MetaChat - Was it something we said?

No, it was just about everything he said.

posted by essexjan 31 January | 07:27

but the baby sloth video was kyooot.

posted by dabitch 31 January | 07:44

chuck was major pain in the butt, but I'm still sorry he decided to leave. With a little more time, I hoped he'd learn to be likable and opinionated at the same time, and I figure there was an OK guy in there somewhere.

posted by jonmc 31 January | 07:55

.

also, paulsc.

posted by chewatadistance 31 January | 08:01

*Pokes around*

Oh...I see. That thread got a bit nasty.

Hmm. Too bad. As an expat myself, I could relate to a lot of his posts and commentary.

posted by chillmost 31 January | 08:03

meh, politics.

posted by Daniel Charms 31 January | 08:07

I've never noticed much from chuck;

My politics are pretty much the same as chuck's, and also I am an expat who feels largely disappointed with america and disconnected from american politics. I have been pretty political here at MeCha.. what's the difference? Sorry if I have stepped on any toes.

posted by By the Grace of God 31 January | 08:30

I really miss paulsc.

posted by essexjan 31 January | 08:31

me too, jan. I miss his jazz and his opinions and his long posts and comments!

posted by By the Grace of God 31 January | 08:33

OK, so I haven't really been around at all lately and I've clearly missed something big. Paulsc and chuckdarwin left? Why? Whaddimiss?

posted by LunaticFringe 31 January | 08:39

There's probably more back story than I know, but he really did get jumped on in that thread. I liked his photos.

As for paulsc, I liked a lot of his comments, but some of them did go too far, in my opinion.

posted by DarkForest 31 January | 08:40

It seems to me that chuck was sick and tired of US politics discussions, but also couldn't seem to learn to skim over any threads that concerned it. I'm sad that he left - he had a sharp sense of humor. I hope he comes back after it all calms down a little.

BtGoG: The difference is that you can ignore threads about American politics. I enjoy hearing about UK politics from your perspective, and about your political activism within your community.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 08:47

There's probably more back story than I know, but he really did get jumped on in that thread.

It was more than one thread. I miss his photos, too.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 08:52

BtGoG: The difference is that you can ignore threads about American politics. I enjoy hearing about UK politics from your perspective, and about your political activism within your community.

Also: Grace and the other expats here don't pop into every thread about US politics (plus a few others) to imply that everyone who stays in America is either an idiot or a right-winger.

posted by BoringPostcards 31 January | 08:55

We can't delete profiles that I know of.

posted by iconomy 31 January | 09:06

He's gone, and I don't miss him one bit. In fact, I think the place has been a lot nicer since he left.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 09:57

If I can take one thing from this thread, it's the hope that when I finally go down in a fiery wreck of a thread one of these days, there will actually be some folks who miss me, no matter how much of a prat I am. (like in this comment)

Seriously, though, I love that MetaChat always has something nice to say about people, and usually it's not just empty pleasantries. You're all some rather wonderful people and I'm glad to know you, jerkishness and all. (mine, not yours)

posted by Eideteker 31 January | 10:08

I don't like it when anybody leaves, whether I like their comments or not.

posted by gaspode 31 January | 10:46

Why is it I never notice these things????

posted by bunnyfire 31 January | 10:49

I like chuckdarwin even if he did occasionally get feisty. And I wish I was an expatriate too, damnit, so I miss him, his photos & his comments.

posted by mygothlaundry 31 January | 10:51

In fact, I think the place has been a lot nicer since he left.

~~What a nice thing to say.~~Fortunately, the contributions of most bunnies usually have plenty of interesting qualities besides niceness.

posted by danostuporstar 31 January | 10:59

Being "nice" is really low on my list of priorities in life.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 11:06

Why is it I never notice these things????

I don't think it's a bad thing to stay out of threads that turn sour.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 11:12

Being mostly around nice people is fairly high on my list of priorities in life. (Actually nice, not fakey nice.)

posted by Claudia_SF 31 January | 11:13

Being mostly around nice people is fairly high on my list of priorities in life.

Mine too- which is why I'm glad he's gone. I can understand how someone not in my position might think I'm being mean, but they don't know the whole story- He was personally mean to me before I even knew who he was, on several occasions, and he never dropped the grudge he held against me for reasons unknown.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 11:17

I never even noticed. I had the foggy notion that he was posting from Britain, but never really knew his story.

But then my coworkers tell me once in awhile that I am too hesitant to speak ill of people.

I am sorry that you had such a hard time with him, TPS.

posted by danf 31 January | 11:42

Last week I was away for work for two days and the SH*T hit the fan on the Grey in Meta. One of my favorite posters of all time left. I've also missed the back story on Paulsc who I really miss.

