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The level this forum has sunk to recently has been absolutely appalling. The racism and homophobia that have emerged since Dan came on, along with the rampant profanity that caused a rule change, is making this place look more like a forum for Texans.
The issues of ethnocentricity and exclusivity have been brought up before and they are beside the point here. My piece in the flame forum was not meant to be an indictment of the Armenian people. It was meant to be an indictment of the people here on this forum. It is an indictment of the hateful behavior displayed in the past two weeks by several forumers. It is Dan blasting fsthknan for nothing. It is Mousy telling Inna she is not Armenian because she is not fluent in the language. It is jahannam continually acting as if being from either Haiastan or Haleb is more important than being a rational, well-meaning human being. It is Lagonid's ridiculing of Asians. It is Tigran's blasting of Dan for being a half-breed, and Dan's blasting of Tigran for looking Turkish. It is the chiding of felizitation for being French that probably drove him away. It is Nimrod's persistent hatred of Parsaghyes, not to mention everything else. It is Mousy following up every single post of patlajan's with "look, it's an eggplant that learned to type" and every post of Shahumyan's with some criticism of Marxism that has nothing to do with the thread or the post. It is PASAMONSTER actually starting a thread for gay-bashing! It is Nimrod and others demeaning Violette and Aries for being open about their sexuality. This is hateful and it needs to stop.
We have a choice here. We can either fight amongst each other, or we can work with each other. That seems to be the whole purpose of having a forum, especially one like this. This is supposed to be a place where Armenians can come together and share ideas, not insults, and where non-Armenians can give a bit of outside perspective, should they be brave enough to attempt it. I'm not a Christian, but this is one time in particular where the principle of the love thy neighbor commandment seems to be a very good one to invoke. We are not understanding each other here. We are not even trying. We can all take a hint from forumers like BaronDants, who repeatedly impresses me with his level-headedness and his ability to see an issue from many different perspectives.
We need to take some time out to remember what is good about each other, and to appreciate it. Much like Baron did with his 1000th post, I am going to take this opportunity to give a little account of why I love all of you.
Mousy - You are easily the most prominent poster here. You are well-read and well-spoken. Despite your consistent childish behavior, I know you're a nice guy who is quite giving. I also acknowledge that if it wasn't for you, I'd be talking to myself half the time I post. You're quite hilarious, too.
Arvy - You may be the single most conflicted person here. I can feel your pain, though I don't respond to it the way you do. You are also quite articulate and quite rational, even though you can rant sometimes (something I certainly have no place criticizing). You are a sensitive person who is not afraid to be himself and is not afraid to give a little of himself away. That is rare. I know you're a loving person and you deserve to be loved in return.
Emil - What can I really say about you that hasn't already been said? I'm glad to have you as a moderator, even if an inordinate amount of the closed threads are mine. You've always been fair, you're extremely patient, and frankly, you have your work cut out for you. Plus, us Boy's Next Door gotta stick together.
spiral - Your wit always brings a smile to my face. The way you were attacked for posting a modified photo of yourself was ridiculous, and you handled it quite gracefully. I love your avatar. It is exactly what I think of when I think of you: concepts, many of which can barely be deciphered, spiralling into infinity. You've always stayed above the fray, and you have my utmost respect. Plus, us arrogant bastards gotta stick together.
Violette - You were the first person to ever be nice to me here. You put up with a lot of xxxx, and you always emerge as beautiful as ever.
ck - Your search for love exceeds even my own. Everything about you is warm to the touch, cool to the eye, and music for a dreaming brain.
sSsflamesSs - We clash quite a bit, but believe it or not, I have come to see things from your side. You are a noble, pure person that I would hold up above 99.9% of all the ones out there. I hope we can continue to become friends.
surferarmo - I know we'll continue to fight. But it's all in good fun. Your enthusiasm about political issues is actually quite endearing.
Tigran - You remind me an awful lot of my father. You're a strong, well-grounded kid and your fiery strength will either land you in prison, in the grave, or in a position of leadership where your resolve would be much needed. Keep the focus, Tig.
Aries - Don't let 'em bring you down, Irene.
PASAMONSTER - Quit fronting, man. You're a boy next door. You post about how much you love your little girl and miss your lover. Fight it with love, my friend. We all know you're a tough guy and you would end any of our lives without thinking twice, but we also know there's more to you than that. Show us.
jahannam - You actually can be insightful and even clever when you post to a thread for some purpose other than nitpicking others posts. Yes, you can even be funny sometimes, and even quite flattering, I have to admit.
whitelotus - I don't know where you went, Lily, but you are missed.
Afro - You know you mean the world to me. You've held my hand through some pretty tough times. I thank you for existing.
