How did I suddenly change my mind?
to tell you the truth, the weather here in iceland is and has been very weird this winter.
sorry about that, perhaps you were being kind, not wanting me there in that bad weather you have in chicago…
but i am not used to making that sort of assumptions so it didnt, sorry about this one now.
bj0rn - 
In general terms, I can understand that I come across as hostile in this case. I’d preferm the word firm, but hey, interpretations vary.
If someone read this thread as his first one on the SD, he’d probably think I was being aggressive, unfair, and a big, bad, mean bully, holding down the poor Islandic kid and rubbing his wee li’l nose in the snow.
And I trust almost each and every Doper to know better than that, given the specific history in this case.
This isn’t new, and this isn’t something that bj0rn has never been told before. He likes to puzzle us. He’s exploiting his status as a non-native speaker of English. THAT’S what I object to. I would have had this opinion whether my nationality were Dutch, English, Canadian, Swahili, South Polean, or, so help me God, American.
If I say something completely moronic, and one of you corrects my language, I thank you for it. This is the Straight Dope, dammit. Not a playground for word jugglers from every corner of the globe.
Dixit
[sub]That’s Latin.[/sub]
hey!!! i resent that, i happen to have a bloody big nose!
you dont know if thats true, so dont say it like it is.
again you make a statement that is not true.
exploiting is what you say i do, not what i do.
this may be misunderstood, please let me explain.
in conjuction with above statments it might be understood as: bj0rn has never said thanks when he has been corrected (more than 24 times).
that simply isnt true, i will not post a link or a quote because i can not search more than 30 days into the past (i am hoping that is just silly me).
from my point of view, you are the one doing the word juggling, since not one of the statements i quoted from you were true.
do you know how “false” promotes ignorance.
bj0rn - tell me if i lie
**
i am not asking you to understand every post you read. i am definetely not asking you to understand every post I submit. i am not asking you to misunderstand any post either. i am going to tell you that you misunderstood the purpose of the sudden change from (non)descriptive titles to the normal blahblah about the milleniuym hype.**
That’s one of the coyest “justifications” for incoherence I’ve ever read. Basically you’re not asking anyone (?) to understand or misunderstand anything. But you’re peeved because the purpose for your “sudden change” was misunderstood.
**sure, i made the post a bit obscure but the purpose was three-fold.
- i was making a non-descriptive subject, one that had nothing to do with what the thread contained…i did feel certain that this action would stir up enough pit related emotion to grant the thread a place in the pit.
- i mentioned an old grudge, one that, as coldfire said, was long dead and buried for two reasons…
a. to provide the subject with an non-related message
b. to ask a simple and annoying (because of the old factor) question about the millenium hypers, which i find to be the most annoying people in the world right now.**
Right. Glad you cleared that one up.
3. for old times sake…you cant have me growing up and learning english can you?
Nice try, Bj0rn, but your insistence on casting this individual persecution based on language issues won’t work–and never has. There are many posters who struggle with English, some of them native speakers, sad to say. If there’s a communication glitch, clarification is asked and given, no big deal. Clear use of language is valued, as it makes communication easier and more accurate, but the main goal is to make an honest effort to get ideas across. Unfortunately you have a long track record of inflating misunderstandings into mind-boggling, illogical screeds. They blend whatever random concept is passing your mind at the time with the firm conviction that anyone who doesn’t understand should and just didn’t try.
damn…i hope im not using sarcasm im my post, that would mean im stupid.
It’s hard to tell w/ you sometimes, Bj0rn, it honestly is: how much is sarcasm, and how much is–in my opionion–a stupidly wasteful squandering of your obvious intelligence. You definitely are not stupid, so it baffles me what you’re gaining from fostering these misunderstandings.
Veb
Oh PLEASE bjornito, dont give us that crap. Ever since you’ve been on the board and we’ve asked you to at least try to improve your English, you’ve shown that you either: A. are too rude and inconsiderate to us to do it, or B. just cant be bothered at all (let me say this, you have improved some but you still stick to your old ways). So, that suggests to me and to others that you DO like juggling words to confuse us.
Don’t think you don’t exploit your second language learner status?
Try this thread 1
“since i am not a native speaker of the english language, i have often have problems when writing a post.”
I could probably find many more, but it’s hard reading through a lot of your old posts since the board code change over (and especially a lot of your incoherency). But, if you didn’t why would someone have pointed it out to you? Why would you feel a need to explain your second language learner status if you DIDN’T feel a need to exploit it as an excuse?
Uh, hello? I remember you quite defiantly claiming “it’s my style!” when someone called you on your lack of punctuation or spelling or grammar usage. I don’t recall you really thanking someone and then making an attempt to correct yourself after. It is your silly self that’s having the problem, on the search feature you can search “any time”.
Ok, you lie.
