Re: Omigawd! Surprised by Reality!

[Anonymous Monk]

After reading this thread, I have decided to make my first post as the ubiquitous Anonymous Monk.

What this thread represents to me, (Note here that I am refering to my own perception of reality and what is right and wrong, to mediate my understanding of this thread) is that while many of us may claim to be open-minded and accepting of other people's different belief systems. The fact of the matter is that it only extends so far as you agree with the other person's perception of reality.

While I may not personally agree with sierrathedog04's personal perception of reality, that doesn't make either he or I wrong. As a community, we have demonstrated ourselves as no better than those who participated in witch hunts, the Red Scare, or so many other injustices that have occured at the hands of a mob. In my own personal opinion, it appears Abigail has left becuase YOU, the Perlmonks community have driven him away. If sierrathedog04 had posted this and out of disgust the Perlmonks community had ignored it, then perhaps such a result as Abigail leaving would not have occured. However, do note that Abigail did not post his exit from the community until a large majority of the populace had strung sierrathedog04 up on a pole and beat him and his perceptions into the ground. Thus making it a far more explosive issue than it needed to be.

It's too late to change what has happened. However, we can learn from our mistakes, how else is anything constructive going to come from our experiences here? Take what has happened in this thread and let your heart think on it for just a little while. We have here two humans Abigail and sierrathedog04 driven from the community, BY the community. It is not sierrathedog04's fault, nor is it Abigail's fault (though in my opinion if Abigail is having such transgender issues, a better way not to call attention to yourself is not make such a blantently obvious choice in name, leaving yourself open for such debate. If you're going to survive, you're going to need a thicker skin.)

So it comes down to this, two people have had their feelings hurt. Abigail, I believe is hurt more for the explosion of gossip that occured because of the incredible hullaballoo made by all of you who responded to sierrathedog04. Sierrathedog04, I believe is hurt because of the way those of you who responded to him treated him as sub-human, unworthy of an intellectual opinion, and devaluing his perception of reality (which according to your very arguments, sierrathedog04's right to have an opinion was actually validated. Though many of you twisted your logic to fit your own political/social/spiritual/whatever agendas).

So now here I am posting anonymously, because I get the feeling the community would tie me to a stake and burn me alive if they could. Thank all that is good, that in a supposedly democratic society, we are allowed to have our own opinions.