"Sports sucks" - I can see the clever thinking in the name..

[Earl]

Wisconsinite, your message would have been more effective if you had introduced yourself and provided personal information about your background before you started lecturing us. I have an easier time understanding someone's point of view if I know where he's coming from. I prefer communication and understanding to the tit for tat that is so typical of online board messaging. This forum is so small that you actually have an opportunity to have an in-depth communication with someone instead of the one-liners and zingers that get to be boring after a while.

From what little you've said about yourself, I have no idea what your motivation is for visiting this website. I don't know if you've been personally offended because you're sensitive (nothing wrong with that) or if you might want to try to help someone here or if you just want to have a debate (nothing wrong with that, either). I'm amazed at the hysterical reaction of some of the sports fans who visit this website. The currently active members of this forum and other supporters of this website are not an advocacy group. No one here is under the illusion that we are fomenting some kind of social revolution, as a few sports fans have previously assumed (which I find to be quite amazing). This forum is simply a ranting board. It only represents a personal preference. You might as well argue with someone about which flavor of ice cream is the best.

I have difficulty understanding why anyone would want to visit a website that they know will offend them (in this case, just from the title of the website). Just for laughs, perhaps? But seriously ... For example, there are websites for the Communist Party USA, pedophiles, the playboy philosophy, white supremacists, black racists, and anti-Semites. These websites represent evil causes, yet I have no desire to visit them. I even have a personal reason for detesting the John Birch Society, which tried to blacklist my sister in the early 1960s (falsely accusing her of being a Communist, which is absolutely outrageous); yet I have no desire to register to post in their forum (if they even have one) for the purpose of heaping invective upon those people.

As far as some people hating sports (or labeled as such) is concerned, so what? Why does this bother you or anyone else? Why should you care? (Incidentally, I even reject the label "sports hater" for myself. I have nothing against ball games and athletic activities; I'm a critic of the culture that is not inherently a part of, but is only associated with only two or three school sports. (I feel like a broken record having to say this over and over again to people.) I'm amazed at sports fans who seem to be incapable of making a distinction between certain sports and the culture associated with them. A critical observation of the culture in no way can be construed as an attack upon the game (an illogical assumption), but this is precisely what too many sports fans do. Does this website pose any threat to sports? Are sports lagging in popularity now? Are sports threatened in any way today? Do sports need someone to defend them? Personally I wouldn't expect any secure sports fan to visit this website. I would think the secure sports fan would just shrug it off. So, why have you come to this website? What is your motivation? What stake could you possibly have in even the most extreme and unfair statements made in this forum? I don't get it.

You say that we shouldn't make generalizations about people who like sports, yet you've already made generalizations about the members of this forum who support this website. I doubt if you have the full story about the currently active forum members, even though we're very few in number. If you did, perhaps you wouldn't be so quick to judge us. Do you know any of us personally?

Few though we be, we're still quite diverse. As I've said before to others (who don't seem willing to listen), we don't practice groupthink. We even disagree amongst ourselves.

I hope you'll post again. Most of us would be willing to have a civil dialogue with you. I hope you won't turn out to be just another "hit and run" critic who isn't willing to defend his position. The critics of this website who have truly impressed me have been those who were civil and were willing to stick around and listen to others challenge them or just simply express a different point of view.

If you were regularly bullied in gym class because you sat around sulking instead of just trying to make the most of it for 45 minutes a day, it wasn't because you weren't athletic. It's because you were introverted and scared to try new things.

Hey, kid, "sulking" is not the word that describes my own reaction to the mandatory sports-centered P.E. I had to endure from the 4th grade through junior high way back in the 1960s before some educators finally realized that the traditional approach was failing the nonathletic students. The word I would use is "scared." Believe me, I did not sulk. In other words, I did not have an attitude problem, as you seem to imply. I was scared of the humiliation. Blaming the victim, perhaps?

[i_like_1981]

I hate to break it to you, but if you were bullied constantly in your youth, it wasn't solely because you didn't like sports.

