I'm getting uncomfortable at this being the second time you've vouched for someone being cool, when my first & only exposure to them was quite the opposite, because, as I've said before,
YOU DO seem genuinely nice & kind & generous yourself, lol.
The first time I saw Randy talk was a Pixel Dan interview, where he was talking about how great "the chase" is, and "having something someone else doesn't have, really makes you feel special." Which I not only loathe the chase because I practically always come up empty, having wasted time & gas, but that second sentiment is SUPER FUCKING TOXIC to the collecting community. It's all those fuckwads who absolutely hated me on Fwoosh, who sobbed uncontrollably when a company would reissue an exclusive, because it meant their figure's value decreased.
I've only seen one other interview with Randy & Veebs, and he wasn't all that nice or kind to Veebs (who isn't my favorite person either, which sucks, because I LOVE Robo & wanna be his best friend lolol). He was very sarcastic & snarky, and that shit's only funny when you also display redeemable qualities with them. Brian Flynn may be one of the toy community's biggest pieces of shit, but he's still always super friendly on camera (which is jarring, when he says unhinged asshole shit in that tone, lmfao).
He should have never been doxxed, and that person who did it should be fired...from a cannon into the Sun.
But anyone who prefers this hobby to be EXclusive instead of INclusive...isn't nice, kind, and certainly nowhere near generous, I'm sorry, lol.
So...
This is going to come across the wrong way and super finger pointy-y...so my apologies in advance.
That said, I live by the philosophy of "If everyone else is a problem, maybe it's me/you". Like, I used to think that everyone under the sun was a massive prick. I still do. I'm working on that.
However, I also began to take a step back and understand that I'm not always the most pleasant. I can be an asshole, I can be snippy, and I can be curt or blunt in a very confrontational way. I began to realize that not everyone I was speaking to was an asshole, and maybe that I was the asshole. Maybe that day I had my sensitivity dialed up a bit, and I wasn't reading the situation as I should have been. Sure, there are truly some horrible people out there, but...all of them? Everyone? Or is it me?
Now, that's not to excuse myself or what I say, I take ownership of being a prick, myself--but that doesn't make it okay. And because of that, I've continued working on being a more patient and understanding person who gives others grace for any perceived transgressions. It doesn't always happen, but I genuinely make an effort.
I actively try to see the positives in people, although, again, it doesn't always work out, and that side of me starts to rear its ugly head again. But I continue to try to get along, and not be too egregious in what I say, and be pleasant to others.
That being said, I think it's fair to say that on the opposite side of the spectrum, I've seen you outright say that people should die in fires. Over toys. I don't think that is a particularly healthy way of viewing people or talking about people. There are people here that I can't stand, there are people across this hobby that I abhor--there are certain lines we cannot cross. Wishing death on those people is one of those things. Especially over something as innocuous as them being mean to you. Yeah, it sucks, and yeah you can tell them to go fuck themselves. But...harm? I can't say that's the right line of thinking.
So for every person you say I vouch for, I can say I've seen you say the opposite for people that I don't have that big of a problem with, or at all.
Everyone can have bad days, or bad weeks, or bad MONTHS. Everyone can have a misstep. Everyone can say the wrong thing, or say it in a way that someone doesn't like.
Especially me. And I would certainly hope no one wishes for me to die because of it.
In your case, there is no wiggle room. It's "this person has made this transgression towards me and now they must die". I can't walk through life like that. Especially over this silly little hobby.
Randy has snipped at me before. I snipped back. Half an hour later, we were laughing about something else. It happens. We all have our limits and boundaries, and sometimes, even people we enjoy meet them. Overall, however, he has been nothing but kind to me, and I've seen him go above and beyond to help others.
The key is to view the person as a whole, and not as their moments of lapse, where they lose themselves. I don't agree with your viewpoint on people, but I don't hold that against you. Just like I don't hold it against anyone else I've gotten into disagreements with here.
Continued patterns, however--horse of a different color. Some people are just bad people, and there's no redeeming. Randy, ToyShiz...they are not one of those people. But that's a rant for another day, and I've already rambled enough.
Hopefully this has been a cogent, logical response through the blabber.
