You are also complaining that "One person out of 600 gets offended, so speech is limited to accomodate the one over the many. That type of thing."

Well, at this point you're the only one expressing dissatisfaction with our civil order.

Now don't get your panties in a bunch here, Shawn, but you are dead wrong. I'm not expressing disatisfaction. I'm just trying to have a discussion about something I find interesting and a little bit of a paradox. But you are definitely reading into and mischaraterizing the things I am saying, which I can't really help if you want to do.

I have said repeatedly that I will follow the rules, and that rules are made by the group, as they should be.

Now don't get your panties in a bunch here, Shawn

Now, see, i don't know if that pissed Shawn off, but I wanted to go through the screen at you for that statement.

And I think it should be fairly obvious that I'm not talking about profane and offensive flames like you see on other websites, but about the witty & urbane, yet wicked and pointed, jibes we love each week on the shows.

Well, you know, I think it's hoped that we all, or nearly all, honestly like one another here. Or at least like to be in one another's company. That's the point of having a board where we can talk, right? And the characters on the shows don't necessarily all like one another. (In fact, I'm very glad there are animosities between the characters on the shows-- if it were a continual lovefest, even a well-written one, that would eventually become a very, very boring show.) I could say really cutting, mean, but witty! things about the people I hung out with (if I were clever enough to come up with something cutting and witty-- I'm afraid my brain's running out my ears today, so there's no actual danger of that from me), but then I believe they might not want to hang out with me. And since buffistas.org is not a television show, no one's on contract to keep them hanging around.

And, by the way-- I know I cannot speak for Shawn, but if you told me to not get my panties in a bunch, I'd get all het up and annoyed, and I don't think that's entirely unreasonable of me. It reads to me as kind of condescending, or insulting, and I (personally, but again I know it's not an un-widespread feeling) don't do very well when I feel I'm being condescended to. In fact, it usually makes me incoherent with anger. (And while, yes, getting me to shut up is often a really good idea, I feel I must suggest different means than something that'd make me want to throttle people.)

(That is another illustration of a personal take on your, I'm sure, very well-meant humor. Please regard or disregard as you wish.)

t edit Xpost. Allyson's there with the conciseness.

Now, see, i don't know if that pissed Shawn off, but I wanted to go through the screen at you for that statement.

But I'm not allowed to be pissed off that he completely lied about what I said? He's dead ass wrong when he says that I am complaining. I apologized, then tried to initiate a discussion. And he is totally wrong to say that I am complaining and expressing disatisfaction.

That is not what I said, but it's ok for him to post that I said exactly that?

It wasn't what you were saying-- it's what you said. I mean, wait, it's the idiom. There are politer ways to tell someone you think they're wrong.

And Shawn's a woman, btw.

How polite is it of her to mis-state my post? I don't have a right to be outraged about that?

She didn't lie. She was mistaken--although I have to admit I got the same impression she did. So you say, something like, "I guess you misunderstood me. What I meant tosay was...."

Well, since everyone here can read your post and mine, getting outraged is an overreaction. If I lied, then point that out. Don't belittle and accuse me of willfully trying to hurt you.

The panties in a bunch comment is uncivil and disparaging. It's meant to piss me off and it's exactly what we are politely asking you to stop. As is calling me a liar if you think I'm wrong.

It does seem that the right to be offended is limited to long time members. You can be offended because I mention that Buffy's audience is small, but I can't be offended because you twist my words into somehow making that an insult.

Forget it. Don't try and explain. I'll just go back to lurking. Never should have delurked in the first place.

How polite is it of her to mis-state my post? I don't have a right to be outraged about that?

Shawn wasn't lying, she misunderstood your post, though, like Scrappy, I read it the same way Shawn read it.

You can be outraged without being condescending.

I don't think you understand the social structure, here, and I am not sure how to explain it to you. You're like the proverbial bull in the china shop.