Am I a whining bitch?

right ..... the glove is firmly thrown down ... *snatches it up* mississippi ... you HAVE riled me ... finally ... and it takes a bloody lot to achieve that so congratulate yourself ... i consider myself to be a tolerant and humorous person and very easy going ... HOWEVER ... your comments whilst often funny do sometimes verge on the personal and insulting ... this is Not Good Enough ... you seem to be intent on thrusting your narrow minded opinions onto everyone ... this position of anti-intellectualism is exceedingly annoying .. if not utterly TEDIOUS ... it is all very well saying you didnt mean it ... and you thought nobody took you seriously ... BUT your comments are too barbed sometimes ... it is easy to say sorry ... it is cowardly to retract as soon as you are challenged ... if you would care to take my advice ... THINK before you post ...

errrrr...can you put me down as a don't know? i don't really think that you are a whining bitch, but personally i do not like to see expressions of thought met with insults and no substance - it is the worst kind of inverted snobbery i think it's wrong to assume that every message that isn't "funny" betrays a wannabe successful writer taking him or herself too seriously. there is no reason why people should not be, or should not try to be, passionate, serious and intelligent about their hobby or anything else my view, which you asked for, is that rudeness alone rarely passes as wit. be funny, be argumentative, don't be rude

Be patient Ivy, I'm having trouble with my computer. I think it's voting against me!

I'd have to agree with robert and ivory: whilst you very often make me laugh out loud, I think you could be a bit more subtle sometimes. But it has to be said, the message boards wouldn't be the same without you!

im a definite yes to that maybe whining bitch was a bit too much, but i am a tolerant person, so you must take the ignorance and stuff too far to rile me.

Yep....I'll go along with that too. You are funny, and amusing..but occasionally, you just seem to enjoy twisting the knife, for no apparent reason. For instance....out of all the writers I know, I am the least likely to think that I'm any good. I constantly agonise about what I write, and am so far away from conceited, its untrue. If certain people tell me that what I write is @!#$, I believe them. Its normal, most writers feel that way. And so, the Pedestal thread started, in one form or another from me questioning whether I should post my work to a place that has some pretty stringent terms and conditions. Isnt that my right? I never said l was better than anyone..but there are some vitriolic and humourless people here that seem to think I set myself up for a fall. Good job Im thick skinned, or Id've been really hurt by the bitching. I have been published, and continue to be published. Doesnt mean Im brilliant - Im not. Theres a ton of @!#$ published. But, I wish to reserve the right to have my stuff published, and dont want anyone except ME deciding the terms and conditions. If others dont mind that, then fine, thats their prerogative, as this is mine. Now, to the rub. Eddie (what a truly fine writer he is) started the: Liana and the Pedestal of Doom story.... And amusing it is too....to those who dont take it seriously...its not supposed to be true, its a joke!?!?!? Odd people here, just dont seem to get the point. You wade in with the typical "pandering to Lianas constellation sized ego" type posting. What you wrote, isnt even amusing..its catty, and it just misses the mark. Shrug. And I'm extremely tolerant, l love a joke..but....l dunno.It has a hint of the person who thinks of the unkindest thing they can say, and then acts surprised when people are upset, and crows "but it was only a joke!!!" Just my two pennorth. Im SURE I'll be attacked for this too, so I leave it open. And yes...the Wheres Liana thread started, cos I lost interest in the constant carping and bitching on the list. It stopped being funny. So I didnt bother calling in again, until a frind pointed out what had happened, and I had to take a look. I'm not all that, and I never said I was.

On reflection Mississ I didnt mean that to sound so attacking, so I am sorry for that..... But you asked....? Liana

I think football cliches could be a whole seperate thread eh Merseysippi? - OR SHOULD I SAY RON ATKINSON!!!!!! *he says tearing off the mask and letting a crowd scene develop at the back stick*

Andrea diligently weaves baskets...

oooOOOHHH! follow that! *enters stage left waving white hanky* As a new member to abc I have been entertained, enlightened, inspired in pain laughing...and sometimes a little in awe by the superb quality of work submitted by it's members. I also get the feeling that there is a genuine respect for each others work, this has not been my experience in some other writers sites I have visited, and I am encouraged by this to write with a view to submitting some work. I have to agree that Missi's posting's can be a tad caustic sometimes, but hey we are all adults (aren't we) and as such shouldn't we be tolerant of the multivarious personalities that will visit such a popular web site? On a positive note Missi's postings do demand an interactive response... *exit's stage right*

Hmm. I don't think this is supposed to be a football website, as much fun as it is. So, on a more broad theme Have you ever, to increase your chances with someone you particularly like, pretended to them that, like them, you didn't like something you actually do (i.e football, a favourite band, embarassing TV show etc) Or we could all just talk about Missisippi until he comes out and bites one of us, What's-The-Time-Mister-Wolf Style.

