*This post should be read in its entirety in a conversational, even-tempered, yet slightly sardonic tone of voice*
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yikes...something awful must have happened to you last night, you're so much more angry than usual, but that's ok.
Nope, nothing awful. Nice quiet night home with the family. I even got the chance to watch a little TV after the kiddo went to bed. There wasn’t even any anger involved in my post. Try reading it again with a disappointed and slightly weary tone of voice. That would be more accurate. What turned your b!t<h factor up to 11?
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You stated the root causes for such behavior as the 19 year olds away from their parents, but how do you account for the other thousands of kids in the same situation in this university who are not dragging in dead deer and throwing bowling balls through windows?
I pointed out that this type of behavior takes place on campuses across the nation. The uniting factor is 18-21 year olds with no adult supervision. Bonfire exists on only one campus (in a manner of speaking). How do you account for similar behavior on a wide variety of campuses? You are asking about root causes. Bonfire can not be the root cause because it exists in only one place whereas the behavior is nationwide. Despite your desire for everyone to be as smart and responsible and worldly and wise as you (/sarcasm), people are all different. I account for the “thousands of kids” by saying that some people are dumber than others; some are less responsible than others. Bonfire didn’t make the folks from Moses act that way . . . they chose to act that way themselves.
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I'm not saying bonfire is THE cause of such behavior, I'm saying it is A cause. And as a matter of fact, I had an interview this morning with a Schumacher Chief from some time back who is now in an excellent managerial position. We discussed this very matter. He in fact said that a lot of what happened back when he was here and the death sentence recently handed down had something if not a lot to do with the current bonfire. I'm saying that ASB's give the finger to the man attitude certainly contributes to 19 year olds doing the things they did in the dorm.
What causes that attitude? Bonfire? Or being 19 and therefore knowing all you need to know? I know a lot of folks with that attitude who have never even seen Bonfire. Once again, Bonfire is not a cause, perhaps a catalyst, perhaps a rallying point, but not a cause. The people who make up Bonfire create the culture; the culture does not create the people in Bonfire. In other words, the people who trashed Moses would have acted that way with or without Bonfire.
I could just as easily blame the current state of TAMU as a whole, our society, or whatever group, big or small, on the sense of entitlement I see coming from the spoiled-rotten “youth of today.” You are a prime example of this. You have this, “I know it all and you are all idiots because you do not agree with me” attitude. From my perspective the lot of you could use a spanking. The fact is I was probably a lot like that when I was in college, too. It’s part of growing up.
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Just because I say something negative about you does not make it an attack, quit playing the victim. I'm sorry if me calling you narrow minded and short sided hurts your feelings, it really shouldn't, and if it does, you better get some thicker skin.
Actually, it didn’t bother me in the least. Trust me; no part of my sense of self is taken from the internet. I was just pointing out your tendency to attack the person, not the argument. If you don’t want to think of it as an ad hominem attack, that’s your prerogative. If you are going to be wrong, be boldly wrong, little buddy.
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I addressed your point about the lack of supervision.
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"It's not bonfire, it's the fact that they are 18 and 19 year old males"
Guess what? This university has THOUSANDS of of 18 and 19 year old young men who are NOT destroying campus property, wasting other people's money and acting like totall *******s.
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Didn't I? You said it had to do with young men being away from home, and I said that's absurd, and I told you why.
No, you didn’t tell me why. You tried to point out a trend on a small scale, ignoring the larger-scale trend I pointed out. I run into people like you all the time in my line of work. You can prove anything you want through technical financial analysis. If the data from this time-scale doesn’t fit, just keep shrinking or expanding it until it does.
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Again, I didn't say bonfire was THE root cause, perhaps a little more reading is in order.
I read just fine, thank you. You might want to try a little of it yourself.
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And geez, you guys should really relax, it's a beutiful Friday, pull that stick out and go do something besides vent your rage towards somebody who has a different opinion. You guys have never angered me and I don't think less of you as individuals, and I'm sorry CONVERSATION on a website has the ability to affect you guys in the way it does.
Go on, rub it in. I’m stuck on the 20th floor in a corner office with a great view of Houston. I should be playing golf today.
Different opinions are fine, overblown egos are an annoyance.
