Well Mark.
I don't know what to tell you.
I know that I find people being over sensitive more problematic than folks being rude.
I live in Michigan, and your likely to get Attitude from the people behind the counter when you order from McDonalds. Customer Service is a thing of the past.
I guess I am used to rudeness, and therefore better able to handle it. Folks who start acting offended, well, that annoys me.
As to the "Chute" thread, well pilots shot other pilots in their chutes. Men got tired of seeing their friends killed, so they let their emotions get the best of them and shot defensless men in their parachutes. Some idiots in Parachutes shot at the men on the ground. (I know from first person experience that it is hard to shoot at things from a parachute.) And people on the ground stand a better chance of shooting people descending in parachutes.
Now,
As to the mispent youth of today (I'm 35) cussing at and insulting each other.
Well I think it is along the lines of, demonstrating your Chutzpah. If you get upset, and easily offended, people will take that as a sign of weakness, and the vultures in todays society will take advantage of that. So to show how desensitized and thick skinned we started trading insults.
I don't know if it was this thread, or another, where I said that you could insult me all you wanted, and I would only respond to those I deemed above a Four. Well I would never deem any of them above a four, but if someone posted something that isn't as stale as two year old saltine crackers, you can bet I would plagurize it.
Trading insults, and having people insult me, is not gonna send me to my local elementary school with an AK-47. I think most of the types that do that are the "Over Sensitive Type's" who take this all too serously.
Just saying "NO" to rudeness doesn't work.
And allowing your (metaphorically speaking, not you personally) feelings to be hurt by "Text" displayed on a "Computer" screen has got to show a problem with your self confidence.
I have often posted threads that I thought were very Benign, and have seen them turn into flame wars. I read what I have written and try time and time again to understand how someone could have gotten offended by it. Invariably someone has.
Some people like white bread, some like whole wheat, and someone out there is willing to kill to advance white bread.
It's silly, but those are the facts of life.
Are Cartoons, Video Games, and Porno to blame with everything that is wrong in the world. NO.
A lack of personal responsibility is.
You hold yourself responsible and choose not to act rudely, or post messages that would offend people. Sorry, if you express your opinion you are gonna offend someone.
Brat, vermillion, and the others are stating right up front, I don't care who I offend, if you don't like it, don't read my posts.
People always have the choice to not be offended.
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"I could feel the 20MM Cannon impacting behind me so I made myself small behind the pilot armor" Charlie Bond AVG