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Dr Wannabee said:
There are some thing you can't say on SDN even if what you say is true.

Of course I've noticed that. See post entitled "Wow" and you will see that people get into trouble because they rub the "leadership" the wrong way. It's like you are either a member of the "group" or you kiss up to the "group;" otherwise, you are at risk for getting banned.
 
VPDcurt said:
Of course I've noticed that. See post entitled "Wow" and you will see that people get into trouble because they rub the "leadership" the wrong way. It's like you are either a member of the "group" or you kiss up to the "group;" otherwise, you are at risk for getting banned.
Well if that were true, you'da be banned by now.
 
MWillie said:
Like what?

Osteopathic students usually have lower MCATs and GPAs than Allopathic students
 
haha, only a matter of time....allow the mod to flex his/her muscle

MWillie said:
Well if that were true, you'da be banned by now.
 
Dr Wannabee said:
Osteopathic students usually have lower MCATs and GPAs than Allopathic students
The MD and DO thing isn't discussed much now because its been discussed so much in the past and leads to people who strongly support either side posting lots and lots of blah blah blah that most of us don't want to read anymore.
 
MWillie said:
The MD and DO thing isn't discussed much now because its been discussed so much in the past and leads to people who strongly support either side posting lots and lots of blah blah blah that most of us don't want to read anymore.

that is not a valid reason to close a thread
 
if people want to discuss something, there is no reason to close it with a stupid padlock and halt the discussions. this is a message board and people should be able to post/respond to issues that are important to them. why should someone close a thread, thus preventing others from talking about a certain topic, just because they have the authority to do so?
 
MWillie said:
The MD and DO thing isn't discussed much now because its been discussed so much in the past and leads to people who strongly support either side posting lots and lots of blah blah blah that most of us don't want to read anymore.

Don't get me wrong. I think it would be trolling if you posted on SDN somthing like "Osteopathic students suck and are stupid because there stats are lower" Thats not the point though. The point I'm trying to make is that simple discussions can't even take place because some people are so easily offended.
 
MWillie said:
The MD and DO thing isn't discussed much now because its been discussed so much in the past and leads to people who strongly support either side posting lots and lots of blah blah blah that most of us don't want to read anymore.
Have you ever seen a DO vs MD thread that didn't erupt in something similar to a barroom brawl?
 
DrYo12 said:
Have you ever seen a DO vs MD thread that didn't erupt in something similar to a barroom brawl?

so what? it is a conversation that many people would like to have so why should a mod close the thread and deprive them of that?
 
VPDcurt said:
so what? it is a conversation that many people would like to have so why should a mod close the thread and deprive them of that?
i'm not saying that the conversation isn't a valid topic, but there's no saying that the people that will contribute to the thread will be mature enough to post something along the lines of an informed discussion rather than just slinging insults.
 
I think there is some confusion about what Pre-allo is about. This is not a day to day discussion forum. It has a very specific topic, it is the process involved in getting into medical school. Any other topic belongs in a different forum. Other topics are moved to the lounge. Also there have been a lot of trolls lately so there has been a bit more moderation than usual. Personally I think the mods do a great job, remember it requires time and effort and it is not a paid position.

VPDcurt said:
so what? it is a conversation that many people would like to have so why should a mod close the thread and deprive them of that?

MD vs. DO debates aren't allowed because everything that needs to be said has been said (and can easily be looked up and evaluated by the individual) and more often than not they tend to degenerate into immature bickering
 
Medikit said:
MD vs. DO debates aren't allowed because everything that needs to be said has been said

Herein lies the problem. How do you know that everything that needs to be said has been said? Closing a thread about MD vs. DO makes that assumption but we all know what happens when we assume things.
 
Medikit said:
and more often than not they tend to degenerate into immature bickering

i do agree with this and i think it is unfortunate that it happens so often.
 
Dr Wannabee said:
Osteopathic students usually have lower MCATs and GPAs than Allopathic students

why does that matter? why would you even want to say that? by the time you are preparing to enter medical school, you shouldn't be thinking like that anymore.
 
Regarding the DO/MD topic, here's a hint. There's a little thing called "search" at the top of the page. Search for the multitude of threads on this topic, read them, and if something isn't discussed on those threads that you would like to explore, then post in that thread. Then your conversation will commence, and the chance of the thread being closed is not as high since it's not "just another DO/MD thread," it's one that's already established.

And if some other topic, make sure it's pre-allo-related before you post it in pre-allo. Otherwise, check the other forums.

Okay. Done with my rant.
 
VPDcurt said:
Herein lies the problem. How do you know that everything that needs to be said has been said? Closing a thread about MD vs. DO makes that assumption but we all know what happens when we assume things.

hmm, I haven't been on SDN very long but I did notice right away that people cry troll around here pretty quickly. I don't quite understand what is so terrible about having heated discussions or "flame wars" -- nobody is being forced to read or engage in those threads against their will. In my experience, if someone is posting something inflammatory on purpose that is either inappropriate or has been discussed before ad nauseum, the poster will simply be reprimanded and/or ignored by other users. If people are interested in contributing to a discussion there seems no reason to close it down -- it will eventually die out on its own as all discussions do. Banning is necessary only if the user is posting repeatedly so as to be disruptive/distracting.
 
