where did everybody go?

You raise a serious concern. So many dedicated babblers and rabblers have drifted away. What can we do to regroup?

Summer vacations likely

Most likely people are outside enjoying whatever they can of the natural world after confinment to their homes during a brutal winter was extended because of covid-19. That and I also think that with news comments offering their own comment sections and social media taking over, anonymous discussion boards just don't have the same appeal as they once did.

And where is Fidel?

I think there will always be a place for anonymous message boards, and rabble has far less crap to wade through than Reddit or similar online spaces.   I rarely post on social media and I don't use facebook, rabble and babble has the right mix for me.     Hope to see things pick up, in the fall, and I'm going to try to bring more to the table here myself in the meantime.   Stay safe and cool, babblers!

driven away by colonizers pretending to be allies.

Actually, it wouldn't.

I'm deeply sad as "Montréal Simon", someone I had followed for years due to his support for the Québec student strike, and of course justice for lgbt etc struggles attacked me because I'm no friend of the corporate Liberal party. Frankly, he could have published my farewell post.

While of course the Cons are worse (sexism, homophobia, racism etc) the corporate Liberals also remain our class enemies.

Voting for USian lesser-evil crap has left our southern neighbours with no public healthcare. Nuff said.

https://montrealsimon.blogspot.com/ An alternative universe where the Liberals can do no wrong and where the NDP are "even worse than the Cons"...

Many people on the left have also disappeared (yes, some memorable ones have died, but others have drifted away). Rabble was founded at the Québec counter-summit and was never intended to be a voice of "moderation".

I wish Sean would come back. His departure was quite recent. Unfortunately he went too far in the manner he publicly berated and blamed Meg for the state of the board.

I too have had my differences with Meg for her moderating decisions but without her I don't think there would be a babble at all. It would get shut down. She is only paid a few hours a week to moderate which should be plenty seeing as most of us are mature in years adults. We shouldn't need rules. We should know better.

As children most of us heard (and deemed unfair) the response of "It doesn't matter who started it". Sometimes as children it was unfair but as adults it isn't. If I am saying things to other people that would offend me, even if they started it, I  am in the wrong.

Acceptable responses are to quote the individual and call them out for being rude/aggressive without adding insult, report them, ignore them or ignore the rudeness. If you call them out and they respond with more offence then the only options are report or ignore.

Once it becomes a flamewar both participants are equally guilty. As mom would say, it doesn't matter who started it because both are behaving unacceptably. Being offended doesn't justify being offensive.

If anything has driven posters off it has been flamewars and hostility. We can blame Meg and all the other moderators but when push comes to shove we are responsible for our collective behavior not the moderators.

Not someone I am generally impressed by anymore but Oprah managed to sit down and discuss race with a KKK leader without either resorting to flaming or personal attacks.

We should all be able to maintain basic civility no matter what the topic. If someone is rude, deliberately or otherwise, the correct response is to say "that's rude" not "and you are a so an so who deserves to be blanked" nor even a sly underhanded insult. As soon as the responder escalates they are equally guilty.

Did Unionist really leave? His appearances were very spotty for a long time; he might just have more compelling things to do. I certainly miss him.

Greetings everybody; I'm still alive and kicking.

I think, for me anyways, it's mostly due to burn out. I do check in everynow and then but I see its the same old same old with the same old spamers and less people whom really want to talk and listen...

 Oh and (for the love of God please) Biden 2020 8=)

I'm sorry Oldgoat wasn't able to moderate this year (health reasons) so you're stuck with me. Disappointing since he's a holiday favourite, but also a bummer because I don't get a break this year. Hopefully Oldgoat will be back next year.

Me too, to echo Bacchus. And thanks for working through the holidays, Meg. It is appreciated. Happy New Year to all who are here and to Old Goat.