beastie wrote:Marg doesn't listen to reason regarding how Vogel and others are treated on RFM. By her own admission, she didn't even follow the entire Vogel thread, and didn't see the worst of it. I personally was told I was the product of incest and stupid for being willing to consider the pious fraud theory.
Beastie, I followed a number of the threads not just one thread, very closely. I can't say that I recall everything clearly or accurately. it's been quite a few years ..2007 right? The post with Cabbie insulting you I believe I briefly read and didn't think much of it. For you it was significant.
Typically there are always a few people in any thread of interest on any board with limited moderation who post obscene, aggressive, slanderous, disrespectful... type posts who are not representative of the majority. And on occasion participants otherwise rather rational respectful type posters will post in anger or frustration ..rather nasty type posts. Cabbie went overboard, in a derogatory comment to you but he's not the entire board. And unfortunately we can’t review the context.
I appreciate that you think Dan was treated poorly and yourself as well. But there were also at the time many rational non aggressive very knowledgeable well spoken posters...posting well reasoned arguments. J Hammel , Bob McCue, Packman, Criddle weighed in and a number of others who I don't remember their names.
You were extremely stubborn at the time and very persistent ( I can be the same way)..so perhaps with that context in mind it might explain why some such as Cabbie posted with intent to “get your goat” so to speak. Granted saying you are a product of incest is going overboard. I seem to remember he apologized to you, but maybe that's a memory I've created, because I don't clearly remember it. Most of the discussion at this point I wouldn't testify to remembering clearly. Bob McCue I recall arguing it made little difference to him if Smith was a sincere pious fraud or not..what mattered to him was simply that Smith committed a knowing fraud. But few details I remember.
I know there are some open minded people at RFM, but, at least at that time period, they tended to be cowed by Benson and Cabbie, who seemed to roam the board as "enforcers" of the "ONE TRUE" exmormon worldview.
I have never, and will never, understood the reception Dan received at RFM. It really seemed like the term "Pious" set them off, like it was some sort of absolution of Smith.
It's too bad the threads weren't saved. Because this has come up a number of times over the years since. And without the evidence it's very difficult to discuss..perception ends up being reality.
I do understand Dan's reception. It's a little bit like this board posting nasty posts to whyme. So many people disagree with whyme that when he posts..he get a pile of people here not just one person ...taking pot shots, being nasty or just simply disagreeing with him.
You and Dan had virtually no support, because virtually no one agreed with your arguments. But you don’t accept that , and instead turn it into trying to paint a picture that all the posters were following Cabbie's and Benson's lead and were unreasonable and nasty. That’s your perception and perhaps Dan’s too, and I can appreciate how it would seem that way. You want to focus in on Cabbie and Benson..and make it seem that everyone was simply following their lead and they controlled and monopolized the discussion and that they were excessively nasty in all their postings. That is simply not the case.