Some interesting discussion over at e-Claire’s and Dog Snot Diaries today (and crap elsewhere).

I for one, feel freedom of speech comes with a load of responsibility.

It’s like having a driver’s license. While it enables you to drive a vehicle anywhere you want…

…riding on the sidewalk and mowing down pedestrians is usually frowned upon by the police department.
Continue reading “Free speech, trolls, and sissies”

Diagnostic Criteria
A pervasive pattern of excessive emotionality and attention seeking, beginning by early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

1. is uncomfortable in situations in which he or she is not the center of attention

2. interaction with others is often characterized by inappropriate sexually seductive or provocative behavior

3. displays rapidly shifting and shallow expression of emotions
Continue reading “Histrionic Personality Disorder”

HA! HA! HA! HA!
Oh man, I thought I was the only one in the world who had problems with this word-twisting loosely-glued NUT CASE!!!

Oh yeah, comments are on. I wouldn’t miss the fireworks for anything!!!

(Found via Kare, who has some pretty wise words on web conflicts.

Not as wise as Geoffrey’s parting remarks though. *SNORT!!!*)

Recently seen on the web:

“I’ve moved to a new URL. Please email me and beg like a dog for the new address, and maybe, just MAYBE… I’ll give it to you.”

Uhm, no. Ok?

I see a lot of these pages lately.
It’s just easier to take down their link, as they’re apparently hiding from someone.

You know… I understand the need for privacy, the occasional need to vent and let something out. We all do that sometimes. I understand password-protected entries, sites, or sections… perhaps you feel uncomfortable with a relative, employer, spouse, or a bloodthirsty stalker reading your innermost thoughts.

But when I see a message like the one above…
…perhaps publishing on the web isn’t for them, ya think?

Stupidity abounds on the web, especially in the blog world. People feel “freedom of speech” means you can say anything you want without repercussions, and blogs are treated like “private diaries”, you had the silly illusion you were anonymous until someone did a WHOIS lookup, blah, blah, blah.

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As obnoxious as I seem on the web, I still adhere to the rule to never post, write, or leave on an answering machine something I wasn’t willing to say to a person’s face. Really. Ask Carole about any one of “Eric’s greatest hits” in real life with what I’ve said to people, especially her annoying friends.

Take it from someone who, this time last year, discovered every page of this site was printed and ready to be read to a judge in a court hearing.

I know whereof I speak.
A little self-censorship won’t kill you.
Trust me.

We make our mistakes, learn and move on. We don’t run, hoping who we are running from doesn’t find us again. I posted a link to a person’s “new” site once. They called me an idiot in my comments (“You idiot! How am I supposed to blog anonymously if you put a link to my page???”.)… you can bet I’ll never do that again.

People from my job read this site (including my boss. After all, he hosts the site), family reads it, my neighbors read it, and so do potential clients…

… which is what I understand the concept of the WORLD WIDE Web was all about. So I welcome it.

“The web is the last place in the world to attempt to hide anything. The code is against you. The browser is against you. The computer and its connection are against you. The structure and protocols used in the internet are against you.”
Alan Herrel – “Hiding Content“

Go ahead… argue with me in my comments. Tell me I’m wrong. The floor’s open…

I’m not only a jerk, but I’m damn good at it.

Hell, I’m better at it than you’ll EVER be, BAY-BEEE. Wait, better yet, I’m on a professional level of jerkiness!!! Batgrl didn’t knickname me The Vortex Of Mischief™ for nothing, ya know.
Continue reading “Why I’m such a jerk.”

In the news: Trisha Meili, aka “The Central Park Jogger” is coming out with a book about her 1989 attack called “I Am the Central Park Jogger: A Story of Hope and Possibility“.

I remember the story all too well. On April 19th, 1989, she was grabbed while jogging in Central Park, brutally raped, her head bashed in with a rock, and left for dead as she lost 3/4 of the blood in her body. It was one that outraged New Yorkers We prayed, we worried… but mostly we saw red…we wanted justice to the point where we wanted to see it served at all costs.
Continue reading “Central Park Revisited”

You know, Faith is right… (never mind the fact that “Miss Originality” herself simply ripped off this post, and gave it her own spin.). You stick around CyberTown long enough, and you see the same crap being regurgitated, over, and over, and over… with a new crowd ooh-ing and ahh-ing like it’s the first time; and the world is coming to an end.

And all you wanna do is puke in their comments.

Can anyone PLEAAAAASE find a new topic to fight about?

Is there anything new to fight about?

Something Faith and I didn’t try to kill each other over back in 2000?

Yeah… everybody remember “Brawl of the Week” from last year? Does anyone see me calling Kevin Parrott a dirty, rotten, stinking, low-down, snake-in-the-grass, plaigiarist?

