Houellebecq,

You are attempting to treat the wrong disorder.

Yours are the natural reactions to being caught in a rut, that is all.

So, do what you have to do. But don't look back.

Goodbye, Houellebecq.

I, for one, will sorely miss your delightful smugness. It is an inspiration to us all.

Not to mention the supreme condescension that shines through your every post, your ineffable amour-propre, and the unshakable conviction that, somehow, you hover above us all like some benevolent uncle, tolerating our childish foibles while knowing that we might eventually come to realize just how wise you are.

Have a nice life. And don't forget to shut the door after you.

Haaaaa haaaaaaa haaaaaaa hahahahahaaaaaa!

That’s certainly one of the funniests posts I’ve seen on OLO!

No room for two people like you on this forum, eh Pericles!!

Haaaaa hahahahaaaaaaa! ( :>)

No… Not a defensive response but resigned, mournful agreement from the void at the pit of my soul.

[I wonder if that's coming on a bit strong? My god, is the voice recognition software still switched on?] [Delete last sentence]

"One topic warriors abound, nobody says anything not totally predictable"

About a year ago when this became so common as to be undeniable any more. I thought it merely a form of poster Tourette's - 'neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, stereotyped, involuntary movements and vocalizations' - but manifested in comments.

But I was wrong… It's not involuntary!

So a more accurate diagnosis might be an online version of frontotemporal dementia (FTD).

Which symptoms include: recurrent thoughts and behaviors with onset in middle or late life, recurrent events, from obsessional thoughts to tics and perseveration.

"In FTD, recurrent thoughts and behavior are probably due to abnormal response inhibition from disturbances of an orbitofrontal-basal ganglia network."

Here they are probably due to the ease of online access even if, for the worst offenders, it is limited to one finger typing because the others are occupied being buried knuckle deep up a nostril or some other orifice within arms reach.

"Is this what I have to look forward to as I age?"

I hope not - I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy, my ex, or you.

"Oh the humanity."

Hee, hee....most entertaining!

Things are looking up around here.

: )

Houellebecq, from memory it was around 5:32:47 AM way back on 13 June 2011 (a Monday if I'm not mistaken) when I wrote,

"...included is "leaving the world better than I found it" - this one's slow going as, on the whole, the world is acting like it doesn't want me to.

Regardless of whether I agreed with the opinion I quickly discovered the OLO commenters I most enjoyed always showed wit, or were reasoned, or were constructive and helpful, or helped me learn something new, or made me think from a new perspective. The very best often combined these traits in a single post complete with a personal 'tone of voice', which gave me examples to aim towards."

Thank you for the examples...

Thanks for all the fish and remember God's final message to His creation: 'We apologise for the inconvenience.'