49 minutes ago, IsaanT said:

If posters would only talk to others as though they were in front of them in a pub/bar, almost all problems would go overnight.

That's ridiculous, there are bar fights all the time 😊 A pub/bar isn't some kind of reference point representing the ideal environment for communication.

There are a few really repugnant trolls that spoil things and possibly cause others to leave. The irony is that, even though quite a few members respond to those few very negatively, they seem oblivious to their toxic impact. They always act as if it’s the other people who are the problem and not themselves. One in particular that I’m thinking of, the majority of the nasty, personal things that he/she/it says to others are nearly all troubled self-confessions. I think, more broadly, you have some seriously emotionally disturbed entities that really need to go off and sort themselves out. Some of the vitriol as of late is really disheartening.

6 hours ago, HappyExpat57 said:

Those of us who were around in the ThaiVisa days remember how it used to be a kinder, friendlier place to post. Things started getting nasty for reasons we're not allowed to mention and there was a mass exodus of members to TheThaiger. When Thaiger assimilated ThaiVisa to become the monstrosity it is now, it brought along riffraff who have turned this into a generally hostile environment. I belong to a Facebook group which is primarily like what ThaiVisa used to be. It is moderated fairly and the feedback you get from members is refreshing. Unfortunately, the few alternatives available don't have the membership to make them viable options.

eloquently put. I actually stopped visiting this forum for a year or more recently for the very reasons that you state. I've been a member for 12 years now and the tone has deteriorated palatably in the last 3 or 4 years. I came back recently in the hope things might have improved somewhat. They haven't, so I might just disappear once again. Some will be pleased, I'm sue, but I can live without them.

27 minutes ago, novacova said:

Yet you failed to see the humor in my response.

I believe you failed to see the humor in mine. Did you (censored) notice it in my first comment? 😄

On 8/12/2026 at 7:06 AM, PhilipHabib said:

it's some impotent gay dude who probably saves up for a 2 week visit every year

Yet post about 50 per day.

The forum is trash now

Yeah, the forum is trash now, because your comments have contributed substantially to it🤫🤫🤫

The polarization in modern society has been getting worse and worse. There are far too many people who want to kill those on the other side of politics. The amount of hatred and intolerance is much, much worse than when I was younger.

15 hours ago, Yagoda said:

the nazi enemy deserves to be hated.

Self loathing is a terrible thing Yogoda.

1 hour ago, WDSmart said:

I believe you failed to see the humor in mine. Did you (censored) notice it in my first comment? 😄

No, it was recognized and reciprocated. 5-5!

12 minutes ago, technoronin said:

The polarization in modern society has been getting worse and worse. There are far too many people who want to kill those on the other side of politics. The amount of hatred and intolerance is much, much worse than when I was younger.

You think too much.

33 minutes ago, novacova said:

No, it was recognized and reciprocated. 5-5!

Thanks!! What would you have thought if I'd gone ahead and posted a lengthy diatribe using a lot of racist, demeaning, repugnant language? 🤔 Do you think you would have accepted it as just sarcasm?

55 minutes ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Self loathing is a terrible thing Yogoda.

That thing is one of the worst...

Oh dear..now we have @Hummin following me around adding negative emojis because he didn't like what I wrote, but doesn't want to expose himself as one who stirs the pot.

With what did you disagree about the pub/bar comment @Hummin? Are you able to form coherent sentences(without the aid of AI) and without sniping and calling names?

Edited August 13Aug 13 by IsmeUno

3 hours ago, AustinRacing said:

My 50c is regarding quality of articles going down over time. Some regular posters posting nonesense to a point once I notice the name I click away straightaway. On a related topic I’ve also notice regularly that some article links either are directed to another topic or just not linked at all.

Why would I click on a link posted by an anonymous stranger, which may even be malicious?

Copy and paste the essentials supporting whatever is being claimed.

49 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

What would you have thought if I'd gone ahead and posted a lengthy diatribe using a lot of racist, demeaning, repugnant language?

Well that entirely depends on the context and won’t assess anything without seeing it first.

51 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Do you think you would have accepted it as just sarcasm?

Have no idea, depending on the level of creativity and subtileness, and depending on that it would be reciprocated by equal or greater measure exposing the error of your ways in hopes to make your eyes shockingly pop out so others can get a kick out of it.

So why don’t you just go ahead and post it, word for word and get it out of your system.

Post breaking forum rules removed @IsmeUno

Rule 13. You will not publicly comment on moderation in an open forum. You will not comment on actions taken by individual moderators or on specific or general policies and issues. You will not post a negative emoticon in response to a public notice made by a moderator. You may send a private message to a moderator to discuss individual actions or you can email support (at) aseannow.com to discuss moderation policy and account suspensions.You will not block communication from moderators or Admin.

Aggression, personal attacks, derogatiry comments or any form of abuse toward moderators, Admin, or this forum in general will not be tolerated and will result in strict consequences.

There is absolutely no excuse for abusive behavior.

5 hours ago, IsaanT said:

I appear to be relatively new to this forum, having only been in Thailand for around three years now.

