Buh-bye, now. Buh-bye. Buh-bye! BYE now. Buh-bye.

The BBQ Pit
1

You’re leaving the boards.

You’re leaving forever because everyone’s so mean to you.

OR…

You’re leaving because the boards are no longer productive for you.

OR…

You’re leaving for a while because you have an IRL relationship to work on.

OR…

You’re leaving because the pressures of work/school are too much to leave energy for the boards.

BYE THEN!

It’s not that people who I like haven’t put up these threads as well, but I am an equal opportunity bitch.

If you’re leaving, and you want the people you care about to know, don’t you have their email? IMs, maybe? If not…why not, if you care about them so much?

These threads are about nothing…NOTHING…but ego. “I’m leaving. Let’s see how many people are gonna care enough about me to pat me on the back/offer me hugs/wish me luck! Even if they don’t care enough to post, let’s see how many people recognize me readily enough to open the thread! Ooo, 12 responses and 348 views! Wow!! 348 people care about me enough to open the thread about me leaving! I’m so special! So many people care about me!”

Better yet, “I’m leaving the boards because everyone’s so mean to me. Look, look at me talking about how mean everyone is to me! Pay attention to me! I am put upon! A bunch of people who’ve never met me disapprove of me, so I’m martyring myself! LOOK AT ME!!! I’m leaving forever! So I’m starting a thread! Which I will keep on reading to see what people say about me! So I’m actually not leaving at all! But I’m leaving forever, lookit me!!”

For cryin’ out loud. If you’re getting too busy to post, the people who actually care about you will either know about it or find out about it. If you’re leaving forever because you’ve been slighted, just for fuck’s sake LEAVE.

If you want your ego fed, post about something that MERITS it. You finally told off your boss. You’re about to graduate. You just left your asshole of a spouse. You’re about to put the finishing touches on the dissertation you’ve been working on.

But if you’re gonna leave…just fucking GO.

(Note: If you post to this thread, it will feed my ego. However, I refuse to leave.)

2

Good, every ego deserves some care and feeding now and then.

For me, as long as they post the thread to the appropriate forum, I have no more problem with these threads than others in the Mindless, Pointless Stuff I Must Share area. That’s what it is there for after all, and you really can’t know if there’s one or more lurkers who will be sorry to see you gone without posting one. Sure you’ve hopefully exchanged e-mail addresses, ICQ numbers, Yahoo IDs or whatever with folks you have grown close to on the boards, but what about those who might want to grow close to you that haven’t gotten up the courage to say “Hi!” yet? If you’re one of those people who prefers not to place your e-mail address in your profile, you might miss out on meeting them :wink:

-Doug

3

When I saw the thread title I was convinced this thread would be about flight attendants. Heh.

Actually, now that I think about it, I’m having a hard time coping with the disappointment. Damnit, I think I’m leaving! Fricking vague thread titles! It’s ruining these boards! They’re not like they used to be, back when it was just me and the other posters I like, back before you people (you KNOW who you are) came in and started ruining it.

But that’s not the only reason. I am sick and tired of you guys being mean to me about that thing. You know what I’m talking about, and I’m not going to rehash old details by posting a link but you know who you are if I’m talking to you. You know what you said about that particular aspect of it, and you know that even though I was wrong about that other thing I DID have a point and you just have it in for me if you can’t acknowledge that. We all have bad days, so you should have just cut me a little slack about that time I said those completely false and untrue things.

And I’m also leaving because I’ve got some pretty deep and difficult things going on in my life right now. Off the boards. I don’t want to write about it now; mostly because none of you care but even if you did care, there’d always be some people who’d try to rake me over the coals for whatever part of this personal issue they think I deserve to be suffering. So I won’t post it here; it’s not worth it. If you must, absolutely must, know the details, email me and I guess I can be coaxed into sharing it privately.

