Comments on: Club Mentality

Club Mentality

MiguelCardoso — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 22:02:25 -0800

Does Belonging To A Club Make Sense In The 21st Century? Why, then, are they proliferating? And with free membership, already! Will the clubbish mentality, like the poor, always be with us? Is it still birds of a feather or just "anything goes"; an excuse; a lame post-modern irony taken far too far? Is "exclusive" still acceptable? Does it, in fact, still exist? Come to think of it, is MetaFilter a club of sorts?

By: timeistight

timeistight — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 22:24:07 -0800

Of course.

By: UncleFes

UncleFes — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 22:40:53 -0800

Because every person's two greatest fears are the fear of solitude, and the fear of death. Can't do anything about the latter, but you can damn well do something about the former. Humans, like wolves, are packing animals, and like wolves, it is for our our protection. In our case, psychological protection. We are a belonging kind, and rare indeed is the lone wolf.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 23:32:49 -0800

aaaaaaoooooooooooooow!

By: iamck

iamck — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 23:45:52 -0800

If metafilter's a club, then a ton of us (like myself) are the shady people with black hoodies lurking in the shadows in the back of the clubhouse.

By: dg

dg — Wed, 06 Aug 2003 23:59:05 -0800

*clubs quonsar*

By: Salmonberry

Salmonberry — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:06:39 -0800

So Migs, does this mean my membership in your fan club isn't any good?

By: filmgoerjuan

filmgoerjuan — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:21:10 -0800

I'm not sure I'd want to belong to any MetaFilter that would have me as a member.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:34:19 -0800

huh? wuzzuh? someone say 'member'?

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 00:58:11 -0800

No, MetaFilter is not a 'club'; it's more like the intraweb version of the State of California, with Matt as the Governor, quonsar distributing recall petitions and Miguel announcing his candidacy in the Blogstop thread.

By: Slithy_Tove

Slithy_Tove — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 01:02:33 -0800

♣!

By: riviera

riviera — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 01:24:36 -0800

Do private members' clubs in California and New York City allow smoking? This is all I need to ask.

By: iamck

iamck — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 01:37:38 -0800

No. And the clubs in Portland require you to keep your dog on a leash at all times.

By: Dagobert

Dagobert — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 02:33:11 -0800

If we are a wolf pack, does that mean I can piss all over the furniture?

By: soundofsuburbia

soundofsuburbia — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 04:10:06 -0800

*tries to think of a joke* *comes up with terrible skit ending with the words "Lone Wolf & Club"* *shoots self*

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 04:17:12 -0800

"A pack of cards has 13 clubs; deal me in!" Wendell rejoined.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 05:58:15 -0800

rare is the lone wolf.

By: tommasz

tommasz — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:20:47 -0800

Tennis, anyone?

By: stupidsexyFlanders

stupidsexyFlanders — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:33:12 -0800

Define club as an exclusive organization of like-minded people, and you're sweeping up everything from neighborhood play groups to the Trilateral Commission. Further add the requirement of lots and lots of money to join, and I would say, no, they're not on the decline, because the rich will always be with us, and will always want to keep out the rest of us. Many people like to be around their own kind. Not new, not really interesting. Miguel, you should step in and moderate a little here, because I think you might have something interesting to say but you haven't really said it yet. And this thread is going jersey fast.

By: Dagobert

Dagobert — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:49:42 -0800

I'm also waiting for WolfDaddy to pipe up and assume his Alpha Male mantle.

By: Vidiot

Vidiot — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 06:59:54 -0800

Ugly rumor meme: Miguel subscribes to New York magazine.

By: trbrts

trbrts — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 07:36:26 -0800

Here in Utah all the bars are private clubs. We are sooo ahead of the times.

By: clavdivs

clavdivs — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 07:56:34 -0800

Because every person's two greatest fears are the fear of solitude really?

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:02:40 -0800

with Matt as the Governor At $3500, what's that, .0000003457 cents per MeFite or something for the entrance fee? Lord knows we got enough people to sign the paperwork. Hell, Matt For Governor! Kick Gary Coleman's ass, he could.

