🎨 Artcow Iconoclast / Jonathan Mack Sweet - The Chris-Chan of Arkansas

[Durable Mike Malloy]

I know I'm pissing in the wind, but how exactly would the "perpetually 1997" apartments work?
Would you provide a 1997 college buffet? Would the rent be based on social security disability payments? How would you convince any girl to enter what is sure to be a very creepy place let alone have sex with anyone there? Would you require these very likely to be prostitutes to dress as if they lived in 1997? Besides your comic what would the bookstore sell? Would you allow books published after 1997? How would these businesses support themselves? You didn't even complete your English or journalism degree, how do you think you will manage your own business? Don't you think it would be better to get an actual job first? Maybe move out from your mom's house?

I think he is describing a group home, which...might not be so bad for him, actually.

 

[Holdek]

Well, I'll be dinged! They did shut it down!

Y'know, honestly, I wish the usapatriot folks well. I hope I didn't cause any discomfort over there (except, perhaps, for Jon), and I don't think anyone else here did either. Who knows, maybe they just took it down for maintenance or something.

I have a feeling folks over there aren't too happy with Jon right now.

 

[He Sets Me On Fire]

I have a feeling folks over there aren't too happy with Jon right now.

Did Jon actually have the ability to take down the shoutbox? Hoo, boy ....

 

[Bound2]

Nah, I'm pretty sure Jon has no powers over there. He's just trying to credit himself for something he had no say in.

I assume it was an attempt by mods to stop the fighting going on in the shoutbox. Unfortunately, this is just gonna lead to Kiwis going to Sweetie's threads to have their say instead. So not much of a solution in the long run.

EDIT: I don't really see where Iconoclast is getting the "you took advantage" stuff from. From what I've seen, the Kiwis have been pretty polite in their dealings with the board and focused on Jon, letting the rest go on with their regular dealings. Probably just trying to slant the narrative in his favor.

 

[Holdek]

Did Jon actually have the ability to take down the shoutbox? Hoo, boy ....

Because he used it for his chimping, perhaps they felt it more trouble than it was worth.

 

[NobleGreyHorse]

Okay, sort of revealing my age here, but by 1997 I was past undergrad (entirely, not half) and starting my last year of grad school. People were pennying each other into, and out of, dorm rooms -- as related to me by men; I don't think this was a woman thing at my school for whatever reason -- in the late eighties. Sorry, Sweets, they did not invent that for you.

That Sweets may have been happy, albeit delusional, with his pre-1997 life is not what I perceive as the problem here. The problem is that he cannot conceive of being happy under any other circumstances. If he got a scholarship to some other school and was able to finally finish undergrad, he'd be unhappy because it wasn't ASU. Forget not being trolled by "Ashleigh" anymore. He wouldn't be able to cope with the "not ASU" factor anyplace else because he can't move beyond this unfinished business in his mind. People find the "eight hours lost in the hospital" incident silly, but it also speaks to a devastating lack of executive function. How do I not lost? Possibly by going to a ground floor and leaving through one of the doors there? If he'd had one of the goshdurn newfangled cell phones he so vehemently resists, he could have called home and been picked up in less than an hour, not eight hours, but somehow he can't even insert that into his mental schema. Taking new information on board is just so bizarre to him -- he doesn't understand why one would -- that it makes me feel a tiny bit sorry for him. (It may also keep him locked into his racist mindset, although I think he just plain enjoys that by now.) Not a lot. But a tiny bit.

 

[MarineTrainedTard]

it makes me feel a tiny bit sorry for him.

I agree. For as infuriating and frustrating as Jon is, it truly does seem like some of his issues are beyond his control, but it's not because of other people and conspiracies and other nonsense he blames it on. He very clearly has some form of mental disease or impairment, and he very much should seek professional medical attention. I imagine it could make his life much better.

 

[Holdek]

Okay, sort of revealing my age here, but by 1997 I was past undergrad (entirely, not half) and starting my last year of grad school. People were pennying each other into, and out of, dorm rooms -- as related to me by men; I don't think this was a woman thing at my school for whatever reason -- in the late eighties. Sorry, Sweets, they did not invent that for you.

That Sweets may have been happy, albeit delusional, with his pre-1997 life is not what I perceive as the problem here. The problem is that he cannot conceive of being happy under any other circumstances. If he got a scholarship to some other school and was able to finally finish undergrad, he'd be unhappy because it wasn't ASU. Forget not being trolled by "Ashleigh" anymore. He wouldn't be able to cope with the "not ASU" factor anyplace else because he can't move beyond this unfinished business in his mind. People find the "eight hours lost in the hospital" incident silly, but it also speaks to a devastating lack of executive function. How do I not lost? Possibly by going to a ground floor and leaving through one of the doors there? If he'd had one of the goshdurn newfangled cell phones he so vehemently resists, he could have called home and been picked up in less than an hour, not eight hours, but somehow he can't even insert that into his mental schema. Taking new information on board is just so bizarre to him -- he doesn't understand why one would -- that it makes me feel a tiny bit sorry for him. (It may also keep him locked into his racist mindset, although I think he just plain enjoys that by now.) Not a lot. But a tiny bit.

