APOLOGIES

[Brant Gaede]

I apologize to all and sundry with one exception for my bad and intemperate language directed only to one "Jim Profit", a sociopath and troll who came here with obvious malice aforethought. May he go to and rot in hell.

--Brant

[Chris Grieb]

Michael; Address this question.

Is Jim Victor Pross?

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Chris,

Addressed. No, I do not believe this is Pross.

Just a lonely insecure poster using a pseudonym, anonymous email, cartoon avatar, and posting a large number of toll-like posts to goad people.

Here is the Urban Dictionary definition of Jim Profit.

A shrewd, cunning, ruthless and manipulating individual. This is often used in the context of the corporate world but it can apply to any sphere of life. The name is derived from the TV show PROFIT, whose lead character is Jim Profit.

By this standard, our dear troll was a bit like Jim Hapless.

Michael

[Selene]

Folks:

Since I find it virtually impossible to understand why an individual would waste his/her time and energy engaging in that type of behavior more than once and since this is the only forum/blog/internet group that I partake in, this type of individual is all over the place, I gather.

Does this type of person IM or e-mail individuals also as part of the pathology?

Adam

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Adam,

I had been in art and show business a long time before I started posting on forums. So I have enough life experience to say the following with certainty.

The game people play on a public venue is audience. The prize they want is acceptance and applause (often by a clique).

Good people feel this tug and so do the loonies (these last especially to scratch a neurotic itch). All fields and all venues. Not one is immune.

That's just the nature of public life. As the good lady said, "A is A."

It's best not to get upset by this, but just deal with the loonies on a one-by-one basis. The only alternative is get out of the public eye and that's not going to happen. On the contrary, OL is going to grow its audience exponentially pretty soon, so get ready for a spike in the looney patooney patrol.

As another saying goes (in a vastly different context), "If you build it, they will come..."

Michael

[Selene]

Thanks Michael.

I am not in the least upset, just wondering whether he e-mailed Brant or others off the board.

Adam