Unicorn Chaser

This sort of thing upsets me too -- and I don't need to invite these sort of stories into my life -- but I would have done the same thing she has. You can't come across a story like this without sharing it with somebody.

Spider Robinson said it best: "Shared pain is lessened; shared joy, increased — thus do we refute entropy."

Take a look at this

#15 posted by Lester, May 18, 2009 12:23 PM

Also, Nicheplayer (#3) should get, like, a t-shirt or something for pulling that all together and letting off some steam.

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#16 posted by arkizzle, May 18, 2009 12:34 PM

"But I need a break from here for now."

With a temper like that, you are almost certianly assured of a break from BB.

Take a look at this

#17 posted by General Specific, May 18, 2009 12:35 PM

The story that prompted this made me tear up, and I hate that I read it. I appreciate this unicorn chaser, but I can't unread what I've already read. I'm playing in your house and with your toys, so I don't like to criticize BB, but sharing that story was mean. It will stick with me forever, and I think that sucks.

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#18 posted by artbot, May 18, 2009 12:37 PM

#12 - Totally agreed! At least your first paragraph, anyway.

#14 - I call BS. As someone pointed out in the offending post, there are plenty of horrors in the world and we don't need our noses rubbed in them. There are many sites out there to go to for this sort of disgusting crap.

You are just plain wrong in that, "You can't come across a story like this without sharing it with somebody." What a crock!

Take a look at this

#19 posted by Talia, May 18, 2009 12:41 PM

#18 "You are just plain wrong in that, "You can't come across a story like this without sharing it with somebody." What a crock!"

Has it occurred to you, just maybe, that that's something that differs from person to person?

Even if you dont feel the need, others might? Consider taking a step down off that high horse there, buddy.

#12 Just pointing out that by starting your post with "fuck you," you immidiately alienate every single person who reads it. I didnt even bother reading more than a line or two past that. Its simply immature and a poor way to make an argument.

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#20 posted by Talia, May 18, 2009 12:49 PM

Anyone who's read more than a page or two of BB has an idea of what the blog is, regardless of tagline. Therefore, its reasonable to expect people to not bitch about it. If you want a blog that's all happy sugary rainbows flying out your butt sunnyness all the time, try Cute Overload :P

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#21 posted by Lester, May 18, 2009 12:53 PM

#18. I'm just "plain wrong in that?"

The notion that sharing pain makes it hurt less is a funny place to draw the line on subjective thinking.

Again, the original was not my favorite Xeni post ever and, as I said on the other thread, I can get by without hearing more stories about children in pain. (Trust me, I used to work the night shift as a clerk in a children's hospital. As far as I'm concerned there's no level in Hell deep enough to account for pain of a child betrayed by his or her own parents.)

I'm willing to give Xeni the benefit of the doubt here. Hasn't she earned it?

Yes, I often see Boing Boing as a refuge -- or at least a place to kill some fucking time when I'm not terribly happy at work -- but on the whole they've managed to earn my appreciation for changing the way I approach life, even if it has been through small and subtle things.

(Thanks Mark, Xeni, David, Cory & John for reminding me what a wonderful fucking place full of wonderful fucking things that this wonderful fucking world is.)

So, yeah, I'm giving Xeni the benefit of the doubt that she needed to vent some after reading this (a notion supported by the fact she mentions in the other thread how her own PCP experiences influenced her post). I owe her that much, at least.

Take a look at this

#22 posted by archanoid, May 18, 2009 2:49 PM

All right. I'll eat crow. I'll take my beating.

I had a bad reaction to the original story and a *violent* reaction to the apology embodied in a posting of a papercraft unicorn as though that somehow made it okay. If felt patronizing, which I'm sure wasn't Xeni's intention.

I over-reacted. I am an idiot for not just walking away for a bit and waiting before saying anything.

I'm glad the post was removed as it was uncalled for.

My humblest apologies to Xeni.

What's even dumber of me is to think I wouldn't have seen or heard this story elsewhere. It just popped up on Fark, and I haven't checked but imagine reddit, digg, and many others have it.

It'll likely be on the 11:00 news tonight. It's TOO sensational not to cover.

Of course I don't expect BB to be happy rainbows and sunshine. I've read many unpleasant things here but have always been uplifted by the spirit of the coverage, and the generally insightful discussions that typically follow.

Put simply, this story hurt. I over-reacted. I'm sorry.

Take a look at this

#23 posted by Anonymous, May 18, 2009 2:57 PM

It's a very nice origami unicorn. Make me 50 out of hundred dollar bills and they might be enough to pay for the therapy I'm going to need after... *that* post. I may have to blog the nightmares that one will give me and submit them as stories.

Starting brainbleaching in 5, 4, 3, 2...

Take a look at this

#24 posted by ill lich, May 18, 2009 3:02 PM

Nice try, but I don't think even a real live unicorn will make me feel any better today.

Sometimes beautiful sunny days are the worst.

