Category: the Rant Board
I have been a member of the zone now for not quite a week yet and I will be honest I have been very disapointed blindness aside I thought that as people we might be able to get along for the most part I have seen blatent filth potty mouth and degradation of character too others and that is just uncalled for in my opinion yes everyone has freedom of speach and a right to their own opinion but how does that advance inot public degredation of peoples character I have even seen at least one person who takes some sort of sedistic pleasure out of being nasty and causing others pain we are all jumans hear we all have the same basic needs and wants we all want to be loved anc cared for by someone we all want to be recognized or apreciated by someone and I believe that we all seek to find commonalities in others so why is everyone acting like two year olds everyone hear I believe is an adult or at least near adult it is time to either grow up or shut up I stick with thumper when he said if you can't say something nice don't say anything at all ok so maybe we can't all like each other just because we are all blind but can we at leasst try to get along with each other because we are all human what ever happened to a little something called the golden rule love your neighbor as you would love yourself I can guarantee you that the people who are being so negative towards others wouldn't want to be treated in the same fasion no matter what you claim what is it that makes us want to purposefully be mean and derogatory towards others personally to those who do act this way I think it is a lack of intelligence somehow you can't seem to figure out any other way to comunicate so you put people down just to make yourself feel better well if you need to make others feel bad just so you can feel good then I pitty you because you have a sad life indeed I personally get joy and I feel better about myself when I am getting to know other people and sharing in common interests again this has nothing to do with blindness this is all about humanity however we do have something very drastic in common so why are we tearing each other apart instead of working to build each other up if you would like to get to know me or have a somewhat intellectual conversation with me feel free to contact me I am always willing to make a new friend however if you have nothing but idiotic filth to say to me I will ignore you in a heart beat I don't mean to sound all high and mighty but come on people somebody had to say something and like I said before eithe grow up or shut up
I told myself i wasn't going to point out anyone in particular but I must make one more statement about someone the roman battle mask I have read some of your stuff and it is absolutely degenerated filth I have never encountered someone who took such joy out of causing others hurt and pain I truly truly feel sorry for you that is a distinct sign of a weak character if you are feeling inner turmoil and pain don't take it out on others try to fix it the right way theirs my peace
KING
Its such a pity that this is the impression that a newcomer takes away from the Zone, but it so doesn't surprise me. As a CL, I've wondered long and hard about how to make the Zone a more harmonious place to be, but have very quickly realised that it ain't going to happen as there will always be people who derive pleasure from slamming other people. If it didn't come from the current members, I'm sure more would leap in and fill their places. Just a sad reflection of life really and in particular on-line communities where people feel safe behind their computers and don't have to face up to what they do.
Mel
Hi king.
I agree with you for the most part so i will give you some advice for a more enjoyable experience on the zone.
The first thing you might want to do and you probaply know it is to tern off pubblick quicknotes because this is where the most of the drama and arcuments happen. The message boards are usually ok with interesting conversations.
You tern them off from your account settings or by typing the following command in your quicknote box.
/togqn
Also there is the ignore feature so you can ignore users you don't like.
Good luck.
Hi King. Let me welcome you to the zone. Firstly, be aware of BuckEye Fan, because she's probably on a natural high after her BuckEyes trounced our Long Horns so royally. Just kidding about being aware of her or any other zoner here. Becky, like most of the other zoners, is friendly and helpful.
This brings me to the point of your topic and my response to it.
Firstly, I would have preferred to see an introduction of yourself to us in the "getting to know you" board. That would have been a friendlier introduction to us and to you. I think you would have found some folks welcoming you and wishing you well. That's a much friendlier beginning to an online community.
What you've done by posting this (at least my reaction was and is) is to immediately put me on the defensive; and my first question is: if this is such a lousy place, what are you doing here?
It's kind of like walking into someone's home and immediately criticizing the furniture. Maybe the furniture is old and battered, but that really shouldn't be the first thing you say, how about a howdy first, at least.
Secondly, Nicos is right. My advice is: turn off those damned public quick notes. Some people use them and love them. That's fine, but I, for one, have never communicated very well by way of public quick notes. I liken public quicknotes to the play room in someone's home. It's where the children are allowed to play and get a bit raucous at times. But, you can't judge a home by it's play room--especially if they have as many children as we do here. <grin>.
As you can see from Mel's post, this isn't the first time drama and immaturity has been brought up as a topic for discussion, nor will it be the last. I'm sorry this is your first impression of us, but, that's us, and that's life.
