I didn’t mean that he (or anyone) is above criticism. And if he were older I’d be much more critical. But stupid threads don’t engender in me a sense of being personally wronged by the person who opened it. A stupid thread isn’t like, say grafitti IRL, in which case hundreds or thousands of people are more or less forced to look at it.
I usually don’t bother to read START’s posts, but he does post something worthwhile occasionally.
Actually, Carrie was just on over the weekend, on SciFi, or AMC, or something. It wouldn’t be completely ludicrous for a person to stumble over it in the course of channel-surfing, so I don’t think the pig’s blood reference does or doesn’t date him, equivocably.
Well, that ain’t proof of anything. It’s very, very common for teens to lie about their age and pretend they’re over 18, even if it doesn’t involve booze or sex. They’re afraid of adults talking down to them or treating them like helpless children…a very real fear, sad so say.
Yep, I was just about to mention that, especially since the reference was made by me.
Quite the contrary: it’s proof he lied about his age. That’s all I ever suggested it was proof for in the first place. I don’t like, nor do I respect liars, about age or otherwise.
All I meant was that it’s an understandable lie. It does not follow that everything else he’s said is bullshit. And he did come clean about his age (as far as we know.)
I’m 22 and most people I know would get the “pig’s blood” reference. They might not understand where its’ from, but they’d get it. I think that its’ a pop culture thing like “Use the force” and “We’ll always have Paris.”
I only read the “Do I Have to Take Shit” thread. It seemed geniue enough to me. I didn’t pay attention to the others though, but I do know guys would are good at heart but do stupid, stupid things again and again.
I don’t usually read the Pit threads where someone calls out another poster who pissed them off in GD or GQ. Do you think the OPs of those threads are out of line? Do they get this kind of reaction?
And I don’t believe I said START should stop posting entirely. I said he should knock it off with these Degrassi High threads. Again I say, it’s not just because I don’t like them. It’s because his threads (the ones he starts, not ones he merely participates in) create a rift between other posters.
And I’ll just repeat again that I find it ridiculous that people find it so outlandish or inappropriate or offensive to ask for some kind of verification that people are telling the truth online, especially when the validity of their stories is so questionable. Why baby somebody who we suspect of lying because we’re so afraid of offending them? That’s the whole reason people are capable of pulling such extreme dishonesty online.
I’m not afraid to ask START “are you not complete fraud? prove it.”
Playing along and not challenging because you are afraid of hurting feelings or something isn’t being considerate and sensitive, it’s being foolish.
Looks to me like some people here don’t like Start.
Get over yourselves, already! Don’t like what or how he posts? Ignore him. How hard is that?
I have two teens-the stories they tell and that I hear about are just as implausible and disjointed as any Start has shared. Teens can be odd creatures, adult one minute then so juvenile that Kindergartner’s look mature next to them. Who doesn’t understand this?
As for those who think that his brother might not have died…what is wrong with you people? For god’s sake–why NOT err on the side of compassion and understanding? Even if it is all a story, wouldn’t you want to be seen as caring and compassionate? And if it is all made up, doesn’t Start need some serious help? Dumping on him is non-productive and just plain mean.
Why wouldn’t his behavior be erratic and odd? He lost a brother, and moved into a whole other family dynamic in the past 6 months. Who knows what kind of coping skills he had going in? Or that he has now?
He does sound immature. He is immature. Is that a crime? If I were Laura, I wouldn’t date him. But I remember dating a guy in HS just because I wanted a BF, not for any feelings I had for the guy–that is a part of HS. Thank God there was no Internet for me to be castigated for my shallowness and called a jerk to boot.
Jeesh.
For those here who are so judgemental of Start and have recently left your adolescence behind–grow up your own selves! Who says that YOUR experience of teenage is the standard by which to judge anyone else’s?
Futile–I hafta agree with you. I am taken aback by the flat out mean-ness in this thread.
Does Start trigger some memories of teen inadequacies in some of these posters? Why the vitriol? Who among us didn’t try to pass for older when we were teens? WTH?
Sorry to catch on a point mostly unrelated to the actual thread, but I was following the Kaitlin story awhile back and I’m more than interested to hear that (s)he was a faker.[sup]*[/sup] Would someone care to explain the story to me and/or link any remaining relevant threads? Thanks.
[sup]Obviously interested enough to register as a guest entirely for the purpose of asking this question.[/sup]
If they’re saying they’re sick of the person and tells them they should stop posting, as if they think everybody should comply to what they like and don’t like, and are apparantly incapable of just ignoring what they don’t like, they very well might and should get that reaction.
From your OP:“Either way, get a LiveJournal and shut the fuck up on the boards.”
Oh my God, people arguing and disagreeing on the SDMB! That has never happened before! START is tearing the board apart!!! :rolleyes:
Many thanks!
And due to my messageboard habits I probably won’t be around for very long - I tend to register, post incessantly for a short time, and then leave. And I don’t find the idea of paying money for the privilege of posting for a specific amount of time when I probably won’t be posting for more than a third of it particularly appealing. But thanks for your warm welcome.
Well, call me a big gullible loser because I believe START’s stories and always try to be nice to him. I don’t know why and have no rationalization to provide, other than that it’s easier to trust that Dopers are telling the truth.
I didn’t want to be the crotchety misanthrope who brought it up ;), but now that you say it, yeah, I agree. I concluded a year or so ago that he was nothing but a chain-yanker and I stopped reading him. I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it, because, hey, I stopped reading him, problem solved; but as long as it’s being discussed, count my vote in favor of fakewankery.
Um…despite my BS meter going off the charts while reading the newest START thread, I think you’re vastly under estimating the pop culture knowledge of teens. Within the last week and a half I read an essay by a seventh grader that made the same allusion to pig blood and dousing an unpopular kid with it. Didn’t they just remake the movie a couple, three years ago? Ah, the remake was in 2002.
Personally, I am of the opinion that the age of someone’s cultural or literary references is not in any way a valid referent for their actual age. I have much anecdotal basis for this, with which I shall not bore the public at this time.