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20 Sep 00 - 05:13 PM (#301659) Subject: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker Am I the only person suffering from a uniquely electronic version of multiple personality disorder? I sign my Mudcat postings with different pseudonyms depending upon the persona I have adopted for a particular thread. When joining a thread I ask myself, do I want to be the sage today? the newbie? the jerk. Just curious. |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:20 PM (#301665) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bill D probably NOT the only one...maybe you carry to a greater extreme....it sure does dilute your impact, but, hey...it's the Age of Anonymous....
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20 Sep 00 - 05:26 PM (#301670) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario My multiple personalities* are confined to OFF-LINE, thank you. MMario is MMario is MMario when posting to the 'cat. In fact, pretty much anytime posting to the net. With the few very rare exceptions when I post for "Dido" (Cleigh's Sister) or Stavros - my evil identical cousin. *and they aren't in disorder, I know where they all are. I suspect that while you may not be unique among the posters here, the percentage who follow your practice is (are?) few. Most of us, (even regulars who have not chosen to become members) seem to choose one name and stick with it. |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:32 PM (#301681) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jon Freeman I do have a multiple personality disorder but only in Hearme where I often go by the name ~squiggle~. This is a handle I use in the internet wide chat rooms where I don't feel comfortable using my real name. I tend not to go back to being Jon Freeman or Jon F for the Mudcat sessions as I have found myself later going into these other rooms, saying something and being recognised (my accent is quite distinctive) only to discover that I am using my real name. Jon |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:34 PM (#301682) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Max You may have multiple personalities as far as the average mudcatters know, but I can see the real you. Frankly, the practice is frowned upon. |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:35 PM (#301686) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Can't relate. I've been told my online persona and how I come across "in real life" are indistinguishable. I took it as a compliment. "I yam what I yam." -Popeye
Alex |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:40 PM (#301692) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario You mean you really have great big ears and little beady eyes? *sorry, couldn't resist* |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:48 PM (#301704) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Mmario, you're the wind beneath my wings. I mean beneath my paws. I mean, um, you're the shredded newspaper beneath the opening at the base of my tail. No wait, that's not right either. thanks for the laugh, bro.
Alex |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:52 PM (#301709) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Uncle_DaveO How about adopting an honest, straightforward expression of who you really are as a "persona", and sticking with it? Dave Oesterreich |
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20 Sep 00 - 05:58 PM (#301716) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Hollowfox Why bother with a persona? This is a forum, not a MUSH, MOO, or whatever else they're calling role-playing sites these days. |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:00 PM (#301718) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Thomas the Rhymer Your personality is ashamed And weel it should be, I've proclaimed Don't worry, fiend, go unblamed We could 've helped if you'd remained.
But many, no, you haven't one,
Culture hate and you'll fit in
Multiple is not your truth
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20 Sep 00 - 06:00 PM (#301719) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CarolC If you only allow yourself to be "personas", maybe you miss out on something deeper and much more special. I love being just me, CarolC. There's so much scope for the imagination in here. So many different worlds to explore just within my one identity. It's great. |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:09 PM (#301727) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Hey Thomas -- here's a song. To the tune of "Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini"
He was afraid to come out in the Mudcat
(two three four tell the people what he wore) (additional verses left as an exercise for the reader)
Alex |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:11 PM (#301729) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: catspaw49 Yeah.......Its probably the biggest change around here. Its not so much a GUEST thing, but this has been a pretty safe and trusting place in the past and now its lees so. So many people have no problem saying who they are and we all get to know each other on a pretty personal level. Lately we have gotten a lot of games players who are more interested in the games than anything else. You're exactly right Hollowfox. I guess its just a part of the growth process and we go on. If we start worrying and jacking with this stuff, we lose the open feeling. So I guess I'd prefer the arguments that these folks create to totally losing the friendships that are here. Spaw |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:29 PM (#301744) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri Guest whomever, I suspect either you're alone, or no one else makes a constant habit of it. When you stop for a while, all of you stop for a while. When you start again, all of you start back at the same time. It's too obvious to be truly anonymous. I'm happy being myself, faults and all. I tried posting anonymously. I never managed it because I felt like I wanted people to know who was talking. |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:31 PM (#301747) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Kara I have at least 4 personas in real live so I feel am entitled to at least as many on the web,
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20 Sep 00 - 06:45 PM (#301759) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Thomas the Rhymer Is that a folksong mousethief? I've never heard it B-4. |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:47 PM (#301761) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Hollowfox You're a sick puppy, Mousethief, but you're really good at it. *BG* |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:54 PM (#301770) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Noreen That is very clever, mousethief- I think that will be hard to get out of my head now, the words fit so well. Noreen |
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20 Sep 00 - 06:56 PM (#301773) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Of course you've never heard it before. I just wrote it.
Alex |
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20 Sep 00 - 07:08 PM (#301785) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Sean Belt Phantom, I have a hard time relating to your question. I make a point to sign my real name to anything I write. If I felt I had to adopt a disguise in order to kick in my two cents around here, I'd probably leave. For me, living an honest open life is much too important to use pseudonyms. I can understand that many folks don't want to use their real "parent given" name on the internet out of concern for safety and security. But to slip on various characters in order to be clever just doesn't make much sense to me. I'm just sayin' is all. - Sean |
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20 Sep 00 - 07:31 PM (#301798) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Burke When I first started out I tried a couple of different Guest handles, or none at all, just Guest. This was because all other electronic identities I've had clearly had my rare last name as part of them & I was not comfortable with that. I thought about trying to adopt a name that was 'me' like Wayfaring Stranger or some other persona but could not find one. I ended up creating a 'name' that doesn't really tell you who I am in person, but all my posts are mine. Within MudCat I'll live with whatever image I end up creating here. Any connection beyond here is up to me.
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20 Sep 00 - 07:40 PM (#301802) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Wavestar I post here under Wavestar (although at the moment I've lost my cookie... Waaahhh!) because I've been using that name online for nigh on seven years now, and people know me by it. It's easier to keep track of - although I'm apparently not the only one. Oh well, I wasn't the only Jessica, either. But I use my real name here, which is far more than I do on most online things I do, be they MUDs, bbs boards, Messenger systems, or anything else... I have yet to use a chat room, but... I simple don't like people I don't know and often don't like calling me by my name - first, real, any. If some goon on Grex (bbs system) sends me a tell saying "Hey wavestar, tell me about u body" (I'm not kidding) I don't feel as violated as I would if the sentence began with "Jessica". Maybe that's just me. But I do feel here, and did soon after I first showed up, that I can trust the folks on the forum not to make me feel that way. I also felt somewhat like I was hiding in an honest place, which was rude, so I use Wavestar, but sign my posts with Jessica. -Jessica |
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20 Sep 00 - 07:41 PM (#301803) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Callie Jeez - and I feel like a coward using ONE Mudcat name instead of my own. I think one would have to be a bit paranoid to have lots of Mudcat identities. What are you afraid of? Are you causing trouble for the sake of it? If so, wouldn't it be better to take a break from Mudcat and do some community service somewhere? |
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20 Sep 00 - 08:20 PM (#301821) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: DougR I'm just me, regardless of the thread. DougR |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:07 PM (#301835) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bert You've hit it right on there Callie - He's causing trouble for the sake of it - just ignore the silly bugger. |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:11 PM (#301838) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Thomas the Rhymer The tune too? |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:18 PM (#301843) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: The Beanster Phantom Lurker, I suspect you posted this thread as basically, a rhetorical question. You're not primarily interested if other people here use pseudonyms or not. For some reason, you wanted to tell us that this is what YOU do. Whatever question that may pose in your mind has a much more interesting answer than the question posted here, I suspect. By the way, as of 1994, Multiple Personality Disorder is called Dissociative Identity Disorder...just a largely useless bit of info I thought I'd throw in...! |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:22 PM (#301845) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mbo Thanks for catching that, Beanster! I missed it, and I took Psychology only last January! All those acronyms.. |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:32 PM (#301854) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: little john cameron Wid some o ye please enlichten me on this name business.Whit for dae some fowk no yase their ain names in the furst place.It aw very mysterious,is it no? Whit dis it maitter if fowk know yer name or no?Mibbe ah'm missin somethin here.Ah mind there wis a fella caed "The unknowm Comedian"wha did his show wi a paper bag ower his heid.Ah can see the humor in that bit ah dinnae see the point o sayin somethin an then hidin ahent a false name.Whit's it aw aboot,eh? JOHN CAMERON. Ah see the original poster didnae reply.Sucked ye in again!!!! |
