Thanking Digital Spy Very Kindly

Many thanks to the hate thread directed my way on Digital Spy. Has it annoyed me? Well, the only thing that has, actually, is the misguided assumption from dublintvfan asserting that I'm a Republican who watches Fox News. Really, my child, you need (a) to get out more and (b) to learn to read for comprehension. By the way, your spelling could be improved as well, as could priscilla's.

If dublintvfan went to all the trouble to look at my Facebook page, he obviously didn't read any of the postings. If he had, he would have ascertained that I'm the furthest thing from a Republican. However, he didn't mean to do that. He just meant to assume.

If I've got information about various sheeple on Digital Spy, it's because you've left a trail, and if I'm harsh and hurt your feelings, grow the fuck up. I know the nature of fora and the creatures they spawn, a lot of whom aren't nice and - due to various circumstances in their own lives - use the fora to bully and intimidate people, probably because they are either bullied, intimidated or ignored in their real life.

I was amused to see many of the usual suspects rounding on me who participated in the cruelest of cyber-bullying during the weekend, targeting a forum member with autism. Two of these people, admittedly, pulled back on their OTT remarks, when they realised that another forum member was reporting two of the more vociferous ringleaders. They thought they might get a ban. One of these people is someone who's planning his imminent marriage. I have the highest hopes of the tolerance in which he'll raise any future children, considering he's behaving at the moment very much like a child, himself.

In the past, I've had people from other fora find my address and publish it, find my children's names and the names of their schools and threaten to show up outside. I've had very personal information published on other fora about myself with the ubiquitous personal remark added. Those people have been dealt with. What information I've revealed has been nothing more than the sheeple have revealed about themselves. And for the record, most of the comments deleted on this blog have been those issuing personal threats, which is, by any stretch of the imagination, against the law.

I've not been the only person who's also been threatened directly by the person who calls herself monalisa. I have no qualms about responding to her in kind, albeit without the threats, because she gives as good as she gets. I also have no qualms about calling out someone who purports to be a middle-aged businesswoman, using a soaps forum to, however inadvertantly, condone vandalism and promote the idea that it's ok for a woman to be unfaithful in a relationship because it's cool in a misguided attempt to be relevant.

Another commenter has been called out because she plagiarised the intellectual content, sometimes word for word, of this blog. If anyone does that in an academic venue, they are discredited.

I just want to thank you all for the added publicity you've given this blog. That's a fair bit of money raised here during the Christmas season. I also want to point out that, although what you did in your witch hunt of the autistic forum member last weekend was far lower than any criticism of me, the hate thread dublintvfan initiated was just as childish and very cowardly. Keeki is to be credited with the intelligence and foresight to recommend you come onto the blog and defend any criticism. You're more than welcome, but if you show you're abusive without any element of critical thinking, your comment may not be published. Kudos also to Filiman. We did often disagree, but there's a way to do that, and he saw clearly the motive behind this blog.

Also, it's certainly a sad state of affairs and a condemnation of the British education system when people not only are unable to think critically, they're also unable to recognise satire or irony. For those of you hankering after a career in the media, without that ability, you won't go far.

And, finally, regarding my contretemps with Shane Richie, he came out the worse for wear on that as he showed himself to be petty, thin-skinned and distinctly unintelligent. You do yourself a disservice in your elevation of people like Richie. Richie spent the six years he was absent from EastEnders banging the young girl who was president of his fan club, starting their affair in the upstairs spare bedroom of her parents' home, unbeknownst to them, and flinging hundred pound notes at her after every sex session. He dropped her like the proverbial hot potato once he'd been asked to return to EastEnders, fearful that his wife would find out and that the tabloids would as well. Anyone worshipping at that altar seriously needs to examine their own moral compass, if they think what I do is bad.

Oh, and dublintvfan, you come from a breed of beautiful, poetic Celtic people. You give them a bad name. Try worrying or trying to understand the economic conundrum your country faces and how it impedes upon the European Union and when you're able to understand that, you may find you're able to think critically.

And, Hankshaw, I'm anything but reeling. In fact, I'm laughing in disbelief at the puerility of the thread, not to mention the semi-literacy of some posters. Really, eight year-olds are more mature and articulate.