On message boards, it is easy to get carried away and use rough language with or say insensitive things to people who seem incoherent or who cannot let go of certain issues. However, I can't help but think, what if that person's repetitive or annoying self-expression is not a prank? For instance, what if that person has a substance abuse or mental health problem? What if my criticizing that person causes that person to go over the edge and harm him/herself or others? Do I want to have to deal with such a potential burden?

I think we saw that a bit with Wayne. (And he WAS a postman.)

There is another feller here that I'm concerned about -- something is up.

I think this is a good topic for discussion.

All of those possiblities should be taken into consideration by anyone who uses them to gauge a person. People offer and take away different things in here. I don't think it's any different than any other kind of interaction. But if someone that I am trying to have a conversation with just skips along as if there is nothing to be heard, listened to or reasoned with other than what they think - or how they view the world - then it should be called out. Or at least admitted.

I'll start;

I'm not nearly as smart as I think I am.

There. Now you know that I know it.

I also know that I know I sound like a snob. It bugs me 20 times more than it bugs any of you and I swear I try and keep that in check. I have deleted a lot of stuff - and I have been weak and let more than I should stand. Pure pride and momentum.

I can be a hypocrite.

I can also to WAY too pointed and lack perspective or even some grace or charity.

If I am the cause of anyone's thoughts to turn to think about doing ANY harm, I will back off and out and sincerely apologize and won't be defensive or come up with excuses. And frankly, I should be called out for it. Specifically. I write so much differently than I speak. I should try and temper myself without having to be taken aside like a little child. I should be man enough to see it, fix it, and NOT DO IT AGAIN.

I've gotten lazy and careless around here. It's wrong and even cowardly sometimes. It's SO easy to have a vocabulary to hide behind.

I need to get my shit together. I'm ashamed sometimes - like now. This is all wrong to do to another person on any level for any reason.

I am wrong a lot.

I think I'm just gonna step up with CJ and agree with the lot of it.

We all suck --it's just different for each of us.

Alfredo, I don't think that kind of burden is easy to carry. It's most often not wise either, so NO.

..on the other hand!

If you are SURE, then maybe. All depends on what the end game is.

I think Murlow had a mental health issue.

I just ran across the case I think is being talked about here.

In this case, I would say NO to carrying that burden. The end game is highly likely to not have a good result. Out of respect for that contributor, I'm going to leave it there and say I would give them a pass.

We all will get there some day.

Without getting too specific, the person that I was thinking is somebody on the other side of the board who--if he acted a bit more reasonable and personable--is probably somebody with whom I would enjoy throwing back a few beers.

Herb?

No, I don't smoke it.

>>We all will get there some day.

Exactly. Sometimes people have issues beyond their control, and as the first generation of internet users age we may see an increase in ... well ... interesting posts.

At the same time we have to be careful not to make assumptions about why some posters act the way they do. To say we don't have all the information would be an understatement.

Without getting too specific, the person that I was thinking is somebody on the other side of the board who--if he acted a bit more reasonable and personable--is probably somebody with whom I would enjoy throwing back a few beers.

Author: Beano
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 11:06 pm


Herb?

Author: Randy_in_eugene
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - 11:48 pm


No, I don't smoke it.

ROFLMFAO

I find avoidance of those topics I know there will be no resolution to and/or getting the other person to see a different point of view to be the best option. Certain people on here post in order to incite a reaction. I think some people thrive on the negative responses that their writings produce and that if people actually ignored them could do harm due to lack of attention. So just Temper what you say in response to who is posting it. We pretty much know who has a thick hide around here and who thrives on the negative. The best method to deal with a "Flame Warrior" is to not stoke the fire.

As long as it's Stella Artois on tap.

Herb

"There is another feller here that I'm concerned about -- something is up. "

Who?

Great topic, Alfredo. You guys all have me laughing!

Chickenjuggler, you expressed it perfectly, and I feel dumb for expanding on it.

Too often, I can slip into writer mode rather than conversation mode. I drop a fact bomb into the mix. It reads real nice, but it doesn't feel warm. It can unintentionally kill the most valuable element: dialogue. They are never meant to grind stuff to a halt, just to give a good shove onward, but it can backfire on me. The dreaded threadkiller.

I like everybody here, and yes, if I smell a lie, I get a bit bent out of shape sometimes. It can be good to step back and bring the funny like Darktemper does. Often, I just get busy with so much other stuff that whatever wasn't cool, is cool by the time I have a chance to check in again. This is a good thing.

Whatever goes on over there in some of the more spirited threads is usually more fun to watch than join. I might not mean much to the overall industry, but what little work I still have is fun and precious. I am better off out of those frays. Especially if the bent gets personal. Perhaps I am in the minority, but I think that there is nothing funny about witnessing a career suicide. In this economy, it means more than just being met with a shoebox of crap, a check and a month off to chill out.

I guess that really is the biggie here. Keeping it from getting personal. I guess that basically means that we shouldn't pick on folks when they are down, but it aint always easy to see. I know that I called out Vitalogy and Skybill recently, and we all wrestled with Herb on faith. If I knew Bill was a new Grampa with all that surplus of joy and fear, I would have stepped back. It would have been different. Still, it always seems like we could share a cold drink and talk. I certainly hope nobody takes what I say personally, and if they do, we work it out.

There is the underlying layer of mines that spring ideological traps, there is whatever is going on in our lives between posts, and there is the urgency of getting thoughts out. That can be a pretty potent combination. I suspect that is pretty universal around here since we are basically using a computer to shoot the bullshit across a toolbox.

I mean, aint we?

I believe that the poster in question refers to the one-time Gene Autry candle in his handle.

