[CR]Rhen Shen / "Boner" / my post

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: "Steven L. Sheffield" <stevens@veloworks.com>
To: Classic Rendezvous <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: [CR]Rhen Shen / "Boner" / my post
Date: Thu, 03 Oct 2002 08:06:10 -0600

To the list:

Dale has asked me to formally apologize to the list regarding my post from yesterday.

I heard privately from a number of listees, and the closest I got to a complaint is "I'd be offended if I could stop laughing", and "Man, you are fearless. Maybe more diplomacy next time though?". However, I suppose that is really irrelevant as this is Dale's list to do with as he chooses. Dale's garage, and Dale's rules.

Let me explain my thought process and why I posted as I did.

At times some of the CR listees can be way too full of themselves (myself included), and many are too hypersensitive. The fact that they are willing to argue over something so minor as "boner", despite the fact that "Pam's" "complaint" was an obvious troll, makes me want to just hit them over the heads to get them to wake up to reality. Boner, and everything else I said are just words ... and words cannot hurt you unless you choose to let them.

I wasn't objecting to "Pam's" trouble-making, but to the fact that others were making such a big deal of it ... on both sides, including my own original response pointing people to George Carlin's web site and the "Seven Dirty Words" Supreme Court decision.

I was not calling anyone a derogatory name ... I was not directly insulting anybody. Sometimes, however, you have to shock people in order to make them realize how idiotic they sound. I guess I pushed too far.

Dale, I really don't want to be kicked off the list, but I don't know how to apologize without sounding or feeling like a hypocrite. I can explain myself and my thought process, but it's difficult for me to say "I'm sorry" unless I really mean it.

Dale also asked me if I was testing the limits of the list and his tolerance, and the answer is probably "yes" ...

A bit of rebellion, yes ... but not as an attempt to assert my personal politics on the list, but more at the mildly restrictive rules of the benevolent dictatorship (a term Dale has used in the past), combined with the really restrictive nature of the city/state in which I currently reside.

I can take full responsibility for my actions, however, and I will endeavour to fully think through the possible consequences of similar future actions before taking them.

And I hope that's good enough.

--

Steven L. Sheffield stevens at veloworks dot com veloworks at mac dot com aitch tee tea pea colon [for word] slash [four ward] slash double-you double-yew double-ewe dot veloworks dot com [four word] slash