Since I think this is aimed at least in part at me, I wil respond:
I edited your list to limit it to the comments made by me, which I defend as follows: I think he acted like a dickhead and an ass in the thread in question. And I furthermore think that anyone reading that thread could pretty easily figure out “what in the world he did” to justify my opinion of him, regardless of whether they agreed with it or not. I am not saying that I always find THE RYAN to be an ass, as if I’ve been waiting in the weeds for a chance to attack him; in fact, I don’t recall having much awareness of him as a poster at all until that thread. But I did think he was being an ass in that thread, and I did not (and do not) think I was out of line to say so in the appropriate forum, the Pit.
A lot has been made of the Pit thread being a “witch hunt,” as if we all got together via e-mail before hand to barbecue one particular poster. Of course, this didn’t happen. I am responsible only for what I say, not for what anyone else might say, and I am not responsible for anyone who chooses to “pile on him” or to offer gratuituous insults in the gleeful spirit of kicking someone when he’s down. That was certainly not what motivated me, seeing that I had a legitimate (if relatively minor) complaint regarding his behavior.
Yes, actually I do. I react on this message board precisely how I react in real life, no better and no worse. I do not put up with people who are rudely sarcastic to me, and if they persist, I walk away. Then, if someone later says, “boy, that person’s a jerk!” I may well exercise my right to agree wholeheartedly.
“Perfectly bizarre”? This makes me a tad impatient. If someone (not THE RYAN) is being an asshole, I think people have every right to think and to say “that person is being an asshole.” I have no time for the “sure, I may think he’s an asshole, but I won’t say so because maybe he’s not really an asshole, and who am I to judge?” school of thought. We are all in the position to judge whether the behavior of others is acceptable or not, and we all have the equal right to say so.
No, but then neither to I think I am constrained to deem a shithead as big as all outdoors to be something less than a shithead.
Again, as far as I am concerned, there is no “mob mentality.” I do not post gratuitiously in the Pit; I do not attack people without reason (dubious though it may seem to some); and I do not “pile on” for the thrill of piling on. Maybe I should not post if it appears a thread is becoming a lynching, but as the second poster to the Pit thread in question, it certainly didn’t look like that when I joined.
Again, there was no “lynching” as far as I was concerned. I think it is perfectly appropriate to have a forum where people who act like jerks can be called on it. If you have some evidence that I, or any other posters, have maliciously plotted to “lynch” anyone, then I’d like to see it.
Do you ever lose your temper? What if you were told “don’t lose your temper in here;” if you want to carry on an acrimonious exchange, take it outside. Do you think you’d ever step outside? That’s the obvious analogy, not stealing or assaulting people, which make it appear as if the attack on THE RYAN was totally unprovoked, unjustified, and gratuitious. It wasn’t.
I absolutely agree with this. I can hardly argue with it. Just because I have my behavior has been less than ideal does not mean I don’t recognize that it has been less than ideal, and can be criticized – not because calling someone a dickhead constitutes lynching him, but because it’s juvenile and counter-productive.
It can provide a reason for bad behavior, but not an excuse. Whether the degree of bad behavior is justified by whatever insult or idiocy or irrationality triggered it is of course up to each reader to decide.
