This is going to be a rant...

Therefore, you have been forewarned ....

First of all, I am not personal (i.e. I've never met face-to-face) friends with MagicRat however, I dare to say that I know her relatively well, all her good points and all her warts.  As for me, I accept her As-Is.  The way she is.  And, for me, I like her just fine just the way she is.  I do not recall ever having heard (read) any of her rants or arguments with anyone online in dA to be so horrific as to warrant the childlike and extended attack as I've seen in Valenwind-Luvers today!

I have tried my best to keep quiet on many matters I've noticed that have gone across my desktop and that's nothing to be proud of.  However, considering the extended efforts Erro-meatbun has gone to to put down a friend of mine is something I cannot, in all good conscience, let pass without saying something.

MagicRat is perfectly capable of taking care of herself, defending herself, and getting to the heart of the matter without my intervention.  I applaud that (in anyone) and wish I could do the same without feeling worried I'll upset someone.  However, this is utterly ridiculous.  Seriously.

I spent a good half hour reading (and re-reading) the journal which was put up on Valenwind-Luvers today and was astonished.  Just so much bullshit that is none of anyone's business except those involved directly.  I noticed how Rattie's notes were seemingly accentuated in various ways while others' responses were quite nicely hidden behind blacked-out lines, (not to mention all the glaringly obvious opinions of the writer of the journal were in RED).  What the hell?  Are you worried someone ELSE may be upset that they were a part of this travesty?  That they might be worried others might see them as also harassing?  

Who gives a flying floof who was at fault anyway?  It's none of your/my business.  It was a discussion between Rattie and someone (or various someone's) which had nothing to do with those who are now foaming at the mouths while they read that journal which has been put up for the 'edification of others'.  Which others might those be?  Those who are members of Valenwind-Luvers?  Again, the discussion in question at the beginning of the whole thing was between Rattie and someone who is not even a part of that particular group!  It was written/discussed quite a while back.  It's over and done with.  So---Why bring it up?  And the ending of the whole, long, rambling, and intensely out-of-context journal post was completely unwarranted.  They gave the 'encouraging suggestion' to block Rattie?!  Who in the hell do they think they are to make such a statement anyway?  That is for the user/reader to decide.  In fact no one should make a suggestion like that to others based solely on their own opinion of someone (or something)!

Can you tell I'm upset?  Of course I am!  Yes, I think it was very, very wrong to not only put that journal entry up to begin with, but to follow it up with the encouragement to block Rattie, and with all those neatly-placed blacked-out portions and brightly-red parts...it just really, really burns me up!

Would I feel the same if it were anyone else?  If this had been about Joe-Blow-From-Down-the-Street rather than MagicRat  Well, HELL YES!  I would be very much upset and angry about it.  No one should go so far as to put down anyone in that manner on the internet, where their opinions and views are quite obviously able to be viewed by anyone at any time.  Topping it all off with the way others' names were obliterated, thusly hiding them from view of the reader and leaving those people in the clear and away from harm/harassment, was just too much.  Seriously, way too much.

Will I be banned from Valenwind-Luvers for my rant about them?  I don't know...and y'know what?  I don't honestly care.  If people like that (Erro-meatbun) is the kind of people who run the group then maybe I don't want to, nor should I be a part of it.  Very childlike behavior.  Very vindictive, if you ask me.  And still, it is so amazingly ridiculous how someone would go to such great lengths to put down another person in such a manner.  

What I got from the entire thing, besides what a horrible person Rattie is, is how some people are so stuck on labels which, honestly, shouldn't mean so much in the grand scheme of things.  And here I go with my take on the matter

(be forewarned, my opinions are my own and as twisted or wrong as they may be, I am entitled to my opinions)

When I was a child I had no idea there were even such things as transgender or even homosexuality.  Why?  Dude, I grew up in the deep South, Louisiana, and we were taught that God created all things in His image...whatever that was.  O_o  When I was in the fifth grade, I made a new friend, her name was Melanie and she was fun to be with and smart!  Boy was she smart!  Her father was a doctor and I was highly impressed.  I asked her to come home from school with me, she agreed, moms were called, etc, but once I got home with her, I was taken into the next room and told in no uncertain terms that what I had done was unacceptable behavior.  Why?  For the life of me I couldn't understand it.  She was black.  <gasp>  Honestly, I didn't even notice what color she was.  She was fun and smart and she was friendly, not to mention she needed a friend because she was new to our school.  My parents had taken great care apparently to instill in me that everyone is created equal.  That color and religion (among other things) wasn't important.  However, I realized then that I'd been lied to, not only by my parents, but by the world around me.  From that time on I was angry with how people said one thing and meant another. How people looked down on others because they were 'different' than themselves.  I believe that we are all unique, thusly different and it seems totally stupid to me to look down on someone because of ANYTHING.  That includes age, race, color, creed, beliefs, religion, sexual preference, physical disabilities or mental...or any-fucking-thing.  It just doesn't make sense to me at all and I'm being honest here.  I could care less if you were purple with orange dots and had rainbow hair (altho I think it's be totally kewl to be so colorful), that you believed in a troll-god and preached his existence to the world...or that you liked both genders, or neither.  Doesn't make no never-mind to me.  As long as you are a person who cares about others and is willing to accept others for their uniqueness it seems only fair to be the same, right?

Or am I wrong?

The whole thing about labels and names we give to those 'others' we know or are associated with, seems ridiculous too.  First off, no one asks "what is your sexual preference" to someone they do NOT think is a homosexual, do they?  It isn't the polite way to begin a conversation, with anyone.  So, why bring it up at all?  Unless you are sexually attracted to another, it seems a stupid thing to question.  What someone likes or dislikes is none of your business.  And bringing in all the other things that stem from sexuality seems just a way to get into a huge argument about who's right and who's wrong.  Sure, I believe everyone should have a place on this earth.  Everyone.  Everyone is equal (i.e., we're all human) and even those who are destitute are still human beings and should be treated as such.  I also am not stupid enough to think that those who are not deemed 'normal' in a world filled with 'normal' (there is no such thing as 'normal') people tend to be put upon and looked down upon as well as shoved aside and caused humongous problems all because they are different...and here we go again with the differences.  EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT!  EVERY-FUCKING-PERSON IN THE WORLD IS DIFFERENT!  WE ARE ALL UNIQUE!  Derp?  Putting anyone into a slot that labels them  seems to be problematic, but that's my opinion.

And so I'm back to being annoyed, angry and upset.  I wish I could say that I am not thinking specific names/handles on dA.  I wish I could tell you that I will just blow this off as nonsense and push it aside.  But there are some things that just bug the shit out of me and I felt I needed to say something about it.

I am angry with Erro-meatbun for putting up such a derogatory journal aimed at shooting down MagicRat and I'm angry with Valenwind-Luvers in general for allowing it to be put up there.  It just seems very small of them, the owner of the group, as well as those in high-places, i.e. admins of the group.  What becomes of the whole thing I do not know at this point.  I hope it blows over, or somehow gets set right (altho I can't imagine how that would happen).  For me, I'm not horrifically worried that I'll be banned from the group, or from dA.  If I am, I am.  Done.  Over with.  Oh well.  If I'm not, I'll continue to (on very rare occasions) spout my opinions about things and people who are important to me.  If you don't like it, don't read it.  

I still love my friends and those who have the stomach to hang with me here on dA.  I hope I haven't made enemies...however, if I have, by writing this, it seems pretty obvious that those enemies were probably lurking in the wings looking for someone to chew on.  Hey I'm a really big girl (over 200 lbs.).  I have lots of chewy bits.  So, enjoy, but once you hit a nerve, be prepared for retaliation.