dysfunctional arena

shadster, have you had a sense of humour by-pass ?

He was making fun of his words. Therefore the person who posted these words is made fun of.

edit: i have a sense of humor. But when it comes down to make fun of people it is not acceptable.

Not acceptable for you, seems fine for everyone else. Oh well, I guess we're lucky you don't make the rules, eh?

shadster, give me a joke about "dysfunctional arena" that is not offensive

Is your reasoning that it must be right because almost everyone in this thread did it? Think again please..

No, my reasoning runs like this:

1. The owner of Chess.com started this thread.

2. It has been pretty tame by Chess.com standards, so far.

3. You don't make the rules.

I need to look no further.

p.s. maybe Chess.com could expand into a new line of clothing:

The "Prefect" and the "Hall Monitor" sashes would find plenty of buyers on this site.

Yeah the worst thing is exactly that the "owner of this site" made this thread.

This is not  a professional behaviour.

And  btw : you should look further.

LOL

If someone (yes, even a potential client - TAURASI has not contributed fiscally to this site yet) came waltzing into the offices of my corporate offices and started insulting my employees, vendors and other clients (even some who ARE paying)? Well I would have no problem with the President/CEO having a joke at his expense even if he was long escorted off the premises. I would not call him unprofessional - i'd even perceive him as a bit more approachable.

i use humor to diffuse situations. i'm not making fun of him - i just thought the words were funny and so instead of being offended by them and getting in a huff about it, i chose to make a comic reply. 

and as for being professional... you must be mistaking me for someone else! i wear shoes 6 hours a week - once for church, and once for soccer. i'm just a guy, not some polished corporate suit. i have feelings and a sense of humor. smart? maybe. hard-working? certainly. funny? occasionally. professional? rarely. :)

i'm sorry if you think i'm making fun of him. not my intention at all!

I have known Erik since the inception of this site and what he says above distills it all. He is genuine, always tries to make everyone feel welcome and comfortable; goes out of the way to do so. What you see is what you get with Erik; he has no airs and is a straight shooter. This is the only site that I know where the owner is so engaged with the players as here with Erik. We don't always agree since I am his older brother and smarter and better looking but love is all you need ;-)

I think there is only a 7% chance of this being true.

well he's my brother in the sense that all humans are related, but that's about it. :) 

as for smarter? very possible. better looking? HA - no chance! :D

I'd like to see what came after the.......... in Taurasi's initial post. Did he mean this particular site is dysfunctional (which seems to be the general assumption - and with which, BTW, I STRONGLY disagree [just visit Uchess.com; now THAT'S one dysfunctional site if you ask me]), OR did he mean that the arena of chess as a whole has dramatically degenerated in the 60 years he has been playing? Hard to tell with only one line of post available. I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt, because it is so easy for us to not only misunderstand, but also to be dramatically misunderstood.

I think chess, as well as common social intercourse in general, has declined markedly since the widespread overuse of the internet. The first slide in the decline was triggered by the introduction of television in the 40's. By the 60's the nightly habit of sitting in front of the television for our mass-tranquilization had become entrenched in American society. Our front-porch-culture, which had flourished in urban America since the advent of Henry Ford's assembly line economy during the 2nd stage of the Industrial Revolution at the turn of the century, by then was almost dead. Subsequently, the general reliance on the internet for much of our communication, shopping, information, and entertainment has been the deathblow for American civility. 

I am sorry to watch it disappear in my life. Just a little food for thought. (Be civil in your replies....)

Hey! Can't I mention You Chess?

Very funny. lol.

lol erik nice post

Total fun following this thread....dysfunction of this site in my eyes is temporary and fixed usually soon after it arises. Threads also give the owner an idea of performance and growth. Lending voice to users. I too enjoy reading for chess humor and other life social centered reasons.Who knows TAURASI is free to and may show back up any time.

As for professional....Erik is someone I look up to (accomplishment). Its here in front of my eyes every day and would not be with out his thoughts and brain power. A question arises, for Erik and profession...its is a game (function) first or business (capitol)first?

To me just thinking, it is a game first when all threads are allowed to ride. No matter how damming or defaming they may be. Space considerations aside content is user based and created. Business first says control the message or  content to keep it user (business) friendly and earning revenue. You are the pro on here one way or any other. I think all thread should run and not be deleted or altered. And hope anyone who like TAURASI feels the same way lets hope that they Will contribute and give more than a game or two to this great site.