its pretty funny how much people are willing to let the best and HAPPIEST chatroom die off. and you mods are being SOO biased, its kinda scary? like, i had no idea this was a oligarchy :/

to say that what we do it not "within the rules" is total bs cause we go on there to have fun and be weird. something we cant do out in the real world cause we are too shy or really depressed. soooooooo, i hope you feel better with yourselves by killing off a place that is actually helping people make friends and feel good about themseleves. but tbh its triggering as hell :)

I recommend you take a look at the psychology behind group dynamics. It's imminent that any socially functioning crowd tends to associate with a certain dynamics which resonates with their common dissonance towards intergroups. TS is neither an exception nor is it the only paradigm as it is being subjected by the rest of the site. Each room on this site has its own intragroup synergy and a strong behavior modification as they get deeply engulfed and comfortable with their group that it's psychologically numbing to associate with the other groups.

I am a TS regular. TS is my home. I have a strong affinity towards each of its members. What's more absurd than being accused by the entire site is how none of the TS regulars have ever stepped into another room complaining on their functioning. Neither have we ever whined on and on about how unfair the other groups are coz it doesn't resonate with our thoughts. We just don't care to go beyond our boundaries to make you uncomfortable like you've been exploiting us. We do not complain how dysfunctional each of the other groups are, so have some respect and reciprocate the same towards us.

And also to all those who complain about being rebuffed and alienated as an "outsider", let me enlighten you the semantics of socio-psychological bond within any group. It's always easy to adhere to an emerging group than one that is entrenched. TS is an entrenched group. To get yourself acquainted, you need to observe, resonate and then attach. Understand how open and closed off the group is, make initial attempts to contact, if there's nothing in it that you like, just leave it. It's also ignorant to how you speculate a particular type of coping mechanism to be acceptable and anything other than the ordinary as delinquent. And I'm beyond proud how none of this bashing has belittled any of the TS members. You're just making us stronger and popular. Thanks :)

I love this, and I love the fact that you all are showing exactly what TS is about, and fighting for it, fighting for the great times you spend there and I'm glad to say that I'm part of it and I enjoy it there!

The fact that you all show the true colors of what it is there and you are embracing it.. I'm so proud of you all guys! Even if we all lose it sometimes and things get our of hand we manage to stay clear, yes there is troubles caused but that doesn't mean that TS has to be singled out.

Yes a lot of wrong things happened and sometimes mistakes happen but that doesn't mean that it should be shut down completely, I like how there is a course taken to be able to come there, even if some disagree, this made it easier for everyone, who want to join is, is very welcome to take the course and join us all, if not I'm sad you feel that way but you have so many other rooms to fit in if you don't see, to like TS or have a problem with it..

Even if the members did disagree on the fact that there is a course to take, most of the regulars did take the test, because they love it there and they treat it like home and you can't just give up on that, so even though they didn't like it, they did it, and that just shows how much this room is important to them.

I know a lot of you have always may have countered some problems in TS but it's changing and you should put all this emotions aside and give it another chance or move on..

.~. stop following me. it makes me feel unsafe.

Hi everyone,

This is turning into a very heated debate. It is interesting to see all the differing opinions.

Thinking space is a good place to have discussions on various issues. We ve had some lovely discussions held by the moderators of thinking space about current affairs ethics and hobbies. The moderators sometimes hold quizzes in there too. Everyone is always welcome in thinking space. Please remember that everyone is entitled to have an opinion and it's important to respect everyone s opinion.

What I find sad is:

1. There isn't any proof that there is a serious problem or a serious problem that is unique to Thinking Space. I'm not saying there isn't a problem, but it's just not clear yet.

2. The causes of all the phenomena that could occur in Thinking Space have been discussed with some explainations I think seeming to be pretty clear and unchallenged so far.

3. Reasonable solutions have been given and bad solutions have been ridiculed.

4. A weird solution was used that doesn't make much sense, a compassion test and no access for listeners.

5. @Laura @Heather @Glen haven't said anything. They haven't given any thoughts on what they think is happening in Thinking Space, if they see a problem, haven't put forth evidence for a problem, haven't given any thoughts about what could be a solution. They haven't even released the results of the survey they did about what people wanted Thinking Space to be about, in terms of intellectual discussions vs. casual chat.

I don't believe in democracy either, but I find it a bit lame to make people think it's a democracy, ask for their input, and then do the complete opposite. At this point I don't see why we should continue this thread, or any thread in which they ask for feedback or solutions, except just for fun.

Okay, it's been 11 days since the last post I believe, but I still felt the need to give my input, as I have a strong (and radical, seeing the opinions here) opinion about this matter.

Returning to 7Cups, I had a very impartial, unprejudiced opinion about the group chats of 7Cups. Never had I ever been in a group chat on the adult side before, but it seemed nice enough.
First thing; every chatroom has a community. That's psychologically logical behaviour; Of course people tend to stick together when they have problems that have similar grounds and experiences. Some chatrooms are harder to fit in with - others are much easier. This is based on your character, whatever you are dealing with and... Practically everything.

