Posts by Timothy Morgan38

silverviper44 said:I’d say Michael Lee4 is about 80% an incredibly good moderator, but he falls into that other 20%—the kind that carries enough weight to tip the scales against the majority.

Michael Lee4, if you don't plan on drastically cutting down that 20%, you might as well just resign. The issue lies with you and how you treat people; you aren't treating everyone the same, and a moderator is supposed to be NEUTRAL AND FAIR.

Of course, some level of tolerance is necessary since we're all just human beings here.

Look, you have to try being a moderator for at least five days before you realize what an impossible mission this actually is...

Because you can't treat everyone the same. You can't handle someone with 5,000 posts who has been here for years acting out and causing trouble the exact same way you handle some new guy with two posts who's already making a mess...

It's just like real life... in any workplace, there's a lot more leeway given to the veterans than to the fresh hires... and that's just how it goes. Reputation is earned through seniority...

Dennis Carter9 said:Look man, whatever you think you see, fine... but when people drink, they actually say what they're thinking.🙂

👍👍👍

I agree...

Look, man, your fingers are flying across that keyboard like they've lost all sense of rhythm... I honestly thought maybe you grabbed a drink just to steady your hands...😁

Dennis Carter9 said:And isn't it more important to just say you want democracy to win... right?

Looks like someone’s had a few too many drinks... 👍

Celebrating your 1,000th post???

coppernomad28 said:What happened to you is pretty much identical to how Stinger operates. I accidentally tried quoting a post with an image once and, bam, instant strike. No warning, no nothing (I had zero clue it was such a sin).
It’s not even a big deal if someone hands out a strike. If they’d just come up to me and said, "Hey, I'm giving you a strike because of this..." I would've just told them, "Sorry, didn't know. My bad." amen.

Yeah, man, but try seeing things from his perspective for a second... when you have to spend your entire day deleting and editing posts because of a stray image quote, or repeating the exact same thing a hundred times over... it gets incredibly irritating. It becomes exhausting...

And it's even worse when the same group of people keeps saying the same things constantly... at that point, even the stones would start crying...

coppernomad28 said:We all have our issues to deal with because, at the end of the day, we're just human beings.😬

Personally, I don't think a moderator even needs to step in and penalize users like CJ7, because honestly, he’s more than capable of embarrassing himself and shooting himself in the foot.

And back in the day, I actually asked Mr. Stinger why it was such a massive ordeal when someone accidentally posts a quote containing an image. Is it a storage capacity issue? A server bandwidth thing? The answer was just that it had nothing to do with that, and then... nothing. No further explanation. Just silence.

Come on, guys, let's not start a war here... just follow the forum rules and you won't get banned—it's that simple!

Here’s a quick example of why I actually got banned on a different subreddit. Compare that situation to this one and decide for yourself if the moderator here is really such a villain or not...

A doctor should be what a doctor ought to be... calm, composed, and most importantly, they actually LISTEN to what you say and want to explain everything you're curious about...

Basically, I got flagged because I used CAPS LOCK to emphasize a point that was crucial—the very thing people on that subreddit complain about most: being ignored when they talk about their issues...

I emphasize something in CAPS LOCK and suddenly I'm banned... There wasn't any tension in the thread, no fighting, nothing... In fact, the tone was totally peaceful, just someone asking for advice on which specialist to see...

That is what you call lazy moderation—where they don't even try to understand the context of what's being said... If you want a car forum moderated by people who just hand out bans without reading a single word, but will snap at you for forgetting a capital letter—then BE MY GUEST!!!!!

As for the other "issue" mentioned, I won't comment, as I'd rather not seem biased...

My vote in the poll is: NO - STINGER IS A GOOD MODERATOR

Anthony Bailey said:is
😳
if you're a fan of thrillers, you'll probably dig this one...
I loved how it opened—just the sound of thunder and pouring rain right as the logo hits. Really sets the mood for this kind of flick...

The movie was okay if you just have some time to kill... but it didn't really do anything for me...

There are a few moments where it tries way too hard to be deep, and honestly, that was enough to ruin the whole experience for me...

But hey, an idea is an idea, I guess...

