Trust on the Internet

Superman · Subject: Trust on the Internet Tue May 20, 2008 11:46 am

Like a Great many of us in today’s world I spend some of my time on line. Some might say too much but to me that’s a matter of opinion. If you are reading this like as not you spend as much or more time on line than I do so it shouldn’t be an issue. I have made friends on line that I value every bit as much as the ones I make off line. Friends are where you find them and I don’t catalogue mine but treat them all the same and hold them all to the same set of standards. One of the building blocks of friendship is trust. One way of developing trust is keeping your given word. If you say you are going to do something if you are a person of your word it gets done come hell or high water. If someone tells you something in confidence it goes no further. You carry it to the grave if need be. If you loan out something to someone it should come back in as good as if not better shape than when you loaned it out. If you lend someone your password on a board (when asked) so they can look out for their family under the conditions that they don’t make posts or tell anyone about the loan said loan should remain between those two people. That is the source of my beef with Joshua X. He told me that he had been receiving threats from the heroes network crowd and needed to access the board for his family’s protection. Having received similar threats from the same location needless to say I was sympathetic to his situation. So I redid my password and gave him access to my account on the heroes network board. I have other ways onto that board but I was using this one to see if there were any worthwhile prospects among Little Eric’s crowd of wannabes and by my statements under that name proving by example how badly I had been slandered there previously. Now because Joshua X just had to sound off like a little drama queen and tell how he was getting in and out I no longer have that access. He did not keep his word to me. There is no way any of us (under the present technology) can physically compel anyone on line to do anything he or she does not wish to do. All we have is our trust in each other’s ability to keep their word on line. Joshua X did not keep his to me so plain and simple I am severely ticked off about it. If he violated his word to me there is nothing to keep him from doing it to anyone else on line. This is why when I received no satisfactory response when I pursued it by private means I chose to make it public. I don’t see reports of violations of trust on line as being any different from reporting viruses, scams or any other Internet hazard you encounter. Doing so just makes it safer on line for all of us. If Joshua cares to render a formal apology and or explanation for his actions he is more than welcome to do it here. Right now as far as I am concerned he and his word have zero credibility. I would dearly love to hear creditable evidence to the contrary.

Superman

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Joshua X · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Tue May 20, 2008 12:29 pm

Supes,

As I said before on the Alternates forum, I am sorry. There's not any real way for me to elaborate on that. I was moments from officially retiring when you wrote me in late April, and informed me of the threats going on the HN.
Any threat that I had seen was vague at that point. I copied/pasted Master Legend's entries from Nyx's Myspace blog, Phantom Zero's, and his own Myspace blog before you granted me access.
I was shocked at the things I had read, the threats not only made by ML, but also Noble and Zeitgeist. Under your username, even Hero-Gear Jack had some animosity towards me and informed "me" that he could find me if he wanted to.
Once again, these people don't know who they're talking to on the internet.
After some careful consideration and discussion with my wife, I decided to take any and all evidence to the police, and filed a report.
As I posed as you on the forum, no one wanted to hear my side of the story. And, as I posed as you, I dealt firsthand with the disrespect from others directed at you. Since they thought I was you, they treated me like I had no clue what I was talking about, that I was a senile, old fool. And it pissed me off.
After reading comments from some of my so-called "friends," I decided to delete them from my Myspace. Friendship, unfortunately, means very little in this so-called "community." I had been friends with Tothian for two years, stood at his side, fought for him, took the hits for doing so, and still called him friend until he told me to leave.
I had also been with Wall Creeper for almost a year, and he told me to leave as well. "Go. This is your vacation. We'll handle things without you."
Apparently, when friends go through hard times, you tell them to leave.
And Beach Shadow sold me out as well, so she could get some more RLS friends. I listened to her when no one else would.
And so, after reading various comments by my so-called friends, I also deleted Black Arrow (whom I enjoyed a 2 year friendship as well), Knight Owl, Anax, and several others.

So, unexpectedly, you approached me with information. And friendship. And I blew the friendship because I wanted the Heroes Network to believe that Sentinel Superman is NOT a senile old man. While I was posing as you, I gave advice to a new hero whose lady friend had been raped.
After Phoenix made fun of your robot, I cracked a joke like this: "my crime-fighting robot does more that you'll ever do, you monkey-spanking shit!"
But, I also wrote a thread in which I said that I don't want anyone, including Phoenix, to get hurt or killed. I don't want anyone to waste away their lives on silly fantasies. As I posed as you, I wrote that "I'm just an old man, but you're all in your late teens or early twenties. When's the last time that any of you spent time with your families, friends, or had an actual date?"
And it was on the Doomsday Protocol thread that I blew my cover. I discussed religion with Nyx when I shouldn't have. I mentioned that I knew she's knowledgeable on ancient Egypt.

I am hoping that some of them eventually get the message to not waste their life away on spandex fantasies. And I truly am sorry (to you) for losing my temper and revealing to Tothian on the Alternates radio show that I had access to the forum.