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20 Sep 00 - 09:59 PM (#301868) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Peter Kasin Always chanteyranger for me, on this site. In college I was called "Moose" in honor of a joke I told which involved a gigantic rampaging moose. Once in a long while I'll run into an old buddy or acquaintance from the student co-op days, and they'll greet me with, "Hey, Moose!" |
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20 Sep 00 - 10:15 PM (#301887) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: The Beanster Hahaha Mbo--psychology and neuropsych have more acronyms than NASA, I think! ADHD, DID, APD, ODD, PTSD, FAS, LD, RTS, MR, OCD, SAD, BWS, NOS, off the top of my fuzzy little head... |
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20 Sep 00 - 10:17 PM (#301891) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mbo Good gravy, it's half the DSM-IV! |
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20 Sep 00 - 10:35 PM (#301907) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Escamillo Disguising is the national sport of the Internet land. I feel comfortable with my own personality and will never disguise, but I can understand people who do it for fun. But.. I feel it's not appropiate for this forum, because this a rather exceptional place. It is full of interesting, knowledgeable and friendly people who open to us all their feelings, opinions and their own houses many times. So if I adopted another personality I would feel like cheating to them. I took the name Escamillo since the old BBS times, for security, and because Escamillo is an Opera character, is a singer and is ridiculously romantic, but always sign here with my real name. Un abrazo - Andrés |
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20 Sep 00 - 11:09 PM (#301931) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: The Beanster LOL, Mbo! I agree with you, Andres. I only use a nickname because mine is a ridiculous name that I like to use here (and besides, it's on my birth certificate) heeheehee But I am and always have been consistent in using it. If I say something goofy or light-hearted here, it doesn't matter as much, but especially, if it's a serious subject and I take issue with someone else's view, I want them to know who it came from so they are able to respond to me and say what they feel about my statements. Give and take, in an honest way. There's nothing like it and that's one of the things I love about this place. |
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21 Sep 00 - 12:15 AM (#301979) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: catspaw49 HEY Little John.........I used the name because it was a business name and I noticed that lots of people used nicknames. As far as hiding anything, if you look through these threads you will find my name,address,phone number,blood type, pictures of my small and large intestines and a catscan of my aorta (not a joke....seriously). I thought about dropping catspaw, but now when I talk with catters by phone they call me Spaw instead of Pat.....its who I am. I think you will find that true with a lot of the pseudonym folks LJC. |
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21 Sep 00 - 12:17 AM (#301980) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle When I first came to the mudcat three years ago, I hadn't been using the web for very long, and had heard all the stories about why you should use a pseudonym on the web. The first two I used were more pseudonyms than anything else. (I quit using "humdinger folksinger" because Art Thieme could never figure out whether to call me "humdinger" or "folksinger" or "humdinger folksinger" or "hdfs.") Also people didn't know if I was woman or man, and I'm proud to be a woman. I used "chinadoll" for a while, because I was born in China. Then I started using my real name, Jenny. I used that for a while until I was stalked. I felt the need to change my mudname but I didn't particularly want it to be an alias or pseudonym, so I chose a nickname instead, "moonchild." It was a while before I would say my real name in the threads, but certainly many of the mudpeople knew it. I changed my mudname again, yesterday, to "moonjen." No big secret as to who I am. It's what catspaw calls me mostly and I like it. "moonchild" has grown-up. I associate too much hurt and baggage with "moonchild" and it's time to lay it to rest. I'm okay with that. So, nicknames and hatefulness do not always go hand-in-hand, do they ... catspaw, annamill, mrzzy, sinsull, bigchuck, midchuck, mbo? Mudpeople address me by jen, jenny, moon, moonchild, moonbaby, and not, moonjen. But, if you're still wondering, my name is "jenny." |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:51 AM (#302035) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: DougR So I assume it is considered Politically Incorrect to refer to one with Dissociative Identity Disorder as having a multiple Personality Disorder, right Beanster? Must make a note of that. DougR |
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21 Sep 00 - 02:36 AM (#302047) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Lena Difficult when you have a cookie on you. |
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21 Sep 00 - 05:53 AM (#302074) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss Interesting conversation. I have had a similar conversation in another forum where my friend who usually appears as Philm Phan talks about playing roles a lot. She thinks that we do it online, but also that to a varying degree we do it in real life too. In different situations, we present the person (or persona) we wish to be seen at that time. And that doesn't mean we are hiding our true selves, but that all of our personae are part of the real us. Bagpuss |
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21 Sep 00 - 08:13 AM (#302120) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST The aim of psychoanalysis is to relieve people of their neurotic unhappiness so that they can be normally unhappy. -- Sigmund Freud Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you. -- Carl Jung I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it. -- Anonymous |
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21 Sep 00 - 08:35 AM (#302136) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri I can understand pretending to be different people for fun - it's what we do as kids, and it's one way to try to understand others. The problem I find with that in a forum like this is it's not a game and we express OUR opinions. When I type, what you get is what I think. It's who I am, not who I want you to think I am. It's what I feel and believe at the time I'm typing. I'm comfortable with letting the world see those things. If I were a bit afraid, I might feel I needed to pretend to be someone else. I did do a one-off message as someone else once. It wasn't a flame - I just wanted to say something in a way I couldn't as myself. I was sure people would figure out it was me doing it - they were my ideas, even though the way I said them was as someone else. When no one did, I felt very manipulative and underhanded, even though I still believed what I had said. I don't like people who are maniplative, and I don't like feeling I've been manipulative myself. I also edit myself to make sure what I want to say is what I think will be understood. Do I want people to think I'm angry? Silly? Sarcastic? Do any of those qualities interfere with the message? One thing that's good about written communication is that we have time to do that editing, and not have to live with the first things that come out of our mouths. Of course, what we say here is remembered longer - it had better be worth saying. |
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21 Sep 00 - 10:19 AM (#302208) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler My postings amply demonstrate my single disordered presonality but it is a little known fact that it is only the continued therapy from Professor Patsclaw (no relation) at the NYCFTTS that keeps a whole slew of strange personalities securely locked up in my head. These include The Kazoo King of Ascot, leader of the Fogeys (Old,Skifflers- and back): Mal Canto and the Malcontents, '50s rockers;Croakin' Bullfrog, the blues singer;Slim Waller, the barrelhouse pianist;Manitas de Plomo, the suspiciously pale purveyor of Caribbean ditties and Real Drag Martin, the dixieland banjo legend. So long as drugs and therapy keep them securely away fom reality the world is safe for music lovers. RtS |
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21 Sep 00 - 11:12 AM (#302266) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker Great thread!!! Threads like this are the most important reason why I bother to check in at Mudcat regularly. I am really impressed with the tone of the responses. Judging from other threads, I expected more serious flaming than I got. As in all matters of taste some people get it and some don't. The key word is "fun." If the idea of multiple pseudonyms doesn't sound like fun to you, or if you've tried it and you didn't enjoy it, then you don't "get it." But that is NOT, repeat NOT, a criticism of you. It is no more a mark against you than any other matter of sheer taste such as an abhorrence of spinach or a love of single malt scotch. No, Beanster, it was not a rhetorical question. I was really curious about the phenomenon of multiple psyeudonyms. Once upon a time, I thought I was so different and weird. The older I get the more clearly I see how ordinary I am. I just wondered if my use of multiple pseydonyms was another mark of my ordinariness. But thanks for the correction. I haven't studied psych since I took an intro course decades ago. I really like knowing correct terminology. As for Callie and bert, no, I am not a troublemaker, Your assumption about my motivation says more about you than me. I was pleased to see that this theme died a quick death. The question was also a kind of Rorschach test for the denizens of Mudcat. One thing that the exchange makes clear is that there are some very fundamental differences in the participants' perceptions of Mudcat. For the record, I do NOT participate in Mudcat in order to cultivate deep, significant, personal, meaningful, whatever relationships. I satisfy those needs only in contexts where I can interact face-to-face with people. To be brutally honest, people who attempt to satisfy their need for such relationships at a place like Mudcat make me very nervous. They are exactly the people I hide from behind pseudonyms. To put it bluntly, I am a Mudcat guest because all I want is a mutually enjoyable one-night stand. I don't want a marriage. Finally, I really liked Bagpuss' comment. It had the potential to take the whole discussion to the next level. |
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21 Sep 00 - 11:23 AM (#302272) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: little john cameron Ah wisnae meanin the use o jist ane name,ah can understaun that ok,it's haein ither names on same site.Ye could go daft hain argyments wi yersel,cud ye no? On anither site ah'm on the place wis in an uproar coz o ane fella posin as twa or three and stertin a big rammy.It wis aw in fun an naethin really bad wis said.This business o comin in in disguise disnae mak sense tae me.Wid ane o the anes that dae it explain tae me whit is the point unless it is tae get fowk riled up.Seems tae me ye can dae that withoot gettin intae ither names. ljc |
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21 Sep 00 - 11:28 AM (#302274) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: little john cameron Gled ye cleared that up Lurk.It's as clear as mud noo. ljc |
