que?
OK? That was adorable. He is totally in Woobie land. Not exactly the land of macho self-confidence, but definitely well-thought of by the general public.
Add me to the list of people that PSXer reminds of their younger selves. Maybe that’s why some of us get annoyed w/ him from time to time - once we get a bit older, we look back at ourselves and mostly cringe with horror at how obnoxious we were… At least I do.
Personally, I enjoy most of his threads and posts, especially in Cafe Society. I think it’s a lot of fun to discuss a random old flick like Terminator 2 instead of whatever the flavor of the week is.
PSXer, if all you say is true, you may be better off than you give yourself credit. Look, you seemed distressed about not being invited to your friend’s Super Bowl party. But you admit that you knew the dynamic of your relationship would make it acceptable for you to “crash.” You also admit to having a good time and I think it’s a safe bet that you probably made some people laugh, too. So, at the end of the day, what’s the problem?
I, for one, like your threads, so keep 'em coming. Even if you’re not sincere 100% of the time, you at least keep it entertaining.
As the Pitter, I felt PSXer was being very sincere in his mea culpa.
Dude, your college years are supposed to be some of the best years of your life. I screwed around and didn’t get to go away to college, and now I would gladly trade vital organs for the chance to go back and do it. Don’t squander these years sitting in a dimly lit dorm room jacked into a virtual social life. People outside of your door are having toga parties, engaging in casual sex, getting hammered, having Halo tournaments, and playing Zombies & Assassins. Go out and engage, engage, engage. The more you participate, the easier social confrontation will get. Trust me.
As for your major: if Latin’s what you’re interested in, good for you. People will ask you, “Well, what kind of job can you get with that degree?” Here’s the secret: most people don’t get careers related to their bachelor’s degree. While it’s true that some employers favor science and business degrees over arts and humanities, just by having that piece of paper you already have a leg up in the ultra-competitive job market.
I commend you on being honest in your response. I hope you’ll now refrain from abusing people’s willingness to help you.
I tried to post this earlier, but my internet connection died. Anyway, I wanted to say that despite my posts in this thread, which were on the harsh side, I don’t think PSXer is terrible, or needs to be banned, or anything like that. He’s more in eye-roll territory for me. And his persona has been just so perfectly stereotypical of the loner loser type that it’s been hard to believe that it’s all been sincere - a doubt that has proven correct by his own admission. I have no problem with him sticking around, and I sincerely hope he pulls his shit together.
wait, I was told that high school was supposed to be the best years of your life?
You were lied to, badly.
Totally. I didn’t contribute to this thread because I didn’t really care one way or another, but PSXer’s apology made me love the little guy. He reminds me of myself at that age - shy, unsure, feeling like my friends don’t really like me, etc.
Okay. Now let’s look at the semantics of the word “troll”:
Does it matter if he actually took popcorn out of the garbage?
Personally, I don’t think so. This is a virtual place, and it was the principle that was being addressed.
However, once you create a thread to introduce a principle, I think you should stand by it throughout the thread, whether you eat popcorn from the garbage or not, and not simply toss a few flippant remarks in when people say, “WTF?”. In other words, you should hash it out in good faith.
yawn I hate this sort of attitude. It only makes insecure people feel MORE like losers if they don’t participate in that shit. You also sound like kind of a loser for romanticizing college like that.
Don’t admonish PSXer because he’s shy. And not everyone who’s in college thinks it’s fun to drink.
Only the cool people.
I like the “my friend wants to know” thing. I think we should all use it. I am going to lead by example: What speed do Eurostar trains pass through Stratford International? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board
I like him. And though he may think he is a hopeless mess it sounds like he has friends, he has hobbies, he is setting himself up for a solid future by getting an education, as far as I know he has no serious physical or mental illnesses, he is not stuck in a horrible relationship, living in a wartorn country, heavily addicted to heroin, or awaiting prosecution for crimes he has committed. Some things one just needs to grow out of, and that should happen pretty naturally.
Latin might be handy in medical school.
My years spent sitting in a dimly lit dorm room jacked into a virtual social life were some of the best years of my life.
I think it’s clear from PSXer’s posts that he would like to be more social, and would like to participate more in “that shit.” It’s fine if you prefer to be asocial, but that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case for him. It sounds like he’ll be happier if he can gain some self confidence and overcome his shyness.
My bit of advice to him: I’ll bet you think more harshly of yourself than your friends do. Try to be less self conscious. Most of the time when you think you’re committing some kind of faux pas they don’t even notice.
Unless he shows up at a formal event wearing giant Spongebob slippers or something.
Hey, I just went to my ten year college reunion and I really felt like I’d let those great college years pass me by. I never studied abroad (why? I had some dumb reason I don’t even remember!), I didn’t play any sports (anathema to me at the time, but now I realize I’d like to be more active and find some fun activities and it’s hard to learn a sport at age 31), I didn’t do enough activities and make enough friends - I hardly knew ANYBODY there from my class. If I could go back in time I’d absolutely shake myself. And it had nothing to do with drinking or not drinking.