Nancy Gomez4 said:femmelatin, just tell me straight—does psychotherapy actually work? I’d love to try something like that, but I really don't want to be throwing my money down the drain if there's no actual payoff. Honestly, I've hit a point where my problems are just too much to handle alone. I'm basically falling apart at the seams.

My advice? Spend more time on yourself and get out more... It would be great to have that one person you can truly open up to, someone you can just lean on and cry on your shoulder...

If you ask me, there isn't a better therapy than being able to talk honestly and without hesitation to a friend—someone you know will listen, someone you can weep in front of without any sense of shame...

In many cases, tears and kind words help way more than antidepressants or sitting in a therapist's office...

But ultimately, the call is yours. Just realize that admitting you need help is already a massive step forward...

Amanda Garcia25 said:I can honestly say I don't give a damn what society thinks about my disorder or whether the rest of the white world finds it acceptable... I go to therapy and I take my meds because they work, and because I feel better.
But then... today I walk into a doctor's office—a woman who is seeing me for the first time ever, someone who hasn't even uttered a single word to me yet. She reads over my file and the psychiatrist's notes, which clearly state things like "patient is experiencing blah blah blah... due to trauma blah blah... sexual assault blah blah..." Instead of just writing my medical excuse, she rolls her eyes and starts lecturing me: "I have two sons and... you know, sometimes girls just send the wrong message by dressing provocatively..." And she just kept going and going until she realized I was fuming.
And now I’m sitting here thinking... she's a woman. You'd expect a little more empathy, wouldn't you? Maybe a bit of shared perspective? Plus, she's a doctor; she should know exactly what people go through after a trauma... Even if she holds the incredibly obvious view that girls who experience stuff like this are somehow to blame, she could just shut up. Instead, she chose to say things that were absolutely nauseating and disgusting.
I guess I was being naive for not realizing how risky the situation was getting. I'm on antidepressants, which reflects my mental instability, and she thinks I'm a lost cause just because I actually sought help.
It isn't that easy to just brush off other people's opinions simply because we think they aren't worth listening to. Because if a professional whose entire job revolves around patients—regardless of who they are—has a negative opinion of someone with a mental health condition, then imagine what those who aren't even remotely informed think about these "minor" disorders.
I have a friend who thinks I have some form of psychosis, when really, I just have panic disorder. And yeah, when she gets angry, she snaps that I'm "unhinged" or "crazy."
And honestly, it bothers me because those things aren't even in the same league.

The only thing I can tell you is this: find a new doctor and don't look back.

I don't even know what to say to what you wrote... but it sounds like that person is definitely in the wrong profession... honestly, she'd be better off herding sheep in the Rockies.

The term "person with a mental illness" is a perfectly valid and correct way to describe what you mentioned as that psychiatrist's supposedly scandalous statement.
I think you might be having trouble accepting your own situation.
Mental health disorders (depression, personality disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, ADHD...) are nothing more than brain dysfunction—specifically, pathological neurotransmission. There are medications for it, and there is psychotherapy.
The fact that in America we still look at someone going to therapy or, heaven forbid, taking medication, with such distance is just a symptom of the backward, primitive, rural... one word for it: small-town mentality held by most Americans.

👍

That is exactly what I was trying to explain, but apparently, egos are too massive to realize that solving "society's big problems" always has to start with individuals tackling their own small ones...

Because you can't clean the trash off your neighbor's porch if you haven't cleaned your own... well, you *can*, but what kind of message does that send? What does it say about you as a person? That you want to change everything around you, but wouldn't dream of changing yourself...

Matthew Williams47 said:well, that's exactly what I'm doing!!🙂

But honestly, I’m kind of freaking out because I heard that swimming in freezing water can actually make you sterile!?

Yeah, if you’re blasting your junk with ice-cold water for long stretches of time...

The reproductive area—and the urinary system in general—doesn't exactly love extreme temperature swings...

But just your standard hot-and-cold shower shouldn't do anything at all, provided you use common sense about how you handle it...

