But have you flirted on the bitching threads?
Amen. ATEOTD it’s all about entertainment. Lead on, McDryad.
pan
Wouldn’t it be nice if when someone starts a thread about leaving, that they get their posting privileges taken so that they can’t come back? That would be the trick. If you are only leaving for a certain lenght of time, then your posting would only be taken away for the stated amount of time. Course we know that won’t happen, and is not reality anyway. Too much work for the mods and admins.
And I know the thread that you are talking about and I just wanted to let you know that I intentionally ignored it because I knew you wouldn’t read my post to start with. My typing time is much to valuable being arrogant and bitchy to spend on typing any valuable responses.
I’m with you on most of this thread, but I must disagree a bit with this statement.
Message boards (and this one in particular) are not all about ego. Some of them are very topic-oriented, and this one is actually about fighting ignorance. (see board dedication on the first page)
OK, many threads are ego strokers, “look at me and my witty idea/joke/commentary/whatever”. But some threads are written to gain knowledge, hell there is a whole forum devoted just to questions.
Unless you are posting a question just to show off how esoteric a question you can ask, it is usually only about asking the damned question. The only ego stroking there might be in such a situation is by the information-filled few that cruise by to answer our lowely quest for knowledge. They might get a little happy to know that their superior brain power was used for good.
Well, it’s a thought. . .
All right, all right, so I’m euchred again.
Yes, the mere asking of questions (and answering of them, for that matter) isn’t necessarily all about ego.
“All generalizations, including this one, are false.”
Mea culpa, and it’s for reasons like this that I only lurk in GD and GQ…I’d be ripped to shreds in a heartbeat.
[Person threatening to leave],
Please don’t say that. We love you here! We need you here!
If you’re not here, with whom will I [some moronic MPSIMS thing that makes most want to vomit]?
I know you’re going through a difficult time, because of your [overly dramatized emotional or social problem, outlined down to the minutiae with high levels of self-absorption].
Well, dammit, I’m your friend! You are not [whatever overly dramatic, self-involved person described themself as being]!
[Offer to talk via phone or email]
[Expression of sorrow that the person has decided to leave; expression that person is welcome back whenever they feel they are ready to return, despite the fact that poster knows they aren’t going anywhere.]
((((((Person threatening to leave.)))))
This is not just an amusing thread. To me it’s an example of the strength of these boards, where people are examining the very processes that cause the place to exist.
I have found a lot of thoughtful writing here that has helped clarify my own confusion about these boards.
I am currently behaving like an addict, spending far more time here than I can afford. At least twice a day I get edgy at the thought of not checking in and seeing what’s happening, and whether I can say something sage or smart-alecky or naughty about it. I waste many work-hours.
Hamadryad said
**
This is an elegant statement of a major motivation for me. And yet, as the highly intelligent kabbes says
**
In other words, even if these people are listening to me now, does it mean much anyway.
Hope this isn’t too ponderous - I’m just impressed at how well you people state the issue while making me cack meself with laughter. And at present you won’t be getting rid of me. No danger of “I’m leaving” posts from this old codger!
Redboss
Milossarian, you are my new personal hero.
Ow. Ow. Ow.
I have a hunch the main reason you sound so bitter at good byes is that you don’t think anyone would say good bye to you. And that’s true enough, but just think back to the last few jobs you’ve had where nobody cared when you left. Did you really want to keep in touch with those people? Can you even remember their names? Neither can most people who come and go. So you needn’t take it so personally. Some people will get a polite sendoff, but it doesn’t reflect on you. Any if you are feeling peppy that day and want to wish a stranger well, it won’t hurt you, will please them, and might even may you feel better.
Yes, of course. Criticism always stems from personal failing. God forbid an opinion should be based on anything independent of self-delusion and insecurity.
For Christ’s sake.
It’s obvious that you work for either the FBI, Scotland Yard, or some other august body of shrewd investigation. That you could have such a staggering insight into my personality after getting to know so little about me from the message base frankly stuns me.
