[TheTurtle]

Hello. My name's Turtle and I am a Doomer ...

I know Doomers who have stopped visiting PO.com because they felt like everyone who posts here has their collective heads in the sand.

I know Cornucopians who no longer visit PO.com because they felt like nobody is willing to entertain any possible future that doesn't include 95% destruction of the human race.

I know Middle-of-the-Roaders who have pulled away from PO.com because they believed one or the other of the previous two statements.

I would like to poll the PO.com membership and find what is the overall perception of this place. I am not interested in whether or not you think the future is rosy or dark. I am interested in how you perceive the overall atmosphere of PO.com comes across. So, even though I personally think that we are in for a world of hurt in the near future, I consistently find this place to be more positive than my own beliefs and so my vote goes toward the upper half of the poll.

In other words, I would like to know if you think a first time visitor will find balance here or will they feel PO.com is biased one way or the other?

Thanks for your participation.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('TheTurtle', '.')..I would like to know if you think a first time visitor will find balance here or will they feel PO.com is biased one way or the other?...

[Heineken]

Although Turtle attempts to clarify this (albeit inconsistently) in the survey response options, I still think that people who take this survey will tend to be confused as to whether the "mood" refers to the general attitudes of PO members as reflected in their posts, the perceived bias of the news stories, or both. Also, "mood" is not really the same thing as "bias," but "bias" seems to be what the poll is trying to get at. Alas, both words are used in the survey. So I regard this survey as flawed by poor design---a criticism I would levy at many of the PO.com surveys.

[Fergus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'A')lthough Turtle attempts to clarify this (albeit inconsistently) in the survey response options, I still think that people who take this survey will tend to be confused as to whether the "mood" refers to the general attitudes of PO members as reflected in their posts, the perceived bias of the news stories, or both. Also, "mood" is not really the same thing as "bias," but "bias" seems to be what the poll is trying to get at. Alas, both words are used in the survey. So I regard this survey as flawed by poor design---a criticism I would levy at many of the PO.com surveys.

[PenultimateManStanding]

Sounds like his main point is that people he knows don't like reading here anymore. But I'll bet the recent run up of oil prices is leading to or has already caused another upsurge in hits to this site.

[TheTurtle]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Heineken', 'S')o I regard this survey as flawed by poor design---a criticism I would levy at many of the PO.com surveys.

[NEOPO]

I chose "other" because "excited" was not a choice

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pstarr', 'I') chose all of the above because I distribute, categorize, sort, analyze, store, and recall data in my brain on a regular basis. Because of this all this "thinking" on the "earth" my assumptions and presumptions, deductions and inductions, reductions and inducements all change on a regular basis. Given that, I think we f*&ked next wednesday

[nth]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Zardoz', '
')
The site's purpose is to explore the ramifications of the end of the oil age. That means we spend a lot of time talking about the many bad things that are going to happen. We're dealing with a harsh reality, and if the discussions tend towards doom-and-gloomism, they're only reflecting that reality.

The site isn't "biased", it's "realistic".

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('nth', '
')Historically, there have been many groups like us who claim end of our current way of life to be substituted with more mediocrity standard way of life, but history proves that we are wrong again and again.

[rogerhb]

The site nicely encapsulates the uncertainty of the future.

[Pops]

Good idea Turtle, of course the folks that respond seem to have an average post count around 1500 – not really a random sample of new readers nor the unbiased.

I’ve mentioned several times that I think Dan had reservation about the PO.com being viewed as a survivalist site – with all those bad connotations, but what we seem to have become is more of a fatalist site – the opposite of a realist site as was mentioned.

Realism implies that we can discern reality – in this case the reality is masked.
Fatalism implies that events are inevitable – there is nothing to do but watch, and maybe guess at the timeline.

As was recently posted elsewhere:
Here are my questions:
What are you doing?
How are you living now if you are concerned about peak oil?
Are there answers or solutions?

[Aaron]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I')’ve mentioned several times that I think Dan had reservation about the PO.com being viewed as a survivalist site – with all those bad connotations, but what we seem to have become is more of a fatalist site – the opposite of a realist site as was mentioned.

[Pops]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Aaron', 'N')obody gets silenced based on their belief system, despite what some will claim. I have defended unpopular posters around here many times as you know. And I would never tolerate any forced bias system.

[Lore]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'T')he fare being offered is lots of talk and little action as the post I cited mentions.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', ' ')what we seem to have become is more of a fatalist site

[Lore]

And to paraphrase Bruce Cockburn

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') don't believe in guarded borders and I don't believe in hate
I don't believe in generals or their stinking torture states
And when I talk with the survivors of things too sickening to relate
If I had a rocket launcher...I would retaliate

[MonteQuest]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Pops', 'T')he fare being offered is lots of talk and little action as the post I cited mentions.

That is my point.