Doctor Dositheus

14 points, harshly undergraded every one except the ASM.

Turning over a new leaf and submitted early this time. This has to be the most subjective group yet. I kind of wonder if we'll get a 9.9 this contest.

As usual for these boards, this conversation has sort of gone of the rails. I'd like to bring it back to the subject at hand. I've been sorting through my feelings on this for a while now. I didn't want to share anything until I felt I could encompass all the nuances to this tragic event. As a regular watcher of their YouTube channel, I've seen Ed become increasing uncomfortable in his own skin over the past several months. Just recently, he admitted that he was not a person who is comfortable on camera. Ed had clearly built up a public facing persona over the years as a crutch. Lately, however, the façade was beginning to crumble. I think Ed was on the brink of figuring some things out and making some changes. I think these revelations came at the worst possible time, when he was already questioning some of the choices he made and how he presented himself. There is no doubt that Ed engaged in inappropriate communication with a young lady, and made her feel bad. Ed was likely attracted to younger women, as someone who is less than fully mature emotionally usually are. Ed may have also been a bad boyfriend, and treated his partners poorly as well. The Pittsburgh news crew acted shamefully, and deserves all the scorn they get. Unlike our comic books, there are no good guys/gals, no bad guys, only shades of gray. Ed seemed in a fragile state, and spoke about taking a step back before any of this broke. Recently he was having trouble getting some of his words out on camera. Did he have some foreknowledge about what was about to happen? Maybe. The point is, the whole situation is much more complex than most appreciate. It's my belief that Ed was already struggling with his mental health before this became public. Now about the young lady and his ex. I ask you to imagine a world with no internet. I know most of you are old enough to remember this world. In a world with no internet, what should justice look like for inappropriate communication that took place in the past, made you feel uncomfortable, that you now had the confidence to address? Our human nature can't help but view the internet as a tool to achieve our goals. Why go shopping around to several stores when I can just go on the internet? Why go through the hassle of addressing old grievances through difficult and uncomfortable interpersonal communication if I can just go on the internet? When someone suffers a grievance, there are two options. You can choose to express your feelings and give the other an opportunity for an apology and amends, or you can seek the justice of old, like for like. The internet is town gossip on steroids. Ask yourself and contemplate, why did the ladies used to whisper and feel moral shame over their irresistible urge to discuss such things? I think Ed was a naturally insecure person. He remained the nerdy teen who was picked on for reading comic books. Over the years he built up a persona that helped him cope with social anxiety and low self esteem. When that all came crumbling down he didn't have the tools he needed to pick himself back up, make amends and become stronger and a better person. As Don Henley sang, "give us dirty laundry". Little did Don know at the time how the internet would amplify those human tendencies. And little consideration is given in general on how the internet has amplified all of our human weaknesses. RIP Ed

He has passed . My deepest condolences to his family and friends.

Okay, sign me up.

I'm mostly okay with the casting. I would have preferred a more believable college football star type for Ben, but all in all, it could've been much worse. As I said in the other thread though, I hope Pedro at least starts the film with no beard.

Sorry I missed the deadline. I would've had 8 points probably, bringing me up to 21.

5 points. Good thing I bumped up a couple at the last minute. Now the pressure is on for the next two rounds.

Grades are in. This should be a fun one.

Pedro better be beardless to start the film or I riot.

Uh oh

Sign me up! I'll try not to drop out in the last round this time, although I wasn't too heartbroken about not finishing that last one.

Sorry for my tardiness. Rapid guesses are in.

I did better, but I'm still overgrading too much. Weird, because in most previous contests I usually undergraded.

I did the opposite of most, overgraded everything. I figured the detached staples were irrelevant in the grade range, but I guess I should've deducted a grade for them.