peer_pressure Dafremen Isn't it funny how even in cyberspace, where we can TRULY change things in the blink of an eye, we fall back on the old tools of society? Take the critics on memo_to_psychobabe. They sit there, wearing their self appointed title of judges, donning their robes and white powdered wigs and then proceed to use the same programming tool that has been used to such great effect against them: Peer pressure. "We think you suck", they say. "You should change your attitude!", they scream. Yet every word out of their mouths that screams what they want, only gives back what they scream out against. The mule kicks to stop the kicking. The dog bites back to stop the biting. The cat scratches to halt the scratching. The pain and the bitterness thrust back at painful bitter words. Where is the reason in that? Where is the example in a handful of monkeys flinging handfuls of crap at each other in an attempt to stop the sh*t flinging? Guilty, as charged I am. I've been down that road my fellow apelings. Question is, will you EVER reach the logical conclusion that I did? Here it is. Here is how you solve the problem that your judgements and your peer pressure and your sh*t flinging will NEVER solve. Here is how you get what you want: I think you are great, each and every one of you. I mean that sincerely and I am sorry that psychobabe bothers you. I'm sorry that I bother you too. Here, throw some more doo-doo if it will make you feel better, I won't throw back. I'm learning a new skill now, I'm standing upright, slowly, but surely...come try it with me. Together we chimps can evolve. Come walk with me, let's give it a try. 021123 ... The Spork umm, 'scuse me, but just a little FYI this blathe is just as much a shining example of someone in a powdered wig and robe with one arm cocked and loaded in the feces-flinging position as anything else. "see how much more civilized and evolved i am than you who dare to criticize others - this privilege is mine! mine, MINE! i say and all who would dare do the same are inferior to me" i'm not buying what you're selling, daf and everytime you climb this little pedestal from which you like to fling your own batches of judgement down on the rest of us "apelings" (yeah, that was a nice touch, Rog... class, real class) i will winch a rope to it just for the privilege of trying to shake you down off of it with little doses of your own game yes indeedy, sister mary sunshine, i think i am gonna have me a grand old time. 021123 ... Jarec those who judge open themselves up to judgement hurting others is always a bad thing, but sometimes being hurt is the only way to learn toddlers have that concept down, its amazing how we forget the easiest lessons in life the whole "do unto others..." concept is one that should still apply, nobody will ever be above it on my world 021124 ... pilgrim The Deer that Looks different is the one that stands out from the Herd, Consequently It is The One That is Targeted as Lunch. So Deer Try to Emulate Each other, thereby Breeding and Surviving. It Is The Way of Things. The Civil Veneer That We Wear Serves the Same Purpose, I Suppose, Although Rudeness is often Paraded around as Harsh Honesty,There is an Unfortunate side effect of this Behavior. We are Witnessing a rise in Rudeness, as we Emulate the New Normality. Courtesy and Compassion becoming The "Odd" Behavior, A Sign of Weakness rather than a Virtue. Nuclear Reactions are Controled by Absorbtion Rods Inserted Among the Fuel Rods in the Pile. The Absorbtion Rods Soak up the Free Radiation given off by the Uranium Fuel, Pull out the Absorbtion Rods and The Uranium has to take the Radiation, Knocking even More Energy loose, This is an Escalating Process which Ultimatly causes The Pile to Self Destruct. In Humanity This can be Seen as the Mob Mentality. People become Frustrated or Angry and get vocal about it. If there are Enough People around that Remain Calm and Rational it will soon Die Down, But if the number of angry people is large enough, Then the crouwd Feeds on It's Own Energy and You get a Full Blown Riot on Your Hands. Hurling Insults is a Sad Substitute For Rational Dialog. But I Suppose It Is The Way of Things. 021124 ... Dafremen It's sad Spork, that's all. I don't look down on you, no...I would have you stand on my shoulders and climb out of this muck with me. It's intolerable and no longer serves any useful purpose for any of us. (It used to be a defensive filtering mechanism for me..I thought you had picked up on that, but it was a rather obscure and convoluted defense, so you couldn't be blamed if you didn't.) I guess the real joke is on both of us, isn't it though? Me because I couldn't sell you sincerity if I had it notarized, and you because you're still seeing a monster after the mask has been removed and the tiny man underneath it stands in front of you, hands at his sides. In any event I suppose that's all my fault. The above words are what they are, whether I spoke them or not...you