Building bridges

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · January 26, 2014, 06:20:11 PM

To all of the assembled Dudes:

Obviously, I have upset some people around here and am seeking to make amends for this.

That being said: if I have personally offended or upset somebody in any way, then please tell me how I have done so. Then I will apologize to you personally and without condition or expectation. I offer the olive branch of peace. This must end, now.

And if you still do not want to accept my apology, forgive me, attempt to build bridges, and bowl a few frames then just let it drop. This drama must cease.

May peace be upon us all. Yours truly, --B

DigitalBuddha · January 26, 2014, 11:52:37 PM

Quote from: Rev. Iconocclesiastes on January 26, 2014, 06:20:11 PM
To all of the assembled Dudes:

Obviously, I have upset some people around here and am seeking to make amends for this.

That being said: if I have personally offended or upset somebody in any way, then please tell me how I have done so. Then I will apologize to you personally and without condition or expectation. I offer the olive branch of peace. This must end, now.

And if you still do not want to accept my apology, forgive me, attempt to build bridges, and bowl a few frames then just let it drop. This drama must cease.

May peace be upon us all. Yours truly, --B

Far out, life goes on, man.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 12:31:28 PM

My offer to apologize to anybody who I have personally offended still stands. Take it or leave it. But please, cut it out with the drama and double-standards. Bump.

Yeti · February 03, 2014, 01:19:18 PM

I know I'm new here, and I don't know this situation or anything that's happened behind the scenes, but when has that ever stopped anyone on the Internet from commenting on something before?

Refer back to the movie that has inspired us all...

Whenever there's a fight, whenever there's an argument, whenever someone does something ridiculously stupid - like throwing a ringer over an overpass or loudly cursing in a family restaurant - it gets resolved, usually with a simple statement - "Fuck it, let's go bowling." - and all somehow becomes right with the world. Either the bonds of Dudeship are there or they aren't, and if they are then we should all be able to abide. If a topic is going to cause major disruptions in the vibe, then avoid those discussions - how many times did you see The Dude and Walter discussing Vietnam in any sort of depth, or gun control? Not often, because I'm not sure their friendship could survive a political and philosophical rift of that magnitude.

If whatever disagreements you guys have can't be resolved by taking a break and allowing the foul water to flow under a bridge and ultimately downstream, then I think the bowling team should be disbanded. Otherwise: Fuck it, let's go bowling.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 01:35:18 PM

Yeti, check out this warm Dudeist welcome that I got from cckeiser when I was brand-new here myself. He made me feel about as popular as a fart in an elevator, when I so mush as mentioned anything about my faith or anything having to do with Christianity at all. But we got the matter straightened out real quick, cckeiser and I. And I was even offering to help, in the first place. Check out how welcome I was made to feel, when I said that I am a Christian. Some of the participants here seem to just hate Christianity and Christians, though they're too cowardly (in my opinion) to simply admit it. But I could be wrong (about the Christian-hating); that's just my point of view.

http://dudeism.com/smf/general-discussion/how-can-i-help/45/

Masked Dude · February 03, 2014, 01:40:45 PM

Speaking for myself I don't hate any religion. In fact I'll fight for that right anywhere in the world. I just don't have one.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 01:42:44 PM

Quote from: Masked Dude on February 03, 2014, 01:40:45 PM
Speaking for myself I don't hate any religion. In fact I'll fight for that right anywhere in the world. I just don't have one.

Myself, I am a Christian. Your milage may vary. I'm not here to preach my religion to anybody, and I'm also not here to scam anybody.

Yeti · February 03, 2014, 01:45:52 PM

Here's a question for the other Dudes hanging out at this bar: should I get involved in this, or stay clear of it? I don't want to be Donny chirping in the background at any raging Walters.

I have some opinions based on what I've read so far, but I'm really not interested in driving into the middle of a shitstorm.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 01:50:39 PM

Quote from: Yeti on February 03, 2014, 01:45:52 PM
Here's a question for the other Dudes hanging out at this bar: should I get involved in this, or stay clear of it? I don't want to be Donny chirping in the background at any raging Walters.

I have some opinions based on what I've read so far, but I'm really not interested in driving into the middle of a shitstorm.

