Friends,
It's my own fault. I am stupid. Years ago I learned to always stick up for the underdog. I also learned I never win. Just read about my childhood and you will understand.
Well it has happened again.Sam, Bright, Chel you won.
So after hours of crying and feeling very very bad, I am just not tough enough for TOTV. I would like to say a special good-bye to so many friends but I think it is just better if I go away. So I hope my friends see this.
Sincerely,
Mc

[nitehawk]

sorry to hear that - only the strong survive - good bye joke joke

[Donna]

mcelheny ..

Please don't make any harsh decisions..Sometimes, feelings get hurt and nothing was really meant to be hurtful!

Please reconsider...

[redwitch]

Sadly, the internet can be harsh. A joke to one to seem cruel to another. It is so hard to see beyond your own interpretations of words that are in black and white. In person, there are nuances -- a smile, a wink, body language. Reading between the lines is difficult. I know all of you -- some of you better than others. I truly doubt anyone meant to hurt another's feelings.

Mc, stay. You're fun and funny. Do like Donna and Kathie and so many others do -- stay away from the political messes. Passions run strong and words can be said that are not meant to hurt. Sometimes, people forget there are real people at the end of these screens. To them, they are just venting and talking to a cyber community.

If you do go, you have my number. Give me a call when you're down here. HUGS!

[rekops]

Mc, I was so sorry to see your post. Please reconsider. You add so much to these forums. You're the voice of reason on the political end, you are friendly and nice and humorous in other forums. Red said it correctly when she described how the written word is no substitute for face to face talk. You have lots of friends here - please don't leave!! :'(

[l2ridehd]

Mc, hang in there. There are a few people on this forum who just have to drive their own agendas and will say anything without regard to what anyone else may think. It usually centers around political agendas but not always. I said many months ago that TOTV is becoming a "political rag" and I still stand by that statement. And just look at the number of posts in that category and it continues to become a larger % of the total every day. Not to mention the number of posts that should be in political but are not. I do my best to not even read any political posts. And I never read posts by those few who spout such nonsense, but it is not always possible to avoid. I just wish there was someway the administrators could highlight political in a different color or something so I would not even open them by mistake.

I also chose to stop reading this forum as much and to post a lot less and I have noticed several others who have done the same. A few rotten apples always spoil the barrel. But don't let them win and eliminate all the other valuable information on here.

Follow these simple rules and it will be them who end up leaving and returning TOTV to the valuable tool it was intended to be.
1. Always scroll to the top and check the category and if it's political, don't waste any time reading it.
2. NEVER respond to any of their posts. No matter the topic. They are just looking for a chance to further their agenda and by reacting you support that goal.
3. Use this forum for what it was intended, an information sharing about The Villages and places to ask questions and find answers.
4. Avoid even reading any post by those few, again even on any topic.

[Rokinronda]

Mc, do not leave!!!! >

[samhass]

I went back on my posts trying to find where I have attacked you. No, I did not delete any.
I can't find it. I have disagreed with you, but not attacked you. Look back at your posts and see if you can say the same. Look how you treated Russ when he dared to disagree with you about the dentist issue.
I did get passionate about the horse park. I did disagree with you. So what? Some of my dearest friends and I disagree on topics all the time. Politics??Whew!! Can we ever disagree.
At the end of the day though, we are loving friends. Never do our disagreements fall to name calling or ugliness. Go back as I suggested and review your comments objectively. You may find they sound far more strident than you intended. When I PM'd you about feeling hurt by your comments, I stayed offline for a while. You answered me, but because I was offline and did not answer you immediately, you went on and aired my PM to you. What did I say to you after that? I think it was "No problem, we're fine". I'm only doing this publicly so my words aren't left to misinterpretation.
I know there are others that dislike our constant chatter on TOTV. For every person that dislikes it, there is probably one that enjoys the banter. Furthermore, human nature being what it is, we won't all adore one another. You have friends of the heart, friends, acquaintances and "other". It's the way of the world. I suspect TOTV holds some "friends of the heart" for me. I know I greatly respect some TOTVr's ...Kahuna , Zcave, Steve and Hancle to name a few...and there are more.
TOTV is a gift to us. Throw it away and you are the loser.