Thirdly,--and I admit this is nit picking--whatever happened to the punctuation marks on your keyboard? It's not a big deal, it just makes your message hard to decipher. It reads like a stream-of-consciousness rant, and maybe that's what that was.
Fourthly, you have, for me at least, committed the unforgiveable sin. You've mentioned the name of another zoner in a negative light in your post. Okay, there's no rule against it in the "terms of service", and you aren't the first to do it, and, as a matter of fact, I'm sure I've done it too. However, it struck me as hyper-critical. Maybe you really should have stuck with thumper's words of wisdom: "if you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything. What you have done, at least in my mind, is to attack my brother (at least my zone brother). My brother may be a son-of-a-bitch and I might say so, but, you shouldn't, or we'll have a school yard scrap. Once I get to know you, and you get to know me, then we can criticize him together, or we'll argue about whether or not he is a son-of-a-bitch.
If anything I've said makes sense to you, then let me invite you to write some of us who have been around for a little while and ask their advice for a while. I'd be happy to help in that way, if you haven't put me on your ignore list or aren't so pissed off at me for responding to your rant. Just give me a private message.
You may also wish to post an introductory message in the "getting to know you" board, and let us know what is great about you. Don't worry, we'll find out the other stuff later.
Thanks,
Bob
king
sorry to hear you don't like the zone, but like bob and nikos said there are a lot of nice people on this site, so just turn pubblics off. people can still write to you
hope you still come on and try and enjoy it
i have to agree with everything that's been said, we are not all bad and like life the bad comes with the good but you have the power.
Hahaha, you think I'm that bad, you should have sceen me a year ago.
Firstly KING welcome to the zone. I am one of the long suffering community leaders round this place but I have been very busy this passed week so sadly I missed your recent arrival here.
We do try wherever possible to allow users to pretty much do and say as they wish round this place with a few notable exceptions, all of which are spelled out in the sites terms of service. Really we can take one of two lines. Either let people have their freedom and chance the fact that some people are going to abuse that opportunity, or turn this web site into a horrid parody of George Orwell's '1984' novel where us community leaders aren't so much members of a community but more shadowy background figures who's only real involvement with the site is to tell people off constantly. I for one would hate to think that the Zone should ever become like that. At times, and I think we're all agreed on this, yes some users do step out of line but I'd loath to think that things would ever degenerate to the point when us CL's find ourselves having to monitor every single word of every single conversation.
It really is a tough line to judge for us sometimes too let me tell you because on the one hand we're not anybody's parents. Indeed don't wish to be. Equally though we'd hate to think that people come to the Zone and form the kind of instant opinion that you have of the place. That doesn't look good on either the site or the blind community at large.
If you believe that somebody has stepped beyond the boundaries set out in the terms of service, which can be viewed by clicking the link at the bottom of every page, then please come to one of us community leaders outlining the issues that you have. Alternatively though you do have the ignore feature at your disposal and I'd strongly urge you to utilize it. That way you don't have to be subjected to anything that you don't like.
Lastly I have to echo the sentiment expressed by Bob with regard to punctuation. I must admit that I didn't even bother to read your entire message because frankly, it made for horrible reading. Please remember that the vast majority of users on this site are using screen readers and messages like that become all but incomprehensible without the words being broken up in some way.
Thanks. Dan.
Well, I don't think I have a lot to add because Bob and others expressed pretty much my own thoughts, and probably much more elloquently than I could have. So, let me just say that I had a negative opinion of the zone when I first joined too. I joined over two years ago, before the ignore feature was in place. And as I didn't know anything about the place, I was quite dismayed at the language being used and the tone of the overall conversation I first encountered on public quicknotes. I didn't know you could turn publics off and had to ask someone if this was possible. Back then you had to go into your account settings to do this as it was not a quicknote command the way it is now. I kept them off and just played the games and read the boards for about six months. Then I started turning them on once in awhile and have gotten to know some people on here over the past year and a half. There are some very immature people on here who do seem to get their kicks by putting others down. But there are also some very nice people who are worth getting to know. So just hang in there, and I think you'll find we're not all bad. But this is a community after all, and you're going to find jerks in any community.
I still use public quick notes, but when someone pisses me off 9i ignore them till i am no longer pissed. I really don't like to ignore people because if i were to have that done to me because of something i had said it would hurt my feelings because I would want to say sorry and be forgiven and hopefully not loose a friend. I try to be civil towards everyone but sometimes i just get pissed off and take my issues out on people who werent involved or hurting people more than can be repared. so, sometimes iI take a lot of shit but i know that things will be ok.