Anyway, that's my little bit of idealism for the day. This forum can be quite a wonderful place when it is at its best. Why don't we try a little harder to keep it that way?
The issues of ethnocentricity and exclusivity have been brought up before and they are beside the point here. My piece in the flame forum was not meant to be an indictment of the Armenian people. It was meant to be an indictment of the people here on this forum. It is an indictment of the hateful behavior displayed in the past two weeks by several forumers. It is Dan blasting fsthknan for nothing. It is Mousy telling Inna she is not Armenian because she is not fluent in the language. It is jahannam continually acting as if being from either Haiastan or Haleb is more important than being a rational, well-meaning human being. It is Lagonid's ridiculing of Asians. It is Tigran's blasting of Dan for being a half-breed, and Dan's blasting of Tigran for looking Turkish. It is the chiding of felizitation for being French that probably drove him away. It is Nimrod's persistent hatred of Parsaghyes, not to mention everything else. It is Mousy following up every single post of patlajan's with "look, it's an eggplant that learned to type" and every post of Shahumyan's with some criticism of Marxism that has nothing to do with the thread or the post. It is PASAMONSTER actually starting a thread for gay-bashing! It is Nimrod and others demeaning Violette and Aries for being open about their sexuality. This is hateful and it needs to stop.
We have a choice here. We can either fight amongst each other, or we can work with each other. That seems to be the whole purpose of having a forum, especially one like this. This is supposed to be a place where Armenians can come together and share ideas, not insults, and where non-Armenians can give a bit of outside perspective, should they be brave enough to attempt it. I'm not a Christian, but this is one time in particular where the principle of the love thy neighbor commandment seems to be a very good one to invoke. We are not understanding each other here. We are not even trying. We can all take a hint from forumers like BaronDants, who repeatedly impresses me with his level-headedness and his ability to see an issue from many different perspectives.
We need to take some time out to remember what is good about each other, and to appreciate it. Much like Baron did with his 1000th post, I am going to take this opportunity to give a little account of why I love all of you.
Mousy - You are easily the most prominent poster here. You are well-read and well-spoken. Despite your consistent childish behavior, I know you're a nice guy who is quite giving. I also acknowledge that if it wasn't for you, I'd be talking to myself half the time I post. You're quite hilarious, too.
Arvy - You may be the single most conflicted person here. I can feel your pain, though I don't respond to it the way you do. You are also quite articulate and quite rational, even though you can rant sometimes (something I certainly have no place criticizing). You are a sensitive person who is not afraid to be himself and is not afraid to give a little of himself away. That is rare. I know you're a loving person and you deserve to be loved in return.
Emil - What can I really say about you that hasn't already been said? I'm glad to have you as a moderator, even if an inordinate amount of the closed threads are mine. You've always been fair, you're extremely patient, and frankly, you have your work cut out for you. Plus, us Boy's Next Door gotta stick together.
spiral - Your wit always brings a smile to my face. The way you were attacked for posting a modified photo of yourself was ridiculous, and you handled it quite gracefully. I love your avatar. It is exactly what I think of when I think of you: concepts, many of which can barely be deciphered, spiralling into infinity. You've always stayed above the fray, and you have my utmost respect. Plus, us arrogant bastards gotta stick together.
Violette - You were the first person to ever be nice to me here. You put up with a lot of xxxx, and you always emerge as beautiful as ever.
ck - Your search for love exceeds even my own. Everything about you is warm to the touch, cool to the eye, and music for a dreaming brain.
sSsflamesSs - We clash quite a bit, but believe it or not, I have come to see things from your side. You are a noble, pure person that I would hold up above 99.9% of all the ones out there. I hope we can continue to become friends.
surferarmo - I know we'll continue to fight. But it's all in good fun. Your enthusiasm about political issues is actually quite endearing.
Tigran - You remind me an awful lot of my father. You're a strong, well-grounded kid and your fiery strength will either land you in prison, in the grave, or in a position of leadership where your resolve would be much needed. Keep the focus, Tig.
Aries - Don't let 'em bring you down, Irene.
PASAMONSTER - Quit fronting, man. You're a boy next door. You post about how much you love your little girl and miss your lover. Fight it with love, my friend. We all know you're a tough guy and you would end any of our lives without thinking twice, but we also know there's more to you than that. Show us.
jahannam - You actually can be insightful and even clever when you post to a thread for some purpose other than nitpicking others posts. Yes, you can even be funny sometimes, and even quite flattering, I have to admit.
whitelotus - I don't know where you went, Lily, but you are missed.
Afro - You know you mean the world to me. You've held my hand through some pretty tough times. I thank you for existing.
Anyway, that's my little bit of idealism for the day. This forum can be quite a wonderful place when it is at its best. Why don't we try a little harder to keep it that way?
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