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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2011 8:45:19 GMT -5
Ah, this community is so very concerned with karma points; it makes me laugh. Hmm, well what most community members do is make some statement about how meaningless karma points are, how they've advanced spiritually beyond such things and they really couldn't care less if they went up or down. So you're fitting in just great. You do know they are arbitrary, right? Hmm, I realised I wasn't sure what arbitrary meant so I looked it up:Did you mean it as in "random", an individual preference or as in an unrestrained and tyrannical exercise of power? I had to look up capricious as well, and that also meant random (impulsive/unpredictable) so that's definition 3b sewn up tight. Personally, I don't think anything is random, it's just some things have causes too numerous or subtle to be determined. I was checking that statement over before I wrote it and thought about - say decay of individual radioactive particles which appears to be totally random, but then when you measure them en-mass you find they behave entirely predictably ie with a known constant half-life. Which is sort of interesting, order from chaos. the fun thing about them is the way they capture attention.
they may be arbitrary in the average sense, but they are given or taken away for some reason in the moment.
but i think when you say arbitrary you mean that they don't mean anything in particular.
but how do they affect your attention?
lol - what does "arbitrary in the average sense" mean, MaxP? You're right on the money though, both in that they are given in the moment for some reason and that what's interesting about them is watching how the mind deals with them, what stories it tells. "Oh they went down because so and so said that thing - it's nothing to do with me", "Oh they're random, totally meaningless", "Oh I got a new one, well of course, I wrote a great post". But yes, they get noticed. Not like the adverts at the top - I've got a total mindblock for those, don't even see them anymore. Unless it's LaRedoute. They have no meaning. It is the same as "liking" a post on FBI would agree that it is the same thing as liking a FB post, but I don't think either case is meaningless. Unless of course you think that life in general is meaningless. Do you not care what other people think of you, your behaviour and what you have to say?
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Post by karen on Apr 29, 2011 9:10:10 GMT -5
It's not that I wouldn't feel some kind of emotional reaction if my karma points went up or down. It's just amusing that "knowing" how important karma points to everyone (as Rach believes) seems to have some kind of appeal. Does this "knowing" make one feel right - more prepared than the next guy/gal who doesn't "know" this.
And it's double funny how they are simultaneous important to everyone and also completely meaningless.
Why not just admit that I am vulnerable to you and you and you and you. You can all seemingly hurt me because I seem to be quite hurt-able. What's to be done about that? What is the remedy?
Let's get some work done yo.
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Post by Peter on Apr 29, 2011 9:20:34 GMT -5
Ooh, ooh - You talking about the appeal of "being right" reminds me of a great TED talk I watched last week on being wrong: www.ted.com/talks/kathryn_schulz_on_being_wrong.htmlOn the question of what's to be done about the hurting thing, game theory would (probably, if I understood it at all) suggest that living by the The Golden Rule would be the way forward.
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Post by enigma on Apr 29, 2011 12:23:07 GMT -5
As I see it, it would be absurd to suggest that in an environment of social interaction, how we assess the quality of the contributions of others doesn't matter, and whether it's seen as fair, useful and objectively accurate or not, almost everybody considers the subjective assessments of others when making our own subjective assessments. If an author has sold 10 million copies of a book or an actor has played a starring role in 100 movies, we'd be foolish not to consider these factors when choosing a book to read or a movie to watch.
