[Discussion] Lonestar

[Coyote]

That's great that you had to coach people how to copy paste information that's already out there (arguments that many of your military colleagues do make) and wouldn't be unreasonable to be coming out of their mouths anyway.

Um, no, we had to coach them on how to make an unreasonable argument sound convincing and argue like they cared. My colleagues-- the ones on this board-- are not phobic in this regard and had a hard time arguing the point of view of a 'phobe.

However, you didn't answer the question. If it isn't funny or ironic, what is the point? Just to prod a sensitive issue for the sake of it...

And why is it sensitive? Why is it off-limits?

"Jokes don't have to be funny!" is the line of someone who just told a joke badly, not a truth, you know.

Prank, not joke. Jokes are supposed to be funny. Pranks not necessarily so. It is called "April Fool's Day", not "April Funny Day". Mislead and confound someone. Invoking the giggle reflex in them is not guaranteed.

Which sacred cow are you roasting there? "Ha ha, you got angry about something that you rightfully should have gotten angry about, we got you"?

It is interesting that many were so quick to pile on without asking WTF was going on. Why the sudden change in behavior, why no official censure was given beforehand... As for sacred cows, perhaps the idea that gays need to be treated with kid gloves? Gays and Bis I know can be pretty rough-and-tumble types; they don't need special protection in a field such as this. This whole thing was an excersise in satire; parody of the attitudes of phobes and parody of the resultant windmill tilting charge that resulted-- even if it was for all the right reasons against all the wrong ones.

Maybe what's funny is how seriously you're being about this. Step back. Laugh at yourself. It's okay. And it doesn't mean that you've invalidated your beliefs.

Ah, no. The people who actually broke the rules should be punished if any rules are to be enforced in the matter. After all, they were the ones that actually did it, not you.

As surely as I shan't hide behind Mike's permission (although not only is the board but the rules themselves his property, free to do with as he pleases) so I also won't refute that the guys made their positions and actions based on a plan that I pretty much started and directed. If they "broke the rules" it was at my behest.

However, I think that right there would be appropriate enough a punishment for it being your idea, to watch other people go down for it.

Swapping one petty action for another... Mmmm, the sweet swill of revenge.

[InnerBrat]

Prank, not joke. Jokes are supposed to be funny. Pranks not necessarily so. It is called "April Fool's Day", not "April Funny Day". Mislead and confound someone. Invoking the giggle reflex in them is not guaranteed.

So you are admitting your intentions were malicious?

[Keevan_Colton]

Here's a hint Coyote, if you're going to hide behind that, it's fucking April Fool's DAY[/i] not week, fortnight or month, okay?

[Coyote]

So you are admitting your intentions were malicious?

Was there something about this:

Main Entry: 1prank
Pronunciation: 'pra[ng]k
Function: noun
Etymology: obsolete prank to play tricks
: TRICK: a obsolete : a malicious act b : a mildly mischievous act c : a ludicrous act

That sailed past everyone's head?

Malicious as in cannibal-rapist malicious, no. Malicious as in being an asshole and getting a laugh from someone else's discomfort? Sure. Because it seems that most folks are getting the tickle out of this that was actually intended. Even Einhander, I'm told, found it amusing, once revealed. A handful of people have their skivvies in a wad about this. Grow the fuck up.


Isn't it embarrassing to think that many of you here could learn a lesson from Shep, who is taking this very well? Was he one of the few that really evolved after the "Rob's a Cook" fiasco? Our resident Insane Railgunner, who was at the forefront of the whole thing and has probably the most recourse to be PO'd, is taking it like a man. I look forward to GALE's revenge next year, or SOS-NBA...

In fact, we're going to sit out even-numbered years. We have a precedent: Robs a Cook in 2005; Brokeback Warwolf in 2007... now you all know ahead of time that we'll plan for odd-numbered years.

In 2009, that means yet another hint, since apparantly some folks here need a lot of 'em.

[Surlethe]

A constituent PMed me this:

If you think it reasonable, could this be posted in the Senate thread: "[Discussion] Lonestar"?

I've looked over the recent senate thread about the reactions to the Mess' AFD prank, and I believe there's something that hasn't yet been brought up:

This forum is private property. More specifically, it is my private property. I own the hardware, I maintain the software, I pay for the bandwidth. You are a guest in my house, and as such, you are subject to our house rules. If you think there is something unjust or unreasonable about our rules, the decisions of the administrative staff, or my behaviour in particular, TOO FUCKING BAD.

