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An Antidote To Corporate Media


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2015 Feb 9, 7:43am   715,732 views  602 comments

by Patrick   ➕follow (60)   💰tip   ignore  




Patrick.net is an online forum, a bit like Twitter or Reddit, but with much more freedom of speech than either of those. Almost anything goes, but a few things don't, such as deliberately personally insulting another user, or deliberately misrepresenting what another user said.

I got the patrick.net domain name back in 1995 when I was one day too late for patrick.com. Missing the .com name turned out to be fine. I prefer the .net name now because life is all about human networks. This site was just my personal blog from 1995 to 2004.

In 2004 I started writing about the housing bubble, which catapulted the site to national fame for a while. I was interviewed on NPR, on Nightline on TV, and in other corporate media that I have since learned to recognize as poison. Here are my original the articles about the housing bubble (the dates on them are much later because I updated them):

https://patrick.net/post/1282720/2015-07-11-ten-reasons-it-s-a-terrible-time-to
https://patrick.net/post/1282721/2015-07-11-eight-groups-who-lie-about-the-housing
https://patrick.net/post/1282722/2015-07-11-37-bogus-arguments-about-housing

The big housing bubble popped in 2008, and traffic fell, since it was no longer controversial to assert that we really had had a housing bubble.

About then, I decided to just let the public discuss other topics with each other and wrote my own forum software. I'm a programmer, so that was fun. At first I was kind of disturbed at the number of conservatives on the site, but as I discussed things with them and saw San Francisco literally turn to shit under far-left Democrat extremists, I changed my thinking.

And yet I didn't change my thinking all that much, because once again, I'm opposing corruption of government by the oligarchy. Before, my enemy was the NAR (National Association of Realtors) and I still think the NAR is nothing but institutionalized crime, but there are bigger fish to fry now, especially since the worldwide campaign to inject every human with a dangerous and ineffective genetic experiment, which was never approved by the FDA. (They approved "Comirnaty", which is not available, to deceive the public.)

https://tobyrogers.substack.com/p/thinking-points-september-21-2022


It’s like Pharma just backed a truck up to the Progressive Values Factory; stole everything; modified core values in order to maim people, make money, and implement global totalitarianism; and the left is just out there smoking a cigarette on the loading dock saying, “Sounds good to me.” What!? What the heck happened to the left? Is there no one remaining in that tribe who is capable of logic and reason!? Quite literally the worst industry in the world stole the left’s most cherished values and no one on the left is the slightest bit offended by this (even though they are offended by everything else)!? We live in the bizarro upside down world.




I could go on, but you'll get the idea by reading the site.



I have a platform of ideas for improving America: https://patrick.net/post/1303173/2017-02-19-patrick-s-platform

And an explanation for how we got to this point.

Site Rules

1. Do not deliberately insult the other users personally.
2. Do not deliberately insult the site. It's free to use and does not even have ads.
3. Do not misquote people.
4. Do not post porn except in the tits thread. No actual sex and no homo porn please.
5. If you feel you must post racist or anti-semitic jokes, please put them in the political incorrectness thread.
6. Do not post illegal content, unless the US law making the content illegal is itself clearly unconstitutional. In that case, please do post it!
7. Do not threaten another user with violence or you will be quickly and permanently banned.
8. Do not post spam.
9. Do not promote the obviously ineffective and very dangerous toxxine. Millions have died from it, far more than from the virus.

If you're wondering why your comment was flagged, please click the "edit" link on it. It should be pretty obvious when you read your own words again. If you think there was a mistake about the content being flagged, please write p@patrick.net When you edit and save your own flagged comment, it will go back into moderation where it will get reviewed by a moderator again.

If you're suspicious that comments are flagged for political reasons, note that you can actually see any flagged comment in the html source of that page. Use "View Source" in your browser. Yes, it's inconvenient, but that's deliberate, to keep those comments out of the conversation stream.