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21 Sep 00 - 11:29 AM (#302276) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bert Now I know who you are. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:09 PM (#302342) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mary in Kentucky ljc - I'll PM you some info on why some of us use a generic name or a pseudonym. And for everyone else, remember that we can use the personal messages for communicating. It's still not foolproof from stalkers, but you can choose how much personal info to share. As an aside...has anyone seen any research which diagnoses or somehow chronicles the "personalities" seen in various web postings? I have my theories, and like Bert, I can recognize certain "characteristics" or "adjectives" (wouldn't be polite to engage in name-calling), but I'd really be interested in learning more from someone who knows more about psychology. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:21 PM (#302354) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Sean Belt P.L. says, "For the record, I do NOT participate in Mudcat in order to cultivate deep, significant, personal, meaningful, whatever relationships." Fair enough. But that leads me to question why you doparticipate in Mudcat? Sounds like it's just for the purpose of winding people up and playing head games under an assortment of guises. I admit I could be reading something into this that isn't there. But if that is your sole reason for being here, it's kind of sad. It's a lot like going into a neighborhood tavern and representing yourself as something you're not, then thinking, "That's okay, because I don't really know these people and won't see them again." It's not terrible behavious, certainly, and probably mostly harmless. But it is distasteful anyway. I hope that all of us here have reasonably full lives and have many fullfiling relationships outside of the ones we have on the internet. But, whether that's the case or not, it is important that the recipients of what we post here in the Mudcat are all real people and should be thought of and treated that way. End of sermon. - Sean |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:30 PM (#302370) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario " I do NOT participate in Mudcat in order to cultivate deep, significant, personal, meaningful, whatever relationships" ditto - but I also recognize that does not mean that they CAN occur, nor am I afraid of that happening. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:32 PM (#302371) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mary in Kentucky ljc - I'll PM you some info on why some of us use a generic name or a pseudonym. And for everyone else, remember that we can use the personal messages for communicating. It's still not foolproof from stalkers, but you can choose how much personal info to share. As an aside...has anyone seen any research which diagnoses or somehow chronicles the "personalities" seen in various web postings? I have my theories, and like Bert, I can recognize certain "characteristics" or "adjectives" (wouldn't be polite to engage in name-calling here), but I'd really be interested in learning more from someone who knows more about psychology. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:35 PM (#302373) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mary in Kentucky oops...sorry...I'm singing the ISP Blues today. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:36 PM (#302374) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario Mary - if forensics can analyze a personality from the text of a ransom note (which is possible now, suppossedly) I am sure that comparisions of posting would easily determine whether or not someone was posting, faux posting, whatever. |
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21 Sep 00 - 01:51 PM (#302392) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jon Freeman MMario, I am another who is not here for the personal relationships but that it not to say that I haven't enjoyed the ones that have occured - I veiw them as a bonus. I think the most important point to remember here is that although they can and DO occur, no one is obliged to enter into such things. A persons involvement here in terms of contributions and entering into any of the more social aspects is entirely optional and people are left to be themselves. Jon |
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21 Sep 00 - 02:39 PM (#302429) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker Little John, what part of "fun" did you not understand? "I don't understand" can mean two very different things. 1. I don't have enough information yet. 2. I have all the information I need but I don't like what I'm hearing. I think your "I don't understand" and Sean Ruprecht-Belt's fall into category #2. Remember, my claim is that you either get it or you don't. If you don't think roller coasters are fun, nothing I say is gonna change that. I approach Mudcat quite differently from some of the participants in this thread. I knew that before I started it. At this point in the thread I am making a strong claim: ones approach to Mudcat is a matter of personal taste, NOT ethics or morals. My approach to Mudcat his no more moral/ethical ramifications than my choice of shirt this morning. Since this is my view, I can truthfully say that I don't care how you, the reader of this post, handle Mudcat, No more than I care what color socks you are wearing. If I were concerned with your sock color, you'd definitely think that was weird and you would be justifiably nervous about the thought of getting to know me. If you disagree with this view, at some point you must get beyond variations on "I don't like what you are saying." Sean Ruprecht-Belt , how does my unflinching honesty on this thread show that I am NOT treating Mudcatters like real people. MMario. I am not afraid of relationships. I do, however, studiously avoid relationships with people who display certain warning signs. I have a few personal rules, e.g., Never play poker with anyone who owns a gun and talks to it, Avoid eye contact with people talking to invisible friends in bus stations, Avoid offline entanglements with people who don't appreciate the fundamental differences between internet and face-to-face interactions. |
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21 Sep 00 - 03:35 PM (#302469) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,"Cracker" Mary asked, "As an aside...has anyone seen any research which diagnoses or somehow chronicles the "personalities" seen in various web postings? I have my theories, and like Bert, I can recognize certain "characteristics" or "adjectives" (wouldn't be polite to engage in name-calling here), but I'd really be interested in learning more from someone who knows more about psychology." Well Mary, in my "real life" I do a bit of that, and if I was to attempt a profile- for entertainment purposes only, as the TV psychic ads say- I'd do it the following way regarding "Guest, Phantom Lurker". The phrase "what part of (whatever) didn't you understand"? is almost always used by women. The person appears to have been here for quite some time, is often displeased with the group's behaviour, probably voices it occasionally, but seeks anonymity when really angry, so as not to jeopardize their position. My guess is that folkmusic is very important to them, and superficial talk- especially when "people who should know better" enjoy the banter- drives them to distraction. I'd look for signed postings by someone who constantly trumpets their moral superiority and uses phrases like "unflinching honesty" (and probably many others implying the same) Finally I'd check for threads started by unfamiliar names, directly or obliquely criticizing another member. (or group of members) My work often involves handwriting, but typers leave clues as well. |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:08 PM (#302493) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker Cracker - Dead on. Really scary. |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:11 PM (#302496) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss It's weird how different sets of people on different fora can react so differently to the same question - because of past history of the site. Because the above comment was posted by a guest, a lot of people were automatically suspicious about the intentions of the author. On this other site I mentioned before, there are a lot more trolls - who are more upfront with their nastiness. So a troll would never post a harmless comment like that and nobody would be suspicious. In fact it would (and indeed has) generate a very interesting discussion about how we act roles in our lives. Also, because it has pretty much given up the idea that the forum must only tackle movie related topics, we discuss a much wider range of topics than here. So a question like the above wouldn't be treated hostilely (is that a word?) because it was off-topic. Anyway, I would be sad if the history of this site led to an over suspicion and paranoia on this site, so I try to take all posts at face value. And it is the one thing that really annoys the trolls - refusing to get riled up by them. BTW - Bagpuss is pretty much me - though leaning towards the childish and fun side of my personality. Bagpuss |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:18 PM (#302503) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss Forgot to say - playing roles or having multiple personae doesn't necessarily mean being deceitful or deliberately hurtful to people. It can just be fun. In fact one of the few internet people I have met up with has about 5 different handles on the one site - and she is one of the nicest people I know. Elsewhere I have a handle called The Devil's Advocate - who does nothing but argue with people all the time. No matter what the subject. Nobody takes offence because the name makes it quite clear what the poster is about - and most of them know it's me and sometimes I just enjoy a good argument for its own sake. It is great fun too. The DA had everyone logically convinced that there was no such thing as free will the other week. Bagpuss |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:21 PM (#302504) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario P-Lurker. I guess part of the reason I don't "appreciate the fundamental differences between internet and face-to-face interactions" is that I really cannot see much different between relationships formed over the internet and those I formed via letters, phone conversations and reel-to-reel tape exchanges when I was young. Or those my parents formed and maintained in the same manner. These people were part of the day to day lives of my family - yet I was in my late teens before I met most of them face to face. (Some I have not met ftf yet) I know two people who correspond weekly who have met face to face only twice in their lives; and one of those times the second person was a new-born. But they are involved in each others live, involved in each others families lives, and have been for decades. to restrict yourself to friends who can only be face-to-face seems to be extremely limiting to me. Of course I do expect a certain level of honesty. |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:25 PM (#302508) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Why should one expect people who are phony online to be "real" (honest, earnest, etc.) in ftf meetings? The internet is not a different kind of human being. It is a communications tool, like the telephone system or the postal service. I fail to see 1. what's "fun" about being phony, and 2. what the big difference is between "online" and "real life." Then again I "met" my current wife through a BBS (anybody remember those?), which would have never been possible if either of us were putting on a phony persona. So my ideas about "online reality" and such may be a bit skewed.
Alex
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21 Sep 00 - 04:33 PM (#302514) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss Playing roles doesn't make you a phony - as long as you make it clear what you are doing. I like to think of it as putting on my different *heads*. Theres my fun and silly head, my argumentative head and my passionate head. They are all part of me, but I find putting different names to them online gives people a clue as to where I am coming from in each post. I've never been anyone but bagpuss here btw. Bagpuss |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:42 PM (#302522) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: MMario Bagpuss- no argument there. given your conditions, that is. |
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21 Sep 00 - 04:46 PM (#302527) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss So role playing is fine - as long as *you* don't suspect the motives of the player...? Bagpuss |
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21 Sep 00 - 05:10 PM (#302545) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker Bagpuss, you get it. Would you be willing to share the details about the other forum you spoke so highly of? I would be interested in lurking there too. I will understand if you decline. |
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21 Sep 00 - 05:28 PM (#302556) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief I guess you'll have to count me as one who doesn't get it. Role playing is for games. Mudcat is not a game, but a meeting place. The two don't seem to be related in my mind.
