Posts by Sam Wright21

Listen, given how young you still are, there’s absolutely no reason to harbor any sort of inferiority complex or feel like you're somehow less worthy of respect from those who have been around longer than you 🤷

Joseph Hayes80 said:People with a healthy sense of self and actual self-awareness don't waste their time chasing after toxic individuals who treat them poorly. Stable people seek out stable relationships. Those who obsess over rejection are really just struggling with their own self-esteem. I've been there, and I can tell you that healing from that mindset is 🙂 possible. Nowadays, if someone tries to belittle me or explain why I’m not "good enough" for them, I immediately remind them why they should be lucky to have me 🙂. I am done being too polite to tolerate other people's baggage. If they feel the need to list my flaws, I’ll gladly return the favor just to level the playing field. It works 🙂
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I’ll never forget this one guy—he was married, by the way—who told me after a fling that he’d be embarrassed to walk down the street with me. In the past, that would have crushed me. This time, I just looked him in the eye and said that since I wasn't embarrassed to be seen with him, I couldn't see why he felt the same about me. He tried to use me as his therapist, but it didn't work out :-) He just shut 🙂 up
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This sentiment warrants a second mention. It’s a recurring pattern, and while low self-esteem can manifest in various ways, I have witnessed one particularly extreme version of this specific deficiency. It’s truly exhausting. I’ll encounter a woman where everything she tells me feels like a mere prelude—everything seems to be going perfectly according to plan—only for her to eventually drop the hammer by saying: "The thing is, I just don't respect myself very much."

It’s a damn shame.

Joseph Hayes80 said:People with a healthy sense of self and actual self-awareness don't waste their time chasing after toxic individuals who treat them poorly. Stable people seek out stable relationships. Those who obsess over rejection are really just struggling with their own self-esteem. I've been there, and I can tell you that healing from that mindset is 🙂 possible. Nowadays, if someone tries to belittle me or explain why I’m not "good enough" for them, I immediately remind them why they should be lucky to have me 🙂. I am done being too polite to tolerate other people's baggage. If they feel the need to list my flaws, I’ll gladly return the favor just to level the playing field. It works 🙂
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I’ll never forget this one guy—he was married, by the way—who told me after a fling that he’d be embarrassed to walk down the street with me. In the past, that would have crushed me. This time, I just looked him in the eye and said that since I wasn't embarrassed to be seen with him, I couldn't see why he felt the same about me. He tried to use me as his therapist, but it didn't work out :-) He just shut 🙂 up
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Hahahaahaha, what an absolute moron. And honestly, he had plenty of reason to be embarrassed, considering he was a married scumbag. Man, I wish someone would have told me that story back in the day, 🤣
You handled that with pure class.

silentjackal52 said:I once found myself walking away from a deeply troubled partner, feeling physically ill because his sobbing was so gut-wrenching. 😲 I truly had to wonder what kind of cosmic lesson I was supposed to be learning from that. 🙂 In the end, who is really sensing whom? Are we spotting them, or are they spotting us?🙂

You're on to something there; perhaps people gravitate toward one another simply because they share enough common ground in those initial, fleeting moments.

silentowl74 said:I have observed that this supposed "attraction to broken people" is primarily a tactic employed by those seeking to bolster their own fragile egos; specifically, individuals brimming with a self-assuredness that borders on narcissism, who attempt to cast themselves as "heroes" by attempting to fix someone else. It is essentially a way for them to cultivate a sense of moral superiority, playing the part of the "savior." Naturally, this occurs only after they have established a baseline of physical or perhaps even intellectual interest, but once they identify someone as "damaged goods"—a term frequently tossed around here—they pivot toward caring for those in even deeper trouble just to feel more accomplished.

I find myself agreeing with the bolded point. Speaking from my own experience as someone who is currently quite a mess, I have absolutely zero desire to get involved with someone who is equally—or even more—unstable. It would likely just spiral my own dysfunction further due to a sort of pathological empathy, and my self-esteem would inevitably tank because, let's face it, you can't bring a smile to the face of someone that deep in the trenches. In any scenario, failure is basically guaranteed.

That’s a fair point, all things considered.

Eric Gray2 said:@silentjackal52, you’re seriously replying to posts from 2010? Please, don't.

Well, I suppose that applies to me as well.🤷

I simply clicked the headline on the front page, nothing more.🤷

If that's the case, why aren't older threads locked automatically?