Maybe not, but it is still true that people who don't like sports often get bullied more than those who do. I find the idea of harassing someone over an issue as trivial as sports completely absurd and ridiculous. It may not be the only factor in whether people get bullied or not, but it does have quite a part to play.

I highly, highly doubt that was the case for you.

Doubt it if you want. I'm sure that you wouldn't entirely understand our point of view, being a sports fan, so don't try to speak for us. I know for a fact quite a lot of my bullying came from my disinterest in sports.

If you were regularly bullied in gym class because you sat around sulking instead of just trying to make the most of it for 45 minutes a day, it wasn't because you weren't athletic. It's because you were introverted and scared to try new things.

Does that exactly surprise you that some people don't want to try sports after getting harassed and even attacked by the people in their classes for no justifiable reason? It's nothing to do with being "introverted". It's because most PE classes have bullies who are allowed to run rampant by the teachers because they tend to excel at the sports, and they feel the need to run people down who don't do so well at them. It's hard to want to do something when you're being singled out for harassment by those who you're meant to be playing with. Sports teach good teamwork and cooperation? If only that could be fully true.

I'm sure there are isolated incidents, such as a guy hitting you in the face with a cricket bat, where you can't possibly find any understandable motivation in their actions. That guy is a psychopath.

I'm glad that you've conceded that much. I'm sure that you can understand that incident pretty much finishes off anyone's chances of wanting to be a sports fan. You even admit that you can't justify such aggressive and unnecessarily brutal conduct in PE classes - so what exactly are you trying to achieve here? This is basically what some people have to endure in the name of your beloved sports. It was an isolated incident that you mention, but why are you trying to blame us all for actively disliking sports when we've had to put up with things like that? Why should I like something that facilitated such an act committed against me?

News flash, there are a lot of assholes out there. Most of those assholes like sports because most people like sports.

And we don't like sports because the majority of sports fans we've come across have been, as you have indicated, "assholes". I'm sure there are nice ones out there, but I've not had the fortune of meeting many in my real life. I can only take my personal opinion from the experiences with sports I've had and the people who I've met that were into sports and I can tell you that my impression of sports is more negative than positive from what I have experienced. That's not to say nobody should like them, but I feel I have a right not to like sports.

Take fat man's stories for example. Your teacher physically abused you, so you hate sports? What? You just want something to blame getting bullied on. Sports weren't created to isolate people as much as you want to believe it.

Fat Man was suspended from school because he failed to climb a rope in a gymnasium. Fat Man was not able to have decent science classes because his science teacher was too absorbed in coaching the school's football team instead of teaching science. Fat Man has good reasons not to like sports, because they played rather a large role in obstructing his education. Sports may not have been created just to isolate people but people still ended up getting isolated by them anyway. Do they have a responsibility to like something that had a bad effect on them? NO! Us sports haters are just a minority. What are you getting so het up about? The majority of people like sports, and this is the only actual anti-sports forum on the internet, as far as I'm concerned. Do we threaten your games in any way? No, we don't. I have nothing against you, but I wish you'd just understand why we don't like sports and wish to communicate with others who don't like them.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[Wisconsinite]

So I've realized that the educational system must have been a lot different generations ago. I'm only 19 where as many of the people here seem to be middle age, and bullying in P.E./by football coaches etc. just doesn't happen anymore. Bullying in general almost doesn't happen anymore, school culture has changed (again, apart from isolated incidents).

The people my age that reject all sports just tend to be more introverted, and make up for not liking sports with other interests that tend to be less common, such as anime, music, art, etc. It's that type of person in general that tends to be picked on, and it's not just because they don't like sports. No, I'm not blaming the victim or endorsing bullying, I'm just saying that there's more to it than just not liking sports.

