posted
I admit I too may have contributed to his departure.
No. I did contribute.
Fuck sake, we should be ashamed of ourselves. Every opportunity we had to take the piss out of something (anything!), he was the one that got attacked/laughed at. That's bullying, pure and simple. He asked us to stop, and very few of us did.
True, he did take things too seriously, and he is no doubt a bit immature for his age, but we certainly didn't provide an environment for his personality to thrive in, did we?
Just because some needed, craved, EXACT explanations for every number he stated, we vilified him.
He was after suffering a lot of hurt in his life. We only furthered that.
I'm with Tahna 100% on this. I feel sorry for the poor devil - our inflexibilty and his excised him.
Yeah, I'm REALLY pissed off at the moment.
------------------ At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.
"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"
Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
Member # 256
posted
It seems to me that everyone here has received his/her (fair?) share of comic relief (I wouldn't know if DS's dosage was "out of the ordinary"; although I have been around since '99, inauguration of new members was not something I payed much attention to - but it is not relevant)... the difference is that Darkstar could not take it very well. I have had a period in my life where the slightest joke would set me off like a Titan V rocket, and (predictably, perhaps) it coincided with some personal difficulties I was experiencing. Darkstar did more or less mention that his life wasn't a happy one, and that Star Trek was his way of escaping reality for a while... he did not seem to be very stable or sure of himself, and I think that under those circumstances our (I made fun of his grammar as well, and mine isn't exactly brilliant) "pestering", which I am sure was not meant offensively, became too much for him to handle. I've seen it happen in real life, with less pleasant consequences.
The problem is, you never know anything about a member until he/she decides to tell you some details, and for that reason I think it is best if people go easy on him/her, until we can be certain that the new visitor won't accidentally take some jokes completely the wrong way...
Just my two Eurocents... (hmm, expensive)
------------------ "Cry havoc and let's slip the dogs of Evil"
posted
Give him time, and he will come back, or not. Much like you did, and I did, and Lee and Siggy and Brandon, and that other dude that lived in Fla, who's name I can't recall at the moment, but he was in college, and doing band, and was busy, but posted every few months, to let us know he was alive.(Maybe that was Bradon)
------------------ I DO NOT ENJOY BOTH GENDERS!!! Ultra Magnus
posted
That guy in Florida in band was yet another member of the Flare community with the first name of "Chris." I can't remember his last name or his screen name, but I remember the school he went to (suprisingly enough) University High School.
As my lengthy disappearance, real life interfered in my presence on the boards. Being a college student and the hardest working staff member of the residence halls tends to suck up all free time. So I vanished to take care of business. It certainly wasn't due to any grudges with members of this community.
As for Darkstar, well, there is so much that I can say. It's fairly obvious that he is a deeply troubled young man. In a weird way of thinking, the behavior of members of this board (and I'm not making any judgements or accusations) is probably going to help him. Escaping from reality is nice and dandy; most of us here do it. But it seemed to me that he was spending more time escaping from real life than with dealing with real life. As painful as it is, real life is more important, and I don't think that he was spending much time sorting out and bettering his life. Our driving him away may force him to eventually take a hard look at his life and change it for the better.
When his real life stabilizes and he begins to relax, Darkstar may come back. He may be able to look at his short experience with Flare as a good thing and decide to come back as a productive and interesting member of the community.
------------------ Nic: She's not a practicing lesbian. We need PRACTICING lesbians! Me: I have a camcorder. Nic: But no lesbians. Me: Ahhh... no. Nic: DAMN IT MAN! WE NEED LESBIANS! LOTS AND LOTS OF LESBIANS!
posted
I wasn't apologising. I was bollocking off in whichever direction my ineffable fury took me.
This is an apology: SORRY.
Just so everyone knows what one looks like.
Christ, but I'm in foul humour.
------------------ At that point, McDonald fired his gun three times in the air to emphasize his point. The crowd, estimated at 350,000, loudly cheered the new candidate.
"Let me make this clear: I am the law! I am your ruler! And you will have fries with that, motherf*cker!"
While Darkstar's passing from these forums came as a bit of a suprise upon my return to these forums, it was hardly unanticipated by me. Several times the Dark one had threatened to leave, giving us several rants about his poor feelings being hurt. Nevertheless, despite the fact that several of us gave REAL reasons as why we had problems with his posts, and advice on self-improvement, the overall nature and directions of his behavior never altered, making such an occurrance, in my opinion, inevitable,
As for myself, I am unaware of having said anything that wasn't true, or that I should in the least bit feel sorry for.
Therefore, I will decline your gracious invitation to joing the breast-beating guiltfest.
Sincerely, First of Two
------------------ The government that seems the most unwise, oft goodness to the people best supplies. That which is meddling, touching everything, will work but ill, and disappointment bring. - The Tao Te Ching
posted
Aiight! I'ma cut it to you straight and clear, it was DEFINITELY your fault(all of y'all). Because you've managed to insult me(not easily done) on quite a few occasions, but I took it(and dished some back) under the understanding that it was a joke. It was not a very pleasant joke though, I can see how someone who has problems in his life would be offended by this, and I am greatly offended by the post of First of Two, because he/she could have showed some common decency instead of saying what he/she did.
Remember one thing, the users that come here are honouring this board by coming, they have a lot of boards to pick fro, so I fail to see why they should stay here against insults. When a newbie appears you make him/her feel welcome, most people fail to do that.
------------------ "Well if it's gonna be that kind of a party, I'm putting my dick in the mashed potatoes!"
posted
There is no one more loving than I, at least no one who is not currently employed by PBS. But I must say that no one "has" to post here, or anywhere for that matter. While I am not condoning the actions of anyone anywhere at any time, I must say that we are what we are, and people are free to accept or reject us as they please.
Sorry, infinity, I refuse to feel guilt for things I didn't do. I didn't cause Darkstar to type half his posts in all-caps, to abstain from the use of legibility, or to employ virtually every nauseating fanboy modus operandi in the book.
NOR did I make some of his more "humorous" sayings a part of my signature, post mock-fanboy replies to most of his posts, or belittle him publicly.
We are each and all responsible for our own actions. there is NO SUCH THING as 'collective guilt' outside of a hive mind... which this place most certainly is not.
Now, you want to pick out individual people whom you think might have contributed to this and take them to task, fine and good. MY post was a reply to the thought that we were somehow 'all' responsible. (I wonder if that includes the lurkers and other newbies who never posted? Wouldn't that be galacticly stupid?)
------------------ The government that seems the most unwise, oft goodness to the people best supplies. That which is meddling, touching everything, will work but ill, and disappointment bring. - The Tao Te Ching
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