Posted by Varjak on November 07, 1997 at 16:05:18:

Hi, Nightwing! Just figured I'd comment on this, since I agree with most of it, but absolutely cannot accept certain parts of it. Took me a while, I know, but the words didn't come to me right away. They took so long, in fact, that Pat has removed the message I'm responding to. I had hoped to respond way down there where this would slip by most people, but it didn't work out that way. Ah well. That being the case, let me state for the record: This is not intended to cycle around the bad feelings of the past week. It's meant to debate, in a rational manner, a serious topic, okay? So if you're not going to comment on the specific issue at hand, please stay out of this. Thank you. Ready? Here goes...

Let me try to explain my philosophy of life in as few wiords as I can, since 1) I think it makes a helluva lot of sense, and 2) It might help you guys who got way bent out of shape over my initial thinly-veiled blast at Mike understand why I did it, and why it's not my fault if you got pissed off at it, for whatever reason. here goes:

The most important person in all the world is me.

Agreed 100%. If you're living your life for anyone but yourself, for any reason but being the best person you can be, you're wasting your life. You only get one shot at it. Make it count.

People, it seems, grow more cowardly the more years go past. Why pad the truth? Why sugar-coat it? Out with it, I say. Another integral aspect of my philosophy tells me that every person on this earth deserves to be treated the same as every other person on this earth in one respect: everyone, no matter who they are, deserves honesty. People need to be straight with each other.

I agree with this too. Perhaps people become more cowardly due to the threat of lawsuits and the incredibly ludicrous extremes of political correctness that are sweeping the nation and beyond. I tend not to be too reserved when it comes to my opinions. This is in large part why some people like me so much and why some people detest me so much. I can live with that, though. As Jean-Luc Picard once said, "If we're going to be damned, let's be damned for what we really are."

And now for the part I can't agree with...

And now for my final point, and the real reason why no one had to get upset about any of this, including and especially Mike. Look one more time at what I wrote that started all of this nonsense. Read it again. Read what got your little panties all up in such a bunch. What is it that I wrote? At its most basic level, what is it? It is a collection of words displayed electronically ona souped-up cathode-ray tube. Just words. A jumble of letters.

Indeed it is. And at its most basic level, life is nothing more than a large number of chemical reactions between atoms and molecules, any and all of which can be replicated in a laboratory. Life at its most fundamental level can be found in chemistry textbooks. Check out a periodic table of the elements. Everything that makes up life, all that it is, is there on that table. So is that all life is? Would you argue that life is nothing more than that? I certainly hope not! When you look down to the simplest, most basic form, most everything is pointless. Computers are machines capable of adding 1. That's it. Big deal. But, the basic, most fundamental level is also the least accurate. I'll get back to this...

I wrote it. I posted it. After that, I had no control over it. After it was up for all to see, it was totally in the hands of the reader. That's you. And every damn one of you had the power to take it or leave it. If you take it, take it as it as it was intended to be taken. If you leave it, leave it. Words have no power over you beyond that which they are imbued with by the reader. They're words. They only control you, your actions, and your emotions as much as you allow them to. You read what I write and are offended by it -- your problem, not mine. You decided to take it; you could've left it just as easily. It's as simple as that. Words are meaningless if you want them to be. Why get so upset over something so potentially powerless as words on a computer screen? What's the point of that? Why waste the energy spouting off on something that you can kill in your own mind and never be bothered with again?

Sorry, but this, my friend is a load of crap. I mean, I can agree with it to a point, but what you're pretty much saying here is that you have no obligation to take any responsibility for anything you say or post. I can't accept this cavalier dismissal of the power of words. Why get so upset over something so potentially powerless as words on a computer screen? Because of how potentially powerful words on a computer screen can be, too. Words are the most powerful thing we have. Words are our ability to communicate thoughts, opinions, ideas. Without words, humanity would still be a bunch of hunter-gatherers. Words influence people. Words have shaped the world.

Now, I agree that the individual can take or leave what is said. But I don't agree that that absolves the speaker of all responsibility for what he said. And frankly, Nightwing, neither do you. Think about the things that V. has said that have upset you. Do you think to yourself, "He is merely saying words, and the fact that they bother me is all my fault. I should simply dismiss them"? Or do you think, "That SOB!"? Do you think that everyone here should have looked at JG's post about Pat and this site over on the other board and thought, "It's only words"? Can you dismiss every word that a person says? Of course not. Words matter. Americans live by words written over two centuries ago, words that are still fundamental to our lives. Words in newspaper editorials influence the way people think. Words are power.

So Mike's hurt by what I said. So he's offended by it. So, other people are offended by it too. What am I supposed to do about it? How is it my problem? And, more importantly, why should I care? I put the words out there, and after that it was up to you.

What I think you should do is simply admit, "I'm responsible. I upset people." You don't have to be apologetic or sorry. In this case, if I was in your shoes, I certainly wouldn't be apologetic. But I'd admit that I'm responsible for what I posted. For cryin' out loud, I expected you of all people would take responsibility for your words and actions. You've seen the problems that arise when people don't. Some would say that you should have realized in advance that you might upset people and therefore you shouldn't have posted the message in question. I don't agree with that, but neither do I agree that it's not at all your problem. You should care because they're your words. They're a part of you and a reflection of you, and people will judge you by them. Yes, after the words were posted it was up to us. But, you put the words out and can not simply abrogate yourself of any and all connections to those words once they became public domain. I'm not disputing your post or your right to post it. I'm disputing your apparently cavalier attitude, in this instance, towards personal responsibility and accountability.

And by the way, at the start of the post you said you were telling the truth, and at the end you said you were stating an opinion. It can't be both, Nightwing.

That's it. I'm certain that this post has been misunderstood by pretty much everyone I was trying to get to, but I knew that going in. Any replies, intelligent or otherwise, are encouraged and welcome as always.

Well, there's my intelligent reply. Hope you liked it. (For the record, my otherwise reply was "I hate you! You suck! Go die!" I hope you appriciated the intelligent response more.) You said what you wanted to, and now I've said what I wanted to, and I hope it came across clearly. Your turn, Disney-Boy.