...except for this time.
And that's the truth. I almost NEVER delete a comment, no matter the provocation. But for this one post, I decided after a couple of truly ignorant comments that one class of comments would be deleted, and I announced I would be deleting them, AND I explained why. But I had a problem. This was a Skywriter post, and I'm not allowed to alter it. I couldn't go back and choose "Friends Only" or "Choose to Approve all Comments." I had to delete each comment as I found it, and that meant a lot of sub-threads went with the comments. But that's what I did. What happened next was an absolute surprise.
This post by a frienemy popped up, not because I had deleted comments of hers, but because I had deleted comments... period. Say what? There are people here who allow no comments at all, or who delete EVERY comment they don't like for whatever reason. There are also people who routinely allow only friends to comment, or who approve all comments, not showing any comment they don't like.
Despite all that, I have never seen a post like that one. I've seen complaints by people who've had comments deleted, sometimes turning those comments into a post, and I've seen general kvetching about the practice, but THIS post is a nine-day wonder. You would think that I invented deleting, or that it was what I did as common practice.
I had a reason for what I did, and I explained it... several times. I even explained it on the new "Chuck's a Rotten Deleter" post. Nobody read it. They simply swarmed to the attack, accusing me of doing things I had specifically eschewed, excoriated me for daring to delete comments at all (as if most of them didn't make a practice of it), and generally beat me up for doing for the first time what fully a quarter of Gather's posters do as a matter of standard practice. Meanwhile, my post was flooded by the very comments I had said I'd delete, a childish attempt to prove they could "beat" me. And in truth, I did eventually allow a few of the milder ones to stay.
OK, I don't really shiv a git WHAT they say, write or think. I just think the reaction, the first of its kind on Gather (that I've seen) was really extreme. I probably won't do it again for another two years or more, but when/if I do, I expect the same nonsensical explosion of angst and inaccurate representation of me, my motives and my actions. If I don't get it, I'll be most surprised. I just don't know why.
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Comments: 76
Yikes! Did I just open myself up to one of your scathing remarks? Yikes!
Once or twice I felt myself compelled to do so but I tried, with my lousy English, to explain either the context of the comment either the reason of my decision.
As a matter of fact I hate uttered statements which cannot be supported by any link, at the least, and which are thrown in the face with insults.
If you don't know poutine, it is french fries with gobs of cheese. I love fries and cheese, but the cheese is cheap and too much. I do not like cheap cheese, only gourmet. And french fries in montreal were great with brown gravy, or white vinegar, or salt/pepper/ketchup and white vinegar. Poutine has become world famous in quebec.
so far, had great scottish beer ...there are places that serve haggis, but.. will pass. must go to the famous creperie that i used to go to.
restaurants all over the world. thai, viet, bengali, india, kebob, bbq, dundee-s the canadian food ...few chain restaurants... mostly superb cooking.
best creme brulee i have ever had was in the casino last year. i went just to go to the restaurant while my family played.
the west island lakeshore route is the haven of the anglos of the past 2 centuries. beautiful homes... have not been on that route before; photos; mostly for
The interesting aspect of this incident is that people are reading and getting emotional after all.
I am a firm believer that the Net is a cheap... sorry, an inexpensive shrink.
Not only fun, but interesting, live. You even get friends that you will probably never meet, although you give them or receive from them moral support.
A shrink, although is a live person, whom you meet face to face, is impersonal, professional, a walking and speaking dead person who will never be your friend...
I look at it this way... if someone takes the time to write a comment. I let it stay. That way everyone can see what was written.
Bear with me.
Whatever someone says, their words often reveal more about them than anything else. So I figure why delete it? First off I'm not going to agree with everyone and secondly if you are attacking me personally... if I delete what you wrote it means you got what you wanted... you attacked me probably to hurt me and if I delete it, it means you did hurt me... so why would I want to give someone that satisfaction?
And if others disagree with their comment or find it inappropriate... hey they now know more about that person... and can see for themselves... what that person has in their heart. So the comment says more about that person ... in their own words, by their own hand.
