The Giver revealed...

[adriel]

In any case, from what you've releaved through The Giver, we know that you are a French African-American with a Haitian background. Unless The Giver has lied about that.

 

[CougTek]

In any case, from what you've releaved through The Giver, we know that you are a French African-American with a Haitian background. Unless The Giver has lied about that.

Somehow, I don't imagine Bill as an Afro-American. Good thing if he his (it would enlarge our ethnical background), but I just don't see him that way. And if Bill has French-speaking origins, well I think they are very far away.

 

[The Giver]

In any case, from what you've releaved through The Giver, we know that you are a French African-American with a Haitian background. Unless The Giver has lied about that.

Oh yeah, you have him pegged alright. That's him to a tee. A French African-American of Haitian descent. His father (may he rest in peace) was Papa Doc Duvalier and his mother Bridget Bardot. He emigrated to the US after escaping torture at the hands of the Tonton Macoute following the rise to power of his brother, Baby Doc Duvalier. His brother you see never got over the fact that Mom liked him best.

 

[The Giver]

Didn't The Giver express Communist views though, or something like that?

Go wash your mouth out with soap young man! 8)

 

[flagreen]

Adreil,

Creating fictional characters is not lying any more than writing characters in a novel is lying, or acting a part in a play is lying. If you stop to consider the "quirkiness" of The Giver I think you'll agree that he was written this way (speaking in the third person, rude to the extreme, etc.) so that one would have no problem seeing that he was fictional. His beliefs parallel mine but that is all he and I truly have in common. If you ask a fictional character a question about himself, you will get a fictional answer. Unlike other pseudonyms used around here, The Giver's agenda is not to amuse. And therein lays the difference. His agenda is quite different. More on that later..

 

[Cliptin]

The Giver's agenda is not to amuse.

Must be an unintended side effect.

 

[timwhit]

So did anyone have a clue that The Giver was really Bill until very recently???

I surely didn't, I thought he was real.

 

[Mercutio]

So did I.

 

[James]

The funny thing is that I still have a hard time extracting what Bill/The Giver's opinions actually are.

 

[Bartender]

Great gobs of goose eggs, there sure are a lot of phonies around here.

 

[Onomatopoeic]

Jeez, I guess I've been out of it for awhile now as I really don't recall "The Giver" here or back on the old S.R.

 

[The Giver]

What? You know not The Giver? Where have you been my good man?

 

[The Giver]

The funny thing is that I still have a hard time extracting what Bill/The Giver's opinions actually are.

Who is Bill?

 

[Jake the Dog]

well at least we know now.

shame that flagreen had to resort to an alias so he felt he could put forward his views and opinions. i would thought most of us at SR would have deserved a little more credit when it comes to respecting other’s people’s right to have their say.

 

[The Giver]

Oh they grant the right to speak well enough. You must of misunderstood the reasoning put forth by flagreen.

 

[Jake the Dog]

"I needed an edge which would free me to say..."

 

[flagreen]

I needed an edge which would free me to say that which the constraints of friendship would not allow.

It is difficult for one friend to tell another that he is full of shit and so are his fellow countrymen without the friendship suffering as a result. Even though he is free to say to so if he wishes. Perhaps you and I differ, but it would be easier for me to hear that from a stranger than from a friend.

 

[The Giver]

I needed an edge which would free me to say that which the constraints of friendship would not allow.

It is difficult for one friend to tell another that he is full of shit and so are his fellow countrymen without the friendship suffering as a result. Even though he is free to say to so if he wishes. Perhaps you and I differ, but it would be easier for me to hear that from a stranger than from a friend.

And furthermore, The Giver would rather tell them anyway.

 

[Jake the Dog]

hmmm, interesting and i can see your point i guess, although i could never have seen it without your explanation since the way i work is that i could only accept hearing i was full of shit from a friend. they are the wones who know me and they respect me enough to only say it when it's quite [possibly true. hearing from a stranger would only serve to incense me. the way i see it. a stranger does not know enough about me to judge whether i'm full of shit.

 

[James]

It is difficult for one friend to tell another that he is full of shit and so are his fellow countrymen without the friendship suffering as a result. Even though he is free to say to so if he wishes. Perhaps you and I differ, but it would be easier for me to hear that from a stranger than from a friend.

I don't mind it coming from a friend. I'd object to a friend of mine lumping all of my countrymen in indiscriminately with me though - it seems unfair on both my countrymen and I.

 

[GIANT]

What? You know not The Giver? Where have you been my good man?

Er.... probably in classes at the uni, or at work, or maybe busy at home, or maybe stuck in freeway traffic, or maybe -- like yo -- trying to kindle a burgeoning career in rap. But, then, what the hell is The_Giver s'posed to be, sort of a The Giver antichrist ? :idea:

 

[James]

The other thought I had is that by taking on another persona to argue with people, you were allowing yourself to criticise and insult others while insulating yourself from any possible backlash. In other words, you're abdicating some of the responsibility for your own opinions and the expression thereof, while denying others the same lack of responsibility.

 

[Jake the Dog]

wones????? i've never until now realised that i type phonetically...

i have to learn read the priview too. i make the most pathetic spelling mistakes when i post here or on SR. why is that?

 

[GIANT]

wones????? i've never until now realised that i type phonetically...

i have to learn read the priview too. i make the most pathetic spelling mistakes when i post here or on SR. why is that?

Cuz yer uh DAWG!

arf! arf!

 

[Jake the Dog]

that would explain my paw spelling too.