You know, when I put up the OP, it occurred to me, as I was writing it, “You know…I’m probably only bitching about people starting ‘I’m leaving’ threads because I have a great fear that if I started one, no one would post to it. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that 90% of those threads are ‘pay attention to me! feed my ego!’ threads. But I’ll put it up anyhow. Maybe no one here will see through my manipulative game.”
You are so dead-on. Damned straight I don’t stay in touch with any of those pussies from my former workplaces. None of them were good enough to associate with someone as awesome as me. I am so totally above them it’s not funny. And when I left my jobs, I always told them to kiss my ass. That’s right…KISS MY ASS. Because none of them had any value. I’m just that much better than them. And as if I’d leave a job at which no one cared that I’d left. Pshaw. They ALL cared. I was the coolest person there! At every job I’ve had!
:rolleyes:
Ham, what crawled into your ass?
No offense, you just seem very full of tension over something that if you rather not view you don’t have to.
Hate those threads, then don’t look at them.
I don’t mean any offense in all this, but seriously, it sounds like you need to calm down.
Mercutio: This is the problem with message boards. In no way can you hear my tone of voice, which is completely at odds with the wording of the post.
The few folks who know me who might read this know you’re off-base. But you’re not being a dick about it, so I shan’t rip into you. 
THAT’S IT, I’VE HAD IT! FUCK YOU! I’M LEAVING!
Esprix[sub], kidding[/sub]
I love this thread man, fucking love it. I’m with you Redboss. Hamadryad, Cranky and Milossarian you crack me up.
Fran
that was for AM/PM by the way…
good thread Hammy
Mods, I suggest we ban Milo immediately! And let’s some of us lead a contingent up to Northern Michigan and go kick his ass!
I say this because his post to this thread is damned-nigh irrefutable proof that Milo is not just one man posting as one person, but one man with a dozen little aliases and alter egos. His post was too dead-on, balls-out accurate to represent merely an imitation of others. He IS those people; he’s just fooled us heretofore. And now he has revealed his clever formula for generating posts automatically (or nearly so) to certain threads.
Fuck man, get a JOB. Don’t spend all that time posting as a dozen people, fer chrisssakes. Think of the problems you could solve (world hunger, global warming, comma faults) if you’d dedicate your considerable talents to something other than keeping up 12 personas on this board!
At least you’re not as transparent as Ham is (transparent, that is, according to AM/PM). Yuppers, now that you mention it, I’m confess that from the minute she unveiled herself here, I thought Hamadryad screamed “NEEDY.” Right. If she sends me one more pleading email begging me to post to her threads, vote for her in Doper Pageants, or include her on my email distribution list for “Upbeat Poems I’ve Found On The Internet”, I’m gonna leave the goddamn boards. I mean, leave again. And this time I’ll mean it.
Well, I’m leaving.
[sub]At least until after lunch, then I might be back[/sub]
LOL! Hamadryad I couldent agree more. I can never understand these threads either. Do they really think out of the thousands of posters here, people will think of them for more than a nano second after they leave? Granted, there are some well known posters here, but, thats all they are, people who post to a message board! A certain poster (who’s name shall not be mentioned as they are not here to defend themselves) has posted such threads way to many times, its so obvious they are looking for attention its actually quiet sad. Personally, if I decided not to post here again, for whatever reason, I’d spare my dignity and keep my mouth shut incase I decided to “come back” (what a strange way to think of it) If I ever got to the stage where the message board was this important to me, and so large in my life, I’d take my pc and throw it out the window! Anyhow, that said, if any of you think your going to steal my limelight by leaving before me, think again! EVERYBODY LOOK AT ME, NO, NOT THEM ME! I’m leaving. No dont try to stop me, I’v made up my mind…its nice to know you all care so much but just send me a hug and I’ll be on my way…no, please this is it…well ok then I’ll stay a bit longer, but I may need to display the drama queen side of myself every now and then ok?