I've watched with dismay my beloved MacRumors forum site degenerate over the last month with the polarizing ranting over the iPhone 4. There have always been issues wher people have taken sides and mindlessly hurled insult a at the other camp. This phenomenon is particularly bad around product launches. However, the iPhone debate has really raised (? lowered) the bar.
This month has reminded me of the sad state of US politics. There are iPhone haters who no matter what is said by Jobs will be unhappy. They have an excuses for every one of the talking points from the press conference July 16. Jobs is lying, evil, pulling the wool over their eyes...the other side is dismissed as displaying fanboyism.
There ARE iPhone and Apple apologists here, but more typically you see those who say "I have no problem". Unfortunately just because you have no problem does not mean others do not have problems, or that a problem doesn't exist. And while there are true trolls on here, not every Apple detractor can be so labeled.
In the middle are the great, largely silent majority of iPhone 4 users. 99% will never visit MacRumors. Those whom do may chime in with reasonable observations, but their voices of reason are drowned out by all the mindless ranting on the 2 extremes.
Assign the labels conservatives, liberals, and moderates (you choose which label you wish to ascribe to which group) and you have our current political dialogue (and we know how productive that has been). And in the iPhone 4 drama, as well as in politics, the media is eating this up and fanning the flames.
I don't know at 0330 what I hoped to do with this thread. I certainly don't want this to be a thread about the iPhone 4's specific issues. Rather, I hope it starts a dialogue about the state of the current climate in MacRumors, and perhaps spark some introspection by some of the zealots (however I am pessimistic on the latter).
This month has reminded me of the sad state of US politics. There are iPhone haters who no matter what is said by Jobs will be unhappy. They have an excuses for every one of the talking points from the press conference July 16. Jobs is lying, evil, pulling the wool over their eyes...the other side is dismissed as displaying fanboyism.
There ARE iPhone and Apple apologists here, but more typically you see those who say "I have no problem". Unfortunately just because you have no problem does not mean others do not have problems, or that a problem doesn't exist. And while there are true trolls on here, not every Apple detractor can be so labeled.
In the middle are the great, largely silent majority of iPhone 4 users. 99% will never visit MacRumors. Those whom do may chime in with reasonable observations, but their voices of reason are drowned out by all the mindless ranting on the 2 extremes.
Assign the labels conservatives, liberals, and moderates (you choose which label you wish to ascribe to which group) and you have our current political dialogue (and we know how productive that has been). And in the iPhone 4 drama, as well as in politics, the media is eating this up and fanning the flames.
I don't know at 0330 what I hoped to do with this thread. I certainly don't want this to be a thread about the iPhone 4's specific issues. Rather, I hope it starts a dialogue about the state of the current climate in MacRumors, and perhaps spark some introspection by some of the zealots (however I am pessimistic on the latter).