Doobieous - Silly rabbit, tricks are for kids.
(Fave bjorn post…his claim language isn’t used for communication…that brought back such memories)
yes, not using capitals is my style, but bad grammar usage is not and i have never said that. in the few cases people have accually corrected my grammar i have thanked them and sometimes noted that it wasnt enough to teach me in the way they did.
i recall when someone tried to teach me proper punctuation, it went something like this:
blahblah after blah and [word i didnt understand] but a comma blah…etc.
this is the difference between icelandic and english puncuation:
little green men.
litlir, grænir menn.
i make this note again; in the FEW cases i have been corrected, not yelled at,i have apologised and thanked for the correction.
oh, thanks…didnt see it.
i said:
reply:
so, by saying; “sorry, i dont know your language well enough to write proper grammar” i am exploiding my status as a non-native speaker of the english language?
how?
a person who is drowning yells; “i dont know how to swim!”
that person expects help, or at least an understanding on his/her situation. s/he does not expect to be told; “you are not swimming correctly!”
i have been through that “style” thing many times…ok, people do not agree. but it is something i am willing to suffer for, i do not do this to puzzle or frustrate anybody.
hmm…you say i have been asked to improve my english, you say i have improved some.
HELLO!!! how can i be rude or inconsiderate while doing what i have been asked to do?
ok, its a bit slow and people arent rid of what they thought they would be rid of (capitalization).
when did i lie?
bj0rn - tv, ill reply to you a bit later…
Well, sure.
But what do you do when you save a drowning person (who claims not to be able to swim), and this person, upon being brought back to life by means of CPR, immediately jumps into the water again, shouting “Help! I can’t swim!!”?
One gets slightly annoyed at that.
And what does one do when said poor swimmer repeats that same sequence 1,347 times?
That’s right. One calls them a fucking whining martyr, and lets them drown.
[sub][sup]Forgive me folks, this is my first attempt at bj0rnese logic. It may not look pretty, but it might get the point across…[/sup][/sub]
You exploit it by not trying to either get help in Iceland (do NOT claim there are no good teachers), or by looking at various online resources and helps that there are for ESL learners. You’ve obviously had enough experience with English to be able to communicate somewhat.
Coldfire for instance, is a native speaker of Dutch, but his English is almost native speaker level (as well as many of our other L2 learners of English who post regularly). I’m sure if he can work to improve his English you can too (we aren’t asking you to reach his level of fluency, we’re just asking for CLEAR and understandable posts). No excuses for it. So the question is, have you been actively seeking help to improve your grasp of English or not?
[/quote]
a person who is drowning yells; “i dont know how to swim!” that person expects help, or at least an understanding on his/her situation. s/he does not expect to be told; “you are not swimming correctly!”
[/quote]
Many HAVE pointed out ways to improve your grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, but you hav slipped right back to your old habits. I also remember someone pointing out that there was someone on the board who offered to help you with your English, but you didn’t seek help.
Would I get away with writing out Spanish like I write English? NO, my professors call me on it. Don’t expect us to hold your hand because English isn’t your native language.
You just don’t get it. If your “style” is confusing people, then isn’t it time to drop that style and try to communicate your thoughts effectively? Oh I forgot, language isn’t for communication.
I said some I did NOT say you have improved totally. I still have a lot of trouble trying to understand many things you say.
The problem you have is you have shown an inability to communicate most of your thoughts articulately or even somewhat articulately. If this is your style, God help us ALL! It’s not hard at ALL to communicate effectively in English. I’ve had FAR less trouble understanding L2 learners of English who recently started taking English classes than I have with many of your posts.
So, what does that say? Either you’re purposely trying to be vague and “pseudo-philosophical” or you actually confuse everyone in BOTH English and Icelandic.
Taking something polycarp said in this thread
In other words, the majority of your posts fail to convey whatever information you were trying to convey.
logic fails!
perhaps you just havent been able to pull the poster out of the water yet!
so if he is? what has that got to do with me? are you saying that because one person can achive that level everybody can?
no, i am not registered in any english classes. the fact that i have no trouble at all reading and understanding english tells me only one thing, i lack experiance in USING english, which matter of factly i am gaining as i write…
slowly but surely you might just realize that i did not in any way say i had improved totally, i can not even begin to imagine how you reached that conclusion.
[quote]
Oh I forgot, language isn’t for communication.[/qoute]
if you dont know the facts you shouldnt say things like that!
i already replied to what polycarp said:
[bj0rn]
that is very true. but is the post incoherent? if the post IS incoherent then it sure has failed. but if the post is only incoherent to that reader. the problem is not in the post. the problem is then the readers. so either the post is incoherent, or the reader didnt comprehend it.