Please use this effective debate technique:
1. State your opponent's position so that he agrees with it 100%. This is so that you argue against what your opponent is really saying.
2. State points of agreement, and anything you learned from your opponent.
3. Give your reasoning for why your opponent is mistaken.
4. Make it clear that you are attacking only the point and not the person.

Site Functionality

If you ignore another user, you will not see that user's threads or comments. To see whom you're ignoring and to unignore, look on your edit profile page.

To get another user's attention, mention that user in a comment with an @ character prepended to his username ( for example @Patrick ) and then he will get an email of that comment, unless he has emails turned off.

If you type or paste in an image URL ending in .jpg, .png, or .gif it will be converted into the visible image in a thread or comment. You can also upload images, mp3 audio, mp4 video, and pdfs (under 10MB) from your local computer.

You may not post large sections of copyrighted material unless you have explicit permission from the copyright owner. But excerpts for discussion are fine, and in fact protected by law.

If you include an embed video url from Rumble, Bitchute, Vimeo, NewTube, or BrandNewTube, the thread or comment will display the video. Please try to avoid YouTube urls, since YouTube routinely censors or demonetizes politically incorrect videos, such as those about the dangers of the toxxine.

These basic html tags all work in threads and comments: a audio b blockquote br code del font hr i iframe img li ol p strike sub sup u ul video vsmall

You can surround a word or phrase with the * character to make it bold, or the _ character to make it italic, or surround a word with - to strike it, or you can just use the b or the i or the strike html tag.

Searching

Prepend + to require a word or - to exclude it: +Tunnel -Sky
Search for phrases by putting them in quotes: "Tunnel in the Sky"
Search for the beginning of a word by appending the star character: Tunne*

Shortcuts

^t will jump to the text input box at the bottom of a thread
^s will jump to the search box at the top of each page
^f will open your file select menu to let you select an image or pdf to insert in the text box

If you click "pin" at the top of a thread, it will get saved to your pinned list. For example, here is patrick's pinned list

There is a thread for each zip code in the US. You can have local discussions there about anything, or you can post things for sale, etc. To find the thread for a zip code, just do a search for the town name or zip code.

I also have a list of all US Congressmen as separate threads, where you are encouraged to comment on how good of a job you think they're doing:

https://patrick.net/post/1377838/2022-11-29-us-congressmen-lists


« First        Comments 443 - 482 of 602       Last »     Search these comments

443   5cdfb   2019 Jul 14, 8:07am  

antiforum
444   Patrick   2019 Jul 16, 8:54am  

@5cdfb That does not sound like me. I doubt I deleted it.

Please make your argument again here (or maybe you just did!) and watch, see that it remains visible.
445   Onvacation   2019 Jul 16, 9:32am  

5cdfb says
offending one of your brainwashed

That's not offensive.

If you can make your point without attacking others it will not be deleted. Some people have a hard time with that.
446   Patrick   2019 Jul 16, 5:15pm  

Onvacation says
If you can make your point without attacking others it will not be deleted. Some people have a hard time with that.


True.

Please do experiments! See that any comment which is not attacking other users or the site is allowed to remain.
447   Onvacation   2019 Jul 16, 6:25pm  

OccasionalCortex says
Onvacation says
That's not offensive.


Is or is not?

It's so hard to write sarcastically.
448   mell   2019 Aug 31, 3:55pm  

CovfefeButDeadly says
When I was a kid every liberal HATED this song. But every liberal supported Axl’s right to write and sing it.

Not one “liberal” today would be ok with it. The left would literally lose their shit over this song, boycott and protest the band and their record company...

www.youtube.com/embed/kgIRClKD4RI


One of my favorite gnr songs. Honestly openly racist and offensive, like most art and music used to be.
449   deearea   2019 Sep 23, 2:04pm  

spam
450   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2019 Oct 25, 2:39pm  

DoofusRicky says
That's exactly what I'm talking about.


Another screen name the DNC lets out of the box every six months.
451   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2019 Oct 27, 12:46pm  

DoofusRicky says
On the 'Freedom to offend' website, you will get censored for typing out "That's exactly what I'm talking about".