There's nothing wrong with not liking sports, but my posts are addressed more towards the people that generalize sports fans and go as far as to call them all "jocks", "obnoxious", "mouth-breathers", etc. I think sports are a great thing that is not for everyone, but some of the more extreme posters I've seen here seem to just be misguided and unwilling to look at what made them "hate sports" logically. Like I said, for some people here (there are others that seem to be more reasonable like ilike1981, Earl) hating sports just seems to be something tangible they can blame the emotional and physical abuse they endured on, rather than accepting the fact that some people are just shitty.

[i_like_1981]

...bullying in P.E./by football coaches etc. just doesn't happen anymore. Bullying in general almost doesn't happen anymore, school culture has changed (again, apart from isolated incidents).

I find that rather hard to believe. I've seen quite a lot of stories over the internet of students being driven to suicide by bullying, and these are recent. Maybe you have the fortune of going to a slightly nicer school than most people, but I would say that bullying is a problem in practically every school to some extent. I'd say it was more than just isolated incidents - bullying, in some form, is a factor in near enough every school.

The people my age that reject all sports just tend to be more introverted, and make up for not liking sports with other interests that tend to be less common, such as anime, music, art, etc. It's that type of person in general that tends to be picked on, and it's not just because they don't like sports.

Based on the way you have indicated how your peers who dislike sports tend to be the ones who get bullied, I would say that not liking sports does play somewhat of a role in their bullying. Bullies often target the introverted, and the introverted are often not fans of sports. Sorry, but I remain a firm believer in the fact that sports have grown too dominant in society and people are being excluded and harassed because they don't like them. Maybe it's not the only factor, but I'm pretty sure that sports have a part to play in the bullying they receive. There is absolutely no justifiable reason for bullying someone because they don't like sports. Sports do encourage aspirations for dominance and superiority in people and this probably contributes to bullying.

No, I'm not blaming the victim or endorsing bullying, I'm just saying that there's more to it than just not liking sports.

I'm sure there is more to it, but sports definitely have a large role in a lot of school bullying. I can vouch for this myself.

There's nothing wrong with not liking sports, but my posts are addressed more towards the people that generalize sports fans and go as far as to call them all "jocks", "obnoxious", "mouth-breathers", etc... for some people here (there are others that seem to be more reasonable like ilike1981, Earl) hating sports just seems to be something tangible they can blame the emotional and physical abuse they endured on, rather than accepting the fact that some people are just shitty.

Thanks for classing me as reasonable. I try to avoid being offensive and derisive towards my opponents in debate on here, but I am extremely cynical about the world of sports and the so-called "sportsmanship" and "teamwork" they preach. Sports cause as much division as they do unity. Look at the hooligan culture over here in the UK - you get gangs of rowdy fans terrorising the opposing fans in an attempt to "make their team proud". Look at the rough rivalries between teams like Rangers and Celtic, and tell me that sports don't have a part to play in all the trouble caused by that. There are decent sports fans and there are shitty ones as well. But sports are forced on everyone, including the unwilling, from high school right up until adult life. I still get people at work now who make me feel out of place for not being a sports fan. There's no bullying or harassment, but I know that I'm not exactly "one of them". I see no need at all to like something that really hasn't done me any good in life, and I wish to talk with other people who share my viewpoints on the situation. I hope, Wisconsinite, that you don't view this entire website as just cruel, unnecessary invective against sports. There are people here who have genuine reasons to dislike them and I can't blame them. Sports themselves may not be the problem, but the culture that has been built up around them certainly isn't in my good books.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[HugeFanOfBadReligion]

So I've realized that the educational system must have been a lot different generations ago. I'm only 19 where as many of the people here seem to be middle age, and bullying in P.E./by football coaches etc. just doesn't happen anymore. Bullying in general almost doesn't happen anymore, school culture has changed (again, apart from isolated incidents).

The people my age that reject all sports just tend to be more introverted, and make up for not liking sports with other interests that tend to be less common, such as anime, music, art, etc. It's that type of person in general that tends to be picked on, and it's not just because they don't like sports. No, I'm not blaming the victim or endorsing bullying, I'm just saying that there's more to it than just not liking sports.

