You guys can't be serious. Lighten up.

The BBQ Pit
1

This pit brought to you by this thread.

What started out as a light-hearted story that I thought I would write because I was bored at work turned out to be a 1st class bitch fest. What I did was wrong and stupid, but come on, lighten the fuck up.

First I would like to respond to a couple of comments.
Whynot, I’ll start with you. Let’s see,

.
You listed, by my count, four things. If you can’t fathom four things, I don’t think you have any merit to talk about my stupidity.

Among those things you listed abandoning my post. I wasn’t on duty, I wasn’t fucking posted there, and everyone on the boat heard me jump in. That hardly put me, or anyone else, in danger.

Hypothermia? The water in the Gulf is a frigid 80 degrees that time of year. I guess I could succumb to hypothermia just before I died of starvation.

You wanna weep? You won’t believe this, but I raced motocross at the same period of my life. I also bungee jumped and sky dived. Can you believe how much I endangered my life? Do you realize how much I personally polluted the atmosphere with those gas burners. Oh yeah, I’m also a pilot. I’ve flown over thousands of people. Just image if my plane were to fall out of the sky - the lives I’ve endangered. Oh yeah, and I eat tuna regardless if it is “dolphin safe”.

As far as what “they” were supposed to train out of me, this is a line that comes from a person that I would wager has never served her country. It’s basic training. It is not some kind of brainwashing Nazi camp that changes your personality.

Sharky, your comments didn’t piss me off nearly as much, but I wanted to say that yes, I was aware that it was illegal. I was aware because I lived in Panama City at the time. Yes, that’s right, I was a resident for almost four years. Save your “tourist” comments for someone else.

Did you know that speeding is illegal? Did you know that they post policemen on the highways just for people that speed? Do you see my point?
I can not believe how the people of the SDMB can attack me for such a frivolous post, yet posts that describe sticking a wedding ring up the nose is just fun (apologies to the OP of that thread). Hey, you could get that stuck up there and have to go to the hospital. You could be setting a bad example.

This pit is not about my thread and it is not just about the people who posted in it. What really pisses me off is the pussification of the American public - the people who say that you can’t do anything dangerous - the people who think this world would be a better place if everyone just locked themselves in a little padded room so nothing bad can happen.

You can call what I did stupid or dangerous, but I call it living. I wasn’t coddled as a child. I didn’t have elbow pads or a helmet that I had to wear when I rode a bike. I’ve had my share of broken bones. I’ve lived and I’ve learned. I don’t regret a thing.

I should mention that the incident I describe happened almost ten years ago while I was 18 or 19. I thought it was a funny story that I could share.

So, to all you tree-hugging hippies that are afraid I somehow endangered the dolphins - Fuck Off.

To all you child-coddling pussies that shield their kids until they have to figure out how dangerous the world really is - Eat A Dick.

To anyone who didn’t freak out about my story - thank you, there’s still hope.

2

So, you knew it was illegal, you were a resident and knew about the problem of people harassing the dolphins, but you did it anyway? That makes it even worse than if you were a tourist. At least they are only guilty of ignorance and not arrogance.

Where did you get your Certificate of Immunity from the Law? I want one. It seems that whenever I break the law, I get caught and have to pay a fine. Maybe I should work on my timing.

Endangering the dolphins? Yes, by feeding them. Hence the law prohibiting it. They are not capable of protecting themselves in that respect. Swimming with them? Not harmful to the dolphins, but people have died doing it. Read the link in my post. It is prohibited not so much for the protection of the dolphins, but to protect people from their ignorance. Most people (particularly tourists) aren’t aware of the dangers of interacting with wild dolphins in an uncontrolled environment. Hence the law prohibiting it.

Seriously, I’m not angry with you, that would be a waste of energy because surely you couldn’t care less about my opinion. But it’s interesting that you would post a description of such an incident and not expect a little (mild, even) chastisement.

A big deal? Not in my book. Fair winds and calm seas.

3

Well, I sure you are going to get some shit now. Having registered over four years ago, you should know by now that some people here will shit on any post where the poster does something stuoid, or that they consider stupid.