You can't make this stuff up. Brother Patrick, I implore you to reconsider your policies.


Why?

You post here every few years.
452   Patrick   2019 Oct 27, 1:40pm  

DoofusRicky says
On the 'Freedom to offend' website, you will get censored for typing out "That's exactly what I'm talking about".

You can't make this stuff up. Brother Patrick, I implore you to reconsider your policies.


Reconsider the policy of not allowing users to personally insult each other? Nope. It works well and is the right thing to do.

You consistently deliberately insult the other users personally, and then insult the site for flagging your insults.

Don't do that, and nothing will be flagged. Try this simple experiment: register with a new email that I cannot possibly know about, and don't insult the other users or the site. Note how nothing gets flagged then!

If you really feel the need to shit on people, do it somewhere else.
453   Patrick   2019 Oct 29, 10:09am  

DoofusRicky says
You deleted a single post that read merely "That's exactly what I'm talking about."


One of the rules is not to insult the site itself. Making up false claims about the site is insulting it.

Please come up with a comment of yours that was flagged, but is not actually insulting the site or another user. If it was flagged by someone by mistake, I can undo that.

Note that flagged comments can be edited by you, thus you can see what they say by clicking "edit".

DoofusRicky says
Another screen name the DNC lets out of the box every six months.


You could flag that. I just want people to discuss issues and not each other or the site.
454   WookieMan   2019 Oct 29, 10:11am  

DoofusRicky says
I have not even perused your small part of the web for many months

I think Patrick has been clear on his stance. You're free to do what you want, but maybe go back to what you have been doing and not peruse this small part of the web? No one is forcing you or anyone to be here. It's difficult to take one seriously when they complain about a site, yet here they are. Strange.

Beauty of the internet is anyone can create their own site like this. Patrick has even offered the "keys" to mimic this exact site with your own content. Take his offer up and create compelling content that people will adore. Until then, just follow the rules I suppose or don't show up. It's not your site.
455   Patrick   2019 Oct 29, 10:25am  

Yes, that.

Thanks @WookieMan
456   Patrick   2019 Oct 29, 11:01am  

If you're not happy with the site, there are zillions of others.
457   Onvacation   2019 Oct 29, 11:25am  

DoofusRicky says
It's just a shame considering what you had before.

A free for all where debate often devolved into personal attack and name calling. Bring facts to the debate and spew hate elsewhere.
458   WookieMan   2019 Oct 29, 11:37am  

DoofusRicky says
Clearly you are happy with the result.

Not what he said. Find me a site where every user is happy, let alone the person running it? Won't happen.
DoofusRicky says
It's just a shame considering what you had before.

Are you talking about housing? The core of that is still around from time to time. The reality is that housing is pretty stabile now. Sure prices are high, but no evidence of a "crash" coming outside of maybe a few coastal areas. And even then it's nothing dramatic.

The site evolved. Everyone can sit here and talk about a non-story everyday (housing) and eventually there'd be no one here. So politics have become the headlines now. Everyone is free to bring up any topic they want though. Us users can kind of make the site whatever we want. Right now it happens to be politics. I'm personally not a fan of national politics, but I still make my way here at least weekly and certain times daily. And some of the characters here are hysterical. Even some that I don't agree with. It's just fun and not serious.

Without bashing, what's your vision of the site? What was so good about that past that you'd want to come back again? You sound like a past user with a different name now and coding your writing as a disguise. Which is fine. Patrick has seemingly always been open to constructive criticism about the site. You just keep waxing poetically on the past with no suggestions. How about you just tell him?
459   WookieMan   2019 Oct 29, 12:06pm  

DoofusRicky says
WookieMan says
What was so good about that past that you'd want to come back again?


Have I not answered that question in spades?

No, not really. Content and meetups? You can post any content you want and comment on any you want. Set up a meetup and see if people will come. I don't think by the standards of the West Coast Patrick was receiving any donations of value that made running the site worth it or profitable by any means.

