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Ahh, Siri . . .
in reply to a message by Siri
Why don't you get a life, and grow up. This is a technical discussion about the etymology of a word, not a grandstand for your emotional problems.The contents of my private mail to you should not have been raised on this board, and I am disgusted at the lack of respect you have displayed in doing so. It is typical of you, however, to use peoples' confidences against them. Have I ever used your admissions regarding jealousy and bitterness against you? I didn't even keep those emails because I didn't think it would be fair to hold your past behaviour against you after you had apologised. I suppose it was far too much to expect that kind of discretion from you.You asked what was wrong. Of course I had a whinge. That's part of what friendship is all about - being able to whinge and moan to one's friends when one is feeling down. Excuse me for confusing you with a friend. I won't make that mistake again.When I am wrong, I admit I am wrong. I have done it many times. The fact is that a lot of the time I do know what I'm talking about. Whether people like it or not, I do have two university degrees. I can't help that and I'm not going to pretend to be dumb so that people like you don't feel threatened.As for throwing a hissy fit and running away - I've done that once. That's hardly 'whenever', and I apologised when I came back. I did not 'run away' recently; I decided to stop posting and moderating for many reasons, none of which had anything to do with being right or wrong. They were to do with being stressed and anxious - something I thought you would understand. In fact, you said you did understand. If you didn't mean it, why lie about it? You could have just not responded. And why did you ask if you didn't care in the first place? Was your post to the board asking if I was ok nothing more than an attempt to get attention for yourself? A desperate cry for someone to notice how attentive and caring Siri is?Siri, when I arrived on this board you were a nasty, irascible troublemaker. You have made great changes over the past two years and I do admire your perserverence in improving your self-image. But your continued persecution of me has to stop. I'm not perfect, and I make no claim to be so. All I ask - all I have EVER asked - is that people keep mistakes in proportion. There are a small number of posters who shriek and moan and offer ultimatums - like yours - with every single mistake (or perceived mistake) and expect me to take their every word as law. They are incapable of "catching me doing good" but are constantly calling me out for doing the wrong thing; and because they are blind to anything but my mistakes, they extrapolate that I only make mistakes. They then overlay that on their perception of my personality, call me names, say I "always" do such-and-such, etc.While I wasn't posting, and immediately after I returned, I received messages of support from many people, telling me how much they missed my presence on the boards and the contributions I make. Do you think those people are blind to the fact that I make mistakes? Of course not. They are, however, capable of distinguishing between the occasional mistake and a person's actual personality. Unlike you, they don't let my mistakes define me.I'm sorry, but neither you nor anyone else can expect to control every little detail of my behaviour. Personalities clash, or people have silly squabbles, and it does not mean that either person is right or wrong. And when someone makes a point about my behaviour that I do agree with, it is simply not necessary for me to abase myself in front of the entire board and offer an abject apology to the universe. I take it on board, modify what I feel needs modifying, and carry on. So unless you have some magic window into my brain, you have no right to comment on how I deal with criticism.I suggest that you go and re-read my "preachy, annoying" technical post about the etymology of the word 'unique', and compare it to your little tantrum. The contrast is blatant. This ruckus isn't about me at all - it's all about you and your inability to deal with people whose confidence and decisiveness threatens you. In the emails you have so unilaterally decided to lay bare, I told you about a self-help book that I have found immensely helpful. I suggest that you go get it, use it, and stop taking out your fears on me. I'm sick of it, and frankly you're becoming embarrassing. You need to get a grip, get some perspective, and stop crying over little things like the discussion of dictionary definitions on an etymology board.
edits - formatting and clarity

ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

This message was edited 5/22/2006, 8:36 PM

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C'est la guerre !
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