Slashdot Mirror
Anarchy Online Gamer Responds
An anonymous reader writes "Thought some people might be interested in seeing a follow up on the NYT article about the Anarchy Online player. His reaction to it was less then supportive. You can read about what he had to say and what other players had to say." See the original story for background.
"I feel raped."
a little overboard, i feel.
but it cant have been nice.
---- oh no - it's the RIAA and their $100000000 fine. I'm gonna take that so seriously...
for even more interesting and insightful "background" visit the somethingawful.com review.
my
SO I have to come into work on friday night for a DB conversion. This story comes a long, and I go and read the original, but when I go to read the original NYT article, they want me to pay. I tried the PARTNER=google trick, but no dice. This sucks.
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I think the worst part about the NYT scandal is that it's easy to accuse a bad story of being completely wrong now. All this shows is that somebody is a liar. Which side, I don't know. It's messed up regardless.
Thedeacon:
I'll come right out and say that my future in AO is shaky right now as a result of the slanderous and untrue article posted about me in the New York Times last Thursday. I don't make this post to create more drama, but rather to state my case and also to shed some additional light on what's going on in my life right now in relation to this horrible article.
Before I go any further, I want to first thank the entire community for all the words of support I received in the past few days. It shows what good people play Anarchy Online, to come to the aid of one of their own. It does make me feel good that you guys don't buy into what that article said, because it's just not true. I'm still reeling in shock over the amount of untrue information was in that article and how certain private issues (bankruptcy) were thrown in that article after the reporter, Seth Schiesel (ingame name Amis) had agreed not release private information such as financial info, school info, etc.
I got so many wonderful and supportive replies in the forums, through email and through private messages, not to mention the fact that Amis has not had the balls to log into AO since the article broke, so I should feel great, right?
Well I don't. I did a search on my name, as someone mentioned they had heard about the article from some dutch site. "Dutch site?" I said to myself. So I did a search on my name, both real name and ingame name and I was shocked to find what people were saying about me. It was absolutely crushing to my ego and my self worth, as I know deep in my heart that the article itself was a lie and Seth's motive may have been to exact revenge on me for flaming an old article he did on AO last year
http://forums.anarchy-online.com/showthread.php? s= &threadid=58442 is the link. What I said wasn't even that bad, it was more of a joke, but it bothered Seth enough to mention it to me dozens of times while he was here. That should have been my first clue. This was like right when the Jayson Blair story was breaking, so my guard was down because I hadn't fully read up on the Blair situation.
You might have noticed I'm not logging in much lately. when I do, I've been trying to pretend like everything is alright, but I get this sinking feeling, a feeling like I'm going to be judged for my online time and it's totally sucked the fun out of the game for me.
Just reading that article in the Times, looking at the "creative writing" he did and how he left off so much of the positive aspects of my life shows me that he wrote this article with malice. I treated him like family while he was here and he turned around and stabbed me in the back.
Much of what was in that article that actually was true (VERY little of the article had any truth to it, but things like me filing bankruptcy was infact true) were things I had told him outside of the interview to explain a bit of the situation. Both my wife and I demanded that this be left off the article, which he agreed to. I was told that the article was not about ME per se, but rather a positive article about the online gaming community of AO, as told through my eyes. None of my personal information was to be released in this article. I was lied to, my wife was lied to, my friend stuntiliator who he also interviewed was lied to, and now the world is being lied to via this article.
I feel raped. There's no other way to describe it. The person described in the Time article is less than pathetic. He's a weak person that gave up on life. And damnit, that just isn't me at all. I'm no recluse, im no social outcast, I'm no mmorpg addict and I'm no quitter.
7 hours a day. you know what? That's such a load of crap
I would say it's quite rare that I'm ever online for more than four hours a day. Any longer and it's usually me logged into the chat channel or my character sitting doing nothing while I chat. So why am I on so much? Well figure this: I work from my home. There's the occasional downtime while I'
NYT Reporter: May I interview you for a story?
bull999999: Kiss my ass. I don't trust you guys.
Next day on NYT
"HEADLINE: bull999999 of Slashdot is a sickco"
bull999999 of Slashdot admits that he's a pervert that enjoys strangers giving oral sex to his behind. He also does not trust the media, rather perfers to consult his imaginary friend "Roy" and Slashdot for all his news needs.
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
I didn't even know that Anarchy Online was that popular. I thought Everquest dominated everything. Oh well, Star Wars Galaxies looks really good and it has a good chance of swallowing up both of them.
It's not exactly as if the New York Times is the bastion of journalistic integrity that it likes to think that it is, is it?
One quick examination of mediagate tells you all you have to know - journalists, even ones that write for the most reputable publications, sometimes lie through their teeth.
Obviously, the AO player in question doesn't have the financial resources of the NYT and its parent company (market capitalisation in the billions), but perhaps he could find a lawyer who'd be willing to represent him on a "no win, no fee" basis (or perhaps pro bono) if he wanted to take the matter further.
Normally, I wouldn't recommend litigation, but the player concerned seems to feel that the article was very unfriendly (in his online reply he says he feels like he's been raped) so perhaps the legal route would be good for him, if only to provide a sense of closure.
"Accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue." - David Brent, Wernham Hogg
Just like to say that I'm glad that this was posted. The Deacon from Anarchy Online is nothing like the original article says. He's a really nice guy once you get to know him. The author has a small grudge against him, but Rick (TheDeacon) didn't believe that it would cause him to do this.
Free your Mind, Deke!
Massive Multiclicker Offline Due To Slashdotting Game.
It didn't take long for the /. effect to melt the linked servers.
Really, I know what I'm doing...Ohhhh, look at the shiny buttons!
She was interviewing a mother of a political figure (I forgot who). After the interview, the mother told Connie off the record that she felt that Hillary Clinton was a bitch. Not suprisingly, that "off the record" comment made it to the news. The moral of this story is that to the reporters, nothing is "off the record".
1f u c4n r34d th1s u r34lly n33d t0 g37 l41d
So.. he's wrapped his whole life around this game, someone made fun of him.. and now he's crying and threatening lawsuits? Maybe he should at the very least find a different game to play.. or do something else entirely.
You're in seattle, so all we need to know now is your age and sex.
Comments like the ones this loser spouts trivialize those who have actually been raped. I hope he dies a lonely bitter person.
I hope he dies lonely and bitter. Loser.
