Here's the root of it. First of all, let's get something straight. At the very beginning of this whole fiasco, when the first messages were written, Grant and I were not mad or even really angry in any form. This has happened before. I'm sure everyone remembers that at regular intervals, people we don't know will find out about our blogs, and say malicious things in our commenting system. Like I said, this is nothing new in what happened. What is new however, was how we were able to react to it.

Grant and I, when we read those messages, took on nothing, and I repeat, NOTHING more than a "oh boy, here we go again with the stupid comments." But this time, something was different. This time, we had the means and ability to delve deeper into it. We didn't have to just sit there and wait it out like we used to, there was a "hey, we can have some fun with it" because our commenting system allowed us to track IP addresses. So we did and we found out that not only did they all have the same IP address, but they were almost the exact same as David's. The meant only one thing, that they were Laurier students because they're all connected the Laurier server.

Here was a Golden opportunity. We KNEW enough about them (ie. that it's the same person and that he/she's from Laurier) to be able to say something. In fact, examine what we wrote about them the first time. Grant wrote something about sleeping with their mothers and killing their dogs for fun. Was that Grant in a paroxysm of anger? No, that was Grant typing something serious when in fact, as soon as he wrote it, he messaged me and said "lol Jon, check out what I've written on David's blog." And what was my response? It was a slightly ridiculing "I'm sorry but you'll have to do better than that next time". That too was written, not because I was in a paroxsym of anger, but because I wanted to let them know how pathetic they are.

So what really escalated in anything actually emotional about all this? Like Grant said, there are a lot of things you can laugh off, but things that are done with recognizable contempt and maliciousness are not one of those things. Grant minimizes what was written on his blogger and says that what was written on mine was wrong. I say the opposite and minimize what was written on my blogger and say that what was written on his was wrong. Truth is that because they were both written with a spiteful intent, they were both equally wrong, but Grant and I, having some deranged tendency to put each other before ourselves, were indignant that the other was insulted. But that doesn't change the fact that what they wrote was inappropriate and meant to harm.

What bothered me was that far from seeing our responses as what they really were (ie. rational, cold-blooded mockery of whoever the Laurier dude was), everyone else saw it "unnecessary hassle" for something that "wasn't worth our time." David, you said "Jon, I think there is a considerable difference between venting about the pointlessness of religion, and venting because of the reason you are." What do you think my reason for venting is? I am standing up for a principle *I* believe in; that deliberately trying to hurt someone is WRONG. This is no different than you standing up for a principle *you* believe in; that religion is the opium for the masses.

This was not an unnecessary hassle, nor was it something that wasn't worth our time. Grant and I stood for a principle; that deliberate spite is wrong... we did so in cold blood and without actually feeling any resentment towards the guy from Laurier. In fact, he's allowed us to spurn this new debate on this blog. Where the emotional parts came in was when it occurred to me that nobody respected this; that everyone assumed that we wrote what we did because we were angry. Everyone just told us to let it go and to go with the flow. I've gone with the flow before. I've done it during times when we were joking, when it was for the better good of everyone, when the intent was good. But I will NOT go with the flow when it contradicts a fundamental principle I believe in. Deliberate, spiteful comments, impersonations, intentionally devaluing who people are what they enjoy are wrong and I will stand up for it.