However, your thread did not become a 1st class bitch fest. Most posters gave humorous responses or light-hearted digs.

Now that you opened this pit thread, that may change. I fear you may have overreacted.

4

Maybe this explains your stupidity. Did you hit your head once too often?

Seriously, dude, you tell a story of stupidity, and then are surprised when people say that what you did was stupid. Now, just to make their lives easier, you start a thread on the same topic in the Pit, so the people who have been telling you that your actions were stupid in MPSIMS can now come in here and tell you that you are stupid.

Are you stupid, or what?

5

Nah, he’s right. It’s one thing to gently point out that you were young and stupid, but to start hectoring the guy is kind of obnoxious.

Hands up, all those who haven’t done something stupid when they were 18 or 19? Did I ever tell you about the time when I tried to ride the bumper of a pickup truck through a gopher hole infested field at 30 mph? It starts with, “When I regained consciousness…”

I hope we’re not becoming a bunch of self-rightous scolds.

6

raises hand

Sheesh, some of the things I did as a teenager . . . beyond stupid. I’m lucky to be alive.

But can you really define my post as “hectoring”? Maybe you were referring to someone else.

I was only attempting to point out that it is illegal to swim with the dolphins, and was wondering if the pontoon rental people had informed his party as such, because they are required to. Perhaps my use of the term “people like you” could be interpreted as being condescending, but it wasn’t intended to be. Dolphin harassment really is a serious problem here, however. And not just with the tourists, but with arrogant locals who should know better, but don’t feel that the law applies to them. Because, hey, everybody does it, right?

Regarding my comment about jumping off of a moving vessel, it seems as though there is an incident every month of the summer in which someone is hacked up or killed after being struck by the propeller of a recreational vessel, but maybe my imagination is stronger than my powers of recall. In my experience as a USCG licensed captain, one of the most common safety rules was to never allow personnel to be too close to the stern of the vessel or to step outside of the gunwale railings while underway. It was something we all took very seriously. But I probably could stand to lighten up a little.

Heh. You kids get off my damn lawn!

7

I thought the post was lighthearted and amusing, about a retarded act that the OP performed when they were little more than a kid and it was a bit of a morality tale about how something may look pretty and friendly from a distance, but up close is a different story.

I also think some people have a whole lotta sand in their vaginas and need to just douche out and relax.

8

Whatever. It was a silly thread. You know people will take any thread or post and turn it around on you, especially those who possess nothing resembling a sense of humor or those who decide they want to lecture. Don’t let it get you down.

9

I dunno what WhyNot’s problem is (I suspect they’re numerous) but if you had been mauled or drowned or dolphin-raped, I don’t think you’d be getting much sympathy. Someone would write a thread nominating you for a Darwin Award and that’d be it.

That said, I don’t like dolphins either, and the writers of the Simpsons apparantly agree.
And who the heck assumes a hitch in the Air Force will mature a guy? Yeesh.

10

If you don’t know where to get one, I’m not telling you. Sucks for you. :slight_smile:

11

I thought it was a funny story - those holier than thou folks kill me.

I guess they lived Malibu Barbie and Ken lives as teens.

I smoked weed, I tried Blotta Acid, I drank Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, I drove with no license, I lied to my parents, I cut class, I started my cigarette habit. All stupid - all part of my youth. It would really piss me off for the self righteous to point out what I did wrong 30 years ago.

Good pit, dude!

12

**brewha **: I took your story as an amusing anecdote that was meant to be light-hearted and self-deprecating. This is from a member of Green Peace and many other Environmental groups. Someone who works in a small way to protect all Cetaceans and believes that we should do to far more to protect these wonderful creatures.
So I guess I might count as a tree hugging Hippie. YMMV.

By the way I have been up close to a very large Black dolphin like you. I found it an incredible experience. I did not jump in the water however, but the old leaky wooden sailboat I was in had very low sides and I was able to see eye to eye with her. She fled from idiots in speed boats to the safest thing she could find. Monmouth County Friends of Clearwater’s Small Skipjack. This was on the Navesink River in NJ. She stayed with her for quite a while until the speed boats went away. One of the more amazing experiences in my life.

