Dark Watchet techniques?

[Mike Connor]

I did wonder how long it would take for the trolls to drag their knuckles over to the wise old hermits cave...
I wish you would lift the gloom more often Mr Connor and contribute some insight and debate to these forums.

Hmm......I have been through this quite a number of times. In point of fact I am pretty tired of it, or of even trying to explain it, It merely causes more problems. There are plenty of individuals and even a few quite organised groups who have done their level best to blacken my character and "hound" me off various forums, with any and all means at their disposal. I do not wish to engage with such people.

Passions run high about some of these things, as in fact your own obviously do, and this eventually results in rancour everywhere. Even just providing information often results in extreme and pointless arguments, which then often devolve into personal attacks and mud-slinging. I prefer not to engage in such on public forums, ( or at all actually!), and have simply withdrawn. People sending me stupid and insulting e-mails is just another side effect of becoming well known, it doesn't even bother me much any more, I simply block the offenders. However, when some of these people see references to me on various forums, it seems to agitate them considerably, and they increase their efforts. Although it is easy to block them from my e-mail, it is still a nuisance having to do so, which I prefer to avoid. Apparently it also animates some of them to post rubbish about me in other places. This is not nice, I don't like it at all, but I am powerless to do anything about it. The only sensible option is not to participate at all, this at least lessens the problem.

What you find interesting and discussion-worthy may well seem to others nothing more than acrimonious bullshit. Quite a lot of people do not want to see this at all, much less on their favourite forum. Others may attack you because they are simply incapable of sensible debate, have basically no idea what you are talking about, but disagree anyway becuase they have decided they don't like you, feel themselves or their ideas and opinions threatened, feel you have trodden on their toes in some way, or are just bloody minded, and as they invariably have no facts to base their positions on a personal attack is their only recourse.

There are lots and lots of knowledgeable people who no longer post to public forums, because they also see it as a waste of time and effort, with attendant problems they wouldn't have if they didn't post.

Lastly, quite apart from not being a nice thing to do, it is a very bad idea to denigrate people publicly, for whatever reason. It rarely has anything to do with useful facts. If you disagree so vehemently with the way someone does something, because you think it is wrong or misleading, then the right thing to do would be to contact the person concerned and point it out. Not put it up on a public forum. It makes no difference whether you are "Right" or "Wrong" about something, both of which are in any case often a matter of perception. Being very knowledgeable about something, which you obviously are, does not give you the right to try and force others to agree with you, or even to listen at all.

There are lots of things I disagree with, but I simply ignore them, as I am perfectly well aware there is nothing sensible I can do about them.

Mike Connor

[fflutterffly]

Mike please come back! You are certainly missed and need to balance the yin/yang. Please come home!

[tie2fish]

"Lastly, quite apart from not being a nice thing to do, it is a very bad idea to denigrate people publicly, for whatever reason. It rarely has anything to do with useful facts. If you disagree so vehemently with the way someone does something, because you think it is wrong or misleading, then the right thing to do would be to contact the person concerned and point it out. Not put it up on a public forum. It makes no difference whether you are "Right" or "Wrong" about something, both of which are in any case often a matter of perception. Being very knowledgeable about something, which you obviously are, does not give you the right to try and force others to agree with you, or even to listen at all."

Hear,hear!

[kanutripr]

I don't know if this will come out right but here goes. Facts are fact but there are varying degrees of facts. Something may be proven once thus becoming a fact or it may be proven over numerous occasions thus becoming a well established fact. Because someone has observed something to be true makes it a fact but it doesn't mean everyone will observe the same results. History is history and has a way of becoming blurred over time by inconsistent documentation, lack of interest and personal opinions or spin. Many historical facts become convoluted depending on the party documenting them sometimes for political gain or maybe just coloured by personal experience or translation. Opinions are opinions and every one worthy of some consideration. Just because someone's opinion doesn't agree with yours doesn't mean a personal attack is necessary. I've entered a few art competitions and thought mine was the best and maybe others also thought the same. Doesn't mean I won though. The judges opinion was what counted on that day but it was still his opinion and though I didn't agree with it it still merits some consideration and exploration. I really don't understand what all the rancour is about. This is a public forum and there will be varying opinions. Express it and move on. If you present a fact and have proof that backs it, present it and move on. Personal attacks are childish and prevent the opportunity for enlightenment by discouraging participation for fear of a personal attack. Get over it people, you don't have to agree with what everyone else says but it allows for the possibility of further education if it gives you another avenue of exploration.

Whew! That said please don't send me any nasty PM's. Thank you!



