Registered: Feb 2001
Location: Oakland-ish
Posts: 6032

Have your parents ever visited the asylum?

Lat week when I posted my UU about my mother I sent the url out to a few friends and family. One of them was my father, who I really don't have much contact with.

The next day I get a call from my dad.

"So I saw that site," he said, "and I'm just curious, what's it about?"

"What do you mean exactly?" I asked.

"Well, who are those people, what it about?"

So I attempt to describe to my Dad, who's 78 years old and has all his marbles, what the Asylum is.

Not exactly easy. I think his interaction with the online world is playing bridge.

In a nutshell I decribed it as a forum for people to post their thoughts, their art, their stories, whatever they wanted. No real rules except no kiddie porn and so on. A place for freedom of ideas. A place to argue and laugh. A place to connect with others.

I described a few members that I thought my Dad could relate to, wonderaz and his ballooning, flocat the teacher, etc.

After all of this he says to me, "So, it's kind of cathartic for you?"

I said, "sure, I suppose, yes, it can be"

"Well, that's good then that's all i wanted to know." He complimented me on my piece and then said goodbye.

It didn't occur to me till about an hour after that he still may have the wrong impression about this place. See, he knows I have struggled with depression for many years, and with a name like the Asylum...

well you can just imagine what he thought!

I bet he thinks this place is a support group for people with mental health issues!

This amused me quite a bit. So Dad, if you are lurking, no it is not an official Asylum, although sometimes I am not so sure.

On a similar note I asked my 78 year old aunt to look at my web cam a month or so ago while we were having a voice chat. Her and my cousin visited my cam and asked afterward, "Do you know those people around you?"

I said, "Yes mostly I do"

She said, "well they look a little shady."

I said that you were actually all some of the finest people I know. Never judge a book by it's cover.

So, I am curious, have you sent a parent here?

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"if you never take it seriously, you never get hurt and if you never get hurt you always have fun"



[This message has been edited by Inky (edited 05-30-2001).]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 4523

No I haven't!
No I won't!

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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Erehwon
Posts: 7537

never. my parents wouldn't appreciate it - they wouldn't _get_ it

my girlfriend has seen as far as the front page however. I wont let her go any further

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a /\/\ i n a l

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: southern island
Posts: 526

quote:

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Originally posted by Inky:


I bet he thinks this place is a support group for people with mental health issues!

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How very true, as do I.

To answer your question, yes. My father was here once. I don't think here found this place very amusing. Not that he thought it was bad or anything. He would just rather play cribbage on Yahoo and look for collage porn when my step-mother isn't looking.
My mom does not have internet access. I can only imagine what she as a "faithful christian" would think if she seen some of the photo's and read some of the threads here. This is not a good thought.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: All East Coast : USA
Posts: 2450

The only time my parents caught a glimpse of this place was a while back and it was the chat room. I had left the IRC window open and left for a bit, came back and my mom made some joke on how it was "raunchy".

i think that's about it


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- brimstone

"We want it, we'll take it, nothing can stop us now" - ted the clown

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Posts: 10178

my dad wouldnt know how to turn on a computer.

my mom and stepdad, they have no clue about this site and i intend to keep it taht way.

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Registered: May 2001
Location:
Posts: 61

My mom cant get off ebay long enough to get anywhere online. My stepdad refuses to even play poker with anyone but the computer players.



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"let the whole world look in, who cares who sees anything"

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location:
Posts: 3102

i don't think my dad has seen it, but he knows some of my online names. he says he can't understand chat rooms cos people talk a load of shite and have no grammah but he can't type very fast and i guess he just gets frustrated!
some of my friends have found this place though, either cos i've told them or they found it through my site. one friend called me up after he had read a thread here about masturbation, which i had openly and honestly posted in! that was fun. so, i don't think i'd want my dad to know what goes on here!!! he knows everything i do anyway. he has magical powers.

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stinkycat - i love you

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Van Diemen's Land.
Posts: 3607

No.

Why would I want to reck a good thing by inviting my parents in?

