RockMyAmadeus

So, I remember RMA when he had a different name, from many moons ago...in a galaxy far away called the eBay chatboard. He got into a few "tiffs" there, mostly with one person. He actually gave up after a while, and drifted off. He was upset, but no where near as upset as he gets on here. Here he's still upset about a perceived slight to Jason (Mr Diggler) that happened eons ago...I never see Jason complain about it, because Jason...well, he's someone who doesn't get all that upset about unimportant stuff. He (RMA) is also upset about a perceived slight from the Mods, something that happened at least a year ago. I don't even remember when it was, but RMA does...because he cannot seem to let go of stuff. I said years ago, that he would make a really good defense attorney, but I don't think that's his profession. He's STILL upset about what? A short vacation from the boards? STILL posting emoticons, making references to this vacation....He's still claiming that the moderator's job is easy, As far as I can see... it would be easy to do mass bannings...not so easy to take stuff with the many grains of salt that are used here...and it's embarrassing to see the absolute lack of respect for the people who try to keep this place running smoothly. RMA's first thread here was bashing someone who took a return, and paid return postage, he's still posting threads bashing people on eBay, the last one, was someone who didn't seem to do anything wrong other than buy something he was not comfortable keeping. So, no...I don't see a change. It would be NICE to see a change, because it hopefully would result in something more productive. Feel free to pity me;) I'll forget about it shortly, because life is just too short to hold grudges over this kind of stuff. Hold grudges over terrorists, people who murder children...but strike vacations? :shrug: Still makes no sense to me... I missed this the first time around, because I have skypinkblu on ignore, but skypinblu has lied about me privately to others, borne false witness about me, so anything she has to say about me has to be viewed in that context. Suffice it to say that none of what she has said here is true, either. Skypinkblu doesn't understand the issue, because she's not interested in understanding the issue. That she insists on making the issue personal, about me, in an attempt to discredit me, is also a perfect example of the problem this board has. Anyone...skypinkblu, Dano, whomever...who has to make this issue about INDIVIDUALS is contributing to the toxic environment. Why did skypinkblu post this? Because she is guilty of exactly what she's accusing me of: holding a grudge. She has no problem with shading the truth, or outright lying, because she wants everyone else to believe her version of me. And that's really pretty sad. I bear skypinkblu no ill will, even though she has consistently gone out of her way to damage my reputation. I really just wish she'd stop posting to or about me, publicly and privately. That's not too much to ask, really. It's not too much to ask at all. And it would help lay to rest another issue around here which is this idea that there is some kind of collective righteousness within the forum of which a few choice individuals hold the keys to. I'll be a pariah before I ever let someone tell me how I should think. There are plenty of reasons to dislike just about anyone. We're all human, and we all have character flaws. There's no need to invent things about people, if you really want to dislike someone. So when someone does...it's because there's bitterness and unforgiveness that damages the one who carries it, far more than they could ever hope to damage their target. I truly hope that whatever it is I have done to skypinkblu that has caused her to carry this grudge against me, that she feels it necessary to lie about me to harm me...I hope she can someday set it aside. It can only help her. I'm going to finally say this. I did not lie about you. I made an error quoting a word you used in a PM, and I apologized. At one time, you wrote to me and said, that the majority of people here, were" sociopaths". I quoted you as saying "psychopaths" . I have the PM, thought I deleted it, but I did find it later, I just never wanted to go back and get back into what you said, because I didn't think it was worth it.. So, once again, I apologize for saying you called people here, psychopaths, you did not, you said "sociopaths. " There is a difference between a "lie" and an error. I was not calm when I posted the words, because your pm to me was not meant to make me calm, it worked. Unfortunately it worked again here. I did try to write to you after, but of course you put me on selective ignore. Refusing a PM (so that I had to post public ally) and then not ignoring me when you feel like it. What I said about you not letting go is the truth, your popcorn stuff, your posts against the moderators, and these postings are mostly venomous.. You have very few positive posts. I don't really care much about whatever else you said, but I will not allow you to post here, that I lied about something that is really so dumb...there is not much difference in the words, and I actually apologized instead of CORRECTING the error on the boards, to try to just take the heat and let it go, but you made such a big deal about breaking your silence then to call me a liar, and you have repeated it... When you use the words righteous, think about the poor person you started a thread about because YOU THOUGHT they might start a charge back against you, when in fact, they had already listed the book you would not take a return for, BEFORE you started the thread (you never even checked), or your rants about stuff like personal PP. See, skypinkblu, this is your problem: you're so involved in your version of RMA, you don't even know what I'm talking about, and you won't even bother to find out first. How did you lie about me? You accused me of stealing from sellers on eBay by fraudulently seeking and obtaining partial refunds. You have accused me of committing this fraud against eBay sellers, an accusation that isn't true, that's never been true, and for which you have no proof. That didn't stop you from making it. This isn't about you saying "psychopaths" vs. "sociopaths", and I'd forgotten completely about that because, as you rightfully point out, it's irrelevant. As for the rest...again, none of it is true either. It sounds true, it seems to be true, but it's shaded to cast me in a light that isn't true. You're not interested in the truth, or you wouldn't say such things. Again...whatever it is I did to you to cause you to dislike me so intensely, I really hope you can set it aside, and ignore me. I say this because it's good for you. I don't have to live in your head. You do. Once again...the issue is not about me. It is about the tearing down of people we don't like that contributes to the toxicity of these boards, instead of simply not interacting with them.

