Guys,
Actually I have been quite surprised about two things. The word I thought was not foul language, the Fr word, is actually quite foul as used in England. I thought it meant 'taboo' or 'forbidden' but it apparently actually means a taboo sexual act. My apologies - learn something new everyday, shame on me for not knowing the word I used myself.
As for my not liking Bobby taking me to task, I don't really mind it so much as I enjoy it. It is like a challenge, sort of a debate. Nothing more or less as far as I am concerned even though I was strong in making my point – why push your own viewpoint weakly! So I continued the discussion. I never intended to be crass, base, foul or the like and therefor did not spell out those words. The abbreviated forms, rather, were used for emphasis. I would have done better to have had used less volatile expletives (those that are not vile in any way but only nonsensical space fillers for emphasis). My use of abbreviations was not such a good idea, I'll grant you that. I was wrong and should have used the word feces, and the word flipping (although the fr word was used only because of my ignorance of its being foul).
However, as for the profanity thing - when called to task and someone says I was profane, you bet I will fire back when I was not profane! Profanity has a specific set of meanings. I did not try to turn the tables. Why should I not answer when someone said I used profanity when that was not technically correct. I may not be religious but I take offense at someone implying that I have disrespected religion or god, as I respect anyone’s freedom of religion as they see fit within our constitution. Someone used a word that primarily means what I thought it meant, and not actually what he apparently thought it meant. Please do not fault me for responding to the primary and correct meaning of a word just because many others misuse it. I can make no excuses or apologies for someone else’s misuse of a word. I can make an excuse or apology only of my own ignorance or poor judgement. My apology for the misuse of the fr word. Next time I will tone it down even further. Bobby was right, I was wrong to phrase it such, but such does not make it profanity. Foul it may be, albeit unintentionally so on my behalf.
As far as turning something around on semantics: wasn’t that exactly what Bobby was questioning - my semantics? Yes it was. I did the same with him, so what. Words and their meanings are very important when you are communicating via written language (look at the response when you guys though I had misused words). Maybe implying I had committed, in essence, a religious insult was not his intent, However, I only had Bobby's words to read. I had to read them for what was written there, not for what I could divine through ESP or guesswork. I stated my language could be considered foul if you filled in the blanks. I apologized for that. I was not indignant as you suspect, but was, I will admit, quite defensive of my position. Indignant is just not the word that describes how I reacted. I was also quite apologetic up to the point where I was repeatedly told I was wrong after having already apologized twice. Do you like to apologize and then still have people push it into your face? I do not like that after an apology that was sincerely given, and when I said TOUGH NOOGIES I was not indignant but was being a flippant smart Alec. I usually talk rather straight, and mean things the first time I say them. As for apologies, I will often repeat them, especially if I think it is called for because I am feeling particularly foolish over a mistake I have made but; I'll be gosh darned if I apologize thrice for the same thing, so instead I became sarcastic. You may not have appreciated that. Please consider that was just as I did not appreciate the repeated recitation and enumeration of my offenses subsequent to my sincere apology to anyone who may have been offended.
As far as my actual apology went, please read the initial one again. You may have missed something. I did not necessarily apologize to you or Bobby but rather to anyone who took offense. This would include Bobby or anyone who may have been offended, including the person (I think Ritchie) who reposted the picture in question. I really am not a hypocrite and did not want him to think I would be so arrogant as to be hypocritical in this matter; nor did I wish to insult him in such a manner. I was, as I said, not meaning to be foul with my language; that is why I did not spell it out. I can see that my attempt was not the best I could have made. Thus my apology was given twice. I did so because, yes, I saw your points and agreed I was wrong about my delivery. I did not and do not apologize for complaining about that picture, just the manner in which I did so.
What amazes me is that no one else, if I remember correctly, thought enough of the wonderfully herp related photograph to make as many comments about how inappropriate it was for use on this site as they did about how inappropriate were my remarks! (Remember I started off this post saying two things surprised me - this is the second one.) This especially flabbergasts me in light of the fact that it was reposted - as if once had not been enough - children or no children.
As for the web slave’s point that someone may feel that a child will be irreparably harmed by reading something on this site, I do not feel this way. My 13 year old son would certainly only laugh off such stuff or say it was gross and look elsewhere for his entertainment. What I said was that: it was inappropriate for children of younger age who can easily have ready access to this site; but I think I also said I believe it is also quite inappropriate for a herp oriented site. My point about what is going on here is that: You seem dead set on having this become one of the best herp/animal sites available on the Internet. You have made great strides to make this a site that would attract a multitude of serious herpers. You apparently would also be content to attract some serious advertisers to the site to help pay for it all, and you accept donations from those who think this is a great HERP/animal site. I think that is all great. The site has really developed nicely.
What I wonder is: Do you really think that allowing pictures and posts to be posted here, such as the set in question, will help your site with such goals in mind? And to boot, wasn't it a moderator who posted or reposted the picture? If I, or anyone else, gets carried away, you give us points or eventually ban us from the site, and that is all well and good should we violate the rules. I am not trying to get anyone in trouble over this. In fact the person who reposted it agreed it was probably inappropriate. Even I made an error in judgement in how I complained about the picture, BUT THE ERROR WAS NOT THE ACT OF MY COMPLAINING. The fact remains that said picture with the accompanying post, in my opinion, does not deserve space here on a site about herps. If that is not OFF TOPIC, or a troll, or profanity (by the apparent definition that others give this word meaning foul, crass, base) then nothing is off topic, a troll, or profane.
You made a point about children using the internet. Please, allow me to quote it:
Besides, kids aren't interested coming to FaunaClassifieds to see what sort of dirty words the adults are saying. All they need to do is to set up an email account and they will get all of the porno SPAM mail they could ever want.
You are exactly right about that! KIDS DO NOT COME HERE TO SEE DIRTY WORDS OR DISGUSTING POSTS AND PICTURES – THEY COME HERE TO TALK AND LEARN HERPS and other animals. Now, allow me the liberty to use some reflective type questioning here, and please take a few minutes to calmly think about this. (I know my very direct, and debate-like, style of writing can get people fired up, so please take a moment and calmly think about this as it is a very serious and sincere question.) So reflecting on the above quote from your post, I would ask:
'Do you think, that adults are interested in coming to this site, FAUNACALSSIFIEDS, to see pictures of animal or human waste being used in an off topic post which was likely meant only to be nasty and cause trouble? All they have to do is type a choice word or two into their browser bar to arrive at a pervert's (or connoisseur’s) site that shows plenty more of the same! The adults could easily set up the accounts that they pay for with a credit card which will show this stuff in all sorts of action shots. (If they are too cheap, or too afraid of getting caught, they can go to free sites with the same vile subject material). So do you really think adults want to see it here, at as fine a HERP SITE as is this one? If so, are they the type of adults whom you are trying to attract?’ (Please bear in mind I am not talking about the Just For Laughs or General BS forums where I could understand something like this popping up in a joke like manner especially with the header you give in the Just For Laughs forum.)
My question reflects the quote from your post about kids using this site. At the same time it also reflects something quite different in that it is a reflection of the essence of the main point that I was trying to make in my initial post. (See the last paragraph of my initial post about the picture if you doubt this is the point I was most concerned with). Granted I could have phrased my post better, but my point and my question remain. Hopefully I am at the right site, the best HERP SITE on the Internet!
Best regards,
Glenn
I will diligently read all answers, but I am pretty sure I have said all I can say on this one, so no disrespect intended, I pobably will not reply. Please don't take that as a lack on interest, I am really at a loss to say much more, and I am sure most of you think I have said more than enough (LOL).
