why is everyone so hard on gporter?

[Gustaf]

GPorter is not mentally handicapped AFAIK. He admitted to be dyslexic, which is just as pointless as a serial killer admitting to be kleptomaniac. If he really were (which I see no reason to assume), then probably banning him would be the best thing to do for him. Otherwise, he's simply a troll who likes to say inanities.

I seem to recall him admitting to a lot more than being dyslectic. Many of my best friends are dyslectic, after all.

You could make the case that such people should be banned, yes. But I stand by my opinion that one shouldn't kick people who are down. I find it distasteful.

[Hash]

I'm a diagnosed stutterer, so I demand special treatment too.

[Keystone Phil]

You need to understand something about The Dumb Place (the Forum): it's home to many pathetics. They drool over the opportunity to mock those that seem just as pathetic as themselves. It's very sad.

[Napoleon]

I'm a diagnosed stutterer, so I demand special treatment too.

You should stutter in your typing.

L-li-li-like, like, th-this.

[Mechaman]

I believe this thread underscores a recurrent theme: those of us who legitimately criticize and those of us who act like assholes.

Yes I admit I sometimes fall into both camps.  I admit I probably have made fun of GPORTER's posting style quite a bit, but for good reason: he's really good at portraying a victim messiah complex (something the lot of you have fallen for).

Most of our criticism is exactly that, not on his mental disability (if he actually has any) but on his inability to take even the most constructive of criticism well.  This may surprise people but you can be in the middle on issues, there is no "either or" limitations.  This isn't multiple choice, this is fill in the blank.

I have in the past apologized very politely to GPORTER for my earlier insults of his TLs (they were admittedly extremely rude) and said I would be willing to offer an assistance I could to help him.  Admittedly his TLs have gotten better over time and I hope that is because, for whatever amount of time, he willfully considered what other people had to say.

However, his latest spree of threads in the Forum Community makes it hard for me to take him seriously as a poster.  I know, it's hateful and evil to not take the mentally disabled (if he is, at all.  I have serious doubts) seriously, but with threads like "should I run for PResident?" (with no negative option, in my apparently bigoted and hateful mind there needs to be at least one negative and one affirmative option in each poll, unless it's a joke poll) and "why everybody so meen to me" (where I *shocker* actually defended GPORTER) and a few others make me doubt he isn't a troll.

But no, instead we are expected to roll over and take his blatant ignorance of any helpful advice we might be giving him because if we dare respond to his ignorance we are being hateful towards somebody with disabilities.  And we are also expected to stay quiet about the sudden emergence of his Messianic Victim Complex lest we be labeled pathetic pieces of trash scum suckers who enjoy preying on the weak.
Just because he might have a mental disability doesn't make him exempt from criticism of his behavior.  In fact to say that it's okay for mentally disabled people to be dismissive and rude towards other people is insulting to people without consequence (like us "being "hard" on GPORTER") who actually have mental disabilities.

Get off your moral high horses people.

[Хahar 🤔]

What a terrible thread. This is why I don't go near the What-if board anymore.

[Mechaman]

One last thought for everybody here:

What the hell is somebody who can't take criticism doing on an internet forum?  Especially one revolving around politics?

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

I think there's some truth to the term 'differently abled.' He ain't altogether dumb, that's clear from  some of his smarter analysis posts in the what-if board. Yeah he's oversensitive about some stuff and hasn't figured out how to deal with it. Most of the stuff he considers mean really isn't. But some of it is, and it should stop.

You think keeping him under a jar is going to help him?

[Gustaf]

Whether he's an idiot or not or makes bad posts or not is irrelevant. You have a choice over what to do with your time. You can choose to spend it making fun of someone who's retarded if you want. But I'm not going to do it.

At the very least you ought to admit to yourselves that there is no benevolent motive involved on your part (like "helping" him).

If he's faking it all, which is possible of course, there is no grounds to feel sorry for him. But there is also no reason at all to bash his fake lack of intelligence.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Dear whiners about gporter.......try the iggie button.....trust me it works wonders.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Whether he's an idiot or not or makes bad posts or not is irrelevant. You have a choice over what to do with your time. You can choose to spend it making fun of someone who's retarded if you want. But I'm not going to do it.

At the very least you ought to admit to yourselves that there is no benevolent motive involved on your part (like "helping" him).

If he's faking it all, which is possible of course, there is no grounds to feel sorry for him. But there is also no reason at all to bash his fake lack of intelligence.

Notice that no one here said things like "Gporter is a retard" (so far, regardless of context, you were the only who stated that), "Gporter is stupid", "Gporter is an idiot" etc. etc.

When I'm critical about his statements/writing, I'm telling why, without calling him that way. This is a FORUM. If you post here, others are likely to respond.

When I say that development in his timeline doesn't make sense, is that "mean"? When I say I find his statement laughable, is that mean?

Gporter may not be that stupid after all, considering that his writing improved. He's still a poor writer, but better than he used to be. Would he achieve that without criticism? I guess no.

So, keeping him under a jar won't help him any more than actually reacting to him.

Personally, I'm extremely grateful to all those who offered a constructive criticism to my writings on what-if or corrected my flawed English. I'm grateful, because it helped me a lot.