Please stop making the issue about me. I am not the issue. Tearing down individuals because we don't like them, instead of just ignoring them, is part of the toxicity of this board that the moderation team really needs to address. Thank you.

No, Dano, she didn't get any of it right. You don't know anything about me, so you aren't in any position to tell. You're just trying to get your shots in. Doesn't that get old...? The good outnumber you, they always will. Dan Seriously, Dano...doesn't the hatred get old? What is it about hate that is so inspiring, that it fuels you to say these things? Excellent point. Your deconstruction of anyone that challenges your point of view is inspiring. I hate no thing. Your willingness to hold on to past wrongs reminds me of Jon Muth's work. Why are you so mad all the time? Is this board a prison sentence? Yes, or no. Dan Dan, that you feel it necessary to post these things is proof enough of the hatred in your heart. I truly hope...for your sake...that you can lay it aside. I don't hate you, nor will I disparage you, as you have done me. Good luck.

So, I remember RMA when he had a different name, from many moons ago...in a galaxy far away called the eBay chatboard. He got into a few "tiffs" there, mostly with one person. He actually gave up after a while, and drifted off. He was upset, but no where near as upset as he gets on here. Here he's still upset about a perceived slight to Jason (Mr Diggler) that happened eons ago...I never see Jason complain about it, because Jason...well, he's someone who doesn't get all that upset about unimportant stuff. He (RMA) is also upset about a perceived slight from the Mods, something that happened at least a year ago. I don't even remember when it was, but RMA does...because he cannot seem to let go of stuff. I said years ago, that he would make a really good defense attorney, but I don't think that's his profession. He's STILL upset about what? A short vacation from the boards? STILL posting emoticons, making references to this vacation....He's still claiming that the moderator's job is easy, As far as I can see... it would be easy to do mass bannings...not so easy to take stuff with the many grains of salt that are used here...and it's embarrassing to see the absolute lack of respect for the people who try to keep this place running smoothly. RMA's first thread here was bashing someone who took a return, and paid return postage, he's still posting threads bashing people on eBay, the last one, was someone who didn't seem to do anything wrong other than buy something he was not comfortable keeping. So, no...I don't see a change. It would be NICE to see a change, because it hopefully would result in something more productive. Feel free to pity me;) I'll forget about it shortly, because life is just too short to hold grudges over this kind of stuff. Hold grudges over terrorists, people who murder children...but strike vacations? :shrug: Still makes no sense to me... I missed this the first time around, because I have skypinkblu on ignore, but skypinblu has lied about me privately to others, borne false witness about me, so anything she has to say about me has to be viewed in that context. Suffice it to say that none of what she has said here is true, either. Skypinkblu doesn't understand the issue, because she's not interested in understanding the issue. That she insists on making the issue personal, about me, in an attempt to discredit me, is also a perfect example of the problem this board has. Anyone...skypinkblu, Dano, whomever...who has to make this issue about INDIVIDUALS is contributing to the toxic environment. Why did skypinkblu post this? Because she is guilty of exactly what she's accusing me of: holding a grudge. She has no problem with shading the truth, or outright lying, because she wants everyone else to believe her version of me. And that's really pretty sad. I bear skypinkblu no ill will, even though she has consistently gone out of her way to damage my reputation. I really just wish she'd stop posting to or about me, publicly and privately. That's not too much to ask, really. It's not too much to ask at all. And it would help lay to rest another issue around here which is this idea that there is some kind of collective righteousness within the forum of which a few choice individuals hold the keys to. I'll be a pariah before I ever let someone tell me how I should think. There are plenty of reasons to dislike just about anyone. We're all human, and we all have character flaws. There's no need to invent things about people, if you really want to dislike someone. So when someone does...it's because there's bitterness and unforgiveness that damages the one who carries it, far more than they could ever hope to damage their target. I truly hope that whatever it is I have done to skypinkblu that has caused her to carry this grudge against me, that she feels it necessary to lie about me to harm me...I hope she can someday set it aside. It can only help her.

