wrong planet mission

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I'd never participated in an online forum until I joined WP last February. I started out posting mainly in the parents' threads, trying to give them advice from an AS adult's perspective. I was shocked by a couple of instances in which young men who'd posted threads regarding their anger towards women were judged harshly and dismissed by other posters as sexist or worse. I saw this as hypocritical coming from other people with AS, because social anger and resentment tend to come with AS (regardless of gender). I agree that threats of physical harm are never acceptable, whether they're directed toward people IRL or here on WP. That being said, to intimidate or outright ban members who have anger issues or who like to provoke strong reactions is somewhat contradictory. WP has shifted swiftly into PC-land over the past few months, and I'm sure that's unavoidable given all the publicity it gets and the corporate sponsership it now has. I always viewed all the verbal sparring and provocation between certain members as pretty much typical AS behavior. While that behavior definitely needs to be kept within certain bounds, banning such members has shifted the dynamic of WP from that of a dysfunctional family to that of a weepy, self-pitying 12-step meeting. Self-pity is an indulgence those of us with AS can't afford (and usually don't even want). WP is now a place in which the "co-morbid" emotional issues carry far more weight than AS issues, so much so that members are now being banned for having AS!

I couldn't have put it better unamed.

What's more I resent these hints that we are being assessed on what they feel is a 'positive contribution'. Who is to say what that entails. They may not think I have a made a positive contribution. Well I’m not going to blow my own trumpet about how I’ve helped that aspie community but I do believe I have contributed some. Even if I haven’t, I benefited from the community also. It would be nice to know that I could continue to without risking being singled out just for having an opinion.

Alex do you want to turn this site into a heavily moderated one? Ruled by with an iron fist by a defacto dictator? It wasn''t that way when I first joined 2 years ago. If that is the case then I must say i'm very disappointed.

of course not

True, some people do like to provoke other people on the site. If it's a result of anger picked up over the years of rejection, bullying, etc. then it's understandable. If it leads to those people taking unjustified potshots at other posters, then they need to be told they're out of line. That's part of how people grow - bouncing off of other people, finding out what they will put up with and making adjustments. If someone gets too bad about it and won't stop hurting others, then stronger measures than objections are needed.

If the meanness isn't curbed, people who can do some good will stop coming here and the site will go away. As it is, Alex and the moderators bend over backwards to give people a chance to work things out without interference. Getting banned from here takes a lot of effort.

Very well said.

Im interigued by the idea of a place to communcitat frreely, but isn't a part of open discourse being able to discredit the opposition, by bringing up their own foibles, as might pertain to a particulre issue? This kind of worries me because it i get into some heated discussion, and someone reveals some such issue, i would fel that its fair game to call them on it. Oc course, i try and be respectfurl, but soemtimes it just doesnt come out that way.

People who honestly try to be respectful tend to apologize and make an effort to mend the error when they've been accidentally offensive to another person. If that describes you, no worries.

People who are disrespectful on purpose, on the other hand, tend to end up having to create secondary accounts using a proxy server in order to ask these sorts of questions in the WP discussion forum.

No, it isn't. What you seem to be describing is an attack on the individual, not on that individual's opinions.

In open discourse you may say anything you like about the matter under discussion. When people start "calling each other names" it is no longer acceptable. You may discredit their arguments... you should not try to discredit them, as a person, with whatever foibles they happen to have.

If I read you right, yes and no. Also an other. Not being one to one, but a forum, people discredit themselves, and expose thier bias, foibles, better than you ever could. The most stunning counter attack is to stare blankly, and say Huh? Carry your point, let others do the same, and let the group log in on direction.

Things are a bit different here. Any subject of common interest will be aspied to death, all sides taken, and yours is only one point of view. If you defend it, there is no reason for someone else to post and defend it.

Sometimes there is no choice, the quote button is ignored, and something like your words is quoted, with a total change of meaning. The Politically Correct faction is the first to resort to sexism, ageism, and protest Free Speech. Clarify, but let them, nothing has the force of their own words.

Stepping back, I have seen flaming attacks continue with others, and settle down to discussions of lack of sleep, food, new meds, personal crisis, and the support was there to bring them down, make them feel heard, and tomorrow is another day. This is very much a support site. We do not shoot the wounded, but we do bring the kiddies out for some exercise.

Aspies can be annoying, but they are rare, and keeping up the collection takes work. Part of support is dealing with conflict, without making conflict the new issue. Friends are easy, it is much harder to keep worthy adversaries.

Since I have been here the Kill all the NTs banners have come down, the use of profanity has declined, and people still talk of the good old days. The killing did upset the NTs, some here are six, and they do get around. Nine year olds have posted a story they wrote, and been told they write like a child, and the six year old posted the first grocery list he wrote, and got some unkind comments. Please look before expressing an opinion less than complementry.

Many have left because of bored teens complaining, including bored teens. We are all age groups, and interests, and a range of topics would be best.

Win or lose are concepts from the NT playground. Aspies can play without teams, sides, scores. It is how well you play the game, and that you are playing. These are the skills that carry into real life.

Many think we should be cured, reprogramed, but that has a doubtful outcome. We have to learn to become better Aspies. Shut out from the big game, isolated, Wrong Planet is our community and playground. The mods can only deal with the worst, and do, but it is up to us to deal with each other.

I do see a building of community. There is a good deal of mutual support, real concern. Some has been around, some is new, the site is growing, we are growing.

Tonight starts a new year, in the old ways, night before day, winter before summer, this night we honor our dead, wish them well, a sweet afterlife. Tomorrow night starts a new year, a time to honor the living, and to make the best year we can for all.

This year WP will double, let us work to welcome them, give them the good we have found here. They are us, and will bring wisdom and joy.

Praise the dead, and welcome the living.

^You're a great writer. I enjoyed that very much.

no alex, it's a perverse popularity contest for you and probably a way for you to sell out too

lol, you've got me there. But, hey, at least there are prizes.

I would.

WrongPlanet's mission?

"These are the voyages of the website Wrongplanet. Its ongoing mission: to explore strange new people. To seek out new points of view, and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one else has ever bothered to go before!!"

</Shatner>