MM, again

[Sumpter250]

Mountainman must be in need of meds again <!-- l --><a class="postlink-local" href="http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4415">viewtopic.php?f=29&t=4415</a><!-- l -->.
My first thought is to lock the thread. My second thought is to simply delete his post there. My last thought is to send the whole thing to the ash pit.
I'll PM him.

[MasonJar]

Don't see anything overly wrong. I read it as MM's way of calling out Mark/Mr Fixit. And for MM to deign to incorporate the "3%" when previously he had only distain for the GERN/flux concept - I see it as an improvement...!

Andrew

[Sumpter250]

For better or for worse, I sent him this:

" Hmm....I smell 3% more bovine excremental by-product on this thread than elsewhere. It must be the GERN! "

You and I share one thing in common, we are both retired military.
I can use the "vernacular" clearly and fluently, whenever the situation calls for it, and I can change the wording to make it seem "cleaner", but the message is still loud and clear.
I will never forget the first time my daughters heard me "use the vernacular". I had made it a point to never bring that home.
I know the youth of today is also quite capable of its usage, but I try not to encourage them to use it. We have younger persons here, as members, and as visitors. Try, to keep things civil.
One of the tricks I use is to select "preview" , ask myself, is this the model railroader, or is this the retired Chief speaking....
If it is "the Chief", I either re-write the post, or simply not "submit" it.
I have been known to respond with: " Collective, this is command, signals follow, immediate execute. Foxtrot - Oscar - Alpha - Delta. Standby - Execute! ". But I never use that kind of response around family.
Think about this forum as a "family place", let's try to keep things lighter, and a bit less hostile.
Thanks in advance,
Pete

Andrew,
Maybe I got out of bed on the wrong side this morning, but...he didn't have to "call out" Mr Fixit, and he didn't have to say that he "smelled 3% more Bull---- on this thread", and blame it on GERN.
I can still remember my Grandmother saying " Oh Sugar", when something went wrong. :o
Who did she think she was fooling , we all knew exactly what she meant..... yup, "excremental by-product"".

[Brakie]

Andrew,Actually every time I read the Gern thread I smell a stock yard full of bull hockey..

Maybe its old beer flatus instead?

[MasonJar]

Sorry - I meant Mike Port Able railway) not Mark (Mr Fixit).

And no, MM did not have to call him out, but I took it as a sign that MM's sense of humor was starting to develop. Still having a hard time believing that MM can take "unobtainium" seriously, but not have room in his universe for GERN Brand flux...

The best self censorship (or lack thereof) I saw recently is from a website linked by that new member with an interest in CNR steam. The writer referred to an engineer whose nickname was "Jesus Pelican Christ" because that's what he yelled whenever he was mad or something surprising happened.

Andrew

[Ralph]

I guess I didn't see MM's post being a problem. His disdain for the GERN concept is well known but "bovine excrement" does strike me as a bit of humor instead of some sort of shot. Its when he just won't let up on why we enjoy the GERN fun that bugs me.

Ralph

[ezdays]

I guess I didn't see MM's post being a problem. His disdain for the GERN concept is well known but "bovine excrement" does strike me as a bit of humor instead of some sort of shot. Its when he just won't let up on why we enjoy the GERN fun that bugs me.

Ralph

Jealousy for one. How many times has someone tried to duplicate the success of a product or even a TV show, only to bomb out because no one buys or tunes into it? If this were the real world, he'd have lost a fortune by now trying to sell his product (insert name since I can't remember what it is). GERN, like Coke, is successful and used by all but about 3% of the worlds population. :mrgreen:

[Ralph]

Yeah, for a long time I've viewed MM acting like some kid being upset that some one else is getting more attention than he does.

[Sumpter250]

Attention ?
just look at the WPF threads. Someone posts a picture, and Jeffrey post four. At least he doesn't get verbally abusive. In the end, how many of us "model railroaders" derive the satisfaction of attention, through our hobby, without picking on someone else to do it.......yeah, probably the majority of us. There are just those few ----
I haven't yet received a reply to my PM, from MM. Waiting to see what happens there.

[Ralph]

Since this is a private mod forum I'll share this. Quite a while ago after MM made several posts critical of and mocking of the GERN thread I sent this:

Mountain Man,

Most of us ARE talking about GERN, a fun fictional concept that has inspired a lot of creativity among the membership. It seems ridiculous to me that something as innocuous as a thread about an amusing fantasy product should prompt conflict. It also seems to me, Mountain Man, that you don't enjoy the GERN concept, except possibly as a topic to mock or criticize, so I suggest you might consider ignoring this thread if you aren't interested in posting in the light-hearted spirit intended. You are posting like a heckler at a comedy club and it comes off poorly. Frankly I find your implication that the previous forum broke up because of intolerance of other ideas and your snide reference about "concrete thinkers" to be insulting to the membership.

Ralph

He came back with this:

"As I find your comments insulting to me.

My original question was simple - too simple, apparently - and obviously triggered some deep-seated hang-ups among certain members.

If you expect others to accept your criticisms, you must accept theirs with equal grace. So far, you are obviously unable to do that, although for some reason you expect me to accept yours.

Clean out your own house before you comment on mine"

He loves verbal sparring and rarely sees any of the problem being his own. I expect he'll either ignore you Pete or else reply in as boorish a manner as he did with me. I ignored his reply. Eventually he just seemed to get better...but now that i think of it., that was after I publicly told him I would delete anymore problematic posts of his in the politics and religion thread...

[Brakie]

Ralph,I have no use for the Gern thread what so ever but,if everybody having fun I say enjoy!

Maybe MM can't gasp that simple thought?

[Sumpter250]

This, was MM's responding PM to me:

My mistake. I thought using "clean" wording would be acceptable as it has been in the past by others when discussing things like viagra, diarrhea and similar commentary.

As for "hostile", I frankly have no idea what you are talking about. Humor isn't "hostile" on any of the many forums that I frequent, including three other railroading forums nd numerous history forums.

I suppose it could have been much worse.
Pete

Oh, While I might not get carried away, and rebuild my modules to "extoll the virtues" of GERN. It is a fun subject, one, however, that MM just doesn't seem to really get the point of. I've noticed there hasn't been all that much activity on his "trailer layout room".

[ezdays]

Notice that he did challenge our choices on the "Global railroad name" thread, but backed off when I said that the #1 premise (read the rules first before complaining) was to not be a holding company. I thought he was exceptionally benign there. If he could be that graceful all the time, we wouldn't be having this conversation now, would we???

Hmm, "three other railroad forums and numerous history forums", tell him to go to a Disney forum and to use that as a guide as to how to act here seeing as how we have an awful lot of younger ones here to learn something about model railroading. Yeah, they probably know more about stuff like this than I did when I was four times their age, but we don't have to encourage them here. If I want to see naked women doing the chicken dance, or otherwise get embarrassed, I'll go over to 2kidz, if I want to get insulted, I'll head over to Atlas. If I want to show my young grandkids some good modeling, I'll bring them here.

[Sumpter250]

If I want to see naked women doing the chicken dance, or ---

Hmmmm ---- sounds like a good use for some of my LPBs --------- ( Little Plastic Bimbos )