I object to JohnClay's very existence and everything he stands for

I suspect your view of the world is constantly changing, depending on your current mental state. However it appears that most of the time, you do not understand many of the unwritten rules of societal behavior. Or perhaps you do understand them, but don’t understand the value of following them so you deliberately ignore them.

So, here’s an honest question for you.

Given that a) you like getting replies, b) your posts that seem to get the most attention are ones that are now strictly forbidden topics, and c) you bemoaned the fact that earlier “allowed” threads (such as your videogame post) didn’t receive any attention until you specifically mentioned that fact, in a now-forbidden thread…

How long do you think you can last operating under the new rules of what you can and can’t discuss?

I used to engage him, but then I realized this was just enraging me to no purpose. I have found that an occasional mockification will still escape me, but I am trying to embiggen my soul to be above such pettiness.

For those calling for JohnClay to switch to blogging, while it may be good advice, may I draw your attention to MPSIMS and especially the MMPs which are possibly the most mundane, pointless things in the history of the universe and would be far more appropriate for a blog, Twitter or Facebook. I don’t like those threads, so I don’t read them.

While I understand what you are saying, those are all part of one thread. I think part of the beef is that JohnClay sees fit to open a new thread for every single thought that crosses his mind. If he would just make one “JohnClay’s Thoughts” thread and stick to it, I don’t think people would mind as much.

John Clay is mentally ill. That’s what everybody has to realize. The guy really does have a mental illness. That’s not an excuse, or even a plea for kindness; it’s a very brief “how to” on how to deal with the guy.

The dude’s got a mental illness, that’s why he posts the way he does.

And one of the reasons people get frustrated with him is that he’s unable to just stop being ill. And if you think about it… of course he can’t. [Yes, he also has an endless supply of horrible things he’s said to his wife, who must have a lot of problems of her own.] It’s one thing to ignore advice - and if there’s one thing that drives Dopers crazy, it’s when their advice gets repeatedly ignored. But advice doesn’t really penetrate if you have a disability that has very strong effects on how you see the world. I don’t know if JohnClay can do better than he does, but it seems to me that it’s very unlikely he’ll improve much and if he does I don’t think the SDMB will have much to do with it. That’s one of the reasons we tell people that this board is not a substitute for things like therapy.

It’s good that you’re views are evolving, and I wish you all the best. As long as you continue to share, I’m happy to read and respond where appropriate and I assume those who do not want to read your stuff will figure out that they are not required reading.

Except, where do you draw the line, between someone who has a genuine mental illness and someone who’s being a jerk? Most jerks can’t help but act like a jerk – they were born/raised that way.

FWIW, the only thing I find really offensive about JohnC’s posts is the way he puts down his wife in public, and how he airs intimate details about their relationship that should remain private. That kind of thing’s utterly disrespectful. OTOH, it does appear that his wife’s just as crazy as he is, and doesn’t know better than to just put up with it. The two seem to be made for each other – like they each found someone really special. Which, of course, makes me jealous. :mad:

Thanks. I’ll be here all week.

If a cow got the chance, he’d eat JohnClay and everyone he cares about.

No, they’re not. There’s a MMP thread every week. But maybe a single thread for such musings is a good idea.

If he has to air some of that stuff (and it really can help) it’s probably better that he does it with strangers than mutual friends.

A relevant classic from The Onion.

No, my point was that it is a place where everyone chimes in with mundane observations / statements. JohnClay doesn’t participate in those, instead choosing to create a new thread for every statement / thought that crosses his mind.

The weekly MMP threads are for everyone, where JohnClay’s threads serve to put the focus solely on him.

I think the volume and content of his threads are what people find “note-worthy,” which is why I suggested he consolidate the numerous postings and make a thread along the lines of “JohnClay’s Thoughts.” He could update it as he sees fit and it actually might provide some insight in tracking his story all in one thread, as opposed to having to search for all previous threads started by him and piecing it together that way.

Of course, now that certain content is “off-limits,” this suggestion might not be applicable.

Yeah, you know what? I’ve got enough Sympathy Vampires IRL to bother with this one on the Dope. Troll or not, the desperate efforts at validation irritate the shit out of me. “Here are the threads I’ve started in the last…” Are you fucking kidding me? Nobody fucking cares dude. How about you just contribute and not draw attention to yourself?

Short answer? It’s very difficult. Slightly longer answer: it’s very, very difficult and might be impossible.

Also understandable. They’re annoying as shit, and buddha_david is right about the constant violations of his wife’s privacy.

The only good place to do it would be a therapist’s office because that’s the only place where anything that might lead to any kind of improvement would happen. The problem with doing it on this board is that he gets attention for doing crappy things and then seems to feel he gets absolved by admitting them, so then he goes out and does them some more and then comes back to post about them for more attention.

JohnClay is creepy and annoying, but I’m willing to overlook it for the rest of time if he promises to not ever have children. For me, that’s where it crosses the line from “man, his poor wife, what was she thinking?” to “that poor child, what kind of piece of shit monster brings a kid into that situation?”

Get a vasectomy, JohnClay, and I’ll be on your side forever and ever, no matter how weird or nutty you are. Seriously.

What’s your excuse?

Early, in your introspective post, you mentioned city names that sort of gave away that you were not from/in the US. Also, the using the phrase ‘at university’ as opposed to ‘at college’ helped confirm as well.

You can in the Pit, I believe.