What's My Line? or Bogus Posts Anonymous

[Joe Sperling]

Brent---

You got me, and you got me good. You have proven once again that you are the
King of "irony" and master of sarcasm. Usually I can see it, and understand it, and
I can laugh out loud about it. I feel like I just got off of a roller coaster at Magic
Mountain. It's ironic though how much I just don't catch onto irony. i apologize
to you for thinking you could be serious at all.

thanks, Joe

[editor]

There is a weird, off-beat movie from the seventies, starring John Astin.  (Gomez Addams)

I don't remember much about it, but one part that really stuck with me goes like this:

A guy is running from the cops, runs onto a runway, and just gets up into one of the B-52's that were up in the air 24/7 during the cold war.

The airforce general, who helps him into the cargo hold says, "Who are you?"

The guy says, "I'm trying to get away from them!"---the undercover cops.

The general, who is in charge of launching nukes any day of the week says,  "Yeah.  I didn't get a good look at those guys, but I could tell they were real commie bastards." He proceeds to call in an order to shoot the cops on sight, meanwhile a criminal is flying shotgun on a nuclear bomber.

It was an anti-cold war movie, quite funny, but very dark.

To this day, I use the phrase, most often when driving the car,  "I didn't get a good look at that guy, but I can tell he's a democrat."  Or, "I couldn't see his face, but he's obviously an idiot."  It's all in fun.  I actually teach my kids not to judge people, or form opinions about them before they get to know them.

What is happening here is that all of us, to one degree or another are forming opinions about eachother based on BB posts.  Not wise.

It's even worse when we decide we don't like Sondra or Matt, and vice-versa, based on posting.

It's silly:

So, when I said this

I don't know who he is, and I've never met him, but I can tell alot about his motives.

I was assuming that people would see how totally absurd that statement is.  The fact is, you can't judge a person without having ever met them, and you certainly can't ignore what they say and go on to attach a different meaning to it.  It's silly.

Brent

[al Hartman]

Oh!       IRONY!!!

I should have guessed, because of your magnetic personality.

If it's possible to be TOO good at something, that would be you, Brent, at irony!

Glad you're here with us instead of on SNL!  Sorry for having misunderstood...

In Christ,
al

[sfortescue]

There is a warning in the Bible about practical jokes that involve deception.  That is that it is hard to predict the outcome, which may not be good at all.

Proverbs 26:18-19
As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbour, and saith, Am not I in sport?

Brent makes a claim that he knows things about "Bob Smith" that others don't know.  To most people on the BB, such a claim is credible because Brent receives email from all sorts of people and therefore knows many things that others on the BB don't know.  After finding out that this was only a joke, it would seem that either Brent doesn't know Joe very well at all, or perhaps he is one of the few who thinks that his joke at others' expense is funny.  The latter would be a derogatory sort of humor which is not fitting among the Lord's people.


Brent,

Your cultural background seems to differ somewhat from most Americans.  Historically, our culture grew out of Christian values.  This means that dishonesty tends to be looked down on, even in jest.  Sarcasm is common in Russian culture, as I've learned from studying the language.  Perhaps it is also common in other countries.  Not so here in America, except among the haters of Christianity who dominate the various forms of mass communication.

It could be that a big part of what friends of the SWTE BB are complaining about is the derogatory and sarcastic culture that you have fostered on this BB.  This cultural difference clashes with the values of most Christians, and it is also arguably at odds with what the Bible teaches about how we should relate to one another.  This may be what is misinterpreted as bitterness and hatred, when really it is nothing more than a form of culture that most Christians consider to be vulgar.

[al Hartman]

Before someone jumps all over Stephen for being so narrow minded, I want to say Thank you Stephen for saying something that I have wanted to say for a long time.  My problem was that I was reacting to the situation, and every time I tried to say something about it, it came out sounding hostile and aggressive, because that's the spirit in which I was writing it.

You, Stephen, have said it objectively and scripturally.  It may not be popular, but I appreciate it, and I'll ask you to please point out to me when you think I've got out of line...

In Christ,
al

[M2]

It could be that the recent Patriot/Eagles mis-understanding threw us off from recognizing the irony of it all, until Brent (and Al) spelled it out for us.

Joe, I had a good laugh at that post.  You have a gift.

Marcia

[moonflower2]

I just want to put in my thoughts here. I don't believe that the issue here is one of disception. That is an incorrect observation. Brent was not trying to deceive Joe. It was an attempt at humor spun from something that was said earlier, but that was taken wrong, partly because of the most recent situation of the BB.

[Joe Sperling]

Moonflower---

You are absolutely correct. Brent wasn't out to deceive "me" or play a joke
on "me". It was a post he was making for the benefit of "all"--to see the irony
and ridiculousness of some of things that have been said lately, including my
own words at times.

I didn't take the time to really re-read his post, and felt that somehow he was
being serious. I regret that tremendously, as I should know by now that irony
is a large part of the way Brent communicates. I see how ridiculous it was for
me take him seriously, and want to apologize once again.

I also want to apologize for a statement that could easily be taken the wrong way
also. I said at the end of my post "I wish with all of my heart I could say something
bad about you in response to this, but I can't". This was a horrible choice of words
to use. I have no wish in my heart to say something bad about you--what I meant
was "I feel very hurt and when I look for something to say against you in return,  I'm coming
up empty, because I love you too much as a brother to do that".  I hope you understand that.

Again, my most sincere apologies for misreading Brent's post, and thinking he could in any
way be serious in what he was saying. I hope Brent continues to use that same irony and
humor that he always has. Most of the time I "get it"--this time, unfortunately, I didn't.

