[Closed] Let's Talk About Bullying.

to be fair i have no idea what he actually said

could anyone illumainate me?

"Illuminayt" surely?

I'm sure this was closed a minute ago?

He had a bit of a drunken rant at a lot of people, quite a lot was well OTT and generally directed at one person.
Nothing really to see.

kimbers - Member

to be fair i have no idea what he actually said

could anyone illumainate me?

Here's an example from memory of what he said about me on twitter.

'Oh that thick as pigshit King**** has popped up now the ugly ****er, been at my neck for ages what a ****'

funny that, i once has someone say nasty things about me on here too...... 🙄

I saw that one 😆
Later posted that he'd been drunk the night before. Wouldn't hold up in court mate!

kingtut thats quite nasty! but just looks silly in the cold light of day

ultimately the only person that suffers from it is fred himself because he looks like a fool.

I'm not offended by it ton, I just find the level of venom astounding as I really had very little to do with him on here although when I did I made it clear what I thought of him.

I just guess he got really upset that I thanked Mark for banning him.

neither did i with you mate....... 😆

Never said I was whiter than white ton, anyway as I recall that was bout the (I'm sure you will agree) crazy amount of bikes you were buying.

But that is a long time ago now.

some people drink, some do drugs, some buy bikes.......we all have our vices or problems.
nasty piss taking does little to help tho.

Very true.

I just guess he got really upset that I thanked Mark for banning him.

Yeah, so explain to us exactly why you felt the need to do that then will you?

From where I'm sat it looked both sycophantic and deliberately insulting to Fred. Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I bet I'm not. On that basis, considering he couldn't respond directly, I'm not surprised you got slated. Are you? Really?

Later posted that he'd been drunk the night before. Wouldn't hold up in court mate!

Ah, the old "I was drunk" defence. Riiiiiiiiight.

From where I'm sat it looked both sycophantic and deliberately insulting to Fred

Quite possibly, not so much the insulting part as I would have put more effort in to it, perhaps I should take lessons from Fred.

However I was genuinely pleased that he was banned, there are many that agree and many that do not, such is life.

BTW I was not surprised at all, no love lost there.

From where I'm sat it looked both sycophantic and deliberately insulting to Fred.

Do feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I bet I'm not. On that basis, considering he couldn't respond directly, I'm not surprised you got slated. Are you? Really?

Oh that thick as pigshit King* has popped up now the ugly *, been at my neck for ages what a ****'

KINGTUT - Member
From where I'm sat it looked both sycophantic and deliberately insulting to Fred
Quite possibly, not so much the insulting part as I would have put more effort in to it, perhaps I should take lessons from Fred.

Well, for a start, you need more of this: 😯 😯 😯

And... 🙄 also 😆 😆

and so on.

anyway you're all a bunch of wrongheaded ****s. 😀

Perhaps slated is an understatement 😉

Slaughtered perhaps? I dunno.

Either way I can't abide people bumping their gums about someone when their conduct had been a bit crap as well. Nothing worse than an arse licker in my opinion.

Oh and 😯 😆 🙄

Ah well.

I don't see a lot of arse-licking going on. What would anyone actually gain (or hope to gain) by that?

I think most people thanked Mark as they were actually grateful that a considerable irritation had been removed. While we are on that subject - Mark appears to be the subject of all the vitriol but I am sure this was discussed at great length by the owners and Mods well before any final decision was taken.

Is sycophantic the latest trendy buzzword? It's popped up a million times in this thread!

Let's dispense with sychophantic then. It's a bit wet to queue up on a thread where someone's been canned to thank the owner isn't it?

Wet is better

Wet

It's not a crime and I really don't care either way but if we're ruminating on the issue let's cover the topic. Just for balance.

Let's dispense with sychophantic then. It's a bit wet to queue up on a thread where someone's been canned to thank the owner isn't it?

I didn't queue, I was the first as I was already reading the thread.

Nothing worse than an arse licker in my opinion.