For me, it's mostly about engagement: I am happy to engage in reasonable threads; I may read but stay silent on the unreasonable ones. In fairness, I haven't always been so disciplined but I've learnt that you can't change a troll so you're wasting your time if you try.

The forum is what we make it. If posters would only talk to others as though they were in front of them in a pub/bar, almost all problems would go overnight.

And if someone posts something unreasonable or toxic, walk away and don't respond. They only thrive if you react, so just don't.

Lastly, I observe that many things in life have cycles. This forum will be no different. There is a genuine desire for all of us to converse, discuss and enquire so it will always be here, and I am reasonably confident it will get good again, as I remember it when I first joined. 🙂

Isn't is amazing what some posters can disagree with? 🤣

18 hours ago, Yagoda said:

they cant

Hi,old friend how are you?

Looking forward to debating with you again soon!

Allow me to put it this way...

When I used to do events in London and Ibiza, it was up to me to attract the kind of people that I wanted to see there and for them to have the best time possible, in that they would tell their friends and keep on returning.

If the issue here was with Trolls, then the Ignore button would solve that, wouldn't it?

Strangely, my biggest detractors here, don't seem to put/keep me on ignore. Why do you think that might be?

I prefer to speak the truth and to live with the consequences, than to live like a mouse or a spineless coward.

Good to see the usual suspects here with their negatives emojis. Usually it's just those or one liners. Anything longer is usually AI. That's what's happened to the forum.

53 minutes ago, novacova said:

So why don’t you just go ahead and post it, word for word and get it out of your system.

Oh, no! It would only take one moderator to not accept my post as sarcasm to get me suspended.

But, to answer the question at the start of this forum - Yes, I believe that the percentage of contentious postings has increased over the past couple of years. I don't think that's necessarily because now there are more rude people on this site. I think it's because the state of the world, especially in the USA - my home country - has been significantly polarized. This causes a lot of social turmoil, which eventually spills over into these forums.

3 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Oh, no! It would only take one moderator to not accept my post as sarcasm to get me suspended.

But, to answer the question at the start of this forum - Yes, I believe that the percentage of contentious postings has increased over the past couple of years. I don't think that's necessarily because now there are more rude people on this site. I think it's because the state of the world, especially in the USA - my home country - has been significantly polarized. This causes a lot of social turmoil, which eventually spills over into these forums.

The fish rots from the head. That's why more people perceive the USA in a negative light.

7 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

Oh, no! It would only take one moderator to not accept my post as sarcasm to get me suspended.

You either lack creativity or have serious racial issues.

8 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

I don't think that's necessarily because now there are more rude people on this site.

This probably has more to do with perception aside from antisocial personalities which has always existed, has that increased? Perhaps, though empirically it appears so. Some antisocial behaviors begin at the point of being reactive and responding with emotional feelings. It’s not necessary, a response isn’t even required, yet folks obligate themselves to do so, and then they’re off chasing each other’s tails trying to knock the over.

Yet still, some find it offensive and get discombobulated when they’re facing with one who’s holding the line and keeping it real.

Edited August 13Aug 13 by novacova

36 minutes ago, WDSmart said:

This causes a lot of social turmoil, which eventually spills over into these forums.

Half the threads are about Trump and he might be one of the most hated presidents ever or gets the most emotional responses from people more than any other president.

35 minutes ago, IsmeUno said:

The fish rots from the head. That's why more people perceive the USA in a negative light.

I also perceive my country, the USA, in a negative light. It's those who think all that head-rotting is good that I have a problem with.

6 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Half the threads are about Trump and he might be one of the most hated presidents ever or gets the most emotional responses from people more than any other president.

Yes, I hate him and his followers, but my point was that many on these forums support him, which, unfortunately, is their right. It's difficult to have a reasonable conversation with them, and sometimes that's not just their fault but mine as well.

On 8/11/2026 at 7:59 AM, saintdomingo said:

What do you mean by lately?

Genuine post, I am curious about the period of time you feel this change has occurred in.

I've been a member since 2008, I think. There's always been trolls ever since I joined. The best thing is to just ignore them. It's not worth it. Absolute waste of time! You're not gonna change their opinion and trying to reason with them is also a waste of time.

It's definitely gotten worse, though, over the past few years. We definitely have trolls with multiple accounts now and that didn't really seem to have been the case maybe 10, 15 years ago.

Should be a block member function..have that on my other audio forum.

MUTE is a kind of heaven vs toddler fight break-outs on here - as they have nothing much else to lean-into to flex their masculinity.

16 minutes ago, freedomnow said:

Should be a block member function..have that on my other audio forum.

MUTE is a kind of heaven vs toddler fight break-outs on here - as they have nothing much else to lean-into to flex their masculinity.

There is one. Ignore.

4 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

Self loathing is a terrible thing Yogoda.

is that why you come here to be repeatedly humiliated

1 hour ago, jvs said:

Hi,old friend how are you?

Looking forward to debating with you again soon!

you mean you spewing vile nonsense. got it