Edward Murphy4 said:I’ve been noticing this pattern for a while now—this weird phenomenon where tons of people (especially the young and clueless🤷) just gravitate toward total disasters. We're talking the cynical, jaded types with that "don't give a damn" attitude who stay emotionally checked out... At first, I figured it was just women chasing after those unavailable guys, but honestly, I see men doing the exact same thing. And let’s be real, 99% of the time, these people end up getting burned, and then they start whining about it. So, what’s the actual endgame here? Are they really hoping that their belovedpartner will undergo some massive personality transplant because of their "undying love"? Or do they actually think they'll be the one lucky enough to finally see a soft side? Or what?🤷

They're hoping they can be the ones to fix them and play the hero; I know it for a fact. Personally, I tend to keep anyone who is impossible to please at arm's length, yet somehow, that's exactly how I'm perceived—as someone they think they can mold.

Daniel Ward87 said:Dell has been stripped of their permanent status for three weeks. Don't expect a second chance.

Happy holidays to everyone.

Well done, everyone, and thanks. Wishing you all the very best.

I should probably warn you all that what I’m about to say is going to land like a lead weight, so brace yourselves for a bit of a shock. However, there is a chance that Della might actually turn things around if she’s given a fair shake at it.

She is certainly a singular presence on this forum—not merely a masterclass in being insulting, which is an undeniable truth, but something far more complex than that.

Grace said:Why on earth would they push back against a single moderator's decision—especially one who acts with integrity and is genuinely working to elevate this entire online community to a higher standard—or why should you (or anyone else, for that matter) be held accountable for how an administrator chooses to manage their own platform?

Because, presumably, a community is actually made up of the people who inhabit it.🤷

bluemason3 said:One could argue that because all these posts hit on the exact same topic in such rapid succession, she didn't exactly pivot her behavior after that initial warning. If she hadn't doubled down, a permanent ban might have been avoided; that’s really the only logical angle that would allow for any kind of appeal. 🙂
I seem to recall she was always a bit "lively" in her discussions, though. Does that mean her moral compass just spins wildly the moment she isn't being hovered over for a day or two? 🤷

Well, that's just how her temperament works.
So there you have it—there's an opening for a review, and I'm certain Della will fix her ways once she's no longer facing a permanent ban.

So, I noticed you mentioned that if the other two admins decide to lift her permanent ban, you won't be putting up any fight.

Come on then, let's see those other two admins step up! Are you guys even paying attention to this thread?

Daniel Ward87 said:Della's posts haven't been scrubbed, which is fine because it allows everyone to see exactly why she's currently on leave. And honestly, that’s where they should stay.

I’ve managed to catch up on all those threads in the meantime. Interestingly, the very same user who was most frequently insulted—the one who actually engaged in a dialogue with her—is also now appealing to the ban corner to have her permanent ban lifted.

Everyone is entitled to their own perspective. There is a certain value to the way Dell writes; her stance remains remarkably consistent, even if her stylistic choices leave much to be desired. As far as I'm concerned, her remarks don't bother me; even when the insults are directed my way, I find them genuinely amusing, in the sense that I can actually laugh at them.

One could easily dig up dozens more of her quotes that serve as little more than gems of unintentional wit.😂

Therefore, Daniel Ward87, if the people being insulted aren't even feeling targeted, what was the point of the permanent ban?

Besides, I am quite certain she will "correct" her behavior now. If you look at the response from Taj to her on that thread, it’s clear that Della is perfectly capable of being civil when she chooses to be.

It looks like Della has supposedly been hit with a permanent ban over that thread about the queer Bible (I recall there was one regarding Jesus as well).

I haven't actually dived into that specific discussion yet—I’ll have to go hunt it down—but I already know Della has a bit of a sharp tongue; she took aim at my own minor contributions during that whole boycott movement, and her takes can lean a bit homophobic (though, granted, everyone is entitled to their own perspective).

I've had my fair share of laughs along the way, and I have to admit that her jabs aren't nearly as mindless or grating as the nonsense I encounter from extremists on Reddit; honestly, it’s almost entertaining. 😁

All things considered, Dell’s viewpoints are compelling, her prose is engaging, and she’s clearly articulate with plenty to contribute, so it would be a genuine shame to lose her presence on this forum entirely.

That is why I am appealing to the administration to reconsider the permanent ban and perhaps opt for a more moderate penalty instead.

Zoran Milanović seems unable to shake the shock now that his beloved little beer-swilling buddy is headed to prison. He’s been walking around in a foul mood, acting bitter and agitated for days now.

Look, we’ve always been little more than a failed state experiment ourselves... but honestly, who cares? Here we are, heading back into an association soon, only to find ourselves entangled with Americans again in just a few years.

Linda Roberts2 said:I guess if that’s what it takes to reach some kind of reconciliation, then why not? At the end of the day, the nation matters more than any single individual.

