The Real Shocking Poll

[Anthias]

ROFL -

There's been a lot of negativity around for a long time. And it has certainly not been all one sided. I stopped coming here for a long time and it was not because of any one person. I didn't go to vpf much either. Yeah, perhaps shockman has abused, perhaps others have abused him. Frankly, I don't care in the least - its not my squabble and really I don't want to get involved (I should not have posted even as much as I did). But I HAVE witnessed some members deliberately baiting others in ridiciulous amounts over the last couple of years, helping generate these kinds of problems, and I think that stinks. This isn't the first time, and I grew tired of following the crap long before the shockman issue began.

In all honesty, the way this site has been, and indeed some segments of the community have allways been, it seems a whipping boy is needed. Shockman appears to have been the latest to take the hit. That is all. What he said and did is irrelevant to that fact (even if you think his words have been reprehensible - its irrelevant to the culture of this place - one man does not a culture make). Had I said fuck at the wrong time, or bob said it, or you nic b said it (and been baitable of personality - which we all are at times), it strikes me that any one of us could have been in shockmans position now, because there is an unmistakable ellement within the community that will grab the whip and start flogging - whipping up a frenzy, and the rest of us follow along like blind sheep. Baiting is and has been absolutely rife in this community for a long long time, and I have no doubt it has cost us a lot of talented people. When somebody like shockman comes along, its just too easy for those that bait to get it started and they can not resist. I genuinely believe that had no baiting occured, things now would be verry different. And that baiting occured is undeniable. Whenever he posted something NOT inflamatory, somebody ALLWAYS entered the thread to make judgement or comment, inciting the inflamatory behaviour - often by being inflamatory themselves. Same has happened in the past with our other 'colourful' members. I'd hate to see the baiters with a zit - because they couldn't resist from picking at it. And the baiting is contagious, because once the situation becomes inflamed, people get involved - we all have to have our two cents. What we SHOULd have done is simply STFU and let it settle. New members learn that it is expected they behave a certain way. So it continues.

I think that if shockman is going to be banned, ban the baiters as well. All of them. because they created the problem by escalating his grievance far beyond the initial dissagreements. And such people have created similar problems in this community many many times in the past. I am not here to support abuse or negativity. I am simply saying it is nothing new and no one person can be held up as a flag boy for everything thats gone wrong with the place.

Even the baiters have had variation - not allways the same people being responsible - like I said it's a culture of baiting that has developed. But recently, it has been horrific and stupid in its intensity.

There is a much bigger picture here than shockman. I have no intention of taking a side per-se. simply showing up some long-term perspective to a stupid situation.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

a nice rationalistic post, anthias, and i respect your intentions but... as you admit yourself, this is the kind of thing an even-keeled, sensible person would say who's arriving late to the situation.

in other words, nobody could possibly be as much of an ass as shockman is made out to be... could they? for the answer, the best thing you could do is to read his posts if you really want to know. if you don't have time to do that, that's fine, but it also means that your opinion on this matter is like an opinion on something happening on the other side of the world- vaguely accurate at best.

you mention baiters and baiting, and you are accurate in that, but you are failing to take into account whether baiting caused any real problems or whether baiting is done by people who are sick and tired of someone who is chronically out of control. in other words, baiting is not productive in the 'professional' sense, but it's indicative of the way a real life community will hurl abuse at a known trouble-maker.

like i said before, prolly the best way you can appreciate someone like shockman is to get into any kind of dispute with him over anything. if you look at your own site, simply pay attention to how he treats your moderators who've made any kind of decision which rubs him the wrong way. word to the wise.

you strike me as a nice guy who wants decency and fairness in the world. and it's human nature to come into the middle of a dispute and stick up for the underdog because mob mentality is a bitch. but if you live long enough you'll find that sometimes the underdog deserves to be the underdog for good reason.

"digging one's own grave" is another phrase that comes to mind.

 

[Kinsey]

Speaking as someone who has defended him in the past.. I, too, am completely fed up with the constant one-track mode.

Please install an ignore feature on these forums. Thank you.

 

[bob]

Gee, I hope I'm not one of those baiters.... There's a fine line between comedy and tragedy. I like to think of Shockman as the star in a situation comedy, but sometimes he's not funny, so I change the channel.

 

[yogiholzer]

Until now I didn't consider me as a baiter, but that can be of distortion of perception. Please don't let me unaware.

 

[elton]

I don't believe that Shockman needed any help :) He was more than capable of hanging himself without any other input.

 

[PacDude]

I think for someone to come in to a thread that has admittedly been out of touch with both sets of forums for a LONG time to judge how Shockman has been treated without seeing the amazingly mind boggling sets of posts he has put out to be quite unfair, at best. NOTHING that was EVER done to Shockman could ever excuse his behaviors in return, IMO.

 

[kristian]

I don't mind an "abusive" poster....but I mind a poster who can't even add any spice or variation to his insults...."fuck you"...."fuck you and die"....don't necessarily make the proceedings very interesting.

