OK you all seem to have had a say on the heart attack thing and the transgender thing and what have you.
Here is where I stand on things.
The heart attack thing? Not bothered. Yup I had one 18 mths ago. Scary as hell at the time and was unwell for a good while and have bounced back. I am not sensitive about it and I don't feel that in the scheme of the fight it was a lowblow or hurtful or whatever. No real issue with it.
The transgender thing? As far as I am aware Soph is not uncomfortable with his gender and as much as I saw it pissed him off me flaming him over it I do not think he will be crying over it. Were my comments nice? Nope. They weren't meant to be. That said it rates in my book to have the same effect as calling a straight person gay or a man a girl or similarly derisive comments. In themselves pretty incorrect and without force. Sure you can dress them up with clever turns of phrase or nastiness but the underlying concept is at it's base pretty weak. The "power" is in the way the insult is received. Breaking it down to base tacks. If Soph is comfortable with his gender it really doesn't matter. Want confirmation? Pick a fight with someone who is completely comfortable with who they are and dress a similar insult about their neurotype, their sexuality or their gender. See the reaction. Now try the same thing with someone who isn't. The reaction is different the insult the same. The insult as a concept is a weak one. You are something we know you aren't nyuk, nyuk, nyuk. Pretty weak. Certainly not worth the drama or the cries of outrage.
The Paedophile thing? Again I thought in the scheme of things such a comment was in line with what was being thrown around. I was not bothered by it. Am I a Paedophile? No. Do I think I have to justify my position as not being a paedophile? No. Was it a terrible affront? No.
The OCD thing. Raise hands all those on the Spectrum. Keep hands raised all those with weird and embarrassing co-morbids. If you could look at all those in Intensity with hands raised you would see plenty of us spazzes with shitty special talents including Dyslexia, Epilespy, Anxiety Disorders, Depression, Social Aversion and people so wound up with trying desperately to keep some control and routine in their life that the stupidest of things get them melting down, talking to themselves or stimming. What a bunch of retards! That is us. For the most part. (OK Bint gets a pass on this but the point ought to be made). Calling Soph out over this is like a one legged man boasting to another one-legged man how fast they can run and how slow the other is in comparison or maybe how much more sexier their stump is. I may be wrong in how I view this but that is my value judgment.
The my Father being an Alcoholic? So what? He was and I am not going to cry about it. Many people have grown up with angry Alcoholic Dads. Hell I am not an Alcoholic and my kids are not subjected to that. Why then do I care? Shit I think again in the terms of the fight it was a reasonable exchange.
Lily the Dog? Star of much DogSpam? Ok I was more than a little pissed of with constant Lily spam. I am not an animal person and I honestly don't get this bonding to these creatures. I again am not cruel or hostile to them but don't understand why anyone would take a pet knowing it has a short life and thrown emotion and love and bonding and seeing it deteriorate in such a period of time and cope with grief. It makes no sense to me. In my mind it is obviously something a pet owner takes on knowing and is happy accepting and reminding them of this fundamental truth (which, morbid and in bad taste) is not a damning horror. Again that is my take. If I have completely misread this and it is actually more than just mere bad taste and morbidity then any affronted individuals have my apologies.
I think that pretty much covers most of the bases as I see it.
I have no real issue with the shots taken at me nor the ones I dished out. I do have misgivings that it has spread around the board as it has and would have preferred it to have stayed on Zomgaspies. But that was taken out of my hands. I would have preferred if it had have been dropped with my Pm back to Bint. That did not happen. I would have preferred it to have been addressed shortly after by the existing callout. That too did not happen.
I don't see any victims in Bint or me or Soph. I do see that the board has put up with this crap and without the benefit of eye bleach and with the people such as Tiger Girl, Odeon, PPK and Phex caught in the crossfire I do see victims this sits badly with me and this too I apologise for.
As for walking away? I just don't believe in it and I am sure to most of you that seems an immature response or nasty or whatever. If life has taught me nothing else (which many will probably throw your weight behind as a notion
) it has taught me to fight and hold my ground. Not to let others dictate my outcomes or to reinforce the belief that others can get away with doing the wrong thing. That includes an idea that if someone can maintain a holding pattern long enough they don't have to resolve an issue they just have to hold out long enough for others to "walk away" and be "better people". I think it is bullshit.