Have I become a jerk?

[Schuyler]

Good to see you back, David. Board didn't feel the same without your input!

I agree. And thanks for the daz thing. He was an insufferable know-it-all. Reminded me a lot of He Who Cannot Be Named.

 

[marmer]

Yeah. What he said. Add my voice to the chorus: welcome back, dB!

 

[AnnetteMarie]

how synchronistic... I was heading to the last subscribed thread, wondering if it would be worth my while to ask db to please reconsider his absence... and lo and behold, one of the 2 masters of mayhem is back.
what mayhem, you ask? I have no clue, but I really am glad to see you participating again, it has not been the same without the tag team of Steinberg and Biedny.
(I would use an acronym, in alphabetical order, but that would be too cute...)

 

[Experiencer7]

I thought that was a perfect response Ron. The only thing I would have added is a couple of sightings that would be sure to give him a hard-on for the subject.

Probably mention Gordon Coopers testimony with the landed disc and the filming of it. And 1 or 2 others like the Big Sur or Rendlesham incident. Then leave it there. I might even mention Dave Biednys Caracas sighting indicating the level of trust you have for the person.

I remember trying to engage my step sisters boyfriend once, and put the 2001 press club vid on and showed him a couple of credible witness testimonies. Initially he was pretty interested, then the doubts came in with comments like "this whole thing could just be a film set with actors!". Fair enough... but as I said to him he should trust that Im smart enough to check it out for myself and if Im showing him that should be enough to trust that at the very least the event happened. Really pissed me off.

Then a couple days later he made some snide comment about me looking up conspiracies on my laptop. Intense anger raged through my veins.

Pearls before swine.

 

[Ron Collins]

Ron,

This is indeed an excellent thread, and very timely for me, as I could certainly be called a jerk for the way I've been reacting to folks on these forums recently. I find that my patience levels have been very low lately, and the smallest things just set me off in a completely irrational way. A couple of weeks ago, a few posts on here just made my brain chemistry go bonkers, and I just had to stop posting for awhile. It wasn't any one thing specifically, just a jolt of negativity that made me totally reactive, and not in a good way. I find it just about impossible to engage in a light discussion about these topics, especially UFOs, with folks who have little to no knowledge of the field, there's just no way to give the "Reader's Digest" version of UFOs in some simplified fashion, primarily because it's not a simple, straightforward thing. And to even try to rehash the nonsensical noise, when Daz Smith started in with the Meier stuff, stating that he wanted me to give him some basic evidence, I got totally pissed off and kicked him outta here. I had already warned him privately that I was not willing to politely debate that "case", that there was existing baggage and some deep frustration with the players behind that nonsense, but he felt emboldened enough to push my buttons, and the result was that I cut him off at the knees.

Anyway, I wanted to directly thank you for bringing up this overall topic, it seems like a good enough reason to lend my voice to these forums again, and for those forum members who have the patience and loyalty to stick it out here, I offer you my profuse thanks for being part of this wacky little community, and for putting up with my occasional mood swings.

dB

I appreciate that David. I, like others, thought you were completely justified by ousting Daz. He was looking for a fight and nothing more. I feel better about my overall handling of the situation now than I did then. Perhaps its an inner realization that there is no such thing as "let be bring you up to speed" discussion. It takes real work to begin to grasp the vast breadth and granular details involved here. I think we have all been in a situation where we wanted to share knowledge of these topics with others who are prehaps somewhat interested. If even peripherally. I think we struggled to find a place to start. While I think my answer was far from perfect, it does have one right approach I think. I'll throuw you a small bone and let you do some research. When you have shown you care enough to do it, then we can talk. Otherwise Tivo the UFO hunters and video Venus when you get a chance.

Thanks to everyone that chimed in.

 

[Schuyler]

I appreciate that David. I, like others, thought you were completely justified by ousting Daz. He was looking for a fight and nothing more.

Wow. I thought I was personally over-reating to him since I was one of thise he decided to 'set straight.' I'm gratified it wasn't just me! :redface:

 

[111uminate]

I think you handled it pretty well Ron, so I wouldn't go so far as labeling you a jerk or anything similar. Like with many other forms of esoterica, I think everyone approaches the neophyte in their own way, minus an organized degree of initiation, so to speak. You won't find in UFOlogy what you might see in the teachings of various mystery schools, or even Freemasonry. UFOlogy is unhinged, and human. Sometimes all too human ..

Aside from hit or miss conversations I have with my younger brother on the topic, I try to approach people that harbor a passing curiosity with a give and take sort of attitude. I might point them in some directions, or answer any questions they have, but as far as telling them what to think I couldn't do that. As with many of us, I think self-initiation works best.

 

[Kevin Daly]

The internet doth make jerks of us all.