Ok i dont get involved in such debates. But these are my two cents.
I am a very private person. Everybody knows that. I dont communicate via pms. Only on MSN since like Feb and not before that. For the past 2 years i have only posted here. For a muslim posting politics after sept 11th from an anti-american point of view, i was and still am surprised how accepted i am.
As for cliques and stuff. I personally dont associate with any groups, dont want to and never have considered myself part of a group. If anybody says DF, i swear i will rip you apart
Aegis is right about one thing, cliques are part of life. Heck we have 30 students at the program here. The clicques are here as well. We get along well but we trust some more than others. Associate with some more than others, while some have similar interests.
I hang out with the 2 pakistanis and 1 indian. We are a very tight group. We only understand some jokes, we have insider comments and we always speak in the same language. BUT there are 3 russians who are always with us as well. We teach them urdu and translate our jokes when ever they are around. We try to accomdate them.
SYM does the same. They are groups but they are not snobbish. Some people know each other on a personal level, as a newbie you cant be expected to be treated the same. But you have to give it time.
I will give a personal example of what being an SYMer or a GB poster means. I showed up on Argyle and another one signs, the name was Arcane. A poster from GB. We rp meeting up at the crossroads. Now i have never talked to Arcane or even seen him post in SYM. He asked me if i was CM on GB and i said yes. He said he was a GBer as well. The natural reaction was he is a GB poster, we look out for each other. I had a great time playing with him. Great kid. Thought him the ropes and had a good time.
I personally would have never talked to him on the server or anywhere else if i hadnt know he was from GB. Corny i know, but the simple thing is, he was a poster on GB. He was on argyle. The natural reaction was i hang out with him. It was mutual. SYM is a specific example, but the site fosters this type of feeling.
If it was clique orientated that would have never happened.
Damn this got long.
For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun? - Khalil Gibran
"We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!" - Winston Churchill