Gee, Alex, it seems that I have offended you without ever having that intention. Let me back up a moment and try to remember what was going on, first of all. I was writing a post to MSB, and put this in it:
<Everyone has the same opportunity to express themselves here, and perhaps influence the way others think, or bring up something new that hasn't even occurred to most people. Unless you are Alex M., of course, who is doomed to run a cyber gauntlet of PETA people throwing red paint, while drunken, drugged bikeholes (excellent word coinage, Alex) mow him down and I continually assault him with animal rights poems!!!>
This is all going to be hard to explain, but I will try. Of course you are free to express all your opinions here!!! The above paragraph was written in a very silly way by me, but you cannot tell that I was smiling as I was writing it. I felt that you DID take the thing with the fur coats and the red paint very seriously, even though I thought I clearly said I wouldn't mind being assaulted by PETA people if I were wearing a fur coat, certainly not that YOU should feel that way. I felt like you really enjoyed blowing off a lot of steam in your response, so I wondered if I had somehow offended you by being self-righteous, when I did not mean to do so. I was basically saying, see, MSB, it is really okay to say whatever you want to here, and using you as an example of someone who has!
You have done absolutely nothing to cause me to devalue your opinion, and in fact I value it very highly. I think you are very intelligent, well-educated, kind and well-spoken, and knowledgeable about many subjects. You are also a really good writer, and I value your posts. I think where I was obviously incorrect is in thinking that you would understand I was humorously reassuring MSB, who is a little leery of posting very many of his opinions here--particularly political ones--that nothing very horrible or scary would happen if he did!!! I thought you were secure in the way I view your opinions, since I have said these things before, and the whole thing has gotten blown out of proportion somehow and become a little messy, but it was all written with affection. I even complimented you for "bikehole", which I thought was just brilliant. I would not have complimented you in the middle of something that was meant to be offensive, and I can certainly promise you that I rarely try to offend anyone, certainly not you!!!
Well now I seem to have offended not only you, but my friend Del also. In my own mind the things I write also have my facial expressions and giggles and shrugs and wry glances in them, but obviously when they are typed, submitted and sent into cybeternity those softening and explanatory elements are gone!!! There was nothing at all derisive in my intent, and I was actually complimenting you on being such a good sport after all that red paint was splashed on you!!!
I do think misunderstandings are very easily started here--an example would be your first "well, someone has got to do" post, which I took as sort of "aw, gee, I am a strong secure person who is confident in my beliefs and thanks for recognizing that" sort of statement, not any indication at all that you were offended. That's why I didn't respond as if you were angry--I didn't understand your tone at all. So I think we are both simply not reading each other very well, and I'm sorry that you were offended.
Is this clear at all?? |
