A few of you have wondered why your comments do not see the light of day. There are several reasons for this.
Some of your stuff just gets lost in the shuffle. One accidental click and it’s launched into the stratosphere, gone forever. It doesn’t happen often but it happens. I sincerely apologize for these errors as it is in our collective best interest to hear from everyone.
Others use offensive language. I don’t care when there is an occasional slip but neither do I want it to become the norm which is why I make a point of apologizing when I do it. I don’t care when people use the term BS, or substitute special characters to depict that’s what they’re thinking, e.g. “That’s bull@#$%!” I don’t receive complaints when people do this so it doesn’t bother me. But if you use language you would not use in front of your mother and it appears to become a pattern, you won’t get published. The flack I receive just isn’t worth it and, really, how important is it anyway?
Others fail the 60/40 rule. 60% nastiness/40% content. I think it is within our providence to make our points without making our criticism of another PERSON the point. If I see a poster who is routinely taken to task for attacking people, I won’t post more of the same because it solicits a reciprocal response from the intended target. It behooves no one to turn the blog into a mud slinging contest. I am often taken to task for letting certain posters consistently degrade other posters with a vehemence that makes even reading it extremely uncomfortable for some. One of the Monomakhos staff suggested that I just edit out the offensive verbiage, as the nastiness that irks other readers usually isn’t germane to the point being made. I think I will try this in the future.
Finally, I must reiterate that there are mutliple people who help with this site. Our thresholds for what should “make the cut” are different and because no one is getting paid to do this, I am reluctant to correct someone who sends a post to the trash heap based on their own best judgment. None of the people who work on this site have an axe to grind with anyone else and I trust their judgement or they wouldn’t be doing it. There are just not enough hours in the day for me to do it all and frankly, having more people moderate the site means your comments get turned around more quickly.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have about the process that I have not explained. As always, I appreciate your patience as this is not an exact science. As poor ‘ol Rodney King once said, “Can’t we all just get along?”
Dear George,
With all due respect, I feel I must disagree with you a little bit. Most of my insults are meant to be humorous. For example, you censored my response to Doc’s dissertation. What you couldn’t know is he reminded of Elvis Presley. For some inexplicable reason, I was very popular in the Elvis world. I know everything about Elvis from eyewitnesses. Ginger Alden(Elvis’ fiancee at the time of his death) was a close friend of mine along with the actress Mindi Miller, and the Memphis Mafia. One thing everyone has told me about Elvis is that they wouldn’t dare ask him a question because he would go on and on in his answer. In his response to you, Doc reminded of Elvis so I wrote my reply. It was meant to be insulting and funny, but it was censored.
Bishop Tikhon has insulted me more than anyone- and I wouldn’t have it any other way because I find his insults very amusing, and funny. Man! People need to lighten up a little bit.
I remember I read a column on Al Jazeera with which I disagreed. In the comment section, I called the author every name in the book to vocalize my displeasure with his opinion. In his response to me, he wrote, ” This is really great satire. I salute you, sir.” It took the wind right out of my sails. Please, may the insults continue. Although my responses to Alithea were censored, I meant them to be humorous,and thought they were very funny. Thank you kindly, sir.
Dear George,
Upon reflection, of course you are correct. What I call humor probably doesn’t translate very well on the internet. This is your forum, which you run exceptionally well. No more insults on my part, I can assure you. It’s really not very Christian anyway. Hopefully, no egotism, no insults, and no conflict. Perhaps, I’ve been acting a bit like a drama queen.
I’ll give you one example of my humor in real life. It was at my cousin’s weeding reception; being a teetotaller, I decide I would get under my brothers’ skin so I ordered a Miller beer. My two brothers worked for Annheuser Busch, and were demanding that everyone in my family drink only Budweiser products. My brother came over to our table, and asked who was drinking MIller. I said, “I am.” He asked “why?” I said because I felt like it. As he walked away in disgust, he went over to my other brother and said, ” your A= hole brother is drinking Miller. My brother was looking for me all wide eyed so I held up the bottle, smiled, and said, “Cheers!” A little while later, I felt a knee in back and a voice said, ” Hey Pal, do you want live to see your next birthday?” I innocently asked, ” What’s the matter brother?” then my little brother starting whining, ” Gus, drinking Miller!!”
Anyway, where I come from my kind of humor would be called “ball busting.” Thank you for your kind consideration. I have to shorten my posts considerably as well. Thanks again.
Dear George,
As part of Nativity lent, I have to confess before my spiritual father on Sunday. I’m feel I should confess my conduct on Monomakhos. I assume he is going to tell me to stay off the internet, to the relief of many, I’m sure, so, hopefully, I can make this my last post. I probably won’t be reading the forum because the temptation to post is very strong, nevertheless I will continue to pray for you, Gail, and every other poster on this forum. Since, this hopefully will be my last post, perhaps you can let it go through.
