As much ROFF as anything
 

What price the noble hopes and dreams of all the years?
shadowed now by doubt, frustration, even tears?
lofty thoughts, imagined once of high intent,
enthusiasm, joy, now thwarted, nearly spent.

Comrades, friends, joined by common drive,
wasted, fretful, petty, doomed it seems to strive,
for hurt and insult, hateful barbs and pain,
to what end then? May one find such again?

Who knows? Who cares? The injured least of all,
innocent, but also guilty, unseeing even to the final fall,
whimpering and mewling, still blind as newly born,
ideals forgotten, lives wasted and forlorn.

Fresh wind then? Mayhap consensus for what´s right?
or acceptance of the sad result, the final sorry plight?
A smile, a word, polite discussion, as all for truth and friendship grope,
Who starts? Who ceases?, Who may yet give cause for hope?

TL
MC

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:
What price the noble hopes and dreams of all the years?
shadowed now by doubt, frustration, even tears?
lofty thoughts, imagined once of high intent,
enthusiasm, joy, now thwarted, nearly spent.

Comrades, friends, joined by common drive,
wasted, fretful, petty, doomed it seems to strive,
for hurt and insult, hateful barbs and pain,
to what end then? May one find such again?

Who knows? Who cares? The injured least of all,
innocent, but also guilty, unseeing even to the final fall,
whimpering and mewling, still blind as newly born,
ideals forgotten, lives wasted and forlorn.

Fresh wind then? Mayhap consensus for what´s right?
or acceptance of the sad result, the final sorry plight?
A smile, a word, polite discussion, as all for truth and friendship
grope, Who starts? Who ceases?, Who may yet give cause for hope?

Naaah. You just have to run these roff posts through the rose-colored filter and
they all come out great. I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:
What price the noble hopes and dreams of all the years?
shadowed now by doubt, frustration, even tears?
lofty thoughts, imagined once of high intent,
enthusiasm, joy, now thwarted, nearly spent.

Comrades, friends, joined by common drive,
wasted, fretful, petty, doomed it seems to strive,
for hurt and insult, hateful barbs and pain,
to what end then? May one find such again?

Who knows? Who cares? The injured least of all,
innocent, but also guilty, unseeing even to the final fall,
whimpering and mewling, still blind as newly born,
ideals forgotten, lives wasted and forlorn.

Fresh wind then? Mayhap consensus for what´s right?
or acceptance of the sad result, the final sorry plight?
A smile, a word, polite discussion, as all for truth and friendship
grope, Who starts? Who ceases?, Who may yet give cause for hope?

Naaah. You just have to run these roff posts through the rose-colored filter and
they all come out great. I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)
--
TL,
Tim
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)

Let me guess, you liked "Gigli"?

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

As much ROFF as anything
 

I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)

Let me guess, you liked "Gigli"?

--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:

What price the noble hopes and dreams of all the years?
shadowed now by doubt, frustration, even tears?
lofty thoughts, imagined once of high intent,
enthusiasm, joy, now thwarted, nearly spent.

Comrades, friends, joined by common drive,
wasted, fretful, petty, doomed it seems to strive,
for hurt and insult, hateful barbs and pain,
to what end then? May one find such again?

Who knows? Who cares? The injured least of all,
innocent, but also guilty, unseeing even to the final fall,
whimpering and mewling, still blind as newly born,
ideals forgotten, lives wasted and forlorn.

Fresh wind then? Mayhap consensus for what´s right?
or acceptance of the sad result, the final sorry plight?
A smile, a word, polite discussion, as all for truth and friendship grope,
Who starts? Who ceases?, Who may yet give cause for hope?

If you'll allow me to translate your doggerel, it boils down
to "Can't we all just get along ?".

Well no, we can't. We never have, and we never will. And
thank god for that because if we were to insist that all
of us here cozy up to racists, nitwits, ****tards, SPAMmers
and armed rednecks this place would lose whatever "character"
it enjoys and be as boring as some of the fly fishing boards
people come here to avoid.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:

What price the noble hopes and dreams of all the years?
shadowed now by doubt, frustration, even tears?
lofty thoughts, imagined once of high intent,
enthusiasm, joy, now thwarted, nearly spent.