VPDcurt said:
Herein lies the problem. How do you know that everything that needs to be said has been said? Closing a thread about MD vs. DO makes that assumption but we all know what happens when we assume things.

Well obviously if you think you have something new to contribute you can start a thread about it and bring up the issue.
 
Medikit said:
Well obviously if you think you have something new to contribute you can start a thread about it and bring up the issue.

Thanks for permission. I wasn't necessarily referring to myself in this situation, but I appreciate your concern.
 
DrYo12 said:
i'm not saying that the conversation isn't a valid topic, but there's no saying that the people that will contribute to the thread will be mature enough to post something along the lines of an informed discussion rather than just slinging insults.


i hav enever seen one of those "discussions"; i cna imagine what they are like so i never open a thread about these debates. Once doctors it really doesn't much matter where you got your degree.
 
OK...Some people are missing the point. I wasn't saying anything negative about DO's - I'm planning on applying to a few DO schools. The point I was trying to make is that some people are just too sensitive and that is where most of the "troll" labeling comes from.
 
Medikit said:
Well obviously if you think you have something new to contribute you can start a thread about it and bring up the issue.

uhhh I think the point was that if you *do* bring up that topic then it gets shut down regardless of what you have to contribute.

the thing about a forum like this is that eventually everything will have been discussed, right? At some point almost all the pre-allo issues will have been covered and the forum will become really boring and quiet. One of the benefits of a forum (as opposed to a searchable database of posts let's say) is being able to interact with other pre-meds going through the same things as you. Information exchange is one aspect, but another is about encouraging communication, and shutting down every slightly repetitive/controversial/off-topic thread does not helpe achieve that.

Anyway, the mods clearly are free to run pre-allo as they choose, but IMO being this strict is kind of unnecessary and produces a blander forum.
 
Acherona said:
uhhh I think the point was that if you *do* bring up that topic then it gets shut down regardless of what you have to contribute.

the thing about a forum like this is that eventually everything will have been discussed, right? At some point almost all the pre-allo issues will have been covered and the forum will become really boring and quiet. One of the benefits of a forum (as opposed to a searchable database of posts let's say) is being able to interact with other pre-meds going through the same things as you. Information exchange is one aspect, but another is about encouraging communication, and shutting down every slightly repetitive/controversial/off-topic thread does not helpe achieve that.

Anyway, the mods clearly are free to run pre-allo as they choose, but IMO being this strict is kind of unnecessary and produces a blander forum.
if every ninny didnt walk in here off the streets of the internet and clutter this house with their filth and vomit there would be no need for mods
just like if all of america was apple trees and picket fences we wouldnt need the knight rider

the mods are like knight rider
knight rider is the mod
::makes breakthrough::
 
DieselPetrolGrl said:
the mods are like knight rider
knight rider is the mod
::makes breakthrough::

a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.
 
DrYo12 said:
i'm not saying that the conversation isn't a valid topic, but there's no saying that the people that will contribute to the thread will be mature enough to post something along the lines of an informed discussion rather than just slinging insults.
In my opinion, if you ban the MD vs DO threads, then you should get rid of all the AA flame wars too. Those take a turn for the worst much faster.
 
Mr hawkings said:
In my opinion, if you ban the MD vs DO threads, then you should get rid of all the AA flame wars too. Those take a turn for the worst much faster.

that's true, although I believe one can definitely make a strong mature argument there. 👍

and then why not ban the 'which school is better' threads?
 
Mr hawkings said:
In my opinion, if you ban the MD vs DO threads, then you should get rid of all the AA flame wars too. Those take a turn for the worst much faster.
I agree that AA topics erupt into flame wars quickly and its quite ugly. I actually don't know what the solution is here, except that perhaps there should be an 'other' forum that isn't necessarily the lounge or the everyone forum but that any who enter would do so with the knowledge that everything in there is highly charged. For example, the MD vs DO threads, AA threads, my school is better than your school threads, basically things that are certain to be controversial and incite the masses. I know that's theoretically what the Everyone forum is for, but I think maybe its too broad in scope and that we need something more specific to preallo but that allows us the incendiary nature. What do you folks think?
 
bewitched1081 said:
why does that matter? why would you even want to say that? by the time you are preparing to enter medical school, you shouldn't be thinking like that anymore.

It is the job of the moderators to moderate what is posted.
Apparently it is the job of some members to moderate what is thought.
 
I was upset when the Ayn Rand thread was moved a couple days ago. The op was trying to make a comment on how many pre-meds love Rand's books despite the fact they (the books) preach against altruism.
 
I too think pre-allo has become much less interesting w/ all the moderating. Leave anything but totally unrelated-to-medicine spam threads alone please.
 
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