Clueless in Seattle, |
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21 Sep 00 - 05:30 PM (#302558) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bill D If I were a Psych major and needed a Masters thesis topic, I'd just just come here and sort thru almost 4 years of threads and relationships/personas..... Having been a regular in a chatroom several years ago, till it died, I KNOW that various people approach online personalities differently...some are simply unable to accept that there are real people on the other end. They treat it like some play they are writing, and say anything... with no concern for consequences. I have watched as people fell in love....had affairs...got married...broke up...and even died(not all the same people)- as their online 'friends' watched. And some of those online 'friends' stayed faceless and aloof from it...while others cried and made real trips to share part of their lives....it is no different here. We have varying abilities to cope, absorb, intuit, share, care and, maybe most important, to *hear* what others are feeling and saying without simply projecting 'agendas' on it all... I wonder sometimes if maybe those who do multiple personas actually adopt a different attitude for each.... ..(the internet/WWW is not old enough yet for most people to work out all the protocalls needed, I suspect...maybe when the 20-somethings grow up) |
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21 Sep 00 - 05:32 PM (#302561) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: little john cameron Wee storyAh while,TRUE. A while ago ah came across a really nice web site by a young lassie in the states that was concerned with Scotland an Castles in particular. She also had lovely poetry an made Celtic jewellery.She seemed tae me tae be a beautiful spirit,an ayh aye enjoyed visitin her web site. Ane day ah logged in an the site wis gone!!!Efter checkin back a few times there appeared on the scene,a letter fae a freen o hers explainin whit had happened. It turned oot that she had been emailing for a long time wi an aulder man in Australia.They hit it off thegither and the relationship became serious. In order tae see if the relationship wid continue in real life they decided that he wid come tae the States an see whit transpired then.The date wis set an as the time fur the meetin approached she was very excited aboot meetin the wonderfull man. Eventually the time came an she went tae the airport tae meet him. Nae sign o him,so she checked the dates in case she had them mixed up in her excitement.Weel tae cut a long story short,he never turned up efter aw. She emailed him numerous times,bit got nae reply.She remembered that he had told her aboot a dochter he had so she got her address an wrote tae see if he was awricht as he didnae keep too weel,an she wis worried aboot him. The dochter never knew onything aboot it an telt her no tae be botherin her faither onymare. The puir lass wis hertbroke. Efter a while she stertit emailin him again as she couldnae believe that he didnae want tae hear fae her ony mair.Anyway, efter a while he replied an said that tae grow up an that it wis aw jist a fantasy atween them an that wis it.The gemme wis ower. Her web site is back up noo an she seems tae be ok,bit ah wid say it will be a lang time afore she trusts anyane again. Ye can fid her at "Junes Castle in the Sky> ljc |
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21 Sep 00 - 06:36 PM (#302618) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: harpgirl ...the only research on web based behavior that I am familiar with is by Susan Herring. She says among othere things that males make up 98% of the aggressive postings. Males are also more likely to masquerade as women. True or not, I don't know. My guess is the lurker is male. |
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21 Sep 00 - 08:37 PM (#302701) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,little john cameron That should hae been "Junes castle in the CLOUDS.Sorry aboot that. ljc |
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21 Sep 00 - 09:01 PM (#302713) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bflat MMario....bravo for Honesty! Not enough going around. |
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21 Sep 00 - 09:30 PM (#302723) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Lonesome EJ I'm me and no one else LEJ |
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21 Sep 00 - 09:35 PM (#302725) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Lonesome EJ That makes two of us -Blake Madison er...three... -Robert E Leej four? -Billy the Trid OK! Five,but that's all! -Blondy Six? -Lazarus Ezekiel Jones |
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21 Sep 00 - 09:37 PM (#302727) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Ebbie This is the first forum/chat/whatever site that I have joined and I remember when mudcatters, the people on the other side of the screen, were not quite real to me, as though I made them up daily. (The only reason that might explain it is that not only do I read extensively but I also write. So in that sense, I 'make up people'.) However, it didn't take long before that all changed. The emotions- the laughter, the tears, the fears, the grief, the very sharing of each one's essence- come across the ether so clearly there is no way I could have continued to feel that way. Speaking of essence, maybe that's why phantom lurker, et al, is so dismaying to me. Where is his/her essence? For the record, I have never used any name but Ebbie, unless I gave my real name in PMs. I agree that role playing can be fun- it is what acting is, no doubt. But it belongs on the stage or in a clearly labeled face to face parlor game. Where's the fun in misleading people by the written word? It is only fun, IMO, when one is able to stay flawlessly in character- when everyone present knows that you are not really an alien or an angel or a butterfly magically brought to human life but after awhile you are able to make them begin to wonder! Phantom Lurker, maybe you're a frustrated thespian, so I won't say to you: Get a life. Instead I'll say: Go play. Here is not the right place. IMO. Ebbie |
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21 Sep 00 - 09:59 PM (#302743) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,CLETUS I dunno nuthin bowt bein nobody septin me an I doan holt wif sumbuddy what aint whatever they izzint er nuthin likin thet. The onliest reeson whut Ize got me no cookie iz cuz Max doan wanna go to jail fer cuntributin ta the stupidity of an idjit. I think thaz whut he sed ennyway. CLETUS |
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21 Sep 00 - 11:35 PM (#302798) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CarolC Guest, Phantom Lurker: You said something in your 9/12, 11:12am post that I think is very key. You said, "To put it bluntly, I am a Mudcat guest because all I want is a mutually enjoyable one-night stand". In light of the fact that numerous Mudcat members have told you that they don't enjoy what you are doing, and no members have said that they do enjoy it, I guess a better word to use as an analogy for what you are doing would be "rape". Carol |
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22 Sep 00 - 12:46 AM (#302844) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: The Beanster DougR--LOL I do think it would be politically incorrect to refer to someone suffering from DID as "nuttier than a Baby Ruth." Phantom Lurker--I do believe now that your initial question was sincere and I retract my accusation that you had no real interest in hearing others' opinions on this topic. I don't think I agree with you that taking on whatever persona strikes your fancy at the moment is always a harmless undertaking, however. If Phantom Lurker-A, B or C states a particular (pseudo) opinion which is then replied to by someone who believes the sentiment behind it is real, that person has obviously has taken the time to put genuine feelings and thought into the reply. Given the fact that Phantom Lurker's opinion was never truly felt in the first place, Phantom Lurker has now, by eliciting a genuine response to a non-genuine post, trampled upon the honesty or trust (if you want to call it that) that can and I think, should, exist in a forum like Mudcat. What I mean is, if I read a posting here, I automatically assume it is sincere and if I have a strong enough reaction to it, I'll reply. If the post is not sincere, however, and someone was just "role playing" for the sake of mucking around, I have wasted my time and effort on something that was in essence, a joke in the first place. And the joke is on me. Granted, I'll probably never find this out--so you say, what's the harm? The harm may come not to me, because like I said, I'll probably never know it was a bogus post. But if I were on this forum doing what you seem to be doing, I would feel a sizeable pang of conscience, knowing that I had deceived someone. BUT--if you have a strong antisocial bent with little empathy or conscience, you will not feel this twinge of guilt... |
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22 Sep 00 - 01:21 AM (#302856) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,"Cracker" Found your female flamer. I don't want to go giving away tricks of my trade, but I left a little bait in my other post, and it was taken. Ten minutes of research provided the answer. |
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22 Sep 00 - 06:59 AM (#302903) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss Phantom Lurker: its' a site called Mr Cranky rates the Movies - www.mrcranky.com. You might find the new release forums full of idiots - but keep an eye out for the following people: Tick, Philm Phan, jen, Dick Nixon, Junk Yard Dog, Wolfman and Zorro (and me - KT) and you should find some interesting conversations. I am currently conversing about nothing much in the following forums - The Full Monty, I'm Not Rappaport (where unfortunately, we have just had a monster 10,000 post thread deleted :-(), When Harry Met Sally and a hidden forum that I can't tell you about till we decide you're not going to troll too much!! Avoid a poster called Liquid Sunshine like the plague. He is poisonous. The film reviews are hilarious too - enjoy. You have to be a member to post, but it's easy enough to get multiple accounts, by using hotmail accounts. Let me know what handle you choose and I'll say hi to you there. Bagpuss |
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22 Sep 00 - 09:03 AM (#302933) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri I can understand how people who like to explore other personalities would try to become them for a while, but I don't think that's what happens with anonymous flamers. Their personas don't bounce off other people the same way they do in the physical world, only their words do. So what it comes down to is someone who enjoys making people react a certain way. You may enjoy manipulating those who react honestly to your less-than-honest opinions. You may feel like you're in control. If I worried about that every time I answered a message, I'd never send anything out, and I'd be one paranoid puppy. (And yes, many of us have done that here and we wind up suspecting everyone and accidentally flaming the innocent.) I'm not going to allow myself to get to that point. My intention is to respond honestly, and if you've taken me in with a persona, you've done no more than you would have if you'd posted a true opinion. Guest PL, my opinion is that you're here for the relationships more than the topics. This is because your emphasis is on personas and how you discuss things, not what's being discussed. You said "To be brutally honest, people who attempt to satisfy their need for such relationships at a place like Mudcat make me very nervous." So some people make good friends here, while you like "one-night stands." The type of relationship is different, but it sounds like you're still here for some type of relationship. Have you considered that you're having one-night stands with the same people over and over again?
