[georgius]

The letter below was sent to PowerBook Dude this morning, at 7. 40 am EST.

To be frank, we have asked PowerBook Dude not to come back. We ask you do not e-mail him and ask him to contradict the points made in the e-mail. We view this descion as being one for his own good, as well as one of discretion, from which both sides will benefit. This conclusion was drawn after lengthy discussion between Cipher and myself, for which I thank him for his patience.

We are saying goodbye to PowerBook Dude. I wish him all the best, as I'm sure you all do too.

Dear Andrew,

I hope that you are well. Thank you for your last e-mail, it was a nice surprise. However, I have one or two serious subjects to discuss.

Over the past few months, you have been a member of MacNN. You have not been everyone�s �cup of tea�, in other words, you have right royally pissed a lot of people off, and whilst, in the whole your posts have been constructive, you have ruined this by sometimes acting as a jerk. I would be lying to you, if I were to tell you that �PowerBook Dude� is a name that does not leave a bitter taste in many a member�s mouth � not mine, but I can understand how the AIM situation did not help. If I am to give you the gods honest truth, you have done irreparable damage to the MacNN Lounge, as well as your own credit � which from what I gather now has diminished to very nearly nothing.

You must see that leaving MacNN and then moving onto another uBB such as MacNet will not rectify matters. MacNet is essentially MacNN middle members that want to have �moderator� under their username, and is nothing more than a hormonal kindergarten playground. You are essentially dealing with MacNN people. Your account being deleted was a decision taken by Kosmo (and as much of a schmuck he may be, he seems adamant over his choice). You may not view Kosmo�s actions to be truthful or right, but people admire the truth as long as it agrees with their views � a sharp lesson of life that you must learn quickly.

I have been speaking with various members of MacNN. The majority of people seem to believe you have a problem. I see your only problem being the fact that you use the Internet as an �escape route�, a dark, narrow tunnel that leads to only one place: MacNN. However, MacNN is not the only place in the world. There is a whole world out there � waiting at your fingertips to be grasped like an oyster.

MacNet, MacNN, uBBs in general are not the be all and end all. As much as you may disagree Andrew, we are far from your real friends. Real friends can be touched, smelt, looked at � not read with all of the emotion of a stale biscuit. We feel � I feel � that you would be better off without MacNN in your life. You could be far more productive, and get far more enjoyment out of being with people that are human beings, and not colored fonts. Myself, Cipher, Albert, Sean Yepez, all have lives away from MacNN. Sure, we like to surf the net, post at some uBBs, but we don�t spend the majority of the day doing it. We don�t aspire to post counts or colored stars. We don�t move from one uBB to another when we are banned from one. We have lives out of the Internet. As could you too.

Therefore Andrew, we are asking you to leave the MacNN bulletin boards for good. We are asking that you do not come back on January 1st. We are asking that you do not come back at all. We are asking that you do not move onto another BB, as an alternative to MacNN or MacNet. You cannot go back to MacNet. You need to leave BBs behind. Remove them from your life completely. Do not come back to MacNN. Do not join any more BBs. Leave the internet behind. You don�t need it, and BBs don�t need you.

This is me writing Andrew. And this decision does not come at all lightly. Words aren�t being put in my mouth, but truly, from our hearts, we all feel that what is best for you is the real world, and not a web page made up of people you�ll never meet in person. We are asking that you leave fro your own good. Do not come back � please. You will only make your situation worse than it already is.

Get out and enjoy life for what it is. We only live once, and life is a one way street. There is no going back, and it would be such a shame to waste it all on the internet. Your teens are the best years of your life - I speak from experience - and you�d gain so much more socializing with people of your own age, not from hanging round AIM chat rooms and BBs.

You are a person with great potential. Often, what you say is witty, intelligent and true. I hope you make the right decision and decide not to come back to MacNN. The damage is irreversible. I guess you could say that you are being asked, not because everyone hates you, but because most want the best for you. Please make the right choice.

Mail me if you want to talk. My door is always open, even if MacNN has shut it�s own. I wish you all the best.

kind regards,

Xander

Play it cool

[The Dude]

All I will say is that this should of been done a while ago.

[Cipher13]

Hopefully... for his own good, he will heed this.
If not... he'll never learn.

[mrfrost]

Kindergarden all over again....jeeeez

[foobars]

Sounds like he'll be a MacAddict member soon enough. He'll fit right in.

[finboy]

The first cyber-intervention.