No, Dano, she didn't get any of it right. You don't know anything about me, so you aren't in any position to tell. You're just trying to get your shots in. Doesn't that get old...? The good outnumber you, they always will. Dan Seriously, Dano...doesn't the hatred get old? What is it about hate that is so inspiring, that it fuels you to say these things?

No, Dano, she didn't get any of it right. You don't know anything about me, so you aren't in any position to tell. You're just trying to get your shots in. Doesn't that get old...? Seriously, why contribute to the hatred...? :shrug:

So, I remember RMA when he had a different name, from many moons ago...in a galaxy far away called the eBay chatboard. He got into a few "tiffs" there, mostly with one person. He actually gave up after a while, and drifted off. He was upset, but no where near as upset as he gets on here. Here he's still upset about a perceived slight to Jason (Mr Diggler) that happened eons ago...I never see Jason complain about it, because Jason...well, he's someone who doesn't get all that upset about unimportant stuff. He (RMA) is also upset about a perceived slight from the Mods, something that happened at least a year ago. I don't even remember when it was, but RMA does...because he cannot seem to let go of stuff. I said years ago, that he would make a really good defense attorney, but I don't think that's his profession. He's STILL upset about what? A short vacation from the boards? STILL posting emoticons, making references to this vacation....He's still claiming that the moderator's job is easy, As far as I can see... it would be easy to do mass bannings...not so easy to take stuff with the many grains of salt that are used here...and it's embarrassing to see the absolute lack of respect for the people who try to keep this place running smoothly. RMA's first thread here was bashing someone who took a return, and paid return postage, he's still posting threads bashing people on eBay, the last one, was someone who didn't seem to do anything wrong other than buy something he was not comfortable keeping. So, no...I don't see a change. It would be NICE to see a change, because it hopefully would result in something more productive. Feel free to pity me;) I'll forget about it shortly, because life is just too short to hold grudges over this kind of stuff. Hold grudges over terrorists, people who murder children...but strike vacations? :shrug: Still makes no sense to me... I missed this the first time around, because I have skypinkblu on ignore, but skypinblu has lied about me privately to others, borne false witness about me, so anything she has to say about me has to be viewed in that context. Suffice it to say that none of what she has said here is true, either. I suspect if I discussed the events leading up to Lincoln's assassination, she'd accuse me of being "upset" about that as well. Skypinkblu doesn't understand the issue, because she's not interested in understanding the issue. That she insists on making the issue personal, about me, in an attempt to discredit me, is also a perfect example of the problem this board has. Anyone...skypinkblu, Dano, whomever...who has to make this issue about INDIVIDUALS is contributing to the toxic environment. Why did skypinkblu post this? Because she is guilty of exactly what she's accusing me of: holding a grudge. She has no problem with shading the truth, or outright lying, because she wants everyone else to believe her version of me. And that's really pretty sad. I bear skypinkblu no ill will, even though she has consistently gone out of her way to damage my reputation. I really just wish she'd stop posting to or about me, publicly and privately. That's not too much to ask, really.

