John,
Did you ever get to finish your joke? now would be a good time.

I'm dying to know the answer!

(slight gallows humor there)

That it was directed at one person was the entire point. You would be far less offended by my comment if you were willing to hear it as a component of everything else that I said. You, of all people, should be able to distinguish between shock & awe and passing on the truth.

My best friend has terminal cancer, and we keep it very real - something that doesn't happen much around here. There is plenty of volume in these threads, but the truth rarely gets told. Being ill does not relinquish Dirt from accountability for bad behavior. He went there, and I called him on it.

Blonde,

Let's you and I get real for a moment. The reason that you have agreed with my key points is because they make sense. You can't level sense with something with which you disagree. One does not negate the other.

You also sent me a trophy PM, because of my comment to PTC. I believe your words were, and I'm paraphrasing, That post made my day. That's interesting, considering that the comments, which brought you such elation, were not very funny to PTC. There are different levels of offended - not offensive - and my remarks to PTC didn't meet your threshold. My remarks to Dirt obviously did, so I will remind you of this: Don't be a hypocrite.

As long as Dirt is among the living, and I hope that he is here for a very long time, I will approach him with the same level of honesty that I would extend to any other intelligent human being. The truth isn't always pretty, but it beats the alternative.

There. Extrapolate to your heart's content, but the words are as they are. I said what I meant, and you got it or you didn't.

As for my question...does the manufacturer have any way to determine if the rope was cut during previous use or if it was cut at the time it broke? It would probably drive me nuts to know the rope was cut, but not know if we visually missed it or if I botched the clip.

Brian Voyles

This thread has now been split with all the petty stuff sent off to community.

I'll not hesitate to shift any post to the other thread should it be necessary.

Something said in a private setting is inherently not equitable to something posted for the world to see. If you're referring us to the entirety of your posting collection as a means of establishing some linearly traceable truth about your character, I also have to fundamentally disagree with you. It's contextually not feasible. And regardless, there is no amount of post content that can qualify a response like the one you gave to dirt.

While I may not know dirt personally, I'd be willing to bet that your aforementioned friendship is different, to put it mildly, than your compiled online interactions with dirt.


I'm not an angel; that's something I would never represent myself as, except maybe in jest. Yes, you made a comment to PTC on why he depends on God, etc., that was inventive, perceptive, concise, and funny, IMHO. Many of your posts that I have enjoyed reading share some or all of the above characteristics. You can have decent things to say. However, to equate the PTC comment to what you said to dirt implies that you see no hierarchy of flaming, jabbing, challenging, etc. In that sense, I would think that you wouldn't want people to judge you via the entirety of the content you've contributed on these boards, as that determination would probably turn out to be even less favorable than how you're being viewed in this context.

Your comment to dirt was unsolicited, but more importantly it fundamentally lacked any sense of reciproity. I can engage people here - granted, sometimes in a less than flattering manner - but it's nothing that can't be thrown back at me in other ways. What you said to dirt left no room for a comparable response. If this effect was intentional on your behalf, that defines you as an individual who is severely lacking in taste. If it was unintentional, then your lack of an apology at the present time makes you nothing more than outspoken and ignorant.

Blonde, you are too attached to your point of view. We all do it, so it's very important that we step outside of the box on occasion, to get some perspective. It's one of my personal reasons for visiting this site.

I appreciate your desire to defend Dirt. He is in a very serious predicament, and I believe that all hearts go out to him - mine included. His situation, however, does not preclude him from hearing the truth about his behavior - as sharp as the message might have sounded. He knew where his insults would take the discussion. If he didn't, which I doubt is the case, he is a fool.

BTW, Don't misconstrue this post as my defending myself. I am not. There is nothing wrong with what I said, in the context in which I said it. Please also understand that your basic point was not wasted on me. I actually do appreciate why my comment affected you as it did, but I also understand why it did. Let's just suffice it to say that I have never been a fan of "political correctness." It is just a euphemism for "disingenuous."

You seem to be a bright person, on certain levels, but you miss the proverbial boat on others. Don't be afraid to step out there. The big picture can seem ominous, although it can also be truly breathtaking.

If I was to collectively analyze your posts to gain a sense of your character (fallaciously, but of sincere intent), I would most likely conclude that your character contains a sense of schizophrenia, at best.

Ignorant? Not so much.
....
The big picture can seem ominous, although it can also be truly breathtaking.

this situation feels like when you´re joking around with friends or coworkers at a bar, and one jabs just a little too hard, lets his barbs get a little too personal, and then everyone just shuts up and leaves.

< notes about tests ALL of which focused on CUTTING>

A note about the rope in the photos: I have no way of knowing how much the rope was handled and manipulated before the photos were taken. So the photos may not be an accurate representation of what the rope looked like immediately following the failure.

All this aside, I think it would still be prudent to wait for the answers from BD.

You know, I vowed to myself not to get involved in these sorts of threads. I vowed to myself that I would only participate where I thought my input might be valued. I'm breaking that vow because I feel you have committed a great injustice, a rather vile act.

The above posting is grossly patronizing and pathetic. Nothing but self serving justification for crossing the line of what it means to be compassionate and civilized. You guys were trading barbs pretty aggressively but nothing truly personal. You made it personal. You took a shot at the extreme misfortune of someone else only to stroke your ego. You simply kicked a guy while he's down and that's just plain wrong.

'Keeping it real' is fine for someone that is OK with it and perhaps close to you but you have no right to treat the disease of someone else the same as you treat your friend's.

Sad, very, very sad. That's all I have to say.

I don't think Rufus is really a bad guy. After all, we shouldn't attribute to malice something that can adequately be described by stupidity.

Curt

^^^Six posts later, and still has yet to bow out. Do I hear seven?

Oligarch of Obfuscation.

Obviously, one person w/good experience re rope failure is suggesting that
a LIKELY (or, perhaps better, "seemly"--re rope appearance) cause was cutting
on the fall, and this implies by the other witness reports by the 'biner.

Use approved rope wash. Or plain water. I am afraid to use anything else.

Most rope manufacturers say that using a mild soap (eg Ivory Flakes or Woolite) is acceptable.

Jay