Comrades, friends, joined by common drive,
wasted, fretful, petty, doomed it seems to strive,
for hurt and insult, hateful barbs and pain,
to what end then? May one find such again?

Who knows? Who cares? The injured least of all,
innocent, but also guilty, unseeing even to the final fall,
whimpering and mewling, still blind as newly born,
ideals forgotten, lives wasted and forlorn.

Fresh wind then? Mayhap consensus for what´s right?
or acceptance of the sad result, the final sorry plight?
A smile, a word, polite discussion, as all for truth and friendship grope,
Who starts? Who ceases?, Who may yet give cause for hope?

If you'll allow me to translate your doggerel, it boils down
to "Can't we all just get along ?".

Well no, we can't. We never have, and we never will. And
thank god for that because if we were to insist that all
of us here cozy up to racists, nitwits, ****tards, SPAMmers
and armed rednecks this place would lose whatever "character"
it enjoys and be as boring as some of the fly fishing boards
people come here to avoid.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
m...
SNIP
If you'll allow me to translate your doggerel, it boils down
to "Can't we all just get along ?".

Well no, we can't. We never have, and we never will. And
thank god for that because if we were to insist that all
of us here cozy up to racists, nitwits, ****tards, SPAMmers
and armed rednecks this place would lose whatever "character"
it enjoys and be as boring as some of the fly fishing boards
people come here to avoid.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Your "translation" is extremely over-simplified, but not entirely wrong.

There are ways and means to fight for what is right, and one of the least
effective methods is insult and bad manners.

It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Whatever, my philosophical ramblings, in rhyme or otherwise, will doubtless
prove just as fruitless as the insults and affectations which seem so
prevalent here. It just seems a shame, and an awful waste of time,
opportunities, and valuable resources.

Don´t really know why I even bother reading or posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

TL
MC

As much ROFF as anything
 

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
m...
SNIP
If you'll allow me to translate your doggerel, it boils down
to "Can't we all just get along ?".

Well no, we can't. We never have, and we never will. And
thank god for that because if we were to insist that all
of us here cozy up to racists, nitwits, ****tards, SPAMmers
and armed rednecks this place would lose whatever "character"
it enjoys and be as boring as some of the fly fishing boards
people come here to avoid.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Your "translation" is extremely over-simplified, but not entirely wrong.

There are ways and means to fight for what is right, and one of the least
effective methods is insult and bad manners.

It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Whatever, my philosophical ramblings, in rhyme or otherwise, will doubtless
prove just as fruitless as the insults and affectations which seem so
prevalent here. It just seems a shame, and an awful waste of time,
opportunities, and valuable resources.

Don´t really know why I even bother reading or posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

TL
MC

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:
snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining, and it costs nothing because
I use DSL for work anyway. It's ALL about wasting time. And don't
say that like it's a bad thing, we all obviously have loads of time
to waste.

... Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:
snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining, and it costs nothing because
I use DSL for work anyway. It's ALL about wasting time. And don't
say that like it's a bad thing, we all obviously have loads of time
to waste.

... Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:


Don´t really know why I even bother ... posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

not so to some here. i've learned a good bit from your posts and enjoyed
your rhymes...

but, it is eerie here at times, almost "lord of the flies" strange.
still, i've had my fill of the arrogant, hypocritical asshole....

jeff

As much ROFF as anything
 

Mike Connor wrote:


Don´t really know why I even bother ... posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

not so to some here. i've learned a good bit from your posts and enjoyed
your rhymes...

but, it is eerie here at times, almost "lord of the flies" strange.
still, i've had my fill of the arrogant, hypocritical asshole....

jeff

As much ROFF as anything
 

Jeff Miller wrote:
Mike Connor wrote:
Don´t really know why I even bother ... posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

not so to some here. i've learned a good bit from your posts and enjoyed
your rhymes...

but, it is eerie here at times, almost "lord of the flies" strange.
still, i've had my fill of the arrogant, hypocritical asshole....

And I of pertinacious pricks who persist in rude Usenet behavior.
But not this time. Why no top-posting this time ?