God bless, Joe

[moonflower2]

I don't feel that you owe anyone an apology. I also understood what you were saying about Brent.

[sfortescue]

Quote from: Joe Sperling on March 03, 2005, 03:23:51 pm (PST)

I'm just going to take a stab in the dark here, but I think Bob Smith is 43 years old, a coin collector, loves Doritos nacho cheese corn chips, dislikes aparagus, watches old re-runs of "Flipper", and is a an avid reader of Ray Bradbury.  He may also have an HO train set on a lifelike train table in his garage, and may enjoy fishing for Large mouth bass.

His favorite president may have been John Quincy Adams, he likes the color blue, and he gargles with Scope instead of Listerine.  He likes to eat cottage cheese over peaches and has a small garden where he grows Roma tomatoes.  He talks in his sleep, and occasionally listens to Country music while driving his car to the factory where he works as a lathe operator for a major Metals company.  He's left-handed, but when he brushes his teeth with Colgate toothpaste he uses his right hand.

This isn't concrete though--it's the most I can ascertain from his posts.

--Joe

Since "Bob Smith" said that Joe was doing pretty good with his guesses, we'll have to take Joe seriously when he says that he knows things about people that others don't.

This incident reminds me of an older incident that started out funny, but ...
(Click the quote header to read the whole thread.)

"The Holiest thread on the BB..."

Joe's response:
------paragraph needed soon--------

So it is with great joy that I enter the "Holiest Thread on the BB" to criticize it.  It can't be the holiest thread on the BB--'cause I'm the holiest of all, and I'd have to be the one to start it.  I'm holier than you are Al--can't you get that through your thick head?  And I'm proud that I'm so holy--it's taken years to get this holy--a lot of spiritual hard work, but I did it.  I haven't sinned in over 15 years except for a white lie here and there, but I'm not counting that.

I'm so pure and holy that I surprise myself.  When I look in the mirror I can't help but say "God bless you".  I'm a joy to all those round about me.  It took a lot of prayer to get this holy.  Sometimes when I'm on my knees at 4:00A.M. I get so joyful about my holiness I have to scream into a pillow so I don't wake anyone.  It's truly wonderful to be so holy.

There were times on my "stages on the Journey" when I was just so sinful.  But through a lot of hard work I'm the holiest person I know now.  Please accept my criticism of your thread Al, because both you and I know that I'm holier than you are.  You just have to accept it.  Humble yourself brother!!

God bless you Al.   -Joe


This story by Joe was in the thread, "Slip of the Lip", that vanished during the BB conversion:

Last Sunday, a little later in the morning, I dozed off and began dreaming. I was in a courtroom, accused of some crime, and many people were accusing me. One after the other came forward saying I had done it. Finally an old woman took the stand, pointed her finger at me and said "That's the low-life who did it!!! And I can prove it!!  I began shouting at the top of my lungs "Lies!!!! Liess!!!! Don't listen to it!!! It's all lies!!!!"  I awoke shouting these words, Looking right into the eyes of the Pastor in front of the church who was in the middle of a sermon. The pastor leveled his eyes at me, and there were several gasps heard around the room. They quietly led me out of the church into the parking lot.

Just then my cell phone rang.  Someone asking for money again. Saying the power would be shut off if they didn't pay the bill. "Go get a job!! I said with disgust and hung up. I was angry--I had asked everyone not to give my cell phone number to Grandma.

I decided to get something to eat.  Several minutes later I had a sandwich and a coke in my hands and I was happy. I made it onto the bus just before the Liquor Store owner caught up with me, shouting something about not paying for the food. It sure was a good sandwich though.

Someone on the bus asked me if I believed in "Alien Abduction". I replied "Yes--of course I do" knowing full well I had abducted two aliens just the night before and planned to do medical experiments on them when I got home. I got off the bus and went into the grocery store to do some shopping. I stopped in the aisle and said Grace over all the food in the store. That way I was saying thanks for anything I bought beforehand, and didn't need to say individual thank you's for the food I ate throughout the week.

I went home and went to sleep---it had been a strange day.

[vernecarty]

Stephen---


I find it amazing how much I'm having to defend myself lately.
--Joe

Aahhh! Now you have it...the fact of the matter is that you don't!!
You must ALWAYS look askance at people whose primary aim seems to be to convince you that you indeed do...
You are free my friend...that is what it means to belong to Christ! 
Verne

[Joe Sperling]

I want Steve to put back his post. I received a couple of PM's and they are
correct--I am being entirely "too touchy". Sondra was right that my "hot
buttons" got pushed, and I've lost my sense of humor, and my antennae for
picking it up lately. I need to back off for a while I guess. I have completely
misinterpreted Brent and Stephen, and run like a cry baby for my pacifier.

Forgive me for the post Stephen, I deleted it.  Now, excuse me while I go
and throw a tantrum.

P.S. Thanks for the reminder Verne. That's so true.
--Joe

[vernecarty]

I want Steve to put back his post. I received a couple of PM's and they are
correct--I am being entirely "too touchy". Sondra was right that my "hot
buttons" got pushed, and I've lost my sense of humor, and my antennae for
picking it up lately. I need to back off for a while I guess. I have completely
misinterpreted Brent and Stephen, and run like a cry baby for my pacifier.

Forgive me for the post Stephen, I deleted it.  Now, excuse me while I go
and throw a tantrum.

--Joe

There...there...!  GROUP HUG!! 
Verne