I guess I haven't been around much lately, but "wot 'append?" to cause this?

Oh, and you were kidding about that whole "having outside lives, friends, etc." thing, right?

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: finboy ]

[MacAgent]

He should join MacMonkey.

But seriously, I think that letter is a little extreme. Delete his account, fine, but what's the point of telling him not to join any forums? That's his choice and you don't really have a right to tell him otherwise.

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: MacAgent ]

[MikeM32]

Wow While I can't agree with PBD's persona/attitude most of the time, this whole issue is sorta frightening

I mean are we becoming some sort of dictators?

I suppose I'd better be on my best behaviour here. I wouldn't want to be the next one in PBD's shoes

Mike

[The Emperor's Bad Teeth]

MacAgent and MikeM32 have a point. While PowerBook Dude had problems, this is rather extreme.

<invisible rant about freedom>

</invisible rant about freedom>

So you see, this is just too far.

Question: How do you know PowerBook Dude wouldn't have changed by January 1 of next year? What if he decided to act more normal by then? Now I suppose we'll never know. I think sending him a letter like this can be more harmful than letting things go on (to a point).

Unless of course, PowerBook Dude is just someone else having fun messing with our minds - in that case, OFF WITH HIS HEAD!

[Scott_H]

So were any of the moderators or admins involved in this letter. I assume not because they didn't send it. If so what makes you think you can send an email on behalf of MacNN telling another member not to come back?

[HAL9000]

Originally posted by Mr_Frost:
<STRONG>Kindergarden all over again....jeeeez</STRONG>

You hit the nail right on the head, Mr_Frost.

What a lot of drivel you write, Xander. The words "self importance" also come to mind.

...all have lives away from MacNN. Sure, we like to surf the net, post at some uBBs, but we don�t spend the majority of the day doing it.

Huh? 1,546 posts in three months? That makes approx. 12 posts a day. Post less, and maybe get out more. Makes for a more balanced approach to things

[georgius]

Originally posted by HAL9000:
<STRONG>Huh? 1,546 posts in three months? That makes approx. 12 posts a day. Post less, and maybe get out more. Makes for a more balanced approach to things </STRONG>

I hate to be a stickler for detail...but I joined in January 2001. A good 8 months ago. But when my account was deleted by DaveNFN (old wound?), and then reinstated, they made the mistake of giving me the wrong joining date. Ask anyone here HAL.

Play it cool

[Simon]

I haven't been around much lately, but I don't understand this BS at all. Who could care less about some people asking somebody else not to return to the board? I mean, Chipher, Georgious and Xander aren't mods or in any way responsible for other people on this board, so wtf are you guys talking about? If you have a problem with that PowerBook Dude guy, discuss it with him. Other than being addicted to this board (how about you getting a life?) you are the same as everybody else here. This letter is hilarious.

Simon

[Xeo]

What gives you the right? What gives any of you the right? He hasn't done "irreversable damage" to MacNN. He hasn't done ANY damage. Sure, people look at his name and shutter, hoping it's not another post about his life, but come on... he hasn't hurt the forums.

Asking him to NEVER come back is a mistake. It's mean. It's rude. He's only 14! Give him a chance to grow up before you shut him out. You didn't even give him the chance to come back on January 1st with a New Years resolution to grow up. You didn't even give him the chance to change anything. Come on... asking a person to give up what he likes... even while he's restricting himself from it... damn. I'd hate to know any of you in real life.

At most, he needs to visit a psychologist. Let HIM handle that. Let HIM do what he wants. Any "damage" to his reputation can be fixed. This isn't a piece of glass. It can't be cracked for good, no matter HOW much you want to believe that.

You guys piss me off more than PBD ever did. Now I suppose you're going to get together and write me an e-mail? Ask me not to come back? Why not go through all the posts on the entire board, single out those who post the most "crap" or people who disagree with you, and ask them never to come back.

[Disclaimer: any reference to "everyone" or "any of you" or anything like that is restricted to the people who took it upon themselves to get too involved in PBD's life and try to be another parent of his]

[nealconner]

What a load of **** ! What right do you have? Its not PBD who needs to get a life. You guys do. None of us know anything about what PBD's offline life is like. How dare you suggest that he has problems and needs the visit a psychologist! You know what, just to show you, I'll admit I've gone to a psychologist, and I still do. Leave decisions like this up to the admins.

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: nealconner ]

[Millennium]

Well, you sons of bitches, you finally did it.

