A quick word on "Overwhelmingly Negative Influences"

[Catholic_Lady]

I have no one on my ignore list, nor I should now and again.

Don't know why I have this particular person on ignore. He wasn't/isn't that important and only sneaked in about a dozen posts or so. But for some reason he made my blood boil like noone else does. When seeing something by him I wanted nothing but insult him. So, that's no base to counter anything and I decided to put him on ignore.

I had a few people on ignore for a couple of months, but that was only back when I was pregnant and not emotionally stable (that's my excuse anyway lol). I don't have anyone on there anymore. I always figure if I dislike a particular member's posts that much (and there are a few), I just usually skip over them or don't respond to them. Meh, live and let live.

[Tiberius]

Thanks to our Patrons we don't spend too much on it, and I've been able to cut the cost down thanks to our hosting company. In the past it cost quite a bit to maintain.

[Minimalist]

Don't know why I have this particular person on ignore. He wasn't/isn't that important and only sneaked in about a dozen posts or so. But for some reason he made my blood boil like noone else does. When seeing something by him I wanted nothing but insult him. So, that's no base to counter anything and I decided to put him on ignore.

I had a few people on ignore for a couple of months, but that was only back when I was pregnant and not emotionally stable (that's my excuse anyway lol). I don't have anyone on there anymore. I always figure if I dislike a particular member's posts that much (and there are a few), I just usually skip over them or don't respond to them. Meh, live and let live.

Pregnant women can get away with a lot.

[robvalue]

Having just freshly kicked myself out of staff like a dingus, I can confirm that it is not an easy job. It requires making decisions which can seem unfair or unreasonable to the casual observer. But the thing is, the staff have to observe everything. Take it all into account. They can't make emotional decisions. They must be even and fair, and having been a part of it for the best part of a year, I have agreed with most of the decisions that have been made.

Of course, staff can make bad decisions, even en masse. They are (mostly) only human, after all. In general, bad decisions are followed by apologies and attempts to rectify the situation in my experience. Where the rules have been shown to be lacking, repairs are made.

I was too hard on them lately, which I regret. I have a lot of respect for them, they do a great job which is mostly invisible. It's kind of like the NHS, you only notice them when they "mess up". It's not fair to judge them solely on these instances and ignore all the time they've kept things running smoothly.

As for Drich... on a personal level, I'm not mad at him because I believe he has no empathy. As such, he literally knows no better. I haven't read very much of what he's written for a long time so I can't comment on whether he deserves to be banned. To me, it's about the way you communicate with people. You can be polite and respectful while sharing disgusting opinions; and you can be extremely rude while sharing nice ones. It's the interaction that's important. This is the difference between discussion and trolling/flaming, for example.

[Shell B]

I understand and appreciate the free speech thing, though at the same time I do feel bad for people who get ganged up on or bullied on here. I guess if it were my own forum I wouldn't ban people for doing those things, but I'd send them a PM just reminding them about treating fellow members with common human decency, despite what their opinions are. Not sure how well that would work without the threat of a ban, but I dunno.

But obviously it is not my forum, and I appreciate what Tibs and the rest of the mods do. Also, Tibs and Shell, I had no idea you guys spent $$ out of your own pockets for this site. Regardless of what my opinions are on this, I can truly appreciate that you guys stuck to what you believe in (free speech), even if that meant losing adds and having to pay for this site yourselves.

I've always found it interesting that it seems the people who complain about the behavior of others are quick to jump on a bullying band wagon. It's okay to say your piece, but even look at this thread. It was actually about a number of situations and it was interpreted to mean Drich, so it's a new place to talk about how much we think Drich should be banned . . . publicly. I don't personally care too much about it, but I can imagine how one of these other members would feel if we all started talking about banning them while openly calling them names. They wouldn't take to the pitchforks very nicely, I'd wager.

Honestly, Tibs did a pretty good job of minimizing the costs very shortly after we were married. He heard of a good hosting service that more than cut the cost in half, which is great. Sure, we still put out a couple of bucks, and too much of his time, if you ask me, but really it's not something that ever bothers us. Hobbies cost money, and we have plenty of hobbies that cost more than this forum. We only raised the point because we wanted it clear that pulling donations will never be an impetus for Tibs to influence a staff decision. Also, it was made to look like it was some moneymaker, which is a laugh and a half.

[Drich]

Well, alot of trouble and key strokes went into this 28 page thread, and I feel like I should say.. something.
However As "Drich" I am having some trouble being completely objective as my inclination is to be defensive and combative. After all who among you after read a solid hate fest like this one, would not either run home and cry or want to burn you all down. So in a moment of true vulnerability I take off this persona and address you as Dan. Who is human, who does indeed have empathy, and who does feel and bleed when pricked.