How's about Moist?
Such a lovely word....
Moist.

Damp is good

I like 'fecund'.

You ass licking to elf to avoid the shitty e-mails some of us have endured or are you just saying what you think like other people who happen to disagree with you?

Huh? No-ones emailed me and I don't think I'd read anything even if they did. I consider myself a neutral Junkyard, nothing more. The hypocrisy of others amuses me, that's all. And their moistness.

😀

I like moist too.

And gusset.

As for a moist gus...

Better not go there.

Not going (or getting) there is the problem for a lot of people on here !

That was me being sensitive.

Oh god, I have proved myself less sensitive than Mr Woppit.

Seriously though, I have a newfound respect for several posters on this thread (including you Woppit) because of their attitude towards this whole sorry saga.

And as others have said, bullying is completely the wrong word here.

The person we are talking about was IMO both deeply unhappy and deeply unpleasant (as evidenced by this shameful Twitter business) and I don't mind going on record to applaud Singletrack for banning him and to urge them to make it a real lifetime ban.

Call that arselicking if you want, but I want my voice heard just a tiny bit as much as his voice was heard on here - and I suspect there are many who feel the same and don't want to get involved in a "debate" about it with the usual suspects.

To get back to "bullying", why do those of you bandying this word around suppose that the individuals that have apparently been "bullied off" the forum all happen to have been behaving like arseholes?

If somebody strops off with their tail between their legs after being taken down a peg or two, is that really bullying? I don't think so.

Elf brings a lot to this forum. From what I'm told it seems to me a personal vendetta, nice one Mark.

I like Elf. Nice fella in real life, and I've never had a problem with him on here, other than his Lundaynisms.

As I didn't see what he said or did, there's no real way for me to assess just how offensive he was. All I'd say is this: he's got a different perspective to a lot of the voices here, which I think is worth preserving.

Give him a ban, fair enough, but don't make it permanent.

[i]From what I'm told it seems to me a personal vendetta[/i]

Eh?

It's Marks forum.
It's part of a business.
Elf has been banned at least 4 times and allowed back under sufferance, and from yesterday it appears that there was an ongoing conversation regarding his behaviour on the forum, which it appears he has not heeded.

I was OK with him, until recently, when he insisted on popping up in the middle of whatever thread and using it to boost his own ego; he was told to jeff off by me and a number of others because of this.

His profile said it all; Not Very Well.

[i]Give him a ban, fair enough, but don't make it permanent. [/i]

think he burnt those bridges last night 😀

My views and Mr Elf's are poles apart and for that reason I opted not to argue with him.

Not my cup of tea and sure I'm not his, have to accept that in life there are just people you don't get on with and never would

Not pleased or displeased he has been banned, but some of you who are now saying good riddance did fan the flames at times and I'm assuming enjoyed the sport

Things move on and will all soon be forgotten, bit like people who think their employer and colleagues couldn't cope without them, oh yes they can

Nickf if you'd have gone through his tweets you'd change your mind.

Nevermind the alleged email threats to other STW'ers.

He needs to go away, chill out and join either pinkbike, bikemagic or bikeradar.

If you saw the tweets and feel a ban should be temporary you really need help. Said in the nicest way but true.

BTW I've never met Mark. I just think if you visit someones 'house' you don't insult the host.

Hora, as I said, I saw none of this. I don't use Twitter (I genuinely don't undertsand its purpose) so I'll not bother searching. I'll take your word for it that it was highly offensive.

But we've all got drunk and said really stupid things, haven't we? The hardest thing is facing people afterwards, I've found, and having to earn trust all over again and eat humble pie. Not that getting drunk is an excuse; it's frankly a bit pathetic to use as an excuse. But I can't claim to be perfect in this regard, and I've been mighty insulting, to my chagrin, on several occasions.

Not my call - I don't own the site. Just making a plea for tolerance, that's all.