Yeti: if you do decide to get involved here any further, then I encourage you to stand up for yourself and not let the nihilist types bully you, bait you, and tell you to "shut the fuck up". Stand fast and drink your coffee. That's my two cents' worth on the matter, man.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 01:58:53 PM

Quote from: Rev. Iconocclesiastes on February 03, 2014, 01:35:18 PM
Yeti, check out this warm Dudeist welcome that I got from cckeiser when I was brand-new here myself. He made me feel about as popular as a fart in an elevator, when I so mush as mentioned anything about my faith or anything having to do with Christianity at all. But we got the matter straightened out real quick, cckeiser and I. And I was even offering to help, in the first place. Check out how welcome I was made to feel, when I said that I am a Christian. Some of the participants here seem to just hate Christianity and Christians, though they're too cowardly (in my opinion) to simply admit it. But I could be wrong (about the Christian-hating); that's just my point of view.

http://dudeism.com/smf/general-discussion/how-can-i-help/45/

Please also see:

http://dudeism.com/smf/general-discussion/how-can-i-help/15/

Yeti · February 03, 2014, 02:07:25 PM

Okay, here's my two cents, and I'm writing this from a position of not knowing who you are, who you're fighting with, or whatever. This is, like, just my opinion, man, and isn't personally directed at anyone.

1) Dudeism has officially positioned itself as a quasi-religion. This isn't just a message board to discuss a movie from the '90s. My first question to anyone who wanted to discuss their religion - be it christianity, mormonism, islam, scientology, flying spaghetti monsters, etc. - is, why are you here? Most other religions state you can't believe in multiple religions. Why, then, would a christian, or at least someone that wants to make their religious beliefs known, want to post here and discuss their beliefs? Survey Says: the poster is seeking to convert people. Sorry, but there are thousands of years of history to back up that assumption.

2) This is a message board, and the way that message boards usually work is people need to learn to get along. If I were to come here and suddenly start sperging about Miller's Crossing and my religion based on that movie, and then refuse to stop when I was told to stop by a mod, I would assume the banhammer was on the downswing. If a poster been told by a moderator to stop discussing something - be it religion, other movies, whatever - or just simply told to stop getting into pissing matches with people, then that poster should stop or leave the board. Continuing to bang away at these particular nails could be interpreted as trolling.

3) If you have a disagreement with another poster, and the moderators are staying neutral, then fucking resolve it in private, man. No one wants to see two people continuing to bitch at each other publicly on a board. If you can't resolve it, then mods need to get involved and settle things once and for all.

4) I'm tired of discussing this further, so fuck it, let's go bowling.

milnie · February 03, 2014, 02:51:02 PM

Well said yeti. I usually only get a chance to drop by using my mobile and it's a drag seeing the same megative threads dominate the board. To quote from mars attacks: little people, can't we all just get along?

Masked Dude · February 03, 2014, 02:54:11 PM

Fuckin' A. I can dig those.

The_Sleevez · February 03, 2014, 08:12:20 PM

I am going to make one comment here and it will be the last time I do so on one of icons posts. I am speaking only for myself and about my experiences. What happened before yesterday's post nothing to do with me. 1 at no time did I attack your religion period. 2 I was polite I was interested in your side I apologized when I missed a post and misunderstood. 3 at no time did I attack you I asked for clarification and to disscuss a point. 4 you basically told me to fuck off and mind my own business. So yes I am offended no I do not accept your apology because you clearly don't mean it. You have three threads apologizing on here. Maybe you should step back stop looking at what you post as the reason people are pissed at you. Instead look at how you post it and how you react when someone disagrees or questions you. I have seen you throw blatant insults at dudes from other country's and then cry that you are being picked on because your Christian. I see you rant about freedom of speech and ideas and then jump on anyone with a different opinion. The whole time crying your picking on me cause of my faith take a good look at what your spouting. Your not wrong your just an asshole.

Rev. Iconocclesiastes · February 03, 2014, 08:23:31 PM

Dudes, I have been involved in some hard-core, epic, nuclear-exchange type forum and flame wars the likes of which you cannot conceive of. This little dust-up about my being a Christian ain't shit. I've been through much, much worse, and reckon that I know how to handle myself in these types of online forum situations. I've dealt with psychopathic cult leaders and I've been threatened with litigation I don't know how many times. And the main things (when it comes to online forum interaction) that I have learned are these: 1) to stand my ground, but also be open to the idea that I could be mistaken about this or that, and 2) nothing is to be taken personally. None of you really knows me or what I am all about.

Look: I'm nobody special; I'm just another guy with a computer and an opinion. I want to get along with the community of Dudeists, just like the rest of you do. But I refuse to be bullied around like a Donny.

I'll close with a quote from another of my favorite movies, The Good Shepherd:

Dr. Fredericks: The mental facility to detect conspiracies and betrayal are the same qualities most likely to corrode natural judgment. Everything that seems clear is bent. And everything that seems bent is clear. Trapped in reflections, you must learn to recognize when a lie masquerades as the truth, and then deal with it efficiently, dispassionately.