Muppet Central...return...

[Beauregard]

I've noticed lately a lot of personal attacks taking place on here...

Personal attacks suck.

I have seen some posts in here that have been a bit... immature

Some members here need to grow up!...we...are just embarassing ourselves and a fight and all this B.S. is waiting right at your fingertips...

I think every one needs to remember that we are all entitled to our own opinion. We can try to prove a point, but we can't try to force people to believe what we believe.

These are the thoughts of members from the ages, some recent posts, others older, all expressing the same thing that is brought up time and time again in recent days. "Why can't we have peace?"

The disputes...

...I'm not going to name-pull, because I didn't make this thread to start another argument, however, there are members who will do nothing if it is not for a fight. It seems to me that almost every thread I have entered in recent days has a dispute, from Sesame Street, to the Classic Muppets, to Friend and Family, to the Simpsons. Threads that start with innocent intentions, and within the first two posts have turned into personal insults...a recent example could be "Make the Simpsons Funny Again," and the teen titan thread. Why...? Is that what we are here for?

I will confess, that approximatly two weeks ago I started what some would concider one of these fights, and (in the name of so-called justice) I called out a member and was bitter in my treatment of them. That is why, I think, I can speak here now, becuase I know that it doesn't work that way. Fighting fire with fire has never worked. That is what starts wars, not peace.

Yes, people feel anger and want to lash out, it's inevitable. However, that is why rational discussions exist, and we have pillows for punching. Certain things remain better unsaid, as they say.

Well one could say it's because these days most of MC's population is the teenage folks, but even back in the day us 20 and 30 somethingers unfortunately had a go at eachother here and there. It's human nature, and unfortunate. But I agree, it's strange to be celebrating the work of JH yet acting unkind. I think the worst offenders oddly enough(and I mean anywhere online) are the older ones, whom should know better...

People are (insert from Beau: trying to) just having civil discussions about certain subjects. You don't have to read them. You know what you are getting into from the first post so it isn't like there is a bunch of surprises here.

Fish-n-wolfe puts it well. If there is a discussion that agrivates you, punch a pillow. I'll add, "Throw a penguin." Or simply turn away from the conversation, as Bear said, if there's nothing for you there, step out of it. Ignore it. Why go into a conversation loking for trouble?

What, then...?

Let's go back to the fundimentals...why are we here? This deep philisophical qquestian has been asked through the ages, and...wait, too far back...

Why are we here at MC? Why did you join?

For me, it was becuase I glimpsed something of the excitment of the forum at Delphi. The strong friendships, and foundation of the Muppets that existed there, and I confess I wanted my part of that. I joined to be a part of that warmth.

Hello folks. I'm a new member here as of a few days ago.
I discovered this fascinating site a few months back when I was searching in yahoo for some stuff on classic Sesame Street. Boy I sure had a great time reading all the many posts on the skits from the 70's Streets! I love those old shows. I look forward to lots of fun posting and reading here.

ok, let's see if I can figure out how to post...
Um, introduction, yes. My name is Lisa, I'm 16, I'm REALLY crazy but that seems to be normal here. I've sort of been reading posts for a while now and I basically got fed up with not being able to respond, so I figured joining might be cool. and if your curious, My user name is the direct result of a conversation I had in lunch today, went something like this.
Katie: I told Charice that if I said this to you you would probably break out in song.
Me: what
Katie: "together again"
Me: TOGETHER AGAIN! GEE, IT'S GOOD TO BE TOGETHER AGAIN!

You see, people join the forum becuase of the warmth and craziness of it. And if that warmth is replaced with the cold bitterness that is creeping in now, the forum cannot last as anything but an empty shell of it's former self.

What does that mean?

This is a forum to talk about the muppets and muppet worlds.

Yes. We are. Jim comes first. The Muppets come first, then MopFam, then me, then other members etc. No, sorry. Wait... *cough*

The Muppets and Jim Henson creations, and discussions of them should come first. That should be the foundation of the site. Deep discussions on Muppet romance, technical talks on how Kermit has the ability to ride a bicycle, interlectual ideas of whether the Muppets are in fact puppets or real, this kind of thing should be the grounding of the site. That is the main purpose of the site, and forum. There was a time when I wouldn't post elsewhere in the forum, until I had posted two sensible posts in the main sections. Quite a good rule to live by here, however...

...eventually you are going to run out of questians, and be bored of repeating old news to new members. What then?

Then we come to the second grounding of MC, the fun. Not the games, the crazyness. Threads that go off topic and spin into random muppet quotes "Myth! Myth!" "Yeth?" "My myth!" "Have you tried Harry Monster?" These come about in both the spirit of Jim, and the spirit of MC. I'd put them as the second most imprtant part of MC.

Then family, birthdays, parties, Senior Members, deathes, sadness, encouragments...these are an intergral part of MC. Why? Because that's where deep friendships are grounded. However, even these threads I have seen spin off into name-calling in days of late...this is not good.

Games, and Fan-Fiction next. Fan-Fiction should be well thought out, not controversial, and must not be pushed in peoples faces. Some members tend to push their material. Others, get upset over comments. Others leave harsh comments that could have been left unsaid.

