Houel:”Man I always get labeled as abusive, a psychopath no less, but I didn't even get on the list. I'll double my efforts!”

Don’t feel bad I only got to message 41, or thereabouts, before the editor ran out. And I thought Col had the psychopath label pinned firmly to his lapel recently while hanging about in your suit?

“Oooooh! You back from your meeting? How did it go?”

Was fine cheers Houel and not what I thought it was going to be. Another meeting Friday I was told today – The force be damned I’m gonna need valium.

“… that was wasted, you didn't even get my star wars quote on the other thread.”

My daughter is dying my hair blonde as I type this (she asked me to mention her); probably miss even more in the future.

Mary:”I feel sorry for him that he's like that as those behaviours would make his life a thousand times more difficult for him than otherwise. It's quite sad really, but I wish him well and hope that some day he finds a way towards some type of recovery.”

I don’t. I like him just the way he is. He makes me cross and often makes me laugh, he’s annoying but comfortingly predictable and I wouldn’t have him any other way.

Houel later on:“People love to think smugly to themselves... Yep, I'm better than them.”

[snigger] That is so how I feel about Ambi.

Houellebecq:"People who want to be offended often are. Cold and Callous etc have no meaning on an anonymous forum. Less so when talking about people you've never met. If anti disputes a statistic about rape or something, people think that's offensive. It's a bloody number man!"

Spot on. People are not unable, but they are unwilling to examine in detail anything that may contradict their (usually poorly constructed) world view and especially anything that makes them feel uncomfortable with their own sense of "morality".

They'll jump on their high horse at the first opportunity and try to ride the cheeky bugger who does so into the dust, expending enormous amounts of energy in the process, rather than think about what is said.

No wonder the Dark Ages lasted a thousand years.

Houellebecq:"You Loooove it!"

Au contraire, mon Frere. I'd love it if they'd discuss the points I raise. I already have a pretty good understanding of myself and fascinating as I am, I don't think I'm as interesting as the subjects I think about, which is why I usually discuss them and not me.

Houellebecq:"people act as if he's so offensive, but seem to enjoy winding him up."

They're in awe of my deathless prose. I exist to serve...

It always saddens me when I see people defending a bully, including an online bully. It saddens me not because it affects me, but because it reinforces the determination of the bully. It makes the bully worse, but those people online who are defending a bully don't have to deal with the personal results. That's left to the bully and those involved with him or her in real life. Defending an online bully only encourages the bully, and doing so just because it provides entertainment is one thing, but remember that you don't have to personally deal with the bully in real life. I prefer to think of the bully and his or her real life acquaintances, because if I defend and encourage an online bully it would only empower the bully more and that would impact badly on both the bully and his real life acquaintances. There's consequences to even our online behaviour. We can encourage an online bully for entertainment purposes, and be totally unaware of the consequences. Or maybe not even care.

“It always saddens me when I see people defending a bully, including an online bully. It saddens me not because it affects me, but because it reinforces the determination of the bully. It makes the bully worse, but those people online who are defending a bully don't have to deal with the personal results. That's left to the bully and those involved with him or her in real life. Defending an online bully only encourages the bully, and doing so just because it provides entertainment is one thing, but remember that you don't have to personally deal with the bully in real life. I prefer to think of the bully and his or her real life acquaintances, because if I defend and encourage an online bully it would only empower the bully more and that would impact badly on both the bully and his real life acquaintances. There's consequences to even our online behaviour. We can encourage an online bully for entertainment purposes, and be totally unaware…”

For me, no one bullies me without my consent and I stand by my decision to defend Anti’s right to bully at will whether or not he is intentionally being a bully or not being a bully his right to bully must be upheld. I equally defend the right of anyone who feels attacked by a bully to defend themselves from said bully and even request support to stop said bully acting like a bully from others who disagree with any tactics used by alleged bully. Now the choice to bully or not to bully or to disagree with a bully or even call them on being a bully are all aspects of being able to continue a conversation on the right to bully or not bully depending on your how you feel about the bully or the tactic of bullying. But to announce people are wrong for defending a bully or that the defense of a bully encourages a bully should not imply we would also bully, just that we have a tolerance for most personalities, even that of a bully.

TPP. Mwa! Exactly. Actually I really liked your

'I don’t. I like him just the way he is. He makes me cross and often makes me laugh, he’s annoying but comfortingly predictable and I wouldn’t have him any other way.'

The people who whinge about anti would be SO lost without him. What would they fill their days with I often wonder.

Mary,

Quite Contrary.

a) as TPP says , 'no one bullies me without my consent '
b) The bully is in the eye of the beholder.
c) How on earth can anti be a bully when there's one of him and normally about 6 people throwing tomatoes at him.
d) The fact that you don't want anyone to do anything other than reflexively join in makes you more a bully than antiseptic.

Mary

Please read today's article about bullying entitled "Vengeful Angels and Mean Girls." It discusses types of bullies. Many of the people who attack Antiseptic seen to be the "vengeful angel" type of bully. They see others attacking Antiseptic for breaking rules about unkind comments and think it might be fun to join the gang. You may even recognise yourself.

If Antiseptic is a bully, he is the inadvertent type of bully. He joins in the game of trading insults and goes for the jugular. I was uncomfortable when he attacked Fractelle for needing therapy.