Directly upon returning to the MuMMs I became what some refer to as a lurker. I scanned through the interactions and comments. I read the content of the actual MuMM entries and what the people who posted them were saying.
It is my belief that there are many things which we communicate with our words other than the things we actually say. The first thing I noticed is how painfully obvious it is that people who frequent the MuMMS aren't skilled at communicating. This is not to say that a person does not possess a good vocabulary or is well spoken. I am speaking of the inability of a vast group of individuals to make their message coherent in the capacity that they intend it.
How can we hope to gain anything from interaction in which we don't have enough focus to deliver our messages with any deliberation? The common case within the MuMMs is to spew forth a jumble of words which are, despite a spell checker being built in, quite often spelled so improperly that a person has to guess at what it is intended to be and this isn't even commenting on the fragmented and incomplete state of the context.
The first thing the average individual does when a person presents something of this nature is to assume that the person is incapable of delivering a worthwhile conversation. This is the cause of much acidic commenting which has a tendency of escalating to the point of bad relations. The point that I would like to express first is that when we communicate poorly what we mean, we are often communicating that we can't communicate first and that we are incompetent in at least one way. Do we really intend to start an interaction by giving people a negative judgment about ourselves? I find this doubtful.
What else do we say when we say the things that we say? The nature of your context is often very telling. If you speak about fidelity, the development of love, or perhaps the nature of flirting; you haven't just shown us your interest in this topic. You are telling people that you are a romantic. You have given these things value and show that you are looking for others who also value it. Which brings me to another point....
Why is a person so often compelled to hide their ambition? Is it fear that you will be ridiculed by others? There are of course those that present their thoughts openly, though they quite often find it necessary to accompany this with a ward against negative comments. If you don't care about spite and disagreement with your ideals, why find it necessary to attempt to prevent comments of this nature?
People are communal animals. We seek approval from those we find valuable. If we did not find others valuable we wouldn't seek interaction with them. So why seek to tell others we don't value them? If they weren't there would you remain? Unlikely. They are why you have come to that place. Do not deny it to others. It is silly to do so. They are there for the same reasons and though many of them won't admit it they too know just as you do why they have gathered there.
I think the MuMMs are a colossal success. A place where individuals have a formatted method for them to interact without openly belying their intention to interact. They can present themselves to others for approval or disapproval and have the opportunity to defend themselves in the case that they are not accepted. It is a place of conflict. In places of conflict progress is in truth the only option. You can be hurt but pain has the ability to teach you. It is a system FOR progress.