It's deeper than that. Journalists are cannibals if that's what it takes for them to write another day. Years ago, I ran the community college paper and we got caught between some nasty politics. The Palm Beach Fish Wrap's beat reporter decided that keeping his plush lunches for fluff stories was better than telling the truth about how we were getting fscked left and right. It took their competitor's alternative paper XS to set the record straight. Worked out nicely in the end but it was appalling to watch my "elders" attempt to take me down. An eye opening experience. Journalists are fine for trust but only after something significant over time. There's a Spanish saying that translates roughly to "your only friends are the ones you've stolen horses with." True, true.
Laws are for people with no friends.
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Hell, that's what most geeks say when normal people ask them about their lifestyle.
(Couldnt read the story, the site was already slashdoted.)_
I played anarchy online when it first came out, figured it would be a nice change from magic based mmpogs. Even a few buddies bought it, so we tried to play a couple hours together after work online.
When it first came out, it had major problems. GFX, Sound, crashs. Tried for 3 months, but the headaches, i finally gave it up. So did everyone I knew.
Now awhile later, and a free week from AO, figured I would retry it. 2ghz cpu's and ati's 9700 and the the game runs smoothly, but Its dated. The main thrill of playing with friends and family is gone, nobody will touch the game again. Starting over killing leets is not a thrill.
I also tried the Beta of Planetside, another failure (imho). Maybe starwars galaxy will be the one.
Of course with halo, counterstrike2, halflife2, doom3 coming out on PC, wont be any time for any a mmpog.
You call him a loser, and you post on slashdot?!?
is just headed downhill ever since the top editors have resigned and certain things have been exposed...I really have lost my respect for them as a quality publication
...wouldn't this be a good reason to add a fake account login and password to every future /. link that sends me to a you-have-to-register-to-read article in the NYT?
;-)
Well, I guess this will be modded/censored down faster than any of the slashdot staff can explain why(!)
I love PERL
phpBB : Critical Error
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One reason I still read /.
Although filled with usual bull, sometimes it does give the little guy a bigger voice.
Mode (3) smart-aleck mode. Press * to return to main menu.
13f
So the guy thought he would make it repairing computers out of his apartment. They're going through some financial difficulties and his wife stands by him. Then what does he do, but plunge himself into this video game where he is a god and the part time gamers have to do things like have their feet sucked and put up with his sexual ennuendos.
The guy denies it, but from what I've read in the article, his original posts, and now this, he's in serious denial. He should be out there looking for a better job, honing skills, getting some education, loading boxes for UPS, whatever to get motivated to improve himself.
Instead he is playing the victim, getting lots of attention, probably spending even more time in this pseudo-reality.
I feel for his wife, this isn't the behavior of a life partner.
YOu have to be careful about off the record. For example, in the Connie Chung instance, the mom told Connie Chung she thought Hilary Clinton was a bitch, but there was a camera man there.... So later Connie Chung "asks" the camera man if he knows how the mom feels about Hilary Clinton. He was never told anything off the record, and so he can tell Connie Chung. There are other shady ways that this can happen as well. I for one would be interested in know what the NYT actual, not the one they feed you, off the record policy is.
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I played a MUD (www.actofwar.com) in the year 2000 or so for the first time in my life after learning about it in IRC. It's a PK (Player Killing) game where you level up and group with other players from your city, to attack the players of one of the 3 other cities. It was addictive as hell, and rewards smart and fast thinking. I'd spend over 12 hours a day playing it. Nothing I could do could stop it...I'd delete my char (it's not very long to level) sometimes, only to make new ones. When there were no enemies on, instead of logging off I'd start a new char from a different class or run the monsters for good equipment.
Over a year later I decided I'd had enough, gave away my chars and deleted ZMUD and never went there again. That's about the same time my friend lended me his Diablo 2 + Expansion CDs with a virgin CD key, and BAM! It started all over again. The first week I was a newbie trying to figure out where to go and how to do things, and 2 months later (due to inredible luck from the random item drops) I'm a rich-as-hell elite possessing the rarest bow in the game, and even though I wasn't having any fun, the preciousness (sp) of those virtual items was way too much to just abandon it all. However eventually the same same scenario happened again: I suddenly realized I was wasting my life, gave away the items, and deleted.
As I type this now, I'm addicted to laziness. I spend my time playing old PC games, games of older consoles via emulation, and downloading music and porn off Kazaa. Once again it's time for a purge except this time it'll be more radical. I'm backing up whatever personal things I've gathered over the years (wacky pictures, rom collections, sex pictures I'm particularly fond of, irc logs, etc) to view again 10 years from now since this is basically the only memories I'll have of my late teenager years, and then I'mformatting my hard drive and giving the computer to my sister.
If anyone else than me has gaming fucking up their life, I suggest they do the same. It might seem too radical, but you don't need that PC, no matter how big a geek you are (and I doubt you're a bigger geek than me), unless you're choosing a career down the road.
When dealing with journalists, get *everything* in writing. Just saying "don't put this in print, okay?" "okay" is worth absolutely nothing. Life 101.
As for the accusations from TheDeacon: OK, the article was painfully sensationalistic. But there's no libel here. Yeah, they paint a picture of him and his life, he doesn't like. Yeah, they put stuff in the article about his financial situation he wanted to keep private. But there's no real misinformation. Just interpretations TheDeacon doesn't like.
Get real, dude. Nobody sees a person as they see themselves. And no competent journalist will let the subject of an interview have editorial input. If you want your life to be private, be more careful who you talk to.
how the fuck is a review from 2001 supposed to contriubute anything informative in the context of this thread?
The sad part is will we never know the truth. We are all taking a side based on whichever lie sounds better. One we can identify with. The truth is probably part of both stories. But, we'll never know which. Commence arguing. LouSir
"hehe, no I don't usually jerkoff 15 times a day, usually only about 8 or 9 times.. hehe, I'm not like that, I've got a life and I'm pretty good with the ladies hehe, I'm not one of those losers.."
Didn't know that...explains alot...
When I tried to see what he said he didn't even respond! Just gave me a blank page instead.
I browse Slashdot at +3, Funny
... where something like this would be a good idea?
...ergo he is a loser...
That's it buddy! You're going down!
Seriously, though, the majority of average Joe's spend 4 or more days watching television every night, and that is absolutely okay. In the grand hierarchy of "worthwhile things to do", I'd cast playing a highly social, challenging, creative online game several parsecs above mindless sitcom watching. (I'm not trying to claim that you're supporting television watching, but am just pointing out the hypocrisy of media types that point out what to them is "unhealthy" periods of computer time ["Addiction!"] to a readership that is largely sedentary couch warts).
if you were slandered in the New York Times?
