Also, I just checked his posts, which say that he actually owns one (and probably at least one other) BIONICLE figure, a green one. He's apparently not a very interested fan, as he seems unsure of the name. It seems to me that he probably is a BIONICLE fan himself, that for some reason became ashamed of his interests, and in a moment of anger and stupidity sent this ridiculous lie as a veiled personal complaint. Noone ever came home with a broken collarbone as he claimed (unless he himself did), he just did this to make you feel as ashamed of BIONICLE as he currently was.
Well my initial thoughts are, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about as far as his misplaced anger towards you. I think it's very sad because his brother has obviously become obsessive with Bionicle and gotten his priorities mixed up if he's become reclusive to his family.
On the other hand, I don't see why somebody would lie about that, although I don't like his approach to you. I'm gonna think about this a little and edit this comment with additional thoughs.
First off: I somehow know that username (I guess because this account was created some time earlier).
However this post is a problem.
1) If the story is true: It is not the fault of Bionicle or even you personally Greg. Then our thoughts have to be with that victim which was injured without reason. I can't say anything about whethe kids get bullied for likeing Bionicle. I live in Germany and from TV and movies you get the clishe that highschool is very hard for youngsters, it is not that tough in Germany, but I cannot judge that.
2) If the story is not true (what I personally believe): I can't losse the feelig this post was made as a result from the "Lego and Guns" topic. I guess the user is strictly against guns in Bionicle. Since he cannot change what the target group wants he states how cruel violence is in real life and thereby tries to "blackmail" Lego to stop doing Cordak blasters and stuff (I know this is my speculation but somehow my intuition tells me that's the reason for this post)
However the accusations against you Greg are totally false and cannot be taken for granted!!!
The best way would be to talk to the user (if the account is still up) or if enybody sees this user online they should talk to him about what happened, no accusations but discussion to understand what was going on.
i don't know about this.i know people can be very cruel to you about intrests(i could get kicked off this site if i mentioned what they say to me)from my own experience,but they do not beat me up.in fact,they jut use verbals insults,from saying that bionicle is stupid and *this is not allowed on this sight*and so is neopets.however,i can "fight back" just as good as they can,though it's unselting to have whole months of a hwole class bullying you.but i sugest that this guy's little brother(who if the story is true)should try band,field,or sports or try swimming lessons-it helps to have more than and one hobby.me,it's bionicle,swimming,cats,hug a cat day(what?),neopets,band,R&C,sly cooper and pokemon.if it is false,then i bet that he just wants to point his fingers at you and lego becuase he thinks that you should be the balem at possible obsession in the world,or he just wants to give lego a hard time.but you still rock and this has nothing to do iwth you-it's his lif,not yuours.
i have a few things to say on this. 1) why beat the guy up for liking something? thats against freedom of expression 2) i wouldnt believe the broken collarbone. if it was broken, do you think he would be in anystate to get home? 3) this isnt your fault so this guy shouldnt be blaming you (getting back at those bullies is what he should do
True or not, it's certainly not appropriate to contact you directly with this issue, Greg. I've received similar messages, although they've usually turned out to be either outright lies or a big stretch of the truth (when I can find out at all).
If the PM's true, the real people who need dealing with are 1. The kids who beat up the brother; and 2. The person who sent you the PM, who obviously has issues he needs to work through.
Regardless, it's absolutely silly to think that you could be held in any way responsible for something like this.
Just thought I'd drop in and point something out...
I blame all of this entirely on you.
This person, if the complaint is true, is misjudging the entire situation. Contacting the author of the books and comics to complain about a toy which his stories are based upon is the wrong response. Like everyone else said, this should be sent to the school or to LEGO.
As I said before, this person owns at least one BIONICLE set. He was probably ashamed of himself for liking BIONICLE, perhaps due to getting into a situation similar to but less dramatic than the one he describes his "little brother" getting into, and he sent this PM in a moment of weakness.
If this member has not left as he said he would, I would like him to know that, while he has reason to be ashamed of this choice he made, he will still be welcomed back to this site if he makes amends for his actions. I hope sincerely that others will agree with me on this, for he most likely was not thinking when he sent this PM, and at some point he may want to come back, but may fear a backlash from those whom he offended.
Yeash it;s not your foult Greg. those school bullies are ingnorant freeks who are stupid kids and something else. I know about those kinds of kids who do that. The person who sent you that email has misplaced his anger which it should be placed toward the school bullies.