Exactly.

A bit along the lines of what @ToroidalBoat was mentioning above, it doesn't really matter whether or not Jon's happiness was based on "reality" back when. People tend to idealize parts of their youth as they get older anyway; I think Jon is just on the autistic extreme of that. But you're right, and what I had typed but not yet sent just as the shoutbox was going down: his main deficit is today and tomorrow. Even if his college days were as idyllic as he remembers them, you can't just live in your memories as a 40-year-old man and expect to be happy for the rest of your life. And his plans for recreating the past ala Jay Fartsby (sorry, too much Fekul rubbing off on me I think) are gay* and unrealistic.

In any event, he's had Dale's address since October and he hasn't bothered to write him, so I don't think he's going to act on any of his plans anyway. I'd rather him try to build his half-past 1997 compound and fail than do what he's been doing for years (i.e. nothing), because at least he would be doing something productive, getting out into the world, having experiences, and living life, which is more interesting at least.

*Note to Jon: this is an inside joke on the Farms.

 

[He Sets Me On Fire]

I concur with both Noble and Holdek. I think another issue to consider is collateral damage. Sweet desires satisfaction from his enemies. He wants to prove that he was done wrong at the Herald (thus somehow reestablishing the dream that was ASU), unfairly somethinged by his boss at the shop, and to get back with "Ashleigh". This is problematic due to the fact that Jon was likely given his just desserts at the Herald, as well as the shop, and that "Ashleigh" was nothing more than a troll's voice on the phone, later embodied by an innocent victim of Jon's willful search (I forget who used the term "confirmation bias", but they were dead-on accurate). This kind of silly obsession leads Jon to harass others, as the letter from the ASU staffer showed (they threatened to go to the authorities).

Jon has taken his delusions too far in the past. While innocents may not necessarily get hurt, they shouldn't have to deal with this guy bothering them. If he was finally robbed of them once and for all, maybe that group of innocents wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

 

[MrsFrizzle]

Let's for the sake of argument assume that "Ashleigh" was actually the woman whose doxx are up on his site. Let's also for the sake of argument assume that she actually had some sexual or romantic interest in Sweetiepie, rather than calling him on a dare or as a prank.

So what? She's married to someone else, has children, lives thousands of miles away. There isn't a requirement that people have to make lifelong commitments to someone they had a phone thing with in their teen years.

 

[Treenbeen]

Well, I'll be dinged! They did shut it down!

Y'know, honestly, I wish the usapatriot folks well. I hope I didn't cause any discomfort over there (except, perhaps, for Jon), and I don't think anyone else here did either. Who knows, maybe they just took it down for maintenance or something.

It was taken down because several member apparently left the site, saying they didn't like being "monitored", to which I say It's the internet. Anything yo post is being "monitored" at all times.

Did Jon actually have the ability to take down the shoutbox? Hoo, boy ....

No, he did not. But I assume that my complaint against his talk of depression, other's reports of discomfort, and his complaints of being attacked, it went down.

 

[The I Scream Man]

It was taken down because several member apparently left the site, saying they didn't like being "monitored", to which I say It's the internet. Anything yo post is being "monitored" at all times.

If they have nothing to hide they have nothing to fear.

Edit for content: I kind of understand where they're coming from but the solution has always been "recognize the animal in your midst", and sticking your fingers in your ears solves nothing. He chose to engage us first, and they're all surprised when we pursue.

 

[Le Bateleur]

It was taken down because several member apparently left the site, saying they didn't like being "monitored", to which I say It's the internet. Anything yo post is being "monitored" at all times.

Completely agree with your perspective. Hilariously, so does Dr. Belch.

I always say if one doesn't wish to have their unfortunate or nasty comments redistributed and used freely for parody, don't say/post them on public forums.

 

[Bound2]

Cheers to both Absinthe and HSMOF for their great posts on AJM. You guys both managed to be fair as well as totally spank Sweetness when he tried to play for sympathy.

Iconoclast on how he was misrepresented

Um...completely? Telling me everything I've ever loved was a lie (although later this was backpedalled a bit to "misinterpreted", so as to protect the progressive agenda)? Calling me, among other things, a homosexual, only in college as part of a prisoner exchange, and trying to paint me as the villain in every story I tell? Dale was no hero. Ashleigh was no innocent. The Herald editors told me you couldn't scan pencil marks. They all victimized me, while pretending to be my friends, and oddly I never hear one bad word against them. Why?

