The Good, The Bad, The Somewhat Irritating

YAY for new job!

Sorry to hear about Nikki's troubles.

And said new user's name wouldn't begin with p and end with r, would it? Don't even bother to reply to him as it'll only make him happy. Ahhh, it's been so long since we had a debate troll...!
 

Congrats on the new job!

As far as the smoking thing goes, don't beat yourself up about it. I've quit for about the 4th time now, and even though it's gone pretty well, I still slip. It isn't just the physical addiction, it's the habit of it, and the way smokers use it for all kinds of things from avoidance to stress-relief. Plus, the average smoker will quit something like 7 times before it takes for good. Just hang in there!
 

Seeing pong apologise and stuff... I *think* he's OK- but very, very deep down. He just has this stupid tendency to get het up, irate and then post right away without previewing his reply to see if it's incendiary.

We've all learnt to think on our replies and to rein in comments we think we might regret when we've cooled down. Or to count to 10, make a drink and come back and post. I'm guessing he's under 21 and hasn't learnt those skills yet. It's not much comfort that we're better in that respect, but at least we have some respect for those we debate with, and show it.

We also know the people we're debating with, and so can interpret their comments when they might appear ambiguous to others. Starshine and vamphile exchange what might look like insults, but that's their friendship, it's all in jest. How does that look to a newbie though? One minute we're saying "Play nice", the next they see someone call someone else "bitch".

All said and done, he's not the first young guy who's barged into the WD and started butting heads, trying to find his footing and get established. Probably won't be the last either. But others have learnt to temper their replies and amend their ways. Hopefully, he can.

You made clear arguments. Maybe others don't agree with them, but they can at least respect them, and pong needs to learn to respect. He has to earn other people's respect though, and if he continues to behave like he has so far, he won't get it.

So big hugs for you, and a big, thick hot chocolate with marshmallows. Congratulations again on the new job, and the accompanying perks. Don't sweat the not knowing stuff, in a few weeks you'll be all "Yeah this is easy! How did I ever not know this?". Take it from a temp who knows! [wink]

And I hope you and Nikki manage to meet up. I know why she's beating herself up, but she assessed the situation at the time and offered help. If Phillip thought he needed it, so be it. If you play "what if" and say if he hadn't stopped he would have seen his Dad... you can't know that he still would have died at the same time. I hope she doesn't beat herself up too hard for only doing what any caring girlfriend would (and should) have done.

Hugs xx
 

Cosmicavatar:
YAY for new job!
Definitely YAY! *grin*

Don't even bother to reply to him as it'll only make him happy.
Yeah, I know. I couldn't resist the last dig, but I wasn't planning on giving him anymore feedback. I know better than to feed trolls because then you can never get rid of him--worse than fleas! *smile*
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Podgy:
Plus, the average smoker will quit something like 7 times before it takes for good. Just hang in there!
Yeah, I know I need to try again. What makes it even harder is that most of the people I work with smoke, too. It's not that they drag me out to the smoking area, but you know, it's break time, all the people you like to talk to are heading outside, yadda yadda yadda. I know I can do this, though!
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Helen:
Seeing pong apologise and stuff... I *think* he's OK- but very, very deep down.

You give him more credit than I do, I'm afraid. Yeah, he apologized, but I took it much more as "uh oh, I'm in trouble" and it didn't sound like anything other a snotty "I'm sorry, geeze!" to me. I don't particularly care since when I added "Fin" to my last post to him, I meant it as "I'm never going to reply to anything this idiot says ever again because I don't like stupid people." I mean, seriously--he thought what I wrote was me playing the victim? Good god, how can he not recognize sarcasm when it smacks him in the face?

I'm guessing he's under 21 and hasn't learnt those skills yet.

He's either 14 or has the emotional maturity of a flea. If it's the former, I might revise my opinion of him later.

One minute we're saying "Play nice", the next they see someone call someone else "bitch".

True enough, but it's not so much him not playing nice that annoys me. It's his inability to do more than attempt to sound knowledgeable by slinging around statistics that he obviously has no understanding of how to read/use. I found it rather amusing, also, that's he's so wrapped up in feeling "victimized" (the word that he likes to sling at me [rolleyes]) by all of us that he can't even keep straight who is on which side of the question.

But others have learnt to temper their replies and amend their ways. Hopefully, he can.

We'll see. Like I said, I don't like being around stupid people. So far, from everything I've seen so far, he's really stupid. If he can manage to not get banned, maybe he'll surprise me and change my opinion. If so, I'll gladly interact with him. As of right now, though, it's really not worth my time to try muddle through his damn near incomprehensible posts. As for responding to them or him, good god, no! That's why my last couple of posts to him have had the "teaching a pig to sing" quote in the sig (and note, that's the only place it's appeared).

Despite appearances, believe it or not, I don't HATE him and I'm not feeling wounded by his posts to me. I just find him such a waste of time, I've completely written him off. I realize that might look like "oh, he hurt my feelings", but it's really not.

You made clear arguments. Maybe others don't agree with them, but they can at least respect them,

Thank you! I know it's not a popular opinion on the board and I appreciate that. I really appreciated that no one jumped down my throat for how I feel. You're right--we're all mature enough to state how we feel and agree to disagree and having someplace online where that's the case is so great.

So big hugs for you, and a big, thick hot chocolate with marshmallows. Congratulations again on the new job, and the accompanying perks. Don't sweat the not knowing stuff, in a few weeks you'll be all "Yeah this is easy! How did I ever not know this?". Take it from a temp who knows! [wink]

Thank you, hon! I really appreciate it!

And I hope you and Nikki manage to meet up.

Yeah, me too. I've been mulling over different ideas of what we can do. I think she'd like to go to NYC but I don't know that I can afford it. Maybe one of those cruises where the meals are already included. Or maybe a long weekend to Mexico, which even with airfare might be much cheaper than 4-5 days in NYC.
 

Oh, congratulations on the job! Good work, I'm so happy for you and you really deserve it. Hope this takes a big burden off your shoulders.

I'm sorry about Nikki's boyfriend's dad, that's a very tough thing to go through. I think they'll be glad to have each other though, sometimes stuff like that makes you stronger together.

(and forgive me, sorry as I am for your daughter and Phillip, but when I read that you'd had some bad news I came here right away and I'm glad that it wasn't something bad that happened directly to you for a change! So I'm relieved that you've also had some good news).

As for pongy boy (what a name, I start checking for smelly socks everytime I read it) - he's just infantile and reads like a 17 year old boy trying to play in the big kid's pond. A pretty backwater one too.

MAybe he'll grow up and learn, maybe he'll just become ever more confirmed in his own narrow ways.

I think he's enjoying the attention, hope he's dumb enough to go too far and simply get banned, people like him bore me very quickly because they don't have anything to add.

SinisterBrit, for eg, is not someone I agree with a lot, but I do read him and would never lose my temper at him, because he is articulate and does reason.

So let's hope for a quick fade out of the smelly one.
 

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