No doubt my mum has seen me looking a it, though.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: anywhere but here
Posts: 4420

i think my mum has seen it briefly on a trip to collect dirty washing from my room when i happenned to be online, she always looks bemused ay anything i do online. She has seen MiRC as well and she said hello to sp00ky once and asked how my sister was, but thats about it. some of the threads would be a bit much for her christian and slightly prudish mind me thinks.

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: MadCo
Posts: 1801

My Dad's been around when I've been posting, and he's seen me chatting, but doesn't get it. I tried to explain, but it didn't work.

Only a few of my friends know about "The Asylum," and none know the URL. I like it that way, that way I can talk about things here I won't talk about to them

Melesse

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Might make it so hard to live
Without you there

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Gehenna
Posts: 1018

My father, RW II, reads The HyperTribe a few times a week, and my Mom actually posts there...she has watched me post here at Asylum on several occasions, and has actually expressed a desire to spend time here...but she never has. There's always something else that comes up.

I guess, when you're sixty years old and have survived cancer four times, your priorities become crystal clear to you. Maybe she'll eventually find time to post here, but I kinda doubt it.

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We are the damned of all the world


[This message has been edited by RogueWarrior (edited 05-30-2001).]

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 4523

quote:

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Originally posted by RogueWarrior:
My father, RW II,

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For some reason that made me laugh - strange



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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: here stupid!
Posts: 1907

nope no-way
its too advanced for my folks

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Registered: Nov 2000
Location: Gehenna
Posts: 1018

quote:

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Originally posted by Rav:
For some reason that made me laugh - strange

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I am RW III, Rav. Maybe it was funny because you didn't know that.



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We are the damned of all the world

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 4523

quote:

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Originally posted by RogueWarrior:
I am RW III, Rav. Maybe it was funny because you didn't know that.

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Hah yeah, thats probably it



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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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Registered: Aug 2000
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 1353

I've told my folks about this place. My parents want to know what it is I do for so long on the internet. I don't think that they (or most of my other friends) understand what it is we do here, but my mom always seems interested when I talk about the asylum. I don't know if she's ever stopped by or if she will.

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��=(�) .. boOM!!

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Essex, England
Posts: 4523

I know one of my friends registered on here, I don't think he ever posted here though.
I have Asylum linked on my website, but even I haven't been there in ages.

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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: seattle-ish
Posts: 11270

Although my mom would probably LOVE this place, Id prefer if she and my dad never know it exists. Same with my webpage.
My dad would probably post a few times and lose interest.
My mom would probably rack up MAD post counts. Surpassing wonderaz probably.
Not sure what my mom's boyfriend would think of this place.
My dad's wife would probably think we were all psycho, but shes fairly conservative(sheltered even).

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http://stateofX.net

You've got such a pretty smile ... it's a shame, the things you hide behind it.

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Registered: Apr 2001
Location: Denver
Posts: 2532

My mother would only bring greater insanity to this place. My dad would find it uninteresting. My husband has seen me here, and everytime he does, asks "What's that?" and everytime, I answer him the same way. "It's a forum" and he leaves me alone. I'd prefer he not post...just make my life easier.

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Where am I from? Hell, would you like to come home with me?

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Registered: Sep 2000
Location: 51N3, 114W3
Posts: 1071

quote:

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Originally posted by Inky:

I bet he thinks this place is a support group for people with mental health issues!

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You mean it isn't?

quote:

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Originally posted by Inky:

She said, "well they look a little shady."

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I found that amusing. Makes it sound like a rookery or something.

My parents visit my own site, but they're blissfully unaware of my other activities online. They're still getting over the fact their phone was tapped by the RCMP for two years because of me.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: California
Posts: 4252

quote:

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Originally posted by RogueWarrior:
I am RW III, Rav. Maybe it was funny because you didn't know that.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Bangor, ME
Posts: 10153

GAWD NO!!!!

i would shudder to think of them lurkin around here

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"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools."
-Ernest Hemingway

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Registered: Oct 2000
Location: Wetaskiwin AB, Canada
Posts: 1438

I sent my dad here once, I wanted him to read all about the support I got from y'all in March.
It's possible he may be lurking, but I doubt it. My dad has never showed a real interest in anything I find important anyways, so I doubt he'd ever be here.

I tried to watch Oz with him weekend before last..... It was rather uncomfortable.


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Go there. I command it.

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