Iron Ape presents: The Aloisick Chronicles

[K2Jelly]

Wrong meme, ya goof. I was referring to another one.

[B-MCINTYRE]

Wrong meme, ya goof. I was referring to another one.

Then you should have posted it

[K2Jelly]

Then you should have posted it

Why should I be the one to do the legwork? Lazy punk.

[B-MCINTYRE]

Why should I be the one to do the legwork? Lazy punk.

I'm not KJ!!!!

[Darkside Ron Garvin]

I think I might start everyday on EWN by reading this thread. There is some pure comedy uranium from Ape, but I also feel a bit of sadness come over me. The sadness of knowing that there truly are people out there who fall so deep into a fantasy realm (face it, we might be real people posting these messages, but our user names are our Surrogates, Avatars, Matrix Program, or whatever film reference you care to use) that when the power is turned off, or access is denied, these people truly fall off into an oblivion of unknown until they are back online. I am not saying that alo was categorized as either Sane or Normal, but the fact is that there are people who are a few more eggs closer to a dozen (than alo's half a zygote that is) that seem to start flinging their pooh around when things don't go their way or when they feel mistreated by users on a website.


Don't take this as a claim to defend the position of someone who was clearly spared from the theory of natural selection thanks to the human nature to enable those who are weak. This is a position of pity that I have for the people who can't separate reality from the cyber world. Ape made an excellent point that if Alo was to put as much effort into his real life as he did with his make believe stories of lawyers, wrongful persecution of self, and persistence in carrying on a charade, the kid could have had a chance to use his ban as a way to help him grow, mature, and become something more than the creepy guy who is one event away from being put into a padded room and refused the ability to ever learn what dental floss is for, let alone how to properly use it. Trust me, I enjoy coming into this world to pass the time and get some great laughs, but the day that I would put the reinstatement of my abilities to interact here above my mental health, legal stance, or especially (if he actually has a kid) my family is the day I hope that I am shot as I will no longer be able to be productive to anyone who should truly matter to me. Of course, this is because I have a personal care for my character and have a consciousness of self that's helps me to discern what is proper, just, and good about life; obviously, alo did not possess this same discernment between real and fake.


This was just something that I have noticed more and more about people. They now care more about their status on a forum, the amount of friends they have on Facebook, or how many followers they have on Twitter, rather than about how many people can actually stand to sit down to a decent meal, have a few drinks, or enjoy engaging in great conversations with them in the real world. It is something that truly bothers me about the direction society is moving in; you cannot have a conversation with more than 180 characters before people get bored (which is probably why the majority of you skipped to this part of my post, or chose to ignore it because there was more than 1 paragraph in the post). Sorry, my rant is now over...

[B-MCINTYRE]

I think I might start everyday on EWN by reading this thread. There is some pure comedy uranium from Ape, but I also feel a bit of sadness come over me. The sadness of knowing that there truly are people out there who fall so deep into a fantasy realm (face it, we might be real people posting these messages, but our user names are our Surrogates, Avatars, Matrix Program, or whatever film reference you care to use) that when the power is turned off, or access is denied, these people truly fall off into an oblivion of unknown until they are back online. I am not saying that alo was categorized as either Sane or Normal, but the fact is that there are people who are a few more eggs closer to a dozen (than alo's half a zygote that is) that seem to start flinging their pooh around when things don't go their way or when they feel mistreated by users on a website.


Don't take this as a claim to defend the position of someone who was clearly spared from the theory of natural selection thanks to the human nature to enable those who are weak. This is a position of pity that I have for the people who can't separate reality from the cyber world. Ape made an excellent point that if Alo was to put as much effort into his real life as he did with his make believe stories of lawyers, wrongful persecution of self, and persistence in carrying on a charade, the kid could have had a chance to use his ban as a way to help him grow, mature, and become something more than the creepy guy who is one event away from being put into a padded room and refused the ability to ever learn what dental floss is for, let alone how to properly use it. Trust me, I enjoy coming into this world to pass the time and get some great laughs, but the day that I would put the reinstatement of my abilities to interact here above my mental health, legal stance, or especially (if he actually has a kid) my family is the day I hope that I am shot as I will no longer be able to be productive to anyone who should truly matter to me. Of course, this is because I have a personal care for my character and have a consciousness of self that's helps me to discern what is proper, just, and good about life; obviously, alo did not possess this same discernment between real and fake.


This was just something that I have noticed more and more about people. They now care more about their status on a forum, the amount of friends they have on Facebook, or how many followers they have on Twitter, rather than about how many people can actually stand to sit down to a decent meal, have a few drinks, or enjoy engaging in great conversations with them in the real world. It is something that truly bothers me about the direction society is moving in; you cannot have a conversation with more than 180 characters before people get bored (which is probably why the majority of you skipped to this part of my post, or chose to ignore it because there was more than 1 paragraph in the post). Sorry, my rant is now over...

Well put. especially the part about people skipping to the end...

[BennyTheBall]

This was just something that I have noticed more and more about people. They now care more about their status on a forum, the amount of friends they have on Facebook, or how many followers they have on Twitter, rather than about how many people can actually stand to sit down to a decent meal, have a few drinks, or enjoy engaging in great conversations with them in the real world. It is something that truly bothers me about the direction society is moving in; you cannot have a conversation with more than 180 characters before people get bored (which is probably why the majority of you skipped to this part of my post, or chose to ignore it because there was more than 1 paragraph in the post). Sorry, my rant is now over...

