Goodbye
Posted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:00 pm
So some people have been saying things about other people - in this case, some specially selected types discussing the slightly wider world on a private internet forum. Why has this caused me such offence?
Answer - because they feigned sincerity and friendship to my face whilst airing what they really thought behind my back.
Several individuals were subject to this kind of treatment. We now know who was doing it, what they said, and that it's been going on for quite some time - in my case, no fewer than ten c4c'ers pitching in to discuss and denigrate my character at nauseating length since at least January. They extracted content and links from my contributions - posts that I hoped would make for genuine and interesting discussions - then they took them apart and showed trophy tidbits to each other like a pack of feral animals. My good lady was also unwittingly made a subject of discussion.
As for "If the Sanctum was an archive of discussions from down the pub, wouldn't it be the same?", well if I discovered that someone who I had put my trust and confidence in over a weekly pint had actually been betraying it behind my back, I certainly wouldn't buy drinks for them anymore. But actually, this mightn't be a correct comparison anyway - we all thought c4c was that pub, and it's impossible to have a real life conversation with a person running concurrently with another one about them.
Some of you are past champions, but you've shown a huge lack of sportsmanship and camaraderie and so now I don't think of you as worthy opponents. You even said things about people who supported your Countdown careers - and whose support you asked for - but now we can see how highly some of you only regard yourselves. Rather gallingly aswell, with the possible exception of one person who has written to apologise, you have mastered having a typed answer for everything and believe none of this is offside. If these kinds of posts were on an intranet forum in a workplace, for example, you should all now expect to be disciplined or dismissed.
You will note that ITV and Channel 4 no longer endorse this forum - no other newbies should form the opinion that all people who play Countdown behave like you. And since most of you involved will be going to Lincoln, I have decided to withdraw my participation. I will continue to play and organise games in English and French, but this is where my contributions and support for c4c end.
Answer - because they feigned sincerity and friendship to my face whilst airing what they really thought behind my back.
Several individuals were subject to this kind of treatment. We now know who was doing it, what they said, and that it's been going on for quite some time - in my case, no fewer than ten c4c'ers pitching in to discuss and denigrate my character at nauseating length since at least January. They extracted content and links from my contributions - posts that I hoped would make for genuine and interesting discussions - then they took them apart and showed trophy tidbits to each other like a pack of feral animals. My good lady was also unwittingly made a subject of discussion.
As for "If the Sanctum was an archive of discussions from down the pub, wouldn't it be the same?", well if I discovered that someone who I had put my trust and confidence in over a weekly pint had actually been betraying it behind my back, I certainly wouldn't buy drinks for them anymore. But actually, this mightn't be a correct comparison anyway - we all thought c4c was that pub, and it's impossible to have a real life conversation with a person running concurrently with another one about them.
Some of you are past champions, but you've shown a huge lack of sportsmanship and camaraderie and so now I don't think of you as worthy opponents. You even said things about people who supported your Countdown careers - and whose support you asked for - but now we can see how highly some of you only regard yourselves. Rather gallingly aswell, with the possible exception of one person who has written to apologise, you have mastered having a typed answer for everything and believe none of this is offside. If these kinds of posts were on an intranet forum in a workplace, for example, you should all now expect to be disciplined or dismissed.
You will note that ITV and Channel 4 no longer endorse this forum - no other newbies should form the opinion that all people who play Countdown behave like you. And since most of you involved will be going to Lincoln, I have decided to withdraw my participation. I will continue to play and organise games in English and French, but this is where my contributions and support for c4c end.
Sorry to see you go Jeff. And fwiw Bee is hot - you're a lucky man 
)