I read through most of this trainwreck. And I’ve had a verse from a Tool song running through my head for most of what I read.
Aldebaran, please give up on this. You are looking more and more like a fool with every post. End this now while you have a shred of dignity and respect left.
I missed the post/thread where Aldeberan said that he thought spending eternity with 70 virgins is a good thing. Can you give me a link for that?
Also-- whether he holds that belief or not, why do you consider it ‘retarded’? I think the idea of living forever has its plus sides, and having 70 virgins there with me doesn’t sound that bad-- though I can’t say that they’d all be virgins for eternity.
Aldebarens comment “Do the mods have nothing better to do than talk about members?”
Well, its a good topic. Especially Coldfire’s member.
Top 5 most discussed posters.
Please tell me I am #100. 
I didn’t do it to impress you, I did it to contradict your statement that Americans are ignorant of any language but English.
You don’t even give me credit for TRYING to use another language - any attempt on my part to do so must obviously be the product of cheating on Babelfish. You have no clue what a slap in the face that is, do you?
I also find it pretty peculiar that the actual FRENCH people weighing in weren’t nearly as offended by my butchery of their language as YOU were! Yeah, I know my French is awful - that’s why I apoligized for it. But why the should I bother with even that much? Every time I try to use it I get some jerk such as yourself saying I’m offending them because I make mistakes and, oh yeah, I must be using Babelfish because everyone “knows” Americans are too stupid to speak anything but English. It’s pretty hard to improve or even maintain one’s language skills when you up against THAT sort of weehockey.
Yeah, well MY style is to swear a lot and find new and inventive ways to insult people such as yourself, Aldebaran. I am restraining myself in this post, however, and avoiding profanity so that, when the ax falls, I won’t be accused of provoking you by gratuitous insults and foul words. But aside from the comment of you having your head up your rectum (which I am not retracting, by the way) I did not, in any way, insult you.
I just can’t win - if I use just English I’m ignorant. If I use something else, I’m OFFENDING you by using something other than English and, apparently, contradicting you. So SORRY to confuse you with the FACTS.
Yes, I AM tired of you and your verbal dribblings. Do I care if you’re banned or not? Actually… no, I don’t care. If you are banned it will be because someone else makes that decision, not me, and it will be a consequence of your own actions.
And I agree - Coldfire is the embodiment of patience here.
An IP check of this post reveals that the post originated in Belgium. Posters can put anything they like in the location field, but the IPs reveal the truth.
For that matter, I believe that I currently have my location listed as “West of House, GUE”, which is a reference to an old computer game. I do not actually live in the Great Underground Empire, or in any computer game. Despite what my husband and daughter say.
Doesn’t your post violate an implied confidentiality Lynn?
Shocking!
Well, not really. I don’t think I’m alone in long suspecting that this guy’s SDMB persona includes a hefty helping of fiction, designed to push our buttons. That’s why I’ve ignored his posts until now.
An IP address cannot be relied upon to reveal a poster’s true location.
I have no opinion on him one way or another, but an IP check isn’t strong enough evidence to prove him a liar.
I disagree. It’s not as is she told us the exact address of his Belgian bridge.
If I repeatedly told this board that I’m an active Illinois lawyer, and frequently offered my opinion on American legal issues, and Lynn knew from my IP address that I appeared to be a student in Paris, I’d expect her to say something, so that people didn’t put undue faith in what I say.
As if, not as is.
(Bows)
Thank yew, thank yew.
-Joe, for once appreciating a mod/admin
I say Coldfire? I’ve been searching far and wide for this year’s edition of the annual SDMB Tour de France thread. Does one exist this year?
If not… wouldn’t you much rather be chatting all things round and fast than trying to teach “Rational Thought 101” to our Belgian “woe-is-me” addict?
In Aldebaran’s defense, if I lived in the Middle East I would probably do 100% of my internet browsing through a proxy.