Yes, PBD had a problem. That does not give you the right to destroy him. We should be trying to help him, rather. But it seems like the only one on the board willing to do that is me.

I'm especially disappointed in you, Cipher. You said you were going to help him. And now you do this. ****ing hypocrite.

And to the rest of you: in case you forgot, this board claims to be about "life, the universe, and everything." Says so right on the front page of the forums, to be precise. Censorship of any kind has no place on such a board. You don't like his threads? Fine; don't read them; this is exactly why we have author names and thread titles. Yes, I'll be the first to admit he gave too much information; again, this is why you shouldn't read threads you aren't interested in.

How many of you were bullied in school, or are going through bullying now? Remember how it felt? The kind of hell you wouldn't wish on anyone? Well, here you've been, committing exactly the same sorts of acts, on a victim who couldn't possibly have been all that different from yourselves at that age. Yes, his situation is kind of unique, but he's going through the same sorts of things we all did. And you turn around and gang up on him like a pack of ****ing wolves for that. Again, hypocrites.

My e-mail address is [email protected]; of you want to respond to this, do it there, because I won't be back at these boards. In driving off PBD like this, you've also lost me. It's a shame; I liked it here, until I saw the true colors of this place.

I hope you're satisfied.

[Workers Comp Wampa]

Originally posted by Mr_Frost:
<STRONG>Kindergarden all over again....jeeeez</STRONG>

No kidding. I think it is scarier to write a 1000 word letter to someone you don't like then it would to have PBD come back.

I think some of us need to get out more.

[gorgonzola]

Next time you send a letter asking another member not to come back, you had better make it damn clear that this is something you wrote yourself and that it is NOT on behalf of MacNN. As you can see, if it was on behalf of MacNN, there would not be so many people irritated about this!

If you and 20 other people want him to leave, that's fine, but you better make it clear just who is speaking and who is not.

A lot of people found PBD annoying, but this is a completely different level.

And frankly, if any of you strongly disagree with this letter, I would suggest you do email him and let him know. I found him irritating at times as well, but I'd hardly want him to get the idea that the entire forum as a whole decided that they never want him back here.

And as for the disgruntled ones, look at the other side of the coin. This was only fashioned by a few members, and it hardly reflects on MacNN itself in any way, especially since none of us knew about it. :-/

-gzl.

[Workers Comp Wampa]

This forum makes me feel like I am in High School again. I come back because there seems to be some fun and intelligent people here but it is bone head comments like this letter by "georgius" that leave a worse taste in my mouth then PDB did.

What a self important, gang mentality, letter that was.

Sure there are some people here I do not like but it doesn't mean that I have more of a right to be here then they do. I deal with them by ignoring the garbage they spew out and don't gang up and write letters to them.

Personally I would like to have PBD come back then witness this superior attitude from georgius and his gang.

[Nimisys]

damn thats ****ed up....

if you got a problem with that guy then damn it keep it between the two of you. But to tell someone they can't come back, to this board or anyother? WTF?!!! are you Al Gore and the internets inventor or something? hell even you ban privilege here?

this baord is so damn hypocritical its not funny... you bitched an moaned when duplicate threeads are deleted, and assholes who repeatidly broke the rules were banned TEMPORARILY, but it is ok to tell some begone forever, especailly without making it clear as to why it was done? to me its fine to ban siomeone who rides the short bus by being told not to do something, having it made perfectly clear what the rules are, and being givenb a warning and them STILL do it. yeah at that point they ought to be banned. but i don't see any clear written out rules here, nor any reason either than some people don't like him, why he has been told to leave and to basicly get off any other BB on the net, as if youy had the power to do that? the MOds here are so low profile its not even funny (no offence to you guys), try hangin at the Hardforum, ar Anands forums ar Ars, and you'll see what forum modding is. post get edited, mbrs banned, threads lock or deleted daily as a way of life. basicly you follow the rules or your gaone, and they are well spelled out rules.

but here it means rule by a few power elite, and mods that haven't put the fear of god and the authority in the mbrs, don't seem to do much about it either.

who's next? i am sure i have managed to piss off a few of them a couple of times... guess i ought to check my e-mail soon to see if i get a similar letter.