To get back to "bullying", why do those of you bandying this word around suppose that the individuals that have apparently been "bullied off" the forum all happen to have been behaving like arseholes?

a) Not all of them were arseholes.
b) A forum without arseholes would be less interesting.
c) This forum, without arseholes, would be miniscule 😉

well said nickf. I don't do twitter either but I'm very curious!

a) Not all of them were arseholes.

Genuinely interested to know which non-arseholes have been bullied off STW? I was just thinking of SurfMatt and Flow really, who were both unpleasantly argumentative know-it-alls.

Anyway he'll be back and no doubt banned as soon as his writing style is spotted.

Still on ... 🙄

c) This forum, without arseholes, would be miniscule

Quote of the thread for me so far. 😀

...and the fact that he is still here, still posting under yet another new name only reinforces that he is Not Very Well.

Really? what name?

Why would he though? I don't get that thinking if he is.

If you saw the tweets and feel a ban should be temporary you really need help. Said in the nicest way but true.

I saw the tweets. So I let him know that if he wanted to rant, he could ring me and get it off his chest.

Why?

Because that's what nice people do for their mates.

This thread has outed some rather vile feelings from some people, people who should know better and should know when to shut up, but I know they won't.

95% of the people on this thread don't have the first clue.

[i]95% of the people on this thread don't have the first clue.[/i]

Enlighten us then.

Fair enough, stick up for your mates but don't claim all those who don't like him are vile.
What went on between mark and elf is irrelevant, and to claim we're all stupid for not knowing is a typically elfin thing to say and goes a fair way towards explaining why he got banned.

[i]Fair enough, stick up for your mates but don't claim all those who don't like him are vile.
What went on between mark and elf is irrelevant, and to claim we're all stupid for not knowing is a typically elfin thing to say and goes a fair way towards explaining why he got banned [/i]again, and again, and again.

FTFY.

hora - Member

BTW I've never met Mark. I just think if you visit someones 'house' you don't insult the host.

The reverse of that seems to be the norm, when friends come to visit me!

😉

I got accused of all sorts on here a couple of years ago, I was a closet werewolf an in denial chicken and a mad deranged gerbil at one point.

But hey! at least I'm a valued member now 😯

I saw the tweets from the user named elfinsafety. They weren't very nice, but they are nothing compared to some of the vile stuff I've seen directed at people on there, but that doesn't change the fact they were unpleasant and totally uncalled for. I must admit I thought they posted by someone pretending to be him to try and makes things worse as they were very unelfinlike in the way they were very angry and when on here he always kept calm and enjoyed pointing out that others were losing their cool.

I found him amusing at times, but I also recognised that often when he was involved in a thread, far too often it transformed into the elfin show on some occasions I found that amusing, but I could understand that it must be very frustrating for posters who ask genuine questions which are lost as the thread rapidly descends into elfin winding up those who are all too willing to bite. I'm not convinced that alone would be worth a banning, but I'm not a moderator.
Peterpoddy, did elfin give you a call or make contact? With regard us not having a clue, I would be very interested to find out.

Genuinely interested to know which non-arseholes have been bullied off STW?

Was thinking of people like Emsz, though not her specifically. Just people who've found the general demeanour of the forum to be more snide and unpleasant of late, though in hindsight perhaps that isn't the same thing.

but they are nothing compared to some of the vile stuff I've seen directed at people on there

Rubbish. You find me any post on here with that level of invective and insult, that level of vile language and hatred. Go on, have a look.

You will fail. The very fact that he took them all down is, in my mind, a good thing. He clearly realised he'd very much overstepped the mark and did the only decent thing he could have done.

However, there is nothing like that level of abuse on here. Ever.

Rubbish. You find me any post on here with that level of invective and insult, that level of vile language and hatred. Go on, have a look.

Calm down CFH.

He said there, as in Twitter, not here, as in STW.

Valid point, Jamie. Apologies all, I should have read more closely. 😳

The rest stands, but once again, apologies for my mistake.