Take a look at this

#25 posted by treepour, May 18, 2009 3:15 PM

Any chance that extremely disturbing/violent content could be hidden "below the jump" as a matter of general practice?

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#26 posted by nosehat, May 18, 2009 3:22 PM

@ Xeni: I also posted it because I was trying to reconcile my own (frightening but non-violent) experience of having once taken the drug with the understanding that sometimes when others consume it, they commit horrible, horrible acts of violence like this. I really want to know: does the drug *cause* the violence? Or do people with an inclination toward this behavior gravitate to repeated use of this particular drug?

I have found this site to be invaluable in researching the range of effects that various illicit drugs have on different people. It's a large archive of various first-person accounts.

Take a look at this

#27 posted by Scixual, May 18, 2009 3:37 PM

Life gives us horror. Shall we pretend it doesn't? Or can we, perhaps, look it in the face, shake our heads, and say, "that's fucked up"? I really, really, seriously think that it's healthy to tell horror stories. This includes "real" ones.

You can't have the bizarre and fascinating without coming up with what is horrifying as well. Unpleasant as it is, I think it is worth looking at.

For that, I didn't read the linked story, and really only read the headline and skimmed a bit. I know what I am capable of, and today is not an "I can handle everything" day for me.

Take a look at this

#28 posted by Xopher, May 18, 2009 4:02 PM

All discussion of other posts aside, I declare that this is the prettiest paper unicorn I ever did see in all my born days.

Take a look at this

#29 posted by mdh, May 18, 2009 4:13 PM

You are just plain wrong in that, "You can't come across a story like this without sharing it with somebody." What a crock!

Speak for yourself.

On your own blog, if need be.

Take a look at this

#30 posted by SKR, May 18, 2009 4:43 PM

@ nicheplayer

{shudders}{claps}

really didn't need to juxtapose those two images though. I'm going to look at puppies.

Take a look at this

#31 posted by EscapingTheTrunk, May 18, 2009 5:03 PM

BB's content is not always wonderful. Murders on YouTube are not wonderful. The econopocalypse, its roots and consequences are not wonderful. The status of citizens and refugees in the developing world is not wonderful. The steady erosion of rights to privacy is not wonderful. Moreover, wonder is not always wonderful: wonder is the sensation of astonishment, and acts of unimaginable savagery can astonish us just as deeply as works of unexpected beauty.

But you know what's wonderful? Information. Information is wonderful. The infrastructure that makes possible its distribution is wonderful. People who make it their life's work to inform others correctly are wonderful. People who want to become informed -- they're wonderful. The desire to see the world for what it is, warts and all, to love it by learning more about it, that's wonderful. And that's what BB is about. The directory of wonderful things includes the readers. We are the wonderful things. And we are most wondrous when proceeding undaunted through the real world, informed and empowered through the shared effort of our communities far and wide.

Each editor brings something different to BB. But that spirit -- the love of information, love of learning, love of sharing -- seems to unite them. At least, such is my impression as a reader.

Take a look at this

#32 posted by Machineintheghost, May 18, 2009 5:13 PM

The underlying story continues to make me depressed right now. But Xeni was right to post it. This story illustrates how monstrously unjust this rotten world can be. We all know that in theory. But compassion fatigue can set in pretty easily.

This story makes me want the world to be a less fucked-up than it is right now. That would be the right kind of unicorn chaser. Actually the best kind of unicorn chaser would be a story saying that full eye transplant medicine just around the corner, along with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" memory modification for this kid and for all of us. Failing that, though, this story makes me want to get off my cynical, lazy butt and do something good in the ways that are actually in my power. I can't believe I said that without irony.

Take a look at this

#33 posted by squozen, May 18, 2009 6:27 PM

Better watch that horn, you could take an eye out!

Take a look at this

#34 posted by dodi, May 18, 2009 7:22 PM

@Arkizzle - Thank you! I did think it was wonderful and it made me laugh.

I've been thinking of the story this one chased all day. I wanted to talk about it be didn't want to expose anyone else to it. It's horrible and yet I still followed one of the links to read a fuller account.

I didn't mean to criticize Xeni's posting of the story and sound like a hater. I just thought we could all use some extra beautiful after extra dose of evil.

Take a look at this

#35 posted by williamj35, May 18, 2009 7:29 PM

It happened again. I was a jerk on the internet. Sorry I overreacted. You posted something unexpectedly horrific and I reacted poorly. Thx 4 the unicorn.

Take a look at this

#36 posted by sammich, May 19, 2009 2:30 AM

is that unicorn swathed in masking tape? mucky it up a bit and it'll never be pinched...

Take a look at this

#37 posted by andygates, May 19, 2009 3:15 PM

You know, origami unicorns are good for soothing the squick and shudder of the day. Not only are they lovely, they're also so fiddly and time-consuming that nausea and rage settle back down.

(Yes, I've just been leafleted by the British National Party and made a unicorn from it instead of, say, wrapping it around a brick or blocking my lavatory with it: karma was restored and some good came of bad)

Unicorn Chaser

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