[Xeo]

Originally posted by gorgonzola:
<STRONG>And as for the disgruntled ones, look at the other side of the coin. This was only fashioned by a few members, and it hardly reflects on MacNN itself in any way, especially since none of us knew about it. :-/</STRONG>

I can't answer for anyone else, but I know I'm not angry at MacNN for this. That's why it upsets me. A few people who are a small part of the community have taken it upon them selves to kick someone out. It's not fair. Not to us, and not to PBD.

[MacAgent]

What you did was cruel, rude, and inappropriate. You should be ashamed of yourselves for putting PowerBook Dude through this. He didn't permanently damage MacNN, he didn't hurt anyone! If you didn't like his threads, then don't read the damn thing! Besides, you have to admit, they were kind of entertaining.

Sure, he needs to get out more and find some friends, but telling him to never, ever come back isn't exactly a good way to do that. If someone had said that to me when I was his age, I probably would have sat around for weeks depressed and angry about it. Are you sure you want to be responsible for that?

Also, telling someone that they don't need the internet, while you yourself obviously are addicted is rather hypocritical, no?

In any case, I have absolutely no respect for the people responsible in driving PowerBook Dude away.

[roiler]

Well what a bit of nonsense. In my opinion, if admin has any b^(($ at all, the perpetrator and his cowardly associates would be banned for a month. Let them go to another board and see how long their
shiznit lasts. Xander, you strike me as being a base coward and a totally useless example of a human being.

[macmonkey]

You people make me sick. Geez.

You insult MacMonkey because we are 'brutal' and 'crude', yet you resort to the same 'clique' mentality that most teenagers do. It's like if someone doesn't wear the right clothes they don't deserve to post in a forum.

You don't own this forum, and only the people who do own this forum can make a decision as to whether someone should be banned. The only time someone should be banned is when it gets so bad that you are leaving each other on bad terms, which means nice bullshit letters like the one above aren't needed.

The kid is WELCOME at MacMonkey. We won't judge him like the hypocritical holier than thou assholes here.

MacMonkey Forums

[PowerBookDude]

I couldn't stand by and not input my take on this matter.

When I got Xander's e-mail this morning I wasn't mad. I was shocked. As I never saw that coming.

But, now however I'm mad. I'm mad at you Xander for the thread tittle.I can't believe you did that. When I read the tittle I felt like you just stabbed me in the back. And I'm also mad at you Cipher as you gave up on your promise.

What's that you say? Am I coming back in 02 or not? As of this very second...... Yes, I'm coming back in 02. HOWEVER, that could change. As I haven't totally made my mind up yet.


PBDude

[ctt1wbw]

Right on, Macmonkey! I love it over at the Monkey and will be there for a long, long time. As for this place, I might visit often, and offer help and assistance when I can, but I honestly can't believe what this place did to PBD.

[HAL9000]

Care to comment on the responses here, georgius, Xander and cronies? Play it cool, my arse. Get a life

Stick around, PBDude.

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: HAL9000 ]

[PowerBookDude]

Ok, I just read another thread.

And after reading it I really do feel that most of you guys have truly stabbed me in the back.

With that said I believe that I will NOT come back on Jan 1, 2002. I might, but probably not. If I don't come back on Jan 1, 2002 I might come back after I'm 15. Or, I might come on Feb 10, 2002 which is the day I registered. If, I'm not back after July 1, 2002 then I will probably never come back. And a lot of you will be a lot happier huh?


Good bye frien....... No, Good bye.

[misc]

Originally posted by PowerBookDude:
<STRONG>Ok, I just read another thread.

And after reading it I really do feel that most of you guys have truly stabbed me in the back.

With that said I believe that I will NOT come back on Jan 1, 2002. I might, but probably not. If I don't come back on Jan 1, 2002 I might come back after I'm 15. Or, I might come on Feb 10, 2002 which is the day I registered. If, I'm not back after July 1, 2002 then I will probably never come back. And a lot of you will be a lot happier huh?


Good bye frien....... No, Good bye.</STRONG>

Please go on AIM...

[PowerBookDude]

Originally posted by misc:
<STRONG>

Please go on AIM...</STRONG>

I can't right now. I'm not up to it. Maybe tomorrow.

[MacmanX]

Best thread ever!

We've got heartless villains, shattered lives, plotting, conspiracies, a small coup, an outraged public response, and even a secret AIM conversation (if only someone had the tape!) This is so much better than television. Too bad that letter was such a pathetic farce. But, the ensuing drama was top notch! Thanks to all the people who made this letter happen. You may be losers, but at least your entertaining losers.

Cheers!