The person whom I am thinking of is not Herb. The avoidance strategy that Darktemper suggests is probably the the best way to go. I appreciate your clever use of the word "Temper."

Well, for the record, some of the giants of the faith liked their beer.

We're not all tee-totalers...not that that's a bad thing. But neither is sipping a frosty one, either. From the Web:

'Martin Luther on Beer'

490 years ago yesterday (October 31), Martin Luther posted on the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany, 95 Theses for debate regarding the practices and doctrines of the Roman church. What followed turned into the Protestant Reformation. During Luther's years of preaching and teaching as well as informal conversation, his students wrote down verbatim most of what he said and recorded it in dozens of volumes of "Table Talks." Among the hundreds of astonishing and sometimes controversial things he said (wouldn't you hate it if all your casual conversations were copied and published!?), Luther talked more than a couple of times about beer.

After consuming some bad beer in Dessau, he wrote to his wife Katherine, "Yesterday I drank something which did not agree with me, so that I had to sing: 'If I don’t drink well I have to suffer,' and yet I do like to do it. I said to myself what good wine and beer I have at home, and also what a pretty lady . . ."

On moderation:
"God does not forbid you to drink, as do the Turks; he permits you to drink wine and beer: he does not make a law of it. But do not make a pig of yourself; remain a human being."

On the devil:
"Whenever the devil pesters you, at once seek out the company of friends, drink more, joke and jest, or engage in some form of merriment."

On aging:
"We old folks have to find our cushions and pillows in our tankards. Strong beer is the milk of the old."

On the mode of baptism:
“Besides, the Word [i.e., the Bible] is the principal part of baptism. If in an emergency there’s no water at hand, it doesn’t matter whether water or beer is used.”

And this one was a joke (he didn't actually believe folks get to heaven by being good):
"Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!"

So, let's raise a glass to good old Martin Luther. And may all the Lutherans among us show us how it's done!"

http://beeradvocate.com/forum/read/1132163

The idea of a beer baptism is new to me.

I nominate Deane as the wacko here.

I don't think the point of this thread was to name anyone or discuss who might be alcoholic.

The real issue here is there are some that have paid dearly for their involvement here over the years. Others have underestimated the people behind the post names. Even more have infuriated others unintentionally.

A few people here have met each other face-to-face in a friendly setting at least once. Not everyone has.

Really, there's no way of knowing if someone has some sort of issue on an online venue. We run the risk of ignoring them and bad things happen. We also run the risk of trying to find out what's wrong and bad things happen. No way of knowing if doing either result in good things happening.

On another message board several years ago, there was a poster who was obsessed with only a few topics, and would start new threads constantly about the same things. As I understand, it turned out to be someone in a closed door (meaning no exit privileges) group home where they were allowed internet access. Going online was their only connection to the rest of the world, and they didn't understand the world wasn't like their group home. Because this person had no way of understanding their participation was unwelcome, the resolution was someone contacting the group home to explain what was going on and what they needed to do since banning them only resulted in the person's return under a different post name.

So I guess my point is sometimes you can do something, sometimes you can't. It's a crazy, sad world we live in.

And, one last thought... what if everyone here who was genuinely concerned with the overall mental health of the community made the time to spend even one hour a week to volunteer for some organization that works with people that are physically and/or mentally disabled? Doesn't even have to be with their clients themselves, many of these places if there's some sort of behind the scenes work that needs to be done, they're happy someone's willing to take the time. Might not help the exact same person that's behind a post name on a message board, but maybe they have the time to help even one more person in the community (and that person could be someone behind a post name...).

Newflyer hit the nail on the head. The poster who you think might have "issues" could be different than the poster who I might consider to have "issues." Starting a witch hunt is not the right thing to do. My original posting was simply a reflection on the idea that despite PDX Radio being an online community with many participants who choose to hide behind screen names, what we post here could have real consequences. If you will pardon the radio engineering metaphor: it is not safe to use this or other online forums as "dummy loads" to absorb our frustrational energies.

P.S.: Wrapped up in one of my previous postings was a gentle plea for the person whom I had in mind to clean up his act on the board and to join the real community of PDX Radio people that interacts face-to-face.

Yes,I'm a freak.
Yes,I have lots of issues.
Yes,I'm pretty crazy.
Yes,I do smoke it.
Yes,I drink. (not often though.)
Yes,I have sex,and lots of it.
Yes,I eat MEAT. (none of that tofu-crap for me!)
No,I can't type or spell.(But I try.)
I'm irrational at times,and can have a quick temper.
But overall,I'm a pretty laid back,easy going guy.

Think that just about covers it for me.

Back to CJ's comment:
"I'm not nearly as smart as I think I am.
There. Now you know that I know it. "

Here's s little line I've heard,that stuck in my head..For whatever reason,I was reminded of it;
"I know I'm stupid,so I must be smarter than you."

/back to lurking

It looks like Monkeyboy has gone banana's.

Speaking of Banana's, Im off to Dairy Queen to get a Banana Split!
Anybody want anything?

I'll have a monkeyhead sundae.

Butterscotch Dip Cone, please!

Oh, and a lime rickey.

You fly, I'll buy?

Lime Ricky is Artic Circle MERKIN! Sheesh!

Or is it someone from England named Ricky?

Oh Snap! I lost my mind.
You're right, Septic Circle.

Lime Ricky , hmmmmmm(is that the name of a drink or a stripper?) And by the way Merkin, have you had a dilly bar at the DQ lately?? They now come prepackaged. Back in the day, they would hand dip them for you.
Today they are pre packed and not made fresh!

Barf! I loved those things! Especially the "red" one. What is that stuff? Wax?

(P.S. My new stripper/karaoke name is Dixie Normus.)