[Mechaman]

Whether he's an idiot or not or makes bad posts or not is irrelevant. You have a choice over what to do with your time. You can choose to spend it making fun of someone who's retarded if you want. But I'm not going to do it.

At the very least you ought to admit to yourselves that there is no benevolent motive involved on your part (like "helping" him).

If he's faking it all, which is possible of course, there is no grounds to feel sorry for him. But there is also no reason at all to bash his fake lack of intelligence.

Notice that no one here said things like "Gporter is a retard" (so far, regardless of context, you were the only who stated that), "Gporter is stupid", "Gporter is an idiot" etc. etc.

When I'm critical about his statements/writing, I'm telling why, without calling him that way. This is a FORUM. If you post here, others are likely to respond.

When I say that development in his timeline doesn't make sense, is that "mean"? When I say I find his statement laughable, is that mean?

Gporter may not be that stupid after all, considering that his writing improved. He's still a poor writer, but better than he used to be. Would he achieve that without criticism? I guess no.

So, keeping him under a jar won't help him any more than actually reacting to him.

Personally, I'm extremely grateful to all those who offered a constructive criticism to my writings on what-if or corrected my flawed English. I'm grateful, because it helped me a lot.

This.

We are criticizing GPORTER for being an inconsiderate jerk, not for being retarded.  From the tone of many on here it sounds like it's impossible for us to criticize GPORTER for being anything other than mentally defective.  It's almost as if his mental problems automatically prevent him from being a jerk [/forum logic].

Which of course is a lot like saying black people can't be racist.

If anything we are the ones who are treating him like a normal person by having the audacity to expect him to handle criticism well.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

Also, "Give him a break, because he's mentally retarded" is hardly nicer than "he's bad writer/he's posting a nonsense".

[Mechaman]

I think there's some truth to the term 'differently abled.' He ain't altogether dumb, that's clear from  some of his smarter analysis posts in the what-if board. Yeah he's oversensitive about some stuff and hasn't figured out how to deal with it. Most of the stuff he considers mean really isn't. But some of it is, and it should stop.

^^^^
I believe that Shua has probably said it best.  I'm not at all denying that there have been some vicious and negative things said about GPORTER.  In fact I've probably said some of them.  But that doesn't discount all LEGITIMATE criticisms of GPORTER just because some of them happen to be heavy handed in negativity.
Just saying.

[Gustaf]

I haven't really read any of his posts recently, so I was thinking more of what happened earlier.

Of course someone who has mental problems can be a jerk. It's probably even more likely than that someone who doesn't will.

Regardless, there are plenty of mean people on the forum. But stupid posters tend to catch a lot more flak than mean posters around here.

[Mechaman]

I haven't really read any of his posts recently, so I was thinking more of what happened earlier.

Of course someone who has mental problems can be a jerk. It's probably even more likely than that someone who doesn't will.

Regardless, there are plenty of mean people on the forum. But stupid posters tend to catch a lot more flak than mean posters around here.

Well I think we all learned something today.  Maybe later we can all come together, have a group hug, sing Kumbaya and hold hands together.

But honestly folks, what Gustaf says is pretty true.  A lot of people, whether they care to admit it or not, can be jerks.  I admittedly am not a jerk, I'm an asshole.  That's much worse, but people put up with me anyway.

But I'm trying to look back on my past and make some important changes.  I believe that the rest of you guys should try the same thing too.  After all what everyone needs more in the world are hugs, not drugs (though admittedly that isn't that bad either).

[Snowstalker Mk. II]

I know people who are mentally challenged, and I highly doubt GPorter is mentally handicapped. He might have autism or something, but he's at least book smart.

[Queen Mum Inks.LWC]

GPorter is not mentally handicapped AFAIK. He admitted to be dyslexic, which is just as pointless as a serial killer admitting to be kleptomaniac. If he really were (which I see no reason to assume), then probably banning him would be the best thing to do for him. Otherwise, he's simply a troll who likes to say inanities.

Autistic, not dyslexic.

[Torie]

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Hugs and drugs go together like bacon and eggs in my experience.

Beating up on those who cannot give you a fair fight back, and particularly if they are "challenged" in some way, is something I have never understood how someone could do, and then look themselves in the mirror, and think anything other than that they are a flaming ahole and an embarrassment to our species. So it would be grand if your point were taken to heart in my not so humble opinion.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

I've always liked GPORTER. The hate folks seem to have for him never really made sense. He seems a good kid.

[MASHED POTATOES. VOTE!]

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Hugs and drugs go together like bacon and eggs in my experience.

Miss the 1960s?

[Torie]

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Hugs and drugs go together like bacon and eggs in my experience.

Miss the 1960s?

I'm living the 60's buddy. 

[Dancing with Myself]

Gporter is a dumba-- troll who thinks he is better than everyone else because he has Dyslexia. I have problems with my nerves but I don't go around and promote my problems for sympathy like he does.  It does not matter what problems you have, we are all people here, we are all the same.

As everyone else has mentioned he also refuses to accept criticism. it's part of the deal when you write tl's. I was the same way when I started, but I learned and grew up. Garrison acts like his is still 7. He once wrote a tl where everything stayed the same for 12 years before changing everything. It does not make no damn since.

I wish he would leave, but I hope he does not at the same time because he is funny to watch