I suppose that this is the reason that I started this thread. I have a great respect for all of you guys that I have shared my life with over the past years. This place has given me affirmation on the credibility of the world through the actions and demeanor of the people that I have met through this site. You come from places that couldn't be any different, but when we all come together I find solace in the fact that we are all indeed family. We are as different as night and day, but I wouldn't have a second thought about inviting the majority of you into my home to increase the experience for all of us. In fact I have and will continue to do just that. My life is greater for knowing all of you, and would be far from the same without you in it.
Swivel gives me a taste in my mouth that isn't indicative of what DTT is about and has been about since I started coming here. I don't like to have that feeling about my place of solace. This place continues to be a bastion against the seemingly impending fall of the torn society that we see unfolding around us. People have as a whole stopped caring about one another and disregarding their neighbor on a whim simply because it is easier to do that than to contribute to their lives. If I want to see woe and disenchantment, I simply have to go to work or look around me when I walk down the streets. I recently spent a day with my grandfather and father walking the farm where my family sowed its roots over the generations. Those two men taught me what it means to be a man. They taught me to think for myself, to provide when means were unobtainable, and to love my family unconditionally. These cornerstones of who I am can be echoed in the experience that I share sometimes with complete strangers in these pages. I have never seen a community that is more willing to provide a positive influence on other people than I have met here.
And then there is that one guy. I am sick of seeing the negativity that the guy brings to the table. I am sure that he has offered advice to some of you that was useful. I am not calling him an idiot, because he does have knowledge. What he owns in knowledge though is overshadowed tenfold by the negative and slanderous nature of the posts that he accumulates at the expense of other people. It is never appreciated (as can be seen from the overall sentiment that he harbors).
It is seemingly easy to ignore, but in the end, I can't help but think about the newcomer who is greeted by him before they ever have a chance to really learn what Do The Ton is about. We are a lot of things here. Assholes, sarchastic individuals, and motley. Above all of this however, we are extended family. If we are to maintain what we all love about this site and what it stands for, issues like this should be addressed when they arise. If they aren't the mood will change, and the changes will be anything but good.
There is no room here for false arrogance or entitlement. All that does is bring us all down.