Superman · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Tue May 20, 2008 4:51 pm

Hello Joshua,

I’ll accept your apology provided you pledge here and now not to violate my trust again. As big as I am on keeping promises I am also big on second chances. As far as fielding insults from little Eric and his crew goes I can fight my own battles thank you very much. In my admittedly less than humble opinion 58 is hardly verging on senile especially when you consider I still run rings around those half my age at my place of employment. Anyone who has been around very long and takes anything that little Eric and his crowd say seriously has a less than solid grip on reality. If he and his were not pissed off at me I would have to think that I was doing something wrong. No matter who you are where you go or what thing you choose to do you are going to piss someone off somewhere if you do it right. On line as well as in life you are known by 2 basic groups. The friends you have and the enemies you make. I am justifiably proud of both of mine. I alerted and befriended you because it was the right thing to do. By staying quiet through most of the heroes network BS I let those behind it show themselves up for the little wannabe jerks they really are. Their respective frothing at the mouth expressed their lack of a good many things far more eloquently that either of us could have at our most verbose best. There are a good many things the 2 of us could accomplish working together much like the example set forth by Zetaman and Agent Null. But in order for that to work each of us has to be able to trust the other to keep to the letter of his word no matter what provocation to do otherwise we might encounter on or off line. If you think you can do that from this point on let me know and we can discuss what needs to be done.

Superman

PS. I think that this new vent your spleen section may be off to a downright rollicking start.

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Joshua X · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Tue May 20, 2008 9:35 pm

I hereby pledge not to violate your trust again, Supes. Smile

Superman · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Sat May 24, 2008 10:39 am

BTW it's always a good idea to drop by a board and check for PMs even when there don't seem to be any changes on posts.

Just a hint Joshua or am I being too subtle

Superman

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This looks like a job for...Superman!!! Up Up and Away!!!

Joshua X · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Tue May 27, 2008 9:09 am

Superman,

There's no need to get snippy. I was out of town visiting family over the Memorial Day weekend, and only logged into check some emails.

Nyx · Number of posts: 4 Registration date: 2008-04-12

Peh. I knew it was you quite early, Joshua. Infact, I told Tothian to check it out. Unfortunately, nobody else noticed untill your little post on ancient Egypt. farao

Superman · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Wed May 28, 2008 2:35 pm

Hi Nyx,

I was wondering when you’d drop by. It seems friend Joshua is a bit testy and can’t understand when something is said in humor and when something should be taken serious. As an example my kidding him about not checking in verses the importance of keeping your word on line. It seems he doesn’t trust anyone to be any better than he is about keeping his word. I was told this by many others, but prefer to find these things out for myself. The reason being that the way a person interacts with 1 group or individual doesn’t show how they will interact with another. I felt sorry for him being concerned about possible threats from Little Eric to his family having put up with Eric's ignorant sense of humor and lack of class when he called my house disturbing my family. I figured the quickest way to allay his fears was to let him in under my banner to see what an ineffective little wannabe jack ass Eric really is. I have lost track of how many times Joshua has called Beach shadow a drama queen. Yet he seems to harp on many of the same things he accuses her of. I guess what they said in a psychology class I took was true. You often notice and find the most annoying those negative traits in others that you yourself share. Everyone that knows both Legend and Shadow knows that they do not get along these days. Not exactly a state secret. But I told both Legend and Shadow at the begining of their breakup that I wasn’t going to get into any of that with either of them. Weather or not either of them is still at odds with the other I don’t know as both of them have been respectful of my wishes not to discuss it with me. It’s been my experience that real drama queens don’t shut up that easily. Joshua seems overly concerned about what the on line community thinks of him. While it is nice to make new friends on and off line the only opinion of your self that should matter to you is the 1 that you yourself have. On or off line a person is known by 2 groups the friends he has and the enemies he makes. Personally I am right proud of both of my groups. Anyone reading this has the freedom of deciding which group that they want to be in.

Superman

PS.
Just so you know Joshua I disagree with you about folks successfully assuming the mantle of super heroes in real life. Simple reason too. Been there done that. Pulled it off for a period of 20 some years before letting a younger guy assume the role. Last I heard he and the organization that was built up around the persona I created is still growing strong. You just have to know what you are doing and how to do it well.

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Agent Null · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Thu May 29, 2008 9:20 am

Umm...didn't Tothian respond to this? Coulda swore there was a post here somewhere.

Oh well. Moving on:

You know, this is but one of many many things that are funny about the internet. We as humans generally tend to trust those closest to us despite our flaws. This is because we spend enough sustained personal time with these people to learn that with some, their worthwhile qualities shine above their flaws.

Another factor is that with those we actually see and interact with on a daily basis, we have certain cues which tell us that maybe, just maybe, we're going too far in certain instances. This is not the case with the internet, where one can post exactly what they feel, put their thoughts out there for potentially millions to see, and damn all consequences.

Naturally, because of this the chances of a person's flaws outshining their merit is a reality on the internet: People may read a person's thoughts as they are preserved and assume that to be the whole of a person's nature, when this is far from the case.

Also, trust has many different levels even among the closest friends. I may for example, trust my best friend to take care of the apartment while I am away, but I may not trust him with more sensitive personal information such as my social security number.