[/bj0rn]
why didnt you include my answer in your quote?
because this is the pit, and i would oh so much to keep this thread in the pit, i am going to reply in the dumbest manner possible; “you are the mighty dumb reader”.
bj0rn - …
hmmm. We seem to make the assumption that bj0rn would make more sense if English was his first language.
Coldie isn’t being any harsher on bj0rn than hw is fair to bj0rn. this isnt the first time bj0rn has started a thread like this, and it sure as hell wont be the last.
hehehe, góður. verst er að ég skrifa alveg eins á íslensku…
þetta er svona hugsanaskrift
bj0rn - njótið vel
This is EXACTLY why you need to take English classes. So you can GAIN experience using it, instead of subjecting innocent people to your attempts to use it miserably. Or, perhaps you just need a basic writing comprehension course so you can understand how the writing process works.
What I said was in reference to this:
In other words, what you implied here is that you have been doing everything that everyone keeps telling you to do, capitalize, punctuate properly, and make your posts clear and coherent enough that people understand what you are saying. THAT is what I was referring to. Please read carefully bj0rn-dog, your claim you can read and understand English without trouble is at stake.
You yourself SAID this!
[quote]
why didnt you include my answer in your quote?
[quote]
Because your reply wasnt pertinent to the point I was making. If you had understood what my meaning was (which was bolded for you so you could see it clearly), you would know why. Again, take an English comprehension course.
First, this shows blatant disrespect for your readers and anyone you reply to. No wonder a lot of people harp on you. What you’re saying here is, “I’ll write any damn way I please and even if it makes no sense at all, the reader is stupid, because of my miserable, sad, pathetic grasp on a language I am attempting to use, but failing miserably.”
Second, let me take what you just said there and apply it to you. Since you misunderstood everything I wrote in my reply to you, “you are the mighty dumb reader”.
There, there, Doob.:::soothing hug:::
Mangling metaphors right and left, you’re trying to a make a silk purse outta a sow’s ear and you’re beating a rock: it just tires out your arm and the rock stays a rock.
The issue with Bj0rn isn’t–and never was–language. We have plenty of foreign speakers who are great, popular and well-respected folk, no matter their level of expertise. Bj0rn fosters fights, confusion and ill will and hides behind language to do it.
After all, when finally–after great effort and frustration–he was cornered on the capitalization issue he insisted it was just his style, and he was sticking to it. Of course that was promptly followed by an incoherent and illogical rant language not being related to communication, intuition and personal truths.
He’s a poster illustration (pun intended) for passive aggressive hit-and-run tactics. Talking with him isn’t fighting igornance or even having casual conversation; it’s feeding his appetite for contrived controversey.
Veb
There are many different members of this board, with many different posting styles, interests, and personalities. I’ve always thought that there is plenty of room for them all. I’ve never thought that it was incumbent upon us to like each and every one of them, enjoy their views, condone their style, etc.
So fucking what that some of you don’t like bjorn. So fucking what that some of you don’t like me. No matter how many people object to this member or that one, you will ALWAYS find several members that enjoy or appreciate any certain objectionable member. That’s enough I think to justify the objectionable member’s existance here and continued participation.
In my humble opinion, some here use the power of being a moderator to exercise a personal vendetta against those they don’t appreciate under the guise of merely carrying out their duties…or even more melodramatic, “protecting the fight against ignorance”… Bullshit. It’s often nothing more than personal payback time and it is obviously petty and little-minded behavior. Some of the explanations I’ve seen are pretty fucking transparent.
Any mod that can admit to themself that they don’t like a certain poster should attempt to exercise restraint and maturity to keep a distance from that poster…taking care to make sure that their personal feelings about that person doesn’t bleed over into unfair and uneven treatment of that poster by means of their moderator “powers”…because by doing otherwise, they are not only being unfair to the poster, but to the others that DO enjoy them.
…not a popularity contest eh?..now THAT’S funny!
Ironically, that’s exactly what Krispy once suggested. About himself, even. I took him up on it, and posted a Pit Poll asking people whether or not they though Krispy was an ass (bear in mind, this was before my diplomatic moderator status ;)).
For some weird reason, I can’t for the life of me find the thread at hand. It was called “Krispy challenged me to do it, so here it is”, and it was posted right here in the Pit. Untraceable. I think it must have been deleted by accident, or something.
Apparently, he applied the very logic you suggest - one voice weighing in in favour is enough to keep an idiot around. Hell, that thread was three pages long, and lots of people chimed in to tell Krispy he was a dolt. Against the original “rules” as set by himself, he stuck around.
I sure as hell hope some people find him amusing, because I don’t see the humour at all. Well, that’s not entirely true. His choice of allies today cracked me up beyond belief.
Nice lie Coldfire.
You only got 28 members that wanted me gone…your side never garnered the required number of votes…not by a longshot…(of course, dimpled chads weren’t counted)
Ha! I love chad jokes.