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Posted By: E, Daniel

Irony.

I learn things every day, about myself and others, both positive and not-so in equal portions.
Just a few days back I was quoted for partaking in a 'bash' of someone's kids on this board, ironically in a thread in which the entirity of my posts was making the exact argument against in relation to the Imus drama. I looked at each of those girls as someone's kids, and the hateful things he said simply unforgivable. I questioned whether someone could live with those comments about their own children, and then faceatiously suggested that individual's children would be extremely proud of such a stance if they were the subjects of the diatribe.
It's a strange line such principled stands as protecting free speech over the hurt and effects it can cause to others, and I understand both sides. I know you can both stand by your father as he is ridiculed and demeaned, merely praying to his god, and being above the base evil occuring around him, and admire, love and respect such inner strength and goodness. I also know, from family experience, that even knowing such action to be righteous and wanting to honor such choice, one can just as easily be robbed of your own sense of safety and strength, feeling scared throughout your life for your own physical and emotional well being, robbed of that inner confidence and peace.
I respect standing on principle, alot, but have my own personal mission statement that says over all else, thou shalt not damage my child. And I'll do anything, quite literally, to make that so.
So I apologized to James, because even though I made no effort to disparage his children and barely referenced them - I understand how sacred even the possibility of doing so must be uppermost.

And then yesterday.
I would take back only one thing from what I posted, and that was reference to 'T206 meander'. It was quite obviously a slight in referencing Ted's collecting focus, and was meant as such. Because I was sick, sick to death, head spinning off my shoulders frustrated at such continous, insidious, vituperative commentary on the issue of grading. By the same man (and men - 'the usual supects' ), again and again and again.

Peter S. is right. And so is everyone else. These are cards, and we need thick skin in general when discussing such frivolty on a chat board that doesn't allow for handshakes, facial nuances, twinkling of an eye to suggest a good natured ribbing over real insult. And similarly should we not need such thick skin that enduring constant insult is completely to be expected, especially if subjectively authorized because a particular member is a long tenured one and whose company and ideas are enjoyed by a great many.
Good natured debate and teasing is one thing.
Truly poor behaviour is another.

So irony is that I potentially offended one man - in desperation to protect all children - by mentioning his own uninvited......
And responded yesterday aggressively and perhaps insensitively to what I view as ongoing needling and insensitivity where none is needed. Can a choice to grade cards be THAT important that you would knowingly enter debate after heated debate, decrying an activity that makes many knowledgable serious hobbyists happy?

I don't know.

But again its time to apologize. For referencing negatively a collecting choice was exactly what I was railing against, and there I went and did it.
I won't again.

Every other thing I said, I stand by.
And I'm going to try and do what John S. says, and just contribute what little knowledge I have to the board and enjoy the friendships I can muster. As Leon mentions as his greatest reason for being here, I don't think I'd addictively be checking in so often if I didn't enjoy reading your voices and chuckling at wonkaticket's visual collages, even when I'm the victim .


Daniel