What do you want specifically to come back from the past? That made the site better in your mind (without bashing)? Nothing is stopping you from creating content, setting up a meetup and donating. Please explain what you actually want?
460   Onvacation   2019 Oct 29, 1:07pm  

DoofusRicky says
However it is much harder to argue with my list of real tangible results. Is this not the case?

Patrick used to make SO MUCH MONEY for Patrick when iwog and Dan were calling everyone idiots.
461   Onvacation   2019 Oct 29, 1:08pm  

jazz_music says
Like they’re obese and have iPhones, right.

Just mocking idiocracy when I see it.
462   WookieMan   2019 Oct 29, 1:30pm  

DoofusRicky says
Although you tried to sabotage my list of facts, they remain facts.

What facts? It's a website. All you're stating is opinions. Whether you want to like it or not, that's what they are. Users are more than welcome to donate, set up meetups and post content they want. I don't understand what the issue is. You seem to be taking issue with something that is wholly in your control, yet you blame it on Patrick and his site?

You have the keys to the car, but are acting like you don't know how to unlock the door to get in. Or that you got a free car you don't like and refuse to get in. Move on then, find a better vehicle.
463   Patrick   2019 Oct 29, 1:32pm  

Deleting DoofusRicky for insulting the site over and over instead of debating issues with good will like almost everyone else here.

Sick of it.
464   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2019 Oct 29, 2:13pm  

Patrick says
DoofusRicky says
You deleted a single post that read merely "That's exactly what I'm talking about."


One of the rules is not to insult the site itself. Making up false claims about the site is insulting it.

Please come up with a comment of yours that was flagged, but is not actually insulting the site or another user. If it was flagged by someone by mistake, I can undo that.

Note that flagged comments can be edited by you, thus you can see what they say by clicking "edit".

DoofusRicky says
Another screen name the DNC lets out of the box every six months.


You could flag that. I just want people to discuss issues and not each other or the site.


I do find it curious how dormant accounts spring to life all at once.
465   FuckTheMainstreamMedia   2019 Oct 29, 2:15pm  

jazz_music says
Patrick says
expressing a sincerely held point of view with good will
How can we get more of that?


From the guy who links to leftist propaganda sites nearly exclusively?
466   Patrick   2019 Oct 29, 2:19pm  

C'mon, that's personal. It's about him instead of the arguments.

Let's refute the leftist propaganda with facts and arguments, or if you really don't want to see the guy, put him on ignore.
467   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Oct 29, 3:26pm  

jazz_music says
Content that is so great, you got to repeat it incessantly.


"...Trumpards"
468   WookieMan   2019 Nov 1, 2:58pm  

OccasionalCortex says
Hilarious how? He was just FUCKING TROLLING YOU and you kept responding to him like he was engaging seriously.

Disagree. I'm almost positive it was an old user changing his writing style. Not that it's still not trolling I suppose, but there was another motive, likely childish. If there was a way to prove it, I'd bet good money on who it was, but I don't think that's possible.

I also shouldn't be talking about other users. Needless to say the whole "meetup" topic was a dead give away. He wanted the attention like he always has.
469   WookieMan   2019 Nov 1, 3:48pm  

OccasionalCortex says
WookieMan says
Disagree. I'm almost positive it was an old user changing his writing style. Not that it's still not trolling I suppose, but there was another motive, likely childish. If there was a way to prove it, I'd bet good money on who it was, but I don't think that's possible.

I also shouldn't be talking about other users. Needless to say the whole "meetup" topic was a dead give away. He wanted the attention like he always has.


Ummm...every word you just wrote after 'Disagree' SUPPORTS my entire contention, actually.

True. I just wouldn't categorize it in the typical trolling category though. It's specific to this specific site. This exact type of trolling doesn't work on another site. Hard to classify it really. Surprised he's come back at all.
470   Onvacation   2019 Nov 1, 5:06pm  

jazz_music says
Onvacation says
Just mocking idiocracy when I see it.
No, you are heckling commenters who say things outside the alt right bubble. —not in any way related to government and whether or not it is idiotic.