The fact is, this was done with Mike's permission and supervision. As the highest ranking member, and owner of the board, his decisions are de-facto law, no matter what previous rules may have stated. So, in a technical reading of the law, the Mess did nothing against board policy since they did it with the permission of the head policy-maker.

In addition to that, this is of interest:

If you think there is something unjust or unreasonable about our rules, the decisions of the administrative staff, or my behaviour in particular, TOO FUCKING BAD.

Again, this was done with Mike's permission. According to the rules if people have a problem with that, too fucking bad.

While it has been brought up, I still see people looking to try to throw the rulebook at the Mess. I want to emphasize that since Mike sanctioned the prank, we shouldn't be invoking rules or trying to get heads to roll, at the very least until he weighs in on all of this brouhaha.

This is different from pointing out rulebreaking; sure, we can say that Lonestar broke AR1, AR2, and AR4 (or whatever he broke); we can say that Coyote and Ender both broke the honesty rule. But I don't think we should be calling for punishments or trying to nail anyone with the rules, because that simply doesn't fly since the owner gave his permission.

That said, I think everybody who's angry should take a step back and reevaluate priorities. You were pranked on a message board. While we should be thinking about consistency of the AFD guidelines, you have to admit that the Mess pulled it off exceptionally well, and they deserve credit.

Hell, I was taken in as much as anybody: I didn't even think twice about checking the posting history of the various Mess members who suddenly turned out to be homophobes; I was as concerned as anybody when Ender "lost his job"; I flamed Lonestar once or twice with sudden and vicious insults; I got worked up about the Mess' problems leaking through to the board, and what the Senate should do about it.

And you know what? I got punk'd. BIG TIME. So take a step back, laugh at yourself for not picking up the insults, and try to remind yourself that despite what you might feel right now, it wasn't real while it was happening. So let's everybody who's getting involved in this take a giant step back and calm down, and wait until the boss shows up to set down a ruling.

[Coyote]

Lonestar asked me to post this on his behalf:

First of all, I'd like to issue an apology to everyone who was offended by the prank. Having said that, I am very much not sorry about about the execution of said prank. Maybe if more people were offended, I would be, but that is not the case. On this board, as in life, you need to take care to not wear your heart on your sleeves. Personal sensibilities are offended all the time on this board, so what makes our prank unique? That we had the revelation at 1200 A.M. on the dot instead of trying to fake something that would end up in spamworld anyway on April 1st?

The phrase "sacred cow" has been tossed around a bit, specifically because one very narrow subset(very narrow, as in part of our Gay-Lesbian community, not all of it) say we shouldn't make light of homophobia. To which I respond: Fuck It and Drive On. None of us are seriously homophobic, but if cracks can be made about such cherished institutions as the Catholic Church, religion, and the United States' Air Force's "Bike Test"(okay, that's mostly limited to the Mess) there's no reason why it can't spread the gauntlet. If folks want to project their assumption that most military guys are homophobic nutjobs, so much the better. It made the prank funnier, for some folks.

Another complaint was that the Senator "saw a group of friends torn apart over this shit" in real life. What, if any, is the primary distinction with this prank and that one?
One is in real life and the other is on an anonymous message board. Most of us don't know others beyond occasional meets, or through other people(guys in the Mess who have old coworkers who are the current coworkers for instance) and the degree of anonymity offered should help you dust yourself off and keep walking. I believe that's precisely why Ein, Oni, and Ace Pace(who was punk'd in real life by Faqa, mind) among others were able to go "arrgh! You assholes!" and then chuckled.

One final comment: The prank(as the planning threads will reveal, when released) was originally intended to prove a point, however roundabout that was. The point was(and this has been the subject of serious discussion in the Mess) is that, despite all the talk of "supporting the troops" a certain perception of servicemen was branded into folks' mind around here, and we wanted to shake it up(Elfdart was considered for bringing in on the prank, then discarded). That it was blithely accepted that myself, Yenchin, and Kamikaze were all homophobes without questioning our sudden turnaround on such issues was mildly damning on the board's mentality. Not a "raaar! The board's culture sucks!" but still.

Here's a hint: Next time multiple people have radically changed viewpoints and are screeching assholes…pay attention to detail.

Hugs and kisses,

Lonestar

[Dalton]

I'm going to close this thread now, but before I do that I want to make one thing clear.

The Senate is never to be misused in this fashion again. Ever. Not even for a joke. It is completely irresponsible to misuse power, which has been granted to select people as a reward for their contributions to the board, to further a prank. I trust that I never have to repeat myself on this issue.

[Darth Wong]

I should have been around this weekend.