It definitely is not true that bullying almost doesn't happen anymore. I'm younger than you and I can definitely say that I've experienced and witnessed bullying countless times. And while I was a victim of bullying throughout middle school and until I finished grade nine, your explanation of what causes a person to be bullied could have hardly described me. I definitely was an introverted person, but that was more of a result of being bullied that what caused me to be bullied. And I didn't have many other interests that were strange or would cause me to be bullied. From your examples - anime, music, and art - well, I've never had a slight interest in anime, I didn't listen to very popular music however I didn't go out of my way to express my views on music, and I can't think of any artistic interests of mine that would have caused me to be bullied. However, I can think of many reasons that would connect sports to the bullying that I experienced. And you could hardly say that I just sat around "sulking" in gym class. I didn't make much of an effort to inform everyone of my disinterest in sports. If you want, I can give you a few examples which would enforce the point I am making that sports were related to the bullying I endured for a while.

Interestingly enough, as soon as I finished grade nine, I no longer experienced any bullying. Grade nine was the last year that Phys-Ed (which was almost completely based on sports) was mandatory, and gym class was often very closely related to the bullying I went through. Additionally, after grade nine, I signed up only for courses that any jock couldn't possibly pass (and note that when I say jock, I'm not talking about sports fans or athletes in general, I'm referring to a specific group of athletes who act especially arrogant). I should also mention that after mandatory PE, I'm in much better shape than I ever was when I was taking sports-based Phys-Ed, as I now work out on my own time. In fact, I sometimes wish I would run into one of my previous bullies now that I'm no longer the somewhat-small and scrawny kid I used to be.

[Earl]

Thank you for the kind compliment, Wisconsinite. Unfortunately, I'm extremely busy today; so, my post will be limited.

I_like_1981 is reasonable (as you seem to be, also). At the risk of embarrassing him, he's also a very nice guy. Over a year ago I started a topic about a haunting conversation I once had with a complete stranger nearly 30 years ago, a woman of my parents' generation who was working as a cashier in a drug store where I was making a purchase. Oddly enough, without any prompting from me, she started telling me about her brother, who was a World War II veteran. He had served in Europe, where he was captured by German troops and then incarcerated in a Nazi concentration camp instead of P.O.W. camp. Although I didn't ask her if she and the rest of her family were Jewish, I have very good reason to believe they were. When her brother's unit shipped off to Europe, he had a powerful physique that he had acquired as an athlete in high school. Since he was from Texas, I assumed he had played football. When the camp was liberated, he was sent back to the States. His family were shocked at his appearance. He no longer had a powerful build; he was emaciated because he had deliberately been subjected to starvation. I didn't have the heart to ask his sister, but I suspect that he probably was subjected to other forms of brutality as well. He obviously had been horribly traumatized. He couldn't talk about what had happened to him, and he began to drink heavily for about a year and a half. Finally he resolved to quit drinking when he realized he was killing himself, which is something the Nazis would have wanted him as a Jew to do; and he was finally able to tell the members of his family what he had experienced in the concentration camp. I was struck by this lady telling me, a complete stranger, about what had happened to her brother decades ago before I was even born. I was practically speechless.

I didn't expect any responses to my topic, because I had not provided any occasion for debate. I mean, what could you say about something like that? But in a post that he submitted in response to my OP, i_like_1981 made an observation that had never occurred to me. He said that if this young G.I. had contemplated a career in sports as a professional athlete when the war was over, the Nazis had stolen his dream by subjecting him to starvation, which laid waste to his physique. Since I'm now on a bodybuilding program and once lost muscle mass temporarily (which is a creepy sensation, believe me) when I stopped working out at the health club because I could not afford to hire a personal trainer at that time (which situation has now been reversed and I've regained the lost muscle mass and have since even progressed considerably beyond that point), I'm touched even more by the horror of a young guy losing his physique, which he undoubtedly worked hard to develop. (Pardon the run-on sentence. )

The point is that most of us here are not haters and that all of us, I think, have the capacity to be touched by the sufferings of others (including athletes).