[Russ_Boston]

Things seem to have gotten heated lately. As you know, RCT, l2ridehd, myself and others have taken a step back. I still read most posts and inject my 2 cents worth if the time is right. I don't post in 'political' for this reason.

It's human nature to be defensive at some point but I (we) have to learn to control those feelings when posting on-line since it can be tough to gauge context and intent.

Personally I'm never too much of a know-it-all to admit that I just learned something from somebody and I'll admit when I've been too harsh or caustic or maybe just mis-read.

Your insight is still valued by me.

[Lil Dancer]

I agree with the above posters - we'd all hate to see you leave. As Russ said, especially in the political forum, things get heated up and in my opinion, many hurtful things are said. When some of the posters resorted to name calling, I too began to withdraw. I think Talk of the Villages offers people a chance to chat, get to know each other in a superficial way, but the face to face meetings are probably the way to go to see what people are really like, and to begin to make real friends. I know I'm looking forward to going to the Crispers meetings when I get back this fall. I hope you can put all this aside and enjoy the people you've met online that you seem to like. I, for one, would miss your input!

[chelsea24]

Mc, what did I win? Was I entered in a drawing I didn't know about? When did you become a victim? Mc, I know I have never attacked you on a personal level. We've met a couple of times and really liked each other. We fully agree on the political forum. I've always respected your opinions. So I know you're not referring to the Political Forum.

I have to assume you're talking about the Horse Park debate. So here's how that went down. Paraphrase here: You said "many people pm'd you that were afraid to post because they didn't want to be put down." I misunderstood and thought you said "friends". Only because 99.9 percent of the people that pm me are, indeed, friends. My point was (whether they are "friends" of yours or not, I think that people that secretly pm objections and are afraid to post because they might be "put down" show a misconception of what a "debate" is about and, yes indeedy, lack character. I still believe that and that's not going to change.

Example: Lil Dancer and I did not agree on the Horse Park, but we agreed to disagree. We still like each other, nothing personal. Just a debate.

How many times do you think I've been verbally beaten up on this forum. Countless! Do I feel bad sometimes? Of course I do. That's only human nature. Then I look at it objectively and realize, and as I've always said, this is NOT personal. This is a debate. Maybe a heated debate, but a debate none the less.

Heck, I still like Muncle and read his posts and he goes for my jugular every chance he gets!

The only Post I've ever pulled was the one I started on the Buffalo's. I was ranting (LOL)
surprise! but what bothered me on that post is that it started to get way too nasty between other TOTV'ers. And, believe this or not, I did not want to be the harbinger of bad feelings. And I still got slammed for pulling it down.

Hey, I know you to be a tough, opinionated lady. That's what makes for a good debate. Don't let go of that.

[beady]

Mc: I agree with Sam and Russ. Pull back but do no leave.

To make this forum interesting we need all sides of the issues debated and your opinions count.

Several of the discussions this month have been particularly contentious, and with the upcoming election I imagine it may very well escalate. We all have a right to express our opinions and it is unlikely we will change anyone's minds. But...... if we keep the discussions civil and refrain from personal attacks, preceived or real,we can have some honest debates. We just might learn something and have fun in the process.

[MMC24]

Sometimes TOTV is not for the faint of heart but for the strong of will. Don't let the words of a few chase you away. If you leave than they have won.

[JohnN]

Mc - don't know the entire story, but I for one have stopped getting involved in the political forum, I've stopped reading it and I feel a lot better! I'd prefer you stick around, personally.
Take a break, etc. but don't burn bridges.

[graciegirl]

You know John is right. NO ONE should get into the political forum unless they want to up their blood pressure medication, see a shrink or start drinking heavily. The people on TOTV are not the only people in the world and even the best friends do NOT see everything the same way.

Life is too short to feel bad about this, although I truly understand. A couple of times I felt kinda "too old" to run around with the "popular girls" on TOTV.

We are all perfectly wonderful in our own way. Smile for us and come back, you hear? Feel this hug.