Vicki

[Mike Connor]

Whew! That said please don't send me any nasty PM's. Thank you!
Vicki

It isn't sensible people who do this sort of thing. There is no telling what the ramifications of some posts on public forums will be. There are a lot of sad and presumably deranged people out there, quite apart from those who just get angry at things and launch personal attacks.

As for "nasty P.M's", here is a very "mild" one which actually gave me a laugh. It was posted publicly, and another idiot posted it to me this morning. It never fails to surprise me, the lengths that some will go to damage or defame others.

QUOTE Original post.

Mike had no one to play with. He was an only child. He was always
getting into trouble with going too near water. The bath, the sink
etc. He was scolded by his mother. One day on his ninth birthday he
noticed he had no friends. He invented this character called Hazel
Joe. Hazel Joe was asexual so Mike was ok in his company and off the
pair went pretending to fish in the bath, the sink and the water but
outside. They caught very little as you would know but they spent time
with all the bugs and insects that surrounded the but and became very
sweet. They called it fishing. They only had two rods and they were
constantly fighting over the but ends but they managed to study these
insects and it eventually became fly fishing. Mummy and Daddy having
put Mike through the 'right' schools passed away and left Mike enough
money that he could play around with the butts. Mike spent time around
fishing forums inventing stories about himself to make him feel
important and his friend Hazel Joe (of dubious sexuality) came with
him. He told the world how good he was at fishing. But he didn't like
it when fisherman queried what he said, so on every forum he would
pack his bags and move on. After a while he noticed that he was
running out of forums to hide so he told a pack of lies to everybody
to save his skin and threatened everyone. Poor old Hazel Joe his only
friend was upset and bemused at the same time.
UNQUOTE

My reply this morning;

Oh dear, another frustrated and ignorant idiot!

That exact text has been posted to me before, and also on "Fly-Forums", a long time ago, by some other deranged individual, you might at least try to be original. Using some "anonymous" e-mail services doesn't actually work very well you know, I now have your IP and your name and address. Any further posts on your part will be sent to your local police station, and your internet service provider, with your name and address included. I think you will find that sending threatening or defamatory posts to people is illegal.

Have a nice day dumbo.

Mike Connor

UNQUOTE

Now, if nobody minds, ( and even if they do ), I will get back to my cave, as I am in the process of building a new computer, ( Every cave needs one, if only to keep track of the trolls), and await the latest procession of supplicants and trolls.

Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

[Mike Connor]

I just got another two far less "mild" e-mails today. Pure fantasy, accusing me of everything from child molesting to stealing information, couched in really strong and abusive language. ( although with abysmal grammar and spelling). I get such things regularly, and all as a result of posting on the internet.

For those who do not know me at all, and might even be tempted to think there is any truth in such arrant nonsense, here's a little sketch of my antecedents, which might help to explain why I now live in a cave, and don''t subscribe to forums any more;

I was more or less obliged to post this somewhere else, as one of the eternal hecklers kept on posting a load of old nonsense about my "rich parents", "public school background", and how "everything is easy if you have plenty of money", which explained why I was such an arrogant pompous ass in his estimation, and similar shite. I do not decry anybody who is fortunate enough to stem from such a background, nor do I consider it an insult per se, it would be foolish to do so, but I feel obliged to correct any such misapprehensions in regard to my person.

I was not well educated in the accepted sense,( at least not originally) . I left school when I was fourteen and was indentured as an apprentice blacksmith. My family needed the money I earned. I was the second oldest of four brothers. I went to night school as often as I could, at my own expense, and I read a great deal. I also did a lot of fishing among other things.

I sat my Northern Counties exams in various subjects, and passed them all with distinction. I then sat GCE A Levels, in various subjects, and passed all those as well. After completing my apprenticeship, and becoming a journeyman blacksmith, I went to work for ICI, as a process operator at first, and continued to study in my spare time, when I wasn´t fishing. I studied chemistry and one or two other things. I duly took and passed the relevant exams, which got me a much better job, and for the first time in my life I wore a suit to work. I had to buy one, as I had never had one before.

After a number of years at ICI I met my future wife, who was on an exchange project at a local technical college where I was still studying, and giving evening classes to newer students. She was teaching various things. We lived in England for another two years, and then her exchange project came to an end. She returned to Germany in order to complete her university degrees, and I continued working at ICI.

After a further two years, where we only saw each other on various visits, my then girlfriend finished her degrees, and was offered a very lucrative position with the German government. We discussed it quite a lot. As there was nothing much keeping me in the UK any more, my mother had passed away shortly before. I decided to move to Germany. Which I did.