Well how sad. IFB - you encouraged Mrs Hip more than anyone. Liana - I believe - correct me if I am wrong - that others attacked you and mrsbloodywhatever just created mischief. So far as I am concerned mississippi is definately a bitch but not necessarily a whinger. Yes, he is caustic. Yes, he can hurt. But, we are all different and probably a cross section of society. Sometimes he says things we all think but dare not type ourselves. When that occurs you think "good ole mississippi". But, when you are the target it tends to be "what a bastard!" Mississippi has been caustic to me at times. When I feel my point is valid I fire back - and he shuts up. Other times - I just ignore him and he goes away. Surely the best way forward is to ignore posts that upset you and let the author die by their own sword. Certainly there have been posts that make me fume. But, generally, I have not risen to the bait and others have done the deed for me. If you did not respond then Mississippi would not get the airtime he does. But you do. So you must live with that. When all is said and done, this forum would be a sadder place without him. ~stormy who has no axe to grind one way or another~

Cousin Hilda’s Cousin Hildy Lou I’ve noticed that Finn’s opened a Tea Shop on the banks of the Mississippi called Pa Hucks. It’s nothing like Ta Chucks. All they serve is BULL. Aw, Shucks, Finn sucks! ps can I borrow your white stillettos, Hilda?

Anybody lend me a quid to buy a tin hat?

me

*crocheting doilies while praying for the end of the footy season* nope

if only

stormy, I think that there is some force in some (not all) of what you say, and it certainly caused me to reflect on my own contribution to this thread. i think that i would be more forgiving if M’s messages had some variety. as it is i think he comes across as a bit of a coward - always ready to snipe but never putting himself in anyone else's firing range (forgive the chronic extended metaphor please, it is very late...). so M, a challenge for you: tell us your favourite book, poem, or writer, be serious about it, tell us what’s so good, and don’t be brief!

Thanks, Robert. Very well put, as was your earlier posting on this thread. This Mississippi is probably a nice guy, but whenever anyone says anything even remotely serious it's shot down with remarks like: "Dirty undies, have we?" or "Married twice? You must be a naughty girl!" to quote two that have been thrown at me. I just wonder how many retiring types have been put off posting on this discussion group for fear they may engender similar nudge-nudge wink-wink responses.

Isn't self regulation a wonderful thing? We need not participate from Mission Control on this one - just let it be said that we love you all.

an interesting exercise in group dynamics ....

...and hoping her baskets will be large enough to comfortably contain all of her fellow footie-fanatic Talers... Me neither. (Andrea, who spells her name Andrea 'cos that's wot it sez on her birf cert.)

I was just trying to change the subject - the arts and crafts work of female posters suggesting that they weren't enjoying themselves. Anyway, I have been asked by Mississippi to give his farewell to the site (at least for the foreseeable future). He does apologise to those who he has unintentionally upset and says that he didn't mean to imply that none of the work here was any good, rather that as a non-writer, he simply wasn't in a position to judge. This is not an unreserved apology on his behalf - after all, I was never on the receiving end of one of his attacks, so am in no position to speak for anyone but myself. I do think it is a shame the way things have turned out. I am all in favour of lively debate and disagreements, but once or twice on this site such matters have become very personal. I think that closes this thread down.

Undoubtedly you are. And one only has to read your original posting in this thread to realise that you thoroughly enjoy it. In one breath you say you didnot mean to upset anyone and yet you continue to do so by telling people that they take themselves and their writing too seriously. Do you not have anything you take seriously and should you be condemned for that? Why shouldn't people take some aspect of themselves seriously? God forbid that people who see everything as a big joke should hold sway over the rest of us. You have a big gob Missetc and it's a great pity that your parent/s did not instruct you in the art of biting your tongue before you hurt someones feelings with you 'witty' and insensitive remarks. I notice that whenever there is an interesting discussion of some sort you come along, put your oar in and turn the discussion round to you. For example see the topic started by Ivy on whether or not to rhyme. There were some very pertinent and interesting comments on this thread, but there right in the middle were you miss.etc turning it round to yourself again. Get off it miss.etc. Why not try and use your skills and intelligence to benefit this abc community. Constructive comment can be really helpful, facile, purile denigration is destrucive and not worthy of anyone.

