So my email box has absolutely been blown up today asking for my two cents on the newest scandal to rock my little piece of the blogosphere. If you don’t know, skip it. It is not worth your time.1
My answer? I don’t really know enough to make a decision. I don’t blog for popularity. I don’t blog for politics. I don’t make the rules for other bloggers. I don’t know when it is ok to openly attack someone based on limited info they themselves have given me. I don’t know when it is ok to accuse someone of being a total fraud based on inconsistencies in their blog. Frankly, I can’t be bothered right now. I have enough in my own life going on to keep my distracted. I’m sure I’ll sort it out in my own time.
Having already been burned once, I’m probably not the best judge of character anyway. I prefer to take people at face value until given a reason not too. Maybe that makes me gullible but I’m ok with that. Wouldn’t be the first time. For the record, I don’t condone lying. I am honest to the point of being blunt but, I have done things I’m not proud of. I have lied and I have stolen. I have hurt people (emotionally). Granted, the latter wasn’t intentional but it still happened.
I also know how it feels to be called a liar. I’ve been told several times my own blog is just too unbelievable to be real. The irony is I’ve left things out from my childhood because even I have a hard time believing I survived it all. Here is just a short laundry list of my not so favorable moments.
1) I almost poisoned my step-mother when I was 12 as a means to escape her never-ending torture.
2) My father broke my jaw and two of my ribs at 14 because I was gay.
3) I watched my first lover die in my arms.
4) I almost killed myself at 19.
5) I was homeless for almost a 2 years.
And those are just the things I chose to share! Maybe they were justifiable, maybe they weren’t. Either way, I’m not particularly fond of my sordid past. I do struggle to be a better man though. Sometimes, I think that means I have to fall along the way.
The point, I’m probably not so eloquently making, is I tend to wait before I jump on the bandwagon of finger-pointing. I don’t second guess people. I don’t look for cracks in their stories. It is simply not in my nature to be overly suspicious. That said, I also take what I read online w/a grain of salt until I’ve had a chance to solidify my in person connection w/people.
Back to the most recent scandal, I am a little dismayed in the overall virulence I’ve read. As if discovering a fake blogger is so shocking. Fags can’t even tell their correct waist and cock size but we are outraged at a dishonest blogger(s)? Ultimately, I’ll investigate and ask myself if this scandal causes harm. Until then, I’ll skip the righteous indignation.
My maw-maw (granny) always said, “…believe none of what you hear, and half of what you see.” She might have been crazy white trash but, boy did she have some wisdom. I haven’t always believed that but, the older I get the more often I find it to be true.
I call my grandmother maw-maw too! Must be a southern thing.
Moby – If Steve hasn’t given you any reason to doubt him, then you should take him at his word. If you’ve established a friendship with him, you have the opportunity to keep it going. Hopefully you can take it to the next level and meet him in person.
Unfortunately, we don’t know anyone who has met him in person. Maybe you’ll be the one.
Sadly, we were going to meet him at Jimbo‘s party but he canceled, cuz he suddenly got called away to NYC for business or he got hives or something, I forget.
Come out to DC! We’d love to see you, and Baltimore is only a hop, skip and a jump from us. You can meet in person and judge for yourself. And if he’s not too mad at us, maybe Jimbo and I could meet him and apologize for our virulence. Bygones, I say!
Just don’t be disappointed if you never get to meet Steve. It’s likely he’ll send Josh in his place.
What’s likely is that Josh and Steve will be meeting you girls at blowoff someday 🙂
Moby Buddy, My heart goes out to you, Biggest of hugs xo
Can’t we all just get along?
I wouldn’t even know how to begin to find out if a blogger is fake, let alone want to set aside the time to do so. If I read someone and think they’re posts are way too fantastical, or they turn out to be a jerk then I just stop reading them.
Now, please, someone tell Brett to dance naked with a chicken and a horse or something because that’s WAYYY more interesting than this.
You do realize that homer is going to wag his tongue at you personally for this post! Maybe he’ll serve up some humble pie in Tucson. 🙂
This is a tragedy no doubt. The shit hit the fan on this thing and we all have pieces of poo on us. It affects us all whether we do not want to be involved or not.
It is no doubt the most interesting thing to happen in the blogworld in the last year. I think we’ll all learn something from it. If people were wrong, then the truth will be presented and any clouds of doubt will be dispersed. The truth always comes out eventually.
I do think it is important to tell the truth. All of your business is nobody’s business! But fradulently misrepresenting yourself is wrong. Why? Because people look up to others. If it is all based on untruths… then people eventually get hurt.