What if everyone you know read the article and go "Hmm... maybe he _is_ a pervert?". Would you not feel bad? Would you try to defend yourself? If you defended yourself, would you then think it was unfair if someone said it was "Drama!!!".
It doesn't matter that it is about a game. This guy was violated.
The Internet is full. Go Away!!!
>>7 hours a day. you know what? That's such a load of crap
>>I would say it's quite rare that I'm ever online for more than four hours a day.
Ummm...did anyone else find this amusing? It was as if saying "Hey! I'm not a junkie! I only shoot up a couple of times a day!"
I was sympathetic to his story...until I read that.
As for the NYT report, I have no idea what transpired, and maybe the truth is somewhere in the middle (as it usually is). I DO know several newspaper reporters who after an interview get irrate calls saying:
interviewee: "I didn't say that!"
reporter: "Actually I have it on tape, and my notes...that's exactly what you said word-for-word."
interviewee: "Ok..but... that's not what I meant!"
Conversation, when written out, can end up sounding very different to a reader who is divorced from the event/situation. It happens all the time.
Woah, a female. This AC FUCKS TONIGHT.
1. Pathetic loser is approached by New York Times reporter and is tickled so pink by the attention from a major media outlet that he goes on and on about what it's like being a pathetic loser.
/. crowd, random strangers who call him a loser, etc.
2. Article comes out and loser realizes that his 15 minutes of fame isn't worth being outed as a pathetic loser.
3. Loser, being pathetic and having neither a concept of personal dignity nor any idea how to handle situations in which the social acumen of an adult is required, throws a hissy fit and goes off on the NYT reporter, the
4. Two months later, the world has moved on. The pathetic loser still blames the world instead of himself for being a dumbass. Oh yeah, and he's still pathetic. EL FIN.
exit(EXIT_FAILURE);
4 or more days a night! Darn, These "Joes" you speak of have some mighty amazing viewing skills! Why just the atemporality of it alone is astonishing. I have enough trouble just cramming 24 hours into a whole day.
I think people who claim they feel like they've been "raped" when they haven't actually been sexually assaulted need a refresher course on exactly what rape is.
Substituting "I feel raped" for "My feeling have been hurt" is an exaggeration of unimaginable proportions, and only manages to make the person in question look foolish.
Other than that, this is his post, unedited. I don't think it just makes it more readable, I think it actually makes it seem more coherent.
On thing I'll add: If this really was the deacon posting, I'll guess that he was still shell-shocked by the NYT article, pissed off at the press in general and found slashdot as the first place to express his anger/frustration. His posting on 'storm' seems a good bit more coherent, and makes a better read.
What's below is his words, not mine.
____________
Last year I cleared just under $100k after expenses. No, I'm not poor at all. in fact OMFGLOLROOFLESMAYO. Do the numbers. I make 50-100 per hour times 20-40 billable hours per week. That equals: a buttload more than half you bitches pull in :p
If the walls were "crashing down around me" and I was so poor, how the hell was I able to afford a $50 game and $200 in clothes that day?
Easy. The guy lied.
I mean, there's so much about the article that doesn't make sense. Yes, I'm oh so poor, let me lean back in my leather chair and play AO on my brand new 21" monitor.
Here's what I see you people writing:
"OMG this guy is such a loser, he plays MMORPGS and has no life, blah blah blah how pathetic. I think I'm going to spend the next 26 consecutive hours blasting him on the slashdot forums.
the very fact alone that you bother to read the article and then post flames about it makes you look far more pathetic than even that article could make you look.
You call those flames? Panty waists. Amateur flamers. Get some meat behind some of these weak ass jabs and maybe you'll be blessed enough to have Thedeacon own your Linux lubbin asses individually.
Um guys? YOU READ SLASHDOT. You read slashdot and troll the forums for all day. Hey, it's reality calling. JOO ARE A DORK.
I play for 40 hours a week. Heh, to be honest, when you consider how much TV (and forum trolling) most americans do, that number is not too horrible.
Of course that number is grossly exaggerated (I work for 9 hours a day, make dinner, watch a movie with my wife, I write, work out, I do stand up comedy, I read, etc, so it's a physical impossibility that I play that many hours, unless I've gained the magical ability to increase the length of the day by 6 hours or something).
Wow, the Linux freaks on this boards sure are in a place to talk. Lessee, "Slashdot: News for nerds". Um, "nerds". And you guys are proud of this. What does that say about you?
I think the flamers on this thread are more pissed that I play games and still get the pussy, while they're spanking it to midget porn.
People, get your collective heads out of your asses and don't be so naive......The article was a lie. Seth Schiesel (aka Amis ingame) harbored a grudge over an AO article I picked apart nearly a year back. His writing has the flow of an 8th grade essay and structure to match. You know the Times has to be hurting for talent and news when they make a post about a video game.
Really people, log off your super admin whatever Linux geek shit for a sec and think about it. Take a good hard look at your own hobbies and think about it again. Let's see: you spend all day arguing about Windows versus Linux on what it by far the nerdiest webpage in existence, based on what I've read so far today.
Look at the news post icons, look at the topics. Fuck man, look at yourself.
this is me: http://www2.milwaukee.k12.wi.us/juneau/RickS.JPG
Now post your pics. The people flaming me are
Free Software: Like love, it grows best when given away.
This hopeless addict don't do something stupid to himself over this... Either way the whole affair will be forgotten in one week (if it's not already forgotten).
Not staying anonymous.
He's let a game (and its related interpersonal associations) ruin his ego, his financial well being, and general happyness.
Maybe this is a no brainer. Maybe saying this is akin to saying, i told you so. Hell, call it a troll. But gee, you know...
"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness."- Friedrich Nietzsche
Why is this news?
SWG's Beta NDA lifted.. and the fallout. Where's the beef?
http://www.s4biturbo.com/
*sigh* ...slashdotters...can't do anything else but complaining and bitching...
heh...
I was sent a C&D letter from MLB Properties last summer concerning my website and was subsequently interviewed by several different newspapers within a week or so. EVERY SINGLE ONE of them misquoted me. The most common error was paraphrasing something I said, but maybe not exactly the same, and then placing quote marks around it as if I had uttered those exact words. One New York paper even inserted grammatical errors into sentences I never spoke! The key thing is that I believe all of these reporters were composing stories from memory rather than tape. About a month after the initial wave of publicity, a reporter in the Philly area (Harrisburg?) named David Jones contacted me for an interview. The first thing I did was relate my previous misquotes and asked if he was using a tape recorder. He was, and he produced a very accurate and fair story. Sometimes what looks like malicious reporting could be nothing more than sloppiness.