This is an amazingly "nice" place, but I do feel bad that anyone feels the need to leave.

I'm sorry to hear he was nasty to you TPS and many of us obviously didn't know this. I think bunnies have been generous in self-policing and in my opinion not hesitant in calling out comments they feel take from the discussions.

Still, feels strange to lose people.

posted by Wilder 31 January | 12:02

Was it something we said?

Yup.

posted by chuckdarwin 31 January | 12:32

Ahh, chuck! Knew you couldn't stay away for long.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 12:35

Hey there, chuck! Come on in.

*locks door*

*swallows key*

posted by iconomy 31 January | 12:42

I think that's gonna be tough on your digestion, iconomy.

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 12:56

Wow, reading through that Hilary thread, some of you guys were seriously dicks to chuckdarwin, for no apparent reason.

I mean, I know there's some history of dislike, and that played into it, but when he came into that thread initially, he wasn't being at all combative until certain people took a shit right on his head. Of course he got defensive at that point.

Not a great example of a kinder, gentler place to hang out on the internets.

posted by dersins 31 January | 12:58

Come back, cd.

posted by shane 31 January | 13:20

I think that's gonna be tough on your digestion, iconomy.

So far in life, besides the usuals like food and drink and spit and stuff, I've swallowed bits and pieces of crayons, spare change, erasers, that yummy minty glue paste that they use in kindergarten, lipstick, bugs, chalk, chenille (which I picked out of my bedspread and ate as a kid), a fingernail or two, a tooth, some blood, lots of different kinds of paper, and playdough. The key really wasn't that bad. Going in, anyway.

posted by iconomy 31 January | 13:25

Bits of crayons?? What color??

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 13:28

Chuck, I wish you would come back and give it another shot. This is a situation where Brand New Day could be a very good thing, in my opinion.

posted by taz 31 January | 13:38

Wow, reading through that Hilary thread, some of you guys were seriously dicks to chuckdarwin, for no apparent reason.

Again, there's months of backstory, and I don't think it's uncommon for posters here to hold grudges against other posters, despite how nice we try to be. Chuck chose to leave metachat, rather than just avoid certain threads that he didn't like, and that's his prerogative.

I'd also like to point out that there have been hardly any political threads recently (although I thought about posting something about Guiliani). There have been a few pop culture ones, though.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 13:41

I liked chuckdarwin and paulsc. I didn't realize they'd LEFT- I just figured they were too busy for online goofing off or something. (hey- it happens! I've read about it.)

posted by small_ruminant 31 January | 15:00

Did I mention I miss paulsc? I do.

posted by chewatadistance 31 January | 15:37

I'm just glad that people around here have been pretty tolerant of my occasional outbursts. I try to think before I hit the post button, but once in a while I get really irritated by things and get snippy. I try not to make a habit of it though. Chuck didn't seem too interested in maintaining the social norms. Sure, his politics bothered me, but it was the attitude as much as the content. For example, Grace, I'm rather disturbed by your politics, but, you've never insinuated that I'm an idiot, and or morally/intellectually inferior. That makes all the difference.

I do miss paulsc though.

Oh yeah, once I accidentally inhaled a moth.

posted by pieisexactlythree 31 January | 15:44

Did anyone else watch last season of The Amazing Race? There was a contestant, Don, who reminded me a bit of paulsc. Don was the oldest contender by far (he was running the race with his 20-year-old grandson, if that says anything). Nearly every challenge, Don would say, "Oh, this is easy, I used to do this back in college" or whatever. Like, "Oh, I was a bricklayer for a few months," "Oh, I once drove a taxi in Korea," "Oh, I walked over lots of hot coals during my time at the circus".

The stories sounded a bit silly, but after he totally owned each challenge, the viewer would realize that Don HAD spent a year in the circus, or 3 years on a fishing boat, etc. etc. The same with paulsc, which makes me wonder if it's sort of a generational thing. You don't find many people, nowadays, who have experienced so much in the normal course of their life.

For that, I hope paulsc returns one day.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 15:55

This thread proves at least one thing, which is as follows:

* Some people will find Personality X to be irredeemably irksome, while other people will find Personality X to be an interesting and informative member of the site. (It's unclear to me if they don't see Personality X's rough edges, or are simply able to look past them.)

And I think that's a good thing. That's what makes Metachat so Metachatty.

I personally feel that chuckdarwin and paulsc were contentious fellows -- and sometimes conscious trolls -- and their comments often made me uncomfortable. Things have seemed (to me) a little less combative without contributions of that sort.

But not everyone feels the same, which is an important lesson for me to learn. And that's why this place is so lovely -- there's room for everyone. Even people who rub Personality Y the wrong way.

posted by mudpuppie 31 January | 16:23

"Oh, I walked over lots of hot coals during my time at the circus".