As if you speak for the real world. You don’t. Too many of you men are taken by right wing populist alternative facts, (lies) fantasies and conspiracies.

And that is virtue signaling to your brotherhood, all victims of the poor, the immigrants, the races and women. You sandbag personal comments using “we” to feign authority.

All marching to make the rich richer come what may.

No, just mocking idiocracy when I see it.
471   Onvacation   2019 Nov 1, 5:10pm  

jazz_music says
Too many of you men are taken by right wing populist alternative facts

How dare you assume my gender. Next you will accuse me of having white privilege!

Anyone that wants to work can be successful in America. Even if you don't want to work the government will give you a cell phone and enough food to make you obese.

Idiocracy.
473   Patrick   2019 Nov 22, 7:23am  

There are backups every night at 3am California time. If it was from today after the backup then it's really gone.

From the date in the url it looks like it was from today. Sorry about that.

Maybe I should make deletions work differently.
474   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Nov 22, 11:12am  

Dammit @Patrick, I did it again with the Trans Thread I had on Chicago PS 211. Maybe I gotta reposition my mouse and keyboard.
475   Patrick   2019 Nov 23, 12:31pm  

Ah, it really is a bug! Thanks for bringing my attention to it.

There should be a popup confirmation that you really want to delete. I will fix that.
476   MisdemeanorRebel   2019 Nov 23, 1:14pm  

Thanks Pat!
477   Patrick   2019 Nov 30, 6:00pm  

@NoCoupForYou

OK, if you hold down the shift key and reload, the new javascript should give you a popup confirmation before you delete a post.

Let me know if it doesn't work. Sorry for the delay.
478   mell   2019 Dec 3, 11:48am  

@Patrick another minor bug is that if you are reading a thread and a comment from an ignored person comes in then you will see that comment added by the dynamic refresh.
480   Patrick   2020 Jan 21, 7:51pm  

@OccasionalCortex yes, this is true. You must be logged in to see any pictures.

This is because I was threatened by a copyright-troll lawyer, so I really can't make them visible anymore, at least not yet.

I do need to fix the emails so that actual users can see them though. I will work on that.
481   WookieMan   2020 Feb 5, 8:05am  

I'm sure I've brought this up before, but can't remember the discussion. If someone ignores me, why do I still see their comments? I'm fine seeing them as I'm not that petty, but sometimes I waste time replying to something that I don't know if the user has me on ignore or not, and therefore won't see my comment unless quoted by another user not on their ignore list.

I know it creates infighting and makes it about the users, but I think it would be nice to know who's ignoring you so you don't waste time responding to their comments. OR if someone ignores you, you no longer see their comments or posts at all. Basically they erase themselves from you outside of being quoted by another user.

I have a rough idea of who has me on ignore, but I really am not certain. Either I have really good points they're too afraid to rebuke or they have me on ignore.

@Patrick - Another quick suggestion. Could be stupid, but I think it's brilliant if you truly want to live by the "freedom to offend" mantra. Make it so you cannot ignore a user until they've marked a comment personal from the person they want to ignore and a moderator agrees it was personally directed (moderators cannot decide on their own flagged posts/comments).

The ignore function makes sense if someone is being personal towards another user. But if you are simply ignoring people because you don't agree with their thoughts, isn't that the opposite of freedom to offend? I've got 5 ignores, of which probably 3-4 are simply because someone doesn't like my point of view. I've made personal comments to maybe 2 people on this site that were actual users at one time or another. And those we generally in response to personal comments made towards me.

Basically I kind of dislike the blanket ignore policy with no justifiable reasoning. Feel like there needs to be a reason that you ignore someone, not just feelings or disagreement during a cordial argument. As long as people aren't attacking each other, there's no reason not to hear another persons point of view. There are other bubbles people can go to on the web and get their confirmation bias.
482   Patrick   2020 Feb 5, 8:09am  

Thanks @WookieMan

What do you think of my simply eliminating the ignore function? It's kind of a pain to get right technically, and if people are not being personal, you're right that there's no reason not to hear from them.

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