BronzeisGolden,
Thanks for the kind words and warm welcome back, although I have been posting here and there over the last month, offering my "insight." For example, I named Piel official GS Dorito because everything she serves up tastes so much better and we just can't get enough of her.
Speaking of you and Piel, if only the Kwaniacs who make posting difficult for fans of other skaters or those who criticize Michelle the same way other skaters are criticized could take a page from your posts.
As someone who has been hounded by Kwaniacs in the past, I must agree with Red Dog that if the rabid Kwan fans perceive you as an enemy of the Kwan, no matter how wrong they may be, it isn't just a matter of avoiding and ignoring them. Even if they're nowhere around and/or a thread has nothing to do with Michelle and you, the perceived enemy, posts something that has nothing to do with Michelle, they may, at least in my experience as both a poster and a reader, attack you anyway.
It's easy to say, "Just don't let them get to you" or "Just ignore them" but how would you feel if every time you posted there was a good chance that any one of several posters would attack you with something like, "As if you have any other agenda than to promote (name a skater)." It gets to be, for lack of a better analogy, like sexual harrrassment. They may not outright bash you and it isn't on every post, but after a while you think, "I deal with stress all day and come here for debate and fun. Sure things get heated; that's fine. But I don't need this crap." The problem is that it restricts certain posters' freedom of speech, at least under the GS guidelines, and also, such attacks run some new people off the board after only a couple of posts.
Granted, since the last Olympics, given Michelle's record at Worlds, such attacks have, IMO, died down quite a bit. However, I've noticed an upsurge lately. Maybe it's the Olympics. Maybe it's Michelle's injury making her fans upset, or a combination of both. I can understand that. The attacks from all except one poster stopped when Michelle's skating changed in 2003 and many of the things I hadn't liked about her skating were corrected, which made it so I could honestly praise her improvements. But what if her skating still "just didn't do it for me," which is still sometimes the case. How would Kwan fans feel if they had to say nice things about one of Michelle's competitors they couldn't stand just to post in peace?
Also, ignoring RbKFs does not always work; in fact, sometimes it makes the attacks worse. Different people have different agendas. Some people just want to get in a couple of good digs at you so they can laugh about it with their friends. Others don't stop until you hit back, whether you want to or not.
As I said before, heated debate is fine, even great, but perhaps people have to experience it to understand. I realize hate is irrational and perhaps there is no dealing with RbKFs on the attack except on a case by case basis.
BTW, you can't make friends with RbKFs with self-deprecating jokes either. At least I couldn't.
OTOH, I can only speak for myself, but I do think non-fans or hot and cold fans of Michelle really, REALLY appreciate the many rational Kwan fans (RtKFs), such as you, Piel, the others I mentioned in my first post (#17) and the many whose names I wish I could pull out of my fried brain.
I realize this post just went in circles. Just some things I felt needed to be said after reading everyone's contributions.
All together now, sing!
"We can work it out! We can work it out!" Be damn grateful I can only type.
Rgirl
EDITED TO ADD: Please, Kwan fans of every persuasion, l know I would love to hear from you! Perhaps we on the non-fan side should shut-up for a good while and let you have your say.
Now off to offer another chicken to the skate gods
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