[Lucky]

Seems like we've developed this pattern in the showdowns. We pit two similar things against each other, ask people to judge on subjective matters, someone finds the results to be wrong because they disagree on subjective matters, and then someone complains that they are being rude and unreasonable and that the rankings show it to be the reasonable result or "we should just never have the showdowns at all."

I'm really starting to think that people don't actually like this thing. dxb concealed the results for his first wave of polls and some of us convinced him it was a bad idea. But those of us who did are people who like me and Dev who can argue all day and call each other assholes and then joke around 5 minutes later as friends. So maybe we were a vocal minority speaking up when in reality you people really do just want a very basic poll with all of the arguing and extras removed. Because our argument for dxb's idea being a bad one was that it killed those things. But its become a pattern for people to basically seem to object to those very things happening at all.

So maybe the point is that what we really want is a poll like Brad's Cartoon one where you simply vote and then go check on the results for the next round. Because that's where the predictable complaints seem to have led us. And if it is than maybe we should actually test the waters to see if more people would enjoy themselves if the showdowns weren't me and Dev calling Moose an idiot because he loves Helloween and ICP.

[Eric O'Mac]

The arguing and format is great Lucky. It gives me something to do on a day at work when I'm at the office by myself and it's a slow day.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

I like the bickering. I actually learn a lot from some people's arguments. I think anybody who actually gets offended by the results of a showdown needed to chill out. It is all for fun and games.

[Eric O'Mac]

I'm offended by your remarks, MKid, and I demand an apology. Now.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Fuck off Eric.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Will you kindly step in front of a bus?

[Eric O'Mac]

Thank you sir, may I have another?

[Jobber Blitz]

I fucking hate vote trading. That is all.

[Eric O'Mac]

Blitz, if you trade me your stance on vote trading, I'll trade you my wit and charm.

What do ya say? Can I count on your vote?

[Habs]

Jul 28, 2008 8:44:24 GMT -5 National Champion Chris Cole said:

I like the bickering. I actually learn a lot from some people's arguments. I think anybody who actually gets offended by the results of a showdown needed to chill out. It is all for fun and games.

I'm with Chris on this. If you don't want to argue, you don't have to, just post your vote and that's it. I'm sure that depending on the showdown, you'll have different people arguing and defending their choices. And you'll also have those that can argue on every topic, and that's great! Like Chris said, it's all fun and games.
Keep the showdown and keep the discussions.

Now I'll go try that stepping in front of a bus thing, it looks fun!

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Vote trading is gay.

[Lucky]

It is.

And for the record this poll wasn't supposed to be some move for change or anything. Its just that the "Why do we even have these if you're going to be annoyed by the result?" thing seems to come up so often that I really started to wonder if dxb was onto something and people really did want us to shut the fuck up.

I just figured it was best to give anyone who did feel that way the chance to speak up and change this if they were the majority.

[Fire-Babe]

folks annoyed by the arguing and discussion can just not fucking read that part. i usually vote and that's it, not because i'm annoyed, but b/c by the time i get to it, there's generally nothing left to say.

and i have, you know, a life.

[Byrntrigan]

Really, I tried the other methodolpgy just to see what would happen. I understand the other point of view where hiding the votes until the poll is locked may curtail discussions, or at least the "At least 5 of you is <blank>" ;D

I don't see any issues with running them as the always have, I just wanted to try something different.

It didn't seem to sway voting patterns nor curtail discussions.

Maybe it doesn't matter. Plus, on the plus side, I don't know if I have ever seen someone bitch about the showdowns, cause if they did, they don't go back in there.

My thought process on hiding the votes until the poll was over was to see if it would stop all the vote flip flopping and "peer pressure".

I dunno. I spent too much brainpower on this anyways, either way I'm cool...

[Lou]

I enjoy the Showdowns the way they are. If I have an opinion on the matchup I vote before I read. I still read, because it's fun. If I don't know I let the arguments sway me. If none does, I don't vote.

I have found if it is a Hot Chick Showdown, voting opposite of Dev is a good rule of thumb.