Likewise, a new member in particular may have some information to glean in a member's posting and karma stats, though as we've seen, that information may be deceiving. Not only is it subject to manipulation by the unscrupulous, it's also subject to all sorts of personal factors that may have nothing to do with the one who's trying to learn something from those stats. Overall, I believe we'd be better off without the distraction of the karma point deally, but while it's here I would prefer that it not be grossly deceptive.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 29, 2011 13:05:22 GMT -5
lol - what does "arbitrary in the average sense" mean, MaxP? Thanks for the definitions. 'Average' -- klunky word choice -- was meant to mean that if you take all the instances of karma points being given or taken away throughout the history of this board by all users, there would be no rule(s). Same as the meaning of definition #1 in that there's only a reason/rule in the single instance. In other words, it's arbitrary for the whole but not for the individual. They have no meaning. It is the same as "liking" a post on FBI would agree that it is the same thing as liking a FB post, but I don't think either case is meaningless. Unless of course you think that life in general is meaningless. Do you not care what other people think of you, your behaviour and what you have to say? The interesting case about the FB comparison is that FB only allows the equivalent of exalting. No smiting is possible. That lends a different flavor to this ridiculous little activity. A bit more lightness perhaps? My particular arbitrary policy has been to only exalt, no smiting. I think the safest thing is for folks to know that these karma thingies can be another little ego-obsession and that they are not really reliable in terms of judging whether someone says something is valuable or not because of the arbitrariness. (It just so happens that two of the posters here with high karma points routinely post stuff I also appreciate. -- actually they make these karma points seem meaningful, which is an illusion.) I confess again to having used the k-points to see what would happen to msees ego if i gave him a ton (this was a couple months ago). I was hoping to help him pop an ego bubble through overinflation. In retrospect, this has been a failed strategy, and the ego has proven once again to have pretty tough skin.
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Post by dreamerrach on Apr 29, 2011 18:17:53 GMT -5
This is the most judgmental forum I've been a part of on the internet.
And I wander from RT
lol
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Post by dreamerrach on Apr 29, 2011 18:20:23 GMT -5
The amazing thing to me, Peter and Karen, is how you magically can read my thoughts. That must be really fun to do!!
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Post by charliegee on Apr 29, 2011 19:02:31 GMT -5
can we have a two for Tuesday karma point thingie? ... or you can hit the jackpot if you say the magic non-dual word ... we need Groucho here (I'm dating myself pretty good) but 'You bet your life' ...
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Post by enigma on Apr 29, 2011 20:38:41 GMT -5
This is the most judgmental forum I've been a part of on the internet. And I wander from RT lol From my perspective, this is perhaps the least judgmental, and I've been on mucho forums. Doesn't mean anything except that opinions are arbitrary. Hehe.
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Post by dreamerrach on Apr 29, 2011 20:43:40 GMT -5
Seriously, it's like I introduce phrases or words of the week! Glad "pissing contest" is over with. Now onto "arbitrary." Can I just toss the word defenestrate out there (hehe toss)? It's my favorite word and it would be fun to see it sprinkled about. Enigma, I haven't been on many forums, so perhaps you would be a better judge . . .
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Post by enigma on Apr 29, 2011 21:24:02 GMT -5
Maybe the participants in the next pissing contest should be arbitrarily defenestrated??
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Post by dreamerrach on Apr 29, 2011 21:30:19 GMT -5
May I do the defenestrations??
(I introduced this word to one of my classes--I had no idea how it would just take off! They use it ALL the time--even at home, where one student reported that her mother accused her of just making that word up. She was really excited to open up the dictionary and show it to her mom. These are reluctant and struggling readers who generally hate learning vocabulary . . . So, glad they could find that words can be fun. I have to fight the urge when one of them is chewing gum to not say "Why, Jeff, you need to stop masticating your gum . . ." I think that one would probably get me in trouble. Mastication...)
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Post by enigma on Apr 30, 2011 0:05:09 GMT -5
Yeah, I shudder to think how that one might translate to a story to mom. Hehe.
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Post by dreamerrach on Apr 30, 2011 0:51:15 GMT -5
If they were just a wee bit older, I would do it. Afterall, I learned that word from a teacher when I was not much older than they.
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Post by Peter on Apr 30, 2011 3:22:56 GMT -5
The amazing thing to me, Peter and Karen, is how you magically can read my thoughts. That must be really fun to do!! In this thread, I thought what I'd done was to ask you to clarify your meaning. Which would suggest that I cannot read your thoughts. What was it I said that indicated I was mind reading? I'm asking for my own benefit because it would indicate that I'm making an assumption - something I try to avoid. Cheers, Peter PS I note you that you haven't answered the question.
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