[Fat Man]

Well, it's another Sunday, and I like to sleep in most of the day on Sundays.

I got up just over an hour ago (as I was typing this) to fix something to eat, and to check on my computer.

Normally, on Sundays, after lunch, I like to lay down and snooze some more.

But now, it looks like this big fat ol' bear has to come out of his hibernation to respond to some messages and forum posts.

So, here goes . . . .

The people my age that reject all sports just tend to be more introverted, and make up for not liking sports with other interests that tend to be less common, such as anime, music, art, etc. It's that type of person in general that tends to be picked on, and it's not just because they don't like sports. No, I'm not blaming the victim or endorsing bullying, I'm just saying that there's more to it than just not liking sports.

Uh huh! A lot more than just not liking sports! Uh huh! In addition to not liking sports, it also has to do with liking other things.

So, that just compounds our crimes! Eh?

Another words, it's bad enough that we don't like sports, but we just have to make it worse by liking other things instead of sports.

I guess, the least we can do, since we don't like sports, is to have our TVs and radios turned off, not listen to our stereos, not read books or work on an art project, or anything else, but just sit there and stare at blank walls and twiddle our thumbs waiting to die! Eh?

That must be the penance we must do for not liking sports. So, it's either like sports, or not liking sports and do nothing else.

Now I understand.

There is more to it than not liking sports. It's also because we like other things.

It's because we are individuals, that we have our own interests, and because we don't follow the crowd like mindless sheep and cattle.





We don't wish to participate in the mindless march of the lemmings! We have other interests in life, and wish to do other things besides sports, or watching sports.

Tell me Wisconsinite . . . . when you're not playing in sports, or there happens to be no sports on TV, what do you do instead?

Do you just sit there and stare at the walls until there's an opportunity to play at some sports, or until some sports comes on TV?

Is that it? You just sit there staring at the walls, twiddling your thumbs, and drooling until it's time for sports again!

Oh gee wiz Wisconsinite!!! It must really suck to be you!

OK, I'm in a bad mood.

I've been having a lot of problems with my computer ever since I went from Windows XP to Windows 7 and last night while I was trying to edit a video for my YouTube channel, my Mozilla Firefox kept locking up. Sometimes after booting up my computer, my Mozilla Firefox would not load at all.

So, I had to use my Final Uninstaller to completely uninstall my Mozilla Firefox. The Final Uninstaller does a more thorough job of uninstalling programs than the usual method of uninstalling programs because it cleans up all the registry files associated with the program.

Then, when I re-installed my Mozilla Firefox, thanks to Final Uninstaller, which gave me a fresh start, it was like installing a new program for the first time.

But then, when logging on to my favorite web sites, I had to reset all my passwords again, and then, I was able to do some more editing on a video for my YouTube channel.

Anyway, I was up really late last night.

So, I'm in a very bad mood right now!

I'm finished with my lunch, and just now have time to respond on these forums.

Now, getting back on topic again . . . . .

HEY EVERYBODY!

I don't care how polite Wisconsinite might be on these forums. To me, he is just another obnoxious sports bore and a slimy little weasel to boot!

So, he says that there must be some other reason why we got bullied around, besides not liking sports, then I guess, not only disliking sports is a justification for bullying, but also liking other things beyond sports.

HEY Wisconsinite!!!

Yeah! I'm talking to you!

Since when is it a crime to not like sports? Since when is it a crime to like other things besides sports? How is that a justification for bullying?

Are you the Sports Police?

Like, who the fucking Hell died and made you God? Eh?

You know, you sports fans, you're all morons!

You're using a computer to post on these forums. You probably like to watch sports on one of those new wide screen TVs. (I have one myself) And you drive a car with all kinds of electronic gadgets.

Where does it all come from?

From all the science nerds and techno geeks who studied hard in school, studying science and math, going on to college, then eventually getting a job in their chosen field.

