A tribute to Grindael

[Jersey Girl]

Jersey Girl, the date on some of the material Doc posted leads me to think that Grindael left the board in late 2017. I think I was mod from spring 2018-summer 2019. I don’t think Grindael posted during that time. I don’t when he first posted again, as I was away from the board for several months. I specifically recall discussing something about Joseph Smith and fraud towards the beginning of the Nauvoo period after I came back from my board break. The most recent post of his in Terrestial that I could find was May 2020.

Memory sucks.

Interesting. I don't know how to respond further without violating the blessed rules. I noticed I already violated a rule in a previous post and had to go edit out a statement that I made.

[drumdude]

A useful academic discussion of what I think Lem is getting at can be found here, "Cyber Sexism and Racism within Online Settings and the Enabling Discourse of E-Libertarianism"

https://brill.com/view/book/9789004424531/BP000011.xml

Since its inception, the Internet has been hailed as a great equalizer, promoter of progress and democracy with unlimited potential and reach. What propels this mythology is the concept of the Internet as a neutral site, where identity is irrelevant other than the persona one chooses to create and share. Social life on the Internet is presented as an idealized, random collection of atomized individuals who happen to come together to interact over shared interests, with collectivity stopping there. Of course, this mythology has always been attractive to a certain segment of the population, who has always been able to utilize the Internet and shape society as they wished:

Straight white men, often considered the default Internet user, see the Internet as a neutral tool because it conforms so exactly to their expectations, everyone else had to make adjustments and look for loopholes in order to use the Internet in the way they wanted.

Indeed, for the women and minorities who are constantly harassed on the Internet, they are met with the dismissive (if not hostile) attitude that this is the price to pay for having the nerve to disrupt the “wide, open cyberspaces” that they are violating because of their unwillingness to no longer let racism, sexism, and homophobia go unnoticed. This can take the form of name calling, threats, and a blurring of online and offline stalking and violence.

I think both sides are dancing around this larger issue, one about the worries over increasing limits of free speech on the Internet and its intersection with the rise of increased concern for minorities, civil rights, trolling etc.

in my opinion we should seek to simultaneously make this forum as open as possible, accommodating the largest variety of worldviews, while simultaneously remaining civil towards each other. That starts with reasonable, unbiased moderators who don't have any other hidden agenda than allowing that to occur on the forum.

[Res Ipsa]

Jersey Girl, the date on some of the material Doc posted leads me to think that Grindael left the board in late 2017. I think I was mod from spring 2018-summer 2019. I don’t think Grindael posted during that time. I don’t when he first posted again, as I was away from the board for several months. I specifically recall discussing something about Joseph Smith and fraud towards the beginning of the Nauvoo period after I came back from my board break. The most recent post of his in Terrestial that I could find was May 2020.

Memory sucks.

Interesting. I don't know how to respond further without violating the blessed rules. I noticed I already violated a rule in a previous post and had to go edit out a statement that I made.

Yeah, it’s tricky. Without revealing the contents of any messages, I got two things wrong. I became a moderator in January of 2018 and my recollection that Grindael never posted during my tenure as moderator was wrong. Both of these facts could be confirmed by public board posts if my search function worked on the old board.

[Jersey Girl]

Interesting. I don't know how to respond further without violating the blessed rules. I noticed I already violated a rule in a previous post and had to go edit out a statement that I made.

Yeah, it’s tricky. Without revealing the contents of any messages, I got two things wrong. I became a moderator in January of 2018 and my recollection that Grindael never posted during my tenure as moderator was wrong. Both of these facts could be confirmed by public board posts if my search function worked on the old board.

You can't even search on his screen name/search user's posts to locate his last post.

[Res Ipsa]

Yep. I had to read the post titles in Terrestial to find the one from May 2020.

[Jersey Girl]

Yep. I had to read the post titles in Terrestial to find the one from May 2020.

I feel you!

[Doctor Scratch]

Great to see you, ceeboo!

Hey Kish, great to see you too.

Although I don't post in this forum anymore (other than very recently in this epically inspiring and compassion filled thread) I do still read some. For whatever reason, I really lost most of my interest in Mormonism - But I am still very fond of many Mormons and Ex-Mormons.

Anyway, awesome to see that you are still sharing your knowledge and personal experiences with the internet world!

For what it's worth, it's always nice to see you around, Ceeboo.

[Lem]

The old board is very difficult to maneuver, but I did find a post of mine, dated November 19, 2017, where I shared excerpts of Grindael's post about the effects of the trolling, If I recall correctly shortly after he posted it:

Grindael left a post in Telestial that many may not have seen, explaining why he posted here, why he agrees with Dr. Shades that all are welcome here, and why he left.

