In reply to:

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There's a difference between the inane blethering and bleating about stuff that happened here ages ago that only you remember that makes up, oh, let's say a bad 40% of your posts, and this sort of automobile accident entertainment.

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LOL.

Shelle, I’d been thinking for a few days (and composing the following in my head) that I should post a message to you to say this:



Shelle, as you’re a newbie I don’t know if you’re a real person or just another one of Monkeyboy’s or Strawman’s alters but, assuming that you are a real person, can I suggest that, instead of relying on someone else’s opinion, you discover things for yourself?

Try clicking on my screen name, 96dbFreak, at the top of this post. This will take you to my profile where you can then click on the Show all user’s posts link. If you then read, at random, through the posts I’ve made you can see that more often than not the nature of my posts is relevant to the topic under discussion, helping people with answers to questions, agreeing or disagreeing with an opinion expressed, expressing my own opinion, etc. Occasionally you might come across a post where I’m being nasty. In some cases, particularly nasty. If you look deeper, at the previous posts to which I’m responding, you’ll see that I’m responding in kind to the nastiness of others.

I was looking for a particular thread to illustrate a point the other day and I discovered that, before about July 03, Coffee Shop posts have been archived, so a lot of the roots of these arguments are no longer viewable. Nevertheless, the schoolyard bully behaviour of a certain clique (whom I’ve dubbed “puppies”) at this site should become apparent, particularly if you repeat the exercise by checking out their posting history.

You might also notice that there are large gaps in the frequency of my posts. I spent a long time trying to counter the behaviour of these people, but it’s an uphill struggle since they’re particularly belligerent. I began to find it almost impossible to make regular posts without the puppy gang launching some unprovoked attack. It gets boring after a long while. Many good posters have quit because they were bullied out of here by these people. Others are too afraid to speak out (publicly) for fear of being targeted by the bully-boys (and girls, in some cases). Eventually one gets bored with having to reiterate the same tired old arguments about the same bollocks by the same deadheads, so I gave up.

I still lurk occasionally and that was how I saw, in this thread, mention of my name: R/R suggesting that NomDePlume is me (he/she isn’t). I responded and the next thing we know one of the psychos is suggesting that I sexually molest my children. Do you know anyone with kids? How do you think they’d react if you, baselessly, suggested that about them? Is it any wonder I fight back? Of course, I’m being just as Pavlovian as they, responding to the ringing bell, but I occasionally (and especially after a long layoff) find it entertaining to push their buttons and see if they react in the expected manner (which of course they do). They do the same with me.

The “dossier” to which Marquis refers is a Word file that I have where I’ve recorded information (which alter is which, real names etc) about these people. It sometimes proves a valuable resource in countering their excesses. I work as a technical writer and business analyst, so recording useful information in second nature to me. The bully boys find this amusing, but I suppose if your working life consists of flipping burgers or taking cash at the checkout in a gas station or supermarket (not that there’s anything wrong with that), you don’t really need to take notes.

My point is that you shouldn’t rely on the opinions of others, but make up your own mind, independently. Don’t be a sheep (or a puppy). Don’t take their word for it, form your own opinion.



I was going to write that stuff to you, but I see from your most recent posts that you’re clearly capable of thinking for yourself and forming your own opinion. Good on you. But watch out for the puppies, they’ll probably think you’re me now.

Stu
Get Bowie Back Downunder