Taken from here
Chung: "Mrs. Gingrich, what has Newt told you about President Clinton?"
Kathleen: "Nothing. And I can't tell you what he said about Hillary."
Chung: "You can't?"
Kathleen: "I can't."
Chung, leaning forward: "Why don't you just whisper it to me. Just between you and me."
Kathleen, leaning in and whispering: "âShe's a bitch.â(TM)"
Chung: "Really? That's the only thing he ever said about her."
Kathleen: "That's the only thing he ever said about her. I think they had some meeting, she takes over."
Chung: "She does?"
Kathleen: "Oh Yeah, yeah. But when Newtie's there, she can't."
For some odd reason, she was fired, not the producer of the segment. The page has a link to a realplayer clip if you care.
Mrs. Gingritch was very naive, to say the least, after all, she was talking to the wife of Maury Povitch!
Never answer an anonymous letter. - Yogi Berra
>Every single article you read misrepresents people in the same way.
I wouldn't say misrepresents. I would say the interpretation might not be to your liking.
Itâ(TM)s the same with all media, and the best example is movies. Make a movie about pilots and real pilots will say that itâ(TM)s fake and inaccurate. Make a movie about war and history buffs will complain that itâ(TM)s fake and inaccurate. The only "real" movie that can be made is a movie about making a movie, as that's what they're really doing.
I think you're right that no one likes how he or she is portrayed in the media. A glowing piece is usually followed by a statement like, "I'm not a hero, Iâ(TM)m just an ordinary guy." A more or less objective piece forces the grim light of another personâ(TM)s perspective on your life and the results are usually never to the liking of the subject. And of course a bad piece will always solicit a negative response.
And probably likes Anime too, a clear sign of burgeoning homosexual lust.
Oh sweet man meat! Sing me tales of your loins!
...and even though I wasn't having any fun
This is the most important line in the post. Something is wrong when you're driven to keep going, but *you aren't having any fun anymore*.
I have a personality type that makes this kind of addiction very easy. My first experiences with computer games were the early *text* adventures -- Adventure, Zork, and others (xyzzy, maze of twisty passages all different, etc.).
Before I knew it, I found myself glaring red-eyed at the computer screen as the sun came up, surrounded by maps, notes, etc., feeling sick and aching all over. I wasn't playing because I was having fun -- it was frustrating as hell. I felt horrible. But I was going to figure out every last puzzle if it killed me. I felt like the game was a malevolent being fighting against me.
Nowadays, I just don't start playing the games. I don't own any (though I did once spend a dozen hours or so honing winmine strategies before I realized what I was doing).
I have similar rules in other aspects of my life. I never ever gamble (not even penny poker). It just sucks the fun out of it for me, because I feel like I have to win, and I can't enjoy the game.
I was an athletic kid in school, but I ran track instead of playing basketball, or football, or any game like that where there's more personal interaction and physical contact. Yeah, you can get spiked or elbowed in a race, but running a good race involves self-control much more than exerting your will over the other runners.
There isn't anything specifically wrong with playing a game for hours on end, especially a game where you're interacting with other live players, if you're enjoying it. It can be one form of social interaction, or just like watching TV but more interactive. It's when you're harming your own well-being (mental or physical) and you still can't stop that you should get a clue that something is awry.
There are only 10 types of people: those who understand decimal, those who don't, and, uh, 8 other types I forget.
After reading the article, I felt somewhat depressed about Rick's life _because that is how the article portrayed him_. I think anyone reading that article would feel the same way: "This guy is kind of weird, down-and-out to some degree, without much hope for the future", which then led to the thought, "This is the kind of person who plays these MMORPG'S."
Then I just read (again, because /. posted a story), Rick's reply to this article, as well as his fellow Anarchy Online gamers in that game's forum. After reading his reply and defense of himself, I feel sincere sympathy for him. Basically, Rick says this article's writer at best misrepresented him, and at worst, outright lied about things that he said. I believe Rick when he says these things.
And I was taken aback when I saw the top-modded posts on /. slamming this man without any kindness at all. Many of the posts said, in effect, "Rick could be lying as easily as the NYT article writer, and it's his fault anyway, even if the srticle writer did lie." I disagree with this rationale, and here's why: Do you think someone would submit to an interview like Rick did if he knew that he would be portrayed as a hopeless, pathetic loser with weird and even offensive behavior? I don't think so. Especially since Rick is now upset about this story. So I give Rick the benefit of the doubt when it comes to believing him or the writer of the article.
I am a Christian, whereas I think many (if not most) people who read /. are not. If you want to challenge this, just read people's sig lines or posts and be aware of the amount of anti-Christian and anti-religious content. That being said, I used to be an atheist, and I put up with the anti-Christian junk here because _I used to feel the exact same way_. I've changed now though, and so there you go. I have always been interested in technology (games, programming, gadgets, etc.) so I enjoy /. I give that disclaimer because I am going to say something sincerely religious (yes you read it right!) intended especially for Rick:
I believe in Jesus Christ, a man who was also falsely accused of many things, whose words were twisted around to condemn him, and who was killed on the basis of these lies. I also believe that he is God, and so God himself, knowing that he would be betrayed by someone who called himself his friend, much as you were by the article writer, willingly gave himself over to his betrayer so that the salvation of human beings could be made possible. Because of this, I believe that Jesus Christ himself is, in a special way, right beside all people who are wrongly condemned, who are misrepresented, and who are lied about. People called him the devil, they called him a demon, they tried to murder him, and eventually they did. He bore all of these insults and lies with love, for he knew that the people who did these things were doing wrong, and that doing wrong hurts the person who does it far worse than the person they hurt because they separate themselves from God by doing it.
Rick, I do not know if you are a Christian or not, and whether you are or not, I just want you to know that I have prayed for you and your family, that Christ will be with you, to comfort and console you, to help you through this difficult time where you feel defamed, and to restore you to peace of heart and mind. Ultimately, I pray he will give you the grace to forgive this man who did this to you, and all the people at the NYT who allowed it to happen. When Judas came to betray Jesus, Jesus looked into his eyes and said, "Friend, do what you came to do." He forgave his worst enemy, and in doing so followed his Father's desire, for in forgiving, we will be forgiven.
Peace be with you,
Devin
Ok, let me explain this to you... A journalist is a person who started out with a bunch of starry-eyed ideals. His head was all full of things like the idea that he could make a difference or that he could actually make a living on a journalist's salary. For a select few, the wage might be OK but most of them would have been better off with a career in 1-hour photo development.