I guess I could just read the boards less (or post less) and still have ample time to handle my life pressures but I’m not like you guys. I’ve got more to share. I can’t help it when I open a thread and see someone being unjust or incorrect or even just a little less enlightened because they haven’t heard from me yet. It wouldn’t be fair for me to read the boards while denying the boards my insights. Not that some of you (you know who you are, why name names) appreciate that. I couldn’t stand it, and I’d almost feel like I was being immoral or something. It’s all or nothing. But why am I telling you this when no one cares?

So fuck you, Ham. Fuck you, boards. And if you try to call and the line is busy, it might be because I am talking to the suicide hotline, but probably not, I don’t want you guys to worry, not that you would.

I’ll be signing off in a few days, though, so I can answer any questions you all might have. sniffle I’ll just be here waiting. Here’s my email again in case the boards are too slow to supply Doper information: NarcissisticWhiner@dramaqueens.org

4

Cranky:

I wasn’t sure whether to be really insulted or laugh my ass off. I think I chose…wisely when I started laughing. Besides, I could stand to lose some ass.

I do want to say, though, that that thread you started? A while ago? Remember that? Well, I was personally offended. I know you didn’t name names, but it was totally obvious that you were talking about me. Don’t do it again or I’m calling you out. YOU know what I’m saying.

“God, Hama, are you on the rag?”
“No, I never post when I’m having my period. I wouldn’t want to get too bitchy.”

5

Cranky, did you just see the rerun of SNL with David Spade and Helen Hunt last night, like I did? Buh-bye now! :smiley:

Actually, I don’t mind the “I’ve got some things to work out due to X and Y; just thought I’d let you know” threads. I don’t have any use for the “I tired of being picked on and you guys are just a bunch of meanies”. Yeah. Whatever.

Don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. Oh, and buh-bye now!

6

Having personally seen Hamadryad’s ass, I can assure you all, that she is lying to you.

Now…

I remember that thread. AND, I remember how both of you ignored my posts to that thread. I worked long and hard on those posts dammit! I was dispensing some fine wisdom there and you two chose to just ignore me and then make snide remarks later in the thread.

Just because you people have ‘issues’, and belong to the “exclusive clique” doesn’t mean that you should go around like a couple of snobs.

:sob:

7

Half the time it like a strung out junkie trying to bravely front “Heeeey mannn…I can quit any time I want. I don’t need this stuff man. I’m outta here.”

Read the boards. Don’t read the boards. Post. Don’t post. Life will go on. At least ours will.

8

Oh, and Cranky - nice try, but way too coherent. Try again after about 7 drinks.

9

Nothing to add really, but I do agree with the “You guys are mean I’m leaving” thing being just pathetic. Especially when they don’t leave.
Oh, and Cranky…

:smiley:

10

What brought this on right now?

11

Hama, when I read the thread title I was expecting something about David Spade…

The main problem with the drama queen or king departure is they always return. You see the drama queen or king getting into petty spats, making mountains out of molehills, and wasting bandwidth posting long repetetive posts with oodles and oodles of full text quotes. This is followed by the “I am outta here and I won’t come back!” thread.

Yeah right, three weeks later, there they are again.

12

Throws some peanuts to Hamadryad’s ego

Better entertainment than an In-flight movie!

:stuck_out_tongue:

13

I just have to say that YOU Hama, should NOT be pushing me this way!!!

14

[sarcasm off] Also…when you do leave…if the doorknob sticks in yer ass? Next time, use KY jell… [sarcasm still off]

15

[waving hand seductively, repetitively]

*Come to see Beltvay, my pet. Come to see Beltvay, vehr you vill be mine… *

[continuing hand wave…]

16

I don’t mind so bad the threads announcing people leaving–I just don’t read them.

However, if you’re going to bitch about how everyone here is mean and everyone apparently hates you and you can’t stand to be here anymore–then leave. Don’t come back.

Of course, I’m not sure which “returners” I hate worse–the ones who come back wanting fanfare: “I’ve changed my mind. I love you guys. This place rules. I’m glad to be back!” or the ones who try to slip back in and start posting again like they never left.

Now, I have no problem with people who have to leave for a while for personal reasons–school, relationship, no computer, job etc. Those people are leaving temporarily from the beginning.

