Long ago in a D&D game, we had trolls falling from the sky, shielded from the sun by Umbrellas of Feather Falling. After defeating the trolls, naturally we took the umbrellas.
@OhioMike Thank you, Friend. You're not irrelevant to me. Sensitive isn't an insult...that and empathy go hand in hand. I would not trade my empathy for anything. It takes strength to stand up to a bully rather than accept abusive patterns. I work very hard on not taking sh#@* from meanies. I have more to say, but it won't help the situation.
Only three things required of each of us to make the forums enjoyable:
1) Accept there will always be disagreement. 2) Comment as if you're talking face-to-face. 3) Refuse others the power to offend you.
Dammit. The idea that mean or offensive people have power because I'm sensitive or are empowered by me is sick. Bullies draw power in their own minds imagining how great they are above others. I'm sad for them and horrified that it's here in what's a happy place for me.
Easy for you to say, self-serving too. I am not irrelevant, a mess, snobbish, and there is nothing wrong with my level of sensitivity. Inferring that others are being argumentative or stupid is also pretty severe...If only the, ahem.. individual that STILL continues to speak that way would STOP.
I wish we could upvote comments like reddit
👏👏👏👏👏
Bullies get off on putting other people down. It isn't about giving them power over you. They'll do whatever they can to take that power. Standing up for yourself, refusing to be put down, and pointing out how they're being a bully is good for you and good for those around you. Except for the bullies, but no one should care about them.
In the spirit of the OP:
I'm extremely grateful to this community. I appreciate the forum because it was the forum that allowed me to connect with many individuals whom I now call friends.
There are men, women, pros, enthusiasts, nearby people and ones far away who have given hugs, words of affirmation and encouragement, quiet presence, laughter, and thought-provoking wisdom.
I've had someone far away give me a session with a pro who lives near me. I've come to love myself better, and I've learned to embrace others more fully.
Cuddle Comfort may not be a perfect utopia, but the good that is here strongly outweighs the bad, in my opinion.
@JoyfulHeart
I agree
One could make the argument that some people are too easily offended ... or make the argument that some people are too intentionally offensive, because negative attention is still attention.
One could make that argument, true. It's hard to know for sure which category someone falls into without knowing them beyond these forum pages.
I don't think I'm ever intentionally offensive, but I imagine that I have offended some people unintentionally.
I've been told that I'm too sensitive, but I wonder how much is too much.
If I can't answer those questions for myself, I'll never get the answer right for other people. Since I didn't know the answer, I'll form tentative opinions about them recognizing that they are my opinions. Sometime else may form other opinions, and those are as valid as mine.
It is my hope (perhaps over-optimistic) that everyone here signed up in response to the thought, "I need a hug."
I think everyone here who is looking for a hug should get one.
I had a friend get banned from this site for posting a genuine opinion to this forum. It doesn't paint a good picture.
@Lewis9866 Mods don't ban on a whim. If he was banned based on one post, would have had to be something expressed in a way that violated TOS or it was the latest in a series of violations. And he would have the right to appeal the ban if he felt it was unfair.
It's a privately owned site, so no one has unfettered freedom of speech here. Not the nature of the beast.
This seems to be the deep end of the pool.
A favorite that's displayed on my desk.