Now and then one finds a Guest upset about an apparent feud on Mudcat between someone and someone else...but it isn't really a feud at all...it's a joke. Now and then longtime Mudcat members get upset about the same thing. This happens when people aren't in on the joke, I guess, or they don't know the combatants well enough to catch on.

The thing is, when you know people really well you sometimes pretend to fight with them about something (preferably something fairly ridiculous) just for fun. It's called "joshing".

The spectacle of other people getting bent out of shape by this because they take it all too seriously can sometimes come as a bit of a surprise.

Anyway, just to reassure those people, I have had big fake feuds in the past on Mudcat with:

flattop (a longtime good friend of mine in real life)

Raptor (another longtime friend whom I delight in sniping at on occasion...he's a real shit disturber sometimes, so why shouldn't I do the same to him now and then? For instance, he persecuted my stuffed frog, Kermit, so badly that I had to quit taking Kermit to my musical performances altogether. To put it simply, Raptor can be an A$$hole at times, and he enjoys it thoroughly! :-))

Clinton Hammond (a guy who disagrees with me about a lot of things, but sometimes surprises me by agreeing with me on something!)

Amos - A prince of a man. When I appear to insult Amos you should definitely KNOW it's a joke!

Spaw - I took up fake feuding with Spaw merely because he is a veritable icon on this forum (kind of like William Shatner), and it's far too tempting to snipe at an icon for me to be able to resist. It is all tongue in cheek. Spaw is a great guy.

Martin Gibson - Hell, everybody feuds with Martin! Still, I actually like him.

Doug R - Well, I don't really feud with Doug, we just disagree radically on politics. I like Doug R.

teribus & Wolfgang - Sort of similar to Doug R. I just naturally tend to disagree with them on a lot of subjects. This may appear like a feud, but it isn't, as far as I'm concerned.

So....the next time you see this sort of thing happening, consider that it may be just a joke...or the healthy give and take of alternate viewpoints.

Anyone else want to admit to their fake feuds on Mudcat so as to put people's worried minds to rest a bit?

Oh...and you real feuders can go and start your own flippin' thread!!!!