Stuff That Needs To Be Said

Durham_Devil · Tue, 03 Oct 2000 00:01:39 -0700

WARNING #1: Those who can't separate the message
from the messenger will gain nothing from this. Stop
reading now.

WARNING #2: Those who are easily
offended may not want to read this. Consider yourself
warned.

Events of tonight have brought to mind a disturbing
thought for me. Our society -- and no matter what anyone
may argue, quizbowl is a society -- seems to have
tons of pent-up emotion stuck in it. People hold
grudges against one another over the stupidest things.
Eventually, they boil over, and chaos results.

Before
I go any further, I must state that I know of my
own guilt in this matter. It is no secret that in the
past, I have been very confrontational and
controversial. I'm sorry. I wasn't in my right mind then, and
while it's no excuse, I can assure you I've
changed.

I'd like to think other people have.

Just to
take examples based on my experience, I have been
cursed at, yelled at, threatened with bodily harm, and
threatened with a lawsuit. All of these occurred on more
than one occasion, solely based on my connections
through this game we play. None of it is
appropriate.

We as a community -- and I include myself -- harbor
some form of festering hatred. ACF people hate CBI
people; CBI people hate circuit people; NAQT people
dislike ACF's policies; ACF people think NAQT taints the
game. Spite isn't just a vocabulary word, it's a way of
life for some; how else can you explain an otherwise
sane man like John Edwards holding Harvest Bowl
against Shawn Pickrell some four plus years after the
fact?

I know that 90% of the people who play this game
play for fun and are friendly to everyone. It's to
that goal that I strive; I still play for fun, and my
ability to be friendly is at least my goal, if not the
result. I wonder why others play. Some for the winning,
some for the travel, whatever your reason, is it
enough to make you angry?

We all have opinions,
true; but there's a nice way to phrase them, and most
of us don't bother to find it. Trashtalk may be sent
in good fun, but your image isn't helped. All of us
just need to cool off and remember that it's an
activity that fills at most 2-3 nights a week. Is it worth
getting angry over?

This circuit needs an
emotional enema. People need to stop being angry. People
need to stop holding grudges for actions that occurred
months ago. People need to stop playing solely to win,
to the point where all else is a disappointment. In
short, CHILL OUT!

It's only a game,
right?

Right?

Andy Goss

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