Engine

I disagree.

As it's not a given that the death of a stranger who typed some characters into the same web forum that I do is worth getting worked up over, I have to challenge this statement.

While I will forever decline to disrespect death, Trollheart's "worldview" is not the only valid one, and his assertion that it is offends me a little bit.

It's okay not to be sad, let alone worked up, about the passing of an internet acquaintance. Feel what you actually feel.

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Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

midnight rain

Right.

And I was floored when I heard what happened, so as usual Trollheart and I are on completely different pages.

Trollheart

Well I disagree with both of you. This is the first time anyone I "knew" outside my family and friends, who I spoke to and knew of, had some banter with and saw pictures of, passed away and certainly the first time it happened, as it were, online. It shook the hell out of me, especially since the original thread (which Urban closed) was a sort of light-hearted "I wonder what happened to Howard?" which then turned into a list of people, myself included, putting forward smart suggestions on what his fate might have been. To then find he had died made me wish I hadn't been so funny about his non-presence on the forum, but I wasn't the only one.

Anyway, it's subjective what's "worth getting worked up about". Someone might think cruelty to animals is a heinous crime (like I do) while someone else might not be bothered about it. It's all up to the person, and no-one should be able to tell anyone else what they should be getting upset about, or not.

That said, it's Christmas time and I don't want to argue with anyone, especially about this sensitive subject, so I would add my voice to those calling for this thread to be respectfully closed.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Rjinn

Just because someone is behind a computer and expressing themselves through writing doesn't mean they're a stranger. Sure, they may be different face to face as it's a totally different interface but you get the basis of their personality, no matter how they express it.

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last.fm

Mojo

It seems that people who are using this thread to pay respects and share their feelings are disagreeing with one another over, in my opinion, very minute details.

For now at least this thread will remain open as a lot of people, myself included, don't see the need to close it and take away the opportunity for someone to post something in here in reaction to this news. Keep in mind that not all of our members who posted here in the time Howard was here may have seen this thread yet.

I would suggest that this thread be used for that reason from now on and keep any petty squabbling over minor details out of it. Thanks.

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Rjinn

Yeah I agree, my apologise. Howard should at least be payed respect without putting the whole situation down.

The guy died for god's sake.

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last.fm

Trollheart

Yeah, fine idea. I'll shut the **** up now and let others express their condolences for the guy and his family.

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Trollheart: Signature-free since April 2018

Key

I just wished I would have talked to him more in the last few months had I known I wouldn't be able to now. It honestly took me a while to really realize that he was gone, I was even thinking about it for a whole night and could barely sleep. I think that's just a case of being in shock.

Engine

Just for the record..

I'm not sure you're disagreeing with what you think you're disagreeing with. Of course you and everyone else should be as sad and upset as they naturally feel upon such news. Also, there's no need for you to feel guilty about anything you said before the news came. You were clearly just joking, which Howard would not have minded a bit.

You didn't seem to think it was subjective in your previous post. In fact you seemed to say that, objectively, every MB member should get worked up about the death of another MB member. But, yes, everyone's reaction is and should be totally subjective. And look at your final sentence up there. See... we totally agree!

It's hard for me to believe that you thought I was saying that all internet relationships are meaningless or that you can't get to know somebody online. Of course I realize those things are not true. I was just pointing out that we are not all "family" or whatnot because we post on the same forum.

I felt the need to clarify my remarks because I think they were misunderstood. I should not have made them in the first place.

Now I will stop sullying this thread with off topic comments out of respect for Howard, who was clearly well liked and is remembered fondly by many.

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Like an arrow,
I was only passing through.

Unknown Soldier

It's been several days since I heard the news and Howard has been constantly on my mind since. Not in a sad way, but in a weird way that I've yet to fully decipher. I guess it was because he was an internet friend that I'd never met and didn't know that much about personally.

Internet chatting is still quite a newish thing and I guess we're the first wave of people to really do it, so making friends and acquaintances on-line is always a fun thing to do, but it's strange when you make a connection with somebody, you just don't think of them dying anytime soon though.

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