So over the years as reality sets in, the journalist's hopes and dreams are crushed and he turns into a sadistic and cynical bastard, unable to realize that some human beings might even be able to find peace and happiness in their lives. At the same time, his twisted spirit aches for the big scoop that will break him out of the doldrums of sub-minimum wages and canned dog food three times a week. As he gets older, he becomes more desparate.
Assuming he ever can manage to attain any respect at all in the industry, he HAS to keep producing blockbuster stories on a regular basis or it's back to the canned dog food for him.
And you would trust one of these wretches to represent your story in a manner that's not sensationalistic and negative? People don't want to read the fluff stories about someone who's life is kind of a bummer but he's finding happiness anyway. The journalist knows this.
Yes my friend, you should sooner trust Bill Gates with your immortal soul than trust a journalist.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
I'll come right out and say that my future in AO is shaky right now as a result of the slanderous and untrue article posted about me in the New York Times last Thursday.
/.
Who has their future in a game? The real reason we are reading this is because this guy plays computer games too much and it is sad and disturbing. It is not disturbing enough to be made into a movie, but good enough for a few rounds in
I've been trying to pretend like everything is alright, but I get this sinking feeling, a feeling like I'm going to be judged for my online time and it's totally sucked the fun out of the game for me.
That sinking feeling is him realizing that he has invested large amounts of his life in a game and that the game is only a game. Your time is a sunk cost (as economists term it) and you will be judged by individuals based on your actions. This is reality.
If he cannot be proud of what he invests his time in, he is hiding. It is like hiding under the covers as a child. There is no logic to it, it is all based upon your limited perception and desire to escape from reality. Children tend to grow up though.
As I understand it from theDeacon's response to this article, there is quite a bit of slander contained within Seth's writings. I don't know if anyone is thinking the same thing that I am, but this much slander would qualify as defimation of character. The article's author has commited libel.
Personally, if I were the subject of the article, I would bring a civil liberties suit up. This kind of article is a violation of the subject's civil rights.
The article points out how he is Sooo well known amongst a community of people. In that community he is looked up to, he helps people all that he can and nurtures and hopefully provides a shining example to those "beneath" him.
How is that different from a major sports figure?
For instance, I am only able to mention a tiny number of sports figures and most of those are from my youth, when I was into sports more then I am now.
Just because he plays an online game makes him no less famous then say, Linus Torvalds. Thedeacon is just famous within a very particular circle of people. It's just that simple a fact.
If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
Not saying I'm leaving, I just don't know what to do. If I quit, then he wins. I love my AO peeps, I love my Funcom, I enjoy AO, so why quit? I've never been a quitter.
Except that, he QUIT LIFE and surrendered to a video game.
I love video games. But I love them because I love life.
Someone who gives up on life and loves alcohol is a quitter. Just like this guy.
the anarchy quoted a php error, big deal.
http://www.vanillaafro.com - take me seriously and I will shoot you
Augusta is a JAP (jewish American Princess) by definition only. She is Jewish and very spoiled yet she has strikingly blonde hair and soft facial features. She is very petite with small hand and very tiny feet. Five foot tall with a proportional figure that fits her height and well shaped breasts which are small yet round and firm. She is also very pregnant. Her husband is off on another of his so called business trips leaving her to fend for herself this last month before the baby is expected. I dropped by one Saturday afternoon to check to see how she was doing and I must admit I found out. "Hi there, what brings you here?" "I came over to see if you were alright." "Fat, tired and sore, but other than that I'm okay." "You're about ready to have the baby aren't you?" "Yep, next month, and if he don't come out I am going to have a fit." "How do you know it's going to be a he?" "Oh I don't know." "Maybe it'll be a she and she be as beautiful as her mother." "Well right now I don't feel so pretty, I feel fat and my sides hurt. It hurts when I sit or lay down and it definitely hurts for me to walk." "Here this will help." "What are you doing?" "I'm going to massage your sides. They hurt because you aren't quite used to carrying all that weight around and it makes your muscles sore and this will make them feel better." "Oh God! that does feels good. Where did you learn that?" "I do have a few kids you know." "Yes and I'm sorry you and Toni split up. Do you see the kids at all?" "No, she has them in Ohio." I said massaging her sides. She fell silent to enjoy the massage I guess. I stood behind her chair with my hands rubbing her sides. Standing there looking down at her I could see her breasts through the loose open necked maternity top that she had on. I reached around cupping one small breast in each hand. "They aren't sore." "No but I bet they haven't been rubbed in a while either." "Please don't do that." "If you want me to stop, I'll stop if not I won't." I I said slowly rubbing her breasts in small circles, cupping them in the palm of each hand. "You better stop, it gets me excited." "I'm going to keep rubbing them until you are and then I am going to rub you all over." "You can't" "Why, you can't do it because of the baby?" "No, it's not that it's, well, it's complicated." "When was the last time you went to bed and had sex the way you wanted it?" "Don't, it's been a long time, almost two months." Then lean back and enjoy." She leaned back and closed eyes her eyes but she wasn't enjoying. I turned the chair around then knelt between her legs. I lifted her maternity top exposing her swollen stomach. I kissed her navel then teased it with my tongue. I leaned forward pulling up her maternity top and her bra. I took each nipple in my mouth and teased them until they stood straight out. As I licked and sucked them she reached behind her unsnaping her bra. Her skirt was and old skirt with a draw string sewn to it and the front cut out to make room for her swelling stomach. It didn't have the extra insert that you see with a maternity skirt to cover her stomach. Her panties came part way up but just barely managed to cover anything at all. I undid the little bow she had tied in the draw string then pulled the skirt down. "Stand up so I can pull them off." She got to her feet then I pulled off her skirt. I grasp the elastic waist band of her panties and pulled them down slowly. The hair on her pussy was damp and matted down but brilliantly blonde with an aroma that I couldn't resist. Before I got her panties to her ankles so she could step out of them I pressed my face to her crotch. I had to tilt my head back to get close to it but I reached my tongue into to taste the wetness of her snatch. She held onto my shoulders as she stepped out of her panties and skirt. I helped her unbutton her maternity top and bra leaving her very pregnant and very naked in front of me, exposing herself for desire a
From dictionary.com:
1. The crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse.
2. The act of seizing and carrying off by force; abduction.
3. Abusive or improper treatment; violation: a rape of justice.
from a sexual assault website:
You are the one needing a refresher course.
Sounds like you're the one who needs to get a clue. Common, you know that words can have multiple meanings and that a website about assault is likely to have only one of them.
