Hey now, I did put the words.... sort of .....in there.

Yes you did. I took no offense and meant no offense. I just was pointing out that I could have done far worse, like perhaps, mentioning his name or giving out his email address, neither of which I feel are necessary. I merely admonished a fiction. Actually, more likely a fiction behind another fiction.

the whole 'experiment' story sounds like a backpedaling load of bull

I think this hits the nail on the head. Once the first story is admitted to be untrue, how can any story be believed?

I can't imagine any drama instructor worth his greasepaint who would suggest his students undertake such an exercise.

I'm glad to see someone claming a drama background who scoffs the "experiment" thing here, if only b/c my small-town self has had yet another reminder that skepticism exists for good reasons.

The possibility (liklihood?) that Lordpinko was a total fabrication makes this forum my first personal experience of something I read about and then forgot during grad school in the '90s.

I guess I'm "older" than I thought, because the only reason I can imagine for myself to make up a fake persona is for an old-fashioned game of D&D or Champions or whatever. Oh, I guess costume parties count, too.

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the name of a set of British qualifications, taken by secondary school students, at age of 14-16 in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

The possibility (liklihood?) that Lordpinko was a total fabrication makes this forum my first personal experience of something I read about and then forgot during grad school in the '90s.

Well, you've more schooling than me. I was too busy being in plays to study back in the early '70s, so I never got my bachelor's.

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) is the name of a set of British qualifications, taken by secondary school students, at age of 14-16 in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar.

Interesting infomation. So "Lord Pinko" was pretty much a kid then. Having a vague rememberance of what it was like being that age, I'm a bit more willing to cut him some slack. Certainly more so than if he was an adult. But anyway, once an admission of fabrication is made, how is any part of the story (the GCSE part) more believeable than another.

If Lordpinko was indeed a minor, I'm inclined to share Mumble's tendency to cut him(her?) some slack. But the whole lying problem really does leave the story permanently in the realm of thought experiment.

Lying and cheating just drive me crazy--part of why I'm pretty much giving up on the classroom. The problem is spreading to honors programs and grad schools WWW Link

I'm so tempted to call the Pinko apologists a bunch of naive idiots but I'll refrain from such obvious statements.

Pinko had "sociopath" written between the lines of all his comments.

So what's the moral of the story, boys and girls?

The good guys aren't necessarily good guys and the bad guys aren't necessarily bad guys. I figured a crowd of science fiction fans would know that concept. And the people that use disability as a defense for stupidity _definitely_ are not disabled.

I'll paraphrase The Who for my remaining feelings on this matter:

Load up GC2 and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray...
We don't get fooled again!

The good guys aren't necessarily good guys and the bad guys aren't necessarily bad guys

Yes indeed. How can anyone that quotes the Who be all bad?

I'm so tempted to call the Pinko apologists a bunch of naive idiots but I'll refrain from such obvious statements

To say without saying.

Think of it as a friendly punch in the shoulder.

I will always be in defence, I don't think he did anything wrong, he just voiced his opion as we all do on this forum.

Don't take this the wrong way but I dont like the grammer nazi's for one reason, poniting out peoples mistakes and bashing them and there belifs into the ground. Can we please get over peoples weaknesses and move onto something more positive.

P.s. for once I agree with you Whelly, disablity is not a excuse for stupidity (except those who are mentally retarted, no offence) but rather it enables you to see another ponit of view, as soon as you get the weakness you have strengh in other areas (e.g. lower grade Austium, lowered social abilities but hightend intellangeance. agian no offence to nerotypicals).

thing's aren't always as they seem.

Remember this, all of you, always.

I will always be in defence

I tend to sympathize with underdogs, too, and Pinko was a real hard case for me b/c I'm both a pacifist and, yes, a for-real US socialist. Still, I don't think he's harmed my basic impulse to trust (although I'll be more likely to try to verify )

It is *so* hard in our culture to discuss the word socialism b/c we are massively miseducated about it, starting with the basic denial of the socialist aspects of our system that have been there *since the founding.* What the heck is the Post Office if not a major and worthwhile gov't investment in the national economy? But I digress...

So can't we all just get along, sit in a circle holding hands, and sing Cumbaya now?

I would like you to stop this ShuShu, or I will strike thee down with all the wrath and vengeance the nine gates of Hell can muster...  Seriously, this cutesy phrase has to stop, please    

Don't take this the wrong way but I dont like the grammer nazi's for one reason, poniting out peoples mistakes and bashing them and there belifs into the ground. Can we please get over peoples weaknesses and move onto something more positive.

You keep implying that I'm a grammar nazi. Link the evidence or shut up.

