Well Tom it is one thing to make a mistake and another thing not to be able to admit it. From my point of view that is what this is all about. Look, it was a dumb idea to sign that piece of paper, but I certainly wouldn't put myself above you for that. We all do things that we regret, especially in stressful and unusual circumstances. What I can't respect is when someone just can't leave it at that and does everything they can to rationalize their mistake ad naseum.Your deep understanding of homophobia is very revealing. I guess your something like an expert in that field. But your comment to Joe was in the end a cheap way of dismissing his criticism. You can twist it and turn it, but you won't win any dance contests.
As for your response to me, yes make it my problem now. I'm the one who simply doesn't understand homophobia and how mature Autralian men communicate with each other.
But really I am not being very grateful am I? I should be thanking you for giving me that lesson in homophobia. So let me return the favor by telling you something about which I have some understanding. I make sarcastic jokes at the rate of about one every ten minutes. One might even call me a professional sarcast. Some of my jokes are funny, some are plain stupid and some really go in the wrong direction and offend people. As a method of handling the aftermath of third category jokes, simply saying it was a joke doesn't usually help much. Sometimes apologizing 5 or 10 times works and sometimes I just have to get down on my hands and knees and beg for forgiveness. Despite this I've had people not talk to me for a week.
Am I beating around the bush too much here? Okay then. Tom, your joke wasn't funny because it shows a complete ignorance of gay culture. Yes gays are different than straight people and thank god for that, but to suggest that they don't know what it means to be in a long term loving relationship and to use that as an excuse to dodge what Joe said to you is boring and stupid. I don't get the feeling from Joe's response that he thought it very funny either. Though Will seemed to like it for some reason. What is wrong with you Will anyway?
As for the paranoid crazy comment. Just because you didn't mention his name it was plain as day that you were talking about Gerry. The reason I took issue with this is that you pretend to put yourself above and condemn that kind of behaviour. I sometimes cringe myself at Gerry's choice of expression, but at least he doesn't pretend to be something else, and I think it must be obvious that he has been really trying in the last few days to be a milder kinder kind of Gerry. He retracted his claims and deleted his posts about you being an EV operative. He has also made some really good posts. And right in the middle of that you have to go and wind the whole thing up again. Way to go Tom. Once again your decision-making skills are a model for us all.
