All a guy wants is a little debate and discussion.

To be terribly honest, because I think I'm going to have to retire this alt, I had several purposes

1. People in this forum need to appreciate things from all sides of the coin. We all have our limited and narrow persectives and quite often the one that makes complete fools of us is the ones that is right.

2. People in these forums were downright rude with one another, especially when someone posted an idea that other people didn't like. I had hoped to push LL to a point where they would see this and start banning people.
Didn't work, but something else did. Is it going to be as good? We'll see. Hopefully now that everyone has made such a big fuss about being polite, people will actually start being polite. Somehow, I doubt it. I'm sure once Prok and I disappear, everyone will just find someone else to pick on. I really still think the only solution is for LL to start banning.

3. I actually think Prok is right on some issues. You have said it yourself - people don't have a mentality of paying for things in SL. A lot of this is caused by people giving things away.
And, I have always felt the touch of elitism (feeling the sting right now, that's for sure) in SL. Prok's ideas around that resonated with me very strongly. Call me insecure, call me inferior, call me anti-clique, call me whatever you want.. but I emotionally connected with that statement and it meant something to me.
And Prok was *right* a lot. He had a grasp of details that no one else except maybe Anshe has. He knew things about what was going on in SL. He was down where the rubber met the road in a way that few people are. I value that type of experience greatly.

And I guess I was gaming the forums a little bit. I should know better, and I realise now that this last one is probably my biggest mistake. And why, truly, I do feel a bit guilty about upsetting people for my enjoyment. But before you go off thinking it was all about that, it wasn't, that was jsut a small silly part of it.

Anyways, there ya go.

As I stated earlier, I don't believe blaze's method of communicating his thoughts are the result of any malevolency on his part. To me, he's demonstrated in this thread the good graces to listen to what I had to say and the humility to admit culpability.

To proactively condemn him for committing the same offenses in the future is not something I wish to do, as I believe that:

1. everyone deserves a second chance, especially if they make an effort to change
2. the ability to effectively communicate is something which much be learned and practiced, not something you're innately born with - which means that yes, he will fail again, as will all of us
3. the contribution of negativity to this thread would be antithesis to the points that I have just tried to communicate to blaze.


Since he has already stated he's going to retire this alt from posting, I suppose its a moot point. I wish you luck, blaze.

Thank you for that Blaze. It takes a big person to admit the part they play in causing strife. I'm certainly not innocent either. I disagree with the validity of Prok's points however. His theories are not well thought out, not supported by facts, tended to be vindictive and malicious, and he was absolutlely not interested in the exchange of ideas, but merely in standing on a soapbox. Pay close attention now because I can guarantee you that he will not in any way admit any fault as you have just done. That's why I personally don't see you as being the kind of problem that he is. I truly appreciate your willingness to cop to gaming the forums for amusement.

Hardly condemning, Az. Just saying, don't TELL me what you're going to do, SHOW me.

If/when he does, cool. But there's a hell of a lot of ugly to counterbalance first.

Which begs the question; why the alt in the first place?

Blaze talks about really believing in Prokofy's idea, yet needs/wants to use an alt to deliver that message?

I really believe strongly in a lot of things pertaining to SL as well, and I believe the proof is in the fact that I don't need an alt to convey said beliefs.

Edit: Why are people referring to Prokofy Longshanks in the past tense?

Ceinna, I challenge you not to follow in my footsteps.

Treat fellow forum posters with respect and kindness.

Eh. Gaming the forums is fun.

Probably because they know it'll annoy the hell out of him

You have contributed in large way to a serious and on-going division in this community that should never have occurred.

You have deliberately baited and antagonized others for no greater purpose than your own amusment.

Kindness is that I grant this post of yours any credence whatever. Respect is earned by consistancy and mutuality. When you can speak to either without immediately having your past actions blow a whole in your credibility, I will take your 'challenge' seriously. Until then, speak not to me, for I cannot read your words but that I hear the sibilant hiss of a split tongue.

So who are you really, then, Blaze?

coco

Yeah, who are you, Mr. blaze?

Jeez, I don't have *any intention* of going *anywhere* or apologizing *for a thing*.

I don't have anything to apologize *for*.

I'm going to keep on keeping on.

