I do think that in the general scheme of things, it's wiser to bite one's tongue and not post, rather than leap into the fray with guns blazing to defend someone (usually someone who's perfectly able to defend themselves). But that's easy advice to give, and not an easy thing to do.

But if not feeling a promo makes someone want to punch me in the nose, I'll probably avoid the agita.

I don't think that's what she was saying. In my head (and in my head only) it went like this. Promo talk got people tetchy. Some people felt that people were thinking it was over before it began. Allyson was one of those people it made tetchy. She thought to herself, "Jeez, how am I going to react when a 'How could amy acer be sooo mean to captn' titepants' person comes in and starts dissing my friends. And so, she said she woul get pretty upset about it.

::curtain falls in DJ's brain::

ETA: I think, though, that if I'd read it the way you had, I can see the need for a discussion about it, because nobody wants anyone to feel like we can't seriously discuss a show.

But if not feeling a promo makes someone want to punch me in the nose, I'll probably avoid the agita.

That's not a decision I can argue with. But I figure that I do anger people who don't express it just as a part of me going about my day, online and off. Very few people lay out their inner workings the way Allyson is wont to once she's done pondering.

But I think she's different for saying it, not for feeling it.

This PoV is no doubt coloured by the fact that I want to smack people silly every now and again (even not at krav) and it doesn't mess with my day at all. I just don't do it, and maintain my veneer of civilisation.

Hopefully convincingly.

I'm just not really sure how to respond, bon.

I've already stated that I was sorry for bringing it up, because obviously it was my irrational issue.

The "move along" was curt, but in response to Juliebird's assertion that she's only watching out of loyalty, and asking if the promos were going to get better because they didnt do it for her.

My argument was (curtly) that this was indicative of what the show is, that they didn't get "better."

The subtext is that while Juliebird may watch the show for the loyalty reasons, she's likely going to miserable with the tone of the show.

Very few people lay out their inner workings the way Allyson is wont to once she's done pondering.

yeah, I do that. It's an achilles heel. It seemed worth getting out of my head at the time.

I love you too, bon, but I think we're in a disconnect, and it seems to be my fault.

Since no one else is posting I'm guessing this isn't the deal I thought it was.

My $.02. You weren't the only one who thought it got out of hand, bon. I agree that "move along" seemed to mean "okay, just don't watch the show," not "get out of the thread." But I thought Allyson's subsequent post escalated the tension way out of proportion. How does one get to "I reserve the right to go mental on anyone who says that Tim or Kristen are talentless hacks who smell of poo" from "if I wasn't already invested in watching the show for Tim and Nathan's sakes, that wouldn't have grabbed me"? That sounded like get out of the thread to me, declarations of I'm-not-the-thread-boss notwithstanding. You can do what you want Abe but the next time you see me coming you better run.

Tamara said: However, since I know Juliebird, I am pretty sure that her comment wasn't coming from a "oh, that sucks" place as much as a "objectively, that didn't grab me as much as I would have liked and maybe I am not the ads demo" kinda place.

Knowing Allyson, I didn't take her post as, "Anyone who says shit about this show or my friends is gonna pimp-slapped." I can see how it was read as that, but like I said, knowing Allyson as I do and knowing how much she loves this community and the people in it and how much respect she has for it, the possibility of her taking it over the line never occured to me.

(Not attacking Tamara or anything. Just using that post as an example cause she knows JulieBird as I know Allyson. That's all. Does that make sense?)

Also, I had no beef with any of the posts. To put that out there and was really kind of confused when it had to come over here from Minearverse. I mean, no one asked Allyson over there to clarify or called her on her posts, that I recall. I know everyone's ping meter is different, mine just didn't go off. I just read what Allyson was saying as discussion, not trying to start anything.

Joe, I'm not sure that I was that unclear.

I was expressing something I was thinking, which is that I feel irrational, and wanting to stomp on someone for the comment made by Juliebird is an irrational thing, and that I feel like ass about that.

The second thing, that "I reserve the right..." is a right I think anyone has, here, when a Buffista is personally attacked, which is to go shithouse in their own special way...and by that, I don't mean something that gets one a warning in Bureau.

There's a difference between legit crit, and a personal attack, and that difference is, "I think the writing was hackish because..." and "I think that Buffista is a talentless hack."

I didn't get one thing from the other, I was talking about the difference between irrational response, and what sort of post would make that response a rational one.

I think it's rational to go mamabear when a friend gets kicked in the balls. Since Juliebird's post wasn't a kick in the balls, I brought up the sort of thing that deserves to be kravved.

I suppose since my ears have been ringing for the past several days I ought to chime in. I've been sitting on my own hands and pondering before I came back and said something stupid. I'll probably do that anyhoo. So, yes, my name has been bouncing around a lot, and I'm not sure if walking back through the mud to get the mop will help at all, but here goes some rambling thoughts:

-while I was initially a mite buzzed by Allyson's curtness, I realized that she was in a far better position to judge how accurately the promo represented the show. So it was a fair point.

-Regardless of that, I'll be reserving judgment on the show itself until I actually see it. Right now, as Tamara said (thank you, you were spot on), I feel that perhaps I'm not the demographic the promo was targeting (assumption & personal opinion, of course)

- I did not feel that I was unwelcome in the thread, but I did feel strong disinterest in the reasons why the promo didn't grab me. So I didn't bother to continue with discussing it. I would have liked to have felt welcome to watch again and perhaps change my mind. Some people need to be courted a little more than others, I'd like to see patience for that, and an interest in discussing the "why's" rather than a dismissiveness.

-Regardless of who made the promos, my first impression was meh. Not that I think I was accused directly or indirectly of this, but this did not mean that I was saying Drive was meh. I don't know that.

-having had mere *vids* of mine criticized, however lightly or severely, I completely understand Allyson's protectiveness of Drive. I was a little shocked by the frankness of the "metaphorical nose punching", but took that to mean she was admitting what she had felt *previously*.

-I don't think I'm upset with Allyson or anyone, especially since she surprised me with her admission that she was acting irrationally when I had not expressed being upset (I'd been sitting on my own hands)

There's a lot of other things said by others in tangent that I felt were unrelated to me. Maybe they were. This has all gotten rather too tangled for my wee brain. Maybe I should be more offended, but it's all so messy that I'm not sure what was said, what was apologized for, what was meant but miscommunicated. Some things that I thought were jokes and people being witty are now Issues and in need of apologies. I don't know. I'm just a little embarrassed to have my name popping up everywhere.

So, if this would help to settle things somewhat, I'll state for myself that I'm cool. If there are other issues, okay, but me? I'm good.

Allyson: perhaps I should have said "different" rather than "better", since I was using that word subjectively. Tamara really summed up what I was unable to express clearly. I'm grateful for your admission of being irrational. I think we're good.

. . .

Did I make things worse? Or better? I always get when to speak and not speak backwards.

Days like this, I can't believe anyone pays me to write.