I didn't send Dale's letter yet because he moves around a lot (he seems to have a history of screwing people over and skipping town-- surprise, surprise). His Facebook page lists him as "retired". So does it mean his new shop is closed and some other poor assistant's life is left in a shambles? Is it under new management? Or is it another Dale Cornett entirely who owns the place? All questions I seek answers to.

I think this is the point that confuses Sweetie the most. People were mean to him. Ashley trolled him. Dale abandoned him. The Herald outcasted him. So why don't we say bad things about them rather than him, Jon Sweet: Conservative Hero?

The answer is easy; we never cared about those people in the first place. Sure, we're curious about the dates and specifics (all the better to nail his lies with) but those aren't the people we truly want to know about. The person we've been curious about has always been Jon Sweet, a forty-something who can't get over failures twenty years in the past and has taken to making personal bogeymen out of these people rather than moving on.

Edit: Also,

Posting here has decreased markedly since you infected this forum. Now maybe that's my fault; I introduced you here like a deadly contagion on an improperly-sterilized medical device. But members have told me they feel uncomfortable since you arrived, and if it keeps up the mods may be forced to take drastic action.

 

[Holdek]

Let's for the sake of argument assume that "Ashleigh" was actually the woman whose doxx are up on his site. Let's also for the sake of argument assume that she actually had some sexual or romantic interest in Sweetiepie, rather than calling him on a dare or as a prank.

So what? She's married to someone else, has children, lives thousands of miles away. There isn't a requirement that people have to make lifelong commitments to someone they had a phone thing with in their teen years.

Nor is there a requirement that people who are in business with someone make a lifelong commitment to that that person's son. If Jon's mother has a problem with Dale, she can send him a letter. Just because Jon doesn't understand what happened between the grown ups doesn't justify his revenge machinations.

It was taken down because several member apparently left the site, saying they didn't like being "monitored", to which I say It's the internet. Anything yo post is being "monitored" at all times.

Not only that, it was an open, public forum .

Cheers to both Absinthe and HSMOF for their great posts on AJM. You guys both managed to be fair as well as totally spank Sweetness when he tried to play for sympathy.

Iconoclast on how he was misrepresented


I think this is the point that confuses Sweetie the most. People were mean to him. Ashley trolled him. Dale abandoned him. The Herald outcasted him. So why don't we say bad things about them rather than him, Jon Sweet: Conservative Hero?

The answer is easy; we never cared about those people in the first place. Sure, we're curious about the dates and specifics (all the better to nail his lies with) but those aren't the people we truly want to know about. The person we've been curious about has always been Jon Sweet, a forty-something who can't get over failures twenty years in the past and has taken to making personal bogeymen out of these people rather than moving on.

Exactly. This isn't a social justice board, this is an LOLcow board. And Jon is the only LOLcow in this story.

 

[Adamska]

The Herald editors told me you couldn't scan pencil marks.

You pissing can't. Not if you want the final product to be legible and readable to the other people you're showing it too. Oh wait, you make comics that have that exact problem, so you wouldn't get that.

 

[Holdek]

Well done with the timeline over there, @Absinthe. Fine form. Especially the sourcing. At least everyone now knows the score.

And @He Sets Me On Fire finishes with a line from Harry Truman. That's gotta hurt .

 

[He Sets Me On Fire]

Cheers to both Absinthe and HSMOF for their great posts on AJM. You guys both managed to be fair as well as totally spank Sweetness when he tried to play for sympathy.

Hey, thank you Bound!

Not only that, it was an open, public forum .

Yeah, beyond that, we're not monitoring them, we're monitoring Jon.

You pissing can't. Not if you want the final product to be legible and readable to the other people you're showing it too. Oh wait, you make comics that have that exact problem, so you wouldn't get that.

Precisely. In addition, Jon seems to have trouble understanding that the ASU Herald was not his personal pet project. There were rules he had to follow. Yeah, rules - Just like everyone else.

Well done with the timeline over there, @Absinthe. Fine form. Especially the sourcing. At least everyone now knows the score.

Indeed, Absinthe. Bravo, very well written and detailed.

And @He Sets Me On Fire finishes with a line from Harry Truman. That's gotta hurt .

Thanks, Holdek! Can't go wrong with Harry!

 

[Holdek]

It actually would be interesting to see the other side of his interactions with his "enemies." His "mentor" told him in no uncertain terms to fuck off and never contact him again, so I'm curious what the foci of his ire have to say.

 

[Ruin]

It was taken down because several member apparently left the site, saying they didn't like being "monitored", to which I say It's the internet. Anything yo post is being "monitored" at all times.

Several members left the site? every time I look at that forum they have less than five members active in the past 24 hours. yea I can see how that would be a problem with a userbase that small.