know that. They are true and truth doesn't need my permission, my recommendation or the presence of my opinion. It stands on its own two feet. 021124 ... the spork pilgrim, you've touched on a key point. rudeness paraded as harsh honesty my gripe with you, Daffy, is that after mucking through so many of your blathes and seeing all the times your brand of "help" just caused a lot more insult than inspiration i felt that it was necessary for me to switch gears and become your antithesis instead of just the wiseass commentator on the ways of the world in my mind, daffy it was a welcome relief when you, as you put it, took your mask off. like i said, i was getting to like that guy, he was getting to be kinda cool and to be honest i rather dig your poetry but jesus-h-tapdancing-christ-driving-through-Vegas-in-a-hamster-powered-neon-lit-chariot, man the last couple of days it has looked like you had gone and put that mask back on and shined it up with a fresh coat of whatever substance it was that made the old daffy so irritating the difference between us is that we have probably both been down a lot of the same roads with just a few divergences, but where you thought you could help anyone by mocking them, i would have rather tried empathizing with them i don't share the angst that a lot of blatherers seem to have, i've been down my hard roads already and found what i needed and since none of the help that got me there involved being belittled or made fun of when i was down, i couldn't stomach seeing how you played your games. i don't need to be lifted out of the muck, i climbed out of the dangerous depths years ago, but as far down as i was under it, i had to come up easy to decompress, you with your bizarre brand of "helpful" would see them yanked out with such velocity as to cause them get the psychological equivalent of "the bends" (it creates greater internal conflict and distress when the unhappy person is made to wear a falsely happy mask for the sake of avoiding external conflicts - and if anything it always seemed like you were running around trying to staple happy masks onto people) if now you feel hurt that your own exercises have seemingly come back to haunt you in such a negative manner, i should like to say i'm sorry, but i can't and yes, that is sad. i would have like to have buried the hatchet, but there was never a hatchet, just a rake. 021124 ... bethany i'd like to provide you with a cold glass of milk if ya needed one like with some cookies 021124 ... Dafremen Dafremen was cancelled man...didn't you hear? I think you and I are more alike than we should probably admit. There was no truth to mean-spirited Dafremen. There's was just me trying something. I know that sounds like another of Dafremen's B.S. lines, but I swear to you, it's not. You sound a LOT like me and I've got folks that I hang out with for hours at a time day after day (Quake2 is a drug...I'm hooked) who have known me for over 6 years online that will vouch for what I'm saying here. I'm about as empathetic as they come. None of the stuff you say that you disliked, was real..it was all a reflection of something that I was trying to project to see who would see through it. I tend to look at grumpy people and think "how sad", because I'm not grumpy or cynical at all...not even a bit. (Ok when my son spilled the coffee down my monitor I got a bit pissed, but you know...) I wanted to see if it was an adequate defense against hurt. I needed to play the role because I was very curious. Let's bury that stupid rake....IF you can believe that this isn't a bunch of lines, but this is REALLY me. (Please don't make me get independent witnesses and a notary public man...I'm done with the experiment and I mean that...k?) I don't mind consequences, but I'm also not the kind to throw good people away, or let them throw me away if I can help it. 021125 ... the spork i'll go along with that, but just remember, i'm watching you. if i smell one of those shit-rake episodes coming on, so help me, i will be on you like white on rice. i haven't been too much for FP-shooters lately, though i do like them....i'm salivating for Doom III (man, if you had seen the screens and vids from this years E3 show you'd know what i mean - slowed down the action but jacked up the suspense and some of the difficulty) until then, i have been feeling very zen and honing my mah_jongg skills Red Faction isn't a bad play either (rail gun is slower than strom thurmond on a cold day on the reload - but you can use its scope to see and shoot through walls which is cute) alright, daffy, the rake and the shit are buried. for now, here's to detente. 021125 ... Dafremen I assure you, the experiment is done. As for the Q2...meet my people and you'll be hooked all over again. It's something beautiful. 021126 ... yenaldlosi as opposed to pier_pressure 021126 ... lulie It makes her feel insecure, doubting herself. She flew fine up to now. 021127 ... jey music 030505 what's it to you? who go blather from