OMG 1 KN0W T3H D34C0N B3TT3R TH@|v |-|3 KN0vv5 |-|1|v|53L|= B3CAUSE 1 @M T3|-| UBAR HACKAR TYPE D00D. come on guys, Please come to me for information. All the speculating is kinda funny and mostly wrong :p
Yeah, who the hell wouldn't be excited to be approached for an interview by the Times (this was BEFORE the jayson blair story broke btw)
While the guy was here, I played a bit of AO (please once more keep in mind that I work from my home office and a BIG perk of working at home is that while waiting for a customer to arrive, I can load up ao, grand theft auto, UT, watch a movie, etc and play during downtime. that's nothing to look down on, as I bet 99.9% of the human race wishes they could do the same. Please let's not kid ourselves here :D
I work for 9 hours a day with no lunch break, oh heavens forbid I play a game when I get a few seconds to catch my breath.
Oh yeah, regarding all the IT speculation stuff. Yes, I did not complete college, I went the cert route (net+, A+, MCP, etc etc etc). Back when I started out years ago, certs had a buttload more clout than they do now, which basically made college far less of an immediate concern.
These days, certs mean absolutely nothing. The tests are easy and everyone has them, so degrees are where it's at.....which is why I'm going back to school :p
Surely that's gotta make alot more sense now, right?
Yup, I didn't like the bankruptcy crap posted and yup I put down how much I (approximately) pulled in last year to counter attack the bankruptcy stuff. There's alot more to bankruptcy than "oh we didn't make any money", but I won't go into that here :D
You know what? Alot of shlashdotters just seem bitter to me. Many of you are so unhappy with your lives that you lash out at the nearest target in order to make yourselves feel better.
Last time I came here it was with the written form of a bag of nickels, busting everyone upside the head with the poorest grammar and most ghetto talk. Was that the real me? I'm much more calm now. Is this the real me? Ingame I talk about putting women's feet in my mouth (which is just so off the wall that you gotta laugh...OMG TEH FOOTNESS!) is that the real me?
The Times says I'm this depressed, lonely anti-social individual that withdrew from society to play AO.....buuuuut, I still hold down a job, have a wife and an active social life. Is that the real me?
You base your opinions on one facet of a person's personality instead of looking at the bigger picture. Really, for those speculating on who I am or what I'm like, get your heads out of your butts and think for yourself.
Has anyone even thought about contacting me instead of guessing? I mean um, wouldn't that be the logical thing to do? Not flaming here, but really....think about it :p
Meh, this is kinda cool actually. The Times article itself sucked major goat balls, but here I am getting flamed on slashdot (this site seems popular....how the fekk have i never heard of it? Oh..."news for nerds" :D j/k of course).
Heh, I think when it all comes down to it, I'm just a guy like everyone else. Nothing too spectacular, except for my enormous penis....really, it's enormous....stop laughing.
The Times is out there to sell newspapers. Im sure when the guy got here, he was expecting me to suck on severed feet and spank off to foot fetish videos. When he saw a working guy with a wife that likes to go out and party and doesn't really even have a foot fetish, he was probably pretty damn disappointed.
So he made some shit up, exaggerated, released info he overheard my wife and I talking about, etc.
Someone could actually do a story on him. The entire time he was here, he was sweating his AO game. "I really wish I could log in AO" times like a million. I finally got tired of his crying about Anarchy Online and let him log into his char from my comp.
Heh, from what he told me, the article was delayed a bit because......well, he did nothing but play AO....a
Arrest this man! Quick!! He is obviously a serial killer (or worse a terrorist) in the making! FBI!
I just read the stuff he wrote.
He is a wreck, he is totally falling apart. "What a lunatic" is right.
AO is his Prozac, just keep the IV loitering until the money is gone and you're really alone.
Man, this shit is hilarious.
Pal, you need to get away from the computer and smell real life. You truly are a first class lunatic and moron. I'm not surprised you were dumb enough to get screwed by the New York Times.
Hmmm... I don't see any libel in there. I'm not a player of online games, but I thought the article was somewhat sympathetic. A business bankruptcy isn't exactly private information. They're usually published in local newspapers and since they're filed in court, completely public information. It's not difficult to take *any* name and see if that person has filed. And as for not attending college, who cares? Lots of people don't attend, so why the hardcore whining? And for that matter, why does anyone care about this? It'll be a topic of discussion for players in their chatrooms for some time to come, but I don't think he realizes how little the rest of the public cares.
IAAL
Rule 1:
If you're ever arrested for anything say the following 4 words to the police and only the following 4 words: I want my lawyer.
Nothing else you say will help you, it will only hurt you.
Rule 2:
If a reporter wants to talk to you about anything only ever say the following 2 words: No comment.
Anything else you say can be twisted into making it sound like you said whatever that reporter wants.
I'll say Hillory seems like a bitch. If she takes offense to people calling her a bitch, it confirms this too.
God spoke to me
I too am a budding journalist, and I am aiming to be a journalist not because I want the money or the fame (because I know I won't get either), but I just enjoy the process of finding the truth behind a situation; like Woodward and Bernstein, except on an incredibly smaller scale.
Obviously, in this case, the journalist was clearly an asshat with conflict of interest, but like the parent comment said, 99.995% of journalists don't want to screw you over, they just want to tell the reader the story of something they might not necessarily know about.
I know it may be hard to trust journalists when bad seeds make headlines (Jayson Blair, this guy, Connie Chung), but can't you be reassured that a dishonest journalist is a hugely noticed exception rather than the rule?
I just don't get it when people I know point to some famous person and say "Oooh, he's so cool! I want to be famous too!". With the current media, if I suddenly became famous I'd dig a hole in the ground and hide there.
Of course he's upset. Who'd like having an article like that being written about them, and people in all countries discussing everything that was said about him. I think he should sue the journalist. If he doesn't have enough money he could get a paypal account, I'm pretty sure there are people who understand how disgusting that crap was and would be willing to help.
OMFG. GET. OVER. YOUR. SELF.
And while you're at it, take note of how your postings to your forums got a score of +5, while according to your posting history, I think that your best score has been what, a +1? I surf with a twit filter of +4, down from +5 since my husband surfs at +4 and we like to talk about what we read here. *GASP* you read correctly, not only am I *FEMALE* but I'm also married to one of the "nerds" that as you so eloquently put it need to "Move the fuck out of your mom's basement and grow a few pubes."
BTW, I asked him if he knew who Cowboy Neal was on our first date just to see if he was "nerdy" enough for me.
