Stupid Post.

Whatcha got against Hoovers?

Your Omniscient Maveness: Remember well that a crown slipped can easily become a noose. Nowhere Man/Ph/Jay

There you go conspiring with the Russian judge again! OK, so you did not have a fat ass, and your pants fell down in public...but hang on there a minute as posted before don't rain on my hot mama sans plastics parade! ...until tomorrow or the day I find myself mourning a time when it was easier to say "I can't" vs. my daily commitment to "never again." Karen

Oh I have memories of my late father here. He would double his fist, shake them at me and say "I brought you into this world and I can take you out". If Kiki and I were capable of bestowing a title on you, does it not follow that we are just as capable of taking it away We are the puppet masters and you are little more than an oh-so-slender sans plastics marionette dancing at our behest. And don't you ever forget it! (And we hid the scissors, don't even think about cutting the strings.) And about that Russian Judge. That's Aunt Ludmila, she's Latvian and gets annoyed (scratched that, peeved) about being called a Russian. I'd watch my back if I were you. Nowhere Man/PH/Jay

You're certainly not alone in noticing this. And I also wonder *why?* ... I can understand maybe lurking..or the occassional question, whether it be to the grads as a curiosity as to what lies ahead for some...or to the men's board because a woman may have a man in her life who has a problem and she turns to you guys there for help...etc....but just for the sake of posting??? Nope, I don't have an answer either. Maybe it's their way of showing that all the US vs. THEM doesn't affect them? I don't know...I personally don't like any of that garbage anyways...I've seen enough US's as bad as the THEM's....(did that make any sense?) I'm not so sure I'd buy into the MO mentality deal either though...I think it's an individual thing...some people just don't have the knack of putting common courtesy to use.... Blah...who knows...only the ones who type out the posts really know, I suppose. Linda 268/125 BELOW GOAL! and.....ENGAGED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (wedding date set: August 5th, 2006!) **Don't forget to sign my profile Guestbook!**

As I said previously, painting everyone with the same "MO Mentality" brush missed the mark. Likewise, painting the "Strays" with one brush equally missed. You mention the supportive strays, and oddly, that strikes a true chord. It does seem some of them do/did post to acknowledge that we are indeed worthy of worship It is indeed an odd mindset to demonstrate support by violating the boundries. I think all the us vs them, newbie vs oldbie stuff is a bit over the top. I think people were looking real hard to be offended, and only managed to do so by taking things out of context. Out of context, there are things in this thread that could be offensive. I got blasted for trying to explain why the oldbie/newbie rift exists on virtually every topic oriented message board out there, and why it is not going away. Tek

This has been an interesting post - it has made me think about success in WLS in relation to one's abilities to follow the rules. Rhetorical spin - if I respect boundaries in life, will I have a better chance in keeping to the rules of a post-op? Makes me reflect on my life as MO - was I more or less disrespectful of boundaries? --Laura

Very interesting direction. Its interesting that many folks that have lost their weight stop being "doormats", which would imply enforcement of their personal boundries. Conversely, with MO no longer a block, some folks find they lose all sense of boundries. I wonder if it follows that we respect other peoples boundries more? Or less? Probably, both for different people. It might be worth exploring which we are experiencing. I also wonder how either of these relates to program compliance. Or vice versa. Tek

Been reading all the various theories on this question--lots of good ones. There are many things which our MO mentality can be blamed--but I am not sure this is one of them. Here are a couple more contributing factors--1. I want information from people with experience--therefor I would be very likely to lurk on a grads board to learn more-sometimes the urge to respond may be too great to control. 2. Maybe one reason why you see it more here than on other boards is because the vast majority of OH posters are women (please don't take offense ladies). We women--we tend to be nosy. We like to know what's happening at all times-everywhere. Regarding rule breakers and followers etc.--I hate rules, I love to figure out ways to do things without actually breaking rules. Even more than I hate rules--I really hate rule breakers-people who think the rules aren't made for them. People who park in handicapped spaces are just one example. Oh btw--I have only visited the men's board once and never posted. The only reason why I visited there was because I had heard about the hoopla and wanted to see what was happening and which women were causing the hoopla. Never thought to visit prior to that or since.

Now that you mention it, OH is the only board I visit that is female dominated. I guess transgressions could be attributed to the "Female Mentality" but that would imply women think I also try to follow rules, although I might push the edge of them sometimes, and view consistent rule breaking as disrespectful and selfish. Strong words for something as insignificant as a message board, but these things apply to a penny candy, worlds, and everything between. I'm a big believer in the concept that how people deal with the small things is how they deal with the big things. I also believe that the anonymity of an internet message board allows the persons TRUE self to be exposed. One of my rules is that I don't say anything on a message board that I wouldn't say in real life. IF there were a women's board, for women only, I would read it. I already know more about female issues that I thought I ever would, and could probably answer questions as well as any woman, but I understand women want to hear from other women. Knowledge is Power. Tek