Poll: The Great OcUK DC Census [Poll]

[Joe42]

There are a lot of salesmen in this here thread!

There are a lot of lazy stubbon people who could be helping to find a cure for cancer and helping the team get better who aren't for stupid reasons.

For most people there really is no excuse.

 

[Joe42]

With all due respect, the fact that you know nothing about these people you are complaining about kinda makes your point a little, erm, silly.

I know a lot about them, take a look at the poll. I know over 100 of them can't be bothered to spend 5 minutes to help find a cure for diseases such as cancer.

You've just alienated many users with that display of attitude. If you wish to help your cause, try to be a little more diplomatic.

My cause?
Everyone knows someone who has suffered from Alzheimer's, Mad Cow (BSE), CJD, ALS, Huntington's, Parkinson's disease, or Cancer. Off the top of my head i can think of one family member who died of Parkinson's disease, one who died of cancer and one who is currently suffering from and is likely to die of cancer. Forget the competative side, thats just a bonus, thats what keeps you folding if you get bored with it, the medical reaserch is what really counts.

Is it unreasonable to criticise people who 'can't be bothered' to spend a couple of minutes of their life setting up folding which will use their spare cpu time to try and find a cure for those diseases?

This poll was created to try and understand why people don't want to fold, and many people have a very good reason why they can't, being too lazy to set it up isn't one of them.

 

[Joe42]

Yeap, your right, a 14-option poll does tell a lot about someone.

I'm fine with your reasons for doing it, but attacking others isn't really cricket.

You feel its unjustified to criticise someone who cannot be bothered to spend 5 minutes of their time to help cure diseases?

I don't understand what you mean, what else would i need to know about someone to justify criticising them for not folding, other than the fact they can't be bothered? If they had another reason, they would have voted for it.

I fold for someone else, you've made me feel like I'm cheating on you.

Your still helping the medical reaserch so thats great.

 

[Joe42]

It's the fact that people help in their own way and really don't need flack when they don't 'fold'.

If you said 'i donate to cancer reaserch instead' that would be fine by me. Perhaps that option should have been added to the poll. But surely someone in that position wouldn't have voted for the 'i can't be bothered' option?
The point is, it really costs nothing to fold and most people can help.
How do you help in your own way?

Sorry if i'm getting a little annoyed here, but when i put this much time and effort into making it easy for people, its a little annoying when people can't even be bothered to read my post. It took a long time and a lot of thought to write that and devise the poll options, and some people can't even be bothered to read it, let alone set up folding...

 

[Joe42]

Your probably right, but its called folding because its protein folding. How anyone is supposed to know its 'using your pc to help medical reaserch' i don't know.
Thats why we do these threads, to raise awareness of what it is, how it works, and to make it easy for people to do it.

 

[Joe42]

Perhaps i should have included another option for 'i do something other than a boinc project or folding'.
Although if its a distrubited computing project i'm curious as to what it is, and if it isn't you can probably do folding aswell...
Or is it because you feel you spend time on something else with similar goals to folding and that should be instead?
Thats fair enough, although the point about folding is it doesn't really take a any time at all to set up.

If you feel the money spent for the extra power folding uses is better spent on another cause then thats understandable, but there was an option for 'uses too much power'.

Just curious.

 

[Joe42]

It might be a bit late now but I think an option that says something along the lines of "I don't want to" would be useful.

SiriusB

The problem with that is it wouldn't tell us much, and it woudn't make people think of a good reason why they aren't folding. I would rather know that people can't be bothered.

 

[Joe42]

Fair enough. But there is some effort involved in both of those, and there isn't really in folding.
You can't compare folding with bone marrow donation, which apparently is quite painful. Were talking about setting up a small program here, not sticking a needle in your arm.

 

[Joe42]

Thats certainly an intersting point, and puts a different perspective on things.
But i don't think you can compare a process which takes an hour and involves sticking a needle in your arm to setting up a piece of software that takes a couple of minutes and doesn't involve any pain or inconvinience.

Imagine if you did a poll called 'why aren't you giving blood?'. With relevant options. I would say someone would be more justified to vote 'i can't be bothered' on that poll than this one, because it is considerably more effort and involves pain. Is that not a fact?