That's where it all comes from!

From the nerds and geeks that people like you bullied around in school.

So, instead of bullying around the nerds and geeks in your school, you should be down on your knees kissing their Royal rumps!

And so, Wisconsinite, you can kiss my fat ass!

Also, as we say in Texas . . .



GO FUCK A YUCCA!!!

[i_like_1981]

Well, Wisconsinite himself never said it was a good thing that people who dislike sports but have other interests get bullied in schools, but I guess he has just shown us the mentality of certain sports fans in regards to people who have different opinions on their beloved games. It's sad, but there are a lot of intolerant people out there and sports have become so incredibly popular in the world that liking them has become less of a mere interest now, more of a social norm. I'm pretty cynical about living in a world where people are conisidered abnormal just because they don't enjoy throwing balls around or watching others throwing balls around. I don't think Wisconsinite condones the behaviour of the sports bullies of the world, but I don't think he can defend their behaviour either. Sports fans and players are certainly not perfect.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[ChrisOH]

So I've realized that the educational system must have been a lot different generations ago. I'm only 19 where as many of the people here seem to be middle age, and bullying in P.E./by football coaches etc. just doesn't happen anymore. Bullying in general almost doesn't happen anymore, school culture has changed (again, apart from isolated incidents).

A belated welcome, Wisconsinite...however, I must disagree with you on several points.

"Bullying in general almost doesn't happen anymore, school culture has changed"? You might want to look at a couple of links here, where 50 percent of students admit to bullying or being bullied.

http://thereporteronline.com/articles/2 ... 835416.txt

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/10/27/bullying.study

Does 50 percent either way sound like something that "almost doesn't happen anymore"?. HugeFan's accounts of his experiences are almost a mirror of mine, and I graduated high school back in 1988 -- and like HugeFan, the harassment and bullying were worst during the years of mandatory PE (through grade nine for me as well). Perhaps you went to a lily-white school where nothing bad ever happened, I don't know -- but there's world outside your window, I'm afraid, and it isn't all pretty.

But then again...you contradict yourself by saying bullying almost never happens, then go on to talk about "the kinds of people who get picked on", although that must purely be theoretical, since it almost never happens, right?

The people my age that reject all sports just tend to be more introverted, and make up for not liking sports with other interests that tend to be less common, such as anime, music, art, etc. It's that type of person in general that tends to be picked on, and it's not just because they don't like sports. No, I'm not blaming the victim or endorsing bullying, I'm just saying that there's more to it than just not liking sports.

First off, your post has the tone that being introverted is somehow negative -- it is NOT. I am an considered an introvert myself, as I test out at about 67 percent introverted on the Briggs-Meyers personality test. Introversion is simply a personality type describing where we get our mental and emotional energy from within ourselves, whereas extroverts get that energy from being around other people. As such, it's effort for me to socialize -- even when it's with people I very much like and enjoy being around, and I need to mentally "recharge" by spending time alone. An extrovert is just the opposite -- they get their mental batteries charged from socializing, and feel bored or drained when alone. Neither type is "right" or "wrong", and no one is completely on either side of the scale.

Also, introversion is NOT the same thing as shyness or timidity, as too many people seem to think. Introverts can be sociable when they need or want to be, so long as they have time to themselves to recharge between social activities. Also, our conversations tend to revolve around "deeper" and more thought-provoking subjects, simply because during those self-imposed "downtimes", we tend to have more time for introspection.

So, it's "that type of person" who has interests other than sports who gets picked on? And in one of your other posts, you talk about how "understandably" people who are into sports are more popular? Why are they more popular? Doesn't that say a lot about the (over)emphasis our society places on sports, and the pressure to conform?

[Fat Man]

Also, introversion is NOT the same thing as shyness or timidity, as too many people seem to think. Introverts can be sociable when they need or want to be, so long as they have time to themselves to recharge between social activities. Also, our conversations tend to revolve around "deeper" and more thought-provoking subjects, simply because during those self-imposed "downtimes", we tend to have more time for introspection.

