From: mathew <mathew@mantis.co.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.flame
Subject: Re: The world according to propeller-boy - part 1
Keywords: From: decay@
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 92 14:13:45 BST
Distribution: world
Organization: Mantis Consultants, Cambridge. UK.

kevin@rotag.mi.org (Kevin Darcy) writes:
> In article <1992Jul26.071706.27012@cs.cmu.edu> garvin+@cs.cmu.edu (Susan Garv
> >In article <1992Jul26.001305.18495@rotag.mi.org> kevin@rotag.mi.org (Kevin D
> >#Willing to explain, as in, speaks from experience? Gee, sounds like you 
> >#hooked a real winner there, Susie dear. Say, how long is Mr. Right's 
> >#
> >#prison furlough?
[...]
> Say, if you cared so much about the feelings of your virtual S.O. in this
> matter, why did you expose him to my post, along with the entire talk.abortio
> newsgroup? Could it be that your S.O.'s nightmare is more useful as AMMO 
> against Big Bad Kebbin than as something to let heal?

That's right, Kevin.  Imply that Susan's S.O. is a child-abuser.  Then when
she responds that he isn't, and that in fact he was abused as a child, you
can pretend she's just revealing the information as a sob story.

Quality flaming from Mister Compassion.

>                                                    You seem to playing his
> experience for maximum effect, Susie dear, so don't preach to me about how
> "sickening" my remarks are -- YOU AND YOUR S.O. set yourselves up for it,
> and you're both reacting oh so predictably well...

That's right, Kevin.  Anyone who reveals that he suffered child abuse is
doing so just because he wants someone like you to come along and make jokes
about it.

Kevin, you really are a complete bastard.  I was prepared to overlook your
joking about child abuse as just evidence of a sick sense of humour.  After
all, that's something I'm guilty of.

Let's be honest, you probably should have been able to work out that Susan
wasn't likely to be stating that she is in love with someone she knows to be
a child-abuser.  However, I'm even willing to allow for the possibility that
that thought didn't occur to you.

But after it turned out that the person you were suggesting was a
child-abuser was actually a *victim* of abuse, I hoped you might apologize. I
hoped for something along the lines of "Sorry, it hadn't occurred to me that
your S.O. was a victim of child abuse, I shouldn't have made such a
tasteless comment."

Of course, you're not known for your ability to apologize or admit mistakes,
so I expected that you would just quietly let the thread drop.

I didn't expect that you would capitalize on Susan's posting by claiming that
it was an emotional appeal, rather than simply a response to your crass
joke.  I didn't expect that you'd keep the same smug "I knew you were going
to say that" tone.

This may be alt.flame, but there are limits to what I consider reasonable
behaviour when flaming.  If anyone's capitalizing on Susan's S.O.'s
experience, it's you; you're the one laughing about it, and using the fact
that it was posted as ammunition against those you wish to take swipes at.
I consider your behaviour to be undignified, uncivilized, in fact downright
barbaric.

I don't wish to get involved in a lengthy discussion of this matter.  I just
want you to know that you've just been downgraded in my estimation from
"compulsive, hypocritical and evasive flamer" to "unconscionable bastard".

Now go ahead, dredge up the Ken vs. Gypsy thread from talk.bizarre.  Prove me
right.  My point in that thread was that I felt Ken Johnson was being assumed
to be malicious when the evidence didn't warrant it.  In your case, I think
the evidence is pretty much stacked in favour of the idea that malice is the
single overriding motivation behind everything you post.

Also, bear in mind that even in the talk.bizarre thread, *I* wasn't the one
making jokes about child abuse.


mathew
-- 
"Even the most bizarre of the unions (probably that between a cat's gall
 stone and a single note 'G' from CNN's ident theme) managed to convey a
 sense of rampant impropriety."  -- 'Fortran Five', Simon G. Lawrence Leonard

Newsgroups: alt.flame