If you are, you're a brave one. Not many people would have directly asked people's opinions of them. I think my overall opinion is that you can stretch a joke too far - some of your postings have been very amusing, but I think a few weeks ago you also had some serious points as well - the blend worked better then. There's nothing wrong with pricking pomposity where you find it, but it is a bit harsh to assume that when anyone wants to discuss something serious that they are full of self-importance. You can take your writing seriously without taking yourself seriously as 'a writer' - if you didn't care about it, it wouldn't be any good. And let's be honest - the first blazing row on this site was essentially a misunderstanding - Liana was raising a point about the terms and conditions and others thought she was bragging. And although Carly has irritated me a little, when I look at what she was actually doing, she only wanted to know what people thought of her work, which is why we are all here. The way she went about it may have chafed, but she wasn't recommending we all sacrifice orphans to her or anything...

I like sacrificing orphans.

Werent they top ten in the 70's with "Irony Bypass blues"?

No ..... they had a hit with "Humourless Child"

oh dear .... i thought it was "wanna be in my gang" .... really i confess i know next to nothing about music ....

so missis .. er.. is that a yes or a no then?

Well missis you haven't pissed me off yet, but then I don't piss easily .. Ask my catheter fitter who knows about these things. Having said that it is my first time of bantering with you all. I was going to read and vote on a whole load of stories on this glorious afternoon off work, but I sort of stumbled into here got side tracked and have to say whoo this is soo much more fun.

Hello Tony. I haven't had this much fun since I had my ingrowing toe off. Actually that's a lie, I've never had an ingrowing toe, it was a finger. I love this plac, and the people in it.

Well Damn Andrew, and here's me with a nine year old to donate to the sacrificial Orphan fund. I assume that in deserving cases such as mine the term 'orphan' can be used loosely?

well hey sooz ... you seem like a feisty wench ... good to have you among us ...

Except to say: Ron Atkinson, my arse!

:O)

And I'll second that}:o>

I like feisty wenches. - didn't they top the charts with something ? -

Well for what it's worth I think you are a whining bitch, but then if you will spend so much time in Battersea dogs home it's to be expected! On the other hand I'd sooner have a whinger than a big head, and there are quite a few here aren't there?

scrreaming.net eh Finn? Thats one and the same as world online isnt it? Your identity gets clearer..... hows that bulletproof vest coming on?

blimey! bring in the forensic handwriting experts! * dashes off to inspect finn's poetry*

Check out Hitch and Lucy Lastic while you're there. Easy to spot .... he/she/it has 'sub editor' tatooed on the nape of the neck.

"I'd sooner have a whinger than a big head, and there are quite a few here aren't there?" Definitely something FISHY - hrmmm... FINN?

Is there a verdict or not Mississipi ? Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know whatcha got till it's gone ?