Or having grownups just ignore ( not put on ignore ) the people who rub them the wrong way for whatever reason That's not going to happen. Ever. It won't happen on their own because they are who they are...and it won't happen by the mods because that's the whole problem being discussed. What will work, is what works in real life: I don't see you, you don't see me. Simple.

One of the things I realized really fast here, is that many times these discussions have very little to do with the points being made and are really just veiled assaults upon people who dislike each other. I found it to be absolutely bizarre. Like some kind of passive aggressive über nerd territorial pee pee ritual.

Thanks for having my back, OG. But I'd like the focus..positive or negative...not to be on any individual. That's the problem. People around here can't discuss things without making every issue about the people discussing the issue, rather than the issue itself...and it is this problem that eats away at the board, which the moderation team won't address. It's not the boobies, it's not the swear words, it's not the "PG-13" issues that are the problem. It's the toxicity that motivates a person to make threats against someone else, regardless of the reason, the toxicity that jumps all over noobs for the most innocuous questions, the toxicity that inspires people to provoke people they don't like with snide commentary, the toxicity that allows people to openly hate one another instead of trying to resolve differences, or, at worst, not interacting with them at all. That's the problem, that's what the mods, and the mods alone, can control, and that's what is being ignored. But thanks for having my back. You'll most likely ignore what I'm saying, but putting our past differences aside, I agree with your point. The problem, for me at least, and I may be wrong, but when you discuss macro issues pertaining to the boards you seem to exclude yourself from the behaviors you criticize. This isn't 2011, Mike. I don't post for a reason. And trying to explain the difference between inciting and responding in kind, and trying to prove who does which, would be fruitless. Both are bad, but the first IS worse than the second.

?

You seem to have great difficulty in determining the difference between "outrage" and someone forthrightly disagreeing with your assessment of the situation. You do, however, have a very easy time with threatening people. After all..."non constructive" conversation (with what is, and what is not, constructive of course being up to you) is a violation of policy, and a strikable offense. I really wish you, and whomever it is that is contracted to do this work for the Certified Collectibles Group, would move on to some other company already and let someone else take your place. You really don't seem to be able to handle it when people take issue with the way you do your job. I do hope that wasn't too "outrageous" for you. (thumbs u I respect your opinion, but as an unbiased observer...I completely disagree. I had the exact same reaction as Arch when reading your post; my view about your argumentative style is that you deliberately choose to use quite a bit of inflammatory language. Perhaps you do so for emphasis; I don't know. I think you, like most of us, has a real hard time being criticised. I mean, the eyeroll at the start of your post is just about as perfect an example of what he's talking about, short of a graemlin that's giving the finger. I'm not saying this to argue with you, or to get into a prolonged parsing of your original post, but rather to give you a perspective from someone who hopefully you know doesn't have any antagonism towards you. If you think this should have been done via pm, I apologise. It seems easier this way It was, and is, for emphasis. One is allowed to be unhappy, and express that unhappiness, without someone else reading their unhappiness as inflammatory. Emoticons are used to express emotions. We are not emotionless automatons. I did not "flip the bird" or use any emoticon which could be construed as provocative. It expresses how I think about the situation. And the situation here, despite what Architecht may believe about me and my posting habits personally, is pretty bad, much of the time, in many ways...an opinion shared by very many. But what you're discounting is that your demonstration of your unhappiness at the situation wasn't really necessary to make your point. You're right, it wasn't the worst example, but do you not see that rolling your eyes at someone else's post like that isn't really going to help? I understand your unhappiness, as it is something I share as well, albeit for different reasons. You're married, right? Allow me an illustration from marriage: sometimes, and this is especially true for men, wives need to occasionally raise their voices, to make their husbands understand that the point they're trying to make is a serious one, and they would like it to be treated seriously. Is yelling going to help? Maybe. Maybe not. Is it going to get someone's attention? That's the key. I may be wrong in using the eye rolling, and it may not be necessary...but I do it for a reason. What Arch thinks about me, personally, has nothing to do with this issue, and what I think he thinks about me also has nothing to do with this issue. The issue is an environment of toxicity that is far, far more dialed up than it ever needs to be, a result of the "hands off" approach that this moderation team tries to apply, with the resultant overcorrection when the problems blow up. That kind of moderation is what leads to...well...the situation we have here. There are many, many things that could be done to correct this course, but this moderation team, for reasons of their own, chooses not only to not do any of those things (example: deleting posts that are obvious personal attacks, and have been reported as such, without making a fuss about it, regardless of the who or why. People will get the hint...), but they talk to the boards as if the boards are being moderated just fine, and if you're smart, you won't bring it up again. As I said earlier, Arch isn't speaking down to me...he's speaking down to everyone.