If they realize later what a bad decision it was to post it, they can remove it... no harm no foul... but if they want it to stay there, it's fine with me. There's few things not worth discussing.
Life is too short to allow others to hurt me. Getting all upset does is raise my blood pressure and does bad things to my mood and my health. Nothing and no one is worth having a stroke over or a heart attack. So I work hard not to get angry... and I work hard to keep my peace. Sometimes you can decide some things are not worth fighting over... and just walk away.
One person decided to scrape 150 comments off her post.. including two of mine in the discussion of her article. I asked her why she did that and was told it gave her a headache... too much to think about. I actually thought that was a funny answer... and if people get rid of my comments, well, that is the decision of Gather to allow people to do that.... so I must abide by it.
In the long run, comments mean page views... page views means points... so in an effort to "hurt me" You gave me points... and if others hear about it and come to my page to see the "drama" I get more page views... thus more points. So there is a silver lining to every dark cloud if you look for it.
My dialogue with Sue, which stared it all, was only based on my curiosity I did not want to make a judgement on Chuck.
He is a big boy, and is capable to make his own decision. But Sue, had a malicious tone in her introduction, and did not say the whole story. She just made an innuendo about the person who deleted the comment, which should have been instructive and smart.
O course, I never got the answer from her, but in the end I did, and I am glad.
I wish Gather was about people gathering, not about points gathering...
I personally enjoy reading other people ideas. It is annoying when people are posting mostly to get points...
Bu the world is not perfect...
I don't know many who are on here for the points. I've been here 5 years and the ones who were have mostly left because they are not awarding points like they were in the early years.
The way sites like these make their money is the advertisers. The advertisers are interested in page views, ie: how many people are viewing their ads.
So Gather ran all kinds of contests years ago giving people extra points for a whole week for posting photo's. More photo's posted meant more page views, as there was something more to look at.
So Gather encouraged people to do all kinds of things to boost their page views so the advertisers would want to advertise here and pay for that advertisement.
One example outside of Gather where you can see this kind of thing in action is the Super Bowl. Advertising, ie commercials during the televised Super Bowl is one of the costliest per minute advertisements. They can charge a premium price because the Super Bowl is one of the most viewed events on TV.
More viewers = higher price... because it's a coveted opportunity.
So you may "think" it's annoying, but you haven't been here very long and you probably don't know the history on here, like I have because I have been here 5 years.
I really didn't care what happened with you and Sue, and I was expressing my views on deleting comments.
You seem to write "HA HA HA" at the beginning of your comments a lot and that makes me wonder if you do that to try to irritate people.
I also find your comments on Gather to be judgmental... and I found it insulting to read you write about Chuck that he "He is a big boy"...
I merely made a comment expressing my views, nothing more and nothing less.
My comment began "I did not see the comments you removed, and I don't know who wrote them but in general this is the way I feel about deleting comments."
I think when you are fairly new to a site, you may want to consider that people on here have known each other for years... and when you have no idea of the people you comment on, or bestow your judgments, you can be seen as unkind... when it's more of a matter of not knowing something.
You criticized me for using scripture in a comment.... on another thread. Most people on Gather are aware that most of my articles and poems are Christian... and I have over 2,000 articles here. People who don't want to read my stuff can tell by my profile page that I am a Christian writer. IT IS NO BIG SECRET. I am also a PUBLISHED Christian writer. But you criticized me for using scripture in a comment.... and it's no BIG secret that I do that, either.
Maybe you ought to get to know the people on here before you make the comments you do. Yes, Chuck is a BIG boy... who recently lost Laura, the love of his life., his wife.. now that might not matter to you... but knowing about what goes on in people's lives, does make a difference to me.
I don't know how he feels about you saying, "He's a Big Boy" but I find that to be said in an rude manner. I had no idea what the story was with Chuck writing this article.
Now Chuck and I are not even connections, but we know each other well enough to treat each with respect and dignity. Maybe you should consider that this is a community you have just joined... and we know a lot about each other... and our lives that you don't know because you haven't been here very long.... before you write your comments.
It did not bother me that you use the scriptures left and right, it bothered me that you, a person who is throwing scriptures at others, in the posting that I commented on, your attitude towards a fact that the scriptures condemn, was very lenient...
