I must now apologise

I do not know why because i believe i was right and i still do, but because i caused offense i must apologise anyway because people took offense.
I'm sorry, i am not very good at communicating what i think and some people must have seen a post that didn't really apply to them at all and decided to get involved for a reason i don't understand.

I think it's very big of you to appologize. I think the other thread got out of hand because people didn't like the fact that you were calling another player a lier. If you had limited your post to discussing the fact that it isn't right to lie about a dissablity in general then it might have started a meaningful conversation.

I do work with students and some of them have Asbergers and other forms of autism, so I understand how things can seem different to them.

I hope you continue to enjoy your time in SL.

*excuse and misspelled words - I suck at spelling

you dont have to appologize for these forums being full of turds.

WTG for apologising

Friendly greetings Samuel.

I am writing a blog entry on the topic at hand right now... you can read it at your leisure when it's done.

I don't like how you called me a liar. I don't feel comfortable with your treatment of me, and while not grieviously hurt by it, I want you to know how it made me feel.

I do have to thank you for inspiring me to challenge myself and think of new ways to express myself and talk about my thoughts + feelings.

I'd be more than happy to talk with you about autism, provided that my courtesy to you will be returned.

And if you have any questions... feel free to ask!

Cheers.

I don't want to talk about autism, it's boring, if you like Star Wars we can talk about that.

I only hope that some of the people who jumped into the other thread only because they smelled blood in the water and not because they have any personal stake in the issue will return this gesture of goodwill. I doubt it will happen though.

It will happen because when one person apologises all the others must too.

I wasn't involved in the infamous other thread, but I did read it through.

Samual, the best thing I can tell you is that, yes, you may have believed that what you said was perfectly true, but truth is not the only thing to be considered in such a situation. I guess maybe you don't have much more to go on. I'm not sure I can help you understand, but I feel like I want to. I can tell you that it's a bad idea to claim that anyone is lying about any kind of condition they have, disability or otherwise, even if you believe it is true. You have only your own perspective: you don't really know what someone is experiencing. You don't have the full facts.

While I gather that all you wanted to do was expose the facts, what you said was construed as a personal attack. People tend to react badly to personal attacks, as we see by the seven pages of people who felt compelled to jump to the defense of their friend. I noticed Torley was absent in that thread -- good idea, Torley. The point is, not much constructive argument or discussion could have come out of your initial post due to the way that you wrote it. This means that it was pointless to post it, because it just created anger and didn't accomplish any meaningful discussion. I guess maybe it may be difficult for you to guess how people will react to your post, but nevertheless, you do have to interact with people. Perhaps having a friend read something like that before you post it to help you guage what reactions you might get would be a good idea.

Finally, I don't know much about Asperger's Syndrome, but I think the same thing applies to it that applies to other disorders, especially mental or social: everyone experiences something different. Torley's experience of Asperger's could well be different from yours. Torley using the word "disability" does not automatically apply the word to you. Disability is a very personal word, and when one uses it, they use it only for themselves. I would hope that no one would use the word when it is not true just to get attention.

The tricky part is that it is very difficult, if not impossible, for an outside person to say whether a certain person is disabled: only that person can possibly know what they are actually experiencing. Trying to deny someone's use of the word, even if you believe you are correct, puts them in a very difficult position. Trying to prove to someone that does not believe you that you are disabled is nearly impossible, and it can lead to a lot of emotional pain.

Thanks Lex, well said.

I wish to peep in and clarify. My exact quote from Ano's Chat History convo, taken out of the bigger context, was:


It's completely unnatural and prejudiced, and those who make such statements should learn more about my background first, or work with people with disabilities and conditions -- I refer not only to autism, but the broad spectrum of human beings out there with problems. That includes ALL of us, by the way.


I tend to be an AND person, and leave plenty of room for possibilities. I specifically phrased this as best as I could, to be encompassing without frustratingly vague.

I said "disabilities and conditions" -- political correctness aside, it's a choice one is free to make for themself (himself, herself, itself, xerself ).

I leave that choice... to you.

What the hell are you talking about?

Because, after all, you are the alpha and the omega.

Samuel,

I wish you would take the time to read some of the posts in this thread. They are very insisghtful. You seem very quick to condemn other people. If you truly have this much trouble following the thread and understanding what other people are trying to say, my best advie would be to stay off the forums. Your continued posting here is doing nothing but antogonize people and it will result in another thread like your prior one.

I completely expect to read that you don't understand, or, that this wasn't an appology so you stopped reading it.

Please ... take the time to read things and think about them before you reply.

Friggin A people shut up already...dude was just apologising. Nobody needs a rehashed lecture or an "I didn't post in the other thread but here is my self aggrandizing opinion anyway" message. Lay off the guy. Those of you who were shits in the other thread ended up looking far worse than he did because you didn't have an excuse. And those of you who continue after he tries to say sorry, I hope you are hanging your heads at the shameful way you are acting. (Though I seriously doubt you are.)

Two threads now with paragraph after paragraph containing about as much substance as a fluffer-nutter sandwich on bunny bread, and for what? So you can feel like you are superior, so you can strut you sociophilodrivilus...pfft.

The last thread made me sick and this one is starting out in the same mode. Let the guy make peice and move the hell on already.

Funny how the most civil person in this whole ordeal is the one person who was attacked in the previous thread...kudos to you Torley.

I think this thread and the one it references capture the essence of SL Forums.

I wouldn't say the essence, as there are as many lurkers who disagree as there are loudmouths who have to show up for each hot button issue waving their little flags of absolute knowledge. I would say though that some folks have shown their ignorance in this particular case by stating that they know soooo much about a specific "disorder" and then harpooning a text book case. It just astounds me that people are so unforgiving and so narrow minded. bleh....

Ohh and to those of you who continue to post inflammatory remarks to this chap in the other threads...may legions of hungry leaches latch on to your ballocks.

PS...Torley, I must reiterate you are quite the trooper through all of this....I for one am impressed with your ability to look beyond the attack and offer constructive and educational posts. Bravo!

*Look at his little flag then glares at Isis*