Jim

13

Hardly. The sand’s supposed to be eradicating the centipedes, didn’t you know?

14

Then put your hand down.

empasis added

I didn’t get the idea that brewha was all that young though. For the record, I’ve done stupid stuff into my 40s, and the only reason I haven’t done it into my 50s is because I’m not there yet. My level of stupidity has decreased, but it hasn’t been eradicated.

Another doper who lives their life fully within the limits of the law at all times. Warms the cockles of my heart, it does. Well, it would if I had a heart. The Wizard hasn’t come through for me yet.

15

Yeah, actually, they numbered four at that moment: the two two year olds and the 5 month old who were making me tear my hair out. I had just had one of those meltdown moments where everyone was crying at once, and just managed to get them to sleep. Then (this is number four) the very first thread I opened was like reading a coast guard test question from stupid school. I scolded. I reacted to the OP like I wanted to react to the little 'uns in my care but can’t until they’re a little more sentient. Total projection going on there.

OTOH, the OP never indicated in the OP that he and the other people involved were kids themselves. I can’t guarantee it, but I probably would have reacted with a :rolleyes: had I known that. Hoo boy, do people do dumb things at that age! I totally get that. I read it as a “this is what happened to me last week” anectode about adults.

As for the military crack, that was actually quite serious. While I have never enlisted, I’ve dated quite a few men who have (army and marine, not air force) and their stories of basic always included comments about how carefully they were taught to follow orders and NOT be impulsive and do rash things without thinking of the legalities and consequences. I mean, there have been whole marketing angles around the idea that you send your impulsive, reckless stupid teenagers to them and they make stable, dependable, “real” men out of them, haven’t there? That’s what convinced my idiot brother to join, and it worked wonders on him.

So I apologize for the mother hen tone. I’m sorry about that. It was a bummer of a downturn in what could have been a lighthearted “you dummy!” thread. It was like Roseann Barr stomping into a friendly barchat and getting all shrill and annoying. It acomplished nothing other than to get defenses up, and it was a dumb thing to do. I hereby promise to not post under the influence of babies any more.

I’ll go cross post this in the other thread so that anyone who doesn’t read here can read it there.

Mea culpa.

16

Woot! Nice apology. All too rarely seen in the pit. Nice job WhyNot, enjoy your brief break.

Jim

17

I think it does. However, mature people still do risky things; I seem to recall an 80 y.o. ex-President leaping out of perfectly good airplanes just for kicks.

18

Sheesh, way to ruin a guy’s pit. I came to work today all full of piss and vinegar just thinking about what responses I’d get to my pit thread. I was going to stick to my guns and tell everyone to fuck off, but instead I get these responses. :smiley:

Whynot, this is going to sound cheesy, but you pretty much made my day. If some anonymous user had come on to shit on my thread that would be one thing, but I don’t want to say I know you, but I at least know of you. You usually seem so level headed and rational in your posts which really confused me when you attacked me. Hey, we’ve all had bad days, so I understand. And thanks for the apology.

To everyone else, except for mhendo, thanks for your responses as well.

Now, since this is the pit, mhendo can eat a dick and choke on it. You have no right to judge my intelligence on one story.

Simple answer is no. I encrypted and decrypted classified messages in the USAF. They don’t give Top Secret security clearances to stupid people.

I got out of the military and started college as an engineer. I have my degree in mechanical engineering. Stupid people can not pass 400 level calculus classes.

I now design components for multi-million dollar jets. Stupid I am not.

19

Damn good story, and kudos for posting it.

I could get all admonitory about breaking the law but then I think about those Cuban cigars that somehow found their way into my luggage on my last overseas trip, whoops.

I also am amazed sometimes about being alive when I think of all the stupid things I did, someday I’ll tell the story about a skinny 20 year old in a costume facing down some huge, drunk bikers outside a bar on Halloween.

But damn, you can say that you swam with dolphins, that’s cool.

20

So did I, so that disproves that theory. :cool: