My friend you are mistaken. I did in fact catch your sarcasm, the (#trigger
@NIGHTBRINGER ) was a pretty easy clue to decipher. My response was meant to be taken jokingly, as evidenced by the "
" emoji at the end of my statement.
1. You saying that WFB is "the best" is completely subjective. That is your opinion! It is ok to have an opinion contrary to mine, but please do not say your opinion like it is a fact; doing so is invalidating the opinions of anyone who disagrees.
Of course it is only my opinion. I agree it would be more accurate to use a precursor statement such as "in my personal opinion" or "I believe..." (and many times I do use such statements). However, sometimes, either out of laziness or more often as part of a joke (as in this particular case) the precursor is left out and it is assumed that others reading the statement understand the context. My response in this case was hardly serious and had zero venom to it.
Please don't take my jovial or playful posts seriously. I definitely do not intend for them to demean, invalidate or ridicule anyone or their opinions in a serious way. They are meant as jokes. When I speak in absolutes (because only a Sith deals in absolutes) it is almost always a clear indication that it is not meant to be taken seriously. When the post includes emoji symbols such as
, that is also a clear indicator that the contents of the message are meant to be taken in jest. When I am taking a serious stand or making a serious argument (which I have on occasion), it will be pretty blatantly clear in terms of length, complexity, contextual discussion and layout. Simple & quick statements should always be assumed to be playfully mischievous and by all means feel free to reply in kind!
2. Why do you keep trying to put on an "us vs them" mentality? You saying "you guys in AoS" is pushing division. Why not try to find common ground? We both like star wars. We both like Obi wan. We both like Jar Jar
(JK) We both like dogs. We like men...
(again, jk
) in all seriousness, we have common ground. Let us not be enemies.
3. I am going to go back to your statement "You guys in AoS". Do you not think that it is rather shallow to simply call me (and others) "you AoS guys"? I am a human like you. I have many likes and dislikes, many hobbies, and a soul. A heart beats in my chest. And you trying to put a label on my by saying "You guys in AoS" is rather disrespectful. I will not let a game define me. Will you???
This pretty much comes down to the same sentiment I expressed above. I very much do set up a group A vs group B stance (whether that is WFB vs. AoS or Star Wars vs Star Trek or anything else) in some of my posts, but they are done both purposefully &
playfully and should be read with that context in mind. I think most people on here are well aware of that, and people respond in exactly the same way and I never take offense to it. For instance when you stated: "
Wfb is just a rip off of AoS! (#trigger @NIGHTBRINGER )" that statement clearly (& jokingly) rips WFB and then clearly puts me on team WFB (otherwise why would it "trigger me"?, once again jokingly). So just as my statement of "
You guys in AoS" creates a team WFB vs. team AoS dynamic, yours does the same. However, I take ABSOLUTELY zero offense to it, because I understand that it has been presented by you in jest. Heck, even if you made a much more serious and deliberate argument, I still wouldn't get offended. I would then respond in a much more serious way in terms of logical analysis, factual evidence and debate. The only thing that should be taken as offensive, are personal attacks. Even if we think each other's opinions/analysis/viewpoint are 100% incorrect and baseless (which is clearly not the case here, since this was a back and forth series of facetious comments), that is still okay as long as the discussion is kept clean of personal insults. People on here always take playful jabs at me (including yourself), but I absolutely love it. I understand that it is meant purely as fun between friends and I encourage others to partake in it. I myself do the same. Context and intent is everything. I love your commentary on topics and I feel your contributions add to the fun and enjoyment of these forums. Mine are meant to do the same.
In terms of AoS vs. WFB, I do in fact and in all seriousness HATE AoS, but that is very different from my opinion on people that enjoy/play AoS. Many of my favourite members on this forum are avid AoS players (let's be honest there probably aren't many more than 10 WFB players that are still actively kicking about these parts). The fact that members love AoS has no bearing on what I truly think of them. You are not AoS and I am not WFB. I may setup a playful team vs team dynamic but that is not at all serious in terms of tone or intent. Also, I am not the only one to do so, and I am always happy to take part in a playful exchange.
The problem with text vs. text exchanges will always be that intent can get lost in the shuffle. This is especially true in terms of humor & sarcasm, since they are more reliant on non-verbal/written cues. I think the best policy when making forum exchanges (especially when it is between known members) is to assume the message is benign in nature and if in doubt, request clarification. Of course it is sometimes easy to stray from this principle (and I am just as susceptible as anyone else) but I think it is a good principle to attempt to adhere to.
Taken together I would say that:
- joking exchanges are great
- serious debates are great (even if viewpoints are vastly at odds with one another)
- personal attacks should be avoided
In our case, I don't think personal attacks were ever even close to being levied by either side. Heck, the exchange wasn't even a serious debate in any sense of the word.
I hope that clarifies things, and I would love to hear your thoughts on it.
P.S. If you want to read my actual thoughts on AoS (both serious and playful), you can find it here:
http://www.lustria-online.com/threads/fantasy-vs-aos.20517/#post-211588
In the post above I more clearly lay out what I feel to be my personal opinions, what I feel to be factually true and when I am merely joking. Plus it's arranged in a neat and easy to read table! (who doesn't like tables?)