Thanks for having my back, OG. But I'd like the focus..positive or negative...not to be on any individual. That's the problem. People around here can't discuss things without making every issue about the people discussing the issue, rather than the issue itself...and it is this problem that eats away at the board, which the moderation team won't address. It's not the boobies, it's not the swear words, it's not the "PG-13" issues that are the problem. It's the toxicity that motivates a person to make threats against someone else, regardless of the reason, the toxicity that jumps all over noobs for the most innocuous questions, the toxicity that inspires people to provoke people they don't like with snide commentary, the toxicity that allows people to openly hate one another instead of trying to resolve differences, or, at worst, not interacting with them at all. That's the problem, that's what the mods, and the mods alone, can control, and that's what is being ignored. But thanks for having my back.

Wasn't that a protest against the inadequate ignore feature? With very, VERY few exceptions, I have argued with no one, debated with no one, sparred with no one, "gotten the last word" with no one, let anyone and everyone say whatever they wished to and about me, with my sole response being limited to emoticons, links, and memes...by choice...so that no one would be able to say "well, RMA, you just have to argue with everyone, don't you?" Because the answer is clearly no. The issue, then, is not me. Strikes still come, people still get angry, people still fight. The issue isn't me, and it isn't any individual. It is the undercurrent of hostility that ebbs and flows throughout this board. No one person, or even group of people, can be held responsible for that undercurrent. It is a problem that is, however, completely under the control of the moderation team, because only the moderation team has the ability to control the general tone of this environment in a broad way. And they're simply not doing that job.

Wasn't that a protest against the inadequate ignore feature? 15%

You seem to have great difficulty in determining the difference between "outrage" and someone forthrightly disagreeing with your assessment of the situation. You do, however, have a very easy time with threatening people. After all..."non constructive" conversation (with what is, and what is not, constructive of course being up to you) is a violation of policy, and a strikable offense. I really wish you, and whomever it is that is contracted to do this work for the Certified Collectibles Group, would move on to some other company already and let someone else take your place. You really don't seem to be able to handle it when people take issue with the way you do your job. I do hope that wasn't too "outrageous" for you. (thumbs u I respect your opinion, but as an unbiased observer...I completely disagree. I had the exact same reaction as Arch when reading your post; my view about your argumentative style is that you deliberately choose to use quite a bit of inflammatory language. Perhaps you do so for emphasis; I don't know. I think you, like most of us, has a real hard time being criticised. I mean, the eyeroll at the start of your post is just about as perfect an example of what he's talking about, short of a graemlin that's giving the finger. I'm not saying this to argue with you, or to get into a prolonged parsing of your original post, but rather to give you a perspective from someone who hopefully you know doesn't have any antagonism towards you. If you think this should have been done via pm, I apologise. It seems easier this way It really just boils down to the last word with RMA...he's gotta have it. I've not read any arguments made by him that don't antagonize, belittle or otherwise berate in the interest of merely shutting up any contrary opinion. And this, Sal, is a perfect demonstration of the problem. This isn't true, not in a specific sense, nor a broad sense, and yet...this Shootydog feels it necessary to make the discussion about ME, rather than the issue. Despite the fact that, since January of 2012, for reasons that remain my own, I've made...perhaps...50 posts that actually said much of anything at all. No, despite that, it devolves into personal attacks about individuals, rather than talking about the issues. This is about as excellent an example of what is wrong with this board that anyone could possibly have come up with.

