Caution Please

[Mookie]

Soo - I get lost in these long threads after about the first 4 postings. Not a clue what they are all upset about. But they will get over it just as soon as we think of something really challenging to write about!!!!

Are there a lot of people that read this? Hmm - I thought it was just a couple at most...
hmmmm.........

Jen

[sooblue]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

offend... i try not to... annoy, now that's another story...

I'm with you - don't offend, just irritate a little!

Mookie

Well I am really irritated! [:(!]
I've read this whole thread and don't understand what the heck happened that everyone is sounding a warning about offending people with their jokes.

On the serious side, [8)]
In light of the fact that there is no way of us knowing how many people actually read these posts there is a good chance that any joke could offend someone.
Some people are real thin skinned.
I don't mean to imply that we should throw caution to the wind but on the other hand when we make a joke we are trying to turn a [:(!] into [:)] and don't we have to take into account that sometimes our sense of humor is off?[xx(]

I mean it works both ways.

OH ! Jenny, I lied, I'm not really irritated at all, just joking[:o)]
What did happen? It wasn't me I hope.

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mikeygaw

offend... i try not to... annoy, now that's another story...

I'm with you - don't offend, just irritate a little!

Mookie

[Anonymous]

Dear a lot of forum goers,
It seems my perpetual bane that when I make a joke (especially the slightly-sarcastic ones) that people take it seriously, and I get on their bad side[:(]. This happens to me especially in real life when I sadly do not have the benefit of "emotions" to use. It also works in reverse occasionaly: when I am serious, people will ocasionally think I'm joking[^]. I am certain that my location statement (see upper left) or my signature will eventually probably offend someone, but that person really needs to learn how to take a joke[:)][:D][8D]. I try to use good spelling and grammar, as I did manage to pass English class[:)][:D][8D][:o)][8)][^]. (That was a joke. Please do not become offended by it. The last thing I need to do is alienate the forum.) I think I'm doing fairly good...I mean well...at it too.[:)][:D][8D][:o)][8)][^]
If I frequent these forums enough I will end up knowing more vocabulary for computers than railroads...but I can still make 99.99999% of the world's population (not the forum's population, because most of you know) wonder "what is that person talking about" with the following expression:
"some double-headed mikes running under catenary on the hill flung a side rod while the conductor was sorting tissue and the engineer was polishing diamonds. And then a mallet came along in simpled mode, and split the diamond and semaphores." But don't worry, I don't readily use that expression in my daily life (come to think of it, this is the first time I said it). [:)][:D][8D]

[Anonymous]

I two am knot against jokes. What eye am against is when people blame railroads for their own misteaks. I've laughed at, been laughed at, and always turned the other cheek, only to be laughed at again. So eye think we all have a point to git a cross (when we figure out what it is)!
Ralph Zimmer Alsip,Il

[Anonymous]

I'm not against people making jokes, Im agaist people tring too hard to be funny. In the end someone always get offended. I make jokes. I never said they were funny, but at least Im not offending anyone.
So please - read what you wrote.

[Granny74]

I have to agree with Jim that it is important to be mindful when making comments about accidents or deaths. And Jim, you are a good and caring forum member.
Nance from AZ

[Anonymous]

LOL Failing English is umpossible, i've only done that..hmm.. TWICE!

let my bad grades be known!

and if you start using like... Let it be known I will do a rain dance and make it rain on your house for the next 85 years..

But first i have to read "Rain dancing and other Yoga crap For dummies" [:D]

Let's see... page one..
lI'll get back to you mike on that rain dance...
[:D]

[Mikeygaw]

offend... i try not to... annoy, now that's another story...

[ironhorseman]

I'll just say this:

I don't get offended. You'd be very hard pressed to get me offended.

If I say something offensive it's nothing personal but that's how I feel. I'm not going to withhold thoughts or feelings or opinions because I think it might offend someone. I'm not afraid of offending someone, but at the same time I don't go around intetionally doing so. If I were afraid of offending someone or worried what others might think I would not make any posts here at all.

[adrianspeeder]

This is what happened at my desktop publishing class this week. We are doing a simulated newspaper page, and one kid did a spoof of the local paper. His articles were about the town having a civil war with the "rich" east side against the "poor" west side. I didn't really care about it until a picture had the caption "Millions of Middletowniens Dead". The picture was of Arlington National Cemetery. He apparently just copied it off the internet. I just about lost it right then and there, but insted got the teacher (who by the way served in the Army, and lost a brother). You can guess what he had to say about using a pic of Arlington National Cemetery. Later the kid apologized to me, which I replied "say your sorry to the vets"

SAAAAALUTE

Adrianspeeder

[Anonymous]

Hey my Girlfriend is right!

Darnit i said it again...

I want to make another Adendum..

If your going to make a joke in the first place, Use Emotions to describe what your saying. When you put [:D] at the end od a sentance, it tends to shed a completely different colour lite on what happened.

See My girlfriend made a joke about Jim posting at 2AM, Now i read thats seriously.. if she would ahve put a [:D] everyhting, at least to me, would have.. Mind you i READ everyhting seriously the first time!

So rememeber, use Emotions, and don't use the quick response! it' make take more time but it'll save relationships in the long run!

[Anonymous]

Thanks ME [:)]

Let me add a little to this so it might be a little more clear. [B)]


Here is an example. I am an American. I support our service personnel. When I hear of one of our GIs being killed it is upsetting to me. So if anyone were to make a joke about it, I would be offended.

The Canadians are one of American's best allies. If I were to hear of a Canadian soldier being killed this too would be upsetting to me. Therefore for anyone to make a joke about it that joke would also offend me.

I don't try to offend anyone on purpose. But I bet at least once someone has been offended by one of my jokes. At the moment I can't think of any. But if someone were to let me know that they were offended I would reread my post and see what I said. Knowing what offended them would help me to see my post in a different light and I might want to rewrite part of the post or even delete some of it (or all of it).

I am not trying to be politically correct, just a helpful and caring forum member. I want to do my part in helping keep the forums a good place where we all share knowledge and entertainment. I learn things everyday from the forums. I laugh everyday from the forums. I hope you do too.

[Anonymous]

ummmm

do you ever sleep?

i'm beginning to think i'm the only one who sleeps at 2:30 AM

I hear what Jim is saying, And I would just like to make an Adendum..

If someone does make a joke about you, Read it through. Make sure you have not missed important words.. Sometimes when your reading a joke, and your already angry you tend to skip over the 2 or three letter words.. It was a university study.. i didn't think of it.

Wait beofre you react.. the best thing is to leave, think about it and come back in an hour... that gives:

A)The person who made a bad joke time to change it.

B)Yourself some time to think and formulate a response. [:)]

I havn't been on this site so long. Yet what i see, more or less, is not bad jokes, but the fact they were read wrong. Kevin reads everything wrong, -- really, he does. So i have learnt to be more aware of these kind of things

Together We can make this site and enjoyable place for everyone of all ages. Mind you i still have issues with that because kids under 13 shouldn't be online anyways by themselves, without proper parental supervision.

But thats another story and i don't want to get off topic.

WE don't want people like this....
[:(!] or [V]

WE want people to leave here like this
[:)] or [:D]

[Anonymous]

Please be careful when making a joke. Remember what YOU might think is funny may offend someone else. Please be mindful of comments you might make in threads where the topic is about an accident or deaths.

You all know that I make alot of jokes and I too need to be mindful of what I say. So everyone help me in this area and I will help you too.

Thank You All Very Much.