I don't think that Esperanto will ever attract people like him

But to get to 50 million speakers, you need to attract people like him.

sudanglo:But to get to 50 million speakers, you need to attract people like him.

This is the time when we need MBA graduates. Does anyone here know about marketing? How do Esperantists attract more people?

sudanglo:

I don't think that Esperanto will ever attract people like him

But to get to 50 million speakers, you need to attract people like him.

And that's why Esperanto will probably never have 50 million speakers.

nornen:

rikforto:

sudanglo:I quote: Very few people speak it, and most of those that do are odd people.

AD HOMINEM! *ahem* Sorry, I teach rhetoric to high schoolers, and pointing out informal fallacies is basically a reflex at this point.

All joking aside, this is a terrible, unfalsifiable argument and should be treated as such.

It is ad hominem, but nevertheless a fact. Just take a look at the first page of the Vidpunktoj forum here on lernu.

Your first impression is: Oh, so this is a forum there are three groups:

• Westborough baptist church: [Enketo] kiuj estas la plej teruraj pekoj?, [Enketo] Leĝoj pri blasfemo, kial la kristanoj eniros la ĉielon sed la ateistoj ne?, etc
  
• Eastern european employees of different Ministries of Truth: Por kio Putin militprenis provincojn: Abĥaza, Sud-Oseta, Ĉednestra kaj Krimea?, Usono bezonas la militon., etc
  
• An interesting mix of both, i.e. christian warmongers: [Enketo] la okcidentaj atakoj al irako, sirio, libio, ktp. estis necesaj

I think just reading the titles of the hottest threads can be enough to scare away new members.

Whether or not "Ministries of Truth" is synonymous with "warmongers" I really couldn't say, as I know nothing about Ministries of Truth, but I hope you don't honestly think that "Westborough Baptist Church" is synonymous with "Christian". The two categories hardly even overlap. And I am not aware of any Westborough Baptists on this forum.

But in any case, as one who is not gay, vegetarian, atheist, leftist, or interested in political discussions/flamewars, I have to admit to sometimes feeling out of place.

robbkvasnak:I would like to be one of the first posters on here to admit that I am weird - and I am glad that I am. If I were not weird I would be like one of my brothers who are definitely not weird but who are so boring that you probably couldn't have a conversation of more than three sentences with them unless it were about 1) having intercourse with young women (my youngest brother) or 2) American football and beer (my other brother).

For brother 1) Esperanto is nicknamed edzperanto because by learning only 1 language he can chat up hot babes from every country on Earth.

For brother 2) by learning 1 language he can make friends with people from every country on Earth and get access to brands of beer that his English speaking only friends have never heard of.

Bemused:
For brother 1) Esperanto is nicknamed edzperanto because by learning only 1 language he can chat up hot babes from every country on Earth.

For brother 2) by learning 1 language he can make friends with people from every country on Earth and get access to brands of beer that his English speaking only friends have never heard of.

Very nice marketing strategy!

Tell brother 1 to watch this ESPERANTO Night Club

Also, for brother 2, how will he order a beer when he is in a strange country? And, in addition to that, how will he insult the rival football team effectively?

Alkanadi:

Bemused:
For brother 1) Esperanto is nicknamed edzperanto because by learning only 1 language he can chat up hot babes from every country on Earth.

For brother 2) by learning 1 language he can make friends with people from every country on Earth and get access to brands of beer that his English speaking only friends have never heard of.

Very nice marketing strategy!

Tell brother 1 to watch this ESPERANTO Night Club

Also, for brother 2, how will he order a beer when he is in a strange country? And, in addition to that, how will he insult the rival football team effectively?

Brother 2) has no need to leave the comfort of his own sofa.
He can request his new Esperanto speaking international friends to send him beer from their country. Since he has taken the effort to learn their common language they are more likely to grant his request than if he simply expected the whole world to speak English.
He and his new friends can insult football (American football, Gaelic football, Australian football, Rugby (both codes), soccer, etc. ) teams by skype, IM, or any other form of communication they please. As for knowing which match they are insulting at any given time....streaming video.

Polaris:

sudanglo:
I quote: Very few people speak it, and most of those that do are odd people.

(snip, because this is an excellent summary) So I don't know---maybe being "odd" isn't so bad...in fact, it might just be a compliment.

This. All of this. All the interesting, worth getting-to-know people I have ever met are odd in some shape or form. Most of the cleverer, smarter, better educated ones are also the oddest.

If being normal means being satisfied with going through life half asleep, the 'normal' people can keep it. If it means being satisfied with being a monoglot, they can keep it. If it means not being interested in learning things because those things are interesting, not because one has to take an exam, they can keep it.

I am odd, and I'm not ashamed.

johmue:

kaŝperanto:Where is THE (or even A) forum for advanced Esperantists to talk to one another and plot world domination?

Esperanto is a language, not a club. There are lots of activities in Esperanto on the net, but there is not a center of Esperantism. And there won't be such a center. Same as there is no such center for Latvian speakers. Maybe some minority languages like Sorbian do have something like that, but those are often gouvernment supported things.

You can't explore Esperanto from behind your desk. Just like any other ethnos. If you want to explore Esperanto you'd need to travel "into the country" and talk to people. In the Esperanto context "into the country" means first and foremost to the Esperanto meetups.

I'm somewhat inclined to disagree, as Esperanto is different from these other languages at its core. As an Esperantist you are a part of club Esperantujo whether you want to be or not; just like I am a US citizen because I was born in the US. I'm not saying there should be a center of Esperantism, but there should be one place on the net that is "the" standard place to go for advanced Esperanto activities in the same way that Lernu is "the" standard place to go for learning Esperanto.

I would also say our most important group is not those who attend meetings regularly, but those who only have access to Esperanto via the web (I am admittedly biased, as I am a part of this group). Were it not for Lernu I would not be an Esperantist. I'd dare say the majority of Esperantic activity takes place on the web these days, and it will only continue to trend this way. I doubt any Esperantist among us would rather people not hear about the language or see its potential, so why not have an "official" portal at the very least to direct beginners to the various Esperanto communities on the web.

flootzavut:

Polaris:

sudanglo:
I quote: Very few people speak it, and most of those that do are odd people.

(snip, because this is an excellent summary) So I don't know---maybe being "odd" isn't so bad...in fact, it might just be a compliment.

This. All of this. All the interesting, worth getting-to-know people I have ever met are odd in some shape or form. Most of the cleverer, smarter, better educated ones are also the oddest.

If being normal means being satisfied with going through life half asleep, the 'normal' people can keep it. If it means being satisfied with being a monoglot, they can keep it. If it means not being interested in learning things because those things are interesting, not because one has to take an exam, they can keep it.

I am odd, and I'm not ashamed.

It does seem that Esperanto draws a lot of philosophically-inclined individuals. Your disdain for the label "normal" shows your place among our ranks.

I's say a great failing of our society is the lack of philosophical teaching. I truly grieve when I see someone who has wholly succumbed to an "asleep" life. I suppose we are easier to rule when we are all predictable, simple-minded consumers, doing our civic duty in endlessly stimulating the economy until we kick the bucket. It is unfortunate that "The first rule of fight club.." is the only thing people remember from an otherwise enlightening movie/book.