Basically, don't go exposing everything to freezing or scalding water for too long, and I don't think you'll have any issues...

stormyjackal46 said:Alright, here’s the situation. For about six months now, I’ve been dealing with these recurring headaches. They’re unpredictable—sometimes they linger for a few days, then vanish for a bit, only to come back as this nagging pressure on the back right side of my head. Back in the summer, I took a hit to the head that wasn't even that hard, but it messed up my cervical spine, and my carotid Doppler results came back looking pretty bad too. My field of vision took a hit as well, so I had to get glasses, but the headaches still pop up at least twice a week. Lately, though, things have taken a weird turn. Over the last month and a half, I’ve been constantly smelling blood in my nasal passages, and for the past couple of weeks, I’ve actually started tasting blood in the back of my throat. My doctor ordered an MRI, which honestly terrifies me because my claustrophobia is no joke, but this smell and taste have me genuinely worried. To be clear, I’ve never had a nosebleed in my life, though I have dealt with frequent bouts of strep and throat infections over the last three years. Is there any actual connection between all these symptoms? What could this smell and taste even signify? If anyone has any insight, I’d really appreciate it.

Have you tried coughing up or spitting out some mucus right when you notice that taste?

It might not even be actual blood...

In any case, I wouldn't mess around with this. I’d definitely head to the doctor and see if they’ll send you to an ENT to figure out what's going on...

Melissa James70 said:No, those are two distinct—as you would put it—diagnoses. I didn't just make this up.
People with mental health disorders are held accountable for their actions, contrary to what you seem to think.
In an American courtroom, if you actually suffer from a mental disorder, you might be able to argue insanity defense (but if you're just stressed out, jittery, or afraid of heights or snakes? No luck there.)

You aren't actually reading my posts (or maybe you believe anyone who gets nervous or stressed is "mentally ill")...
And I am saying it for the third time: there is absolutely no shame in either condition, but we really shouldn't be mixing apples and oranges here.

I'm done arguing with you. But fine, since you're so insistent—yes, you're right and I'm wrong. 😉

No, no, I don't think so. On the contrary, I view it as an illness, just like any other...

What I’m trying to say—or rather, ask you—is this: what is your point in bashing a society that misjudges people with mental health struggles, when you are clearly part of that very same judgmental society?

It isn't about who is "right" or "wrong" in this debate... it's just that I find it baffling how you can criticize the system while simultaneously thinking exactly like it...

My point is simply this: mental health issues shouldn't be viewed as a source of shame, but as a misfortune that happened to you... that's all...

Once you start looking at it that way, you won't care nearly as much about what "society" thinks...

Melissa James70 said:Political correctness is just saying "someone with a mental health condition" instead of calling them a "lunatic."

Claiming that anyone seeing a therapist is a "mentally ill person" isn't about political correctness... it’s simply wrong.

For instance, someone who stutters—which is a psychological condition—is indeed a person with a mental health condition.
Someone hearing voices telling them to kill their mother is also a person with a mental health condition.

There are very clear medical and legal distinctions here. You can't—and shouldn't—strip the first person of their professional rights or lock them up in a psychiatric ward. But you absolutely can with the second.

The issue arises when society treats the first person seeking psychotherapy as if they were the second type.

Like I said, neither situation is shameful, but why on earth would we insist on conflating them?...

Honestly, I think you're digging yourself into a hole you won't be able to climb out of...

So, according to you, "someone struggling with alcohol" isn't the same thing as being an "alcoholic"?

And I'll say it again: the problem lies with you, because you've become part of the very society you claim to judge...

Because in your eyes, terms like "alcoholic," "mentally ill," or "intellectually disabled" carry this heavy negative weight, implying the person is somehow "lower tier" or worthless...

From where I'm sitting, "a person with a mental health condition" is the socially acceptable label, while "a mentally ill person" is treated like a diagnosis you have to hide or feel ashamed of...

But once you realize that rhetoric is one thing and reality is another, you'll see it all boils down to the fact that these are people who just need help

The fact that there are more synonyms for the same thing, and that some are stubbornly tied to negative contexts, is nothing more than societal immaturity...

Because believe me, a "person with heart issues" is a "heart patient"...

And you have to understand that we are talking about illness, not some socially unacceptable behavior that warrants shame...

Most "lunatics" are responsible for their own state anyway...

Melissa James70 said:I’m not looking to dive into specific clinical diagnoses, neuroses, or anything like that on this thread. I want to talk about how our society views it all.
About six months ago, stress hit me hard enough to cause some serious physical health issues. Once things settled down, I decided to start psychotherapy just to learn how to handle stress better. I don't have a diagnosis, I'm not on medication—I just see a therapist once a week. To me, it feels like taking responsibility for my own emotional state. It's what people call "working on yourself," right?

