h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Reckon that wasn't meant particularly kindly, still, I'd like to know why.

az

Um, was it about the vinyl records? Have to say I died a wee death when I had to leave my whole vinyl collection behind when I moved to England.


az

Oh, c'mon, don't leave me in the lurch. What did you mean?

az

Sorry Az, I was elsewhere.

Nothing to do with vinyl!

It's just that I love taking things (like mouses) to bits and finding that it's easy to make them work again! So naturally I expect everyone else loves that too. Silly of me. I apologise

Well, okay, but what about the troll comment? You know, that was rather hurtful, considering that I've always thought very highly of you.

How and why would you ever consider me to be a troll?

az

I thought you and Edward (or one of you, I wasn't particularly counting which) was/were going into an unfeasibly deep problem to do with possible future insults . . . once again, as many times recently, I started to reply but scrapped it; I decided no one could really take something that hypothetical that seriously.

Sorry; I really didn't mean a slap, just a tap.

You *thought* something, so that then made it true? True enough to then insult and hurt other people?

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Yet you apparently did. Really, I'm a bit surprised at you, R. That you chose to make a snide and hurtful comment to a third person about another person (or persons) on that thread, rather than just talk to them yourself.

Rest assured, I am not taking anything on h2g2 seriously. Hell, it's just a website. This doesn't mean I can't throw myself into a debate and be vocal about what I think and feel. And if you can find any instance of me going all 'ad hominem' on someone (well, after my first year here - it took me awhile to settle down) then I'd like to see it.

Otherwise, I really don't see where you felt you could call me a troll on a public forum. I was seriously hurt and insulted, considering the source. And I would prefer not to have to reconsider the source as no longer being anyone whose opinios I respect.

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And sorry, but I don't accept that rather cack-handed apology. Don't 'tap' me, R. Talk to me. I don't take kindly to that sort of nonsense as I am hardly a child who needs to be 'tapped' or 'slapped'. What you said about me (and possibly Ed) was neither fair nor right.

And no, I'm really not making a big issue about this - it's only the source of the insult that has been niggling. Hell, I've been called worse things here and it never mattered to me in the slightest. So up to you I guess - do you want to become one of the people whose opinion no longer matters?

az

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Fair enough. But better to have said that, or said nothing, than to come back with "I didn't say the word tr*ll, but I almost did." I thought that was the sort of thing footinooti was supposed to avoid?

Noggin

Quite. My apology is sincere and I repeat it: I was unkind in a fit of minor exasperation, most of which had nothing to do with this conversation. I take back the tap, slap, and tr*ll. Dammit, you could say I was tr*lling myself, and what a blaze I got.

Well, heck, R.

Apology accepted and very much appreciated.

And please accept my apologies if I came across a bit, um, emotional here. As I said before, I wouldn't have bothered if it hadn't been *you* saying that stuff.

For the record, Nog pointed out to me one post on *that thread* that he said could have been taken as being more aggressive than I'd intended. And he reminded me that when we just have words to communicate with we can't take for granted that people will always understand our intention.

I mean, Nog always 'gets it' because he sees me smiling and even laughing when I type things, also he can hear my voice saying certain things, which totally takes the edge off how it might come across in print. But of course others cannot see or hear these things, so I must learn to be a bit more aware of that when I post.

Meanwhile, I've often noticed that two people can read something I've posted and one will see it as me being ironic and funny and the other will see it as me being a total bitch on wheels. And I reckon a lot of that has to do with someone's personal opinion of me - as to how they read me.

And no, can't please everyone. But this thread has helped me to remember to be as clear as I can when I post. Thanks for that.

az

Me too.