King, I too, agree with what's been said already. I also want to welcome you.
To piggy back on what Bob said, The Zone is kinda like a small town. Anything we say and do is open for anyone else who lives in this town to see. We can ignore some of th comments our fellow-citizens make. We don't have to frequent the public areas of the town where lots of things I personally don't care for happen. (public quicknotes.) In a sense, it isn't any different here than life in general. There are people in your social circles you like or dislike to varying degrees. While I like being by myself, I don't want to be a hermmit because of some parts of humanity. So it is here.
Again, welcome, and feel free to e-mail me here if you wish.
Lou
I agree with all that's been said. No matter where you go jerks are there, that's the way the world is. I know though you will find not every one here is bad. Just ignore the ones that give you issues or people you have an issue with. That's why that button is there.
Troy
Hi king,
I can totaly identify and relate to what you're saying. If it weren't for the ignore feature, I probably wouldn't nbe here either. When i first joined this place, I read more than i posted, more or less afraid to start a topic about anything. Well, I don't start my own topics much anymore, because of the things you were talking about in your earlier post, but then, I was very careful about replying. It was sort of like walking on eggshells, or knowing there might be a bomb waiting to explode in your face if people reacted verbally violent to what you said, and i have been blasted a few times, I think i'm not quite assensitive as I use to be. I still care how my friends feel, but I know I don't verbally attack people, though I am a bit outspoken. If I feel a person and I will never be able to get along, or we just have too many personality conflicts, I just put them on my ignore list. I guess how I am with people depends on how they are with me. If the person i'm talking to is gentle, sweet and sensitive, then I tak care to be gentle and sensitive with them, but if he/she/they are the sort who don't care how they affect other people, or how they come across, then I can be blunt and not care so much how i come across either. I was sort of afraid if I staaaayed here too much, I might naturally become really hardhearted, so I backed off from it a bit, but i haven't grown hard hearted towards friends, and not to people who are really sensitive, having been a somewhat sensitive person myself.I wish i could say there'll come a day, when I won't ever be sensitive about anything, that nothing anyone says or does will ever make me mad or hurt my feelings, but I'd be telling a big giant whopper if i made a statement like that. But its not quite as bad as it use to be, and I can usually find some sort of response to someone's rant against me, mostly I tell them if they don't like what I said, they can just put me on ignore. Basically, I understand where you're coming from and how you feel, but so far, some people on here are ok, and it hasn't got quite bad enough for me to leave altogether, though I find no enjoyment from quicknotes much at all anymore, so keep them all turned off.
Take care and have a nice evening,
wonderwoman
I agree with boby on this one, but I also agree with you, I see both sides, but i already told you im willing to help if i can!
I agree with both Bobby and yourself on this one, King. It is a shame that this web site has left you with that impression when there are a lot of decent people here, also. I say just get to know the decent ones, avoid quicknote drama if you can, and simply message those you find interesting and on your level. In clsoing, I extend a welcome to you.
Here's hoping you still enjoy your time here.
In regards to Post #1 of this Board, the last paragraph that reads, "I told myself i wasn't going to point out anyone in particular but I must make one more statement about someone the roman battle mask I have read some of your stuff and it is absolutely degenerated filth I have never encountered someone who took such joy out of causing others hurt and pain I truly truly feel sorry for you that is a distinct sign of a weak character if you are feeling inner turmoil and pain don't take it out on others try to fix it the right way theirs my peace."
King, given your lack of punctuation, your attitude, name calling and holier-than-thou attitude it looks like you'll fit right in. Welcome to the Zone.
lol B! King, welcome to the real world!
Hi King welcome! The Roman Battle Mask has made fun of me when my Dad died! Two other people to stay away from are Silky Sarah and greenballoon2000 they are rude to me too! I don't like the language here too! I've stayed caus of the Christian friends I've made here! Hope
Aah, is this the "bad mouthing" topic. It's always funny to see peopole acting all self righteous and then stooping down to a level much lower than the level they accuse others of staying at.
I'll keep watching this topic with interest to see which users I need to avoid, it's very informative.