So, it's "that type of person" who has interests other than sports who gets picked on? And in one of your other posts, you talk about how "understandably" people who are into sports are more popular? Why are they more popular? Doesn't that say a lot about the (over)emphasis our society places on sports, and the pressure to conform?

Yes, I have always considered myself an introvert.

We spend more of our time alone in deep thought. When I was a kid, during the summer, I would go off hiking into the woods alone collecting specimens to examine under my microscope, and I preferred going out alone at night with my telescope.

But now, in this era of ass-kissing boot-licking political correctness, children are discouraged from going off by themselves to play or explore.

No, now the emphasis is on structured play time.

And that usually involves playing mindless games.

Well, Wisconsinite himself never said it was a good thing that people who dislike sports but have other interests get bullied in schools, but I guess he has just shown us the mentality of certain sports fans in regards to people who have different opinions on their beloved games. It's sad, but there are a lot of intolerant people out there and sports have become so incredibly popular in the world that liking them has become less of a mere interest now, more of a social norm. I'm pretty cynical about living in a world where people are conisidered abnormal just because they don't enjoy throwing balls around or watching others throwing balls around. I don't think Wisconsinite condones the behaviour of the sports bullies of the world, but I don't think he can defend their behaviour either. Sports fans and players are certainly not perfect.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

Well, be that as it may, Wisconsinite still FAILS!!!



We're talking, like, major FAIL!!!

So, I still say Wisconsinite can go . . .



FUCK A YUCCA!

Now, if I were residing in Arizona I could tell Wisconsinite to go . . .



. . . fuck one of these . . .



. . . or one of these . . .



. . . or one of these!

Ah! That's what I love about living in our great southwestern desert region.

There's a lot of nice things out there, that you can tell someone you don't like, to go fuck!

[i_like_1981]

You just don't see things like that where I live. I tell you something, on a grey day, my area just couldn't get any more monotonous and dull. What would I be able to say to somebody who I didn't like? "Go jump in front of a bus." Yeah, how original. But over in the desert regions... imagination and insults can really come together, I see.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[ChrisOH]

You just don't see things like that where I live. I tell you something, on a grey day, my area just couldn't get any more monotonous and dull. What would I be able to say to somebody who I didn't like? "Go jump in front of a bus." Yeah, how original. But over in the desert regions... imagination and insults can really come together, I see.

At least you have the double decker buses in Britain, 1981!

[i_like_1981]

You just don't see things like that where I live. I tell you something, on a grey day, my area just couldn't get any more monotonous and dull. What would I be able to say to somebody who I didn't like? "Go jump in front of a bus." Yeah, how original. But over in the desert regions... imagination and insults can really come together, I see.

At least you have the double decker buses in Britain, 1981!

Oh, there are plenty of those round here. Just a pity that so many of them are covered in graffiti on the inside with scratched windows and chewing gum under the seats, and the top levels are a haven for all sorts of notorious characters to do their dealings away from the eyes of the drivers. Nobody here has much respect for traditional symbols anymore. But you're right, not everything's bad about Britain - it's just the modern Britain that's the problem.

Best regards,
i_like_1981

[wibberley]

oh hello fat man and 1981 hows things .i just thought id pop in to say hello

[Earl]

Hi, wibberley. I'm glad you've posted again.

You might want to check out the exchanges between Fat Man and Fit Man. I think you'd find them to be interesting, albeit in a sad way. (I recommend that you click on Fit Man's username, then click on "Search user's posts," then scroll down to his first post to get started.) Even though we're few in number, there's still a capacity for potential drama.

I'm very sorry to report that i_like_1981 has left us -- not because he was upset with any of us (to the contrary), but because he got tired of posting in forums (regardless of the website). He got tired of explaining his position to sports fans, saying the same thing over and over again. For all I know, he may be discouraged about more than a single issue. He got tired of the Internet, and I can understand why.