FLYERROB, is that you?

I am not pulling a FLYERROB here. I’m not hiding behind the claim that “everybody has their own beliefs and I should be able to say what I think” and acting like I’m being victimized. I also have no problem with using profanity such as “fuck”. But when I make a point, and I engage with what you said, and then you reply with a “Fuck you”, you are not responding to my point, you are attacking me personally. You say “respect me or don’t” as if that’s trivial. I don’t think it is. And what are you basing your claim on when you say “Don’t claim that you didn’t disrespect me”? I truly do not believe that I have disrespected you. I found a joke that you made in bad taste and I’ve disagreed with points that you made, but how does that constitute not respecting you? I’ve tried my best to address every point you’ve made. I’ve given it thought and explained my position. I haven’t just said “fuck you” without acknowledging anything and dismissing you entirely.

I am sorry if I actually offended you. The fact is, I learned how to use this particular cheap rhetorical device on this very site. The old me might have simply stated, "I strongly disagree", but I have learned that saying "Fuck you [subject] – just fuck you" is not only effective, but until now, acceptable. Maybe my mistake was in not using a third party target for this phrase.

Are you blaming the site for saying “Fuck you. Just fuck you.” to someone you don’t know whatsoever? If so that’s incredibly weak. I’ve seen lots of people say “fuck you” here, it happens when people get angry, and I’m fine with that. But I don’t know you at all. I don’t interact with you regularly. I don’t have you on Facebook or Twitter as I do most of the other regular members here. If someone you’ve seen around but you don’t know walks up to you on the street and says “Fuck you” to your face, don’t you interpret that in a different way than if one of your friends does? I think it most often gets used here between people who are on generally friendly terms, know each other (as best you can over the internet) and feel comfortable using that kind of language knowing that it will not be interpreted in the way that it would coming from someone you are less familiar with. I don’t see any reason for you to use it in this argument and I don’t buy the implied argument that you did it because other people here do it.

Frankly, I do not see how my use of this phrase could possibly be seen as more offensive than your implication that because this trial is no longer on the front page everyday, that it’s no longer an issue worth thinking about.

I said it before and I guess it needs to be said again since it apparently wasn’t understood. I am not saying that this is an issue not worth thinking about. I am saying that it is not at the forefront of media attention as it once was. My comments are in relation to the base using the Leafs’ visit as a PR boost, which I feel it is not because there is no bad PR present in the media currently.

If that were the case, then I’d point out that Pickton is no longer on the front page, and therefore by your logic, you have no right to be offended by my original comment.

Once again you are misrepresenting my argument. I’m not saying that the Trenton issue is not offensive because it is no longer on front pages. I think it is equally in bad taste to make jokes about Trenton and Pickton’s farm. You are not arguing against the points I’m making, you’re inventing different positions which I don’t agree with, and then admonishing them. Of course it would be wrong of me to be critical of the Trenton case and not so of the Pickton case. But that is not what I think or what I have argued.

You jumped down my throat for a comment that you admit to not having understood, and implied that I was being insensitive to the victims in the Pickton case. So why then spend all this time defending the Leafs’ brass for what I may or may not have implied was insensitivity to the victims in the Williams case.

I repeat again what I said above, if I had fully understood your original statement at first I still would have found it inappropriate as I think to make a joke about either case is in bad taste. Regardless of whether the joke was intended to be “funny” or not, the premise of bringing up such things stinks. No one else is talking about the Williams or Picton case, no one has accused the “Leafs brass” of insensitivity towards the victims families. To the best of my knowledge the families themselves have not spoken out to voice opposition to the Leafs being at the base. So I don’t understand why you take such offense to the Leafs’ visit. This is not pro-Leafs homerism on my part at work. I’m not ignoring important facts to support my position. I don’t see how there’s any justification for your reaction to the Leafs being there.

Despite the absence of profanity, I’d argue that you were being less than respectful, but that’s okay. I don’t feel entitled to anything, let alone to respect on the internet. It’s all good.

There it is again. How am I being disrespectful to you? I’ve read your side of the argument, I’ve given it thought, I’ve addressed it as best I can with my own position. I see no disrespect in that. Calling you out on a joke that I found in bad taste is not disrespectful. I’ve justified my position. How else could I disagree with you without being disrespectful?