Oh, people should totally avoid j-squared or Chris N ;) they're only here to mess up the site <grin> and this admin person was not nice to me once when I asked him to send me $50 for psychological damage resulting from staying here .. I think that's mean of him .. or is it her .. who knows. ;)
King,
Hi. I'm maddog, another of the community leaders on the site. I really don't have much to add here either. The rest of the users, have already pretty much given you your options. Yes, there are a lot of people on this site that are...well, colorful, to say the least. Some of these people, I would rather never ever actually meet in an offline experience. However, like all communities, there are those select few, that do have things in common with you, and that you will want to get to know better. I also had to learn that lesson when I joined up. I joined this site pretty much around the time of its birth, and was one of the first community leaders selected. As a community leader, I've had times where I've totally resented this site, and the people on it because of how I've been treated, but I figure, if you play into their hands, you'll be giving them exactly what they want.
Keep coming on here, is my recommendation, because eventually, you will find that small circle of people who you will come to like, and who will come to like you. That's what's so good about this site. While some of its individual members are bad, it's still a very diverse site. We've got people from all over the world on here. Stick around! Get to know them, and the best of luck to you!
Ather
Hey, King. Well i will not add much to what has been said before. But i will say that the zone as it is, or rather as its concept, is not bad at all. But like in any community, you have good people, you have those who are, to say the least, strange, and a few who are frankly bad. But I must say the majority of people on here are coming to have a good time, a good chat, or play. there was a time, like Mad Dog when i resented the site as well. But, i came to the conclusion that you can't throw the baby out with the bath water. Soon you will find a group of people with whom you will be more comfortable than with some others, and it is always how it goes. But in general, the zone is a good place to be, and i must say, has improved. Welcome, my good fellow. John
Actually gang I wonder if this guy really is new?
So his title shows he's a newbie but......
You never know that this guy was told about this site and instead of joining right then and there, but going on the boards link and reading the boards?
Then again he may have logged in when there was a argument?
King - Do yourself a favor: Shut off the quick notes, make a intro about yourself, use the punctuation keys on the keyboard and finally.......
Chill out, we're not all that bad. Like Maddog said, it takes time to get settled in, not on day one.
well, ahem, I don't mean tostart an argument here or get on anyone's bad side, but, um, well, actually, I find it very helpful sometimes for someone to tell whom to ignore or to avoid at all cost. It tells me then and there to avoid this or that person, and i know right then and there that the person he or she mentioned is someone i don't need or want to talk to. I find it very helpful to know that before hand.
wonderwoman
I actually resent others telling me who to avoid, both online and in person. When I started the job I have now, someone took me aside my first or second day and told me to avoid a certain person. I made it a point to try to become that person's friend because I was not going to let one person make me dislike someone just because they disliked them. And it is the same on here. I talk to some people who many others may not like. But by the same token, I find some of the "popular" people on here absolutely disgusting and will not like them just because they are popular.
With differing personalities come differing opinions, and in the end it's the individual's job to determine their friends, on and off line.
I don't have a problem with being told by another "I don't like so-and-so," but that's the furthest extent to which something of that manner should be taken.
I'll still be deriving my own conclusions...
well, I understand both your views buckeye fan, and jbauer, you both have good points. I think sometimes it's a case of someone having a bad experience with a person, and that person warning you about the other person thinks he or she is doing you a favor, perhapshe or she thinks by warning you, they can keep you from having a very bad experience with the person, but i understand what you're saying, all you have togo on is how the person treats you. If a person has been nice to me, I don't care what negative things other people say about them, as long as they talk to me, and treat me with courtesy and respect, i will go on talking to them no matter what people say. But, by the same token, if a person has been mean, rude or obnoxious to me, it's up to that person to change my impression of him/her, noone else. I don't necessarily think the person is lying when he says this or that jerk is really a nice person, or the person who treats me nice is is a jerk, I think it's just a matter of personalities. There are some people on here and other places, who I know we won't get along too well if we try to strike up much of a conversation, but I respect them neverthe less, I'm just carefull what i talk to them about, and if they reply to something I've said, I'll answer them though i'll talk to them cautiously. Some times people's personalities just don't click very well, like mixing fire with matches.
wonderwoman
first off, let me welcome King to the zone. I guess there's not much for me to add, since everyone else has pretty much said everythingI myself, would say. When I first started coming to the zone, I kept public QN's on, thinking that I'd find someone to have a decent conversation with, but it turns out that that's almost impossible. don't get me wrong, I have found a few people that I enjoy talking to, but I no longer keep publics on, because it just always seems to be drama, drama, drama. who did what to whom, and so forth. I do have to say, that I most certtainly do not approve of Hope telling someone who they should avoid, just because of her own personal experiences. Just because you don't get along with someone, does not mean that everyone else isn't going to get along with them either. If it turns out that those people arent' very good people, then we must find that out for ourselves. Everyone must decide for themselves who they will and will not interact with. It's no one's choice, but your own. And, as many have said, dont' think that everyone here is bad. Granted, there are quite a bit, who can certainly get under your skin, but there are also those who will carry on a decent conversation with you. Personally, I think it's sad and unbelievable, how some people act, but hey, that's their own choice. Just like in the "off line" world, you're always going to find someone that you do not like, or agree with. We're not going to like everyone we encounter, but that's just life. In every community, there's both good and bad. But don't think that everyone here is an awful person, just because you happen to come across those who are rude and disrespectful. we're not all like that.