I made an account on Bzpower specifically just to be able to contact you, Mr. Farshety. I dont know anything about Bionicle, but I got your name from one of my brother's Bionicle books, and decided that you were the best person to come to. My little brother, 15, is a really big fan of Lego Bricks, specifically Bionicle. He goes to Central High and plans to attend their College too.
Seems Okay at first...
The other day, my brother came home with a broken collar bone and scarred face from some school bullies all because of this stupid toy he like.
Thats the bullies fault, not Bionicle's
That's not all of it. I am sick of going into his room, and see it covered and decorated with pictures of bionicles and displayments of his 'masks'.
Do you mean to say that your room doesn't have posters of what you're interested in?
He is becoming a reclusive to our family and is constantly on this website socializing with others about these toys that ruin lives.
Ruins lives? Besides, if he wrongly blame somebody, it rationally would be BZPower.
I blame all of this entirely on you.
What about the 500+ employees of Lego?
Please go home and think about how there is one teenage boy who you made into a freakin zombie and sucked into your little world.
You mean the world of creativity? What do you do all day? Play video games where people shoot each others guts out? Ooo, how constructive.
1) Lots of anger at me, and at LEGO by extension, but no mention of any for the people who beat up his/her brother -- ignorant, intolerant people who would hurt someone for having an interest different from theirs. The evil here is people who want others to think like they do and act like they do -- they are the ones trying to create zombies incapable of independent thought.
This person seemed angrier at you than the bullies. Certainly not your fault.
2) If the account was created specifically to tell me about this, why was it created 12 days ago, and includes posts in the BIONICLE-based creations forums?
Hippocratic.
3) If true, this is a tragic story. Even if not true, there may well be similar (if not as extreme) situations liek this out there, so it is worth discussing anyway. But I am not sure what BIONICLE is guilty of here other than being entertaining. No one is forced to adopt it as a hobby -- it is certainly not omnipresent in our culture or something a 15 year old is going to feel he has to be involved in against his will. It sounds like this person found an interest they were genuinely enthusiastic about ... so we are to blame for making BIONICLE worthy of interest.
YES! People get bullied for liking something they think is cool is not the company's fault. Its the bully's!
BIONICLE is not a cult -- it's a toy line for 7-9 year olds, supported by a comic, a web site, and some books. There is no TV series popping up on your screen, no MMRPG everyone is talking about, or anything else forcing its way into your life. If BIONICLE is part of your life, it is because you actively chose it to be. And, unfortunately, standing up for things you care about can be painful. I know a lot of BZPers can testify to that.
I don't see why people are bullied for being different. The overrated act of conformism *Sigh*
If this young man was spending too much time on BIONICLE -- obsessing over it -- then that is something for the family to deal with. If we are going to blame/shut down everything that has the potential to absorb someone that much, we will not have much left in our culture.
If he is interested in Bionicle, thats his choice.
My main question is: Do you mean to say that your little brother thinks your interests are 'cool'? I bet that if this guy was bullied for his interests, he would stick up for them.
These Bullies musta had a Mallet and a switchblade, otherwise, I don't think that's possible. And this guy post twice, and created this account 2 week before he PMed you, fake, but there might be some fragment of truth somewhere.
some hwere. and why would you blame a person who works for the idea that gives him intrest,and why is he angreir at you than those bullies? and the world of creativity is open for everyone,and if you hate them going in,lock your self up in quillian.seriously,you sound like blok saying that you helped create a world that ruined your life,it's HIS life,HIS intrest,HIS ways.why blame YOU?
Never received a response to my PM, which would seem to add fuel to the idea that this was all fake. And, thankfully, I received a very nice PM from a member's Mom who had seen the blog entry and wanted to reassure me that BIONICLE was very welcome in her house.
VesuviusWow. If that was a prank, then it was pretty cruel... sorry to hear you got this greg...
Yes, it certainly is. They should be completely ashamed from shifting the blame from the bullies to the Lego company, and then to just one employee. I'm certain that everybody feels bad for the kid that was bullied, but for that kid to make it out like its a bad thing that Bionicle is interesting is terrible. If everything that kid liked was shut down just because one person didn't like it, he would mind. So he shouldn't expect to walk up to an employee, tell him to shut down the company, and expect it to work.
it's definatly not your fault. i mean, it's the stinkin bullies fault. clearly the sender was older than 15, so y doesn't he go to that stupid school and go beat those bozos up?
