? [faq:]
I think it might have been outright calling Matt Salinger a liar that stoked a lot of ire ...
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s [parent]?
2 children
posted by HearHere at 5:19 AM on April 15
their responses seemed emphatic to the point of 'this is the answer'... maybe not in the spirit of Ask?
I guess my real question is: Did this cross any guidelines? [faq:]
Ask MetaFilter has more strict guidelines than MetaFilter“Am I missing something?”…
...
Common reasons for thread removal are chatfilter questions, open-ended hypothetical questions, Op/Ed framing, rants posing as questions
I think it might have been outright calling Matt Salinger a liar that stoked a lot of ire ...
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s [parent]?
2 children
posted by HearHere at 5:19 AM on April 15
I saw Goody Lemkin with the devil!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:46 AM on April 15 [16 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:46 AM on April 15 [16 favorites]
Lord o_0
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s mom *here* that ppl want Lemkin to step outside and tighten up?
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:31 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]
Is Matt Salinger somebody’s mom *here* that ppl want Lemkin to step outside and tighten up?
posted by toodleydoodley at 6:31 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]
EmpressCallipygos: "I saw Goody Lemkin with the devil!"
TBH, I'm glad Lemkin posted now just for this.
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on April 15 [5 favorites]
TBH, I'm glad Lemkin posted now just for this.
posted by Atreides at 7:03 AM on April 15 [5 favorites]
FWIW, I don’t consider it a mod’s job to screen a MeTa post based on their judgment of the strength of its callout. The OP had what I’m sure was a sincere question. Perhaps they have their answer now.
posted by Lemkin at 7:09 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
posted by Lemkin at 7:09 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
FWIW, I don’t consider it a mod’s job to screen a MeTa post based on their judgment of the strength of its callout.
I also don't, which is why I think the queue should be got rid of and why the mods should stop deleting answers in Ask based on their judgment of perceived wrongness or rightness. (About medical issues, psychology, or cornbread recipes, etc.) I don't think this should be a mod's job. As adrienneleigh has said about fifty million times, a mod's role should be helping the community have the conversations it wants to have.
If mods had perfect judgment in all things we could get rid of Ask entirely and just call it Advice From A Mod and this sub would just be obits and card swaps.
posted by phunniemee at 8:23 AM on April 15 [10 favorites]
I also don't, which is why I think the queue should be got rid of and why the mods should stop deleting answers in Ask based on their judgment of perceived wrongness or rightness. (About medical issues, psychology, or cornbread recipes, etc.) I don't think this should be a mod's job. As adrienneleigh has said about fifty million times, a mod's role should be helping the community have the conversations it wants to have.
If mods had perfect judgment in all things we could get rid of Ask entirely and just call it Advice From A Mod and this sub would just be obits and card swaps.
posted by phunniemee at 8:23 AM on April 15 [10 favorites]
I mean if there is going to be mod approval of metatalk posts this is exactly the kind of post I’d hope would be filtered out or softened before posting. Lemkin has skin of steel and a good attitude about this but not everyone does as well under the Metatalk Microscope.
We’ve had multiple people leave because of pile-ons like this.
posted by Vatnesine at 9:10 AM on April 15 [3 favorites]
We’ve had multiple people leave because of pile-ons like this.
posted by Vatnesine at 9:10 AM on April 15 [3 favorites]
We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall.
posted by mittens at 9:16 AM on April 15 [17 favorites]
posted by mittens at 9:16 AM on April 15 [17 favorites]
mittens: "We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall."
Yes yes, M&Ms style.
posted by phunniemee at 9:25 AM on April 15 [7 favorites]
Yes yes, M&Ms style.
posted by phunniemee at 9:25 AM on April 15 [7 favorites]
mittens: "We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall."
Renew!
posted by ashbury at 9:32 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
Renew!
posted by ashbury at 9:32 AM on April 15 [4 favorites]
Yes yes, M&Ms style
You know they eliminated Light Tan bc they were the original fittest
posted by toodleydoodley at 10:04 AM on April 15
You know they eliminated Light Tan bc they were the original fittest
posted by toodleydoodley at 10:04 AM on April 15
mittens: "We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall."
Can we have a subterranean layer the lesser fit mefites, such as myself, can inhabit. We can even give a name to the Mefites who live there: Mefites Ostensibly Removed for Lack Of Community Knowledge.
posted by Atreides at 10:34 AM on April 15 [7 favorites]
Can we have a subterranean layer the lesser fit mefites, such as myself, can inhabit. We can even give a name to the Mefites who live there: Mefites Ostensibly Removed for Lack Of Community Knowledge.
posted by Atreides at 10:34 AM on April 15 [7 favorites]
mittens: "We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall."