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Jeff Miller wrote:
Mike Connor wrote:
Don´t really know why I even bother ... posting at all anymore. Like
a number of other things it has become almost meaningless.

not so to some here. i've learned a good bit from your posts and enjoyed
your rhymes...

but, it is eerie here at times, almost "lord of the flies" strange.
still, i've had my fill of the arrogant, hypocritical asshole....

And I of pertinacious pricks who persist in rude Usenet behavior.
But not this time. Why no top-posting this time ?

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:25:55 GMT, "Tim J."
wrote:


Naaah. You just have to run these roff posts through the rose-colored filter and
they all come out great.


Kinda like that UN speech the other day :-)

As much ROFF as anything
 

On Thu, 23 Sep 2004 23:25:55 GMT, "Tim J."
wrote:


Naaah. You just have to run these roff posts through the rose-colored filter and
they all come out great.


Kinda like that UN speech the other day :-)

As much ROFF as anything
 

....well, i was feeling polite, smart, and energetic. fortunately, it
was fleeting...

and, btw, i'm ashamed for not having said this sooner... i'm privileged
to know and to consider joe macintosh as my friend. he's as fine a
fellow and fishing companion as one could hope to find...and, i hope to
spend many more days in his company. the sight of joe sitting on a rock
or log by a trout stream eating sardines is a pleasing one, and,
thankfully, it's a gift i've enjoyed on more than one occasion.

jeff

Ken Fortenberry wrote:




And I of pertinacious pricks who persist in rude Usenet behavior.
But not this time. Why no top-posting this time ?

As much ROFF as anything
 

....well, i was feeling polite, smart, and energetic. fortunately, it
was fleeting...

and, btw, i'm ashamed for not having said this sooner... i'm privileged
to know and to consider joe macintosh as my friend. he's as fine a
fellow and fishing companion as one could hope to find...and, i hope to
spend many more days in his company. the sight of joe sitting on a rock
or log by a trout stream eating sardines is a pleasing one, and,
thankfully, it's a gift i've enjoyed on more than one occasion.

jeff

Ken Fortenberry wrote:




And I of pertinacious pricks who persist in rude Usenet behavior.
But not this time. Why no top-posting this time ?

As much ROFF as anything
 

Jeff Miller wrote:

...well, i was feeling polite, smart, and energetic. fortunately, it
was fleeting...

and, btw, i'm ashamed for not having said this sooner... i'm privileged
to know and to consider joe macintosh as my friend. ...

How nice for you, but I don't keep that kind of company nor do I have
much use for those who do.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Jeff Miller wrote:

...well, i was feeling polite, smart, and energetic. fortunately, it
was fleeting...

and, btw, i'm ashamed for not having said this sooner... i'm privileged
to know and to consider joe macintosh as my friend. ...

How nice for you, but I don't keep that kind of company nor do I have
much use for those who do.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Jeff Miller wrote:

...well, i was feeling polite, smart, and energetic. fortunately, it
was fleeting...

and, btw, i'm ashamed for not having said this sooner... i'm privileged
to know and to consider joe macintosh as my friend. ...

How nice for you, but I don't keep that kind of company nor do I have
much use for those who do.

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

....actually, i suspect you are marked by "the human stain" more deeply
than those whose company you reject. but, i doubt any of them are the
poorer for the loss of your society...

jeff

Ken Fortenberry wrote:



How nice for you, but I don't keep that kind of company nor do I have
much use for those who do.

As much ROFF as anything
 

....actually, i suspect you are marked by "the human stain" more deeply
than those whose company you reject. but, i doubt any of them are the
poorer for the loss of your society...

jeff

Ken Fortenberry wrote:



How nice for you, but I don't keep that kind of company nor do I have
much use for those who do.

As much ROFF as anything
 

Frank Reid wrote:
I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)

Let me guess, you liked "Gigli"?

Never saw it. Who the hell talked *you* into going? They should be
negotiating peace in the Middle East. :)
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

Frank Reid wrote:
I'm here mainly for the entertainment value and am
rarely disappointed. Then again, my expectations are fairly low. ;-)

Let me guess, you liked "Gigli"?