I want to start off by apologizing. One to Tibs and ShellB for being forced to recon with this mess i made and being forced into defend yourself and your positions concerning free speech and for loosing doaners. I'd like then to extend this apology to the mods for having to defend the 'D'wretch when you are so opposed to what is being said, but are compelled to because what is said is situated firmly with in the rules.

Then finally to the non whiners. those who are sucked in to a discussion take their lumps and push on to the next topic, because I do know what i say is divisive, even thought it is not said just to bring division. (which is the heart of trolling) and you take it in stride and see this forum for what it really is.

The whiners however can eat it, they do need to grow tougher skin.. You are not being asked to bear anymore burden or distain for what I have said, than what you all collectivly ask me to put up with. Never once in almost 91/2 years of doinging this or 4 years of being here have I ever complained let alone asked for a person's banishment because of what they think/say on a given subject of discussion. The thought NEVER even crossed my mind ever. in an atheist or Christian forum.
The overwhelming outrage and moral justification you feel? Imagine feeling that from everyone in the room, and then add the vilest anger and hate used to accent the point, in attempt to shut you down by every member of a web board.

The collective feeling that has pushed this to 20 someodd pages is from ONE person! Grow up the F up. My B/S is but a fraction of the megatonage of negative emotion you all generate and focus on me DAILY and have done since Day one. (look at my first thread here, if you do not believe me. look at all the pages of hate and nastyness from my first post to I finally get a word in edge wise again 10 or so pages later.) It is and always have been a dog pile on every subject for years.

So again, anything you feel as a result of a negative interaction with me know I experience it at least 10x over. And with some subjects like this last big one even the Christians turned on me. I deal with it, so you can too, I promise you.
So why don't I complain? I kind explained this in that thread. I put on a persona Drich is a character, it is me everything about him is true, but I simply get to turn off things like emotion and empathy if i so choose or i get to select aspects of my life I chose to share or hold back. As a result there isa certain disconnect that comes from that. as You are who you are because of all of your attributes and memories. your online persona does not have those samethings. so they can be a less complete version. therefore not as vulnerable.. It's Kinda how soldiers are made.

But anyway what i am saying is I can focus and dedicate my work to a logical end rather than a feeling or need to honor societal rules. or yield to feelings. Doing this has given me perspective and incite on how not only this forum works but how some of you work on an individual basis. And if you notice the last several threads I have participated in have had little to do with theology, and more to do with how you think and argue. In essence I am striking at some foundational thinking.

Things you were taught to think were are always wrong, and always right, why? is it because I am a troll? No. because I've been here 4 years or more and some of you still have no idea what I am about. I have determined it is not a theological difference but we simply process information in completely different ways. I am trying to share a different way of looking at things. I did this very same thing and shed my christianity 30+ years ago, and did it again20+ years ago and truly found God.

That is what this thread is really about. Some do not want me challenging core values or baseline thought processes. that is what I as Drich have to do because what I have been doing has not worked. Just to refresh, I am not here to convert or 'save' anyone. I am here to provide clarity and answer questions concerning the bible or the God of the bible. that was my initial mission statement in that first thread. now I have changed it to also help you truly generate your own questions concerning God. Not some reworked hitchens garbage you saw on youtube. However inorder to do this you must have an open mind and be willing to follow those answers where ever they go. What I have discovered is you cant truly question God or religion because you all seem to think differently than i do, you all are locked into the old way i use to think and it is keeping you from seeing the world the way that it is on it's own without our soceital lenses.

So i decided try and show you the paradoxes of your thought processes.
For instance this last thread we are discussing the culture's proclivity to assign a immoral/evil status to certain words, and anyone who uses them can be deemed evil/intolerant, which allows them/the 'judge of the intolerant' to so be intolerant against the supposed bigot.

The paradox here is two fold. one the hypocrisy found in the intolerant behavior of the 'judge' often meets or exceeds the supposed immoral person. Two, that the words themselves do not connote a moral value good or bad. Context is the variable that assigns a moral value to a word.

So then when constructing an argument you don't just look for a key word tell you to be righteously indignant or not, you read in depth for context. You seek the meaning and establish parameters for words to define, or set boundaries to determine if a thought or idea has exceeded the parameters of said word.

That is the difference between such and such said ABC so He's a racist, and 10 pages go by of hate and anger equal to or greater than the hate and anger a racist himself may have.

And such and such said ABC but it was under 123 conditions so what do you think...

This board and it's members are consumed with the preprogramming of the first example. That is what gives you the 'righteousness' to judge me as vial,without citing contextual example but only citing instance where a word was used.

Wake up 'good people' that is linch mob thinking.

