Into the Forums

A number of interesting topics were posted this week, from the news that a priest at St. Eugene Catholic Church was charged with obstruction in a child-pornography case involving the church’s music minister, to the more upbeat national news item that both Asheville and Roberson high schools made the Newsweek list of the top 1,500 high schools in the nation. And the ongoing discussion of some of the other popular local online forums has turned even more fascinating since the recent split between Asheville Citizen-Times and Topix.com.

Over in the nonlocal news subforum, a discussion about things getting better in the U.S. rapidly turned into a discussion of things that aren’t getting better at all, as well as things that may not actually be as good as they seem. Two somewhat related threads about European politics might prove of interest as well: one about the surprise election of Sweden’s anti-copyright, pro-open-government Pirate Party to the EU Parliament, as well as the overall shift to the right during those same elections. And the discussion of the GM bailout has turned into something of an ideological sparring match over what to do next with the company.

Meanwhile, over in the general discussion forum, the shift in cultural mood during last few months has had forum user richey wondering of there’s some kind of new vibe here in Asheville, and whether or not it’s an “age of Aquarius” thing. Along those same lines, poster martyweil recently posted this thread asking about the MX Boarders’ favorite year of the last decade.

Other noteworthy and active threads this week include: The (PFKaP)‘s thread about starting a new religion (which, with its Jack Daniels sacraments, will no doubt rival Pastafarianism and the Church of the SubGenius any day now); a thread asking for advice on starting a food co-op; and a rebuttal to a recent Asheville Citizen-Times commentary about the future of printed news.

Of course, these topics are just a selection of the hundreds of discussion threads on the Mountain Xpress forums. Don’t see a discussion about that burning topic you’d like to talk about? Why not start your own? All registered members of MountainX.com have forum accounts, and if you aren’t a member, joining is easy — just click here.

Steve Shanafelt, forums administrator

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

8 thoughts on “Into the Forums

  1. John Smolkin

    I looked at the thread on ACT forums today, and “which is better”? The gest is that the ACT folks thought MX forums is b-o-r-i-n-g and not worth their time. That was the consenses. And I have to agree after reading the entire thread. Just a bunch of small minded gossip. Who got banned lately? Who is ghosting as another nickname? Who the heck cares. Don’t you folks have a life outside cyberspace? Evidently not. Push the computer keyboard away, get up, walk outside. Breathe in the fresh air. Go for a walk. Pay attention to the wife. DO something besides troll behind a keyboard day and night. Geez!

    The real commentary is here on the main part of the MX website. Substantive discourse on important subjects. Personalities and gossip are kept at a minimum. Perhaps if the MX forums would do likewise, they wouldn’t have to advertise here trying to shore up their small numbers.

  2. Steamboater

    ‘John’, you do realize that you are trolling behind a keyboard with that comment, yes?

  3. Piffy!

    well said, “John”,

    you really would have liked the Forums when Tom and William P Miller where around.

    you should check out their stuff. It’s almost as good as the wonderful content over here on the ‘news’ side.

  4. I love the fact that each week there’s a post by an unregistered user, written in an eerily similar voice, claiming that the Xpress forums are predictable and repetitive, and only for people with no lives who spend too much time on the internet.

  5. Ken Hanke

    I love the fact that each week there’s a post by an unregistered user, written in an eerily similar voice

    I believe the scientific term is “The Cullen Factor.”

Leave a Reply to Piffy! ×

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.