Moby, it sounds like you’ve had a truly tragic history, and perhaps the illusory tragedy of these fake blogs is what attracts you to them. But somebody recently e-mailed me mentioning his reliance on a ‘chain-of-trust’ in situations like this. It seems like you want to believe in this guy, but have you met him in person? Will you ever? I doubt it.
Will anyone who has met either Steve, Josh, or a guy from the ‘Bent Collective’ please speak now!
Conversely, you are soon going to meet homer, who has met me. We are both real, and good people to know, yet you seem to want to put more stock into these exciting, but unreal, people.
When real people are looking out for you, and you still have doubt, it’s time for some self-analysis. I hate to be harsh, but I believe in my real friends, and real people. If you want to continue to believe in fakes like ‘Steve/Josh’ or the Bent Collective boys, continue to do so, but don’t bemoan a constant immersion in drama in the present for investing your time and trust in these people. You will get far less drama, and far more value, out of real people.
Get far less drama? Look at yourself Jimbo, this drama came directly from the one speaking, you! You need to step off your high horse. And if you consider friends to be people who spend more time trying to figure out if someone’s a fake; then actually getting to know someone (me) who has been calling you, emailing you, wanting to game with you; a fake. Then I pity you. I’m done with you guys. Everyone is correct that sooner or later the truth comes out. And for the record someone has met the bent guys as of this week. And it is a real Californian who knows Moby.
And I think the thing some commenters are missing is that some people are just nicer human beings than others. I don’t know Moby that well. He has no reason to side the way he has. Other than the fact that he’s actually making his own decision. Rather than Relying on “as some commenters like to call it, THEIR REAL FRIENDS”.
Steve… that other Californian you are referring to is OBVIOUSLY Tony of Life’s Colorful Brushstrokes. I think people need to ask him some questions.
Jimbo ~ I have a pretty thick skin so you don’t need to apologize for expressing yourself. You know I love you. I have been reading your blog for ages now. I’ve already met homer and think the world of him as well. Neither, prevents me from expressing my own feelings.
I guess I didn’t make my point very well. As often happens, I think the inflection of my speech was lost in my little ramble. *g* I don’t really care whether this new Steve is a flake or not. Having already been burned once, I tend to put my faith in people I have actually met. I thought going on a public smear campaign was a bit harsh. Two wrongs don’t make a right and I felt there were better ways to go about it. As always, I throw my own issues in for spice.
It is my objective opinion based on everything I have seen with my own eyes, read, and what others have written that Josh/Marc/Steve is the same person. I wouldn’t be surprised if Ynager should be included as well. If I am wrong, then prove it. Let’s do a live webcam and the whole truth will be sorted out.
Brett, I think that people should leave people alone and live their lives. Whatever experience tony had with that guy is his business. I don’t even know tony, nor do I know about this personae everyone’s talking about on that blog. Only heard about it all. But I think the girls need to step back and learn some good old-fashioned boundaries; as to what is their biz and what is not. And that’s great Brett. Throw Ynager in the puzzle cuz he is upset over these circumstances. I don’t know ynager. Why are you emailing me yesterday with condolences, Brett; if you feel this way. You guys need to look at yourselves.
Gurls ~ go fight on your own blogs. Don’t make me set my purse down.
I want you to sling your purse at me Moby. Let’s fight! 😉
Steve… I am truly sorry you are in this mess. I really am. I would hate to be in the same predicament myself. But I think you should come clean with some things.
OK… I’ll stop shitting where Moby sleeps. 😉
Pineapple upsidedown cake!
“Did someone say cake?” lol
Oh my god, after reading all that I need an aspirin, or some other little pill. lol
FOR THE LUV OF GAWD…how in the hell did I get thrown into this BS. I have been me all along, and I have answered many of the comments on my personal email. I need a tall Captn ‘N Coke for the luv of all that is gay and holy, gimme a break
Good thing no one reads my blog. Whooo-wee the stories I tell on that site! man o man! Marsha Brady would shit a brick!
anyway… glad Jimbo was linked here somewhere. I just discovered his blog. He’s smokin’ hot!
When I see things that sound like:
If you do not prove otherwise you are guilty, or
If you don’t agree with our (rightful) point of view is only because some flaw of yours
I wonder if constant suspicion is a reasonable way of living (out of the web, too)
I don’t think so.
But suddenly, some bloggers I’ve been reading seem far less interesting.
I’m kind of in shock over all this whole thing, the whole Idea that Marc and Joshua could be one is pretty disturbing.
I know it’s only the blog world but still….
First off, I’m so sorry Moby about the shit you went through. I’m glad you survived it all.
Second, we’re all really Steve whose really the Bent Collective and we’re all Queen Liz! 😉