If you honestly look at some of the different ways or types of conversation I have a Jorge/alpo or a Tibs or even a Rocketman they vastly differ from the slug fest I have with a minnie or a Dry Sand. for that moment before i read her post I cringe when ever I see a jorge/alpo avatar in my new notifications, then quickly go over all the things I said in that post to make sure all my source material is solid.
or feel like I've been called to the principles office when I see tibs quoting me, or question my ablity to get through and look up everything in the wall of text rocketman leaves me. Where as if i see minnie's mini in the cue i might even read his first (depending on how I feel) because I know we are just going to be taking random shots at each other.

For those who haven't figured me out yet, it is because I am not static, i always try and mirror the time effort and research each one of you put into your own work. If I make a claim i like to think I have at least three sources to back up what i say. Nothing is out of a vacuum. Nothing I say is off the cuff. I do not speak out of emotion or out of turn. If I call you a moron, it is because you at that moment are fulfilling the parameters of that word's definition. I am an engineer, I do own my own business and we do (in part) work for a government contractor so everything I say must be verifiable in triplicate or i simply do not feel comfortable saying it.

That is why I with out a glance can play by the rules, it is also why i have a fanatical devotion to words and word meanings in this kind of setting, as this is the only form of communication we have.. (no body language to take cue from) To some this may seem like I am giving off an arrogance vibe. But I ask do not mistake pride with simple confidence. I am not proud in the look at what I have done way. I simply want to share what i know to be true, and i want you to be confident in the work i have put in.. there is a subity there that most of you miss. which I think furthers fuels posts/threads like this one.

The other thing I want, Dan wants you to understand is that everything I have said or claimed as DRich is absolutely true. The AIDS scare, cancer, the 1/2 asian, the businesses, patents, the wife, her problems, EVERYTHING I've said about hell and my angel experience all of it every word to the best of my ablity is true. We are now at this moment having a house built and when it is complete we should have our old place open for a few weeks (unless it sells early) If anyone wants to come and check out or verify anything I have said with friends family or wife We can put you up in orlando about 20 min from the parks in a 3 bed room 2 bath for a few days.  would love to show you what God has done for me. once everything else goes through. (first of the yearish) again not to brag but to share what A/S/K can mean. If you do come, come ready to eat/no diets.

...Even now I struggle with wanting to match the 28 page effort you all put in, but I think I said what I needed to say.

One, I am sorry for making a mess the admins and owners have to clean up.

Two, I am one person, and if I can take what dozens of you have to say/think about me and the world you want me to live in... then the rest of you need to suck it up forum a support group or do whatever your breed of delicate flower does, and get it done. because everything I say that you don't like is multiplied 20 or 30 times over to me. and i don't talk to anyone about the things that are said here period (unless my wife lurks around and asks questions/God i hope she doesn't find the rape thread )

2b, what I say may seem via on the surface but I am trying to establish a repore that goes a little deeper than a surface judgement. bear it out ask a question rather than make a judgement.

Three I do work very hard, read and research alot to speak with you all here. i am not trolling just to troll there is a larger plan or purpose. that fits well with in the rules of this forum.

four i don't just say thing to say them. what i say is true/accurate to the best of my ablity, and I would be happy to share anything I can.

final thought.. if you have anything that you need to say to me Pm me ask for a parlay or time out, it doesn't need to get to this unless you simply think you should be able to bullie me into silence... That crap may work in high school with the christian nerds, but it wont work here.

Ok putting the Drich armor back on (something some of the cry babies need to look into getting for themselves.) See you d-bags back on the battle field, this time try bring your A-game rather than tattle on me.
<-rage quiters

[Jackalope]

TL; DR

[Edwardo Piet]

If you honestly look at some of the different ways or types of conversation I have a Jorge/alpo or a Tibs or even a Rocketman they vastly differ from the slug fest I have with a minnie or a Dry Sand. for that moment before i read her post I cringe when ever I see a jorge/alpo avatar in my new notifications, then quickly go over all the things I said in that post to make sure all my source material is solid.
or feel like I've been called to the principles office when I see tibs quoting me, or question my ablity to get through and look up everything in the wall of text rocketman leaves me. Where as if i see minnie's mini in the cue i might even read his first (depending on how I feel) because I know we are just going to be taking random shots at each other.

LOL









(my emphasis)

LOL "A Dry Sand".

[Edwardo Piet]

Lol Jor was previously Apophenia not ALpophenia... there's no L in it lol. Lol at "Alpo"

Why the "a"? "a Tibs", "a Mini" LOL

LOL @ Calling Dyresand "A Dry Sand"

WTF LOL called to principle's office. It's "principal's" not "principles". LOL your bigoted principles?

Cringing before posts because you suck too much to deal with them.

LOL @ Switching on your empathy.

LOL He's gone from a cunt to a comedian. Learn to spell OMG I'm dying here LMFAO

[Gemini]

TL; DR

Why he thinks anyone would bother to take the time to read that much of his bullshit is a mystery to me. One that I don't care to solve.