It’s the damned “I’m leaving and not coming back!” people who won’t fucking stay away that piss me off! Have some balls people! Stand behind your decision!

17

Well since I don’t publicise my e-mail address but am still sufficiently interested to want to know if an entertaining poster will be away for a bit, I see nothing wrong with people announcing that due to commitment X they will be gone for a couple of weeks, or whatever.

I hate to drag individual’s names into this, but in the current and ongoing “How do we know what we know” thread in GD, I was saved the frustration of impotently waiting for Spiritus’s reply since I knew he was away for a week.

However since I almost never read MPSIMS (probably about 2 threads per month), these threads don’t affect me anyway. I can see how they might get annoying if you are constantly bombarded with them.

Hamadryad - this is the second time in as many weeks that you have come to the pit to moan about MPSIMS behaviour. Are you sure that you’re not just fed up with the faux-cosiness of that particular forum? Maybe you should announce that you’re not going back there - preferably with as much of a tantrum as you can muster.

pan

18

Excuse me kabbes, but the coziness of MPSIMS is (for the most part) NOT “faux”… there IS a community of people here who genuinely care about each other, even if we have not met IRL… the parts that may be “faux” are (again, for the most part) all in fun!

19

Mmm, Astroboy. In the past, in my student days, I’ve been very involved on the “social” side of similar boards. I’ve made groups of friends - even met up with them IRL and gotten drunk with them. Lives, loves and hopes exchanged, not to mention e-mails and chat. The impression has been of intense camaraderie. Individuals do leave the group and you never hear from them again, but you quickly forget about them anyway and you still have everybody else.

Then you leave the group and it’s only when you are in some way reminded about it that you ever remember that you were in that group.

In my experience at least, there is a material difference between human interaction online and human interaction IRL. Whilst I respect and appreciate some individuals here as much as anybody I know outside the Straight Dope, I’ve realised that I’m never going to be able to feel really close to them, since we don’t actually live our lives in close proximity to eachother.

But hey - that’s merely one man’s experience. Maybe others don’t find it so. Maybe if SD was shut down you really would remain in touch with those you are close to on the boards. Maybe I’m just a curmudgeon who is happy to let relationships slide by. Maybe having close friends and relationships IRL means that I don’t have the incentive to form similar online.

If MPSIMS works for you then go to it. I reserve the right to take all the backslapping and cheery-byes with just a smidgeon of salt though.

pan

20

Anthracite: Nothing in particular…I’d just been pondering it for a while, actually, and then saw ANOTHER one and…well, the rest is (very brief, forgettable) history.

kabbes: Naw, I like the forum just fine…and both the coziness and faux-coziness are just fine with me. I haven’t bitched about flirting threads (read carefully: I haven’t), and have actually posted to a couple of them. I haven’t mentioned post-count parties (although I think they’re prtty bloody self-indulgent too). I’ve been flexing my fingers and felt like doing some writing…and it pleased me to write about those things.

magdalene: But the world will come to a full stuop if I don’t tell you my opinions of the things on the boards! They themselves may collapse without a thinking, reasoning, level-headed person like ME to police 'em! [sub]please tell me you know I’m not serious…[/sub]

A few people have weighed in that they LIKE the, “I’m leaving because of real-life stuff, I may be back, peace out” threads because that way they can see beforehand why a favorite poster isn’t posting…and all right, I can see that. I can understand that. I can even get behind that. I still think the actual OP is mostly ego, though.

And believe me, I have no illusions about my own ego. Whenever I start any thread, it has to be about ego. “I have this idea, and I think other people will admire/laugh at/be touched by it, so I’m going to share it with everyone. And I’m going to keep checking back for replies, because every reply - heck, every VIEW - is one more 30 second period during which someone on the planet was thinking about me, even in abstract terms.” Message bases are all about ego, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The “I’m leaving” threads only bug me because it’s blatant ego…not, “This thread might help/touch/amuse someone generically,” but, “People will read this thread about ME!”

Yeah, and I’ll probably get busted on - at least mentally - for not going after the people who post about their problems or ask for advice. Damn, people, at least let me PRETEND I have a heart.