A
Anonymous
Guest
My constant problem with the FT and especially the BB is that it all often seems very woolly. Far too much about 'community' (too polite) and far too little about clear, unbiased, thinking and debate. Sites like 'Something Awful' and 'Straight Dope' work really well because people are allowed to be rude. These sites end up being peer moderated.
IT'S JUST LIKE
Isn't a 'Fortean' essentially agnostic; less interested in drawing conclusions and more interested, much more interested, in looking at the way in which stories are told - and the patterns and similarities between the stories people tell ?
For example - earlier this year I argued with a member who was claiming to have been bothered by aliens during childhood. My interest was that the tale seemed to have many generic, social and, perhaps, (one might say) Freudian aspects. I'm firmly of the opinion that the response to such (a generic) story telling should be:
a/ to try to find out exactly what the person actually believes.
b/ to find out why a person might believe or say such things.
c/ to perhaps enable that person to realise other aspects and influences which might affect such thinking.
I'm fairly certain that I was trying to be 'fortean'. But asking questions can seem rude.
Of course he hadn't met aliens. But it should have been interesting to know why he thought that he had.
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
I had the impression that this site wasn't pulling together the various similarities between aspects of different threads. For example - much that was said by the person who was claiming to have been bothered by aliens ... was actually very similar to aspects of a 'dreams' thread which was running at the same time.
I always had the hope that this site would eclipse the magazine (which frankly just seems like a commercial venture to me - going over and again with re tellings of the same stories). I always had the hope that some sort of perspective would emerge. So far I have the feeling that the magazine (and this bb) is going around and around in circles. Never getting any closer to establishing the patterns and trends and similiarities between different apparent perspectives. Never really getting any closer to establishing what a fortean perspective might be.
So what does it mean to be a Fortean?
IT'S JUST LIKE
Isn't a 'Fortean' essentially agnostic; less interested in drawing conclusions and more interested, much more interested, in looking at the way in which stories are told - and the patterns and similarities between the stories people tell ?
For example - earlier this year I argued with a member who was claiming to have been bothered by aliens during childhood. My interest was that the tale seemed to have many generic, social and, perhaps, (one might say) Freudian aspects. I'm firmly of the opinion that the response to such (a generic) story telling should be:
a/ to try to find out exactly what the person actually believes.
b/ to find out why a person might believe or say such things.
c/ to perhaps enable that person to realise other aspects and influences which might affect such thinking.
I'm fairly certain that I was trying to be 'fortean'. But asking questions can seem rude.
Of course he hadn't met aliens. But it should have been interesting to know why he thought that he had.
DRAWING CONCLUSIONS
I had the impression that this site wasn't pulling together the various similarities between aspects of different threads. For example - much that was said by the person who was claiming to have been bothered by aliens ... was actually very similar to aspects of a 'dreams' thread which was running at the same time.
I always had the hope that this site would eclipse the magazine (which frankly just seems like a commercial venture to me - going over and again with re tellings of the same stories). I always had the hope that some sort of perspective would emerge. So far I have the feeling that the magazine (and this bb) is going around and around in circles. Never getting any closer to establishing the patterns and trends and similiarities between different apparent perspectives. Never really getting any closer to establishing what a fortean perspective might be.
So what does it mean to be a Fortean?