Never saw it. Who the hell talked *you* into going? They should be
negotiating peace in the Middle East. :)
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Mike Connor wrote:

snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely
hopeless
"sounding-off"?


Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. I agree that some of the banter and the intellectual
jousting can be entertaining. But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence and the
insults that resemble schoolyard taunting.

It doesn't bother me in the sense that I'm offended, it just doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. I've been around newsgroups since 1991, and
spent a good bit of time on political groups, so I've seen my fair share
of the good, bad and ugly (mostly ugly). But I came to expect the worst
when the only common ground those folks had was their hatred of the
opposite side.

Here we supposedly have a common love of ff'ing, and in fact, most
of the participants in the most egregious name-calling have fished
together (and apparently, in some cases even enjoyed it). That's the
part I don't get, and can't really find humor in.

I still follow (most of) the threads, so I guess it's at least
intriguing (in a car-wreck-by-the-highway sense), but why is it
entertaining to call your fellow flyfisherman a poopie head?

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

Then what will you be left with?


Chuck Vance

As much ROFF as anything
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Mike Connor wrote:

snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely
hopeless
"sounding-off"?


Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. I agree that some of the banter and the intellectual
jousting can be entertaining. But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence and the
insults that resemble schoolyard taunting.

It doesn't bother me in the sense that I'm offended, it just doesn't
make a lot of sense to me. I've been around newsgroups since 1991, and
spent a good bit of time on political groups, so I've seen my fair share
of the good, bad and ugly (mostly ugly). But I came to expect the worst
when the only common ground those folks had was their hatred of the
opposite side.

Here we supposedly have a common love of ff'ing, and in fact, most
of the participants in the most egregious name-calling have fished
together (and apparently, in some cases even enjoyed it). That's the
part I don't get, and can't really find humor in.

I still follow (most of) the threads, so I guess it's at least
intriguing (in a car-wreck-by-the-highway sense), but why is it
entertaining to call your fellow flyfisherman a poopie head?

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

Then what will you be left with?


Chuck Vance

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Mike Connor wrote:

snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to
be the case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with
absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?


Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. I agree that some of the banter and the intellectual
jousting can be entertaining. But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence and the
insults that resemble schoolyard taunting.

It doesn't bother me in the sense that I'm offended, it just
doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I've been around newsgroups since
1991, and spent a good bit of time on political groups, so I've seen
my fair share of the good, bad and ugly (mostly ugly). But I came to
expect the worst when the only common ground those folks had was
their hatred of the opposite side.

Here we supposedly have a common love of ff'ing, and in fact, most
of the participants in the most egregious name-calling have fished
together (and apparently, in some cases even enjoyed it). That's the
part I don't get, and can't really find humor in.

I still follow (most of) the threads, so I guess it's at least
intriguing (in a car-wreck-by-the-highway sense), but why is it
entertaining to call your fellow flyfisherman a poopie head?

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

Then what will you be left with?

Good points all. It occurred to me that we haven't had a good roffian
tragedy in recent times to bring the touch of reality and
meaning-of-life-lesson to focus. I see a post like Frank wrote about his
FIL, or Barry wrote about his father, and it humbles me and makes me
recall a not-so-distant memory. When my son had his snow boarding
accident last year and shattered his back, many of the folks here
rallied around me with support, empathy, and good wishes. This wasn't
just "virtual" to me, my family, or my son, especially when he started
receiving get well cards from people not only that he hadn't met, but I
hadn't met either. Roffians offered more than just well-wishes in the
form of offers to travel and help us any way they could. That stuff is
real to me. On a personal level, I've seen things differently from that
time on. Skies are brighter, the sun's warmth is greater, and ff'ing is
an inspiration. I'm not good at putting how I feel about this stuff into
words like some others here, but this was a life-changing circumstance
in more ways than one, and roff is a part of that. It will not take
another tragedy like that to make me realize what I have and what I hold
dear.

Yeah, maudlin - sue me.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Mike Connor wrote:

snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to
be the case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with
absolutely hopeless
"sounding-off"?


Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. I agree that some of the banter and the intellectual
jousting can be entertaining. But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence and the
insults that resemble schoolyard taunting.