However, i would vote either for the 'i have a fear of needles' option or the 'i am afraid of the pain' option. Those are logical and understandable reasons in the same way that the 'my pc runs too hot/uses too much power' option in this poll is a logical and understandable reason and while i would urge those who voted that option to do something about i if they can, i would not attack them or criticise them in any way if they could not.

Would you not also find it disheartening if the majority of people voted 'i can't be bothered' in your poll, did not read the post that took you ages to write and basically couldn't care less?

 

[Joe42]

My answer is simple.

I dont want to, and thats the reason just like I dont give blood or bone marrow or any thing else they want to get.

My life is mine and and if I decide I want to give I shall. I dont feel the need to justify myself to you.

Perhaps there should have been the option saying I dont care hence I dont fold.

This thread exists to challenge your reasons for not wanting to. Certainly the discussion about blood donation has made me think of two reasons why i don't donate blood.

I think i'm justified in criticising you for not caring about finding a cure for cancer. Surely you must know of someone who has suffered from cancer, and is that not enough to justify folding?
I think i'm also justified in calling you selfish for not even considering either giving blood or folding and not thinking of a logical reason for it. Am i not?

As you say, its your life and your choice, but i am entirely justified to criticise it.

 

[Joe42]

Giving blood doesn't involve any pain. As for inconvenience, it's maybe an hour every few months. I'd also argue strongly that there are far greater benefits to giving blood. Therefore if you compare the amount of effort required for each, and the benefits each has I'd say that you need more effort for less benefits with folding.

So trying to find a cure for cancer isn't really beneficial in your opinion?

No, as I've already said giving blood doesn't hurt. Also, given that if you're involved in an accident and needed blood, you'd be extremely bothered about it. I can't think of one situation where folding is likely to have a tangible benefit to myself or others however.

Your not planning on getting cancer then.

Prehaps, but I wouldn't attempt to get round this by pretty much insulting people.

I haven't.

And to answer your question no one off our family or anyone I know has died of cancer.
although my grandad just died last night of old age.

Lucky you. Mine is currently suffering from cancer and is likely to die in an unpleasant and undignified way as a result. At least if i fold it might help find a cure so that one day no-one has to go through that.

 

[Joe42]

 

[Joe42]

I don't want to make this mess any worse but at the same time i don't want to leave people with a bad taste in their mouth. Apologies to anyone i have offended.

Lets get one thing straight, the words i used were 'stubborn and lazy', hardly the most offensive words in the dictionary, but since they did cause offence i apologise, and i'll say it more tactfully, i remain critical of people who don't fold because they can't be bothered or because they 'don't want to' for no discernable reason. That is not a personal attack on anyone, but it is my view and i do have very good reasons for having that view which i have explained.

Your just going to have to live with it, since you say you've lost respect for me anyway that shouldn't be a problem. Can we leave the sc style rubbish and personal attacks on me out of it now please, whatever your views.

Joe42 is obviously facing a personally unpleasant time

The personal attacks don't make life any easier but thanks for your concern, and apologies for any offence caused.

It seems some people would rather be dragged through the gates of hell backwards than fold, so, click here to be dragged through the gates of hell backwards, or click here to fold.

 

[Joe42]

<snip>

Well i'm confused...
You care deeply about cancer, you've lost loved ones to cancer, but you won't spend a tiny amount of time and effort setting up folding which is likely to be beneficial, and you can't provide a logical reason for that?
Even if its not beneficial, the time and effort involved is so small its no great waste, and your still helping the team by doing it.

That's what I found offensive, Joe. It's the inference, repeated several times, that those that don't fold don't care

Is that not a logical conclusion to come to given the above? I apologise that it was an incorrect conclusion, but i cannot apologise for arriving at that conclusion.

But there are other ways of expressing that, and doing your bit in the fight against cancer. How would you feel, given your circumstances, if someone said you didn't care because you hadn't donated to cancer charities, or McMillan nurses, or Sue Ryder cancer hospices, and so on?

I would provide a valid and logical reason for not doing it, such as i cannot afford it or i perfer to donate to another equailly valid cause.
Folding is different, because it requires almost no effort and money, but if you said you were not folding because it was too much effort or the tiny extra cost was too high, i would accept that.