Inappropriate Comments in a Maine Cannister

[TEO]

I was very disappointed to see on a hike this weekend that someone from a group, which consisted of six of this forum's most prolific and accomplished peakbaggers, had written back in January, "[another forum member] IS GAY!" in the canister's log on a peak in Maine. Such attacks are puerile in and of themselves, and have no place in a summit log. Shame on you all!

Edit to add: If you have any decency, you should hike back up with an eraser and remove your blot.

 

[una_dogger]

Because being gay is a hainus act and we are all totally narrow minded here..??
That's just too bad. There are quite a few openly gay members of our hiking community. So, for those who left that message, think of how they would feel if they read that entry, or how they will feel reading this?

Or how others, who will read it will think about you who wrote it?

I would say the real defining issue here is what this says about the person who wrote such a hateful message.

 

[Trainwreck]

This brings me right back to 8th grade!!!. Very sad. Hopefully those involved will strike that comment from the register. Grow up people!

 

[hikes-with-him]

I'm sure they are very proud of themselves...

Maybe I should go up and write that they are UGLY...and their mother wears COMBAT BOOTS...oh and...nah nah boo boo!

 

[pudgy_groundhog]

Was it done maliciously or as a joke? Either way, it doesn't belong in a canister. *thumbs down*

 

[Barkingcat]

Either way, it doesn't belong in a canister.

Yes -- that's the crux of the matter.

 

[dr_wu002]

group, which consisted of six of this forum's most prolific and accomplished peakbaggers,

This sounds like a red herring to me. My guess is that the person whom the gay comment was directed towards actually wrote the entry themselves in an effort to implicate the 6 others. Or perhaps a third party was involved trying to slander the reputation of the "forum's most prolific and accomplished peakbaggers." Shameless attention seekers. What is more high school-ish, the initial remarks left in the canister or outrage contained in the responses here about -- and let's be serious -- a fairly innocuous and commonplace statement? "so-and-so is gay..." could possibly be considered poor taste isn't the end of the world. And why does it matter anyway? What's the big deal about being gay anyway? This is freakin' New England!!

-Dr. Wu

 

[MarkJ]

The majority of those remote cannisters have an 800 # to the Cannister Appropriations Committee which oversees what may or may not be permitted in a canister.I always call ahead to see what's permitted.This canister may have been out of cell range.

 

[marchowes]

Here is a hypothetical that is probably worth pining over:

Maybe the writers of the comments are actually the good guys! Maybe the person mentioned is a somewhat well known and aggressive hateful gay basher who is him/herself gay and has been bashing gays because of their own personal insecurities? Maybe the comment was written because the writers knew it would drum up a controversy on a hiking website, get the rumor mill churning and finally out the aggressive homophobe thus making them a better person in the future?

I know, sounds far fetched right??? But then again so do the Gary Moody stories right Wu?

Perhaps before all of you reflexively attack the canister poets, consider there are other angles than "they said gay, they are hatemongerers!"

------------

Also interesting question: How does one determine what is appropriate in a canister? There is no governing body over them, if you flip through the pages on a lot of them you might be surprised the kind of stuff you find...

 

[dr_wu002]

I suspect there will be a rash of new "inappropriate" comments in various canisters. Anyone ever hear of...

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

I will probably jump on the bandwagon myself. Honestly, I'm like that...

-Dr. Wu

 

[Little Rickie]

which consisted of six of this forum's most prolific and accomplished peakbaggers, .

Any of you got the guts to post who you are and explain yourselves? Can you say it's just a joke or a misunderstanding?

 

[Neil]

Couldn't never happen in the Dacks.

This "problem" has been prevented from happening in the Adirondacks.

Why? (Choose one)

• ADK whackers are illiterate.
• It is illegal to write in cannisters.
• Cannisters are illegal.
• It is illegal to place a notebook and/or a pen or pencil in an ADK cannister.
• No one bushwhacks in the Adirondacks.
• No one would care enough to start a thread on the topic.
• Some of the above.

 

[mookie]

This "problem" has been prevented from happening in the Adirondacks.

Why? (Choose one)

• ADK whackers are illiterate.
• It is illegal to write in cannisters.
• Cannisters are illegal.
• It is illegal to place a notebook and/or a pen or pencil in an ADK cannister.
• No one bushwhacks in the Adirondacks.
• No one would care enough to start a thread on the topic.
• Some of the above.

no "gay" hikers in the ADK's?

 

[MarkJ]

This could be a problem for the Catskills,I heard there are plenty of canisters down there.

 

[chomp]

This thread is happy.

 

[una_dogger]

Also interesting question: How does one determine what is appropriate in a canister? There is no governing body over them, if you flip through the pages on a lot of them you might be surprised the kind of stuff you find...

Reading the canister logs is absolutely great fun, and there are definately threads of personal jokes running through the ones I've read.

'Cept in this case, its probably not the case. Too bad people can't just hang up there differences and live and let live. And maybe how they felt in January doesn't reflect who they are today..

Guess if someone is going to do something to get at another, scribbling an insult in a remote cannister that maybe 30 people a year are going to read is pretty mild.

Entertaining hypotheses, though. Made for good reading at the end of a long, boring day at work. Yawn.

Perhaps before all of you reflexively attack the canister poets, consider there are other angles than "they said gay, they are hatemongerers!"

.

True. I mean, only one of them wrote it. Drumming up opinions on a hiking forum sounds like a good reason to me. I'd be pissed if I read it, I'd probably think, "Jeez, what an @$$". But I certainly don't expect that moral responsibility or maturity is a requirement for any prolific peakbagger, so.....whatcha gonna do?

 

[Snowflea]

And why does it matter anyway? What's the big deal about being gay anyway? This is freakin' New England!!

I agree w/Dr. Wu.

Childish? Probably. But why is this remark assumed to be a dig or insult? I would be just as "offended" as if someone said "Sue has brown hair!!"

Signed,
Disagrees with Miss California

 

[ColdRiverRun]

which consisted of six of this forum's most prolific and accomplished peakbaggers,

Lets get'em where it hurts...I proclaimed that said baggers April Grid peaks are now nixed! If they were in fact peakbaggers, didn't we already now they were bad people?

 

[king tut]

Really? This is a discussion? I want my minute back that i just spent reading this thread. I will never get it back. I just turned 30, my time is precious, the clock is ticking for me. That is upsetting.

 

[David Metsky]

Is there a discussion here? For the life of me, I'm having a difficult time figuring out the purpose of this thread or its appropriateness for this forum.