OK. So, since you didn't see the humor in my response and gave a serious answer, I've gotta ask a serious question, what was the purpose of proposing the trade in the first place?
I would hope you could see the context of where I am coming from, that these "trade threads" are fairly common place on forums, and that when you propose a trade, you're making an argument. You proposed a trade without any support or rational behind doing so. Is it really surprising, or disheartening, or insulting, that someone would poke fun at an incomplete, and thus poor, argument?
I would also hope you would accept the context that there is a segment of Blazer fans that genuinely like the Blazers, the Blazer players, and don't appreciate what is an aggregated, large number of trade proposals to get rid of Blazer players on a team which has not experience this quality of basketball play and chemistry in more than 2 decades. Making it all that more imperative in this medium to make a strong argument with your reason and support for why you are proposing to get rid of one, or more, beloved Blazer players - and the context that this team is the 3rd best team in the NBA pacing for the largest season-to-season win increase in franchise history.
It depend on how being "ripped apart" makes you feel. Do you feel attacked personally or humiliated? I do not want you to feel that way, but I won't tell you how you should feel. I would hope you could accept that me poking fun at an argument, or out right attacking it because I disagree, is not an indictment of you as an individual, intellectually or otherwise, unless you want it to be. On the contrary, if I were to type that you have a "superiority complex", or I asked "wtf is wrong with you...", that would be and indictment of you as a person.
While I would discourage you from posting random trades with an incomplete argument, and without a well reasoned explanation, I would not do so as a means to suggest you are not allowed, or are too stupid to be posting your opinion or argument - good or bad. The entire purpose of this forum, aside from making Denny Crain a millionaire, is to provide a means for Blazer fans to express their opinions and discuss. Part of that includes humor, sarcasm, passionate feelings, ect. It's not that you should grow thick skin, it's that you should allow yourself to separate your opinion from who you are as a person, because I do. (Until some idiot calls you a fa##%t, or me a bitch. Then you can PM me and well feed them their own rasin nuts through a feeding tube.) [Aside: Why didn't she censor bitch you ask? Same reason African Americans can say the N word and I can't.)
Don't be discouraged, but understand I will make fun of bad or poorly reasoned trade proposals because I like my Blazer players as they are until Olshey lets me know otherwise that they are no longer Blazers.
Then again, I have to ask why propose it? And why would you feel bad if someone poked fun at it for not having a purpose, or being a poorly formed argument? It's not intended for you to take it personal, but again, I'm sorry if you did. This explanation is not one I would ever feel obligated or inclined to respond to, but you seem nice, and there has been a discussion recently on this forum with some not understanding the difference between commenting on an argument, versus commenting on an individual poster, getting butthurt, and then explicitly making derogatory comments with mal-intent. This is clearly not the case from your side or mine in this instance, and this is how I would hope discussion always occur when someone takes offense. So again, I appreciate you explaining how you perceived my bit of humor, so I could make clear it was just a joke directed at what was clearly a very poor proposal in my opinion. It's no fun to be serious all the time.
If I did know of one, I would not share it with anyone on this forum. I like the team we have now and trust that Olshey knows more than me. It's that whole
superiority complex thing I've got going.
Just know there are comments even in this thread which accurately illustrate that some people are not capable of "contributing" without making it personal and often these comments remain un-edited, thus perpetuating the notion that it's OK to attack someone personally who pokes fun at an opinion, or attacks an argument.
P.S. Welcome to RC2. I hope you enjoy your stay.