I wonder why any of your don't have new ideas and topics and thoughts and events to put up, essays, critiques, suggestions. I remember once I googled Enabran, who I thought was this guy intensely making amazing robots and stuff. I figured 90 percent of his posts would be about stuff like that, and the other 10 would be ranting about me. Imagine my shock when I found that almost all his posts were spent ranting in reaction to my legitimate points, and a tiny percentage about his own creative stuff.

I then began googling the rest of the gang I can only dub the Forum Fucktards. Not surprisingly, I found that most of their posts weren't new ideas, suggestions, inventions, insights, critques, suggestions, but just rants about me. My God, how could they ever up their forum posting hittage and numerics if they didn't have me as a punching bag!

It was then I began to feel sorry for them, and realize I didn't have any real intellectual interlocutors for the most part, with only a few exceptions.

Ingrid is right that blaze (whoever) and me have different motivations. She perceives it as "nastiness, disdain, and hatred" because I serve as a mirror that reflects the nastiness, disdain, and hatred that she feels for me because I'm different in so many ways from her.

blaze was "gaming the forums" as Jake rightly dubbed it and playing some kind of manipulative game, yessing Prok to egg on controversy and "out" people, or naysaying Prok to keep Prok off balance, or doing the same thing to Buster or whomever. Bleh. It's just a lot of sleight of hand designed to impress all concerned that blaze is the one on top above it all, all-knowing, all-seeing.

Apparently unlike blaze, who can be all things to all men and now go through some abject community apology ritual like bygone centuries, I have convictions and a sense of justice and I express my views. I make criticisms, which is my right. I don't "spew venom" but call things as I see them, sharply. What I see now is a bunch of ostriches with their heads in the sand, even including Andrew Linden -- imagine saying it was ok to shut off game subscriptions! You can't stop them, Andrew, they are coming in the door. You will have to physically batten down the gates, and that is going to make you and all your notions of liberal open grid experiments look like crap.

Oldbies are going to be clamoring soon to get rid of all these new people who don't even know what prims are, if they aren't going to be busy funnelling them into their businesses to loop othem endlessly in praise of the FIC until the newb finally figures the way out of the rat maze.

It's going to be a funny scene to watch. I'm glad I have a ringside seat!

Prok,

I sincerely hope that whatever is making you so upset - to the point you feel the need to call people "fucktards" - ceases to anger you to this extent in the future.

I'd just like to point out that if this thread is any indication, then Azazel is probably the most articulate, thoughtful, patient, and helpful person who was ever named after a demon. Nicely done.

Sorry, I can't comment on the Blaze/Prok/whoever else history since I haven't read the threads in question, but this one has been quite masterfully steered to a positive direction by Azazel. I'm impressed. Things could easily have gone the other way.

As for the people who are still insisting on insulting Blaze after his apology and his expresion of a desire to change, again I don't know the history involved here, but shame on you. As Azazel said, everyone deserves a second chance. You can't condemn someone for having been rude or disrespectful in the past and then expect that showing that person the same disrespect in return will make things any better. That is to say, unless your goal is to make sure things don't get better, which is what I suspect is really going on here. People who can't raise themselves up to higher level invariably attempt to bring others down to their level.

So to Blaze I say if you've really begun the journy upwards, that's wonderful. Whatever you do while you're climbing, don't look down. Resist the temptation to let these others pull you off the ladder. If you know you're better than all this, prove it by not regressing back into their pool of disrespect.

Count me out of the forum about forum posters. Let's talk about Second Life.

I appreciate your kind words, Chosen.

And very encouraging words to blaze as well, which I thank you for sharing.

This thread is not really appropriate for the general SL Forums, and given the recent rash of meta-forum discussions, I'm moving it along with the rest to the Off-Topic forum. Please feel free to continue the conversation there. Also, remember to refrain from personally attacking those you don't agree with in the forums.

Ahhh, just imagining if all of Prok's posts were this size . Just a question Blaze, you really not posting anymore threads? Or did I miss the point. I don't think I could live without seeing what topics you spit out at a rate of one every 20 min!

Oh well, I don't know you at all, but hope you don't give up on SL completely



I hope I didn't totally miss the point of this forum, I don't want to sound like a complete dumbass .

oooh, harsh, moved to off topic! I guess now we can discuss last night's episode of Two and a Half Men