You seem to have great difficulty in determining the difference between "outrage" and someone forthrightly disagreeing with your assessment of the situation. You do, however, have a very easy time with threatening people. After all..."non constructive" conversation (with what is, and what is not, constructive of course being up to you) is a violation of policy, and a strikable offense. I really wish you, and whomever it is that is contracted to do this work for the Certified Collectibles Group, would move on to some other company already and let someone else take your place. You really don't seem to be able to handle it when people take issue with the way you do your job. I do hope that wasn't too "outrageous" for you. (thumbs u I respect your opinion, but as an unbiased observer...I completely disagree. I had the exact same reaction as Arch when reading your post; my view about your argumentative style is that you deliberately choose to use quite a bit of inflammatory language. Perhaps you do so for emphasis; I don't know. I think you, like most of us, has a real hard time being criticised. I mean, the eyeroll at the start of your post is just about as perfect an example of what he's talking about, short of a graemlin that's giving the finger. I'm not saying this to argue with you, or to get into a prolonged parsing of your original post, but rather to give you a perspective from someone who hopefully you know doesn't have any antagonism towards you. If you think this should have been done via pm, I apologise. It seems easier this way It was, and is, for emphasis. One is allowed to be unhappy, and express that unhappiness, without someone else reading their unhappiness as inflammatory. Emoticons are used to express emotions. We are not emotionless automatons. I did not "flip the bird" or use any emoticon which could be construed as provocative. It expresses how I think about the situation. And the situation here, despite what Architecht may believe about me and my posting habits personally, is pretty bad, much of the time, in many ways...an opinion shared by very many.

Allow me to address one issue..in real life, people are allowed to defend themselves, present their cases. You do not allow this here. There is no appeal, to anything, a fact you quite plainly state in the terms So to compare moderation here to real life is disingenuous. As for the years ago example...it was an example that disproved your statement that "(read: everyone who ever got a strike or warning) may deeply believe that in your case it was all about injustice. You may even have a point - like our speeder above who was not the fastest one in the pack. But you were still speeding." Again...there was someone who was NOT speeding, yet got caught anyways. These problems that you're saying are dealt with in a manner whereby...if I may paraphrase..."we don't see the whole picture" are so obvious, so ubiquitous, and so pervasive, it is impossible for even the most positive board member to avoid. PS. A very large part of the problem is that you see statements like this: ...as inflammatory. If you look for something in another's words...the odds are very good that you'll find it.

You seem to have great difficulty in determining the difference between "outrage" and someone forthrightly disagreeing with your assessment of the situation. You do, however, have a very easy time with threatening people. After all..."non constructive" conversation (with what is, and what is not, constructive of course being up to you) is a violation of policy, and a strikable offense. I really wish you, and whomever it is that is contracted to do this work for the Certified Collectibles Group, would move on to some other company already and let someone else take your place. You really don't seem to be able to handle it when people take issue with the way you do your job. I do hope that wasn't too "outrageous" for you. (thumbs u

I recently urged him to start posting again hoping that you're exactly right about him changing...and then last week he started. First thread I saw him in was a back-and-forth with Hellblazer where neither would shut up until the other relented. Most of the thread is pulled now, and I quickly realized nothing had really changed that I can tell so far. (thumbs u