I'm sorry that you have issues with being comfortable with who you are and embracing your inner geek and even sorrier for your wife. Might I suggest some haldol and years of intensive therapy as a good place to start. You'll find the haldol to be much better than the "chill pills" you're trying to pass off on the rest of us.
You mean... an Internet troll was publicly flamed in a national newspaper?
Am I the only one that notices the irony and enjoys it?
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikk el?SearchID=73138713905032&Avis=WM&Dato=20030612&K ategori=ZNYT05&Lopenr=306120314&Ref=AR
/.
Warning: remember to remove any spaces in the URL inserted by
In my arrogent opinion the 'news' artical was writen as a dump on all gammers.
The target has a bad rep amoung some so the reporter must have figured he's be scum of the earth in real life.
But supprise. Just like any troll or such online in real life it's just a normal person with a hell of a lot to blow off and the internet is just the place to blow it off.
Trying to paint this guy as a loser has hurt him in some sereous ways. In as much that he's already having problems making a living now he is losing clients becouse the artical paints him as disfunctional and untrust worthy.
This reminds me of an "inteeview" with a hacker that consisted mostly of the reporters opinions. The few quotes didn't appear to support those comments eather. It's just reporting the populare stereotype as fact.
The same is happening here.
Just a convenent fiction reported as fact.
"All you gammers are moral rejects"
By publishing this the reporter is saying "This is your typical gammer".
I don't actually exist.
What could drive a reporter to shun their supposed "objectivity" and engage in such social denigration? Was it just making the NYT reader feel good about themselves? "Big" Schiesel appears to have been irked by Thedeacon's interpersonal power in AO, perhaps because a powerful in-game community standing is something which those in the physical world may never attain.
This lack of respect toward emerging cultures and communities is a sign of the irrelevance of the media establishment. A reporter would not be able to get very far with this kind of twisted prejudice toward any given creed, race, or religion. Schiesel's blunt attack on a person who merely loves a new form of expression cannot hide behind the thin moniker of journalism, a profession which the NYT has nearly defined (and certainly destroyed).
- JML
eeeerrrrggh.... ahh....
*PLOP*
aaaaahh....
It feels so good to take a shit on crapdot.
Just for the record: I speak for myself. Not my employer.
Now that I have said that, there's something more to say about being written about in the media.
I have never met a person who think that he / she was depicted 100% correctly in an article. As a writing journalist myself, I have some theories about this.
When a person writes an article, it's imperative that the article is neutral and fact based. The article about Thedeacon probably has an angle, a focus. This focus may differ from what the article subject thinks is the focus and lead to a different (usually negative) view on the article. Thedeacon said that the article is factual, but the composing makes him view the article as bogus. This does not meant that it is.
It is easier for Thedecaon to simply brush off the article as bogus than actually take a deeper look into himself from another persons angle.
Furthermore, I'd like to adress the myth about the Vendetta Reporter. Some persons think that the article in NYT is a personal attack on Thedeacon for being a success in the MUD scene, staged by the reporter. Why? Does anyone here seriously think that a professional reporter would have something against this person and merge it into an article? It is difficult to be 100% objective in writing, but most of the journalists view this as a goal. If you absolutely need to worry about something? Go worry about the media melting that is currently going on in the US.
As for the ON / OFF-record thingy: Unless a third person is taking notes, there's NO record. A journalist seeks the truth. Thedeacon told a lot of things that he claims were "off the record" but can't prove this. Furthermore, they were relevant for the article. Maybe the the journalist could have taken the "No, everything you tell me is on the record" stance, but I don't know if he did. Anyway, the golde rule is don't tell a journalist something you don't want the journalist to hear...
First of all, it would be "libel" if it is published in a written form. "Slander" entails _verbal_ communication. Second, truth is an affirmative defense for a charge of libel. What does that mean? It means that if what was said in the article was _provably true_, then it doesn't matter if there was any hostile or malicious intent on the part of the author. You cannot be fried for reporting fact. If "TheDeacon" has a foot fetish, and Joe Reporter reports that he has a foot fetish, whether or not he portrays that in a favorable or unfavorable light, it is _provably true_ and therefore is not libel. Third, being a private citizen is not a silver bullet to prevent libel. Yes, it is true that being a public citizen makes it nearly impossible to successfully sue for libel. That does _not_ mean that being a private citizen makes it _easy_ to successfully sue for libel. Someone else posted the three criteria for defining "libel" above, which must _all be met_, and which I encourage the reader to go back and review. I will concede that IANAL, but unless my memory core is getting seriously rusty these days, I know these preceding three points to be true nonetheless.
Lose the FUDstorm and pick up a a copy of the Reporter's Stylebook, Slashdot. And find a fucking dictionary while you're at it. It contains words and their _proper_ meanings.
I am Chaos. I am alive, and I tell you that you are Free. -Eris
For anybody that cares to know what "off the record" means:
If I am a politcian or a celebrity and I have many stories to give out over the years there is a relationship going on between the reporter and the clebrity. If I tell them something "off the record" and they would publish this they would loose all the future stories, because they destroyed the relationship and from then on they won't get any stories from that person. So usually they won't tell (maybe even the paper would take a hit so they won't print something "off the record").
A "one story person" on the other hand doesn't tell anybody "off the record" anything, because the reporter has nothing to loose. If someone can't keep their mouth shut... I am sorry.
Sidenote: That "relationship thing" between politicians and reporters hase some really bad effects considering reporting and nonreporting nowdays. Read about it elsewhere.
Only the government (or someone acting under the auspices of the government) can violate your civil liberties.
You did make the correct distinction between slander and libel (slander is spoken, libel is printed), but if the things written in the article were true (regardless of whether or not they were on or off the record), a libel suit would be difficult.
Honestly, I don't know why the NYT would run an article about some angry douchebag who plays video games and is sorely lacking in social interaction skills. Must have been a slow news day.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
He is a loser.
Talked to the press to make him feel c00l.
Tryed to make someone feel sorry for him.
What he told a reporter actually made it in the story.
Said loser is pissed that people now know he is a loser.
Said loser is pissed because the story is not written in a light that he would like.
Moron.
Ok i used to respect slashdot readers now I have no clue what to think You guys spend just as much fing time read and posting to this fing site as he plays games i play games, It is just about the only thing is do. Guess what, I'm happy. Im not some loser that has no jab. Shit i have to have a job to support my job habit. Yes it is a habbit, everyone has them. You either waste away you time working, wacthing mindless tv, doing arts and craft, being relgious (yes this is just as much a habit to some as crack is to others) I cant fing believe the stupidity of the people that responded to this article. Do i play AO? Hell fing no. I do play Sof2 and diablo2 and severale other online games that consume about as much time as you would be doing other things. i am one to agree with one quate of Thedeacon. The more your around people, the more you realize that people are idiots.