Thank you all for being patient, I've had my computer in bits for a day or two trying to fix a gremlin! It turned out to be a couple of irate talers from the colonies but they have now gone home! As Andrew would I have no doubt, readily agree, before the verdict is announced it's only fair that the defence should be allowed an opportunity to answer some of the accusations made against the defendant. Firstly there are two accusations of cowardice, these are patent rubbish as illustrated by my putting myself in, as one critic put it, 'anyone else's firing range'. There are a lot of things I may be, but a coward? No sir, innocent! Secondly I am not anti-intellectual at all, I just feel obliged to take the piss out of a few pompous pseudo- intellectuals that think they are being superior by talking crap with their heads in the clouds (one or two have them up their backsides). It seems to me that these people who invariably hide behind aliases (something I have never done; no I am NOT Finn , you all got that wrong!) take swipes at other users without having the guts to identify themselves, they and not I are the real cowards. Thirdly there is the question of misunderstanding my intention or meaning. This has occurred a few times, the most obvious being Liana's feeling that I was being nasty about her in the Pedestal thread. I was really embarrassed about that because it was meant to be a part of the fiction of the thread, she herself said it was meant to be a joke and not to be taken seriously, then she gets off her bike, perhaps she should learn to accept people taking the piss, no one has endured more in their life than I have and in the main I laugh along with the piss-takers. So, what do I agree I may be guilty of? Well, I suppose I have at times, been a bit over the top, although I don't feel I have been intentionally rude (oh alright, perhaps I was a couple of times). I may have been a little derisory about some peoples seriousness but mainly I thought I was directing my scorn on the few patronising prats that think they are far too intelligent for the rest of us, they know who they are. So do I! Perhaps I have been a bit persistent and maybe a bit arrogant at times, I do see these faults in myself from time to time. I know it's no defence, but I am a very spontaneous person (due in part to having two Italian grandparents!) and sometimes I do speak before I think. So what is the verdict? Well there appears to be eight definite votes for me being a whinger and four against, there was also three supporting e-mails making a total of seven in my favour (as the e-mails were sent to me privately I feel obliged to maintain the senders anonymity, and I hope you will trust me on the count). So by a majority of one it appears that I am guilty as charged. (hangs his head in shame) As it was my fellow contributors that judged me I think it only right that they should finish the job and sentance me also. Perhaps you would be so kind as to make the sentance swift as I can't take the suspense. PS. Just one more thing before I go. After a particular user had a go at me within the last two weeks I couldn't help noticing that there was a frantic twenty-four hours of activity during which one of my submissions was read an unprecedented ten times and subsequently had it's rating of four stars by nine readers reduced to three stars by fourteen readers. What a coincidence! As it happens I couldn't care less, it says more about the person responsible than it ever could about me or my lousy poems! For the record I don't know anybody personally on this site, I have resisted the temptation to vote for others work as I'm not sure I'm qualified to do so, and there is no mutual admiration society at work in my house! And finally, I don't care what anybody thinks of my poetry, it was written for myself and I feel comfortable with it, OK it aint Shakespeare, but nothing I've read here is either! I posted it purely so that I could at least take part in the discussions without being accused of hiding anything I may have written from scrutiny. I don't mind criticism but one person in particular seems to think they are some kind of literary expert and they are wrong; I've looked at their work also, it's no better or worse than anybody else's!

Huck Finn used to ride about on the Mississippi, didn't he?

Hi Mississippi, The jury may be out. You say that there is a majority of one to the vote against you, not any longer. I vote on your behalf, therefore there is a tie as to whether you are a whinger or not. Sorry to muck up the count but there you go, democracy at its best. Perhaps there could be that last flurry of activity as is the way in any election. AJ :>)

Missi..this is so sad... sad in the fact that its so long, to spell out a defence you dont have to make really...many people made it for you already. we've all missed you, and we can forgive the odd caustic comment. I dont think that really you're a bitch...just as I'm not a person who cannot take having the piss taken out of me..actually, I thoroughly enjoy it when its done in a witty manner. You are putting quite a good case for your defence, until you spill over into: OK it aint Shakespeare, but nothing I've read here is either! or: I've looked at their work also, it's no better or worse than anybody else's! Thats the stuff that makes you a bitch, it just isnt funny, nor thought provoking..you know? Its just defensive rubbish. I know how it is to feel defensive when attacked, gawd, I've seen it enough and felt it enough. Just one last thing..... <> I know who you are talking about here..and I will admit that this person is, in fact, a great friend of mine, and it just happens that he does have a brain the size of a planet, but he is awfully sweet and kind too...and would never deliberately pontificate to belittle anyone. Come on back in, we've been less rich without you.... Having Italian grandparents aint no excuse, I've an Italian father :o) (hey - where d'you think the stoopid name came from) Hrrm...and heres me saying that your mail was so long..look at mine!! :o) Can we kiss and make up? Liana

you're right you know :o)

you might as well name me, missi. i don't really hide behind pseudonyms, because as everyone knows, you can tell roughly who people are by looking at the server they post from. it's hardly rocket science. perhaps, then, something to do with the science of humour, which may have dunced you in the first term. and i've never read your work (nor do i have much compunction to after reading your forum posts), even to give it one star or whatever. yes i have had the honour of being targeted by anonymous users like you, but i couldn't give a toss. i haven't checked my entries for a few weeks, but if i did, i might have the *shock* of finding all of them down to one star after 450 votes.