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22 Sep 00 - 10:05 AM (#302969) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle CarolC ... "rape" - spot-on analogy! "Cracker" ... so this means that you can find out who anyone on the mudcat is, even those who post honestly with a nickname, but may have a reason for not wanting their real name known. That's scarey. What do you suppose "brutally honest" means? I've had those words said to me, in the last five months, and there was nothing "honest" about them. Guest PL ... I may have been fearful and terrified, at times, recently, but nervous? Never. And who is "their?" Let's name some names, here, of people who would classify as "their." I don't know any "their." Even though I've made an effort to meet several mudpeople inperson and I talk "live" with several more, the others are real to me (for the most part) and don't have to present themselves inperson or via telephone, for me to consider them real. And, you know what else? Even if there are mudpeople, who have found a community and are thriving on that community, SO WHAT! It's not up to you to decided who is valuable enough to be on the mudcat. It's not up to anyone to decide that. "You" are who is not "real." "You" are whose valuable contribution consists of telling the rest of us why the mudcat is a haven for the misbegotten. So, go ahead and flame me, I've toughened up a bit and have no doubts about "my" identity. BTW, I have posted as Guest a few times because of my fear of "you." But my fear of "you" is not so dreadful, as what I consider a sham on my part. People who know me well, know my words, so it wasn't a secret to them, and if anyone else had asked, I would have told them it was me. Another BTW ... I haven't always felt this way and particularly when I had my trust in stripped away. But, through the help of a few mudpeople, I know the difference between what is and what ain't. So, PL ... you should probably be pitied. And, Cracker ... why don't you put your skills to better use. |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:18 AM (#302982) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss I really, honestly find the rape analogy a terrible thing to use. People have complained about the term Folk Nazi - and I find this just as offensive. Anyone who has actually been raped would know that this is nothing like it. Just because some people here have used the guest feature to use multiple handle in order to hurt and abuse, doesn't mean that everyone who posts under different names does it for the same reason or effect. The person I mentioned before who has multiple handles and I have met in real life has only just told me who one of her other handles is. And I had been debating with this persona for some time. I didn't get angry with her. No matter what persona you play, I think most people can tell if you are doing it for ill effect or for the fun of it - a piece of your main personality always shines through. Bagpuss |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:31 AM (#302993) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief "Honest" and "anonymous" just don't fit together in my brain. It's like sitting in a tree, taunting somebody who can't climb. You know you're safe and can say whatever you want, with no accountability because the person can't climb up there and clean your clock. The other words that come to mind are "cowardice" and "bully." But the real problem is the adverb "brutally" -- to be brutal is to be violent and cruel. Why would anybody want to do that to another human? One answer, of course, is that they are playing a head-game wherein they don't believe they are really talking to another human being. It's just a "persona" on the web they think they're interacting with, not another human with a family, feelings, personal history, etc. This is why I think this whole "persona" business is of questionable morality. The other word that comes to mind from all this (besides "rape" which may indeed be too strong) is "stalking." Moonjen - hang in there! There are good and honest people to be found on the web (I know, I married one!).
cheeseless in Seattle, |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:35 AM (#302998) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mbo Hey you, up in the tree D'you want to be me? Well that couldn't be 'Cause the people here They don't hear you caaaaaaaalling... |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:45 AM (#303008) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss I don't understand how being anonymous necessarily precludes honesty. For example - if I hadn't given any personal details here, then I would be anonymous. But that wouldn't be dishonest. I've noticed that some people here only use the guest thingy when they do want to be honest about something, but they feel that if they did it under their usual name, it would cause too much personal unpleasantness if they did so. And I see nothing wrong in that. It is an entirely different thing when people use different names solely to stir up trouble. But that is a problem I have with trolls and trouble-makers - not with people who have many handles. And I don't think we should confuse the issue. If I turned up and used the guest prefix and the name "The Mad Punster" and did nothing but post puns under that name then I don't think people would have a problem with it - regardless if they knew it was me or not. It's how people post and what they say that is important. Bagpuss |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:50 AM (#303012) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing Moonjen, just so you know, "mudpeople" is one of the favourite *buzzwords* of the white supremacist movement used to describe persons of colour. I mean you no offense and know you didn't mean it that way. What you read is what you get with me; the whole enchilada. Of course, there is also the airhead Valley Girl, Ditzee Lee who shows up as a guest now and then, usually trying to clean up Cletus so he can get a date.*bg* kat |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:52 AM (#303013) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Perhaps I didn't make my point clear. If what you post is going to cause personal unpleasantness, and is brutal, maybe you should consider whether to post it at all. Going anonymous to "allow" yourself to post things you'd be better off not posting is dishonest. But what do I know? Like I said, I've grown out of such head games.
Alex |
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22 Sep 00 - 10:55 AM (#303015) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker God, I love this thread!!!! Not getting it is NOT the problem, if you who do NOT get it could take a live and let live, whatever turns you on, let a hundred flowers bloom, sort attitude about it. Not getting it causes problems (but not for me) when you insist on making so many assumptions that put whatever you don't get into a bad light...when you insist in STEREOTYPING what you don't get. Little John tells a very sad story about a chatroom relationship gone bad. In the context of this strand he is tacitly accusing me of being the same sort of person as the cad in his story. Am I the only person who sees that as uncalled for in light of what is transpired on this thread? bflat cheers "bravo for Honesty!" So I am dishonest? On a scale of 1 to 10, how dishonest is a person who admits that she uses different pseuydonyms? As compared to someone who does so but does not admit it? As compared to someone who (at least claims that she) uses just one pseudonym, As compared to someonw who (at least claims) that he uses his real name. Ebbie says "Where's the fun in misleading people by the written word?" and "Go play. Here is not the right place." Three questions: whom have I mislead, how have they been mislead, and what harm has resulted IN THIS THREAD by the misleading? These are not rhetorical questions. My curiousity has been piqued. A number of participants in this thread are strongly disturbed by my "coming out." What exactly disturbs you and why? The problem seems to be an honesty thing, but simply to call something dishonest isn't enough. IMHO dishonesty is not always a bad thing. If someone I really care about asks me if I LIKE the dress she has just purchased and is clearly so happy with, it is better for me to dishonestly say "Yes" than honestly say "No." "No" will simply make her feel bad to no good end. CarolC - Nice shot. But... Where does name calling get us? What I am doing doesn't seem the least bit like rape to me. There is clearly no sex involved in the exchanges on this thread. I was up front when I started the thread. The people currently participating are here of their own free will. No one is being forced to participate in this thread. Beanster - thanks for paying attention. Unfortunagely you give with the left hand and take away with the right. You were willing to take seriously the idea that I am sincerely intested in hearing the opinions of others. But then you call my post "non-genuine." You make an excellent criticism of people who lie when they state their opinions in a forum. But that is not the point. My initial question was about people who use multiple pseudonyms. There go the assumptions again. You are assuming that I use multiple pseudonyms so that I can lie to Mudcatters and stir things up. I never said that. You also want to believe that I am antisocial and with little empathy or conscience. Why are you so anxious to believe such things of me? Bagpuss. Thanks for your trust. I'll see you there. Jeri - your post discusses "anonymous flamers"? What flaming have I done here? You refer to my "less-than-honest-opinions." Where do you get the idea that I have been dishonest in this thread? Dishonesty would be the easy way to deal with it. All I have to do is say "Oh gosh, you all were right and I am wrong. I have seen the error of my ways. I will never lurk anonymously again. Thank you, thank you, thank you." and sign the post with a bogus but apparently real name. Now THAT would be dishonest. You accuse me of being manipulative but who in this thread is being manipulated and how? I am sincerely interested in your REASONS for being disturbed by my initial posting. I am not particularly interested in hearing all the different ways of saying "I don't like what you are doing." Unfortunately, explaining your reasons will probably be difficult because you probably are not clear about them yourself. But I certainly appreciate any attempt you are willing to make. Finally, I truly do not care what assumptions you make about me as "Phantom Lurker." It really is just water off a duck's back. But some of the assumptions some of you are making do worry me. I am not worried about me. I am worried about you. Internet interactions are NOT just like face to face interactions only faster. What is going on at Mudcat and a million other sites like it is significantly different from anything human beings have ever done before. The rules are truly DIFFERENT. If you are naive about this you could be in for serious problems. MMario, internet relationships really are SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT from "those I formed via letters, phone conversations and reel-to-reel tape exchanges when I was young." If a child of mine were say what you said in your post of 21-Sep-00 - 04:21 PM, I would immediatley throw every computer in the house into a dumpster. John Cameron's story (assuming that it is true) is a perfect example of what happens if you are not sufficiently paranoid about your network relationships. When all was said and done, all that the lady had dealt with was WORDS ON A SCREEN. Thanks for you time and opinions. |
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22 Sep 00 - 11:17 AM (#303038) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief I must disagree with your final sentence, Phantom. Words don't get up on a screen by themselves. A PERSON had to put them there. If we feel free to be nasty to people online because they're just "words on a screen" then we are no better than if we were equally nasty to a person we met on the street or in a pub. Hiding behind the quasi-anonymity of the web is no excuse for bad manners. Why limit the topic of conversation to IN THIS THREAD? This thread isn't the only place we interact with people via the web. It's kind of like "But what have you done for me LATELY?" I see no reason why people can't talk about the harm that might come from dishonesty on the web, even OUTSIDE this thread. And the girl whose heart was broken by the fellow she was exchanging emails with was hurt by dishonesty. Yes she was hopelessly naive. But this doesn't change the fact that the fellow in question WAS dealing with a real person, not "words on the screen," and what he did was dishonest and immoral. Getting your jollies hurting naive or inexperienced people is still getting your jollies hurting people. Hurting people online is still hurting people. Again, there are no "words on the screen" in these sorts of forums that aren't put there by people. Real, honest-to-gosh, flesh-and-blood people. If you think that by using the web you're not interacting with real people, you're hopelessly naive yourself. If you don't like your kids interacting with strangers at all, don't let them use the PC at all. Now I'm not saying that you are necessarily hurting people. But if you are using your GUEST status to be "brutally honest," and it hurts people, then it is. There may be very little accountability that comes with registering, but there is still more than comes with GUEST status. I think this thread has just about devolved into the "did not"/"did so" stage. But we have covered a lot of interesting and profitable ground, in my estimation. Not that my estimation matters a rat's ass, but hey, if we didn't like seeing our own words on the screen, none of us would be here, would we?
