It's interesting how people sometimes think

[closeupready]

we GLBT people are humorless 'word police', 'offense professionals' on some sort of gay mod squad, or who knows how people think of us.

IRL today, I actually made someone laugh. A total, 100% complete stranger I had never seen before. (Yes, on purpose.) How about that. Perhaps (I can hear those same people thinking) I erred in neglecting to inform them a priori that I'm gay, and that they are not allowed to find my jokes funny, nor are they permitted to see my spontaneous jiggy-stuff as amusing.

Seriously, I'm not sure why some here feel compelled to walk on eggshells. Ask any performer or entertainer or salesperson - with any and every audience, you tailor your message to suit THEM.

Not that everyone here is a performer or salesperson - some people come here to just vent, and that's fine. DU is social media, and the word 'social' implies a certain amount of relationship-building.

Anyway, just wanted to say that. Peace. Over. And out.

[William769]

1. No one is walking on "eggshells."

Some are trying to stir the pot though (not very well I might add).

We are who we are, we are a very friendly Group. Anyone one who says otherwise, just hasn't taken the time to get to know the Group.

Of course this is just my personal opinion and not speaking for anyone else in the Group.

[closeupready]

2. How DARE you make assumptions!!!

[Prism]

3. LGBTers aren't humorless, but DU is getting that way

And that is basically because one person can "offend veto" entire trains of conversation. One errant phrase - throw away phrases not relevant to the larger point of the post - can derail into meta train wrecks.

So, people begin to self-censor.

What happens is vanilla, lowest common denominator dull, dull, dull conversations.

I've been around a long time, got a few battle scars from flame wars in defense of the community, so I say this with all due respect. The Offense Offensive had sucked all the personality from the place. It honestly doesn't feel like anyone's having any fun at all. It's just metafied obsession with who said what where. Where's the good time in all of that?

It has gotten humorless over time. Intimidatingly so. I think it discourages growth.

JMHO.

[closeupready]

4. Just a note: I really like your contributions here, so

please I hope you didn't take this personally, though I confess some of my thoughts were fashioned in response to your post in the other thread.

[Prism]

7. It's no bother at all

I'm so busy offline that I rarely do more than lurk, and it's hard to take message board stuff too personally =)

I just wish people were having more fun. Life's short!

[loli phabay]

5. plus one self censor is the best description. people are more concerned with will someone alert

Rather than just communicating.

[mitchtv]

6. I tried to be amusing recently,

I lost my appetite for that quickly