OK, Polycarp, I really can't let this go by...

Ever since you posted this, I’ve been trying to figure out what the hell you were getting at, and why your point had to be expressed in such a manner.

The best I can come up with at this point is that you were trying to say that it’s wrong for me to think Ted Kennedy deserves his illness, and/or that it’s wrong for me to wish harm on him because there are things about him that I don’t like.

If I have misinterpreted you, please let me know. But please realize that one of the reasons that I was confused and frankly disturbed by what you said was because I never said any of the above about Ted Kennedy, and in fact somewhere in that thread I made that exact point…that I don’t wish pain or death on him at all. There are some people in the world who I greatly admire or have affection for, and will no doubt feel very sad at the time of their passing. There are others who I’m not so fond of, and while I don’t wish them to suffer, I don’t anticipate feelings of grief. That’s all. It’s not an unprecedented attitude on this board, as this thread immediately prior to Ronald Reagan’s death attests. Some people said they weren’t sorry he was dying, and some said much worse things. Things that I would never say about Ted Kennedy or anyone else. This was the first thread I found on the subject, but there were many more that I did not read through, and I can guess that many negative things were said about Mr. Reagan, based on the fact that a few days later, a Pit thread was started over it.

But all that aside, if you thought that my point was that I wished Kennedy to suffer and die, feel free to call me out on that. I think I have always made it clear that I am more than happy to listen and try to clarify my points when need be. But to wish a violent act upon me is beyond what I think is appropriate even in the Pit, and even if you only meant it as an analogy. I don’t think I have ever said anything about anyone, whether it be a public figure, a fellow member of the SDMB, or anyone else, that deserves such a response, and I’m actually pretty upset by it. I hope that knowing this will help remind you to “slow down and think things over before acting,” as you advised me to do.

I have a bonus/milder pitting for those who apparently believe that such a remark should be overlooked by me, and that I should continue to carry on in the thread as usual. Despite Bridget Burke’s characterization of me as “flouncing off,” I think my comportment around here for the last 2 years should have shown that I’m not the type to do that (thanks, elucidator, for pointing that out in your usual amusing way). I’m not afraid of a fight, and and I’m willing to admit when I’m wrong (which I think I also did a little of in that thread). But when people start wishing violent acts upon me for no apparent reason that I can see, I think my obligation to continue with the conversation has ended.

I was pretty shocked to see that post by Polycarp. It seemed very out of character, especially as it was targeted at Sarahfeena, who I think of as one of our most thoughtful and least inflammatory conservative posters.

I’m hoping it was just rhetoric that fell really flat, and not the veiled nastiness that it read as.

Why can’t it be both?

Never thought I’d see the day when Polycarp deserved a Pitting. But holy crap, that post was just plain inexcusable. Yeesh.

For a post that talks about self-knowledge, that’s pretty fucking bad.

If there was supposed to be an ironic tone to the post, its misfire should have been acknowledged by now.

Really poor stuff.

I got a mild swipe by Polycarp a couple months ago for something I didn’t even say. I asked what brought it on (I think he misread another post as being mine) and never got an acknowlegement from him.

So I gotta ask, Poly, what’s going on? Are you doing OK?

You’re entirely right. It was so vastly over the top that it is inexcusable. (For what it’s worth, I’m dealing with some chronic physical problems and frustrating life situations, e.g., an ISP that drops me at random moments from 15 minutes to 3 hours into a connection, taking 10 minutes and a bunch of stupidity to get reconnected, that have made me far too irritable and edgy lately – not an excuse, nor offered as one, simply stated as a contributing factor.)

Now … I strongly dislike people celebrating the severe illness and/or death of their political opponents and/or their families. So that thread had me irked from the word go. (I was, by the way, impressed that it was starving artist, a man not enamored of the so-called Liberal Establishment and quite competent at turning a snarky phrase when appropriate, who saw and said that there are limits and they’d been transgressed.)

Then – I misread your post as “more of the same” — celebrating Ted Kennedy’s illness. I make no excuse for that misreading. For some of the celebrants, it was a case of “consider the source” – you expect that sort of behavior from them. From you, it was really out of character, and obnoxious. (The fact that it was not what I thought it was is to one side here – I’m talking about my own, no doubt stupid reactions.)

Follow me so far? I reacted (here, sitting in front of my computer) angrily, very over the top – to what I misperceived as another celebratory post, and from someone who “should know better.” That I had a coughing jag distracting me from the thread helped in the misperception, as well as kicking up my irritation level. And I thought something obnoxious, calmed a bit, decided not to post it, then, still irritated by a combination of personal physical issues and reaction to the thread, decided to use it as (a) an example of why people (like myself) ought to back off and think through what they say – and further, (b) to consider that there’s good and bad in all of us.

I certainly ought to have done (a) to an even greater extent than I did. For which I am sorry – not that that excuses anything.

Over to you, Sarah. That’s what happened, why it happened, and how I feel about it now, from my perspective. What may I do to make amends?

One additional error – smiling bandit, not starving artist. The point’s still the same, but I occasionally confuse the two of them for some reason.

Which post? I’m having trouble finding one that would be easily misinterpreted that way.

Hint: One of them is happy to steal your food, but can’t draw for shit.

Let me take this opportunity to apologize for some of my own meltdowns in the past. For one of them, my butt was itching. For another, I had stubbed my toe (and not in a good way). But for the worst one — the one involving the Chattanooga bake sale — I had just put a cigarette out in my eye. With my lost vision, I couldn’t be sure my fingers were on the home keys and so basically I just typed my pain. These are not excuses, just pretexts. Thank you for your support.

Wow, this thread is so civilized I can hardly believe my eyes. I hope no mods come along because they’ll have to remove it from the pit. :slight_smile:

I apologize for and retract everything I said in the thread that led me to be Pitted, and gave Polycarp the temptation for such a shot.

Regards,
Shodan

Myself- I’m fine. Hope you are all the same, and best wishes to Polycarp for his health and his ISP.

And now I have just guaranteed that I will inadvertently say something horrible to get me justly Pitted within a week.

Goat felcher.

Regards,
Shodan

Goats need love too.

Polycarp I hope you feel better. And I hope you realize that joking about a woman getting raped is further over the top than any sadistic glee at the demise of a public figure many see as having a pernicious influence in their lives. Two very different things.

Now, say 15 Hail Mary’s 20 Our Father’s and stop being an asshole.

Polycarp, I accept your apology, as I believe you mean it sincerely. As far as amends go, I’m not sure there are any that can be made other than, as I said, to follow your own advice about thinking before you speak.

I can’t say I quite understand where your anger came from, as I don’t think you have pointed to a post where that could have reasonably been interpreted as “celebrating Ted Kennedy’s illness.” And furthermore, I don’t think that anything Shodan said could have been reasonably interpreted as such, either. This leaves me still puzzled as to where this anger came from, and why it was directed at me. I do understand what it is like to be in physical discomfort or have other stresses, and I hope that you are feeling better soon. But please consider that the rest of us have our problems, as well. Taking them out on other people is not going to help anything in the long run.

Finally, I am further puzzled by the idea that you reacted MORE strongly because you didn’t expect to hear such things from me. I would think that this would lead you to give me the benefit of the doubt, rather than make assumptions about what I said that you admit are out of character considering what you know of me. I realize that we all say things that raise and lower our esteem in the eyes of other posters, but I think it’s going to take me a while to get over this one.

So does FriarTed - it’s a win-win situation.

Regards,
Shodan

*That * badly?