Alex |
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22 Sep 00 - 11:21 AM (#303041) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CarolC Well, I hope I haven't caused anyone any discomfort with my use of the word "rape". I used it as a logical extension (or correction) of the Guest's analogy (I hope that is the correct term. I get them confused.) And in that context, it is appropriate. Whether or not it is too strong, I don't know. Maybe. It is possible for people to feel raped in an emotional or psychological sense. If you feel that something intimate of yours, such as your sympathy, or your compassion, have been taken by deception when you would not otherwise given it, you might experience some of the same emotions in a less intense form. I think the motivation is probably the same or very similar: to control other people and to take something private and intimate, such as their emotions or good will (or body), by deception or force. There's definately a lot to think about with that one. Carol |
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22 Sep 00 - 11:27 AM (#303046) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle kat ... THANK YOU! Anyone who knows me, knows I would use a term like that knowing it was a distinction used by the KKK or any other hate group. For those who don't "know" me, please excuse my ignorance on using that term. I started using it because of the problems with my left hand and wrist and typing "mudpeople" was easier. It's back to "mudcatters" for me.
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22 Sep 00 - 11:28 AM (#303048) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief What about "mudders"? No wait that sounds too much like "mothers" said with a Brooklyn accent and a head cold.
Alex |
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22 Sep 00 - 11:50 AM (#303071) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle Alex ... that's good and can do it mostly with my right hand. Thanks. |
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22 Sep 00 - 12:17 PM (#303104) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Ebbie P.L., et al: How about this analogy? You're in Max's house and your host has told you that this practice is frowned upon. dupliate post deleted by an elf/Joe-clone |
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22 Sep 00 - 12:28 PM (#303112) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Lonesome EJ ...and I guess Mudder-Folkies would be even more inappropriate. I'm not sure that what Phantom is doing is so innappropriate.Mudcat is more than just a chain of personal communications to me.It is an on-going literary work,a philosophical treatise,a batch of comedy skits,a serious discussion,a chance to make believe.When I stated before that I am me and only me,except for Blake,Blondy,Bobby Leej,et al,I was only half in jest. This forum gives us the opportunity to be,at any given time,who and what we want to be.For most of us,that personna is very close to who we really are in the outside world...very close,but I know that LEJ deals differently with Mudcatters than he does with most other individuals in "real life".And,given the framework of a Tavern or Mudcat Fiction scenario,I enjoy exploring other people (aspects of my personality?),donning the "mask" for a while,if you will.But my attempt is never to deceive,and that is why my masks are donned and doffed in full view.Can I criticize someone who wears similar masks,with personnas created in secret so that the deception is complete? To me that is a game I have no interest in playing,but if another does,I suppose it is his (her) affair.It just seems that being at a masquerade party where you are the only one in costume would get old pretty quickly. |
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22 Sep 00 - 12:42 PM (#303129) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Melani Frankly, I'm not computer-literate enough to keep changing my name. And being basically shy, I find it a lot easier to discuss sensitive topics on-line than in person, so I have opened up here in ways that I virtually never do elsewhere. Lurker, I'm happy if you're having fun, just don't do anything nasty to anybody. |
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22 Sep 00 - 04:07 PM (#303357) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing Jenny, you are welcome. I think we'd better get you one of those programs, though, that you can use to dictate your postings.*BG* You said: "Anyone who knows me, knows I would use a term like that knowing it was a distinction used by the KKK or any other hate group." (my italics) Knowing you, I am sure you meant "would NOT use." Just looking out for ya, darlin....luvyakat
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22 Sep 00 - 05:04 PM (#303391) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle Geezuz, kat, it's a damn good thing you're proofreading my posts today! What I need is a word-checker that will say, in the voice of the almighty ... "Jenny, are you sure you meant to say that?" moonjen whoiswriting"wouldnot"100timesonthechalkboard |
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22 Sep 00 - 05:21 PM (#303400) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: sophocleese As a teenager and while in University I also liked playing Dungeons and Dragons and other similar games. Its neat to come up with a different person and then try and play that person out in a game. At one point I considered starting an entirely new and separate Mudcat identity. I was bulding up an image of him in my mind and adding details. It was fun; a pleasant exercise in imagination. However I soon realized that it would take a lot more time than I was willing to give to keep it up so I dropped the idea. So some days I post and I'm bitchy and other days I post and I'm cheerful, it simply means that one day I'm feeling bitchy and other days I'm feeling cheerful. Peter T., in one of his TFRTD, talked about being shy. I mentioned that shyness changes with circumstance or the mode of communication. So maybe people who are not shy can be the same in all places but for those who are shy being on the Net can bring out qualities they don't show in face to face or phone call situations. If you're used to behaving differently depending on company its not that big a stretch to come up with a variety of Net characters. An intent to deceive will worry people. Costumes and multiple identities are possible means to deceit, so people worry about them. Can't stop that. Spending more time reading the messages and less time trying to figure out who said what to who seems a sensible way of dealing with the worry. |
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22 Sep 00 - 05:52 PM (#303417) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Lepus Rex What this 'guest' is doing may not be inappropriate, but it's annoying. I'm sure it pictures itself as some sort of mysterious masked rogue, sweeping into our lives, impressing us with it's wit, and just as quickly running off, leaving us to wonder, 'Who was that fascinating, but enigmatic, stranger?' 'Guest,' you're a dork. You came here because you know your annonymous 'existence' is hollow. So you came here and went on and on AND ON about why you are afraid to reveal yourself here, while you repeat that you don't care what 'we' think, and that knowing 'us' isn't important to you. Bullshit. You must be one lonely 'guest' if you need to start a thread like this, just to get SOME kind of attention. This must make your loser Millennium, all of us, talking to YOU, paying attention to YOU, recognising YOU as a real live PERSON! This is the membership you crave; you BELONG now, because we've SEEN you. And you still get to carry on with your secret agent act, too! Some life. And I liked Carol's rape analogy, though I can think of one that might be a little more appropriate: 'Guest phantom' is just some low-life flasher in the park. ---Lepus Rex |
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22 Sep 00 - 06:53 PM (#303463) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Sean Belt Well, P.L., your last couple of posts parroting back what people have posted and your obvious delight in the way you've gotten us all stirred up shows me that you don't have much interest in any kind of real discussion. this appears to be a chance for you to show that you're really better and smarter and more clever than anyone else around. For what it's worth, I agree with Carol C's assessment. As far as whether you're male or female, it would be impossible for that to make less difference to me than it already does. Not does it matter to me who you "really" are. I'm outta this one, folks, and a bit saddened by it, too. - Sean |
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23 Sep 00 - 12:16 AM (#303660) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: The Beanster Phantom Lurker-- Thanks for your reply and I do believe your initial question in this thread is sincere. I just disagree with your statements that pseudo-postings are necessarily harmless. If you'll re-read my post above, I began that paragraph with the word "if." It's a hypothetical scenario. I didn't say your post(s) here was not genuine. I said if you make a practice of entering non-genuine posts, especially where opinions are concerned, I disagree with your reasoning that it is, in essence, all in good fun. And the fact that I believe it's wrong for people to lie when posting an opinion is completely the point--and that is my entire point. Since you seemed to want to change that subject so quickly in your last entry, let me ask you something: Do you lie when posting under a pseudonym? If not, then the question as it applies to you, is moot. If you do, I take issue with that. That's all. (And obviously, you can tell the truth here, now, because of course, you have afforded yourself the luxury of anonymity.) I never said you would lie to "stir things up." You may do it for that reason and you may not. That is one of your assumptions. Speaking of that, you seem to be making the assumption that I am labeling you as antisocial. I didn't say YOU were antisocial. I was speaking in general terms in that I believe people who can post in a deceitful way--whether that's what YOU do or not--would probably have the kind of character deficits that allow them to do so without experiencing remorse. If the shoe fits... mousethief--very interesting, what you wrote. Lepus Rex--I always love your posts. Right to the point. You don't f... around! lol moonjen--how about "Mudcateers?" |
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23 Sep 00 - 06:42 AM (#303748) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow "Playing roles doesn't make you a phony - as long as you make it clear what you are doing." (Bagpuss)
Exactly so - and that "as long as" is crucial.
It's the difference between someone who dresses up as a Doctor in a Mummers Play, and someone who pretends to be a Doctor when a patient needs treatment.
Fancy dress is fun, and part of the fun can be trying to guess who the hell it is inside it, and there's nothing wrong with that on the Mudcat. But say there's a real discussion about real things, it doesn't belong there.
And I can see why someone might, in a serious discussion want to talk about something personal in an anonymous way.
So there are reasons why and occasions when. But you have to think about it first. "To live outyside the law you must be honest."
