- Jan 27, 2012
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The Hitch said:I dont understand why you would want that, nor why you and Brodeal want to keep giving this other place, free advertisement all the time, by constantly mentioning it.
First of all, keeping opposite opinions away is always dangerous. Now a lot of the pro Sky arguments imo are stupid as is being demonstrated tonight, but so are some of the anti ones i have read on here from some. Either way even if they are wrong, opposite opinions are essential in polishing ones own opinions. Arguments become weak when isolated from opposition, since there is no one to point out flaws. Ive personally moderated many of my own views over the years due to counterarguments, eg I used to believe doping was more prevalent in cycling today than I do now.
But from a pragamitic side I don't think it would be good for your position at all if pro sky opinions left for this other place you bring up.
The Clinic has prestige as the centre for cycling doping discussion and possibly doping discussion in general on the internet. A place where all opinions are welcome and all manner of debate takes place. News gets posted, as it wont be anywhere else (new tests, new interviews with experts- they get no attention in the media), people come to ask questions.
Both a cause and a concequence of this prestige is the fact that a number of people well known with connections in the cycling world have come here.
Betsy posted here, and continues to occasionally pop in. Mike Anderson posted here, and continues to post here, even if not in the clinic.
JV came here a number of times. Race Radio posts here, a lot. To a lesser extent Festinagirl and others.
That they have all posted multiple posts over multiple years speaks to the size of the internet forum.
Now the clinic, already happens to lie more on the suspicion side. I would argue that the reason for this is the same reason why Mike Ashenden and **** Pound are suspicious - because we know a little bit about how doping works, here.
Why would you want to change that and politicize the clinic. It already, seems to annoy some of your more extreme opponents to no end that the clinic has this strong doubt against Sky and so much prestige. Which is why parker has adopted the term "asylum" (how Lance's fans used to refer to this place in 09-10) and tried to force it on the clinic as much as Mambo95 used to.
Ive seen on other sites some of the pro sky crowd seem to obsess about the clinic, discuss how dumb and deluded we are amongst themselves, and ive seen strong anti clinic rants on newspaper comments sections.
All because they know The Clinic is big. These people want all suspicion against their favourite riders silenced. And the way things are now, they don't like.
Weve seen plenty of sky defenders on this forum can behave with honour, even if some of what they post annoys me at times.
Leave the fringes to the fringes. Both sides. This is the clinic. Despite some romanticized nostalgia, namely from Bro Deal every few months, about how its all gone down the drain, strong as it ever was. I was here during the Armstrong wars and its more or less the same.
Open to all, and if anyone wants one sided discussions they can go to smaller circle jerk internet boards no one else visits.
Brilliant post.
