Saw this in r/halo today and realized that you’ve also nuked your entire channel. I wish you well in the next chapter of your life, whatever form that may take, but what is the deal with this latest development? Why the melodrama? Is it really necessary to be this vague? At this point, I’m genuinely worried about your state of mind. Like, are you crying out for help? Is everything okay?

We get a new Acronym!

AWAMAB

I’m drawing a blank, though it may be related to the Hamlet bit still on screen.

Marty disappearing from the internet is a blessing we don’t deserve.

Saw this in r/halo today and realized that you’ve also nuked your entire channel. I wish you well in the next chapter of your life, whatever form that may take, but what is the deal with this latest development? Why the melodrama? Is it really necessary to be this vague? At this point, I’m genuinely worried about your state of mind. Like, are you crying out for help? Is everything okay?

He does say "it's all good" in the description. The admins on the Marty Army discord say that there's no health issue involved. I won't defend every action he's ever taken or every post he's made. (I can't do that for myself.) The classical liberal in me respects and will defend his right to say what he thinks--I don't have to agree with it. Maybe he's decided it's not worth his time dealing with zealots who hate his guts because of what they think they know about him--the people who enjoy the attention they get when they use him as a prop for their online performances. They have no interest in having an honest, good faith exchange with him where something could be learned or taught. If that is what this is about, I can't blame him.

Go make some music, Marty. It is your calling. The toxic cesspool that is most of the internet doesn't deserve the blessing of your talent, and is keeping many from being their best selves--maybe even you. The world is not Twitter or Facebook or YouTube--it is family, meals with friends, art that lifts you up to something greater, and looking into the eyes of people and loving them. Enjoy.

Once again.

Taking your advice.

Thanks.

I was genuinely worried about your mental health and well-being. It’s a dramatic step to delete the contents of your YouTube channel, Twitter account, etc. and then post a solitary announcement to convey your goodbyes. If you’ve simply chosen to move on to something new, then that’s your thing. No judgment here.

I thought you might be dying or something. Well, I suppose we’re all dying, but that’s beside the point. I’m glad you’re okay!

The classical liberal in me respects and will defend his right to say what he thinks--I don't have to agree with it. Maybe he's decided it's not worth his time dealing with zealots who hate his guts because of what they think they know about him--the people who enjoy the attention they get when they use him as a prop for their online performances. They have no interest in having an honest, good faith exchange with him where something could be learned or taught. If that is what this is about, I can't blame him.

You’re operating under the delusion that you have to know someone intimately to judge them, and that all opinions are worth respect. I’m of the opinion that when someone willing provides you with examples of their character, you can listen to them with knowing every detail of who they are. Someone who compares Covid restrictions to Nazi German is no longer worth any of my respect, for example, and is a person with which good faith discussion is no longer an option. Claiming that people who refuse to do so are being performative is ignorant at best, if not outright stupid.

Edit: I guess that’s not always true. It is performative, in instances like this very post, in that it’s important to publicly call out this sort of dogwhistle bullshit. We don’t have to respect everyone’s opinions. Sometimes people’s opinions are dogshit, and we should call them out as such.

The classical liberal in me respects and will defend his right to say what he thinks--I don't have to agree with it. Maybe he's decided it's not worth his time dealing with zealots who hate his guts because of what they think they know about him--the people who enjoy the attention they get when they use him as a prop for their online performances. They have no interest in having an honest, good faith exchange with him where something could be learned or taught. If that is what this is about, I can't blame him.

You’re operating under the delusion that you have to know someone intimately to judge them, and that all opinions are worth respect. I’m of the opinion that when someone willing provides you with examples of their character, you can listen to them with knowing every detail of who they are. Someone who compares Covid restrictions to Nazi German is no longer worth any of my respect, for example, and is a person with which good faith discussion is no longer an option. Claiming that people who refuse to do so are being performative is ignorant at best, if not outright stupid.

Edit: I guess that’s not always true. It is performative, in instances like this very post, in that it’s important to publicly call out this sort of dogwhistle bullshit. We don’t have to respect everyone’s opinions. Sometimes people’s opinions are dogshit, and we should call them out as such.

I should start this with "I am not informed", and I'm shooting from the hip in this limited exposure here.

Bullshit should be called out. And if a favorite (or apparently former favorite) composer has attached themself to such an ignorant and emotive take, well that is indeed grossly sad. But how we conduct ourselves is JUST as important as calling the Bullshit out. If all we do is push away, and bare our teeth, where do we think such folk are to go? That's how the echo chambers get made. That's how crazy gets crazier, all built by the stones paved by best intention. Alas, as I've made mention many times before, this format "the internet" is a lousy place to preach such nuance, but well, dam fool I am had to say something.

I don't know. All I see is my response in... if we are so quick to judge, and are not equally quick to forgive, well that's quite another mire all together. Suppose I should mention The Paradox of Tolerance too, since... you know. Nuance.