I don't feel like this is something I should be ashamed of or hide. In fact, I’ve mentioned it to several people in my life—friends, coworkers, family.

The reactions from some of them were honestly pretty unsettling. Let me give you a few examples.

"Oh man, how much longer do you HAVE to go there?" (I don't *have* to; I'm going because I want to, on my own terms.)
"You know, maybe don't mention that to everyone. People might get the wrong idea."
My parents just laughed it off.

And imagine what the comments would be if I actually suffered from depression or anxiety and was on medication?

Also, two people I know recently went through separate traumatic events in their private lives. They were both offered psychological support, and they both turned it down. One said, "I hope I never need it," while the other thinks it's all nonsense—even though they were out on medical leave for six months due to the shock.

Setting: Washington, D.C., 2007. Everyone involved is college-educated, working professionals—executives, engineers, and the like.

And for the icing on the cake: on a medical forum where doctors answer patient questions, a well-known psychiatrist explained the difference between a psychiatrist and a psychologist by saying psychiatrists deal with "mentally disordered persons" (whereas psychologists deal with normal ones)—instead of using the term "people with mental disorders."
(The person I see for therapy is a psychiatrist, a psychotherapist specialist—which means, by her definition, I am a mentally disordered person!)

How long is mental health going to be a disgrace for Americans?

the way I see it, the main issue here is you

Why do I think the problem lies with you???

Because you view the term "mentally disordered person" as something that strips away your dignity. Something bad. Something shameful...

What's so shameful about that phrase?

And why do you care what others think? If you believe psychotherapy will help you—even if you imagine it involves being tied to a chair and staring at a wall in a room full of tuning forks—that is your choice and you shouldn't be ashamed of it...

The mere fact that you have the strength and courage to admit to yourself that you need help is a massive step toward getting better...

If there were more people willing to admit to themselves that something isn't right with their behavior or their psyche—that seeking help isn't an ego blow—the world would be a much better place...

I'll say it again: the only thing that matters is whether it helps you or not... what anyone else thinks is the last thing you should worry about...

casualcyclist1 said:It might feel a bit weird hearing this from a woman, but my boyfriend went through something similar. Go see a urologist—it could be prostatitis, or even just high cholesterol. Either way, doc, if this has been going on for a while, you should get checked out.

I'm with her on this...

When I dealt with prostatitis, there wasn't much of a warning sign at first, other than a sudden lack of interest in things that usually require plenty of it 😁

The "real" symptoms didn't actually kick in until about a week or two later...

Maybe don't rush straight to the clinic if you aren't feeling any other issues, but just keep an eye on it...

Besides, any kind of inflammation in the body can easily tank your libido...

Could just be some virus wearing you down too. I know from experience, when I'm coming down with something, I spend a few days feeling like I've been trampled by a herd of bison...

Amanda Reed10 said:I think she's just being dramatic, honestly! 🙄

Look, I don't smoke either, and I'm not a fan of hanging out in smoky rooms, but asking for advice on how to "detox" after spending a single evening in a lounge? Seriously, wtf?
What "permanent damage" are you even talking about? You need years of systematic poisoning for that kind of thing, not one night in a room where people were smoking! 🙄
Best bet is to just wrap yourself in bubble wrap and stay indoors forever... and definitely stay far away from those dangerous smokers you're so terrified of! 😲

Ugh, I can't stand it when people get this radical. It's exhausting! 🙄

Maybe I misread the situation, but I got the impression she spends a lot of time in places like that... at least that's how her post came across...

But if we're talking about just an occasional visit to a smoky spot, then there really isn't any reason to panic...

In those cases, you'd probably be better off taking a walk through downtown Chicago or standing around a train station, or just sitting in rush hour traffic breathing in all that exhaust...