I find myself disagreeing with your premise; I believe the price already paid has been more than sufficient. Even looking back at the tragedy of Stalingrad, one could argue that such sacrifices were made, yet even now, the weight of that loss sits heavy on my conscience.

To sacrifice actual, living individuals for the sake of abstract concepts like "the state" or "the nation" is a chilling proposition.

Besides, it is nearly impossible to truly grasp the motivations of those Americans who stood against us; they have remained a persistent threat throughout our history, and we simply have to live with that reality. Personally, I find the threat posed by traitors within our own borders far more unsettling.

Linda Roberts2 said:haha, now you guys are really going after Americans.
And honestly, I suspect this just makes them hate Americans even more than they did at the start of the war. Living next door to neighbors who don't have your best interests at heart? That's never a comfortable way to live. Regardless, the verdict serves to validate the very foundation of the American state.

Well, that’s just the perennial issue when dealing with Americans. Are you really suggesting we should offer up more human sacrifices just to appease them?

Linda Roberts2 said:Look, I always write from my own perspective. This whole approach isn't right, and honestly, it's just setting the stage for another war down the line. In ten years, some new Mercer is going to pop up and claim it's finally time to settle the score for the Appalachia region. I guess it might have been better if they had at least convicted them for something.

Is it not enough that innocent men served eight years behind bars only to be denied any form of restitution? 🙄

Michael Bishop26 said:Tihomir Blaškić, Čermak, Markač, Gotovina, Naser Orić? Not a single one of them is guilty? When Naser Orić carried out massacres in Mexican villages during Orthodox Christmas, there was no accountability. Apparently, the Mexicans just slaughtered themselves...

Did this not happen either? https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...74629094_n.jpg
Over 350,000 Mexicans decided to abandon their homes on a whim, burn down their own houses, and kill each other? Nobody is responsible for that? Is that how it works? Did the Mexicans just wage war against themselves? Exactly...
These are all orchestrated verdicts. After all, what kind of EU member state would be built on such criminal conspiracies? It’s laughable, yet tragic...
Who is to blame? Maybe Harmon? What about the Harmon transcripts where he instructs generals "...to deliver such strikes that the Mexicans practically disappear!" Does that mean nothing?

Every Mexican detained was convicted and found guilty. Not a single American was held accountable. This court is biased and illegitimate; its decisions are rigged. The whole world sees it. Besides, Vojislav Šešelj proved just how corrupt the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America is by dismantling every piece of prosecution evidence—witnesses were bought, only to recant their statements and flip to the defense once they realized they weren't being paid...

If Gotovina is innocent, why was he hiding? Why didn't he surrender voluntarily like any innocent man would, like Vojislav Šešelj did...
This verdict does nothing but smear the American people and ramp up the tension and hatred between the two nations...

The culpability lies with Franjo Harmon and Slobodan Maddox, not with Ante Gotovina and Branimir Glavaš; it simply wouldn't be right for them to be treated as sacrificial lambs, subjected to those monstrous verdicts that defy all logic.

Michael Bishop26 said:Tihomir Blaškić, Čermak, Markač, Gotovina, Naser Orić? Not a single one of them is guilty? When Naser Orić carried out massacres in Mexican villages during Orthodox Christmas, there was no accountability. Apparently, the Mexicans just slaughtered themselves...

Did this not happen either? https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...74629094_n.jpg
Over 350,000 Mexicans decided to abandon their homes on a whim, burn down their own houses, and kill each other? Nobody is responsible for that? Is that how it works? Did the Mexicans just wage war against themselves? Exactly...
These are all orchestrated verdicts. After all, what kind of EU member state would be built on such criminal conspiracies? It’s laughable, yet tragic...
Who is to blame? Maybe Harmon? What about the Harmon transcripts where he instructs generals "...to deliver such strikes that the Mexicans practically disappear!" Does that mean nothing?

Every Mexican detained was convicted and found guilty. Not a single American was held accountable. This court is biased and illegitimate; its decisions are rigged. The whole world sees it. Besides, Vojislav Šešelj proved just how corrupt the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America is by dismantling every piece of prosecution evidence—witnesses were bought, only to recant their statements and flip to the defense once they realized they weren't being paid...

If Gotovina is innocent, why was he hiding? Why didn't he surrender voluntarily like any innocent man would, like Vojislav Šešelj did...
This verdict does nothing but smear the American people and ramp up the tension and hatred between the two nations...

How long did Mile Šljivančanin serve? Four years? 🙄 By that logic, he should have been facing forty, though personally, I suspect the electric chair would have been more fitting.