Anyway, back to the point. I checked around for a bit, but finally found a connection in Thinking Space. In this moment of time, I want to remind everyone that I was a newcomer, without any connection to members that were 'regulars' or anything. More than in the other chatrooms, I found a nice conversation that took my mind off of things. To put it in a more compact conclusion: in Thinking Space I found exactly that what I was looking for. People with a sense of sarcastic comedy and chatter that could both be laughable and serious at the same time.

Quickly after that, Thinking Space dissapeared from my chatroomlist and I asked around where it went. In other chatrooms I did not find the sense of compassion mixed with mockery that I liked so very much.
In addition, I often found that the cliques were very tight and I barely got answers to my questions. This, I found important to say, because many of problematics stated above, are not Thinking-Space-horros only.

Anyway, the compassion test was... Okay to do. It was hard to find for someone who had just joined the renovated site, but I passed and got back into 'the game'.

From now on, I'm doing my best not to fall into cheesy cliché's, but here I go. The people in Thinking Space are some of the funniest people I've met and sincerely made me laugh out loud. I get that it's not for everyone though - the humour can be dark as the night sky and the subject can be a little controversial. But overall the crowd is nice and also to me, 'the newcomer'.
It hasn't been months or something - I think I joined about three weeks ago - and I don't even feel like 'the newcomer' anymore. That air is absent, although I do think that's common for chat rooms as the internet tends to move fast.
What I mean with this, is that the 'abusive, unsupportive and harrassing behaviour' seems kind of overdone.

Why does it not seem so to me, and very much so to some others? I can't think of a proper reason, really. But in the same way I can't imagine seeing someone being 'bullied' away. It's not that I don't believe that people had negative responses in that room and might even have felt harrassed, but today, I can barely imagine it.
Although the chat does tend to move quickly sometimes; at busy hours it's chaotic and some newcomers don't get greeted in the rush of it all.

Lately, people talked how it was a shame that there were so little new people in the room. It's fun to get to know more people that have similar interests and likings, but the compassion test sets the bar high as it already has this reputation.
Not that I'm fundamentally against the compassion test, it's just that in my opinion, it also makes this room an exclusion.

Furthermore, about the discussions. It's true that there aren't often any 'intellectual discussions'. But many take it very far and say that serious conversation is impossible. Here, I take an obvious stance on the other side of the line. Serious conversation does happen, but less than in other rooms that are based on fighting depression, anxiety and other subjects.
To make it even more radical: twice, I have asked people what their opinions were on very exceptional matters. It wasn't bad, but I suppose it couldn't have been spoken about in other chatrooms. In Thinking Space, my points were considered and answered to in a serious way.

About the moderators: I agree with what someone said just up here. You have moderators that mix in the conversations and clearly show respect for the individual members and you have moderators who watch and mute whenever is needed. Not to attack anyone, it's an observation without opinion. Of course both ways have their qualities and flaws and with this in mind, I think extra monitoring wouldn't do any good to either parties. Members would (I think) become rather aggravated with this disrespect, moderators would have to deal with unnecessary resistance.

Furthermore, and I don't mean to be aggressive, I find it very hard to see how others think they deserve respect when they go around calling people 'viruses'. How they can call a group poisonous and then expect to not have reactions that go against them. Not even harrassing reactions, but reactions that clearly disagree. No one likes to be called that way and I think it's very foreign that it's used in a discussion.
There are reactions that I find unprofessional, unneeded, overly rude and downright childish and that's just as ''bad'' as how people claim Thinking Space to be.

You might find my opinion too subjective and very unstable because of that, but hating the room is the same. One has seen the other, negative end of Thinking Space, but I have seen mostly good. In this thread, I think it's not needless to add my experiences to the equation. It's easy to burn something down, after all.
It may not have been the most useful anecdote and I probably will remember tons of things I forgot to say in a few minutes, but here is a baseground.

Now I'm going to sleep, as it's about 2AM - I beforehand apologize for any grammar mistakes as I'm not native and very sleepy, but I felt the need to say this. Hope it helps.

So good night everyone, hope you folks dream well.

I've been in TS maybe twice -- once or twice when it was unoccupied, then again after taking the Compassion Course, where I rode the wild merry-go-round ride that it is! It lifted my spirits being in there, and when i gather more courage (for I'm a slow typist) I'll go back! :D It sure beats the usually low energy of the Depression rooms for lifting spirits with high energy. I totally get why people polarize over what goes on in the room. Either you love or hate it. You can't remain indifferent. It's keep up or get ignored; join in or get left behind. Really the same thing as in other rooms, just at a faster pace, if we are honest about how the chat rooms really work. I think modding is necessary there, but not strict repressive modding. How do you mod maenads and madmen having a blast? And really, why would you? But why not rename it? Maybe Blinking Space. Or Bouncing Space. Or Outer Space, etc. Or ask the TSers to rename themselves. Let them be who they are, and let all of us who wish to join in, or join them as a regular, do so. Make another room for thoughtful, intellectual convos. Such is my two cents. :) Thanks.

hi

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