As for "mudpeople/mudperson" - if the words "mudpeople/mudperson" are used in a nasty sense by nasty people, it might be a good idea to retrieve it, and use it in a positive and respectful sense. Mudpeople/mudperson sound like good word to me, and I'm happy to have them referring to me. |
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23 Sep 00 - 09:55 AM (#303792) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing That might be true for you, Kevin, but I would hate for some new person to visit the site, who was a minority, and read that without some idea of who we are, in general, and the context in which it was being used. Just a thought.... kat |
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23 Sep 00 - 10:29 AM (#303798) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle kat and kevin ... I said in the PC thread that if one knows a word/term could have a nasty connotation, then one shouldn't say it, for fear of hurting someone. kevin (and others) ... I appreciate very much your thoughts and "words" on this, but, kat is right. I will follow my own words. After all, we are mudcatters, and an attempt to come up with something more catchy, as it were, was probably a feeble attempt, on my part. Before kat's enlightenment, I didn't know the connotation, and it was excusable. Now that I know, there wouldn't be an excuse. All Hail to "Mudcatter" the Word
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23 Sep 00 - 10:43 AM (#303802) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Mike Regenstreif As kat pointed out, the term "mudpeople" is used by white supremicist groups to describe people of colour. I'll add, though, that the expression is also used to describe anyone who does not fit their peculiar definition of "white." For example, these groups also consider Jews to be "mudpeople." Mike Regenstreif
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23 Sep 00 - 10:52 AM (#303807) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle Mike ... I've done a bit of research since yesterday, and yes, the term is widely used by ALL or MOST of the white supremist groups. And your description of how it is used, is spot-on. I am a very fair-skinned Jew, but the skin of my Sepphardic ancestors was swarthy. By that definition, they would be called "mudpeople." So, any attempt to turn it into something positive, would be moot. We aren't going to change the KKK, et. al. |
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23 Sep 00 - 11:27 AM (#303819) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,John Bauman This hits home. When I was wrestling with whether or not to participte in the folknazi thread I actually thought about doing it with a pseudonym but there is certain kind(s) of subject matter that demand the integrity of one's real name (or identifiable moniker) because words divorced from identintity are hypocricy. The net is custom built for this disconnect and we can rarely know if people who "talk a talk" are also walking the same. We can however maintain whatever honesty is possible (and prudent). Obviously on non-serious subject matter it's no-holds-barred. It's hard for me to think of a non-anonymous post as a "flamer"--or if I do, it's harder to misunderstand and much easier to ignore :)! John |
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23 Sep 00 - 11:55 AM (#303829) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow Lots of words words have some dodgy meanings - moon, and john, and kevin gets used in a pretty sneery way at times.
When a word takes on a new meaning, and that becomes a dominant meaning, you might have to back out of using it in the historical sense. That may have happened for mudpeople I suppose, but it hasn't reached my part of the world yet.
And if they use it to include Jews as well, I imagine they'd probably use it to include ageing hippies too. Anyway, I'll avoid using it, but if anyone wants to use it about me, I won't be offended.
What do we do if the bastards start using "mudcat" in the same way? (Which isn't in the least improbable, since you can use cat to mean person in some contexts.)
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23 Sep 00 - 12:10 PM (#303836) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: sophocleese Of course we could just all call ourselves Mudbloods or Muggles like they do in the Harry Potter books. A mudblood is a magician with muggle ancestry and a muggle is a non-magical person, but would that get us all muddled up? |
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23 Sep 00 - 12:14 PM (#303839) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle kevin ... don't want to burst your bubble, but they still just call us "aging hippies." |
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23 Sep 00 - 03:03 PM (#303935) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,ShadowMonk I just noticed this thread this morning, and I'm still trying to figure out if my dad was trying to tell me something with his "If I was a psych major..." comment. |
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23 Sep 00 - 03:34 PM (#303949) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow But hippies a term of abuse too... |
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23 Sep 00 - 04:09 PM (#303965) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle kevin ... but only if you're referring to mine ... |
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24 Sep 00 - 01:48 AM (#304254) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Susan from California THREAD CREEP ALERT!!! Sophocleese--Don't you think Rowling used "mudblood" purposefully? I think the first four books are a build up to what is to come--an epic metaphor for the racial problems in the world. The whole bit with Hagrid's "mixed" ancestry, the bigotry of those who are on Voldermort's side. An allegorical tale of good v evil. What a way to get kids to see the idiocy of racism, hide it in a fun story! Can't wait for # 5! BTW, Susan is my given name, and I do live in California :-) |
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24 Sep 00 - 06:59 AM (#304304) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow I don't think many people in the British Isles have ever heard about "mud" as having some kind of racist meaning. No doubt if it really catches on in the States it'll come over here too.
Meanwhile, we've still got the hippopotamus song: "Mud, mud.glorious mud..." And a search of the DT using "mud" throws up 73 entries, and I don't think any of them have a racial significance, so I don't think this is a word we should abandon to some racist fringe in one corner of the planet. |
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24 Sep 00 - 10:43 AM (#304370) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle kevin Firstly, the word "mud" is not in question. Secondly, the term "mudpeople" is used by white supremists to describe any person not of aryan blood. Thirdly, we are not talking about a "fringe" group, we are talking about the KKK, the Aryan Brotherhood, etc. These are not fringe groups, they are in-your-face groups and are comprised of thousands, if not a couple million, people. And they extend beyond the boundaries of my little corner of the planet. Each one of these groups is using religion as the basis for their hatred. So, why not just accept the fact that it does exist and in large number, instead of trying to trivialize it by using phrases like "No doubt if it really catches on in the States" and "some racist fringe in one corner of the planet." Because it hasn't touched you, personally, does not mean it doesn't exist. |
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24 Sep 00 - 11:09 AM (#304384) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow If it sounds like I'm treating them as they were harmless, that's not what I mean. I'm just worried about taking people like that at their own inflated valuation; and bending to their distortion of the language seems to be going in that direction.
If a word is being used as an insult, in principle there's a rationale for other people to adopt it to described themselves. When Danny Cohn-Bendit in 1968 was being attacked as being "a German Jew", there were thousands of students on the streets chanting "We are all German Jews," as a way of demonstrating solidarity.
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24 Sep 00 - 03:55 PM (#304517) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall) I've been reading here for maybe 2 years and posting for probably a year and a half. I started out as "stupidbodhranplayerwhodoesn'tknowanybetter" and upon reading a number of threads vaguely similar to this one, started putting my name in front of it. My handle has mutated a little here and there, partly for brevity, and partly when I learned how to put a fada over the "a" in bodhrán. Nonetheless, if you went back, you could figure out every single post I've put in. There is an expression that says something to the effect that we are only the people we are when we're by ourselves. Granted I don't want everybody on the internet to show up at my door, but I have a singular personality here that can be held accountable. You can come back and tell me "Rich, I think that statement you posted on such-and-such thread was in bad taste. More importantly, if I continue to post as a singular person, I may one day develop a little credibility based on my past input here. For example, having read Spaw's posts for a while now, when he posted a comment about a hypothetical song title containing a racial slur, nobody could possibly consider, a racist statement, but demonstrating an example. It was clear that he was saying , to paraphrase, how can you understand that this racial slur is offensive, but find this one acceptable? It was clear because we know him. Same goes for a lot of people here. If Aine or Kat or Big Mick posts something here you can be pretty sure it's not intended to be harmful. If Rick Fielding says try playing this way, it's probably a good idea that you do. I'm not gonna catalog my take on everybody here, but you get the idea. Slán, Rich |
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24 Sep 00 - 06:05 PM (#304586) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing A far as I am concerned, Rich, you've already got tons of crediblity here. I've been meaning to ask you about the change to Gaelic/Gaelige in your name. Does it say the same thing as it did in English or have you allowed yourself a claim to the intelligence you display and to "knowing better," now?**BG** |
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25 Sep 00 - 12:25 AM (#304830) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Rich(bodhránai gan ciall) Kat , It's "bodhran player without sense." Same basic sentiment, just shorter. I was working the Gaelic League table at a festival (how's that for the blind leading the blind? I'm just learning myself), and I taught people "Is fear/bean gan ciall thú. Which means You're a man/woman without sense. This allowed people to insult one another in Irish and feel witty, without repeating that extremely over used "pog mó thóin" And thanks on the credibility part. That's tall praise coming from you. Slán agat, Rich |
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25 Sep 00 - 09:53 AM (#304962) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CamiSu I just gotta stop coming into these interesting ones late! I've started making notes of ideas to reply to, but forgot to write down names. I generally agree that online talk has much the same quality as letters and tapes used to have, but the huge difference is public access. Pen pals could be found in magazines and so on, but it wasn't so easy for someone to dishonestly move in on a trusting person and at best break their trust, and at worst, MUCH worse. So here, with most of us posting our feelings honestly, it is truly very much like those tapes that make the circuit, and every adds their two cents. It also means that we tend to proofread each others' posts and don't even have to be told Jenny left out a word. We hear what she meant! *smile* As for the term 'mudders' I think that may already belong to the users of the MUDDs (Multi-User-Dimensions-somethinglikethat, have to ask Wavestar). I do wish we could stop the haters from co-opting these perfectly decent words and making them hateful, (though most of the words that are hateful did start out that way, and those I'm perfectly happy to see disappear altogether)---the cat is helping me type this so if it is scrambled you'll know why...he does things I don't even know how to do with keystrokes!! And there IS a group called the Mother Folkers ("the most carefully pronounced name in the business"). They're a group of women folkies in Colorado who get together once a year for a concert, and have put out a couple of albums. Don't know if they're still doing this but their concerts were ALWAYS worth going to. Bonnie Carol, Bonnie Phipps, Molly O'Brian, Mary Stribling, I can't recall more at the moment. And as far as posting in various disguises, I wouldn't know. This is my first and only forum, and I am under my own name and opinions. I only hope the NH Mudcatters will talk to me when I finally meet them in November! Cami Su |
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25 Sep 00 - 10:23 AM (#304980) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Phantom Lurker FINAL REMARKS CarolC - Rape is an extremely serious matter. A real rape victim would be quite annoyed at an attempt to cheapen the word "rape" with the suggestion that the use of pseudonyms in a chatroom is anything like rape. Earnestness is no excuse for thoughtlessness. Sean Ruprecht-Belt's response strikes me as the best to way to deal with a thread you find annoying, boring, unfruitful. Leave it. Beanster, thanks for the thoughtful reply. In fact, I do NOT lie when I post, whether I post with my true name on some forums or post under a pseudonym on Mudcat. I will occasionally exaggerate my position, but I have not done so in this thread. Now, since I do NOT lie, are you comfortable with my posting under multiple pseudonyms? McGrath of Harlow, nice analogy, but I don't understand the reference to living outside the law. Thanks for taking the discussion seriously. THREAD DRIFT The extended discussion of the proper name of participants in the Mudcat forum indicates terminal thread drift. This thread has reached the end of its useful life for me. As long as the name-calling, me-tooing, and off-topic posts are in the minority I am happy to follow it. Once they predominate, why bother. RANT I find thread drift EXTREMELY ANNOYING, and I think it is RUDE. It is rude and annoying to start it. It is rude and annoying to continue and encourage it. GOODBYE I sincerely appreciate the efforts of everyone who contributed. It has been (for me) a fascinating thread. I won't be back to this thread. Discuss amongst yourselves. And thanks for the fish. PARTING EPIGRAM I realize that you think differently from me and get curious. You realize that I think differently from you and get mad. |
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25 Sep 00 - 11:33 AM (#305024) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief Hey Phantom, talk about thread drift. If you want to talk about how superior you are to us, that's a different thread.