GregF Never received a response to my PM, which would seem to add fuel to the idea that this was all fake. And, thankfully, I received a very nice PM from a member's Mom who had seen the blog entry and wanted to reassure me that BIONICLE was very welcome in her house.
Greg
I've received several similar notes from parents. For me, the benefit of Bionicle (and by extension, BZP) far outweighs any potential negatives like the PM you received.
-
Well my initial thoughts are, this guy doesn't know what he's talking about as far as his misplaced anger towards you. I think it's very sad because his brother has obviously become obsessive with Bionicle and gotten his priorities mixed up if he's become reclusive to his family.
On the other hand, I don't see why somebody would lie about that, although I don't like his approach to you. I'm gonna think about this a little and edit this comment with additional thoughs.
-
However this post is a problem.
1) If the story is true: It is not the fault of Bionicle or even you personally Greg. Then our thoughts have to be with that victim which was injured without reason.
I can't say anything about whethe kids get bullied for likeing Bionicle. I live in Germany and from TV and movies you get the clishe that highschool is very hard for youngsters, it is not that tough in Germany, but I cannot judge that.
2) If the story is not true (what I personally believe): I can't losse the feelig this post was made as a result from the "Lego and Guns" topic. I guess the user is strictly against guns in Bionicle. Since he cannot change what the target group wants he states how cruel violence is in real life and thereby tries to "blackmail" Lego to stop doing Cordak blasters and stuff (I know this is my speculation but somehow my intuition tells me that's the reason for this post)
However the accusations against you Greg are totally false and cannot be taken for granted!!!
The best way would be to talk to the user (if the account is still up) or if enybody sees this user online they should talk to him about what happened, no accusations but discussion to understand what was going on.
1) why beat the guy up for liking something? thats against freedom of expression
2) i wouldnt believe the broken collarbone. if it was broken, do you think he would be in anystate to get home?
3) this isnt your fault so this guy shouldnt be blaming you (getting back at those bullies is what he should do
If the PM's true, the real people who need dealing with are 1. The kids who beat up the brother; and 2. The person who sent you the PM, who obviously has issues he needs to work through.
Regardless, it's absolutely silly to think that you could be held in any way responsible for something like this.
- Bink
This person, if the complaint is true, is misjudging the entire situation. Contacting the author of the books and comics to complain about a toy which his stories are based upon is the wrong response. Like everyone else said, this should be sent to the school or to LEGO.
If this member has not left as he said he would, I would like him to know that, while he has reason to be ashamed of this choice he made, he will still be welcomed back to this site if he makes amends for his actions. I hope sincerely that others will agree with me on this, for he most likely was not thinking when he sent this PM, and at some point he may want to come back, but may fear a backlash from those whom he offended.
-
And to think that they could blame it on you!
That is just awful...
I'm so sorry they had to take it on you.
Thats the bullies fault, not Bionicle's
Do you mean to say that your room doesn't have posters of what you're interested in?
Ruins lives?
What about the 500+ employees of Lego?
You mean the world of creativity? What do you do all day? Play video games where people shoot each others guts out? Ooo, how constructive.
This person seemed angrier at you than the bullies. Certainly not your fault.
Hippocratic.
YES! People get bullied for liking something they think is cool is not the company's fault. Its the bully's!
I don't see why people are bullied for being different. The overrated act of conformism *Sigh*
If he is interested in Bionicle, thats his choice.
My main question is:
Do you mean to say that your little brother thinks your interests are 'cool'?
I bet that if this guy was bullied for his interests, he would stick up for them.
~Kongu Inika
-W-
and why would you blame a person who works for the idea that gives him intrest,and why is he angreir at you than those bullies?
and the world of creativity is open for everyone,and if you hate them going in,lock your self up in quillian.seriously,you sound like blok saying that you helped create a world that ruined your life,it's HIS life,HIS intrest,HIS ways.why blame YOU?
Greg
I'm certain that everybody feels bad for the kid that was bullied, but for that kid to make it out like its a bad thing that Bionicle is interesting is terrible. If everything that kid liked was shut down just because one person didn't like it, he would mind. So he shouldn't expect to walk up to an employee, tell him to shut down the company, and expect it to work.
~Kongu Inika