Memory Hole

I had another post planned for this spot, but things are happening fast and furious out there.  Due to the course of some recent events, I have decided to post this instead.

The following exchange took place on the Drumbeat comments section of theoildrum.com on Monday, September 2, 2012.  But don't bother trying to find it there.  It has fallen victim to the cold hand of the censor, and has been lost down the memory hole forever.  Fortunately, it has been preserved here for the public record and public good.  The role of Energiser is played by Futilitist.     

 
Energiser on September 3, 2012 - 4:40pm Permalink | Subthread | Comments top

Have you guys on TOD seen this?
http://futilitist.blogspot.com/2012/09/lets-get-real_1.html
I think this guy is *WAY* out of control. What do you think?

 

sgage on September 3, 2012 - 4:45pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

I agree - this would be LOREN_SOMAN, recently (and very rightly) ejected from TOD. He has some sort of fixation about JMG. It's both weird and disturbing, and highly pathetic. I don't think he is right in the head, frankly.

 

Han on September 3, 2012 - 5:32pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

"I don't think he is right in the head, frankly."

Could be, he is a chess player also. Here on TOD he appeared to be a child shouting for attention.

 

sgage on September 3, 2012 - 5:37pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

I strongly feel the latter to be the case.

 

Ghung on September 3, 2012 - 5:29pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

Jeez... a good example of the reason I post anonymously, or at least try to.

 

adamx on September 3, 2012 - 7:24pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

There seems to be a lot of people with enemies lists in the peak oil scene. Internecine hatred, if not violence. JMG does a good job of mostly staying out of the fray, though he does get in his own barbs every so often. But it really is silly; I read Decline of the Empire, but he seems to have had a falling out with everyone... Honestly, taking potshots at each other makes no sense. The community is arguing over what collapse is, when and how it will hit, when oil will peak, but all of these things are basically details.
Really, fast collapse, slow collapse, who cares? How will it change your everyday life? Are any of us going to put on sneakers and off ourselves? I suspect those who can are making their preparations, and the rest of us are just trying to get by.
Look, when collapse progresses far enough, none of us will care about these arguments and all of us will know. I doubt anybody will get off easy, even the well-prepared. Until that time, we're in for a ride. It might take a few years, might take a few decades. How it will play out, nobody knows. Hey, maybe we WILL get the solar panels, windmills and such and just be somewhat poorer. Or maybe we'll lose the internet and other tech entirely, have massive revolutions and wars. Or both. I wouldn't say we can be certain about anything in the future, not even the likelyhood of our own guesses as to what will happen. In 2008, I thought we were at the beginning of the end of the system. 4 years later, the stock market is back up to 13,000. Things have gotten worse for many, but on the whole very little has changed - except for real estate, I would say almost everything acts just like it did before. Behind this there is a lot of action being taken by governments to keep BAU, especially the banks, supported; it's like the duck that looks placid but the feet are going crazy underwater. But whether this leads to sudden collapse, fast buildup of renewables and public transit (I realized that the much-hated rail here in Hawaii only has gone forward because of $5 gas), slow degredation, or regression to a coal-based economy, nobody anywhere knows. We can only guess.


Although this is a relatively short thread, I believe there are a number of important things we can learn from it.  Here is a brief breakdown. 

As you can probably tell by now, I'm not a big fan of censorship.  Removing my post is one thing.  That could be reasonably justified by my obvious, flagrant abuse of the TOD membership "rules".  And removing the silly responses clearly makes some sense, as well.  But what about the comment posted by adamx?  It seems he took the time to read what I had written, and then took the time to formulate a reasoned post in response.  Leanan's cruel and unwise censoring actions erased all of adamx's efforts in an instant.  Poof.  And sent yet another chilling warning to the rest of the TOD community.  Be careful what you say. 

What do you think of all of this, adamx?           

As far as the comment by sgage goes, this is clearly an ad hominem attack.  Sgage obviously has no basis for his assertion, and even if I weren't "right in the head", that would not necessarily invalidate my claims. 

And just to make this perfectly clear.  I have nothing personal against John Michael Greer.  My problem is with the way he thinks, and the way his 'fans' think.  I intend to show that Greer and his followers suffer from poor reasoning skills, especially with respect to their understanding of the basic mechanisms of social collapse.   

Also, please note the time between my post and sgage's thoughtful analysis.  Sgage, are you a speed reader?  There is no way you had time to actually read my blog before you posted this.  You attack the messenger without even bothering to read the message!  This reminds me of Darwinian's recent post on the subject of no one having even read the David Korowicz paper (Financial System Supply-Chain Cross-Contagion: a study in GLOBAL SYSTEMIC COLLAPSE ) that they are arguing so vehemently against.  The following quote could as just as easily be applied to me and my blog.

Darwinian on August 24, 2012 - 9:34am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Parent subthread | Comments top

...But most everyone is sure of one thing, that he is wrong. Their task is so easy, just declare that the man don't know what he is talking about without even taking a glimpse at what he wrote.

Ron P.


And finally, yes Han I am a chess player.  If you would like to play, just register on http://gameknot.com for free and challenge me to a game.  I play as futilitist.  And you are correct.  I am a "child shouting for attention".  I am like the child in the Aesop's fable: "The Emperor's New Clothes"! (Greer is the Emperor in this most apt analogy) 



In closing, I would like to present this chart.
 

 



Note:  This chart includes data up to 10:40am CST September 4, 2012.  Data subject to revision.



Is censorship having a negative affect on theoildrum.com's reputation?  Is this causing a decline in comments posted on the Drumbeat?  As Kenneth Deffeyes would remind us, we will only be sure of the peak in the rear view mirror, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I would love to hear what the TODer's think about all of this.  Feel free to discuss it amongst yourselves, if you dare!  Or better yet, post your comments here.  We can have a free and open discussion with absolutely no censorship whatsoever.  Yippeee!!

---Futilitist