Attacking you on your ideas alone is easy...

disablity is not a excuse for stupidity (except those who are mentally retarted, no offence)

Sorry, Shadow, the reason I don't call you and your ilk "retarded" is because I have the highest respect for them. I work with the disabled and none of them are suckers like you. For you, I reserve the term "fraktard."

You and several people got completely torched by Pinko and you are still apologizing for him. At least Mumble was a good sport about it and had the balls to start a thread about fooled by Pinko.

as soon as you get the weakness you have strengh in other areas

Where do you come up with this nonsense? Admitting weaknesses is a sign of character. Believing weakness can be converted into strength is a sign of denial. Put down the Stuart Smally books and pick up Sun-Tzu's Art of War.

You keep implying that I'm a grammar nazi. Link the evidence or shut up.

I am a proud, card carrying Grammar Nazi... wouldn't you like to be a part of the club too Wheeloffire? And I do recall a post titled M-O-R-A-L-E... hmmm, who was it that wrote that one?  

[/me laughing]

I am a proud, card carrying Grammar Nazi... wouldn't you like to be a part of the club too Wheeloffire? And I do recall a post titled M-O-R-A-L-E... hmmm, who was it that wrote that one?

If you look at the text I highlighted from Shadow before demanding evidence of his accusations, you can see that dumb comments on merit alone wander this forum like zombies. There's no time to pull the Grammar Nazi(TM) card.

thing's aren't always as they seem.

This is true. I am actually a below-average intelligence chimpanzee with superior typing skills and access to the internet. MY experiment has already been completed, so there are no worries about blowing my cover.

This is true. I am actually a below-average intelligence chimpanzee with superior typing skills and access to the internet. MY experiment has already been completed, so there are no worries about blowing my cover.

40 copies of you couldn't write a Shakespearean play.

40 copies of you couldn't write a Shakespearean play.

Of course, Shakespeare couldn't write one either. Christopher Marlowe did.

This would be a good topic for Achillus' conspiracy theories.

Shoot, with Shakespeare, typing monkeys, and implied literature scholars involved, the topic's *already* a conspiracy theory

As the immortal Bard (or Chris Marlowe) said, "To thy own self be true."

As long as you realize that people may not be what they present as themselves, and all you are risking is a demonstration of your approach to others, it doesn't matter if someone is faking it. Any "damage" from the deceit is the onus of the perpetrator's.

It's not as if anything we've discussed here has the potential to ruin anyone's life.

I will always be in defence, I don't think he did anything wrong, he just voiced his opion as we all do on this forum.

Urgh. Did you even read mumble's post? He wasn't voicing an opinion, he was CONNING YOU.

He faked a disability in order to gain sympathy and attempt to get people to turn on those that saw through him and called him up on it.

What's more, he did a poor job of it, and if he is indeed a drama student (as I was last year) he's utterly terrible, for the reasons stated. He couldn't keep in character (the post where he used correct grammar and spelling), he allowed his emotions to slip through, the internet is a terrible place to study a character, and also his character wasn't remotely believable.

Not saying I knew he was a 15 year old with an inferiority complex and too much free time, no. But I didn't believe he had dyslexia, as someone with relatives with the condition.

Oh, and we "grammar nazi's" don't attack your beliefs based on your spelling. Sure, I'll call people on spelling. If you want an idea to be read and considered, put some effort in presenting it well. Use word or something! It will get more attention as an idea and less as something you did while drunk. You want people to consider and like your idea, make it well laid out, and easy to read. Paragraphs and punctuation are your friends.

If I ever attack someone's beliefs, it's because I see them as flawed. I'll admit defeat when my beliefs are proved wrong, but due to the fact I rarely even consider something without a decent amount of logical information presented, I often don't get smacked down. Same with ideas, I'd never even think "OMG THIS GAME WOULD BE KEWL WITH X!!" and expect people to go with that. Logical arguments ftw?

Now, I'm going to ignore the arguments that happened around when I left, because if I have to argue evolution or the silly strength = weakness stuff, I'll end up banned.

For the record:

More or less

Less: I asked kryo to ban me after I tore into the anti-evolutionist loon, because I don't actually like having to argue with random people on a day-to-day basis, and this forum has a spawnpoint for people I "disagree with".

More: After I'd been visitored, Zoomba read my last few posts, and decided to make it a week minimum.

Glad you're back, Marcathonas.

the silly strength = weakness stuff,

That's weakness = strength, not the other way around.

It sounds Orwellian. War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.

But if ignorance = strength and weakness = strength then ignorance = weakness?!

I think we have Shadowmaster all figured out. Shadow is a source of wisdom, understanding and compassion.

"As soon as you get the ignorance, you get smartified."--Shadowmaster Proverb