It's like a spam bot..."buy Viagra...'elp me....Me Okoro from Nigeria...b'wana...once a lifetime opportunity...."

 

[Slapnuts]

Just looking over at Pinball Originals, he is starting to spam it up over there in regards to his VPF rants and abuse, people (and rightly so) are starting to get fed up. I wish he would get help.

 

[Pop Bumper Pete]

I am so glad that my account at PO is borked and i cannot post there
Removes the temptation

TMFP

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

http://www.pinball-originals.com/viewtopic.php?t=1201&highlight=

Shockman: I am just a meager member here and I have tried to extend my hand to you. You just brush it away. How can anybody expect to resolve anything with you, when you are not willing to even accept a genuine apology? Or is it that I am not an important enough member to you that it doesn’t mater which side of the fence I sit on? When I talk to you, I get the feeling that you are not listening to me. You talk around me, about things that don’t pertain to us. You use my posts to take another stab at someone else.

You say that you want members support, but you ignore what members have to say when they try to help. Then you wonder why members turn on you. You don’t truly give a rat’s a$$ what we meager members have to say… do you? From what I see, you are gunning for the mods, and playing the site administrators and owners against the mods. The meager members are just pawns in your assault to overthrow the mods. I believe that you don’t want resolution, that this is your new game. Otherwise, you would be trying to take small steps towards resolution. I have yet to see you mend any broken fences, and I now believe that this is not your intentions. I see three modes to Shockman; The Attacker, The Victim, and the Tattle-tale. I have yet to see the Rational. This is why I think that you are playing a game with everybody.

I also believe that this site means nothing to you if you cannot use it against another site. This site has lost its purpose for you hasn’t it? Now that you can’t use it as a battle ground, what are you to do… make original pinball tables… BAH! You don’t want to do that do you?

I’m fairly certain that I won’t get a rational reply to this post either. It will get twisted and warped into a spear that you will hurdle over the walls towards the mods, but so be it. I can do no more.

You just keep playing this chess game, and as long as one of those other sites will let you back in 4 weeks, the game goes on. There will never be a Checkmate!

Just more ramblings from a stupid man.

...and it takes someone who has been on the sidelines, who knew nothing about all this stuff, to summarise the situation better than any of us ever had or could.

*shakes head in awe*

 

[kristian]

Looks like Shocky is running out of forums....but then again there's always the http://www.bible.com/

 

[Slapnuts]

I have to agree Nic, Rascal hit the nail on the head IMO.

 

[Anthias]

Yeah, that was a well written post. CHances are given but eventually they run out. lets see some peace and quiet now and play some pinball.

EDIT: Oh - and I appologise if I offended any with my previous ramblings.

 

[ValamirCleaver]

Pinball Originals Forum Cease and Desist

Well, goodbye shockman. Locking this thread, ban placed.

He's worn out his welcome somewhere else. Anthias finally grew tired of Shockman's antics. I guess he'll be even more antisocial when JPH lets him back here.

Tom

 

[Slapnuts]

I noticed that as well, not surprising at all considering he has as much social skills as a 3 year old I can honestly say after dealing with him after his last ban, I am not looking forward to the day he is let back in.

 

[PacDude]

Wasn't there a beer thread here somewhere or was that on VPF? I tried Sam Adams Boston Lager after being hyped to death with commercials lately. It tastes extremely similar to Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale (extremely hoppy and barley tasting). It does kind of grow on you after a few, but I think I'll stick with Bass Ale and Guinness (and better yet the two combined as a Black & Tan) as my mainstay selection of beers to stock at home. I'm having trouble locating Erdinger in the Youngstown vicinity, though which sucks since I'd stock it right alongside Bass and Guinness...maybe I can find it via a website.

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

stay on topic, bitch!

 

[JonPurpleHaze]

Guinness if fine..
http://www.ivo.se/guinness/

You also might like Saranac's Black and Tan, staying on topic is overrated...


.... ......

 

[Isaac Sauvage]

haha, fuck off. :)

 

[Anthias]

haha, fuck off. :)

See - doesn't an emoticon make a world of difference?

At least I think so.

fuck on I say....

This post brought to you by Carlton Draught and an early halloween party.

 

[Slapnuts]

LMAO, to quote a funny line from the movie old school.... EARMUFFS!!!! Can anyone confirm what I mean by this hehe

 

[PacDude]

But if I stayed on topic it wouldn't be in the spirit of a thread about someone who can NEVER stay on topic and hijacks all threads to be about himself. :D

Thus, off-topic is on-topic.

 

[bob]

On topic, I just voted "No" for the simple reason that Shocky is now banned from all the other pinball sites. I do believe that he is a contributor and has earned the right to still have a voice in the communtiy. I also think Steve and Slapnuts need to treat him like a kid and for 4 weeks at the first sign of repeating his same old story that we are all sick of hearing.

Off topic I love the smilies at this place!

 

[kristian]

Yeah...it's been pretty silent over here since Shocky is gone. 1 or 2 posts a day...peaceful indeed...!