He starts out as his usual, abrupt, hilarious, wondrous self, whom I am not inclined to edit in the slightest, rules be damned!

Let me explain myself here, since Shades has kindly weighed in on the current (and ongoing) dickishness of MentalDickNasty and my reaction to it.

After his customary start, grindael opens up. I have posted a few excerpts below....

....it aggravates me. I admit it. I have been trolled by this ****** constantly now for years. The same thing. No analysis of the evidence, or productive conversation, just ad hominem attacks about my integrity, my motives and even mocking how I look. He's done it all. Like I said, I'm sick of it…. I'm at a point in my life where it bothers me to have my motives questioned by anonymous trolls that have no inkling about Mormon History. But counter attacking someone who constantly badgers me like this is supposed to be beneath me….

Why is this important or why should anyone care? Maybe it's not. But it is to me and I do.

I post here for a variety of reasons. I like reading what many people write. And I like Shades and this forum. But I love Mormon History. And there is so much there to find, to share and discuss. That is what the purpose of this place is.

I don't have to post anything here, and really, I'm very busy but I LIKE TO. I remember when I was first delving into Mormon History after a long absence after leaving the Church. I was hungry for information, for my own sake. To figure things out. I distinctly remember my feelings back then, and how frustrated I was that I could not find original quotations, original documents to READ FOR MYSELF. I try to provide those to this forum. Why? Because I see so many who are just like me. And sorry to say, many of the great historians have abandoned this place, mostly because they are busy doing other things. I don't want to do that. And I want to be a great historian of Mormonism. I've gotten my compliments and MANY CRITICISMS. But I've grown here, amongst all of you. It's almost like family. That may seem strange, but it's true. And it is something that [mentalgymnast] will NEVER UNDERSTAND. His take on this place? It's a CESSPOOL. We are all disgruntled a*****s lashing out. He couldn't be more wrong. It's a potpourri of wonderful people who are going through or been through something we all have in common... All with valuable insights and gems of wisdom and humor that make this place special.

[Mentalgymnast] OFFENDS me. But like everyone else, he is welcome here.

I've had it with his b***s***. This is my last go round with this kind of controversy. I have a blog I can write on but I CHOOSE many, many times to post HERE. To generate discussions HERE. To participate HERE. I can post in real time and get real time discussions. I can hone my skills and learn things from others. That is so very valuable. People here are not just numbers to me for traffic on my blog, that I can link and run. I'm invested in this place. It's a GOOD place. It beats Facebook and other forums all to hell. Shades allows people to be themselves here, (if they so choose).

I'm continually told don't fall for his BS. But really, he's like a damned toothache, constantly wearing you out with the nagging distracting pain. Enough is enough…..

I'm not making any demands….. But I won't be abused or trolled without fighting back. Maybe to some, that's beneath me, but I don't think so. But whatever people think, I'm who I am and I'm ok with that, flaws and all.

And just so you know, I reported MYSELF to Shades.

That's why this thread is a tribute to grindael, and why it is OUR loss when trolls disrupt and attempt to silence the voices of our community.

[Jersey Girl]

That's why this thread is a tribute to grindael, and why it is OUR loss when trolls disrupt and attempt to silence the voices of our community.

That just did me in. Thank you.

[Moksha]

I think your disruptiveness is why Lem brought this to the Terrestrial forum in the hope of encouraging Shades to take notice and provide some form of relief.

Folks!!! We have a winner!!!! That's exactly what I said and that's exactly why she did it. She could've messaged anyone here in the terrestrial privately asking for help, but instead she faked a thread title by using a deceased man's good reputation so she could bring the toxicity here by calling us "trolls" in the terrestrial. Basically, she's trolling everyone here on the terrestrial forum and at the same time calling out Dr. Shades. Very manipulative for a long time poster to this forum.
If she wants relief she should ask doc cam to stop insulting posters personally. I've already said I would stop, 8 times.

Pointing out what happened to Grindael and seeking a remedy from Dr. Shades, are not mutually exclusive. It is more of a focusing crystal to allow everyone to see what happens when one poster targets another or beats others about the head as a specific ideological rebuttal. As Sean Hannity might say, "Here Progressives, come here little Progressives. I want all of you pissboys to quit posting that anti-nazi stuff."

How to stop Doc Cam? Have you tried the tactic Tokyo used, with high voltage electric wires, when he comes out of the sea looking to stomp on more sections of the city?