It doesn't bother me in the sense that I'm offended, it just
doesn't make a lot of sense to me. I've been around newsgroups since
1991, and spent a good bit of time on political groups, so I've seen
my fair share of the good, bad and ugly (mostly ugly). But I came to
expect the worst when the only common ground those folks had was
their hatred of the opposite side.

Here we supposedly have a common love of ff'ing, and in fact, most
of the participants in the most egregious name-calling have fished
together (and apparently, in some cases even enjoyed it). That's the
part I don't get, and can't really find humor in.

I still follow (most of) the threads, so I guess it's at least
intriguing (in a car-wreck-by-the-highway sense), but why is it
entertaining to call your fellow flyfisherman a poopie head?

Yeah, it's a waste of time, but so long as you have friends here,
and I most definitely and emphatically consider you a friend, it's
not meaningless.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

Then what will you be left with?

Good points all. It occurred to me that we haven't had a good roffian
tragedy in recent times to bring the touch of reality and
meaning-of-life-lesson to focus. I see a post like Frank wrote about his
FIL, or Barry wrote about his father, and it humbles me and makes me
recall a not-so-distant memory. When my son had his snow boarding
accident last year and shattered his back, many of the folks here
rallied around me with support, empathy, and good wishes. This wasn't
just "virtual" to me, my family, or my son, especially when he started
receiving get well cards from people not only that he hadn't met, but I
hadn't met either. Roffians offered more than just well-wishes in the
form of offers to travel and help us any way they could. That stuff is
real to me. On a personal level, I've seen things differently from that
time on. Skies are brighter, the sun's warmth is greater, and ff'ing is
an inspiration. I'm not good at putting how I feel about this stuff into
words like some others here, but this was a life-changing circumstance
in more ways than one, and roff is a part of that. It will not take
another tragedy like that to make me realize what I have and what I hold
dear.

Yeah, maudlin - sue me.
--
TL,
Tim
------------------------
http://css.sbcma.com/timj

As much ROFF as anything
 

Yeah, maudlin - sue me.

Ditto the sentiment. When we had the sniper down here in DC, I had
people from Mass to Montana offering a place for my family to stay.
This place, for all its failings and flames, is a family.
You may see me throwing humor in to some of these flame wars. Its my
nature. I grew up in an area with a serious tendency to violence and a
high murder rate. I've seen the same around the world in multiple war
zones. Alot of it was people refusing to listen or ignoring the basic
needs and consideration of others. "Its all about me" turns real ugly
real fast.
Then again, I like a tag line in alt.callahans:
Some people are offence kleptomaniacs -- whenever they see
an offence that isn't nailed down, they take it ;-)
--David C. Pugh, in alt.callahans
--
Frank Reid
Reverse Email to reply

As much ROFF as anything
 

Yeah, maudlin - sue me.

Ditto the sentiment. When we had the sniper down here in DC, I had
people from Mass to Montana offering a place for my family to stay.
This place, for all its failings and flames, is a family.
You may see me throwing humor in to some of these flame wars. Its my
nature. I grew up in an area with a serious tendency to violence and a
high murder rate. I've seen the same around the world in multiple war
zones. Alot of it was people refusing to listen or ignoring the basic
needs and consideration of others. "Its all about me" turns real ugly
real fast.
Then again, I like a tag line in alt.callahans:
Some people are offence kleptomaniacs -- whenever they see
an offence that isn't nailed down, they take it ;-)
--David C. Pugh, in alt.callahans
--
Frank Reid
Reverse Email to reply

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Mike Connor wrote:
snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely
hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up the
idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have gone
out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Mike Connor wrote:
snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely
hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up the
idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have gone
out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Mike Connor wrote:
snip
It may well be that we can´t all just get along. Assuming such to be the
case, then why are we all here? Just to waste time with absolutely
hopeless
"sounding-off"?

Exactly. It's fun, it's entertaining,

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled
(or sometimes, not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up the
idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have gone
out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Conan the Librarian wrote:

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

I understand that part well enough.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled (or sometimes,
not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

To be fair, there have been a number of other folks involved in
either issuing threats or strutting around with their chests puffed out
playing "quien es mas macho".

