Join Date: Prehistoric Era

I remember when I first joined PC, probably better than a lot of people that read the blogs because I'm relatively really new. Everything everyone talked about related to the past, stuff before I had joined, and I felt completely left out of it. But I accepted that because, after all, I did join so recently that everything was 'past talk'. And in time, I did end up fitting in and finding a place for myself and becoming part of events that made me feel like there was a present/future at PC as well as the past that everyone loved to talk about. But it still hits me when people talk about how much better the past was years ago and how downhill everything is now. It affects me a surprising amount when people outright come out and say that some set past period is the best period of PC and everything now is terrible in comparison.

Think of it this way - imagine you put a lot of effort into something, love it, enjoy what you're doing. Then someone tells you that nothing you could do would ever compare to what has happened in the past before you showed up, basically nullifying everything you've done and what you care about by saying that you can't ever live up to their perfect image of the past. They tell you that you shouldn't care because you'll never know how good it was before. It doesn't feel nice, at all.

A lot of the friends that I've made here over the past 8 months since I joined weren't here 1, 2 years ago. I've seen them upset over all the talk of the past on PC as well, because to new people, when you say "20XX was the golden age of PC", you're telling them that they don't matter. I'm sure that's not what people mean when they say that, because to be so obviously dismissive of the accomplishments of so many good people isn't something that any basically good person would do consciously, and I don't think anyone who does actually thinks that. People are basically good on here, I just feel like it's that the people don't know how it affects other people and if they knew they would stop.

The other point I'm trying to make is that it just makes the site itself look bad. Imagine a newbie logging onto PC, only to be bombarded with posts about how the site isn't nearly as good as before and how everyone misses it. I know that I wouldn't want to stay posting; if the best point is already gone, why bother? I can imagine this very easily chasing new members away because who wants to join a forum in which the most prominent members hate what it is right now?

What I'm saying is just...try to be more considerate of when and where you say things that actively exclude so many people. I know that it's easy to say that it's just your opinion, but an opinion doesn't necessarily need to be shared publicly and part of communicating with other people is learning when an opinion is going to hurt feelings and keeping it to yourself. If you could be in the shoes of the people that you're dismissing and indirectly calling unimportant, would you feel like contributing to PC? Would a new member want to stay and post more if they read all over PC that it's not nearly as good as it was in whatever month of whatever year? As much as you may not think it's a big deal, it is to other people who just don't speak out. And if it's not a big deal to you and it is to them, it's only logical for you to be polite and try to restrain your negativity for the good of the people who have reasons to be positive and don't want to be brought down.

Anyone who knows me knows that past talk has bothered me since I joined, I just thought it might behoove me to explain why. You're free to disagree and tell me that you do, that's why comments are open. :x

I wholeheartedly agree. There is nothing more annoying than when people talk about how much better everything and everyone was in 2008 or previously. It really does give you this feeling of futility and lowers your motivation. Not to mention it's a bunch of crap, everyone just likes the original better than a sequel even if the sequel is just as good.

Don't let other people fool you, PC had its golden age when I joined. /nostalgiagoogles

This is my opinion, but wouldn't everyones 'golden age' be at when they made lots of friends at PC and before any of those friends left?

It's pretty much what V7 said for me. I had a ton of fun years ago when the DCC would have like 20 new pages in only an hour because my friends and I were a part of that like every day. I had a blast, and one by one we all sort of drifted away. You know, real life comes up and we have responsibilities.

It's not that the old PC was -better- but I hold some of my fondest memories of the people from years ago. I haven't really made close friends on here in the past.. perhaps 3 years (which is quite a while.) So if I were to say "PC isn't as good as it used to be" it'd be for those personal reasons, and the fact that I feel like I haven't really connected with anyone as deeply as I once did. I don't think I've ever gone around saying "the old PC was better" but I may have said "I miss the old PC." However, I think because of my own experiences, I don't see it as necessarily a bad thing if I saw someone say that. I know how difficult it's been for me recently to try to find people who want to take time to get to know you- but I think it's probably now a bit of an age-gap thing and not a personal thing. I don't see it as dismissing new members at all, but actually, just cherishing old times.

Though that's just what I feel.

The point I'm making is that you don't see it that way, but that is what it feels like to most new members. They can't read your mind when you say "the old PC was better" and know that you mean "I had more friends before", all they hear is the put-down that you find their contributions less valuable than the contributions of people in the old PC.

That was why I said that people who say it don't really realize that it's hurtful, because you two both explained that it wasn't meant that way. But that doesn't change the fact that it is. To you what you say may be just no big deal, but other people take it to heart and remember it and are affected negatively by it no matter what intentions you had behind it because you just said one unexplained sentence that could easily be interpreted as everything I mentioned in my blog, lol.

Really? I'm actually surprised to hear that, to be honest! I don't think I've ever outwardly expressed comparing now and then other than my last comment or during one-on-one chats, but I am still quite curious: Who has it hurt aside from you?
I see how it can be seen as negative.. but at the same time for me it's a little bit improbable.. like new members haven't had time to make their contributions yet, and members who've been here a while already have friends who enjoy their company. I was wondering if you wanted to voice this to speak for others in particular, or if you just want to defend others that may have potentially have felt that way.

Either way, I dont think I have, but if I HAVE ever said anything like that and made you (or anyone else) feel bad about it, I'm sincerely sorry.

I'm not going to bring names into it, but I've mentioned this in the past to people and they have agreed with me, but when we've both been in a situation where someone else is saying stuff like this they generally just shut up. I know I've brought it up to people before as well, but it tends to go in one ear and out the other or just starts an argument because it's hard to explain exactly what I'm saying in a real-time environment, haha. This draws a lot from my own experience, but also from the agreement of others when I talk about it to them. The people that I have talked to about it/seen it referenced have pretty much all been members that are generally very well-adjusted to the forum, have a niche and friends and all that would generally be considered a good life on PC too. xD

I think the problem for a lot is that generally the year referenced is 2008. That means someone can be here for over 2 years and still get that feeling that what they've done isn't as important because the forum tells them that despite everything they've done since they've been here the forum is still worse and will always be worse, pretty much.

And thanks, that does mean a lot. :) I just hope that everyone reading this has that kind of reaction!

Yeah, I hate when people say that 07 was the best cause then I'm like "oshi i wasn't here :'(". It's better to word it as like...your personal golden year. My person PC golden time was late 09 to early 10 btw. :) <3

I've though about this before whenever someone brings up the "golden age" of PC because it made me feel like I couldn't talk to them because I wasn't part of their circle or whatever and I'd just be another one of the new members who'd get their vm's ignored. Not that I tried to chat up many people, but, you know, the impression was there.