Bal wrote:Hello there! This is just to get your attention.
Normally, I'd feel a little crass responding to all of this, but I kind of feel I have to, since my
'benefit' has been invoked several times over. As a newcomer, but in general, I try to be a bit courteous; for many reasons.
But please do not mistake that courtesy for consent.
I did not consent to have the past petty grudges of the forums dredged up, or a special airing of grievances thread made. I did not request more info on any of these topics, and frankly, I do not care about any of them. I'm sorry if that's cruel, or callous, but trying to follow the timeline of events is exhausting, and of little relevance to the reason I'm here; to talk about things, make new friends, and perhaps even do some good.
Which I think, despite your abrasive commentary, you care about, too. Clearly, these issues matter very deeply to you for you to hold onto them for so many years - but I think it'd be better if you opened with that. Honesty isn't going 'I'm an asshole and I don't care about these things' - then proceeding to do just that. Honesty is saying, without retractions:
Yeah. I
do care, and these
matter.But, unfortunately, though I think your intent is good - not only do I not care, even if I wanted to, you have to understand I can't follow any of this. I'm sorry that Mongrel and Yller are the great adversary, and we must expel them; or that we lost Norondor, who is apparently worth 1 Thad or 4'192'301'495 GigaMongrels.
That said, due to my own experiences of Discord - and with
anyone who uses the term 'subnormal' - the information you provided had the opposite effect on me. Maybe subnormal is a cutesy insult you all throw around here in IRC, but the sort of people I know who use it in reality? I've met them, and I do not particularly care for them. Putting my feelings aside, though, and my experience that anyone who provides unrequested, unedited factoids, without context or history still has opinion, and bias...
I do not care.
And I'm sorry I'm repeating that! But, you've mentioned elsewhere and here that this info was requested - and I assume that's meant to indicate by me.
I did not request this history thread; it was started for my perceived benefit. I did not request other potential threads; one theoretically posted by you. Please do not use my as a reason to continue your grudges, however righteous you may believe your cause.
But I am interested in you; you have a fascinating avatar, and an interesting taste in games; Star Control II is one of my all time favourites (now, when I get around to clicking that link, wait for it to be top ten reasons SCII is the cat's armpits.) But I do not think threads like this have a good success rate for converting people, online, even in the heat of the moment.
However...
If you care enough about issues of people leaving a community, or feeling unsafe, or whatever you felt exiled those people, surely you are active in your own community; and if not, I would be glad to help you get so. The digital world is fun, and a comforting cave, but in the end it is nothing; we turn it off, and forget.
Even writing an attempt to convince someone online is an exercise in futility; you must be careful not to come across as too aggressive, or too cold, so that your words are not screenshotted and given 'unedited' but out-of-context so that third parties might say... "God, fuck her, she sounds like a bitch." You must leave openings, showing that you care - even if you struggle with that emotion, even if you find all human beings unlovable assholes.
Yet - even if you find people as such, isn't it better to try?
To say - well, perhaps I find everyone around me an asshole. But - I've been thinking such things on and off for sixteen years. And maybe they are, and maybe I am.
But I'd like to try to be more than that.
A shiny asshole... If you will!
With all that said, please know that I don't think ill of you, or that you're attempting to stir shit up; and I do appreciate your attempts to keep me, or other folk informed.
That being said - it's the modern era, and it sounds like Norondor really was beloved by this community! I'm sure many would be appreciated if they wrote an e-mail, perhaps, especially if they don't feel comfortable here. I think a great a deal getss lost in communication on someone else's behalf, even with the best of intentions; and if Norondor is fondly regarded, even just a 'I'm alive, fuckos. The year sucks... But I'm doing okay!.." mail might mean the world.
Not to me, though, mind, I'm still lost as hell!..
And on that note, I'd like to politely ask that this thread get closed. Not because I think it's offensive, but simply because I think it really could be better discussed and continued elsewhere, if it must, and I don't particularly like being associated with something I neither asked for nor have any interest in. If that's too much, I understand!.. I'll gladly take a mini-ban in return, though. (I'd rather not, of course!)