And that still doesn't address the name-calling, which I see as
going hand-in-hand with the other stuff.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Yep. But just to use you as an example: If I'm not mistaken, you
have had an enjoyable time sharing a stream with some of the very folks
you are currently doing battle with. I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

Well there is that. :-)


Chuck Vance

As much ROFF as anything
 

Ken Fortenberry wrote:

Conan the Librarian wrote:

I'm probably going to regret this, but I am curious about that
statement. ...

Well, I find roff fun and entertaining but an enormous waste of time.
But being an enormous waste of time is a big part of why it's fun and
entertaining. I mean, I come here precisely because I want to take a
little break from the drudgery of wordsmithing and waste a little time.

I understand that part well enough.

... But the part I don't get is the veiled (or sometimes,
not-so-veiled) threats of physical violence ...

I absolutely agree. Besides being ridiculous, issuing threats of
physical violence is one of the things that is specifically
prohibited on virtually every ISPs Terms of Agreement. (You can
eliminate the vast majority of them that you see on roff just by
sticking Opie in your killfile.)

To be fair, there have been a number of other folks involved in
either issuing threats or strutting around with their chests puffed out
playing "quien es mas macho".

And that still doesn't address the name-calling, which I see as
going hand-in-hand with the other stuff.

This is not directed (just) at you, Ken, but since you brought up
the idea of friends: It sure seems like a number of folks here have
gone out of their way to alienate any possible friends they might have
had here.

There's very few folks here who could ever be a close friend of mine.
The overwhelming majority are decent enough fellows with whom I would
be happy to share a stream and a beer at some point and then there's
a very small few with whom I wouldn't want to associate under any
circumstances. Just like "real" life off of Usenet, right ?

Yep. But just to use you as an example: If I'm not mistaken, you
have had an enjoyable time sharing a stream with some of the very folks
you are currently doing battle with. I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Then what will you be left with?

Well, it'll always be an enormous waste of time, it's got that going
for it. ;-)

Well there is that. :-)


Chuck Vance

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
snip
I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

All those other guys may indulge in juvenile name-calling
but my name-calling is inspired, devastating, razor sharp
and overwhelmingly effective. No juvenile could ever hope
to reach the lofty level of the name-calling craft that I
have achieved through many years of diligent and unstinting
hard labor. Juvenile name-calling, indeed. Harumph, sir.
Harumph.

The macho **** ? That's an overreaction to the umpteenth
repetition of an offensive woof by the putz. Sometimes I
just get sick and ****ing tired of it.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Has someone alienated you ? Does that mean you have to have
green card now ? ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
snip
I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

All those other guys may indulge in juvenile name-calling
but my name-calling is inspired, devastating, razor sharp
and overwhelmingly effective. No juvenile could ever hope
to reach the lofty level of the name-calling craft that I
have achieved through many years of diligent and unstinting
hard labor. Juvenile name-calling, indeed. Harumph, sir.
Harumph.

The macho **** ? That's an overreaction to the umpteenth
repetition of an offensive woof by the putz. Sometimes I
just get sick and ****ing tired of it.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Has someone alienated you ? Does that mean you have to have
green card now ? ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry

As much ROFF as anything
 

Conan the Librarian wrote:
snip
I expect opinionated folks to have
disagreements, but I don't see what purpose is served when that
deteriorates into juvenile namecalling or macho posturing.

All those other guys may indulge in juvenile name-calling
but my name-calling is inspired, devastating, razor sharp
and overwhelmingly effective. No juvenile could ever hope
to reach the lofty level of the name-calling craft that I
have achieved through many years of diligent and unstinting
hard labor. Juvenile name-calling, indeed. Harumph, sir.
Harumph.

The macho **** ? That's an overreaction to the umpteenth
repetition of an offensive woof by the putz. Sometimes I
just get sick and ****ing tired of it.

The way I figure it is that there are enough assholes in "real" life
that it serves no purpose to come here to "escape" only to alienate the
folks with whom I share a common bond.

Has someone alienated you ? Does that mean you have to have
green card now ? ;-)

--
Ken Fortenberry