I think the mentality is that it's a safer world for children to be in the house.

I remember reading a statistic that there are more than 70% less kids playing on the street than there was in the 70's (in the UK, at least). The world outside is scary and, at times, violent and parents want to protect their children from that. Not only that, but how much more convenient is it to plonk your child in front of a TV screen than actually interact with them.

Technology has become a combination of a blessing and a curse. TV, computer games, the internet - all can be used to teach and influence, but the problem with that is that all can be used to teach and influence (yes, I did intentionally write that twice, in case you thought it was a mistake). The role of a parent is not as intense as it once was. This is not a knock on parents - society has changed. 9 times out of 10, both parents now have to work to put bread on the table, and to take care of a child (or more than one child) after that? Technology is supposed to be a help, but it has become an easy out for some families.

As a result, we end up in a situation where people rely on technology because the social skills of kicking a ball with friends as children have not been developed.

[Darkside Ron Garvin]

Well put. especially the part about people skipping to the end...

Figured you'd like that.

I think the mentality is that it's a safer world for children to be in the house.

I remember reading a statistic that there are more than 70% less kids playing on the street than there was in the 70's (in the UK, at least). The world outside is scary and, at times, violent and parents want to protect their children from that. Not only that, but how much more convenient is it to plonk your child in front of a TV screen than actually interact with them.

This statement I fully agree. The majority of kids spend more time inside than playing outside. Take it as a change in the comfort factor with leaving your kids outside for 12 hours a day. Growing up, I’d spend hours outside playing with the only time I came in being for lunch and for the evening. If I needed a drink, I knew where the water hose was and how to turn it on.

Technology has become a combination of a blessing and a curse. TV, computer games, the internet - all can be used to teach and influence, but the problem with that is that all can be used to teach and influence (yes, I did intentionally write that twice, in case you thought it was a mistake). The role of a parent is not as intense as it once was. This is not a knock on parents - society has changed. 9 times out of 10, both parents now have to work to put bread on the table, and to take care of a child (or more than one child) after that? Technology is supposed to be a help, but it has become an easy out for some families.

As a result, we end up in a situation where people rely on technology because the social skills of kicking a ball with friends as children have not been developed.

This is where I have an issue. While technology can be used as a either a blessing or a curse, it is up to the parent to choose which it is. Yes, there are bad things that kids shouldn’t be exposed to at the age of 8 on the internet. Yes, there are educational/inspirational things that children probably should be investing time into. However, it is the parent’s responsibility to influence the child into which is worth the time spent investing into it. Perhaps it is in my over-arrogance that I state this, but regardless of how hard I have to work in order to put bread on the table, my children are the primary focus (second only to my wife) when I get home from a 12 hour shift. They make the horrid day that I have just encountered, dealing with grown adults acting like it is a chore to be asked to do their job, worth every second of it. I can come home, sit down with them, and read a book, play a game, play with toys, or just listen to them talk. I can do so in the setting of a house that I have busted my ass to pay the mortgage on, because they deserve every bit of effort from me.


My kids never once asked me to be born into this world. They didn’t ask me to work two jobs so I could have a 50” TV, and they damn sure never requested me to drive in a car/truck that requires a monthly payment outside my monthly budget. For me and my significant other to desire to put more effort into our work life than the life that they (our children) are actually a part of is giving them the idea that they are not as important as keeping up with Mr. Jones and his brand new, trendy iPhone and associated apps. I am not taking your two sentences as a generalization of your opinion on the topic, rather that it is an excuse that parent’s coin far too often; “I’m tired after a hard day at work so I don’t feel like babysitting for 3 hours.”


Perhaps it is my nature to think that this practice of “participating in the growth and evolution of what you create” is something that should make parents WANT to take part in raising their children. But far too often we as humans would much rather take the route of being selfish (which after all, is out nature, correct?) and put our wants, desires, and feelings above that of a 4 year old that doesn’t understand what is going on when you allow children to view things beyond their comprehension with the simple excuse of “they don’t understand” or “I like this show, go in the other room”. Then again, this could just be all huff and puff from a parent who is sick of seeing adults treat their kids as a burdon that takes away from “me time” rather than a blessing that gives you the ability to have “family time”. Damn me for respecting the Mormons and their family unity.


This isn’t an assault on you Benny; I am just fed up with the laziness of people/parents and their self appointed authority that anything discomforting to what my desires are is not worthy of my time. I can’t envision ever telling my kids that they are less important than the fact that my feet hurt, or that Tom at work is gunning to take my spot.

[BennyTheBall]

This isn’t an assault on you Benny; I am just fed up with the laziness of people/parents and their self appointed authority that anything discomforting to what my desires are is not worthy of my time. I can’t envision ever telling my kids that they are less important than the fact that my feet hurt, or that Tom at work is gunning to take my spot.

I do not see this a personal attack on me. I have no children yet, so I am just chiming in on my perception - that technology is an easy out for a lot of people who can't/won't make that extra effort.

I think you may have misinterpreted my meaning, and in hindsight it was a poorly structured sentence (I am at work, in my defence!).

[BennyTheBall]

Regardless, this here is the perfect example of what happens when you raise your kids via the method of TV, and shielding them from the outside world because they may get a boo-boo.