Now, just because you don't understand the expressions, it does not mean that no one does.
And speaking about being a Christian, I thought that you are supposed to be forgiving and understanding with "mean guys" like me. I thought that your Jesus said something about turning the other cheek, not spitting venom with infidels...
I suppose that my fist inclination was right...
Tell you what. Quit while you are still ahead. I will offer you the courtesy to ignore your contributions, and I am going to disconnect my link to you.
If for no other reason, I would hate to find out what a Christian would be capable of when she is p.o.-ed
It's okay... when Crin talks about "proper grooming" it just makes everything else he says sound bizarre to me.
You are right, he doesn't know me.
He is too new to know a lot about the people on Gather and he sounds like he just wants to fight. I have a feeling he will find people here will just realize just like his "proper grooming" comment... it gives us the measure of the man.
Right wingers all claim to be born again "Christians". According to their Bible, bearing false witness constitutes sin and is grounds for forfeiting their inheritance in the Divine Kingdom. But that never stopped forum right wingers from telling out right lies and deleting posts under false pretenses.
When will they ever learn?
http://www.gather.com/viewCommentsByMember.action?memberId=1833740
If you wish, you can delete this Chuck. I won't take the deletion as anything :-D
I don't mind leaving displays of ignorance and stupidity on threads for all to see.
Didn't ANYBODY read past the headline?
Imagine me following instructions.
I think I'll get a slew of mothers whose children have suffered vaccine injuries and invite them to leave comments all over your posts within the next two years to see just how probable that is.
No, Sue, you don't. That's borne out by the rest of your statement. You've 'created' a class of injuries that doesn't exist..."vaccine injuries," most of which appear to be autism-related. Problem is... autism is NOT related to vaccines. There are allergens in some vaccines (like egg in flu vaccine and horse antigens in TB vaccine), but those reactions are called allergies, not vaccine injuries. I know a lot of people who've had "penicillin injuries." That would be anaphylaxis in response to an allergen, but the only one who even came near a serious outcome was a guy in Korea who knew he was allergic and took the shot anyway.
None of that adds up to an "anything injury" as a class, any more than your fantasies add up to 'vaccine injury.'
Comment away, you AND your deluded sycophants. It will neither help nor harm me, and you'll just further marginalize yourself here on Gather. I've seen and helped treat developmental disabilities of all kinds, and I've dealt with the fear, anger and self castigation that goes along with it for the parents. And I know this for sure, so long as you keep this up, real help will never reach those kids, because your demand that their disease be blamed on a non-existent connection to vaccines will preclude competent care-givers from doing anything at all for them. Not that they won't try, but you'll eventually drive them away.
This is a public forum, and what you write in this forum can be read and commented upon by anyone unless you apply the appropriate inhibitory controls. So if I were to get people to see what you've written on this site about them, I think "Gather Chuck" would be happy for all the views the site wouldn't have had without my calling attention to them. Should those people also decide to comment, that's not my doing. For you to call what I've said here a threat is typical of how you twist and shout. Of course, from your perspective I can see how you would feel threatened by the idea that people whom you are maligning would actually see what you wrote and not like it so much. You would feel it a threat not to be able to freely lie about them without repercussions from them if they weren't aware you were doing that. Yes, from that warped perspective I can see how calling those people's attention to your posts would be very threatening, especially if they came in droves and you had to stay up all night to keep the delete button continually depressed. You could always just close down the whole post if it came to that, though. I can always think of a solution for you, Chuck.
Of course, from your perspective I can see how you would feel threatened by the idea that people whom you are maligning would actually see what you wrote and not like it so much. You would feel it a threat not to be able to freely lie about them without repercussions from them if they weren't aware you were doing that. Yes, from that warped perspective I can see how calling those people's attention to your posts would be very threatening..."
Must be tough to be you.
I guess I do now. I apologize for making that comment to you. I was only saying how I was writing something in general... and I thank you for your comment back to me. I also thank Mary for her comment too.
And now I hope you, Chuck, and Mary and everyone else has a good weekend.