Wouldn’t I look like a total asshole pretending I was the first ever person to think of Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots When it comes to you fake-ass plastic people? I’m sure a zillion other people did it before that.

So come on, you lame ass newbies… you heard the challenge. Fight about something new and original!!!

Unless it’s the old “I’m a whore because I showed my boobs??? Well, here they are AGAIN!!! *FLASH*”.

Us guys never get tired of that one.
It’s a timeless classic.

EricBrooks.Com® – Reminding you that originality is the art of hiding your sources.

I’ve been a bit reflective today.

I’ve been doing this page since April of 1998. There was no Blogger. In fact, there were no blogs. There were journals, and “what’s new” pages having to adapt or die like a dinosaur. I’ve seen people come, I’ve seen them go.

I’ve seen people learn the hard way that “freedom of speech” comes with a price. I’ve seen people complain of the “popular crowd”. I’ve seen the elite and the most despicable fall, and fall hard. I’ve seen people shattered to find that a sick person never existed. I’ve seen those stay silent about their maladies and/or tragedies. I’ve seen knee-jerk posts which the writer wishes they had never written. I’ve seen the unbelievably judgemental who can’t place themselves in someone else’s position. Employers and judges have read some people’s most innermost thoughts in public. Blind hatred. Mob mentality. Ignorance. People fired. People divorced. People alienated. People banned. People sued. People whose very lives have been destroyed.
Continue reading “Beyond the scope of words”

Say it with me, people: It was a stupid stuffed bunny, and nobody cares any more.

This is a classic case of at least three sides of a story. There’s person #1 who started a meme, person #2 who is now convinced that they are this horrible person that everyone is mad at…

And there’s my side of the story. Which, as always, is known as the “gospel truth”.

While, yes, it seems at face value that there’s no excuse for person #2 to still be holding on to a passing meme… and the selfish morons are bitching to person #1 about it.

Well, I happen to know that person #2’s life happens to be in shambles right now (it’s not my story to tell, but it’s pretty bad). Perhaps mailing this retarded stuffed animal isn’t top priority in their mind right now. Ya think?

Of course, you can count on the web to be totally devoid of compassion, or sympathy, or even cutting someone a little slack.
Continue reading “Memes and morons”

One of these days I am going to learn that with people in the blog world, it’s all about them. We’re all here for your amusement.

Rather than deal with guilt over something you know is hurting your friends, you’ll take the easy way out and bury them. Sell them out even though you know damn well they once went to bat for you.

When some people try to do something nice, since it didn’t apply to you… rather than do something similar (since you’ve noticed a need for a different group), it’s just easier to piss in someone’s sandbox and walk away laughing, isn’t it?

I can go on and on about the self-centered bullshit in this community that makes me sick to my stomach, but I’m aggravated enough. Oh right, let me guess what your cop-out answer is going to be… you’re only human, right?

Fuck! No wonder why I choose not to get involved with people in real life…

If the shoe fits… wear that bitch.
Excuse me while I go puke in your honor.

Ok… explain this to me like I’m a six year old.

Boycott-Hollywood – A site that has been set up *specifically* to target and punish celebrities for their “anti-war” statements, has been dealt a death blow by the William Morris Agency. The site is being closed down by dotster sometime within the next few days.

Get this… Boycott-Hollywood complaining that their “freedom of speech is being infringed on”, and this is unfair.

You really have to laugh at the irony of it all.

(Link via Misty)

//** Update – A new domain name, registrar and host is in the works… **//

“Not like I don’t enjoy the occasional once-a-decade ass kicking like every other red-blooded American, but any administration that starts to make the French look like they have a point is probably irredeemably fucked up.”
– Reverend Mykeru – War Whores –

Ah yes… in the past few weeks, Reverend Mykeru has quickly risen to fame as a champion to the people who thought going to war with Iraq was probably not the brightest idea.

It takes a certain level of hypocrisy to be a warblogger. And you have to pray everyone has a short memory when it’s over. You need to put pictures of the flaming twin towers next to Saddam Hussein (not that he had anything to do with 9/11), you need to cry when people de-link you for your views… and yet ban people from your site, and support boycotts of “Un-American Celebrities” for their views later.
Continue reading “Payback for the Warbloggers?”

A lot of wonderful people have written me about the last post, and I thank you all.

I’ve made a decision to distance myself from the community.

I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. Your links are simply being moved to a new section, away from anyone that can hurt my friends because of something I may say. And you certainly don’t need the pressure of “what is *that guy* doing here?” in your comments.
Continue reading “Not really a divorce, more like a separation”