[creepy]

Jul 30, 2008 1:15:07 GMT -5 Lou said:

I enjoy the Showdowns the way they are. If I have an opinion on the matchup I vote before I read. I still read, because it's fun. If I don't know I let the arguments sway me. If none does, I don't vote.

Pretty much.

[Stu]

Jul 28, 2008 11:36:59 GMT -5 Lucky said:

It is.

And for the record this poll wasn't supposed to be some move for change or anything. Its just that the "Why do we even have these if you're going to be annoyed by the result?" thing seems to come up so often that I really started to wonder if dxb was onto something and people really did want us to shut the fuck up.

What, like when you complained about the Hot Chicks Wrestling showdown coming down to WWE Women?
I get more annoyed by some arbitrary rules to them at times, like in the "Animation" one, you couldn't nominate anything with a rating higher than PG-13, which took a whole lot of anime out of the running, and the action one could have been called "The Die Hard" Showdown, because apart from me and Solly, who's going to have even seen some of the HK films I'd nominate?

[Demko]

Jul 28, 2008 10:48:58 GMT -5 Eric O'Mac said:

Blitz, if you trade me your stance on vote trading, I'll trade you my wit and charm.

What do ya say? Can I count on your vote?

Don't forget to get an idea out of that trade, sir! :-D

[Lucky]

Jul 30, 2008 5:19:05 GMT -5 Stu said:

Jul 28, 2008 11:36:59 GMT -5 Lucky said:

It is.

And for the record this poll wasn't supposed to be some move for change or anything. Its just that the "Why do we even have these if you're going to be annoyed by the result?" thing seems to come up so often that I really started to wonder if dxb was onto something and people really did want us to shut the fuck up.

What, like when you complained about the Hot Chicks Wrestling showdown coming down to WWE Women?

You may have me confused with Dev. I was disappointed that Trish made it to the finals but I understood that, and I was a fan of 3 of the 4 final four members. In general I was really surprised and impressed that the WWE Bias that dominated the Wrestler showdown had less impact on the Hot Chicks.

Wrestlers? I whined like a baby. That showdown still makes me sad.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

Jul 30, 2008 5:19:05 GMT -5 Stu said:

because apart from me and Solly, who's going to have even seen some of the HK films I'd nominate?

Thai but only because he's from there

[Jack Quinn]

I am not sure if I have liked a single winner in any of the showdowns (well, compared to who I wanted to win) but we should still do them just like they are. They are sometimes frustrating, but they are a nice time waster.

And lucky is just jealous cause I am going to see Helloween in concert. Have I mentioned that?

[Byrntrigan]

Jul 30, 2008 6:25:39 GMT -5 Demko said:

Jul 28, 2008 10:48:58 GMT -5 Eric O'Mac said:

Blitz, if you trade me your stance on vote trading, I'll trade you my wit and charm.

What do ya say? Can I count on your vote?

Don't forget to get an idea out of that trade, sir! :-D

Hey! It's a *kickass* idea. We aren't just trading simple ideas, but faster, better, smarter ideas ;D

[Batman]

Man, I'm shocked nobody's voting against showdowns, even just to be a dick.

You probably already know this, but I FREAKIN' love Showdowns. I love trying to sway people over to my side, win or lose. You know the old Wide World of Sport saying, "the thrill of victory, the agony of defeat." It gets the adrenaline going either way.

I haven't been participating all that much lately because tag teams and comedians just aren't subjects I feel that strongly about. But once we get to something I have a real passion about again, I'll be back.

Even though I've done it occasionally, I agree that vote-trading is gay. But it's one of those things that is pointless to outlaw. If someone feels that strongly that their guy deserves to advance, they're going to do what they can to make it happen. DQing vote trades just means that people would arrange them via PM or IM instead of on the board.

Stu: I've seen those movies, I just didn't like them that much. I sought out Woo's legendary HK movies because I enjoyed Broken Arrow that much. They're just too melodramatic and stylized for me. I think in Broken Arrow he was encouraged (by Raimi?) to tone some of that down and Americanize his style with some High-Noon good vs. evil. By the time he made FaceOff I think he was back to his old self, and Broken Arrow is still my favorite of his movies. And yes, I realize that makes me an incredible philistine. What can you do?