This is addressed to Vladkya:
Vladyka,\
With your pithy sayings and witticisms, you have been going around, acting like you are the new Benjamin Franklin.
Well, I knew Ben Franklin, Ben Franklin was a friend of mine,and, Vladyka, you are no Ben Franklin!!!
Hope this helps.. Many thanks for your kind indulgence., and the outstanding work you do in evangelizing America for Orthodoxy.
“I said it’s all good and it’s all in fun
Now get in the pit and try to love someone”
I ain’t fussed. Keep up the good work.
I certainly have no objections to moderation guidelines that prohibit profanity or posts that are primarily personal attacks. And I can understand how an occasional post might get lost to a slip of the mouse or finger.
However, If I post a lengthy piece of content that would certainly seem to fall within guidelines and it never clears moderation, and couple days later I try reposting it and it still does not (presuming gremlins), it is hard not to feel there are new unwritten rules, or that not all the moderating team are on the same page.
Once upon a time the site showed your posts waiting moderation in the comment stream if you had the appropriate browser cookies. That functionality went away, at least then one knew a post went through or got eaten by technical gremlins.
There have definitely been changes to WordPress, Nate. My stuff has fallen into “spam” and when I’ve asked, George will go fish it out and publish it.
Nate, for about a month there there was a new update which are my lunch. Then when that was fixed, I couldn’t get in the back page using my laptop, so I was reduced to typing stories on my Android, which was very cumbersome.
Mr. Michalopulos,
Obviously, all things occur in one context or another. More of my time than not is spent in an environment of tremendous misplaced hostility, aggression, defiance, and confrontation. I will not say I am “comfortable” with this dynamic of being on the receiving end – just like you cannot be “comfortable” with individuals who have murdered, tortured, raped, sexually abused children, the gambit – but probably better to say to a degree “desensitized & accustomed.” Most importantly, however, is the fact that I am interacting face-to-face with another human being; the inherent & learned aspects of morality and ethics – respect for the dignity of the other, and so on – combined with common sense, act as filters and tell us that every moronic and shameful thought that passes our mind need not be verbalized. In other words, it is that human interaction that, for most of us, is guided by discernment, and hopefully simple respect. I think anyone can relate to a situation where you have said something to another, and for a split second, a flash, you can see in their eyes that you have crossed a line; they were hurt by what I said, and even when I ask, and even if I apologize for my insensitivity – or inadvertence – and they deny that any offense was taken, I knowI have offended, and I am embarrassed/ashamed, and hopefully I have learned from this.
This sandbox environment of the internet, in fact, promotes exactly the opposite behaviour. Words are spoken from the safety of your own home, anonymously (or so you imagine). sans filter, accountability, or responsibility. Gloves off. And how many times have you seen someone first admit, then address, then correct their own error here? Doesn’t happen. Instead, the argument is abandoned, there might be a short absence… Nothing Or, we begin a series of “Logical Fallacies” endemic to argument & debate. Unfortunately, I discussed some of the most common – Ad Hominem attacks, Straw Man, Red Herring, Appeal to Ignorance, False Dilemma – that were not published. Whatever… The result of which, however, is that any critique, any comment in disagreement, any comment that legitimately challenges foolishness is declared “ad hominem attack” and delegitimized: “Shut your mouth and have some responsible adult control your access to the internet,” And further yet, “Get your own damn thread for your asinine comments, ours is serious business.” [This, in my estimation, is the new beta-male faggotry of the Trump age, but later…]
I will end as I ended the post that was not published: the calulated point of “logical fallacies” is singular in purpose, to distract from the argument at hand. In other words, to have the distraction become the argument in lieu of what was being discussed. My comments were being directed at a specific commentator who said that my “ad hominem attacks were pathetic,” and the commentator “felt sorry” for me. I make this point absolutely emphatically: I do not engage in ad hominem attacks with the intention of distracting from any topic by making the person the focus, rather than the topic under discussion, ever. I have said many times, I don’t enter any discussion I am not certain I am correct in what I speak. If you find my comment insulting or arrogant, so be it, but neither element are ad hominem.
I sincerely apologize to you for my occasional “drifting” language, Mr. M. It is easy to get caught up in the environment of my occupation, particularly on days of potentiated andst, when I have to address issues specifically, and when “fire” blows my way. On occasion, when I alluded to the “frankness” of my “customers” affection, my mother would ask, “What do they say to you?” I would just smile and say, “I won’t tell you in this lifetime.” I’ll try my best.
Thank you for inspiring me to look up and review logical fallacies. I learned some new ones! Hopefully it will help me to more effectively communicate.