In this thread I asked a serious question to which I really wanted an answer and had no idea how to research without hiring a tax attorney. A few kind souls attempted to give me some info on the subject but no one claiming expertise in tax law chimed in. (Well, this is their busy season.)
However, several people posted in a mean spirited attempt to ridicule me for even asking the question in the first place (or to inflate their post counts).
Then there was an attempt to hijack a thread about tax law to a great debate about whether all the founding fathers were WASPs. People too ignorant to post on the OP felt free to enlighten everyone about their knowledge of American history.
I was watching a simple, factual question degenerate into an a “feel free to beat up on this poster we don’t know” festival.
In an attempt to get things back on track, I pointed out that I had only used the term WASP to add a touch of levity to the title. I did not mean to offend anyone by implying that ALL the founding fathers and ALL their decendents were WASPs.
Hell, I didn’t mean to leave out the founding MOTHERs either and am surprised nobody has taken me to task for that too.
That’s when Paper Mache chimed in to tell me I had just offended everyone on the SDMB and that I would have trouble getting anyone to answer a question of mine ever again. Who appointed you grand high moderator of GQ?? If you’re so protective of what you clearly belive to be your personal turf, why didn’t you help me out by taking the hijackers to task or the people who only chimed in to tell me I was a fool?
I haven’t posted much, but I have long lurked here and ponied up the subsciption fee as soon as I was asked. A look at my few other posts should show that I certainly meant no disrespect.
But NOW I do. Paper Mache, you are nothing but a little twerp with a napoleonic complex and should get over yourself forthwith.
I hate to pit and run, but I’m going away for the weekend. I’ll check back after that and pray that the forces of evil haven’t blackballed me. Thanks for listening.
Little Cloud, since you’ve been lurking for a while, you should know that having a tough skin helps. This is a good place to learn to toughen up a little. When you gain some confidence, you can let things roll off your back a little. Another option is to pay a little attention to the criticism to see if there is any truth in it.
We don’t really know you yet. We can’t read your mind. We had no way of knowing if your use of WASP was serious or not. It was not unreasonable for some of us to answer your question as if it were actually what you meant. Usually the OPs in “Questions” are straight forward.
Once your question was answered, what more was there needed? It’s not unusual for these threads to get a little hijacked once the question has been answered.
[quote] Little Cloud: People too ignorant to post on the OP felt free to enlighten everyone about their knowledge of American history.**
How many times did you need a yes or no question answered? And you were the one who was ignorant on the subject and that’s why you asked the question! There is no great sin in being ignorant. You did the right thing to ask.
I can sooooo identify with you when I was at about the age when I was looking for scholarships. I was so sensitive that I would get angry if someone raised an eyebrow at anything I said. And I was afraid of being thought stupid.
If people say things about you that aren’t true, don’t pay any attention to it anymore than you would if they said you are a mountain lion. Don’t always blame the other person if you are misunderstood. If you do make an ass of yourself sometimes, welcome to the human race.
Wow. When I read the OP, I expected the linked thread to be filled with cruelty and vitrol, with Papermache Prince at the head of the pack. Then I read it. You said that you’d heard (from a friend of a friend) that descendants of the Founding Fathers get a tax break and asked if it was true. Something of a dumb question, but nonetheless several people responded and answered it, with a few mildly expressing surprise/suspicion that you honestly believed it might be true. One of these was Papermache Prince, who wrote:
Sure, his response could have been nicer, but it was hardly the gang-rape you describe in your OP. I think you’re being way, way too sensitive.