Check his IP in a couple of days and don’t be surprised if it says Australia, South Korea, Germany…etc.
Nothing wrong with that IMO.
This makes my skin crawl. It really, really does. The “Of course you would be sympathetic to them, look at your woman!” argument crosses every boundary of both legitimate debate and common decency that I can think of. Aldebaran, I like you, but you (for whatever cultural or linguistic reason) misunderstood clairobscur when the two of you were actually in agreement and on the same side, got angry when it was pointed out, and now you’re stepping way, way over the line. Please ask the mods to close this thread and come back in a few days when everybody has calmed down.
I wasn’t surprized to hear that Aldebaran posts from Belgium. He’s been criticized on this very board for his shitty Dutch because he’s Flemish. He even has told us that he was born in Belgium of a Flemish mother. I’ll bet he camps out in a tent in his mother’s back yard.
Pssst…Boo Boo Foo!!!
We’ve missed you, our favorite commentator (move over Phil Ligget!). Come along and join the thread, and we can say someting positive has come out of this trainwreck. 
Aldebaran, man, I used to hate your attitude, sneering an arrogant, but I can understand where you’re coming from now, I think, and I do have a bit of respect for you. I sincerely hope you take this to heart, because I’m speaking honestly. You do tend to miss out on the subtleties of the english language and then make arguements over a lack of understanding, if you were to come from a more humble, questioning position, instead of an angry, arguing positions, I daresay that there would be nearly none of the backlash you have gotten before.
It’s just that when you continually misunderstand a joke, or sarcasm, or a way of prhasing something, and make an angry (sometimes condescending) arguement over it, it pisses a lot of people off.
Actually, that comment was one I made to a lady friend of mine to help her understand how men think. But I posted it in Quasi’s thread because I wasn’t sure if what I was saying was coming across right.
And I think that is the crux of the problem. I like that Aldebaran is on the boards. I think it’s important to have input from his part of the world. But I think he misunderstands many things. The same goes for other posters on these boards, and many of them are native English-speakers.
English can be a difficult language, I’m told. Not only that, but there are subtleties that are lost when thoughts are translated into text. Without a grin, a wink, a tone of voice, body language in general, statements can come out very wrong. Even with people for whom English is their first language. I think that much of the misunderstanding comes from misinterpretation of posters’ meanings.
Misunderstanding. Misinterpretation. There’s the rub.
Here is what I propose:
Aldebaran:
[ul][li]Please understand that most posters here are not filled with hatred for the Middle East. I’m not saying you believe this; just saying it “out loud” to make it clear.[/li][li]When you read something that you feel is offensive, please read it again. Try to understand that some people may say offensive things to attack those things. Sarcasm. Read the post that offends you, and make sure of the poster’s intent. I’m certain that most times it is not intended to be offensive[/li][li]It’s okay to disagree. That’s what these boards are for. By disagreeing and discussing opposing sides, we come to understand each other better. We reduce the amount of ignorance in the world. Understanding one another and getting rid of ignorance is the bedrock of the road to peace.[/ul][/li]
The Rest Of You:
[ul][li]Please understand that Aldebaran, as do many posters, has a different world-view from many of us. What may seem obvious to you, may not be obvious to him. What is obvious to him might well be a mystery to us.[/li][li]If Aldebaran lashes out at one of your posts, please take the time to try to understand what he is writing, just as he will (as I posted to him, above) try to understand what you are posting. Why get all bent out of shape for a misunderstanding?[/li][li]Remember that people whose first language is not English may not catch some of the subtleties. Try giving him the benefit of the doubt.[/ul][/li]
Finally, there comes a time when it’s better to just say, "Whatever. :rolleyes: " and drop the subject. There will always be another chance to make your point later, after tempers have cooled.
I think this is an excellent time for all parties to just drop the subject and chill out.
Peace.
Damn you, JOHNNY L.A., and your reasoned response. Is that any way to run a Pit thread?
Fortunately, we have his posts to take up the slack.