[misc]

Originally posted by PowerBookDude:
<STRONG>

I can't right now. I'm not up to it. Maybe tomorrow.</STRONG>

Pleeeeease....

[PowerBookDude]

Originally posted by misc:
<STRONG>

Pleeeeease....</STRONG>

I can't now. We are supposed to go somewhere and were a little late so no can do. Sorry. But, I will sign on tomorrow for you.

PBDude

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by Millennium:
<STRONG>Well, you sons of bitches, you finally did it.

Yes, PBD had a problem. That does not give you the right to destroy him. We should be trying to help him, rather. But it seems like the only one on the board willing to do that is me.

I'm especially disappointed in you, Cipher. You said you were going to help him. And now you do this. ****ing hypocrite.

And to the rest of you: in case you forgot, this board claims to be about "life, the universe, and everything." Says so right on the front page of the forums, to be precise. Censorship of any kind has no place on such a board. You don't like his threads? Fine; don't read them; this is exactly why we have author names and thread titles. Yes, I'll be the first to admit he gave too much information; again, this is why you shouldn't read threads you aren't interested in.

How many of you were bullied in school, or are going through bullying now? Remember how it felt? The kind of hell you wouldn't wish on anyone? Well, here you've been, committing exactly the same sorts of acts, on a victim who couldn't possibly have been all that different from yourselves at that age. Yes, his situation is kind of unique, but he's going through the same sorts of things we all did. And you turn around and gang up on him like a pack of ****ing wolves for that. Again, hypocrites.

My e-mail address is [email protected]; of you want to respond to this, do it there, because I won't be back at these boards. In driving off PBD like this, you've also lost me. It's a shame; I liked it here, until I saw the true colors of this place.

I hope you're satisfied.</STRONG>

You don't understand the situation - you weren't there, I suggest you mind your own business.

NOBODY here has any CLUE as to the entire extent of it apart from Georgius and myself.

Let it be until you understand better.

[MacAgent]

Tell us then, why don't you?

[Workers Comp Wampa]

Originally posted by Cipher13:
<STRONG>

You don't understand the situation - you weren't there, I suggest you mind your own business.

NOBODY here has any CLUE as to the entire extent of it apart from Georgius and myself.

Let it be until you understand better.</STRONG>

"My e-mail address is [email protected]; of you want to respond to this, do it there, because I won't be back at these boards."

Duh.

[keston]

PBD needs to get a life, and more importantly get help. The people here on MacNN only further indulge him with all the replies to his screwed up posts of him feelin sorry for himself. Everyboday seems to like hearing about other people's problems and spitting out thier judgements. Its like a friggin Jerry Springer segment. The ones who give him thier time of day are almost as messed up as he is.

That said, i do disagree with that letter, as it is only more of you taking the judgement on other people's lives to the extreme. No different, just more of it...

From all sides, and no matter how i look at it... it looks pathetic.

People who milk it (be it for sympathy, attention, whatever), can only do this as far or as much as YOU let them.

[HAL9000]

You don't understand the situation - you weren't there, I suggest you mind your own business.

NOBODY here has any CLUE as to the entire extent of it apart from Georgius and myself.

Let it be until you understand better.

Strange then that you should have gone public with the letter but are coming all over shy now. Pathetic. But par for the course.

If you go public, it becomes everyone's business. Get real.

[Kosmo]

You must see that leaving MacNN and then moving onto another uBB such as MacNet will not rectify matters. MacNet is essentially MacNN middle members that want to have �moderator� under their username, and is nothing more than a hormonal kindergarten playground. You are essentially dealing with MacNN people. Your account being deleted was a decision taken by Kosmo (and as much of a schmuck he may be, he seems adamant over his choice). You may not view Kosmo�s actions to be truthful or right, but people admire the truth as long as it agrees with their views � a sharp lesson of life that you must learn quickly.

How dare you?! And Cipher, how dare you tell people to let it be because they were't there? Jesus Christ just who do you people think your are, really?! What a hateful thing to do to anyone.

nothing more than a hormonal kindergarten playground

Do you even understand the drivel that you write? What the hell does that statement mean anyway? Or are you simply angry that MacNET won't toerate your type of behavior on our boards?

Not only did you not have the blessing of MacNN to send this email you didn't the blessing of MacNET either! If you were member of our forums it would be your accounts that would be deleted, you self-rightous thugs.