One could argue that a sloppy reporter is malicious, since it's their job to GET THE TRUTH.
There are four boxes used in defense of liberty: soap, ballot, jury, ammo. Use in that order.
As somebody who lives in Madison I had to laugh when he wrote that about the east side. Quite affluent? Hmm, maybe he was thinking of the west side. The city breaks down like this:
Far west side & suburbs: well to do, families, soccer mom's, that sort of scene.
Downtown: Lots of college kids and young working people. And the ladies are hot.
Near east side: Starting to leave any area of affluency, but at least the people there are cool about it. Hippies (both burnt out and still going), hipsters, generally a funky area of town.
Farther east (where he says he is from): One of the two seedy areas of town, the other being the south side. Most buildings (with the notable exception of the mall) are run down. Not a lot of development, as opposed to downtown and the west side where there is a lot. If there are blue collar places to work in this city, this is where you go. Hell, you can find the headquarters of Oscar Mayer on the east side. There's one major factory, and there are plenty more around it. This is where you go if you live in Madison but can't afford to live closer to downtown or on the West side.
Anyway, all i meant to say is that, perhaps he meant the *West* side of madison is affluent and white collar, and the *East* side is visibly poor and blue collar.
It seems to me that the article may have been written to play on society's existing perceptions of what a computer gamer is. You even mention that stereotype on one of your posts at another board. Something to the effect that watching X number of hours of television is ok, but using the same number of hours at a computer seems to turn you into a loser. I agree, that's a double-standard and it's wrong.
Let's take a look at your posts on slashdot though. I see a similar theme with your characterization of slashdot readers. No, I don't spend all day reading the message boards. In fact, I'm an ASIC designer/verification engineer for Hewlett-Packard. I too leave applications open for "downtime" when I can take a break and scan the boards. I understand you're angry with the results of the article, but then you lash out at slashdot readers for commenting.
Let's look at that now. What information did the readers have access to? As far as I know, unless they played AO, all they knew about was the article. Are you going to question their judgement if that was their only source of information? Then you jump on slashdot and assault the posters for not being endowed with the psychic ability to know the ins-and-outs of your personal life. Instead of ranting, perhaps you should have posted a well-thought out response that laid out the situation in detail; similar to the letter to the NYT editor you posted on another board. However, you decided to bash the posters, resorting to the stereotypes associated with "nerds" and "geeks" from a high school era, even claiming that you beat them up then and socially reject them now. Remind me to tell you to never consider a career in politics.
Your post above seems to be a poor attempt to cover up the extremes you exhibited in your first post. I have dealt with people in life who feel they can make whatever negative comments they like and get away with it by smiling or giggling after they say it. I get that impression with all your attempts at smileys "j/k of course" type statements. That only works for the the very naive. I am not naive, and I would wager a great deal of money that a large number of slashdot readers are not that naive either.It makes us believe that you have not changed your perceptions, and are simply trying to save face.
I'm also a little suspicious of your posts here as compared to other boards. The other boards' messages seem fairly well thoguht out (though lacking in specific detail and are repetitive). Here, you've shown a level on par with the fourth-grade spelling and grammar you accuse the article's author of. So, are these messages on the other boards your own work, or were they written by your wife or someone else for you to bolster the image you wanted to portray (that of a calm, intelligent, and articulate individual who was horribly wronged). I have to say, the fact that you submitted to your anger when you posted here is strong evidence they were written on your behalf, and the posts here are a more accurate reflection of your personality.
I hope you'll also take note that I did not resort to name-calling or throwing insults as part of this post. That is how reasonable people go about discussing a subject.
P.S. Yes, I run Linux. Yes, I take pride in being knowledgable about computers and how they operate. "Geek" and "nerd" are just labels society has placed on people that share my interests. I have no more control over those labels than you had over the content of the article. Simply because I'm not walking around with a picket sign protesting the use of those names does not mean I have less worth as a human being.
Isn't a declaration of bankruptcy in the public record?
Rape isn't all about sexual assult.
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=raped
3. Abusive or improper treatment; violation: a rape of justice.
3. To plunder or pillage.
So, did he feel raped, yes.
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive
Let's correlate Thedeacon with a mildly famous musician...
This musician wants to have a record made with his/her music in it. This musician is typically personally charged for all time in the recording studio, which is VERY similar to Thedeacon having to pay a monthly fee to be his larger then liafe self in Anarchy Online.
By his actions, he has made himself someone that is famous, with his posts to all the newsgroups he has made himself well known, with his endless assistance that he has provided to others, he has become publicly known.
Even if that public is a particularly small one that is a "limited" membership, only in that you have to pay each month to be a member.
Now, he has taken the next step to shower in the "fame" he has built in AO. He allowed himself to be interviewed.
He has done MUCH to be viewed as a public figure. Although none of that condones the showing of his dirty laundry, he should have kept that information entirely to himself if he didn't want that in the story.
Personally, I think it sucks that happened to him. However, he also brought it upon himself.
If you ignore the other uses of a tool, does that make the tool less useful, or you less useful?
The more your around people, the more you realize that people are idiots.
Your stunning grasp of the English language certainly proves your moral superiority to the rest of us "idiots."
This message brought to you by the Council of People Who Are Sick of Seeing More People.
We need to make sure you have paid your taxes. I have just reported you for possible evasion of taxes.
Back when I ran a business I used to get contacted a lot by reporters for comments on Internet-related news. I eventually got so frustrated with having them incorrectly paraphrase what I said inside quote marks that I gave up on it. Well, more accurately, I started telling them that I would only agree to the interview if they would give me a chance to review whatever they were going to attribute to me and surround with quote marks (IOW, they could still say things like 'bafu says that spam is ...' without running it by me for accuracy, but not 'bafu says, "Spam is ..."'). The difference being that most folks assume that if something is attributed to someone, in quote marks, then it is an actual quote, and not just some reporter paraphrasing you incorrectly. Hell, I didn't even care if they paraphrased me inside quote marks, as long as the new version was something I agreed with. Of course, they wouldn't agree (I hadn't expected they would), but after repeating the process enough times, with different organizations, I was eventually spared interviews. That was fine with me... I was tired of being quoted saying things that I would never say. ;-)
God damned weasel..