Re: Truth be Told

oconnort@nyu.edu
Tue, 08 Jul 1997 16:44:15 -0400 (EDT)

 
>  As most of you know, and most of you did to start with I am not JDS.
> Everybody knew it from day one and the truth is being told. Why did I do it,
> why was just trying to be "cool." The reason is everybody takes this way too
> seriously. I was called a phony and other words I am not going to repeat. I
> to love CITR but don't you think it is just as "phony" to idolize Holden as
> some sort of lord, I mean that is what he hated the most. The thing that made
> me keep up this trip was to watch you guys squirm around and believe he a
> laugh riot watching you guys so angry. The whole purpose I did this was to
> get a reaction and you guys were just like puddy in my hand. You did every
> thing I wanted you too and then some. So keep on reading and live life.
> 
> P.S.- I WON

Casey ... one thing you'll eventually come to realize, if you get
involved in online communities much, is that there's no concept of "I
won," because people involved are not engaged in a competition.  They're
here (in the case of this list) because it's a topic they care about.
Anybody can stir things up (one classic being a newsgroup for cat lovers
in which mischief-makers posted their favorite recipes for cooking cat);
by their nature, groups like "bananafish" are made up of people who have
reactions -- sometimes quite passionate -- about their subject.

If you think people are being silly and full of worship, say so, and
explain why.  A lot of the people here don't mind criticism if it makes
sense, and many of us long ago learned to laugh at ourselves.  If
someone is bowing and scraping in the direction of Cornish, there's
nothing wrong with sensibly popping the bubble and injecting a note of
realism here.  And nobody's word is sacred, either.  Feel free to
challenge things, if that is what you want.  But be prepared to explain
your reasoning.  I don't think there are a lot of us who want to sit in
a circle and chant, "we love Salinger," and hear 200 voices answer, "me
too."  I'm sure you can contribute positively, without being an irritant
in the process.

I think what you experienced was the kind of reaction people have to a
swam of mosquitoes.  They swipe and they swat and they curse and they just
want the annoyance to stop, because they have other things to focus on.

Same here, the way it looked to me.

--tim o'connor