 

[Dr. Willy]

Herr Jake The Dog has a very interesting nick. I'm thinking to code-name one of my latest designs with this alias.

 

[flagreen]

It is difficult for one friend to tell another that he is full of shit and so are his fellow countrymen without the friendship suffering as a result. Even though he is free to say to so if he wishes. Perhaps you and I differ, but it would be easier for me to hear that from a stranger than from a friend.

I don't mind it coming from a friend. I'd object to a friend of mine lumping all of my countrymen in indiscriminately with me though - it seems unfair on both my countrymen and I.

This is done all the time at SR by some of those critical of the US. You see; every time someone is critical of the US in a foul mouthed, or mean spirited, ill informed, unfair, or ill timed manner such as when she has suffered a great loss they do exactly the same thing in my opinion. So I got fed up with it and decided to fight fire with fire.

But it really doesn't matter any more since you folks know who The Giver is now anyway. Nor apparently did it ever matter since few if any of you foreign nationals ever stopped to consider that your American friends might be offended at the time by your criticism of the US whether it was valid or not. The last thing someone wants to hear when a friend has just died is what a miserable person they were, even if that's true. Many at SR in fact seemed gleeful at the opportunity to pile on. Even some Americans! And I don't need "friends" like that anyway. Indeed, perhaps they were never friends at all.

 

[flagreen]

The other thought I had is that by taking on another persona to argue with people, you were allowing yourself to criticise and insult others while insulating yourself from any possible backlash. In other words, you're abdicating some of the responsibility for your own opinions and the expression thereof, while denying others the same lack of responsibility.

Well that's a rather cynical way of looking at it in my opinion. But you are just as entitled to your opinion as I am to mine I suppose. I will say that The Giver took as much abuse over at SR as he gave. Oh and "any possible backlash"? Do you not realise by now that when one strikes out at the US he strikes out at both flagreen and The Giver? That when you insult The Giver you also insult flagreen? Please...

 

[Prof.Wizard]

I agree with flagreen. People look you strange when you're frank. Sometimes it's good insulating behind another persona. Especially if you're getting into serious debates, as The Giver was getting into...

 

[jtr1962]

Boy, am I glad I don't suffer from multiple personality disorder :mrgrn: :x :evil: :wink: :roll: like many of the regulars here seem to.

Umm, I have a confession to make. I'm also really flagreen, Tony Wilson, Gary Hendershot, Mercutio, James, and most of the other regulars here. And all along you thought that we were actually have real conversations when it was really just my 101 personalities conversing among themselves. :lol:

 

[Prof.Wizard]

Actually, how do I know all the members in these darn forums aren't distorted personalities of Handruin?! :eekers:

 

[Tannin]

A friend, Flagreen, is someone who has the moral courage to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. As the father of your child, and as the child of your father, you must have learned that for yourself long since.

 

[flagreen]

A friend, Flagreen, is someone who has the moral courage to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. As the father of your child, and as the child of your father, you must have learned that for yourself long since.

Certainly that is true. However context is the key here. We are not talking about telling a friend that he has a body odor problem, or a son that he has made a grave error.

We are talking about politics and international relations.

A friend, a father, does as you suggest only when it is necessary. And he only does so with compassion, because he cares. A friend, or a father, never does it just for the sake of being critical. Are we not all tolerant of some of our friends shortcomings? Do we not all frequently overlook some things rather than always being brutally honest with those we care about? Is that not what a friend is as well?

 

[Handruin]

Actually, how do I know all the members in these darn forums aren't distorted personalities of Handruin?! :eekers:

You, may never know... :bravo:

 

[Tannin]

Just so, Bill.

 

[Cliptin]

Do we not all frequently overlook some things rather than always being brutally honest with those we care about? Is that not what a friend is as well?

This must be why I have no friends and must commune with birds and stumps.

 

[Prof.Wizard]

A friend, Flagreen, is someone who has the moral courage to tell you the truth, even if it hurts. As the father of your child, and as the child of your father, you must have learned that for yourself long since.

I think you exaggerate here, pal.
If I wanted (and had time) to immerse myself in the SR's pub discussions, I would have certainly created another persona. As flagreen did.

It's not about sincerity my friend. Sincerity exists; flagreen could have gone on and bury The Giver's character. Nonetheless he revealed him to us.

I could have lived without knowing it and I'm not so emotionally upset now that I know who he is... AFAIR I've never engaged him in a thread afterall... and that's a fact

So what would I do (if ever)?
I would still keep Prof.Wizard and steer him with my real reactions, cause this Wizard you see is the real Constantine, the real me... but I would definitely have created another dude (presumably with a rather catchy name :wink: ) for the flak* (political, ideological, religious ideas)...

If not, people after a while don't respond you even the computer-related threads... (see :right: Trinton Azaleth)

PS*. This may sound oxymoron, but all of us have ideas that we present always under a certain "shell" to avoid offending someone.
PPS. Now that I think it, Tea is much more easy-going in respect to that pain in the ass Tannin...

 

[monkey-C]

And BTW, I am Prof.Wizard. How's that for confusing personalities.

 

[Mercutio]

Not all of us. I make every effort to be genuine with everyone. Many people find that off-putting.

But I'm pretty sure I'm real and not a figment (a better phrase than sock puppet for the rest of the schizophrenics here) of jtr. Although if I am a figment I could use some creative re-writes right now.

 

[Bartender]

Sorry Merc, you're real. But the nice thing about being real is that when life is good, you get to enjoy it with all of your senses (or so I've been told).