Firstly a big hello to all of you. I have been firmly out of the loop for a while due to family circumstances so apologies if any of this post appears scattergun or misses something salient....
I am only just catching up on the goings on here and haven't really felt that much inclination to add to any threads until I stumbled across this one.
I greatly regret that I missed TFF's link to the lonely primate (I presume that was what was contained). Honestly, it sounded very very funny. It also , for me, seems to fall under the "fair comment" and "obvious humour" banner. I am not quite sure who we are supposed to be protecting from viewing such behaviors, but when I last checked, Zoo's don't deem it necessary to carry parental advisory warnings, or to post signs outside chimp enclosures stating "These animals sometimes behave like animals, if you are likely to be offended please do not enter".
To those who seemed to find the image of a a chimp engaging in onanism so deeply offensive, might I suggest that life generally must be a deeply hazardous activity for you, let alone surfing the internet.
I get moderators and CN staff being annoyed and even possibly "offended". It was after all, an implied criticism of them I understand, but it does also appear that they can't take a joke when TFF gets banned for satirising them.
In the interests of full disclosure I should point out that my only ban on this site was as a result of posting a link to a film that consisted of two "lawyers"
interviewing a potential "client". I also suggested that one of the lawyers might be a certain federal investigator. Admittedly, it was a very thorough "interview" process, perhaps even a little heavy handed and it certainly enlightened me as to the true meaning of "pro bono". Anyway, my point is that I understand my ban. Despite sticking by my assertion that it was damn funny in context, it was, in essence, "obscene" and didn't really have a place on a cycling forum. But posting a picture of Clyde making a right turn over and over again cannot surely, by anyone's rationale, be equated with it.
Having said all that, I appreciate Francois replying as to his reasoning, and ultimately I think the fact that TFF wasn't banned for longer showed that whilst they might disagree with some of us on the degree of offense caused, the mods have at least used some common sense. (Incidentally how long was he banned for? I got two months!....Two months!....still hurts....if he got any less I am going to kick up all mary hell!
sorry TFF...I'll take everyone with me when I go!)
My second point is addressing TFF with regard to the whole "troll" debate. I think on both sides of the argument in the main talking point of this forum, there are examples of blatant derailing and bridge lurkers, without doubt. I would actually say on balance, and with the benefit of a bit of perspective lent by my absence, that I honestly think that the more egregious fanning comes from the "hate" side than from me or my fellow fanboys. Now, I understand that you will disagree with that statement, and as a side effect that may well annoy you and if I was so inclined I might well find your indignation amusing or enjoy the fact that I had provoked you to engage with me in discussion about it, or call me names etc etc. However, I would challenge your assertion that I was, as you say, "trolling". Any debate, any discussion, to be worth taking part in, is by it's nature going to contain some contrary opinions to our own. And those opinions are going to sometimes incite strong reactions, and people are going to enjoy their "victories" and other's "defeats". As I am sure you have done yourself. If you don't enjoy the battle, why engage in it so thoroughly? Just righting the greatest injustice of the modern era? Fighting the good fight? Or just plain old enjoying a good barney and some funny one liners about a guy with one nut? And why not?It's only natural? As natural as a monkey knocking one out....you might say
Anyway, good to see you are still going strong TFF. I genuinely find some of your posts absolutely hysterical, brilliant even, and others make my
jaw slack with incomprehension and frustration (which admit it probably makes you smile a bit) at what can motivate such an intelligent guy as yourself, to veer so often into the land of the pompous and self righteous.
If you, or Wonderlance, or Chris E are ever banned permanently from this site it would honestly be the beginning of the end. Keep it up. And thanks for trying to show us why the monkey went blind.
Peace