Games, there are rules, and....What are the games there for? Fun. Not competition, not winning and loosing, fun. There's a fraggle song..."sometimes when we get a little bored, we play a little game, but we don't keep scores...Friends, friends, friends, till the end..." That says it well.

And so back to the begining point of this thread...

If we want MC to last, and to stay, we must put aside our personal attacks, cut off our toungues (The first thing to go on a frog...) rather than throw comments, restrain our fingers from attack-a-typing...and...most importantly, we need to remeber what MC is about.

And stay there.

Forever.

Bea{I hope I have said a little...}regard

 

[theprawncracker]

Wow...what to say, what to say...

Well first off, I must say that I whole heartedly agree with what Beau is saying, the fighting here needs to stop. If it doesn't, MC will lose the flair that attracted so many members here. Yes, the knowledge of the Muppets was part of the flair, but what truly inspired people to join (IMHO of course) is the warm compasion and caring we felt towards other members. We shouldn't be so quick to jump on people and call them names, and we shouldn't start threads just to start fights, and we shouldn't post in threads just to start fights.

Now, I'll admit that I've joined in my share of fights in my day, but that doesn't mean it was right of me to do so. I think that if no one participates in the fights, no one will get hurt by them. So, this all goes back to what Fozzie Bear (aka Kevin) said, "Contact your moderators, that's what they're here for."

Although I don't think the fights are neccessary, if one does occur, just remember that we're here to celebrate Jim Henson and all of his creations, not degrade them with pointless bickering.

And I too want MC to stay here forever. I love this place, and it's become like a second home to me. So don't destroy it with pointless fighting.

Thanks for listening...er...reading...
Ryan
theprawncracker

 

[redBoobergurl]

Wow, you put ALOT of work into that post Beau and it was really well written. Really well thought out and it makes such an IMPORTANT point. Thank you so much for doing that. I certainly hope it makes a difference here. I love being part of MC and it makes me sad when I see such negative things going on. I hope everyone reads what you had to say and really takes it to heart. This is a great place to be and can continue to be so if everyone works to make it that way. Thanks again Beau, you're awesome.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Thanks, Beau.

I recently decided that along some path MC fell off it's track, and I want it to get back on track again and be fun the way it used to be fun. Moderation of the boards have been too relaxed and folks just started getting away with things.

I've committed myself to making MC flame-free and fun again, a place where JHC, Disney, and Sesame Workshop people will come to visit in the future and hang around, maybe post, and be interested in what whe have to say--the way they used to.

In that process, I know I'm going to hurt some feelings and maybe even lose some friends, but I'm willing to sacrifice those items to regain the feeling that was once MC. I think folks have noticed it, too.

I have been over my speech a THOUSAND times, so you should all have this memorized by now and can say it along with me:
--If you have a problem with a member, report it to a moderator.
--If you are angry or upset, sign off and post later when it isn't so fresh.
--Jim Henson's works were the foundation of our gathering here, his works promoted peace and friendship, and we who are gathered here are now a familial unit where in-fighting will not be tolerated!
--You can disagree, but be constructive; if you cannot be constructive, do not post.

I have discovered that it's hard to be a moderator and a fan, but I hope that in the long run any work done here will be appreciated, and that I can help maintain the sanctity of the forum as Phil started and envisioned it to be.

Folks, represent yourself well. Sure, you're safe behind the anonymity of an internet screen-name, but you're still considered in every post that you make. Lead by example and the world will follow you--be the friend you want to have, and those are the friends you will keep!

Thanks again, Beau. I've been trying to think of a way to say all that, and you took the words out of the horse's...erm, 'bear's' mouth.

 

[MrsPepper]

"Friendship is it's own reward ... who cares who really comes in first?" ^_^ Good song choice Beau, it really fits well.

It's been said many times in many ways, and I am glad that now it's all together for everyone to see. Yeah sometimes we get in little kafuffles (Bear and I did NOT hit it off at first, at ALL), but we have to remember why we're here. Not to be rude, or to belittle others to feel as if you've come out on top. It's to celebrate the things that we like, together.

So thank you Beau for posting this for all to see. Thanks to the fabulous freewheeling Fozzie Bear for keeping everything in line. And thanks to everyone who has seriously tried their best to keep this a place where we all really want to be.

 

[Kimp the Shrimp]

i layed down my sword

 

[D'Snowth]

Wow Beau, that was alot of reading, but it was worth it. I'll admit in the last couple of months or so, I've been in about a couple of disputes myself...

1. That whole scenario with bigbirdfan
2. That bit when Nameless said I was an attention craver.

I have to admit though, I have more friends here than at any other forum I'm a member of! At ToonZone I'm always the victim of harassment and flames, at Whoserville I end up in arguments with Kathy haters, and I still don't know half the people at Best Care Anywhere.

But Beauregardyloo is absolutely right! Why can't we just have peace and get along with everyone?!

 

[Beebers]

Fish-n-Wolfe puts it well. If there is a discussion that aggravates you, punch a pillow.

That's my boy, FISH'n'WOLFE. (for new people, he's my son. really.)





Nice post, Beau, a lot of thought and work and well done.

 

[D'Snowth]

You're son's been very helpful to me Beebers!

I just wanted you to know that.

 

[Katzi428]

I've said it once. But I'll say it again:
If you don't like a person's posts,click on their profile & click "Ignore User"