There are a number of characteristics to fluther culture from my perspective. I’m not going to describe more than a few of the many.
First I think there is an emphasis on niceness. This comes in part from the rules, but it was there even before the rules were standardized, I think. I remember thinking that it was a somewhat wild place when I first got here. There were a number of places where people were using ad hominem arguments, and I found myself pointing this out many times. Surprisingly, people gave me lurve when I pointed it out, and I think that I may have influenced some people in realizing that ad hominem arguments weren’t a good way to go. I was, however, surprised to find this idea enshrined in the rules. It’s something I feel people need to come to on their own.
Another part of the culture is am emphasis on saying and spelling things the “proper” way. Part of this is, I think, a natural desire to be able to understand each other. But I think part of it is also a kind of pride in good grammar or spelling that is a way for people to separate themselves from the hoi polloi. It is not one of my favorite parts of the culture because I think it is somewhat unwelcoming, and I think people apply it at times in a way to hurt others. It is unkind at times.
There is a certain silliness and playfulness, but the place has a bipolar relationship with that. People like silliness, but they also want to be serious, and the two, I would say, coexist somewhat uncomfortably. I think it comes from the same “uptight yet wanting to be free ” place that the grammar “nazi” stuff comes from.
Given these complex polar opposite coexistence trends, it it hardly surprising that another part of the culture is the sympathy towards mental illness. There are a surprising number of people here who have various mental illnesses and this place seems generally supportive, so long as those with the illnesses don’t seem to be crying for pity all the time. If people seem to be responsible about their pains, then they are generally accepted, but if not, they are told, in no uncertain terms, to shape up or ship out.
There is, like with most groups, a pride in our history. There are certain memes, memorialized in the awards, that give people a sense of the secret handshake and remind us where we have come from. It was a kind of wild west compared to the way it is now. In the old days, the rules were looser and people took advantage. Then things were revamped and the rules were applied more similarly by the mods.
There have always been rebels. Many of them get booted out, and some of those try to come back. As a result, there is a fear of trolls, and a certain portion of the old-timers seem to be permanently on troll patrol. This is not a part of fluther culture that I am fond of. But they see themselves as true protectors of the faith. There are many such volunteers; not just the mods. I think there is a hidden tension between those who are like town busybodies, sticking their noses in everyone’s business, and the social libertarians who want to give people more free rein, since no one is really being hurt.
That reminds me of something related that often happens. People jump on a question to say this questions shouldn’t be here. It’s as if they are forced to be in every question and can’t stay away from questions they don’t like. Underneath, I think this is a kind of possessiveness of fluther that a lot of long timers feel. They become guardians of the faith and feel a necessity to check out each question, whether they are a mod or not.
So we see a sort of “topic police” who, I believe, mean well. I think they tend to dislike questions that they feel are repetitive or confrontational. Probably they would dislike a post like this one that does not show a proper reverenced for fluther, but discusses things most people would not want to hear about.
That’s enough for now. There are many other aspects of fluther culture I might point out, if I wanted to think about it more. But with any luck, no one will be paying much attention to this question and I won’t get a lot of shit for my opinions. I should be so lucky. Suffice it to say that I think that many of the “improvements” at fluther were not improvements, and we have lost some of our edge as a result. I suppose it is a sign of success, in a way. But as they say, if you don’t like it, you can go somewhere else.
That’s the other thing. Within each cohort, everyone is equal here, no matter what you have done or not done. By cohort, I kind of mean how long you have been here. People are harder on newbies than on oldbies. Newer folks will let me and other oldtimers get away with more, and they’ll even like us more simply because they know us. I know this because I’ve set up new identities on occasion, and when I say the stuff I normally say, I get a lot more shit and a lot less lurve.
Whole cohorts benefit from this or are hurt by it. It’s hard to break into fluther, I think, no matter how welcoming people try to be. I think you get treated a little bit more toughly until you’ve proven something. I suppose this is normal with any group. There is a tension between wanting new members, but also wanting them to conform to a tradition and culture they know little of. They are expected to be humble until they learn the way things are. As a result of this tension, I think we make it harder for people to join in.
Ok, I really am done now. Thanks for asking the question. Oh. One thing about that. This is not a definition of fluther culture. This is one person’s reflections about what they see. I’ll guarantee you one thing: this is not the way most people see fluther.
