Josh seeks a godly wife

January 23, 2006 8:30 PM

Ok, I'll bite: Is a personal add (however mockable) a good FPP?
posted by MotorNeuron to Etiquette/Policy at 8:30 PM (38 comments total)

What about a personal subtract?
posted by timeistight at 8:31 PM on January 23, 2006

Speaking of mockable.
posted by smackfu at 8:36 PM on January 23, 2006

If it leads to personal divisions, it's bad, but if it leads to personal multiplications, it's good.
posted by boaz at 8:36 PM on January 23, 2006

It's funny. They used basecamp and everything. We have previously featured sites by batshit insane people looking for a partner. There was one famous woman on AOL somewhere that had a long test she required men to complete and a huge list of requirements.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 8:36 PM on January 23, 2006

I like mean-spirited humor, but I don't think this FPP should pass muster. There are lots of ridiculous MySpace pages out there that one could easily make fun of, including religious folks (or nut cases, or extremely vain people, or hideously ugly people, etc.). I don't see how that is substantially different from this.

I don't agree or like hardly anything this guy is saying, but I don't think he has done anything that deserves trashing or ridicule on a widely read "community weblog."
posted by Falconetti at 8:36 PM on January 23, 2006

But look at his photo! His photo!

Actually, I agree he doesn't really deserve mockery. However, I did enjoye reading his personal, and was creeped out by it, so I am of two minds about the thing.

I just hope he finds the love he seeks. I hope that for us all, except those of us who seek to marry farm animals, and I include myself in that list.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:42 PM on January 23, 2006

Just tryin' to take the heat off ol' Josh!

Mock Me! Mock Me!
posted by MotorNeuron at 8:44 PM on January 23, 2006

It wasn't just any ad. It was a whole website. And whole websites are fair game. And even if it were just some random ad on some random service somewhere, if it were REALLY mockable, then it would still be good.
posted by scarabic at 8:50 PM on January 23, 2006

I have mixed feelings on this one. The ad is a little funny just for its length, but the guy is sincere in his beliefs, and I think if any of us spent overlong expanding the details of a personal ad, we might find ourselves at a similar length. Beyond that, yes the guy is a fundamentalist christian but I don't think he's far enough outside the mainstream to qualify as batshitinsane.

I still don't think the (mefi) post should get deleted, since it doesn't seem that terrible. It's just a little uncomfortably close to cruel.com or the like for my taste.
posted by whir at 8:50 PM on January 23, 2006

When it's that guy's personal ad, yes. Yes it is!
posted by loquacious at 8:54 PM on January 23, 2006

For those that feel sorry for him, consider that a personal ad is a form of advertising and that there is no such thing as negative publicity.

In other words, we may actually be helping him to find someone - some poor, deluded, lonely woman out on the edge of the bell curve, just like him.
posted by vacapinta at 8:56 PM on January 23, 2006

A worthy effort, MotorNeuron. I actually took the time to read the whole page and it made me sad and I genuinely feel sorry for him. Discounting the whacko christianity aspect, he sounds like he's rather messed up and confused and could use some guidance instead of mockery.

I don't think he's going to off himself when he sees the MeFi thread, but I think it is a bit harsh and will likely hurt him greatly, even if he just pretends to blow it off as the rantings of heathens. (yes, he did put it out there so it is technically fair game, but he's got enough issues without a community of people mocking him and what he thinks are his beliefs)

The point about it reflecting poorly on the MeFi community is valid. That thread reminds me of the metaphorical fat kid getting picked on as he walks down the hall. It's just wrong.
posted by shoepal at 9:08 PM on January 23, 2006

There was one famous woman on AOL somewhere that had a long test she required men to complete and a huge list of requirements.

Mary Romantic.... aka Scary Mary.
posted by Emperor Yamamoto's Eggs at 9:13 PM on January 23, 2006

It is the most amazing post I have ever seen.
posted by xmutex at 9:15 PM on January 23, 2006

Is a personal add (however mockable) a good FPP?
Yes.
posted by matkline at 9:33 PM on January 23, 2006

That thread reminds me of the metaphorical fat kid getting picked on as he walks down the hall. It's just wrong.