I worked for a man who was like that, he claimed that he knew Russian and used to have perfect pitch and had a photo in National Geographic and started a newspaper and on and on. No one believed a word of it.

posted by rhapsodie 31 January | 17:00

paulsc helped me with computer stuff, which I appreciated. Chuckdarwin, I bantered with him a bit, and he seemed OK with it. Other than that, didn't make much of an impression either way.

I try to keep the various experiences of my youth to myself as much as possible. I mean, there's only so much to say about being the original bassist for the Yardbirds. (Damn overdose kept me off the tour, and they never called, once they got off the road.)

posted by danf 31 January | 17:16

I hadn't noticed a problem with chuck. Paulsc is contentious and very strong-minded, but also really interesting, and I sure miss the jazz.

from Annie Hall: that old joke, y'know, the, this... this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, "Doc, uh, my brother's crazy; he thinks he's a chicken." And, uh, the doctor says, "Well, why don't you turn him in?" The guy says, "I would, but I need the eggs." Well, I guess that's pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y'know, they're totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and... but, uh, I guess we keep goin' through it because, uh, most of us... need the eggs.

posted by theora55 31 January | 17:27

I thought paulsc's answers were very interesting and helpful - I learned from him. I bet he has some whopper stories to tell from his life.

chuckdarwin, on the other hand I found very irritating for the reasons pie cites, and because attention seeking people are tedious and annoying to be around. His noise cancelled out his signal overwhelmingly, for me. Avoiding threads where he was spraying attitude was getting difficult, like walking through a yard where 30 people walk their dogs but don't pick up afterwards - shit was everywhere. I do think he's an excellent photographer and I like a lot of his shots. That I do miss. And his humor, when he could be light and not instigative.

Hell, as mudpuppie says, to each his own. I probably piss people off here and there, too.

posted by chewatadistance 31 January | 18:07

Do we know for sure that paulsc left? Or is he just busy?

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 31 January | 18:16

Ok...late to the party as usual. What did I miss? From the thread I gather Chuck Darwin and Paulsc left. Anyone care to tell me exactly why?

posted by ramix 31 January | 18:33

Do we know for sure that paulsc left? Or is he just busy?

Well, he hasn't come back since taz asked him to take a break, has he? [l]

I agree somewhat with pupps, but I also wouldn't like it if Metachat had a reputation for driving off people who didn't agree with the Collective.

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 18:38

I probably piss people off here and there, too.

Yeah, man, I thought we were totally going to discuss "If On A Winter's Night A Traveller" and you wimped out on it! How many nights I slogged through that beast, and all for nothing!

I'm only kidding

posted by DarkForest 31 January | 18:57

How many nights I slogged through that beast, and all for nothing!

Huh, I've thought of picking that one up - it doesn't look too long, and Invisible Cities was great. It's not all cryptic like Faulkner or anything.

posted by pieisexactlythree 31 January | 19:15

I was thinking about this, and to be fair to M. Darwin, many of us, myself included, do the same thing whenever religion comes up (I bit my tongue in the Lent thread; I'm learning!) as he does when America comes up.

posted by Eideteker 31 January | 19:26

Huh, I've thought of picking that one up

Yeah, I'm only kidding. It wasn't that bad. I got a few morsels of entertainment out of it, but it also kind of made my eyes glaze over. It was discussed here a few months ago for some reason and I had a copy in the house so I decided to read it. And I keep pointlessly bringing it up. I promise to stop now.

actually, I totally blame Miko

posted by DarkForest 31 January | 19:44

many of us, myself included, do the same thing whenever religion comes up

Maybe you should take this chance to think over your actions. >:(

that's like, the sternest smilie I know how to make, but it's really more like a sad guy with a mohawk than a stern guy...

posted by muddgirl 31 January | 19:47

Increasingly, I just don't have the spare time or the spare energy for this sort of thing. Life is a little too short, I find.

Thanks for thinking of me, though. Be well.

posted by chuckdarwin 01 February | 05:20

Heh Dark Forest! I just couldn't do it - I fully admit I wimped out!! I still love you though, and admire your tenacity in finishing it. *I bow to thee*

posted by chewatadistance 01 February | 08:10

I'm still dying to know what color crayons iconomy preferred eating :-D

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 01 February | 08:34

Purple!

posted by iconomy 01 February | 09:20

A wise choice!

posted by ThePinkSuperhero 01 February | 10:40

Maybe you should take this chance to think over your actions.

Yes, that was me being introspective and penitent. Dunno the penitent emoticon.

>:(

that's like, the sternest smilie I know how to make, but it's really more like a sad guy with a mohawk than a stern guy...

Either that or he's got a baby devilock going on.

posted by Eideteker 01 February | 14:25

31 January 2008