MacNET has moved on and handled this PBD situation swiftly with the least amount of blood-letting, now someone sends me an email asking if I knew about this thread of the email you so recklessly sent. Why drag us into your self-important delusions?

MacNN needs to flush this Lounge down the toilet and start anew. Minus a few idiots that dare represent their views as the view of the majority.

And lastly, to set the record straight, MacNET was published on the internet from 1994 thru 1998. Our audience was matched only by that of Macintouch, long before MacNN came into existence and long before many of you mean-spirited SOB's ever heard of the Mac. If you'd like to see the publication as it was in 1996 go to our http://www.macnet2.com/about/index.html achives and download a PDF of an issue or listen to an interview I did about our Digital Magic Photo Contest in 1996. It is not a MacNN spinoff, and just because some of the cream of the crop NN users have joined in our rebirth is no reason to state otherwise. Maybe many people are just simply sick of the degradation of MacNN's forums, especially the Lounge.

From now on, leave MacNET out of you little reindeer games. The letter you sent was evil, with a capital 'E'.

Kosmo

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: Kosmo ]

[Cipher13]

Because I was there, and they weren't. There are things they do not know.

Heres how it goes.

PBD proposes to myself and several others that he wants to stay away for a longer period. Eventually we settled on around new years.

In the meantime myself and those others were to attempt to fix his reputation; we were counting on a switchover of generations at MacNN within that time (majority anyway). If that didn't go down, we'd do it by another means.

Okay Milennium, you get that bit now?

Now this email was proposed by Georgius; and its purpose is merely to tell PBD that it is a good idea to stay away.

If he comes back? FINE! I don't give a sh!t, nor does Georgius.

The SOLE aim of that was to keep him away for his OWN good, using the only means he would understand. Forceful suggestion.

Do you think we can reason with him? NO. That failed once, didn't it?

It comes down to this: if he comes back, fine. I don't care. Its for his own good we did this. Who are we to decide? Well, nobody else was doing anything about it, were they?

I don't care if he comes back; its his choice. We didn't TELL him anything; merely suggested. He has no reason to listen to us. But hopefully he will.
We have no willpower over his actions. Its all him.

[IceEnclosure]

Originally posted by keston:
<STRONG>PBD needs to get a life, and more importantly get help. The people here on MacNN only further indulge him with all the replies to his screwed up posts of him feelin sorry for himself. Everyboday seems to like hearing about other people's problems and spitting out thier judgements. Its like a friggin Jerry Springer segment. The ones who give him thier time of day are almost as messed up as he is.</STRONG>

PBD's a kid.. a kid that needs to be outside... interacting with PEOPLE.. not coming to a Macintosh forum, albiet the lounge, and spilling his guts about his problems..

Georgius (Xander) was one of PBD's supporters for as long as PBD's been here... go ahead.. search.. (i'll wait)

He disagreed with those of us who talked to PBD on AIM and told him to stay away from the forums. Remember when PBD left? he came back, posting ridiculous nonsense about his (only?)friend who he hates cause they TOUCH HIS POWERBOOk, and countless other nonsensical things(once again..search... i'll wait)

now, sure... LOTS of people post stupid things here.. it's the lounge..
but for this kid, it's not good for him.. yes, that's my opinion..

I go out.. i have friends... people touch my computer, heck.. CRASH my computer.. I don't hate them... i don't even sweat it... I don't enlist the help of online people in my darkest times.. I have friends.. and I'm not special.. we ALL have friends... two, four, whatever... we have them.... and yes, we can smell them, hit them, spill food on them, etc.
and they're not represented by an IP address.

posted by keston: &lt;quote&gt;
The people here on MacNN only further indulge him with all the replies to his screwed up posts of him feelin sorry for himself.&lt;endquote&gt;

'zactly... yea, for a while, i even (in my harsh manner) tried to help out PBD with chicks, friends, his folks, etc...
but I'm not so patient with the likes of someone like him, as he NEVER gets it..

so, if he came back on 02, I wouldn't shoot a missile towards the macnn server.. I'd see what he had to say, and wonder if he changed..

however, I won't sweat it if he never posts here again..

[Cipher13]

Originally posted by HAL9000:
<STRONG>Strange then that you should have gone public with the letter but are coming all over shy now. Pathetic. But par for the course.

If you go public, it becomes everyone's business. Get real.</STRONG>

It was not my decision to post it.

And there are things not in that letter that matter a whole lot.