Well, as I've not been spending as much time on here as I used to, and seeing as many of the posts on that thread were removed, I dont really have anything to base an opinion on this time around. I like Fred, and having spoken to him in the 'real' world, (though not on this occasion), feel it's a shame that he got banned. Was it a temporary or permanent ban? Did anybody else get banned? I'm honestly not wanting to stir up s**t here, just curious as to what happened.

However, there is nothing like that level of abuse on here. Ever.

Good christ that feels like a challenge 😈

hora - Member
BTW I've never met Mark. I just think if you visit someones 'house' you don't insult the host.

Hmm well it's not quite like that is it, when you invite guests to your 'house' in order to profit by their presence and discussions should you then assume the right to dictate the terms of the said discussions?

what i found funny was the "that's my opinion and i does not in any way care what others fink, take it or leave it" stance that accompanied any inflammatory posts.
but he does care, a lot. without the attention (good or bad) he's very existence on the forum is rendered impotent, replying feeds the ego and keeps it happy.

banning is the ultimate accolade. 10 pages all about 'ME' is the icing on the cake.

so the word D u z z e n t gets modded? lol.

Barnsleymitch- from what I gather, Elf got a permanent banning from here cos mark doesn't like him.

Hmm well it's not quite like that is it, when you invite guests to your 'house' in order to profit by their presence and discussions should you then assume the right to dictate the terms of the said discussions?

With any forum, its pretty self regulating... if the forum owners get too ban happy then the forum withers, likewise sometimes a ban is the best way to maintain the atmosphere they want - minus a few days handwringing, of course.

After all, nobody has to pay to be here

Some of you really need to go back and read what you've posted.

Some of you really need to go back and read what you've posted.

Who? ...and which bits?

To be honest most of it and most people who have posted. Try and look at different interpretations of what is being written and see how it could be contrued as bullying.

Are you sure about that?
How much is the Premier Account these days?

"Some of you really need to go back and read what you've posted."

ok I've done that. now what?..

I might just sneak this in on page 10....

I found Elfinsafety to be an absolute pain and it used to wind me up when he'd interrupt a perfectly good thread posting his nonsense. However, I decided it was easier to ignore his posts - skip past them without consideration. The only time that became an issue is when he'd start posting random pictures. Not so much of a problem at home, but leading to a poor/potentially expensive browsing experience while on the road. In fact, to those who think he was somehow "picked on" by Mark & co, I'd just say that I got a temporary ban for responding in kind, while he still got away with it.

As for this ban, well I guess that the folk that run the forum decided it would be a better place without his input. Based on the number of folk who've told me that his postings (and a couple of others) put them off visiting STW, that's probably a sound financial decision. It's also significant that none of his apologists have decided to flounce off in support.

is he back yet ?

[img] [/img]

Markie - Member
Seems reasonable. After all, nobody has to pay to be here and STW are (at a guess) trying to foster an environment which feels like a forum version of the magazine (or something) and which people want to be a part of.
With any forum, its pretty self regulating... if the forum owners get too ban happy then the forum withers, likewise sometimes a ban is the best way to maintain the atmosphere they want - minus a few days handwringing, of course.

Well yes and no, in this current day and age, print is under enormous pressure and will continue to be so for a few more years, so it gets to be about click thru and as i said, STW click thru aint that good (a guy I ride with works for that IMBIKE mag, now they would give £'s to have this sort of forum content, whilst I understand STW would likewise give whatever mag folk give to enjoy the click thru that IMBmag have, it's all about ad rates and chargeable sums in the 'new media'

So, now troublesome types that don't 'click thru' are highly dispensable especially if they put off newcomers.

But, and big but here, newcomers still want to read content and without it the tumbleweed very soon gathers, so it's an unenviable task balancing it all, so far they've been lucky, but personally i wouldn't be happy with the sort of slating the man took on twitter the other night, nor the DOS issues, they don't appeal to admen and love em or hate em, it's the ads what funds all this at the end of the day.

you know he's buzzing off all this attention. It's a love him or hate him thing. Like Morrisey.