Random Non-Dredd Questions

[Woolly]

Just wait until the conversation turns to Scojo.

I don't recall anyone who went by that name.

Anyway - I've written an amazing Dredd story that's much better than anything in the comic, and I'm interested in hearing some feedback...

I hear you'd make a *great* James Bond...

[nxylas]

Just wait until the conversation turns to Scojo.

I don't recall anyone who went by that name.

Anyway - I've written an amazing Dredd story that's much better than anything in the comic, and I'm interested in hearing some feedback...

I hear you'd make a *great* James Bond...

I dunno. Although the guy was intensely annoying, thinking back on it now, our treatment of him does have an uncomfortable whiff of bullying a mentally ill man.

[The Legendary Shark]

Scojo came into the Yap Shop back in the day and as I recall, despite the general anything-goes atmosphere we had there, became the first and only squaxx ever to be permanently banned (and on the same day he joined, too).

[Funt Solo]

I dunno. Although the guy was intensely annoying, thinking back on it now, our treatment of him does have an uncomfortable whiff of bullying a mentally ill man.

I definitely fall for the "they can write, so they're as equipped as I am" fallacy quite often - so am probably guilty of arguing with some folk where it's not really appropriate. There are context clues IRL that are missing in a text-only world. If you see a nutter in the street standing on a soapbox spouting inanities, you skirt around and carry on with your day - on a forum, it's just not as obvious.

[Richard]

It is of course possible to be both mentally ill and an obnoxious arsehole at the same time.

Sod him.

[Dash Decent]

I was always worried about TS, and his dad.  All the things that went 'missing' and you just knew they would turn up or he'd forgotten putting them somewhere else. ISTR Jim was good at straight talking to him and trying to give him some sensible, direct advice.  And someone reminding him to take his medicine.

[JayzusB.Christ]

It is of course possible to be both mentally ill and an obnoxious arsehole at the same time.

Sod him.

I was on a forum break during Scojo's heyday, but picked up a few threads afterwards.  I seem to remember that it was less the daft delusions of being a great scriptwriter and actor people took the most exception to, but his own vicious attacks on other boarders which, iirc, included wishing AIDS on another boarder or something equally malicious.

As for TS, his very odd view of the world could be fascinating to read.  It was when he started discussing women things got a bit disturbing.

[Jim_Campbell]

but his own vicious attacks on other boarders which, iirc, included wishing AIDS on another boarder or something equally malicious.

That, accusations of paedophilia, lots of lovely stuff. Some of that may have happened over on the old Usenet group, where he first cropped up, but there was a big crossover between the group and the forum back then, and you don't forgive or forget that kind of behaviour, TBH.

(Not to mention the two threads he started over on Usenet gloating about the death of one of my cats... something I'd mentioned neither there nor on the forum, which meant he was stalking me on other social media. He was just a straight-up nasty piece of work, regardless of any mental health issues he might have been dealing with.)

[JayzusB.Christ]

Flip me, I didn't know the half of it.  A lot of people could cite mental illness for acting appallingly. It doesn't make it ok.

I remember when I didn't have the full Scojo backstory I used to wonder why John Smith slagged him off so mercilessly on some other site or other; could have been Usenet.  When I found out some of the things Scott himself had been saying in my absence, my sympathy waned considerably.

[sheridan]

It's tricky - I was an inpatient in a hospital ward and one of the other patients had mental health issues / possibly Alzheimer's.  They shouted vile racist abuse at a teenage girl visiting another patient.  Candidate for a private room, if there are any available?  No winners in that kind of situation.



Meanwhile, on a slightlier happier note, I can't say how well TS is doing, but they're still posting to a Sláine facebook group I follow (and that they're an admin for).  Just noticed it's a private group, so only members can see any content - though as there's over three hundred members there's a fair chance some of the people from this forum are already members...

[Funt Solo]

I'm with Sheridan on it being a tricky one.

I have folk close in life that have difficult mental health issues - and it does result sometimes in them hurling abuse at people. Yes, the abuse is not okay. Are they in full control of themselves? Are they egged on sometimes by folk who should or could know better? Is there, anyway, a power imbalance at play?

There can sometimes be an element of buttons being pushed, is what I'm saying. (It's tempting to throw out particular examples, but I don't think there'd by much value in that.)

Summary: it's possible to have sympathy in both directions.

[Tjm86]

It is tricky, aye.  Not always aware of how you are reacting.  I've lost count of the number of times someone has told me about a look or tone of voice that has completely passed me by. 

I forget I have a really low startle threshold.  Someone walks into the kitchen when I am busy and apparently the look on my face can be quite shocking but that's because I really am utterly shocked, having not heard them properly.  If I am in a difficult place the reaction can be explosive and expletive laden.

At the same time I also firmly believe I have a responsibility to try and manage this and minimise the effects on those around me.  That means self-care (not something I'm very good at), trying to pay attention to what is going on around me and working on controlling responses.

Just because I have a chronic mental health condition it doesn't give me a free pass on my behaviour.  If anything it's the opposite, especially in the workplace.  There are times when folks have, as Funt puts it, 'egged on' responses, knowing what management will do in response.  Only way to avoid that is to work damn hard on the control.