I for one really enjoy having providers input and being able to exchange. It's clear some people do not want to share this board with the providers and think that should be "guys only". So bashing the girls is a way to scare them off. I really do not understand why one would want that. Probably those who think the ladies are there to "spread them" and keep their mouth shut except for bjs.

As far as I'm concerned I think it's a great opportunity to have some insight and feedback from the ladies, which is difficult to get during a session. And it's really helping.

Anyway please do not all go away!

Be safe.

About the only thing I can come up with is that the bashers are looking for attention. Might be a good idea not to respond to the real ignorant stuff. I'm new to this board and have become hesitant to post anything humorous, knowing that my sense of humor has a sarcastic edge to it. Might be funny in a different setting, but alongside all of the negativity, it could easily be misinterpreted.

However, there is always a silver lining. Negativity on the boards does tend to bring out the best in other providers. Today I had a nice exchange with a provider from the Toronto area who I will be seeing when I start on a project up there next month. Her response to some negative comments on the general discussion board prompted my note to her.

I'm not sure why I do this to myself...  I've always tried to be a good citizen on the boards, but I somehow end up in the middle of some controversy...  Sometimes it's coincidental, like Nicole or LOL, where I just happen to be in a thread that ends up going south becuase of others.  Sometimes I inject myself into a bad situation, only to end up with the bad vibes somehow associated with me.  That being said, here I go again, donning my asbestos undies and jumping into this one.

Be careful about assigning too much "vengence" to the guys on this board.  The nature of boards are that bad situations always look much worse than they are.  At the time I'm writing this, Liz's post has 433 reads.  Assume that many are duplicate reads, and that about 200 people have read her post.  Out of that 200, only 2 said anything negative.  Those are good odds, my friends.  Show me any group of 200 people in any setting that only has 2 bad eggs, and I will join it, no matter what their cause.

What makes it look worse is the silence of others--there are zillions of us out here who feel genuinely bad for Liz, and a few that will probably help.  But when someone posts a mean-spirited post, there's usually little but frustration to come from countering it.  So most people simply think to themselves, "what an unlubricated buttplug that guy is" and silently move on.  To post a counter-flame in support of Liz only fans the flames.  If people weren't looking for a fight, they wouldn't be posting "fightin' words."  Others, bless their hearts, actually extend help to Liz privately or anonymously, without publicizing it here--a noble thing, but their efforts also go unoticed by us.

I genuinely feel for Liz, and honestly I hope that tomorrow is a better day for her.  But the numbers show that world is not as bad a place as we sometimes think.

-- Modified on 3/13/2003 7:13:49 PM

Two words: teenie weenies.

If you look at any forum where people can post anonymously you will find cowards who post garbage just to get attention.  It's not a big deal and has been around since the old dialup bulletin boards.  Any 13 year old with an internet connection can do this.

The bashing is by no means limited to boards of this type.  Just check usenet.