Ask Papabear: The First Advice Column for Furries!
  • Home
  • Letters
  • Write Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Fan Art
  • Good Furry Award
  • Home
  • Letters
  • Write Me
  • Disclaimer
  • Advertise
  • About
  • Testimonials
  • Fan Art
  • Good Furry Award

I'm Still Here :-)

10/12/2015

5 Comments

 
Hi, Everyone,

I'm not leaving the column.

I won't lie and say that what happened with that troll didn't hurt. I was emotionally manipulated in an incredibly deceitful way by a person who regards himself as "clever" because he fooled me. So be it. Call me gullible. Call me stupid for trying to reply to a plea for help.

All my replies to his fake letters were made sincerely. They took me hours to write. In the meantime, other real people with real problems had to wait. So, his trolling also affected them.

It disturbs me greatly that this person regarded me as a subject for his "experiment." Humans are not lab rats. It is that attitude that led to things like experiments on Jews in concentration camps, the Tuskegee syphilis experiment in which black men were deliberately injected with a disease by the American government, or, more recently, Zuckerberg's little manipulation in which Facebook readers were deliberately fed negative news in order to see if it would depress them and affect their posts. I'm not saying what happened to me matches this scale, but the fundamental concept is the same: people are just things to be toyed with to the minds of trolls.

Dear readers, know this: what you see on this page is me. I have revealed to all of you my heart, my beliefs, my failings in order to gain your trust so that when I tell you something it will be believed as a sincere effort to try and help you. Now, sometimes I may be wrong. Sometimes I might even say something dumb, but at least it's done with honesty. Also, you do not have to listen to my advice. As you know, I don't charge for it. And I will never ever try to make you look foolish (er, maybe with the exception of this troll--how about this: I won't make you look foolish if you are honest with me).

Everything I've written here has been written for love of the furry community. I'm very sorry that I let this troll get to me. He really did hurt me deeply, and I will acknowledge that here so he can have his laugh at my expense. You know what? I'm only human. So is this troll guy, whoever he really is. And, as a human being and a furry, I will confess an ugliness in my heart. I frankly don't care who he is anymore, and, no, I don't wish him well. There is no good excuse for what he did. None.

If I could magically curse him, my curse would be this: that no one believes anything that comes out of his mouth for the rest of his life. (Good Lord! I just created another politician! Shame on me!)

Most people I meet in life are good people. For those good people, this column will continue.

Love You,
​Papabear

5 Comments
Charleston Rat
10/12/2015 01:49:07 pm

Thank goodness! *hugs*

Reply
Valeyard
10/12/2015 03:35:56 pm

If it means anything, I still appreciate the advice you offer, and that you're willing to listen to people when they talk to you about their problems. That is never something you should feel ashamed of, no matter how much any troll might try to make you think you should. Take pride in what you do; it's something that not a lot of other people in the furry community can claim to do for others, particularly for complete strangers.

Reply
Critter link
10/12/2015 06:59:37 pm

Hey Papabear,

Sorry this happened but I suppose it was inevitable given what the internet is. I do think you are a reasonable voice in the fandom which with some of the recent furcon problems is becoming all too rare.

I'm glad you're continuing, best of luck.

*hugs*

- Critter

Reply
Papabear
10/13/2015 09:15:23 am

Hugs back. Thank you

Reply
Herr Wozzeck
10/13/2015 04:39:20 pm

I thought that letter you got from the supposed father was a little odd. It was tingling my "something's not right here" senses like there was no tomorrow.

Not that I blame you for responding to it genuinely. Alas, as many people I've encountered on the internet would tell you, you're far more gracious than I would've been in your shoes. But then, that's why you're the advice columnist and I'm the guy who infrequently comments on your posts, right?

It can be tough to ignore the trolls, and this guy was a more subtle troll than most. So don't worry, Papa, we still think you're a good person. Your only crime was to get tricked by someone who desperately wants attention and can't think of any other way to get attention than to stir up trouble for a whole lot of people.

Believe me, I've had experiences with people like that before. (They were more obvious about it, sure, but still.) Not fun, I tell ya. But I believe your'e a better person than to get your jimmies rustled up by that. So it's good you're keeping on with that.

Soldier on, man!

-Herr

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Go to Papabear's Facebook page

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Addiction
    Art And Literature
    Careers
    Coming Out Furry
    Crime And The Law
    Editorial
    Family Issues
    Friends Issues
    Furcons And Furmeets
    Furry Definition
    Furry Issues (other)
    Fursonas
    Fursuiting
    Health
    Illness And Death Issues
    LGBT And Gender Issues
    Loneliness Depression Anger
    Love And Relationships
    Money
    Odd And Ends
    Politics
    Religion And Spirituality
    Roommates
    School Life
    Self Improvement
    Sexuality And Sex
    Social Networking
    Work And The Workplace

    Picture
    Picture
    An excellent article on coming out LGBT to Christian parents.
    Picture
    My Rainbow Ark is a site for and about LGBT furries and religion and how they are not incompatible.

    Picture
    A note on comments: Comments on letters to Papabear are welcome, especially those that offer extra helpful advice and add something to the conversation that is of use to the letter writer and those reading this column. Also welcome are constructive criticisms and opposing views. What is NOT welcome are hateful, hurtful comments, flaming, and trolling. Such comments will be deleted from this site. Thank you.

Home

Letters

Write Me

Disclaimer

About

Copyright © 2012-2024