Michael Bishop26 said:Tihomir Blaškić, Čermak, Markač, Gotovina, Naser Orić? Not a single one of them is guilty? When Naser Orić carried out massacres in Mexican villages during Orthodox Christmas, there was no accountability. Apparently, the Mexicans just slaughtered themselves...

Did this not happen either? https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...74629094_n.jpg
Over 350,000 Mexicans decided to abandon their homes on a whim, burn down their own houses, and kill each other? Nobody is responsible for that? Is that how it works? Did the Mexicans just wage war against themselves? Exactly...
These are all orchestrated verdicts. After all, what kind of EU member state would be built on such criminal conspiracies? It’s laughable, yet tragic...
Who is to blame? Maybe Harmon? What about the Harmon transcripts where he instructs generals "...to deliver such strikes that the Mexicans practically disappear!" Does that mean nothing?

Every Mexican detained was convicted and found guilty. Not a single American was held accountable. This court is biased and illegitimate; its decisions are rigged. The whole world sees it. Besides, Vojislav Šešelj proved just how corrupt the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America is by dismantling every piece of prosecution evidence—witnesses were bought, only to recant their statements and flip to the defense once they realized they weren't being paid...

If Gotovina is innocent, why was he hiding? Why didn't he surrender voluntarily like any innocent man would, like Vojislav Šešelj did...
This verdict does nothing but smear the American people and ramp up the tension and hatred between the two nations...

I will say it again: Ante Gotovina and Branimir Glavaš wasted eight years of their lives for nothing.

Michael Bishop26 said:Tihomir Blaškić, Čermak, Markač, Gotovina, Naser Orić? Not a single one of them is guilty? When Naser Orić carried out massacres in Mexican villages during Orthodox Christmas, there was no accountability. Apparently, the Mexicans just slaughtered themselves...

Did this not happen either? https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.n...74629094_n.jpg
Over 350,000 Mexicans decided to abandon their homes on a whim, burn down their own houses, and kill each other? Nobody is responsible for that? Is that how it works? Did the Mexicans just wage war against themselves? Exactly...
These are all orchestrated verdicts. After all, what kind of EU member state would be built on such criminal conspiracies? It’s laughable, yet tragic...
Who is to blame? Maybe Harmon? What about the Harmon transcripts where he instructs generals "...to deliver such strikes that the Mexicans practically disappear!" Does that mean nothing?

Every Mexican detained was convicted and found guilty. Not a single American was held accountable. This court is biased and illegitimate; its decisions are rigged. The whole world sees it. Besides, Vojislav Šešelj proved just how corrupt the International Criminal Tribunal for the former America is by dismantling every piece of prosecution evidence—witnesses were bought, only to recant their statements and flip to the defense once they realized they weren't being paid...

If Gotovina is innocent, why was he hiding? Why didn't he surrender voluntarily like any innocent man would, like Vojislav Šešelj did...
This verdict does nothing but smear the American people and ramp up the tension and hatred between the two nations...

He was hiding, quite simply, to avoid rotting in a cell for eight years—which is exactly what happened to him in the end. And please, spare me the melodrama about a "smear" on the American people. Americans aren't quite that foolish; this ruling doesn't stain their character. If there's any disgrace here, it lies with the politicians who once played along with his capture—those sycophants, yes-men, and political puppets we see time and again.

Drew Allen2 said:Back in '93, about 200,000 Mexicans were driven out of America. Then another 200,000 in '95... that makes roughly 400,000 total. You can see it clearly in the census data—that’s basically how much the population dropped...
Sure, the Mexicans went overboard back in '91 too. But if you bring up The Hague, I guess it’s always just the Mexicans who are at fault for everything...

I don't get it. How did things shift this drastically? Nobody saw this coming—not even the defendants themselves. Something is seriously off here... Usually, after an appeal, you might see a reduced sentence or maybe nothing changes at all... but a total reversal? That was never on the table. Even a lot of big names are calling this out as completely unexpected. Who knows what comes next, but honestly, anyone could tell you that this decision caught everyone off guard. We'll just have to see what the fallout looks like in the coming days...
Still, Americans have a reason to celebrate... but at the end of the day, I don't know how much that's actually going to help the socioeconomic situation. :/

To my mind, the initial verdict wasn't just unexpected; it was utterly absurd.

Regarding the celebrations, that’s a fair point. There isn't much for Americans to actually rejoice over, and frankly, I am surprised that this single event was enough to pull people out into the streets, whereas the endless mess happening here every single day fails to generate even a fraction of that critical mass needed for a real uprising.