Right, clearly a vulnerable target, the kind of person that the blonde athletic Christian popular kids laugh at, not join as fellows under the cross. All the 'WIFE BEETR1!!!' comments are clearly ex post facto rationalizations for picking on the 'dork'. This isn't red state vs. blue state or enlighted secularists vs. narrow fundamentalists, it's just the primal, slavering, easy-target status orgy urge of jr. high school that men never subconsciously shed, though the civilized ones recognize it and make an effort to fight it.
posted by dgaicun at 9:42 PM on January 23, 2006

While I absolutely cannot relate to this guy or his beliefs, and some of them leave me baffled and disturbed (spousal abuse not being grounds for divorce), I think this is still mean-spirited and shitty, not to mention pointless. We have better things to talk about than this.
posted by Meredith at 9:46 PM on January 23, 2006

It's a petty, spiteful, nasty thread and I regret posting in it.
posted by jrossi4r at 9:51 PM on January 23, 2006

Mary Romantic.... aka Scary Mary.

I'd never heard of her. Thanks for the tip!
Her site is gone, but lives on.
posted by Aknaton at 9:56 PM on January 23, 2006

no.
posted by crunchland at 10:23 PM on January 23, 2006

Wow, Mary Romantic is just plain nuts.
posted by 6550 at 10:40 PM on January 23, 2006

She's now Mary Gentle, and will give advice. Definately check out the Self-Love page and read with the mind of a 14-year-old. You can use your own eyes.
posted by Iamtherealme at 11:03 PM on January 23, 2006

Is a personal [ad] (however mockable) a good FPP?

If it's only for mocking, no.
posted by TimeFactor at 12:49 AM on January 24, 2006

what crunchland said.
posted by hortense at 1:15 AM on January 24, 2006

This whole affair was not up to what MeFi is about... delete it, Matt.
posted by HuronBob at 2:42 AM on January 24, 2006

I agree with the "bullyfilter" comment. Nevertheless, I will take this opportunity to say, "the Bibel is definatly importint, Josh... but Spelchek is nise, to!"

I'm so ashamed
posted by taz at 4:34 AM on January 24, 2006

I kiss you!
posted by rxrfrx at 5:47 AM on January 24, 2006

Playground mentality, just ask mihail and blogrrrl.
posted by mischief at 6:39 AM on January 24, 2006

I thought the ad was completely fascinating, so yeah, best of the web. I felt bad for the poor zealot schnook and didn't feel the need to pile on in comments, though.

(However, I too now plan to incorporate the marvelous term "unequally yoked" in my dating conversations.)
posted by CunningLinguist at 6:52 AM on January 24, 2006

the guy is sincere in his beliefs
So was Hitler.
posted by Joeforking at 9:48 AM on January 24, 2006

While we are here, can we get a NSFW on the front page for this vaguely related follow-up?
posted by Alison at 9:56 AM on January 24, 2006

Sure, it's mean, and if the guy was muslim it would have been deleted, but that's life.

Besides, it gave skallas a chance to mock religion (just like old times) and mayor curley a chance to mock every place that he doesn't live (which, considering where he lives makes the thread all that funnier).

Good times.
posted by justgary at 10:16 AM on January 24, 2006

I find it pretty distasteful. It's one thing for the MeFi horde to chew on its own members and spit them out, but it's pretty bad when we have to seek out people to tease and ridicule.

There's nothing interesting about the web page design, nor any useful commentary going on in the comments.

Another vote to delete.
posted by onalark at 10:53 AM on January 24, 2006

"...if the guy was muslim it would have been deleted, but that's life."

I'd like to say you were wrong about that, but I'm not sure.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 11:11 AM on January 24, 2006

Jesus seeks loving woman
posted by knave at 1:29 PM on January 24, 2006

Was the post bad/offensive/wrong? No.
Was it mildly amusing? Yes.
Is it best of the web? Um..... Next question?
posted by Afroblanco at 2:45 PM on January 24, 2006

Laughing at those less fortunate that ourselves is what the Web is best at.
posted by dg at 8:44 PM on January 24, 2006

The FPP didn't mock him. You guys defending "poor Josh" are being way overzealous. All the FPP did was give him more publicity. I didn't read it in in the interest of mocking him; not as though he could hear it anyway. I read it because I found it bizarre, anachronistic, and fascinating.
posted by ludwig_van at 7:43 AM on January 25, 2006