Parsers

[Araeya]

IF enough of these threads go through they would have to start being active about it and ban everything related to parsing. Good Job for making that one step closer.

Probably. SE is hellbent on coddling and hand-holding all the players who can't handle anything that isn't bubblegum-flavored sunshine and cotton candy rainbows. God forbid FC's should be able to constructively use parsers within their own raid groups as too many softies might have their little feelings hurt when some socially inept type with a big mouth says something derogatory about their low damage in a random group of strangers.

People already get bullied enough over other stupid silly stuff.

And therein lies the problem. Why do people get so worked up about being 'bullied' over stupid, silly stuff? Where did the ability to shrug off the stupid shit go? Oh, yeah, it ran away screaming from all of this 'self-awareness' crap and all the trophies handed out to the kids who don't even try to win a game because it's supposed to just be fun.

[skaterger]

And therein lies the problem. Why do people get so worked up about being 'bullied' over stupid, silly stuff? Where did the ability to shrug off the stupid shit go? Oh, yeah, it ran away screaming from all of this 'self-awareness' crap and all the trophies handed out to the kids who don't even try to win a game because it's supposed to just be fun.

Why don't you ask this question to people who commited suicide due to constant bullying, be it in the RW or the internet? Oh wait, you can't they're dead.

[Araeya]

Why don't you ask this question to people who commited suicide due to constant bullying, be it in the RW or the internet? Oh wait, you can't they're dead.

Frankly, if someone is capable of doing something as permanent as committing suicide (which, by the way isn't really appropriate for these forums, IMO) over something stupid someone said to them on the internet (or even IRL), they are most likely going to try it due to other difficulties later in life unless they get some serious help. Our society is raising a generation of people who are ill-equipped to deal with the serious difficulties (such as life-threatening illness, the loss of a child, being homeless, being assaulted, etc) they will possibly have to endure throughout their lifetimes. Is it right to treat someone poorly? No. But, is it the fault of the person running off at the mouth if the recipient decides they need to do something that drastic? No. We are all responsible for our own actions. The sad thing to me is that we have let our society get to the point where we even have terms like 'cyber-bullying' and that people are now so susceptible to overreaction to such small, insignificant things. Unless your physical well-being is being threatened or taken from you by force, shrug that shit off and move on. Thin skin is not conducive to the continuation of a species.

[skaterger]

Frankly, if someone is capable of doing something as permanent as committing suicide (which, by the way isn't really appropriate for these forums, IMO) over something stupid someone said to them on the internet (or even IRL), they are most likely going to try it due to other difficulties later in life unless they get some serious help. Our society is raising a generation of people who are ill-equipped to deal with the serious difficulties (such as life-threatening illness, the loss of a child, being homeless, being assaulted, etc) they will possibly have to endure throughout their lifetimes. Is it right to treat someone poorly? No. But, is it the fault of the person running off at the mouth if the recipient decides they need to do something that drastic? No. We are all responsible for our own actions. The sad thing to me is that we have let our society get to the point where we even have terms like 'cyber-bullying' and that people are now so susceptible to overreaction to such small, insignificant things. Unless your physical well-being is being threatened or taken from you by force, shrug that shit off and move on. Thin skin is not conducive to the continuation of a species.

You realize clinical depression, and to a larger extent mental illnesses is as debilitating an illness as cancer or HIV is right?

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topic...on/index.shtml

I know because I have suffered from it before. And where do people who are alienated from society retreat to? The anonymity of online gaming and the internet. I'm not saying that every player that plays ff14 is a nutcase but you have to admit there are some out there. If its an offense to kill another with a physical weapon, I don't see why a person should be absolved of all blame if the victim considers the bullying severe enough to take his or her own life, even if the offender did not directly pull the trigger. I sense a very strong case of double standards here.

Your theory of natural selection and evolution is well and good and I can't deny it brought us to where human society is today. But aren't there enough examples of these everyday as witnessed in violent crimes on a daily basis? The Ukraine turmoil, North Korea, the girl who killed herself after being raped in Pakistan. All these are power struggles caused by personal selfish desires and being inconsiderate towards the needs of others and realizing that they are just as flesh and blood as you are. You will probably argue that cyber bullying is a far cry from the aforementioned issues, but if we take your stand and allow it to fester, it will fuel far worse repercussions in the future.

[Araeya]

You realize clinical depression, and to a larger extent mental illnesses is as debilitating an illness as cancer or HIV is right?.

While I understand your point, I, for the most part disagree. Because I feel strongly that we are stripping our population of the essential strengths they need to get through life and not break under the pressure, does that mean I must know nothing about what it is to struggle with debilitating illness (be it mental or physical)? There are plenty of people who fit your description of mentally or physically ill who game on a regular basis and don't pay any mind at all to the people whose sole purpose in life seems to be spreading misery. I don't condone the poor treatment of others, by the way, especially without provocation. I also don't condone coddling. Coping skills outweigh coddling any day of the week.

We're talking school-yard nonsense here. There is a major difference between someone telling you that you're not doing well in a boss fight on a video game and them telling you that you're worthless and should go kill yourself (which even I agree is on the severe side and report when I see it). Yes, there IS a huge difference between being raped and being told you suck at a game. The bigger issue is just that - people are losing the ability to differentiate between what is truly a threat and what is just silliness. Coddling does not and will not remedy that issue.

So, no, I don't think that severe bullying is OK. I don't think the gay kid getting the shit kicked out of him every week is OK. I don't think the girl being touched inappropriately by her school mates is OK. I don't think a lot of things are OK. I think that we need to be teaching people how to cope with the things that are, in the grand scheme of things, minor... you know, like being asked if you're a troll because your dps is bad in a video game. And I maintain that unless someone has been violent toward you, or is threatening to be, most of that shit can be shrugged off. If someone over there beats the crap out of a random stranger for wearing an ugly hat, I will absolutely agree that repercussions for the aggressor are in order. If, instead, he just says, "Your hat is ugly, bro, lolwhateverstupiditypeoplespout", I'll just think to myself that the guy is an idiot and continue on my way.

The thing that stands out the most to me about this idea that people who are unstable enough to take drastic measures when they feel 'bullied' on the internet is that they are even putting themselves in that position to begin with. They don't need video games. They need medical treatment. Being 'bullied' (in this case, performing poorly and that being pointed out) in a video game is a pretty avoidable experience if a person lacks the basic social skills to cope with it. You wouldn't expect a person in a wheelchair to use train tracks as sidewalks, would you? Personal responsibility. In the end, it is always your responsibility to decide how to handle what life throws at you. Perhaps bullying is a relative term insofar as it is really a matter of personal perception, but I fear we are erring on the wrong side of it.

This conversation is certainly getting windy.

[skaterger]

This conversation is certainly getting windy. I agree

I'm gonna make this short cause I think we have digressed enough. While I can see your "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" view, its hard to ascertain what level of mental stability strangers you meet over the internet have. What might seem trivial might cause another to disintegrate into a pile of quaking goo.

Also, people tend to only regret actions and look for recourse only after s*** hits the fan. Take the Amanda Todd incident for example. How many "anti-bullying" rallies were there after the incident? A lot. But one would wonder with all the precursors to the incident, why was action not taken earlier and only after a loss of life has occured before people start panicking? Because people tend to forget things after a while and even after the incident, how many more similar cases have happened? Quite a few. Hence, I would like on a personal level to do my part and err on the side of caution. Instead of saying "You suck noob", it doesn't cause you anything to say "Hey I think there may be a problem".