Melissa Castillo said:I absolutely cannot stand cigarette smoke. Seriously. I’d rather cut my own hands off than deal with those stenches; it is easily the most disgusting thing I have ever had to endure. I try my best to steer clear of smokers in enclosed spaces, but occasionally I’m "forced" to balance sitting through an event with constantly ducking out of the room just so I don't suffocate... (last Saturday, I was stuck in a wedding hall) and more than half the adults there were smoking. Basically, I walked out of that house smelling like a chimney. I wish this were just an external issue—you know, hop in the shower, wash your hair, and everything is fine. But then I remember the stinging eyes, the hair that reeks, and clothes that feel too filthy to even be used for cleaning the bathroom 🙄
I'm wondering—even though I know it sounds unrealistic—does anyone have any advice for some kind of post-exposure detox? Food? Drinks? Steaming some herbal tea... I don't know, throw anything at me! I realize how silly this question is, given that smoke and all its toxic compounds cause direct damage to lung tissue and that's a massive issue, but can the consequences of this poisoning be mitigated somehow?

Even as a smoker, I feel for you, and I know it isn't easy...

Try to avoid those kinds of places if they bother you that much...

As far as cleansing your system goes, I haven't heard much about it, other than the body's natural way of filtering itself over time...

Now, I might be talking nonsense here, but I once heard that people exposed to "toxic" or generally undesirable substances (like workers in a printing plant or something similar) are advised to drink at least a liter of whole milk a day...

How much that actually protects the body, I have no clue, but I know my wife's father had to drink at least a liter of milk while he worked as a typesetter in a print shop...

So, if anyone knows more about that, please weigh in...

But the truth remains: the only real remedy is avoiding those rooms entirely.

Lisa Adams said:this has never happened to my hands before.
it used to be my feet—the heels😁 if I didn't exfoliate enough.

Now there's this crack right on the pad of my right thumb, and it’s stinging like crazy. I know exactly why it happened, though... too much time spent with my hands in water. Scrubbing the oven, doing the dishes, constant cleaning... and here we are.

Of course, I’ve been using lotion, but clearly not enough.

What do you guys do when this happens to you?
It’s getting in the way of everything I need to do, and from what I can see, the crack is widening instead of healing...

just wear gloves...

try using some melem... honestly, it’s a miracle worker for stuff like this...

And stay away from harsh chemicals on that specific finger for a while...

Back when I was in the military, my skin would crack constantly because we weren't allowed to wear gloves until the temperature hit something ridiculous like -456'C 🙂

The cracks on my wrists were getting so bad they were nearly 3mm deep...

melem fixed everything...

Kevin Gray86 said:It seems everyone is describing the exact same thing I'm going through...

The last bit of info I picked up was that some layers near the iris are just peeling away—a natural process, apparently—and falling off... making it look like something is drifting...

But honestly, this has been stuck in the same spot in my right eye for a while now, and it’s driving me insane...

Anyway, I'm heading to the doctor... thanks for all the input, everyone.

Looking at all these replies, it’s pretty obvious how much conflicting information you can find floating around out there...

One minute it's uveitis, then it's peeling, then proteins, then laser ablation, blah blah blah... you end up with no idea what's actually happening...

And eventually, you just get overwhelmed by the noise and want to throw in the towel...

But don't do that... go see a specialist, walk them through every single detail of what's happening, and then you'll have a roadmap...

Because clearly, there are plenty of different things that could be triggering this... you need to figure out which one it is for you...

coppersurfer3 said:I’m seeing these weird spots too. It’s like they’re following whatever I look at... honestly, I have no clue what it is!!

Supposedly, that could be an early sign of retinal detachment... you really shouldn't mess around with stuff like that... might be a good idea to go see an ophthalmologist...

It might turn out to be nothing, or it could be anything... but it's better to get a professional opinion and actually sleep at night, rather than beating yourself up later for being too stubborn to go...

Kevin Gray86 said:For as long as I can remember, I’ve had these little spots floating around. It’s like they drift through my field of vision until I stabilize my gaze, and even then, they linger. I've been wearing glasses since basically the turn of the millennium.

I was pretty much used to them, but about six months ago, this intense spot popped up right in the center of my right eye. Every single time I try to focus on something, it just blurs everything out.

WTF? Is there actually a name for this, or is it just some temporary thing? thanks...

Go see a doctor... seriously, don't mess around with this stuff... I deal with vision issues myself, and the more I dig for answers online, the more nothing makes sense...

Just book an appointment with an ophthalmologist and get checked out... you aren't going to find anything useful on the internet...