In regards to how this relates to the incident in question; I make no secret of it- I consider Joshua to be a good friend. I know he can be a tad on the overzealous side, but I enjoy his company for the merits I see within him. Having said that, no offense here Joshua, but I don't think I can trust you with my login information. Besides, you already have access to the same forums I do, so the point is moot anyway.

-AN

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Joshua X · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Thu May 29, 2008 12:36 pm

Nyx wrote:

Peh. I knew it was you quite early, Joshua. Infact, I told Tothian to check it out. Unfortunately, nobody else noticed untill your little post on ancient Egypt. farao

So how'd you know, Honor-Roll? Please.. tell us. I know you're not into holding back, so please honor us by telling us how you used your supreme detective skills to figure that out. You surely didn't have to reply all cutesy to that Doomsday thread, "Sounds just like Janus. Lord!"

And then change your story the next reply... but you're a pro at that. "I was being sarcastic.."

Supes, as you recall it was not Tothian who was making the threats, but Master Legend. Look, as I've said, I was well on my way to retiring fully when you emailed me about the threats and gave me access.
If anything you're untrustworthy when it comes to passing out a confidential login/password to a private forum. I'd hate to be the pot calling the kettle black, but I think what you did only extended the drama.

Tothian was well on his way to banning you for not really posting anything on the HN. Everything from April 29th to the day you were banned were comments and posts made by me.

I'm trying to enjoy my semi-retirement and I don't need this. I'm looking forward to a teamup in July with some friends of mine. bounce

Superman · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Fri May 30, 2008 6:31 am

Master Legend can use somewhat flowery speech patterns at times but I have never heard him make a direct threat against you Joshua. As far as Little Eric James Toth AKA Tothian goes everyone pretty much knows by now that he is as crazy as a pet coon with at best a tenuous and intermittent grip on reality. Why else would he keep claiming among other things to be a jedi knight when we all know that they do not exist outside of the star war franchise. Last I heard Little Eric didn’t work for George Lucas. As far as why I let you in on my name to the hero network board it was because you asked to be let in. At least his form of insanity has some entertainment value. You told me you wanted in to see what kind of threats had been made toward your family and download what you needed to protect your family. I let you use my name under 2 conditions. 1 you only look and download what you needed to have to protect you and your family. 2 you not make any posts using my name and keep it quiet as to how you received your information. You have already proved and admitted that by your actions that you violated both of these conditions. All I have to do to get reinstated on his board is to agree to change my password to one that you don’t have and not let you in like that again. I wrote him back telling him to stuff it but may have been a bit premature in that seeing how you are reacting these days. BTW for those that give a darn I can still get in and out of his board at will. Just ask wall creeper how I got back in the last time by proving I could come and go as I pleased in there anyway. Now Joshua I have received several requests to delete you from this board. Kind of tempted to go along with it. Or as you are supposedly going to retire from all this perhaps you’d like me to delete your listing from the board. You are right about 1 thing Joshua. Looking back on it I probably shouldn’t have let you on his little board under my name. So little Eric if you are looking in on this and I know you are I apologize for letting the little whiner in that way. If you let me back on I promise not to do it again. I might even start calling you Tothian again instead of little Eric and allow you back on this board.

Superman

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This looks like a job for...Superman!!! Up Up and Away!!!

Webmaster · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Fri May 30, 2008 7:02 am

Hello Superman,

Goldeneye was breezing through the board as usual and brought this particular section to my attention. I can’t help but point out that you’ll be dealing with this kind of crap as long as you are trying to separate potential heroes from all the pretenders and game players you will find on line for just about anything. It’s why I get my people using other means. If you end up with as few as 2 or 3 usable folks I will be truly amazed. I did get some mail from The Force a while back. He seems to be thriving on life in the sticks as he calls it. I am glad you could help him get set up when he came your way. As well as I knew him I had never figured him for the Nun friendly type. Guess it just shows you never know everything about anyone. As for who else may read this I’ll make my own comment on the subject of trust. If you don’t have trust you don’t have anything. Anything like true Super Hero activities has by necessity to be run below official radar and that can not be done without trust.

Web EALA

Joshua X · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Sat May 31, 2008 12:48 am

Supes,

I've already apologized.. please stop rubbing salt on the wound. If you've had requests to remove me from the board, then I think you should do what you need to do to preserve your image. I'm done.

Tothian · Number of posts: 5 Registration date: 2008-05-31

Superman,

You're a great guy, and I have a lot of respect for you and the things you have done in your days of service, as both a Real-Life Superhero and as a Soldier in the United States Army. And the wonderful advice you provide the currently-active Real-Life Superheroes in this community with.

With that being said, never blackmail me ever again, if you "whish" to keep that respect in this community.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackmail

Thank you and have a great day.

Agent Null · Subject: Re: Trust on the Internet Sat May 31, 2008 6:23 am

Blackmail? Did I miss something?

Oh well...it probably is a moot point anyway.

In all seriousness though, welcome back to the forum, Tothian. I am looking forward to being able to interact with you on a more professional basis. That is if you are willing. I can understand if you feel otherwise however.

-AN

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Mystical explanations are thought to be deep; the truth is that they are not even shallow.