guy sajer wrote:For what it's worth, I think that telling someone he "need professional help," can certainly be intended as an insult, and I'm not sure that all those recommending this are saying it only out of their concern for jskains. (I haven't watched the you-tube clip, so I cannot comment on it.).
I can only speak for myself in this instance. I've watched Josh over the years on several boards and never tangled with him personally, or had any sort of unpleasant exchange. I am not his enemy. I do believe he is very much in need of professional (by which I mean medical) help, which seems to be long overdue. I say that only out of concern. He has a several-year pattern of this behavior on various boards.
I had never seen him on video until the youtube clip, and there were things in the video that confirmed this recommendation.
Unfortunately, it's the "nature of the beast," if you will, that there is really no diplomatic way to tell someone on an Internet discussion board that they are in need of help, and it's not generally regarded as an act of kindness or concern, even when it is.
Personally, I feel very sorry for Josh. He seems incredibly lonely, and wants to be accepted, if not here, somewhere. When he lashes out he pretty much guarantees that that is not going to happen, but venting done, he moves on. It's possible that even that small amount of attention, and even the venting, is therapeutic for him, but I couldn't say.
Discussion boards are crazy places. Cries for help are frequently misunderstood as something else.