Do not underestimate the power of friends. It goes both ways.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

I don't know. All I see is my response in... if we are so quick to judge, and are not equally quick to forgive,

I’ll forgive most people almost anything. They have to actually apologize and show remorse and change first, though.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

Considering we all share this Earth, they can't get far enough away to not collectively come back to bite us in the ass. I think that's the point being made here.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

Considering we all share this Earth, they can't get far enough away to not collectively come back to bite us in the ass. I think that's the point being made here.

We’ve already tried to have sensible conversations with them. We’ve been trying that for 80 years now, and all it has gotten us is over a million dead in this country, attempted coups, and people shooting up supermarkets. I don’t care anymore about trying to coddle them so they don’t think I’m unreasonable. Fuck them.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

Considering we all share this Earth, they can't get far enough away to not collectively come back to bite us in the ass. I think that's the point being made here.

We’ve already tried to have sensible conversations with them. We’ve been trying that for 80 years now, and all it has gotten us is over a million dead in this country, attempted coups, and people shooting up supermarkets. I don’t care anymore about trying to coddle them so they don’t think I’m unreasonable. Fuck them.

And why do you think it’s gotten to that point?

The best advice I’ve ever gotten, which I can’t say I’ve always followed because it is indeed hard to do, was:

Work toward what you’re FOR; don’t fight what you’re against.

Except microtransactions. Feel free be against those and rage.

Someone who compares Covid restrictions to Nazi German is no longer worth any of my respect, for example, and is a person with which good faith discussion is no longer an option.

Just to be clear, are you using this as a hypothetical, or are you saying Marty said this? It's kinda of… ambiguous.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

I don't know. All I see is my response in... if we are so quick to judge, and are not equally quick to forgive,

I’ll forgive most people almost anything. They have to actually apologize and show remorse and change first, though.

In other words, they have to first submit a signed confession of all the sins you've laid out in your supreme, infallible judgment of them. Got it.

As a mere mortal, I'll stick to the more likely positive scenario of a good faith conversation, where both parties go in admitting they might have something to learn.

where do we think such folk are to go?

As far away from me as possible is as much as I can hope for.

Ah. Well you indirectly bring an interesting, and often unconsidered point. Temperament. One can not make a tiger by simply adding stripes. It surely isn't easy to stand firm, and move forward step-by-step, to not squish ones own face in a number of expressions. Step-by-step, as we get extensively splashed again and again by wave after wave of reprehensible, immoral, nonsensical, and emotively charged snake-oil bullshit. Shit that promotes its self to be one thing, yet is often the exact opposite. Often Malice in its true form, or ignorance in its echo.

Your answer is unfortunate. But I can not blame you for being exhausted.

I don't know. All I see is my response in... if we are so quick to judge, and are not equally quick to forgive,

I’ll forgive most people almost anything. They have to actually apologize and show remorse and change first, though.

Fair. Bad faith noise really is some of the worst.

That’s not the case at all, and you’re smart enough to know better.

Marty said that. I don’t recall the exact thing phrasing, but he compared enforcing Covid restrictions to the SS in Germany. It was the day I unfollowed him on twitter.

...that's likely to bring a lock. Blaspheming tends to end conversations, much like the potential uptick in the Geiger counter.

That’s not the case at all, and you’re smart enough to know better.

It's not literally the case, but you've ruled out a conversation, which realistically is the only context in which such a reformation might begin. You're a good guy, cheapley, but I wouldn't want to be married to you. Your standards are quite high, and you are very certain of what you think people think and why they think it.

Have you ever thought about quitting Twitter? It could lead to a less Manichean view of things.

That’s not the case at all, and you’re smart enough to know better.

It's not literally the case, but you've ruled out a conversation,

I don’t owe anyone a conversation. Nobody owes me an explanation of their beliefs, but if I think their beliefs are shitty, I’m not going to associate with them. Let’s be real, though. The whole world of information is in everyone’s pocket. If someone is going to go out there and make ridiculous and harmful statements like that, why the hell should I waste my time engaging with them? What could I say to overcome what’s probably a lifetime of indoctrination to that stupidity? I don’t care to waste my precious time doing it.

I don’t think anyone is irredeemable. If I did, I’d have had to throw myself off a bridge a long time ago. But that doesn’t mean I have to just stand by and accept people for who they are, when all evidence points to those people being shitty.

Have you ever thought about quitting Twitter? It could lead to a less Manichean view of things.

I very rarely use twitter. I’ve been on that site literally less than two dozen times, ever. I always think about using it to follow creators I like, but I never check it. I happened to see Marty’s tweet one of the few times I actually logged on. It made me dig deeper, though, and it would be wrong to say it was an isolated incident. It’s the one good thing about twitter (and all social media)—it makes it easy to avoid the awful people, because they’re out there willingly showing the world how awful they are.

Things have gotten way past the point of civility; I should have been around more to try and keeping things slightly less volatile. Sorry.

Gonna lock this thread; the last batch of posts added no new talking points, but plenty more acidity. Everyone involved knows where everyone else involved stands, and repeating those positions, in ever-more-offensive language, does nobody any good.

Again, apologies for not being around to try and toss a blanket earlier.