[RDJL27]

I can't say this from their point of view as I didn't make the call and therefore can�t really judge them, but it was a bit extreme. Gone forever? It's not possible, let alone plausible to ask somebody who uses something so much to just leave forever. Its like asking Norm to give up the Mac) (Norm, I hope you understand that analogy). But, I can say one thing. Most of these actions are founded; most of you are truly unaware. I know very little and it is a serious situation, and a decision that took a long time to come to. As of yet Cipher hasn't told you guys what the situation is (as of when I was typing it-now it's a bit clearer-explanation is not my job, I leave that to others if they wish), as I don't know it all I won't indulge anybody. Now, PBDs sympathy move worked. This was done without the Bulk of MacNN users knowing, nor the staff here, but if the entire truth was known it wouldn't be so shocking I can guarantee. It�s a damning, and hard decision to make, and the people involved made it with the lengthiest of deliberation. I�m not asking people to support, but people to try to understand with what little you know of what is going on. That also isn�t to say PBD was deserving of the seriousness of the request, but I don�t think he�ll listen to ANYONE now that this happened. The problem got worst, or at least it gained a few dimensions. Guys, please don�t judge without discussing with the people who were involved, ALL, all of them.

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: RDJL27 ]

[georgius]

I would like to take the liberty of reminding many of you of the views you held of PowerBook Dude not even a week ago. Many of you found him to be �sick�. Many of you thought of him to be...nothing more than a 50 year old paedophile. Some of you viewed him as severely backward. Some of you "claimed" to have wanted to "help" him.

But above all, most of you didn't like him at all.

Not one bit. You treated him like a kid. You told him to go to a mental asylum. You even dared to call him "sick" when many of you had never met him. Did you know for sure he was �mentally unfit?�. You dared to assume. And you all know what happens when you assume. You make an ASS out of U and ME.

Remember...that little chat room on AIM. The one where you freaked by showing him the map of where he lived? Remember calling him a 50 year old paedophile? Remember ganging up on him? Remember the so called tears that he cried because of it. Remember not listening to me then? Yeah�like sh!t you do.

Memory is very convenient.

Remember the AIM room..."PowerBook Dude pimp chat?" and inviting him to it out of spite? Remember having all this claiming to help? Remember giving him �Worthless Member� status and minor post count�and calling it �fun�. Some of you even claimed that helped.

But I call that bullying.

And out of any member here at MacNN. Out all of you...I have stuck by him through thick and thin.

And now you dare to attack me? Who are the hypocrites now?

Who?

The truth is all very well as long as it agrees with people's views.

Yes...so people like HAL� try not to kill the one's that allow you to survive...like in the movie...right? You are out there. As are most of the two faced �friends� of PBDudes.

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: georgius ]

[IceEnclosure]

he's really an international spy... or a nuclear submarine captain.. or both?

'we shail into hishtory' -

[ 08-26-2001: Message edited by: IceEnclosure ]

[Xeo]

Originally posted by PowerBookDude:
<STRONG>Ok, I just read another thread.

And after reading it I really do feel that most of you guys have truly stabbed me in the back.</STRONG>

Which one?

Oh, and for the record, there are a lot more members of forums.macnn.com than people who may or may not have "stabbed you in the back," so to say "most" is a bit much.

You'd be much better off saying, "Some people I used to respect have..." since that would be more accurate.

[Workers Comp Wampa]

Bla bla bla

[Xeo]

Originally posted by georgius:
<STRONG>&lt;&lt;lots of "memories"&gt;&gt;</STRONG>

I don't remember any of that. Why? 'Cause I didn't participate or know about any of it.

I'm sure you weren't talking directly to me, but there are plenty of people who had nothing to do with these "attacks" on PBD. There are plenty that have barely said anything. I've only spoken up now because if I were in his shoes I'd be pissed.

So what are these attacks? How many of the people upset with you (in this thread) are part of that? I'm curious. You make it sound as if we all are.

Oh, and to the "we didn't TELL him anything... we suggested" crap: I had plenty of teachers that "asked" me not to talk in class or something like that when I was in high school. That is a common way to tell someone what to do. Your letter, in no way, sounds like he has a choice. It sounds as if we (the whole MacNN community) got together and wrote a letter telling him not to return, when in fact, it was only a few. That's why it upsets me.

[PowerBookDude]

If anybody cares I'll be on AIM probably in 10 minutes for 10 minutes.

[Severed Hand of Skywalker]

Can we all get on with life now?