veg-o-matic
Well-known member
Well.
I've kept my mouth shut for a while but now's the point where I think I need to speak up.
Yep, there are certainly a lot of randy gay guys on this board who've made some off-color comments. Only a very few, though, have gone over the top, at least in my opinion. I'm guilty myself, I'm pretty sure. What seems funny at the time doesn't always come out that way.
The unfortunate fact is that we're humans here and as such, don't always think before we post. Not making excuses, just stating a fact.
I know it doesn't always occur to me that there are young'uns on this board, a fact that we should definitely keep in mind before we start typing. I know I will.
That said, I must say I'm very concerned about Jamie's mother's comment. A little offended too, I think. I'm going to assume she never actually used the word "rape", and was really more concerned about, oh, just the vibe involved with a teenager being around a group of adults, many of whom are gay. I don't know--do people still worry about gays trying to "recruit" young people?
I will agree that 15 is probably too young to be taking a trip like that alone, though it would depend on the kid. I've met some 15 year olds that were going on 30, if you know what I mean. Would I send my own teenage son off to the convention on his own? Probably not, though again, it would depend on the kid. If I did think he was mature enough, my concern would be that the other members would be overprotective! I've been on the board long enough to realize that if anyone messed with one of us, that person would have the entire membership on his ass in a New York second. This is a remarkably tight-knit group.
The problem then, is that Jamie's mother probably doesn't check the boards enough. If she did, it wouldn't take long to realize that we're one of the most caring groups around. I got more birthday wishes from the members here than I did from my "in-person" family. If someone posts that he has a hangnail, the sympathy and caring comes flooding in. Remember when Lawrence was in the hospital so long with that infection? Lawrence, did you feel that the members here just forgot about you? Doubt it! Or when David was going through his unfortunate business situation. It was like a brother was having trouble, not just a person. Cory? Ben? Austin? Did you feel uncomfortable at the convention?
(Not trying to put anyone on the spot here. Just using the first examples that pop into my head. My apologies if anyone wants to be kept out of my ramblings.)
Wash-ins? Dinners? It seems like everyone's door is always open all the time. Personal (sometimes very personal) stories? Hopes? Fears? We don't seem shy about sharing them. Cripes, youall know more about me than a lot of people I see every day.
I guess what I'm rambling on about is we are family.
Family.
Oh, yes, indeed.
And just like family, we can be jerks sometimes. But we would never, never, NEVER let anything happen to one of us.
I for one am proud to be a member of this family.
veg
I've kept my mouth shut for a while but now's the point where I think I need to speak up.
Yep, there are certainly a lot of randy gay guys on this board who've made some off-color comments. Only a very few, though, have gone over the top, at least in my opinion. I'm guilty myself, I'm pretty sure. What seems funny at the time doesn't always come out that way.
The unfortunate fact is that we're humans here and as such, don't always think before we post. Not making excuses, just stating a fact.
I know it doesn't always occur to me that there are young'uns on this board, a fact that we should definitely keep in mind before we start typing. I know I will.
That said, I must say I'm very concerned about Jamie's mother's comment. A little offended too, I think. I'm going to assume she never actually used the word "rape", and was really more concerned about, oh, just the vibe involved with a teenager being around a group of adults, many of whom are gay. I don't know--do people still worry about gays trying to "recruit" young people?
I will agree that 15 is probably too young to be taking a trip like that alone, though it would depend on the kid. I've met some 15 year olds that were going on 30, if you know what I mean. Would I send my own teenage son off to the convention on his own? Probably not, though again, it would depend on the kid. If I did think he was mature enough, my concern would be that the other members would be overprotective! I've been on the board long enough to realize that if anyone messed with one of us, that person would have the entire membership on his ass in a New York second. This is a remarkably tight-knit group.
The problem then, is that Jamie's mother probably doesn't check the boards enough. If she did, it wouldn't take long to realize that we're one of the most caring groups around. I got more birthday wishes from the members here than I did from my "in-person" family. If someone posts that he has a hangnail, the sympathy and caring comes flooding in. Remember when Lawrence was in the hospital so long with that infection? Lawrence, did you feel that the members here just forgot about you? Doubt it! Or when David was going through his unfortunate business situation. It was like a brother was having trouble, not just a person. Cory? Ben? Austin? Did you feel uncomfortable at the convention?
(Not trying to put anyone on the spot here. Just using the first examples that pop into my head. My apologies if anyone wants to be kept out of my ramblings.)
Wash-ins? Dinners? It seems like everyone's door is always open all the time. Personal (sometimes very personal) stories? Hopes? Fears? We don't seem shy about sharing them. Cripes, youall know more about me than a lot of people I see every day.
I guess what I'm rambling on about is we are family.
Family.
Oh, yes, indeed.
And just like family, we can be jerks sometimes. But we would never, never, NEVER let anything happen to one of us.
I for one am proud to be a member of this family.
veg