Most of the audience of decent and civilized people here in the DUmpster is here merely for short light comic amusement and entertainment, as if the Sunday color supplement of cartoons in the newspaper.
A somewhat smaller number of the audience wishes to engage in thoughtful discussion of politics, government, society, and values, but decent and civilized people being excluded from Skins's island, they are compelled to give their carefully-thought-out points here, as they can't do it there. It's like shouting over a wall or across a wide chasm, but it's the best one can do, being barred from Skins's island itself.
A tiny number of the audience acts as "quality control" for the primitives, as if the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) checking various claims made by producers and manufacturers, in this case producers and manufacturers of comments. This part of the audience is interested in seeing if the primitives are what the primitives allege themselves to be (i.e., enlightened or intelligent or honest or good or whatever).
A minuscule number of the audience is interested in Skins's island, and the primitives, purely for scientific reasons, that is, anthropology, and to a lesser extent, sociology and psychology. It's a fertile field for study, what with the castes, taboos, hierarchies, fetishes, rituals, and languages of the primitives.
Up until recently, such observations of Skins's island, and the primitives, by decent and civilized people, has been pretty much
covert, very few if any primitives even aware of the DUmpster. It was never covert because decent and civilized people were trying to hide their observations; it was covert only because the primitives were blissfully unaware they were being watched.
It's not our fault the primitives rarely wander away from Skins's island, to see what's out to the real world beyond.
Anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists have noticed a peculiar phenomenon that occurs when someone, or an entire group of people, suddenly recognizes that he is, or they are, being watched.
Paranoia suddenly sprouts, and the behavior changes."do we scare the primitives?"
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php/topic,58227.0.htmla parody of the paranoia of the primitives
http://www.conservativecave.com/index.php/topic,58412.0.htmlI first noticed this phenomenon--the change in primitive behavior once they're aware of the DUmpster--during the nominations-and-voting for the top primitives of 2009, about a year and a half ago, when it became obvious that the eventual winner of the top primitive of 2009 was consciously and purposely campaigning to win the award. I brushed it off as a one-time anomaly.
But then during the nominations-and-voting for the top primitives of 2010, about half a year ago, it was apparent that three primitives in particular were earnestly campaigning for votes. Two of them ended up in the runners-up, top primitives 20-11 (although both probably should've ended up higher), and the third of them got to #02 top primitive of 2010. (The top primitive of 2010, not being aware of the DUmpster, campaigned not at all.)
I wasn't sure what to make of this, as the primitives, really, produce their best material when they're not aware of the DUmpster.
This is why franksolich rarely brings over a campfire lit by a primitive curious about the reaction of decent and civilized people, preferring instead to bring over campfires lit by primitives unaware of the DUmpster, or if aware, primitives who definitely do NOT wish to be featured in the DUmpster.
It's much better, more authentic, material.
Of course, the DUmpster is everybody's place, to do as he wishes, and I for one would never discourage anyone from including a publicity-seeking primitive from these portals. Whatever rocks one's chair, rows one's boat, stirs one's pot, I'm all for it.
But as for me, myself, I recently decided to give the primitives a (temporary) break, a (temporary) vacation, from franksolich and his primitive-reaction-causing threads and comments, to where the primitives think they're not being observed any more, and go back to their more-natural ways.....culminating in even-better material for the DUmpster.