Alex |
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25 Sep 00 - 12:12 PM (#305058) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri Well, I quit playing when you started making up rules as you went, apparently believing nobody would notice. The superior attitude can be quite amusing at times. It's like watching someone who believes they're invisible, when the ignorant masses see them plain as day. I wouldn't say I'm even slightly bothered that you think differently than me. The main reason for this is I think you're trying a bit too hard. But you're not even reading this, so never mind... |
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25 Sep 00 - 01:33 PM (#305123) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow The trouble is of course that any other person posting whom you don't personally know might be our friend in drag.
"Look at me, I'm invisible". Pretending to be a tightrope walker, along a chalk line marked out on the grouind.
Yawn. |
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25 Sep 00 - 01:41 PM (#305130) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: mousethief No, that couldn't happen, McGrath, because he assured us of his sincerity.
Alex |
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25 Sep 00 - 03:05 PM (#305181) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri McGrath, if he tries very hard to be invisible, he will be, and I don't really mind. I try to respond to the content of messages and don't worry about whether I may be responding to him. I'll take part in things I think are fun or interesting, but threads like "Why Are Mudcatters So ___" are obvious trolls, whether it's him or someone else. I'm long past getting mad at any of this stuff. I think I can remember myself and other folks seeing him as some sort of threat a while back. Now, to me, he's more sad than anything else. |
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25 Sep 00 - 04:42 PM (#305224) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bbelle I think the term "To be pitied." would go along with "sad." |
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25 Sep 00 - 07:32 PM (#305348) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: bflat Although not the current clinical terminology, Multiple Personality Disorder is what it is. Pretty simple! bflat
duplicate posting deleted |
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25 Sep 00 - 07:56 PM (#305365) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: McGrath of Harlow I think the term "To be pitied." would go along with "sad."
The current UK usage of "sad" does tend to mean that but with an element of contempt in it. Personally I think that's a pity - a bit sad, in its older meaning. I hope it doesn't spread across the Atlantic, if it hasn't already.
But I agree. |
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25 Sep 00 - 10:00 PM (#305452) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CarolC Phantom Lurker, Unless you have some personal experience of rape, perhaps you should let rape victims speak for themselves. |
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27 Sep 00 - 08:36 AM (#306426) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler This may be in bad taste? It has beencirculating on the 'net and amused me (sicko that I am)
The NYCFTTS presents:
The Mental Health Hotline: "Hello, and welcome to the Mental Health Hotline.... *If you are obsessive-compulisve, press 1 repeatedly. *If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2 for you. *If you have multiple personalities, press 3, 4, 5, and 6. *If you are paranoid, we know who you are and what you want. Stay on the line so we can trace your call. *If you are delusional, press 7 and your call will be transferred to the mother ship. *If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a small voice will tell you what number to press. *If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press because no one will answer *If you are dyslexic, press 96969696969. *If you have a nervous disorder, please fidget with the hash key until a representative comes onto the line. *If you have amnesia, press 8 and state your name, address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, and mother's maiden name. *If you have bi-polar disorder, please leave a message after the beep. Or before the beep. Or after the beep. Please wait for the beep. *If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. If you have short-term memory loss, press 9. *If you have low-self esteem, please hang up. All of our operators are too busy to talk to you right now. Thank you for calling the Mental Health Hotline." |
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27 Sep 00 - 10:12 AM (#306499) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss CarolC For all you know, PL (or myself - as I expressed similar uneasiness about the analogy) may have been raped in the past and does not wish to share that information with the rest of the community here. Besides, when we were just talking about the term "mudpeople" - nobody said "leave it to the ethnic minorities speak for themselves". I hate the attitude that if you disagree with a person on one thing, or distrust them for some reason, then you automatically attack everything they say - even when it makes good sense. I'm sick of everyone having to be good or bad, black or white. Most of us have good and bad qualities, and I just wish we could react to what people say, rather than who we think they are. Bagpuss |
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27 Sep 00 - 11:06 AM (#306537) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: sophocleese Thank You Roger the Skiffler, I like it. |
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27 Sep 00 - 11:12 AM (#306544) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Bagpuss Roger - that was very funny and I didn't think it was in bad taste at all. And given that I work in mental health, and suffer from mental health problems - I am probably the one to ask!! :-) Bagpuss |
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27 Sep 00 - 05:09 PM (#306821) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: hesperis 1. Do you really think that people can make up identities that aren't aspects of themselves? Humans are all capable of the whole range of human expression, we just get comfortable expressing certain parts of that. And certain other parts are really hard on other people, so we adjust our behaviour to match. (If we need other people in our lives, that is.) It's called "socialization", and usually happens during childhood.
2.
3.
~*hesperis*~ |
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27 Sep 00 - 07:59 PM (#306948) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: CarolC Bagpuss, For all you know, I may have been raped in the past. I have heard, through a personal message, from one person who has been both physically and emotionally raped. This person has told me that s/he thinks my words were appropriate. Best wishes, Carol |
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27 Sep 00 - 09:40 PM (#307021) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing CarolC, as another survivor of rape, I have to say I understood your likening PL's actions to rape. Rape is about so much more than anything physical. We have had a great loss of trust on the Mudcat over the past year. We've come to some sort of even keel, I think, but there will always be a certain level of wariness because of past actions of flamers. What PL admits doing just contributes to that feeling of violation of trust and that is what rape is about. kat |
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27 Sep 00 - 11:37 PM (#307098) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,marty D Katlaughing you are a wise woman. marty D |
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28 Sep 00 - 09:15 AM (#307266) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Jeri Regarding who the last one was, I don't know. I speculate, but I don't spend much time trying to figure it out. Regarding "the flamer" there always seems to be one, whenever they start out. Perhaps they end up with a fan club of flamer-wannabes who show up to get their attention. And perhaps - this is scary, but I think it happens - other people dislike and are provoked/angered/ frightened by anon flamers so much that they make a decision to become one. I would still say to read and choose to respond to each post for its own words, whether it's by someone you think is a flamer or not. I don't have to be someone's friend to reply politely, and I don't have to trust them. My response shows what sort of a person I am. In other words, I don't try to be polite because I expect others to be, I try to be polite because I expect ME to be. |
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28 Sep 00 - 03:27 PM (#307492) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: katlaughing Well said, Jeri, that is exactly the way you come across, too and what makes your postings always so readable and enjoyable. Thanks, Marty D, I am not too sure about that on some days, but I try.:-) kat
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01 Oct 00 - 11:56 AM (#309579) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST |
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27 Oct 04 - 09:06 AM (#1308578) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,abby hey i am doing a project of the topic of multiple personality disorders and im a grade 12 student in ontario canada and i was wondering if you or anyone in here would be willing to provide me with any information you have or feel about the topic. my email adress is snappy71@hotmail.com anything you can tell me could help out thanks :o) |
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27 Oct 04 - 09:24 AM (#1308592) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Dr. Quelch abby, I am unable to assist with information on MPD but I feel a course in punctuation with your English professor may help you with your written project. |
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27 Oct 04 - 10:12 AM (#1308629) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Janie Hi Snappy, You have stumbled onto a folk music site, not a mental health site, in spite of the name of this thread, which I suspect came up in your search engine. I have e-mailed you with a little information on where to look for information that might be appropriate and accurate for a research paper on the topic of MPD. By the way, the name of this disorder was changed a couple of years ago, and it is now called Dissociative Identity Disorder. Good luck with your project. Janie |
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27 Oct 04 - 10:18 AM (#1308634) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: Amos Here is another set of references for you. A |
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27 Oct 04 - 11:38 AM (#1308711) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: GUEST,Art Thieme GUEST abby: Be sure to include in your paper this joking line: Multiple Personality Disorder is better than dining or being alone ! It just might get a big laugh from your teacher. Your friend, Art Thieme |
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13 Apr 07 - 02:58 AM (#2023870) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: JennyO Thanks to the spam which no doubt will soon be deleted, I have been reminded to bump this up the top, where it will hopefully reside next to the "How many of me?" thread :-) |
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25 Apr 07 - 11:47 AM (#2035414) Subject: RE: Multiple Personality Disorder From: leeneia "Earnestness is no excuse for thoughtlessness." Phantom Lurker, that is one of the wisest things I have heard in a long time.
-Joe Offer- |