Initially I worked once again as a blacksmith for a large firm in Frankfurt, while taking a crash course in German. I did this for a while, until my German was good enough to allow me to work once again in the chemical industry. I took a position with Wacker Chemie in Cologne.

One of my other hobbies was computers and electronics. I was fascinated by it, and took a few courses in it. I took some exams after these courses, and was then informed that I had the relevant qualifications to take a university course in engineering, although of course I would have to pay for this myself.

I took the degree course in electronic engineering, finished it within two years, and was awarded a degree "summa cum Laude". With this in my pocket,I was offered a position with a division of a large American bank in Europe, as a senior technician, with responsibility for the Hamburg technology centre. I took it, as it suited my plans, and my wife took a position not far away.

After one year I was promoted to technical manager Hamburg, and after a further year to Technical Director of Engineering for Europe and the Far East. With responsibility for the whole technical operation, reporting to the chairman in New York. Of course I was very well paid!

In the meantime I had married my wife, and bought a house in the country. I still carried on studying various things, and going fishing when I could.

After some years I got a bit fed up with jetting around the world, and decided to try something else. I resigned from my job, and set up a general engineering firm of my own, using my own house and environs as a base.

I did that until I retired, one month before my fiftieth birthday. Looking forward to a long and pleasant fishing retirement together with my wife. Unfortunately, my wife was diagnosed with cancer, and died the following year.

So you see, I don´t really care over much what some ignorant idiot has to say either too me or about me, I have worked very very hard indeed, I have achieved a very great deal from extremely humble beginnings, and I am proud of it.

Also, I am sitting here able to do whatever I please at the age of fifty five. I still go round to a blacksmith friend and swing a hammer now and again, just to keep fit. Indeed last week I shod a horse for him, as his back was bad. I also forged the irons myself.

There is nothing a man can not do if he puts his mind to it, and he has the requisite drive and intelligence. That also goes for anything to do with fishing as well. It may well seem that I am arrogant or pompous, some people conclude this after merely reading something I have written. Perhaps it would be better if they simply refrained from reading it?

It further occurred to me, that should I ever meet any of these fine upstanding individuals, perhaps when they visit a smithy somewhere? And I am made aware of their identities, it might be extremely fortuitous for them to remain well out of reach of my hammer!

Regards and tight lines!

Mike Connor

PS. I wrote this quite some time ago, after another bout of insulting posts. I am now fifty-nine, and still enjoying life. I hope that annoys the hell out of the imbeciles who write rubbish, or try to damage and defame others.

[skunkaroo]

Lovely autobiography there Mike. You've achieved far more than I ever will in spite of getting an tougher start in life.

It vexes me to see people who clearly care about the sport and art of fly fishing at loggerheads, but it's the nature of human discourse I'm afraid. As a failed academic I've seen first hand the difficulties with historical analysis and while I have my own approach to the problem at hand, to add it here would only drag things down to the level of "angels dancing on the head of a pin"--which is to say a discussion of philosophy that has no place on on a fly fishing discussion board

Cheers,

Aaron

[Mike Connor]

Lovely autobiography there Mike. You've achieved far more than I ever will in spite of getting an tougher start in life.

It vexes me to see people who clearly care about the sport and art of fly fishing at loggerheads, but it's the nature of human discourse I'm afraid. As a failed academic I've seen first hand the difficulties with historical analysis and while I have my own approach to the problem at hand, to add it here would only drag things down to the level of "angels dancing on the head of a pin"--which is to say a discussion of philosophy that has no place on on a fly fishing discussion board

Cheers,

Aaron

I was lucky, and I worked hard, it wasn't easy, but I think it was worth it. There are some things I would change if I could of course, but all considered I have not much to complain about.

Indeed, but that seems to be just how it is. Even sensible and knowledgeable people get into hopeless arguments, and resort to personal attacks, but most of them leave it at that and don't start campaigns against individuals. I think people who do so must have a screw loose.

Anyway, as I wrote, time to retire once more to my cave Lest I be treated to yet another avalanche of rubbish and threats from people saying I have "gone back on my word" not to post any more.

Regards and tight lines to all.....................

Mike Connor

[skunkaroo]

Anyway, as I wrote, time to retire once more to my cave Lest I be treated to yet another avalanche of rubbish and threats from people saying I have "gone back on my word" not to post any more.

Regards and tight lines to all.....................

Mike Connor

Ta for now.

Make sure you through a nice shade of paint on the walls of your cave. It always helped my disposition in the past

Aaron

[crazy4oldcars]

Mike,
It is good to hear from you, and to know that you are well.
Drop by every once in a while, if only to say "Hello!"

Regards, and Tight lines.

Kirk