I rescind my earlier comment and support this one but only if each weak MeFite who crisps and burns under the harshly focused light of Metatalk gets their own personalized farewell post and poem.
posted by Vatnesine at 11:27 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]
I rescind my earlier comment and support this one but only if each weak MeFite who crisps and burns under the harshly focused light of Metatalk gets their own personalized farewell post and poem.
posted by Vatnesine at 11:27 AM on April 15 [1 favorite]
"I saw Goody Lemkin with the devil!"
His hair was perfect.
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 11:36 AM on April 15 [11 favorites]
His hair was perfect.
posted by kirkaracha (staff) at 11:36 AM on April 15 [11 favorites]
Please use this M&M for breeding purposes
posted by supermedusa at 11:41 AM on April 15
posted by supermedusa at 11:41 AM on April 15
The Metafilter Game(s)
posted by supermedusa at 11:42 AM on April 15
posted by supermedusa at 11:42 AM on April 15
A møøse once bit my Lemkin
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:42 PM on April 15 [4 favorites]
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 8:42 PM on April 15 [4 favorites]
My Lemkin shrank in the wash.
posted by Thella at 11:45 PM on April 15 [1 favorite]
posted by Thella at 11:45 PM on April 15 [1 favorite]
Can I just say, Text TK, that I don't think this is a bad metatalk, and I hope you stick around.
posted by freethefeet at 12:40 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
posted by freethefeet at 12:40 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
Not to abuse edit window: I think this thread has come to the right outcome also.
posted by freethefeet at 12:41 AM on April 16
posted by freethefeet at 12:41 AM on April 16
We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time. After a few rounds, only the strongest, most resilient mefites would remain, increasing the viability of the site overall.
Um...
posted by y2karl at 4:38 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
Um...
posted by y2karl at 4:38 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
We should have a weekly call-out meta, going down the list, one mefite targeted at a time.
If we already had one can we be grandfathered out or do we need to re-up?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:32 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
If we already had one can we be grandfathered out or do we need to re-up?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 5:32 AM on April 16 [2 favorites]
If we already had one can we be grandfathered out
Ain’t no bye rounds to this shit here.
[been rewatching The Wire clips]
posted by Lemkin at 6:00 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
Ain’t no bye rounds to this shit here.
[been rewatching The Wire clips]
posted by Lemkin at 6:00 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
Ain’t no bye rounds to this shit here.
Oh, I forgot, you have a binary approach to all human misdeeds.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:37 AM on April 16
Oh, I forgot, you have a binary approach to all human misdeeds.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:37 AM on April 16
phunniemee: "What the mods like to sit on and hold up/prevent from posting are the MeTas that are critical of mod actions. "
I said what I said. Its been hours, and there's at least one active mod online. Get rid of the queue.
posted by phunniemee at 8:54 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
I said what I said. Its been hours, and there's at least one active mod online. Get rid of the queue.
posted by phunniemee at 8:54 AM on April 16 [1 favorite]
The queue could be eased though a post should be reviewed by a mod first. That seems sensible unless that editorial task becomes a "censorship" task for lack of a better word.
lack of a better word would make a good username.
and Lem is plowing through (some) of the good cultural oddities and obscura at a faster rate than I'm comfortable with.
I'm running low on minutiae.
posted by clavdivs at 11:12 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
lack of a better word would make a good username.
and Lem is plowing through (some) of the good cultural oddities and obscura at a faster rate than I'm comfortable with.
I'm running low on minutiae.
posted by clavdivs at 11:12 AM on April 16 [3 favorites]
Le Creuset. lBy Jove THAT WAS ON MY LIST. status symbol I even strived for.
RIGHT. comprehensive history of the early Frigidaire it is.
posted by clavdivs at 11:17 AM on April 16 [5 favorites]
RIGHT. comprehensive history of the early Frigidaire it is.
posted by clavdivs at 11:17 AM on April 16 [5 favorites]
I take it all back
If this MeTa is what it takes to arrive at this gold, so be it
posted by ginger.beef at 4:19 PM on April 16 [2 favorites]
If this MeTa is what it takes to arrive at this gold, so be it
posted by ginger.beef at 4:19 PM on April 16 [2 favorites]
minutiae? all I need is a SLYT: Pat Finnerty Little Stinkers Ep. 5 - Locash "Isn't She Country".
posted by zenon at 11:14 PM on April 17
posted by zenon at 11:14 PM on April 17
Then I shall. I love my minutiae.
For example Lem posted this.
Which led to this.
for which I followed up yesterday.... the photo didn't turn out, it was all the remnants of the tear down like pillows of buckled cement.
posted by clavdivs at 5:03 PM on April 18 [1 favorite]
For example Lem posted this.
Which led to this.
for which I followed up yesterday.... the photo didn't turn out, it was all the remnants of the tear down like pillows of buckled cement.
posted by clavdivs at 5:03 PM on April 18 [1 favorite]
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posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 2:02 PM on April 11 [19 favorites]