Consideration

[Family Ties Forever!]

I have been reading through some of the threads and I've noticed that people have brought up time and again about 'joking' with people. I think it's important to make sure people realize you are joking if that is infact what you are doing. Of course there are times when people joke about stuff that really should not be joked about.

[Chocolate Moose]

You can't take things so seriously in cyberspace. And you could have just sob'd that thread.

[Hollow]

the reason i and many others found the "is gouging someone's eye out with a ticonderoga pencil right?" thread so funny was because it was mocking the silliness of a thread previously posted called "is slavery right?" (some of us were hard on the then-young members, i admit). in reality, i certainly wouldn't find gouging someone's eye out funny at all, but i tend to have a gruesome sense of humor. after reading what you said about your sister, i empathize you more in not finding it funny. i know how it is to hear jokes about things that bring back bad memories and feelings...i can't stand it when people joke about self-injury and suicide in ways that trivialize them, although i never speak up about it because i don't want to intervene with people doing something relatively harmless. it's hard, but unless someone is mocking a specific person's problems, i try to just deal with it...can't take everything too seriously.

[EmoJoe]

the reason i and many others found the "is gouging someone's eye out with a ticonderoga pencil right?" thread so funny was because it was mocking the silliness of a thread previously posted called "is slavery right?" (some of us were hard on the then-young members, i admit). in reality, i certainly wouldn't find gouging someone's eye out funny at all, but i tend to have a gruesome sense of humor. after reading what you said about your sister, i empathize you more in not finding it funny. i know how it is to hear jokes about things that bring back bad memories and feelings...i can't stand it when people joke about self-injury and suicide in ways that trivialize them, although i never speak up about it because i don't want to intervene with people doing something relatively harmless. it's hard, but unless someone is mocking a specific person's problems, i try to just deal with it...can't take everything too seriously.
yeah i think i remember that thread. obviously the idea of stabbing someone with a pencil isn't funny, it was just mocking the slavery thread and how obvious the answer to the question "is slavery right?" is. parody threads were extremely popular at that time.

i can see where you're coming from though and why a thread like that would cause you to be uncomfortable. still, like someone said, sometimes you just have to brush it off your shoulder and not let stuff posted on the internet get to you. a lot of things posted on the internet can be really hurtful though so it's definitely not easy.

[Stormtracker TF]

I definitely can see why that thread would have hit a nerve with you, but you also have to understand that pretty much anything can hit a nerve with SOMEONE, since everyone has different things that well, mean something deeper to them than it would others.

Obviously certain things are more acceptable to joke about than others, but pretty much anything you joke about is gonna offend someone out there. These days, I doubt something like that thread would fly here anyway. Times have changed a lot. BUT, that was four years ago...I think you probably should let that go and try to not take things as seriously, even if it's hard. If you let stuff like that get to you, you're in for a lot of sleepless nights over stuff that happened on the internet.

[Hollow]

I definitely can see why that thread would have hit a nerve with you, but you also have to understand that pretty much anything can hit a nerve with SOMEONE, since everyone has different things that well, mean something deeper to them than it would others.
precisely. i mean for example, we can't expect people to refrain from singing "grandma got run over by a reindeer" in case someone's grandmother really died in a similar way and would thus be offended by the song. like i said i know how bad it feels to hear humor about something that hits close to home, but if people aren't demeaning a particular person's problem, saying they shouldn't joke about things as specific as gouging an eye with a pencil is just way too politically correct. you've got to let people have some freedom.

[Stuck In The '70's]

Hey Jenny...I'm sorry about everything you went through with your sister. That had to have been just awful. :( I wish you would have said something 4 years ago. I think it would have made a difference. I know I would have come to your defense. 2004 was just a crazy year on SO. You're right though...nobody knows what anyone's really going through or what their past is. Sometimes things are said and people get hurt even if nobody means to hurt anybody. A simple joke can even get out of control. Anyhow I hope you don't let it bother you anymore. :)

[Janice]

That was one wild thread, and I remember I had to put the brakes on it. Wish I had done so earlier. I agree that you have to take into account that people don't know what others are going through. It was just a joke, and as someone said, probably wouldn't fly today. The slavery thread wouldn't stand today. I'm sure getting this off your chest made you feel better, Jenny. I was just looking at that thread, and it sure is ugly. Some people have really changed for the better.

[Shine]

Thank you to those who understand. I realize that jokes can't be avoided altogether and I don't expect that. I agree Sarah, joking about self-injury and other problems associated with mental stability isn't funny. I just know it was very hard to accept what was being said in the pencil thread. I appreciate that you closed that thread Jaince. :) I know it used to be bumped up from time to time, before it was locked, and that seemed to just bring the hurt back. To see people enjoying the mockery of the thread was hard. I appreciate your words Janice, Sonny and to those who empathize with the situation my sister went through.