By: Stan Chin

Stan Chin — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:07:17 -0800

Look people, the fact of the matter is unless you have at least 5 extracurriculars on your application colleges won't even look at you no matter how high your SAT score is. Do you remember Stacy? Well, she had like a 3.8 GPA but she was turned down because she was too busy studying instead of joining the Key Club. I never liked that bitch anyway, she glared at me at the National Junior Scholar's induction and totally hit on Billy right behind my back knowing I had a major crush on him. Now she's going to community college, while I am a SHOE-IN for State with my President of the Fashion Club and Secretary of the Junior Flutist Society positions. Did you know I arranged last year's car wash fundraiser? I SO put that on my application, colleges go nuts over that stuff, and I've already been invited to all the best pre-rush parties. College is going to be a breeze! Vote for me for Treasurer of the Metafilter SGA!

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:09:37 -0800

Also, I miss dueling.

By: UncleFes

UncleFes — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:31:38 -0800

rapiers or pistols?

By: UncleFes

UncleFes — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:34:22 -0800

Uglier rumor meme: Miguel writes for New York magazine under the pseudonym "Iva Bigun."

By: PinkStainlessTail

PinkStainlessTail — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:34:46 -0800

Rapiers, but only because my servant is old and feeble and has difficulty carrying the heavier pistol case. Perhaps I should have him put down.

By: kablam

kablam — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 08:42:30 -0800

Clubs have an interesting history as places to avoid government. Today, as an example, you are finding drinking, smoking, and sex clubs, current victims of government disdain. Other random notes: "Fraternal Organizations" were encouraged during WWI as a patriotic move--an unfortunate side effect of which was the rise of the second Ku Klux Klan. Clubs are a bastion of liberty only as long as they refrain from business, unless that is their main function. Lawsuits against "exclusivity", especially barring women and minorities, are more successful if "networking" is taking place. The Augusta Golf Club is very careful to prohibit business discussions, so they can keep women out. A recent backdoor attempt at government interference in clubs came through Joe Biden's bizarre RAVE act. When NORML tried to sponsor a music rally at a Fraternal Order of the Eagle Lodge, the DEA threatened them with a $250,000 fine if "anyone" smoked marijuana. In China, the government has recently tried to crack down on non-government sanctioned clubs, everything from chess to foreign language clubs. It took a long time from when then finally saw the "Falun Gong exercise club" as a threat, to get to here, though. Unfortunately for their little exercise in totalitarianism, the only thing which defines a club is having a "treasurer." If you don't have one of those, you can still do what you want, as long as you don't call it a "club", or be too public or political about it.

By: 111

111 — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 10:49:33 -0800

Is MeFi a club? Definitely not. 17,000+ is a mob. I'm indifferent to the concept of clubs, fraternities etc because they seem a bit too encroaching and tend to bring your own standards down to those of the lowest common denominator. I do like the idea of closely knit communities and Hakim Bey's Temporary Autonomous Zones, but ultimately the individual exists apart from the crowd. "Il ne peut y avoir de progres (vrai, c'est-a-dire moral) que dans l'individu et par l'individu lui-meme. Mais le monde est fait de gens qui ne peuvent penser qu'en commun, en bandes. Ainsi les Societes belges. Il y a aussi des gens qui ne peuvent s'amuser qu'en troupe. Le vrai heros s'amuse tout seul." Baudelaire

By: jaded

jaded — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 11:17:05 -0800

"Humans, like wolves, are packing animals..." And I would say that the specifics of what you pack might determine just what club you're in....

By: Shane

Shane — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 12:45:48 -0800

Humans, like wolves, are packing animals... a belonging kind... No thanks. "I would never belong to a club that would have me as a member." -Groucho Marx

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 07 Aug 2003 20:59:05 -0800

I would never register with a website that wants me in its demographic database. -Cyber Marx

By: SimStupid

SimStupid — Fri, 08 Aug 2003 00:32:05 -0800

A lame post - modern irony - taken far too far?