Wow...Where Do I Start?? Far Out Man.. I Had No Idea

[JOLLY]

I don't even know man. I haven't been on here since Sunday since the apparant "incident" happened". I was sick on Monday and Tuesday, and have worked rather hard yesterday and today. Anyways, I couple of folks called me up on the phone and told me something crazy was going on on here as well as I chatted with someone earlier tonight. I guess I'm just gonna just go with what comes out of me here as I type, so please bear with me. Excuse my spelling and the one single paragrapgh seeing as how I'm no English professor. I'm not sure if I should defend myself or apologize. I guess I'll just start with me. I've been on this forum since about 98-99 or so. I've seen alot of people come and go. Just because I've been here so long does not by any means mean that I deserve, respect, or need any preferential treatment. I'm just me. I've never ever in my entire life tried to be anything other than myself. I'm rather proud of that. I make mistakes just like any other human has, does, and always will....I'll never be perfect and never have tried to be. I don't consider myself a comedian. I somewhat consider myself a humorist. I like to make people laugh. I always have and I always will. I'm not everyone's cup of tea. I personally think that I can be waaaaaaaay overbearing and waaaaay out there for alot of people's tastes. I totally respect the fact that alot of people don't like me. That's what makes us human. I don't really apologize for anything I said either. Either ya got it or ya didn't. However, I can totally interpret how someone from the middle of nowhere that knows nothing about me could recognize as what I stated as offensive. I understand that. I think everyone has a different sense of humor..which they should. It's what makes us all individuals. However, sometimes I just think it's a bad thing that people only see the bad sides of us instead of our better sides. What I stated could be taken as racially offensive, and now that I look back I shouldn't have stated it. But I can't take that back. However, it's ashamed that some folks only see that side of me. I'm soooooooooooo much more than that. I've never been one to brag. I've never told yall about all the money I've given to charities. I've never told yall about me helping out to build houses with Habitat For Humanity. I never stated the race of the people I saved from drowning in the ocean that time. That stuff don't matter to me. That's not what life is about to me man. I just want to be a good person and a good human and if I were to die tommorrow, I know that I've been those. Sure I make wisecracks...and all of the time I might add. Does that mean theyr's funny to you? No...does that mean they're funny to me? yes. Does that make them correct? no. But I think at the end of the day some people get me. If you don't get me...I totally respect that man. Totally!! I want each and every single one of you to understand how much I respect, appreciate, and validate yalls opinion.

[JOLLY]

That being pro me, against me, pro this, or anti that. I think that's what life is about. It's about a bit of respect. If I offended you...well that's my opinion. If you offend me..well, that's your opinion. I've disagreed with more people on this forum than I probably have ever anywhere else. I hate none of you. Heck, I hate no one. I hope nobody feels the same way about me. Believe it or not, I am a good guy. I almost consider myself the court jester of this place in a since. The way I see it.. we all got out surnames from days ago for a reason. I personally think I got the name Jolly for a reason. I'm a jovial fellow. I've never ever in my life ever tried to offend anyone. I know how it is to be picked on. I was the fat kid you all picked on as a child. I was beaten by my father and mentally abused. I love people. I always look for the good in people. I'll always step up and try and defend the guy that's always gettin beat down. I've been there. Maybe that's why I say some of the stuff I say? I don't know man. I'm not perfect. I never will be. I've always been an open book on this forum as well as in life with everyone I've ever met and talked to. I hide nothing about myself. Ask me any question and I'll answer it. I've talked about everything about myself from my family, work, my guitars, my alcoholism, rehab, relationships, sexual encounters, being sick, dying, cat, fights, wrecking trucks, to about almost anything else that has happened to me in my life. I have nothing to hide man at all. I'm just a human man. I'm John Jolly. I don't won't, annd never ever will try to be anything that I'm not. Just try and accept me as who I am man. And in retur I'll try and be a better person. However, it's kinda hard to make perfection any better. And that was a joke...ok? I love yall man.

And I totally respect the fact that if Evan, Jeremy, Scott, Robert, and Simon feel the need to punish me in any way they feel accordingly..do it fellas. I have no qualms with that whatsoever. Close this thread at anytime...and as my good friend Forest Gump once said..."that's about all I gotta say about that"

thanks and take care,
John Patrick Jolly

[mrturtle_91]

that was deep, I have a whole new respect for you Jolly. I think you're a funny guy, often I don't understand your jokes, but you've given me some good laughs, that's for sure...it's good to see that you care so much about people. I'd quote this whole thing and post in my sig if there was enough room.