I'm sorry about the situation with your sister, Jenny. :( In 2004 I wasn't posting in Chit Chat yet, so I don't remember the thread. I'm sorry that you were bothered by it. I don't think that a thread about self-injury or causing injury to others is at all funny.

[*Pleasant Tomorrow*]

I tend to joke about everything simply for the fact that it's a method of coping for me. If you make something bad out to be funny, it becomes less bad and hurts less. That's just how I've always been. I understand that a lot of people don't feel that way, though. We're all different. But for me, you can joke about anything...even bad things that have affected me, and I'll still find it funny because in the end life is kind of a funny, ridiculous thing and needs to be laughed at sometimes and that really excludes nothing. Again, just my opinion on things...I can certainly understand if someone feels differently because we cope differently.

[Courtnee]

I tend to joke about everything simply for the fact that it's a method of coping for me. If you make something bad out to be funny, it becomes less bad and hurts less. That's just how I've always been. I understand that a lot of people don't feel that way, though. We're all different. But for me, you can joke about anything...even bad things that have affected me, and I'll still find it funny because in the end life is kind of a funny, ridiculous thing and needs to be laughed at sometimes and that really excludes nothing. Again, just my opinion on things...I can certainly understand if someone feels differently because we cope differently.
I was about to post something like that.

Humor and Irony can be found in most anything in life.

[Schmoopie]

When I was posting a reply in the "Clueless" TV show thread and someone had a signature that said "The person who reported my post can go kill themselves." I was going to report it, but it's a little hard to report a signature, right? I just found it to be very rude and insensitive. Please have respect for those of us on the board who may have been severely traumatized by a suicide in their lifetime. Thank you.

[Hollow]

When I was posting a reply in the "Clueless" TV show thread and someone had a signature that said "The person who reported my post can go kill themselves." I was going to report it, but it's a little hard to report a signature, right? I just found it to be very rude and insensitive. Please have respect for those of us on the board who may have been severely traumatized by a suicide in their lifetime. Thank you.
ahh, that's mr. "georgia's on my mind". he's had that signature for at least four years, so reporting it would probably be futile, to be honest. it sort of hit a nerve with me when i saw it and to an extent it still does because suicide hits so close to home for me, but in my own view, it isn't right for me to stop people from saying things like that just because it brings back painful memories and feelings for me, no matter how bad they may be...it's too politically correct in my opinion.

as far as the ticonderoga thread, i just looked through it again. i still think the premise of the thread (mocking a question about whether slavery is right by asking if eye-gouging out is right; i think those who say it was 'about eye-gouging' have it a little out of context) is funny, as i do get a kick out of black humor, but the attacks in it indeed got pretty bad, so i apologize if anything i said was offensive.

[EmoJoe]

ahh, that's mr. "georgia's on my mind". he's had that signature for at least four years, so reporting it would probably be futile, to be honest. it sort of hit a nerve with me when i saw it and to an extent it still does because suicide hits so close to home for me, but in my own view, it isn't right for me to stop people from saying things like that just because it brings back painful memories and feelings for me, no matter how bad they may be...it's too politically correct in my opinion.

as far as the ticonderoga thread, i just looked through it again. i still think the premise of the thread (mocking a question about whether slavery is right by asking if eye-gouging out is right; i think those who say it was 'about eye-gouging' have it a little out of context) is funny, as i do get a kick out of black humor, but the attacks in it indeed got pretty bad, so i apologize if anything i said was offensive.
hes had the same sig/av combo since ive joined, lol...does he even still post anymore?

[Hollow]

hes had the same sig/av combo since ive joined, lol...does he even still post anymore?
hah, i think he just comes by every once in a while...i haven't seen him around much.

[Lee]

How about the comments Dean Winchester made on the thread about the
little girl who got an MP3 player from Wal-Mart preloaded with porn? I am glad
Janice came to my defense on that one.

[LuLu Rogers]

I don't think Jenny started this thread for people to name names and call other people out.

Anyway, I understand where you're coming from Jenny, but they were just joking. Sometimes a joke can go too far though.

[treky]

you're right, Laura, it can.

[OH Nuts!]

That was one wild thread, and I remember I had to put the brakes on it. Wish I had done so earlier. I agree that you have to take into account that people don't know what others are going through. It was just a joke, and as someone said, probably wouldn't fly today. The slavery thread wouldn't stand today. I'm sure getting this off your chest made you feel better, Jenny. I was just looking at that thread, and it sure is ugly. Some people have really changed for the better.

I'm REALLY GLAD I rarely seem come across offensive threads here on S.O. today! There's A LOT to be said for civility - maybe that belief just comes with age (low 50s). Anyways, here I try to post by the adage that if you can't say something nice about someone (real anyways, TV characters are fair game) don't say anything at all. It also helps when there are great moderators like you who set the tone.