bf2s has been a complexly evolving social organism. it started out in the early 00s as a very much typical forum. pre-social media, people congregated on forums under personas/avatars/handles. it was like soft roleplay. you never gave away your real name or address. it was a pre-social media internet. it was a 'the matrix' internet. everyone had alter-egos. when this forum had 100s or even 1000s of daily users, the experience was totally different. for years i was just trolling under some exaggerated persona for my own amusement. it was like a writing club, concocting flame posts and long diatribes.
later on it became a smaller band of regulars, who did away with the 'gamer' personas, largely because the original reason for this forum existing was extinct and so far divorced from the discussions. it was more like a chat room for a bunch of global regulars. plus, the tone of the internet itself had changed. social media was the paradigm. we all started adding one another on facebook and so on. fake Matrix-style cyberhandles and clan tags went out the window. we were on first name terms. i guess people started sharing more then (unless you're dilbert and think the jews/MI5/the freemasons are out to get him).
it's amazing that he's surprised i told fibs at 14, trolled people at 16, had moments of depression and exaggeration at 19, and feel rather more relaxed about all of it at 30. we were fundamentally different users during those times. the mods who shoot the shit with us now were all busy role-playing authority figures. let's not pretend i was the only one putting on an act for amusement.
in fact he was working his ass off to get a degree in a subject no-one cares about from Bumfuck College nowheresville.
i went to a university which was ranked 13th nationally and 88th globally in 2009. i graduated top of my class with first-class honours, won the departmental essay prize, and was given a full-ride scholarship to continue at postgraduate. i got a distinction at master's from one of the best departments for modern literature anywhere in the world. i have two degrees from the university of london, a globally recognised institution. i was meant to go on to do a PhD but life intervened, as it often does. as it happens, i've ended up in a very respected career doing a highly competitive role. the PhD option isn't going anywhere. my current job role overlaps nicely with academia and there's plenty of movement between the two. so whilst i don't have a very top-rank education, that's true, i'm definitely not in bumfuck college territory, no matter which way you cut it. as for the subject no one cares about, editorial roles care rather a great deal about it. i can deal with it being an irrelevance in tranny CAD or whatever it is that you do.
through my 20s i partied to my heart's extent, had several amazing girlfriends, and generally lapped up the university experience. meanwhile you were a 40-something guy living at home in his parents' bungalow, muttering about freemason conspiracies, and reminiscing about the time you were at university in the target pistol club, being avoided by girls and social engagements.
the real story here is that you were fooled by a teenager and are evidently extremely butthurt about it. i don't think there's any question who has the better quality of life here at the moment, dilbert. you are a dweeb.
But I guess he's made it now, living the hipster's dream in super-multicultural 84% white muggy Bristol.
trying to construe an insult out of a young person living in a multicultural hipster city is a pretty hot take. how terrible! i'm doing what a person my age should be doing. taking advantage of a city, its night life, socialising, dating, meeting new people, advancing a career. only you could find something to ridicule in that. you've missed just about every boat that's departed the harbour of your life. childless, partnerless, living at home in middle-age. christ. what went wrong? no wonder you take an inordinate interest in the lives of others.
Last edited by uziq (2020-04-16 07:23:56)