Let me ask the question again: Does anybody believe that this board will help quasimodem retain his real life social skills?
The kinda wheelchair with a motor, or that you have to power yourself?
Um wow, ok.
Is it going to help you get some?
Yes, seeing as keeping the brain working has been shown to fight of dementia. You’d know that if you weren’t just try to rationalize your own bigotry. That’s what the entire tough love bullshit all is–how can I justify to myself an action I know is immoral.
The person who the OP is so mad about was trying to make a guy who was obviously getting so fucking depressed that he was thinking of giving up some encouragement to try to make him feel better. That’s what the OP is pitting: being a decent human being.
It was likewise clear from Quasi’s first post that he wasn’t quite understanding what was going on. Mhendo decided that he was mad enough to rationalize away beating up on someone who obviously was in trouble. Mhendo beat up on a defenseless old man–just like in real life, no one can get mad when the old man starts throwing punches.
But then Quasi felt so bad about it that he felt he had to quit. Because of mhendo, Quasi may die earlier than he was supposed to. At least the OP’s pittee was trying to make him feel better.
I not only share Tripolar’s beliefs on this matter, but I would add to it if I were sure it wouldn’t get me a Warning. Because, as I said in the other thread, mhendo, and people like him, aren’t worth it.
I wish I could have written something like this. But this shit makes me so angry that I can’t do calm rational stuff like that. The guy who beats up the kid in the wheelchair is just such a horrible person that I can’t say anything about them without wanting to hurt them.
Heck, I got so mad that I’ve had to stay away from the thread, and would have this one if I’d known what it was about. For all I know mhendo has apologized. And the OP of this thread and a couple others may yet apologize. So I will, after this, continue to treat them like human beings instead of the single-celled organisms I think they are now.
But, gah, I can’t understand how anyone can even think this way. Especially people who have shown themselves to be compassionate people in general.
I thought the way people jumped on Farmer Jane or Ambivalid was bad, but at least they could defend themselves.
Oh for crying out loud!
You know, I love this place and don’t like to see anyone get piled on, but this is just ridiculous.
I hope Quasi won’t leave over this, but he does not need to be coddled and he does need to watch his damn temper. Threats of physical violence are never okay and he needs to understand that.
The thing is, he clearly (eventually) realized he’d been inappropriate and essentially suspended himself. In that thread he makes a comment about staying out of the Pit. There’s a grey area between mollycoddling and pretending the disabled aren’t disabled.
The wheelchair analogy is really poor simply because cognitive disabilities are a different order of creature from physical disabilities. Can’t walk? Well, that’s a pretty obvious set of limitations. This is different, both in what it is and the fact that it ebbs and flows.
Nobody should get a pass on the “being a jerk” rule, even if it’s “being a jerk due to illness.” On the other hand, basic compassion says that his consequences for being a jerk should be different than someone who has been a jerk because he’s an asshole.
Q has basically been suspended for his meltdown. Whether he did it or the Mods did it is irrelevant, really, and as Oakminster says, he may not even be back.
Nicely put TriPolar. While I love reading the Dope and it is by far the best message board evah, I don’t live and breathe by it. It’s strictly for entertainment and some of you are pissed that a poster would affect your entertainment with some hardcore real life shit. If you don’t have any idea how ridiculous that is, then I fucking guarantee it’s you who needs a break.
I look at it this way. My father in law is 87. If he wants something, I get it for him. If he thinks something, I respect it. Because I’ll be on this planet for a long time after him and I have to live with how I treated him for the final years of his life. All of you will outlive Quasi, lucky for you. You’ll live long enough to be embarrassed at the judgement you passed on him.
Heh-more of BigTard’s patented “Anyone with any handicap should be able to get away with anything” jackassery.
Sorry, no. Quasi deserves the respect of being treated like an adult, not like a pet. The mods have been kind enough to take Quasi’s condition into account and not banned him for repeated outside-the-pit meltdowns and the sorts of threats of violence that would have gotten anyone else instabanned, and I think that’s kind of them and appropriate. However, whoever up thread said the board doesn’t have to be wrapped in cotton to avoid Quasi bumping into sharp corners was exactly right. He deserves some consideration, he does not deserve to be treated like a pet.
And–for you olde timers, can you imagine BigTard’s reaction to the treatment Handy got?
OP: My boyfriend’s condom broke last night–is there a douche I can use to avoid getting pregnant?
Handy: The first post on Google says pickle brine and coca-cola can be used as a douche to avoid pregnancy
Everyone else: NO IT CAN’T!
BigTard: STOP PICKING ON HANDY! HE’S DEAF AND YOU ALL HATE HIM (and, by extension me. 
) BECAUSE OF HIS HANDICAP! HE HAS RIGHTS! EVEN IF HE IS POSTING DANGEROUS MEDICAL MISINFORMATION!
Wuh?
Most people with personality disorders don’t know it. And people who are insane, by definition, do not know they insane. So why not just assume everyone is mentally ill?
If we cut everyone slack we’ll never have to be mad again.
Oh, sweet blithering fuck. Can you go on a posting sabbatical? Please?
A couple of questions:
Has anyone doubted Quasi’s claims?
How long has he been here?
I like to give people the benefit of the doubt…but watching him deteriorate over the year has been a little unnerving. Sometimes it’s not even believable. His…enthusiasm is awkward. I sometimes imagine him to be Tom Cruise jumping on a couch. While mhendo was being a jerk in that thread, so was Quasi. And it’s the Pit, so it’s allowed.
We don’t give people with mental disorders a pass. Hell, we’ve allowed people who were suicidal on this board get flamed. It’s not right to pick on a guy with Alzheimer’s, but people with dementia can get really nasty. It would appear that Quasi can hold his own (what with his numerous physical threats to posters and all) on the Internet.
It’s also my understanding that Quasi has been doing this for years. Years. So of course someone’s bound to get irritated eventually.
Oh, you could have, because it’s a bunch of blithering sanctimonious nonsense. It’s right up your wheedling idiotic alley.
Quasi lashed out with words. mhendo retaliated with words. Physical assault is not an appropriate analogy.
If Quasi shouldn’t be held responsible for what he says, then he needs supervision. Unfettered access to the internet is a bad thing, because the internet is a shitty place. He might weep tears over how we’re all one big family, but we’re not, especially in the Pit. If it wasn’t mhendo, it could well have been someone else taking him to task.
Classy. Because you posted this, BigT is going to die several days earlier than he otherwise would have. I hope you can live with yourself, murderer.
The second question is easy to answer: his profile has a join date of December, 2000, so 11½ years.
Christ. You’re an even bigger retard than I thought. I mean, seriously, SERIOUSLY fucking retarded.
I can imagine BigT as the type who, if he worked in a nursing home, would talk to all of the residents in baby-talk, and treat them like children. “Now, did we have a nice lunch today, Mrs. Stevens? How about we go and watch some nice tv now? Would you like that?” Ugh.
Seriously, dude, if you acted like that to my grandma (she doesn’t have dementia, but she’s 93 and in really bad health), she’d smack the crap out of you.
This thread has taken days off my life. You’re all murdering, life stealing bastards!
(Immediately sulks off to Superscience Lair to formulate the ultimate life stealing internet post.)
Quasi is well known here, and has been posting regularly for over a decade. His deterioration in the last few years is clearly notable, follows typical patterns of a progressive dementia, and has been painful to many of us.
Quasi stated quite clearly after he received his diagnosis that he didn’t wish for special treatment on this board because of his disease. I feel we should respect that.
Nothing anyone posts here is going to shorten, or lengthen his life.