[exnihilo]

Was wonderin' what happened to you.

cg

[cream123]

deep post. I had no idea that your childhood was like that.

Sorry that things were taken the way they were.

[Wattage]

Jolly is good people.

[Gr8Scott]

You're alright by me dude. Some will say I'm butt-kissing, but that's the way I feel. I gotta say that I was a little put off by what you typed, but I also think you did it to shock folks and you were more successful than you had ever dreamed of being with those couple of lines. Either way, everyone makes mistakes and I'm not about to condemn you for one. You can call me your bro any time.

[cream123]

You're alright by me dude. Some will say I'm butt-kissing, but that's the way I feel. I gotta say that I was a little put off by what you typed, but I also think you did it to shock folks and you were more successful than you had ever dreamed of being with those couple of lines. Either way, everyone makes mistakes and I'm not about to condemn you for one. You can call me your bro any time.

+1

[MartinSixStringCustoms]

Other people think it, we say it. Thats just us, Jolly

[flank]

Jolly, you've always been alright by me bro and I respect that you've made a thread like this. But, if i ever criticized something you said, its because i thought it was something that Seymour doesnt need on his boards. Its no biggie. As much as you might be a cool dude, so is seymour and his company, and i try to think about what i post on here before i do it. I don't doubt that you are yourself all the time, but maybe you have to think that John Jolly the person may have to be a little different than Jolly, the member of Seymour Duncan's message board? Just food for thought.

[Carl762]

It takes a big man to make a statement such as the one on this thread. I respect that. You're an honest man, who simply just says it like you see it, straight to the point. You're as real as it gets, and I too am not butt kissing, trust me folks. Jolly, I don't see eye to eye with you in everything, but most things. You know that. You've talked to me live before. Just use a little more tact, and you'll stay out of trouble here. And, of course, I'm just a noob here.

It took guts to make this thread.

[ginormous]

I'm of a minority heritage, and I've heard people of my same background using cruel, evil-sounding things to describe themselves... in jest.

Reminds me of a Playboy cartoon from my youth: cowboy's walkin' down Main St. of an ol' Wild West town; posters on every wall of every building, "$500 for info of anyone caught stealing horses or cattle", "cattle or horse rustlers will be shot dead on sight", etc.

Here comes the town drunk -- "Harry Wilson, you old horse thief!"


I've got no beef with Jolly. He's

[JOLLY]

Ok folks. I just read over everything, and I mean everything once again. I totally understand everyone's feelings, I really do!! I do..but I've always been like that. What I said wasn't wrong, but it sure wasn't correct, but then again, I guess that depend's on one's sense of humor.

Here's what I propose. Ban me for two months. Just pretend I'm like a long time renter of a house you own. Give me a day or so to gather my things and I'll be out of your hair. I just need to save a few phone numbers tommorrow...bout it. If yall allow me to move back in..I appreciate it. If you don't....I understand as well. It'll be hard seeing as how I love this place, but oh well. Sometimes ya just gotta step up and be a man and take what ya deserve. Two months away from an internet forum is a hell of alot easier than being two months away from one's family and loved ones.

Fellas, please lock my account (as within 24 hours of this post) until September 12th....and if you don't lock my account, you know I'll be checking in. So please lock it!! I want the record to state that I'm taking my punishment like a man. Yall remember that...ok? and this is self imposed as well. What's the worst that can happen man?..I'll just get better at guitar and you'll still have to keep up with me. See ya in a few I reckon.
laters taters,
SHOCKAH!!!!!!!



Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

-Beatles

[cream123]

it's been sweet, Jolly. I look forward to hearing from you again.

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

See you man....
You made me laugh alot on the phone...
Hope to see you again, as this place certanly will be much less without you!
Niels

[BigAlTheBird]

That's one of the coolest posts I've read on here in a while.

And Jolly, I'm calling you back, I promise. I know it probably seems like a very jackass-y thing to do not calling you back, but I've been working from like 7-5 every day, and then every day for the last like 2 weeks I've been seeing my girlfriend cause she picks me up at work. Then I go home at like midnight. But tomorrow, I get off early (2 my time). So I'm going to try my hardest to call you.

I hope all of this blows over! I mean, I'm not going to say you don't deserve punishment or anything, that's not my call. But I don't want to see you gone for 2 months either, that'd suck.

