Here is what I've learned during my month in exile.
1) I get more work done;
2) I feel less agitated;
3) I love China more and love the US less;
4) I love the US more and China less;
5) Haters are gonna hate;
6) There's no use arguing with stupid;
7) Some idiots like to argue for the sake of arguing because they really have no life;
8) Some posters think they are posting witty remarks when in fact, they are gibberish;
9) Some posters think they posting highly intellectual remarks when...(see above);
10) Banging my head against the wall is far more enjoyable than reading infantile arguments about food;
So for my last hurrah I offer the following *unwanted* analysis.
Back when GoK was new, most of us were new, thus the forums function more of an information exchange. As it grew, so too did the expat community. Eventually though, two camps of thought emerged to do battle with each other.
The first camp are those who are truly *stuck* in China, usually because they lack the right job skills that would lead to a better quality of life back home then that they enjoy in Kunming. In order to justify their continued stay in Kunming, they have to convince themselves that things in Kunming is truly great, and in turn, they must convince everyone else this is true lest self-doubt and self-pity sets-in. These types are the ones constantly monitoring the forums to slay the naysayers, brow beating them until they submit and leave. They usually having multiple alias and are incredible prolific in their posts, feeling a need to defend China's "honor" in every thread.
On the opposite side we have the ones that for the most part, truly enjoy living in Kunming but needs to complain to either seek attention or to justify their sense of superiority. They feel a need to amplify any deficiency to make it seem as if it is a common occurrence much like the fear that was put into me as a wee lad when told not to go into black neighborhoods because I will either get beat up or worse, killed, guaranteed. There is venting after a bad day, and then there is always seeing the glass as half-empty.
As with human nature, we feel compelled to belong to a group, to seek alliances and comfort in numbers. As like-minded people congregate, we compete to "out-do" each other and the viewpoints become more and more extreme as we get suck into a positive feedback loop. Public hysteria and fanaticism seen in political parties are prime examples of this.
As with modern political systems, this either/or dichotomy forces the moderates which are the majority, to either align with one school of though or to tune out altogether. It is through this process that the forums reached it current state of dysfunction. The reactive nature of forum management did not help either.
In the end, short of starting from scratch, the forums will not be able to return to normal, I fear as the posts will no practice self-restraint for the territories have been drawn up and borders set; instead of offering objective reasoning and thoughtful analysis of the issues, it has become a turf war, people arguing with each other based on past grudges regardless of the topic.
I too, was caught in this endless cycle but now I see the error of my ways and I wish to end the madness.
I challenge all those prolific posters to limit yourself to 3 posts a week. Honestly, for the purpose that the forums are designed for, if you average more than 3 posts a week, you are just adding noise. And really, don't isn't there more important things to do? But I suppose if there was, the forums wouldn't be in the state it is in.
So with that, this is my last hurrah. I do not mean to say that I will never post again, nor that I won't be reading the forums for it's entertainment value, just that I am going to practice more restraint from here on out. No more mindless arguments for me, no more ego or chips on my shoulder; I'm getting the forum monkey off my back for good.