where's JJ?

Who's up for a game of rock, paper, scissors, Spock, squirrel, wolf?

 

Ed, I've been caught up in the debate room more than once. I have mixed feelings about it. In the end, I find I form opinions of people, not on their writing prowess but on their beliefs, which, if I'm trying to improve my writing isn't the best approach. Occasionally I see a topic that catches my eye: I go in swinging, throw a few bottles and quickly leave.

 

Seriously JJ? Come on, the world's smallest violins are playing, just for you. I can't believe you 'apologised' only to continue pretending that you 'didn't mean it like that' and next thing you know, you are a victim of some unfairness. JJ, you have racist views. Own up to it and promise to work on changing. What you said isn't repentance or a genuine apology and I am sure that given time, you'll grace us with another one of your antisocial opinions.

 

Hating the hateful is still hateful. One of the rules in our justice system is that you can't prove intent. I, myself, did not see what @JJ_Maxx (aka @Archias) wrote and I trust @Wreybies to do what is best for the boards, but if this is just going to be a thread about dogging a previous member (any member), well, that's just cowardly and low.

 

Wow, a fellah can't even go for a run!

I think every one has said what they need to say in this thread, including those who were not invited. For that reason, let us all move on to something else, yes?

 

I just want to point out to everyone that member Archias was not actually helping JJ. When I checked the registration, verification and content IP's, they are the same as JJ's. It was a sock-puppet account he's been using since September of last year.

 

Kind of. It's just something some people have done on one forum, so unless you've been on that forum, it's not quite as funny.

 

Any site that would chooss a mod that way would deserve what they get.

And the mod that "won" such a position would deserve the burden,

 

The smart one would be the one that just poisons the gatorade.

 

I've been banned lots of times. Good for him.

 

He shoulda stuck to writing for the short story contest. He was good at that.

 

Actually, in general, I agree with you, although I have no idea what was actually said that caused the ban.

As far as I'm concerned, I can't stand racism, sexism or any of these kinds of things. But as long as a person abides by the rules of online courtesy and doesn't start name-calling or attacking any forum member, I support their right to free speech, and to express any view on general discussion threads.

I totally disagreed with most of JJ's opinions, so I'm not defending his stance in any way. And he very well may have crossed a line regarding how he expressed his views—again, I didn't see the offending post. But I do think it's the thin end of a wedge, to start banning people because of WHAT they believe. If that's what happened.

Like you, @Selbbin, I think it's instructive to hear how people who take a polar-opposite point of view actually construct their arguments. And, like you, I believe this can be a fertile mine of information when it comes to creating characters.

I think we could be on a slippery slope, if we start shutting people down because of what they think and believe, even if these beliefs are abhorrent to the majority. I think their ideas need to see the air, every now and again. Just so 'we' know they're out there, and so they can get yanked up short and forced to defend what are essentially indefensible views. You never know what might take root.

I do tend to trust 'our' mods, though. They seem to tolerate a lot, before whacking down a ban. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on this one.

 

@Selbbin: I'm glad you expanded your previously expressed thought, because I also actually agree with that, though I know this situation may paint in the minds of others that I don't.

Had the banning happened solely on the grounds of an unpopular, marginal or unacceptable point of view or opinion, had that been my driving impetus, logic dictates I would have banned him long ago because opportunities answering to the aforementioned were never lacking. That was not the case. Nor is it the case that his banning occurred for this one post, which seems to be the thought that's jelling.

This one post was the last post in a string of increasingly aggressive behaviors that are part of a storied pattern of behavior that creates more friction in the forum than benefit. During the course of this matter - which I knew full well was going to raise a small storm in and of itself - it came to light that he was also using multiple accounts (other than his wife's account), an offense that by itself warrants banning.

A structure like a forum does not function in complete anarchy. Many of us in this forum are and were members of our .com sister site when they learned that lesson at the hands of Lin Robinson, a member who was allowed to distract that site away from its purpose and venue, divide the forum into camps and destroy it from the inside because of moderation policy that was set to "take action only in case of arson or murder". If you go to that site today, their logo is a phoenix, very representative of what they have gone through and rebuilt at great cost.

 

Not to mention that many people like to express their views just because they know it's going to damage someone else, so while I believe that on any forum (and a writers' forum most of all) freedom of speech is sacred, one must be able to distinguish what is said to express a point of view, and what is said to hurt.

It's not about what we say, but how we say it.

(I don't know what JJ said, and frankly I don't care. I'm just posting my point of view relating to the matter at hand.)

 

No, I hear you, man. You brought up an important point, and again, one which I agree with, so I just wanted to respond.

 

But the wolf would beat everything. There would be no contest. There is a reason you never saw Spock in a small room with a wolf, what would be the point?

 

Wolf chews up paper, chokes on rock, gets stabbed in the neck with scissors, gets the Vulcan death grip from Spock, and dies on an ACME rocket he bought trying to catch the squirrel.

 

Note how the abbreviation for Mod Appreciation Day is MAD.

 

I can hardly wait for The Squirrel to see this...

 

Most mods, both current and former, are, so it works!

The squirrel knows I love him, so it's ok.

 

I like you more and more every day, L'il Dutch Man.

 

Squirrel bites Spock in the jugular vein, he gets hit by car chasing paper being blown by the wind across the road (Thanks Wreybies), he chokes on rock he thinks is an acorn, gets eaten by wolf, and gets taxodermied by red neck with scissors.

 

Good thing I am a bird.