ANyways, I'll be talking to you! Take it easy man.

[That90'sGuy]

I might be going against the grain here, but Jolly, if there's something you want to have done to your online privileges, do it through PMs with admins.

It's cool that you're willing to be so open about your personal life, but the internet probably isn't the best place to be doing it. You've got a good heart (that I don't question one bit), but threads like this probably aren't going to give some people a better perception of you. One of the best things you can do is just stand back and say "ok, well these folks don't like me one bit, but that's fine because this is the way I am".

[Luís]

Like I told you before, you do have the right to speak your peace but I'm sure no good will come of this. Someone will screw it up eventually and nit pick at something. I do hope I'm wrong.

Best thing to hope for is for the admins to lock this thread allowing Jolly to speak his mind, having some feedback and not causing anymore trouble.

Having said that I'm not making any more comments of my own. I've said my peace as well in other threads in a quite non-peacefull manner. That was wrong of me and for not dealing well with that, I'm sorry.

[Robert S.]

This my friends, is the danger in typing on the internet. I have expressed myself on this issue many times in the past. If you are not careful with your presentation, if you do not parse your words and if you get too close to sensitive topics then you always run the risk of being taken wrong and that opens the door to all sorts of accusations, misinterpretations and bad feelings.

I know what John is all about and perhaps because of that I took his statement a certain way. If that familularity colored my interpretation, so be it. Others took Johns statements to be offensive and I can understand that as well. It isn't hard to take a statement that is so closely related to the hatred that feeds racism and then assume that hatred was in fact the intent. I do not believe that Johns intent was bad, but his delivery was. John was out of line and for that and the resulting communal strife that resulted John is getting a 30 day suspension from this site. This is a decisiion that was made by the whole of the administration of this site and obviously John has no problem with that. The problem has been dealt with.

A larger problem exsists though and we are addressing that as well. From what I can see there are three responses to this issue. The first was that John was clowning around and got a bit crass with his post. Fine but he still got too close to the flame. There are others that thought he was being openly racist and that too is fine. I can see how those words could easily be taken that way and I fully respect that opinion. The third response is the one that bothers me. It is very clear to me that some of our membership took Jollys comments as a free pass to make a big noise on this site. I am almost positive that some of you in fact were not offended by Johns comment at all but instead used it as an opportunity to type naughty words and to share opinions that I found to be obviously more offensive and easily seen as inflammatory at the very least.

It is my opinion that just because one of us steps out of line, the rest of us should not be allowed to follow suit. John messed up and many of you followed his example. It was my assertion that the punishment should be the same across the board. Like behavior gets a like response but in this case that won't be happening. In the future I am going to try to keep things "fair", if there is such a thing.

Our only goal here as admins is to keep this site running under the guidelines that the owners set. It isn't about personalities at all. The truth is that because of the big stars I don't know many of you as well as I might if not for the big stars. I don't know how many times I have posted on a thread just to see it die. Maybe it is just my perception but it seems that some of you find me unapproachable as if typing to the guy with the big stars will get you into trouble. Rest assured that no one has ever been thumped for having a different opinion from me. There used to be a guy called Boo Boo that was here for awhile and I really enjoyed disagreeing with him on a variety of subjects. It was always engaging, mentally challenging and most of all, friendly.

That is the point that some of you need to grasp. It is possible to disagree with someone and still treat them with respect. It is the lack of respect for each other that most often causes the problems around here.

In the very near future there will be a new list of rules including no religious topics, no more sexuality discussions, no more chick pics and a few other things as well. Not because there is anything wrong with discussing those topics but because some of us cannot discuss them respectfully. We are also going to put an end to much of the trollish behaviors seen on this board and the tone of this board will look a lot like that of the other boards on this site.

[lex666]

In the very near future there will be a new list of rules including no religious topics, no more sexuality discussions, no more chick pics and a few other things as well. Not because there is anything wrong with discussing those topics but because some of us cannot discuss them respectfully. We are also going to put an end to much of the trollish behaviors seen on this board and the tone of this board will look a lot like that of the other boards on this site.

Robert S - Why no hot chicks with pics threads? Suprisingly, I found these types of threads to be the most respectful on the forum. Its the 1 topic we basically all agree on. Collectively, we all participate and have a good laff. I've never seen anyone get out of line or say anything derogitory... Do we have to ban my favorite topic?