King, welcome to the zone.
Everyone has pretty much said everything already. In every kind of community there will be people you don't necessarily get along with, and those you do. You can choose to associate with those you want to and to disassociate with those you don't
I don't necessarily agree with directly calling people out by name, but if it works for you...
Jared really isn't that bad. As for Maddog...um, no, wait, I think that was someone else actually...
On a final note, punctuation is a beautiful, magical thing!
Again, welcome to the insanity!
Oh yes, and I forgot...
Congratulations for making the longest run-on sentence in the universe!
Was there even one bit of punctuation in that post? Damn...it's an epidemic!
That being said, everyone else has said all there is to say. Jared's just Jared, though, and you have to take his comments with a shaker of salt. Take the whole Zone that way, for that matter. Or, hell, take the whole world that way. Just because the majority of users are blind doesn't mean they're going to get along. As you said, it's not so much about blindness as it is about being human. Stick around, though, and it's not so bad.
"It's not so bad."? You're kidding right? Yes, it is that bad, worse even, but within the swill and muck that is the sess pool of the zone there are a few bits of precious metals glinting from the seddament at the bottom of the goop. Turning off public quick notes is a great place to start. If you ever want to sample the drama, with out being involved use your quick note history if you are premium, to review past public quick notes sent. Also placing people on ignore is a good idea, but... do not put their board posts on ignore, you will want to be able to read what they have written if it is incorrect and needs to be corrected, down-right stupid and needs to be ridiculed, with much commic flare of course and or to see what if anything they are saying about you or one of your close friends. You can also ignore private quick notes from that person only, which will allow you to read what they are saying on publics. This is important, again for the same reasons as it is to be able to read board posts. I don't know if most of the people on here are screwed up because they are blind or because they spend so much time on the net, but I suspect that it is a mixture of both. Don't get me wrong, some blind people are just fine, not multiplihandicapped with a mental disability and not socially sheltered or stunted and some computer geeks are great, and their geekyness is a beautiful and commendable thing, but it just seems that a great many of the blind people here are either social rejects or have mental shortcomings, and that a great many of the geeks on here are of the sort that lives for and through technology and who fail to cultivate a life aside from that same technology, but that lack the encredible aptitude with and creativity with technology that make a true geek a remarkable and cool individual. There are a few truly brilliant, witty, kind and or interesting people on here, and you can find them if you look, but it will take a while. I would highly reccomend that you take every one with a grain of salt until they give you reason to put away the shaker where they are concerned. I would seriously heed warnings about zoners in that many zoners who have a negative rep. deserve that rep. However, only use that as a springboard. Check those users, by reading their board posts extensively or reading their profile, because the most ridiculed are usually the most pathetic and tiresome, but the most interesting, intelligent and worthwhile people also seem to easily garner the bad oppinion of the "Zoners". So, if someone is bad-mouthed by a large number of "Zoners" chances are that they are either truly annoying and horrid, or supperior, insightful and worth getting to know. I.E. the best and worst people around are the ones that are most often spoken ill of. If a lot of people are ragging on someone I take that as a sign and I do some extensive research on them which always includes talking to them directly. If they prove to be widely disliked because they are more pathetic, unintelligent, desperate or mean-spirited than the average zoner than I quickly ignore them, and if they are widely disliked because they actually have morals, their own opinions, wit and refuse to be players on or endorse the childish stage that the tipical goings-on of the site creates then I quickly look them up for a chat. I see why you posted as you did and I agree with you for the most part. I would only urge you to be aware that there are a few great people hiddin under the common and below average ones, and, please, use your punctuation.
Oh your so right, I wish I could find another place to play games and meet people, because to much slamming. I to love to chat and meet people and the ones that have taken the time to chat with me I believe they like me. Yes we all have opinions on stuff that's freedom but sometimes its best not to say anything. Its like work, you don't have to like everyone but you have to get the job done.