This was a real post on my neighborhood listserv

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Imagined response:

Dear Annie,

I was devastated to hear about the incident this morning. Poor Julian! I'm so glad you alerted the neighborhood so that we can be on the lookout for this man. Did you get his license plate number? What has the world become that our children can't even be in public places, without people saying hateful things. Actually, I just feel sorry for that man, can you imagine going through life filled with that much hate? You and Julian should take the time you need to grieve before you begin healing.

I was planning to email you this week to warn you about a troubling incident at the Gentle Friends Coop. You know I've always been a big supporter of Gentle Friends, and Maisie has blossomed there. But last week, I was sitting on a bench watching her play, and a little boy came up to her and said "YOU'RE NOT SPECIAL!" Can you imagine? I spoke to the director immediately, and she said it was "developmentally normal"! Well, we walked out the door and we're never going back. Maisie hasn't been sleeping well for the past few weeks. I thought she had been exposed to gluten, but now I know it was the trauma of being bullied. I'm trying to forgive myself for not attending all the Coop sessions. Now I know!

This parenting thing can be so hard sometimes! Hope I see you at yoga, it's a great stress reliever!

Kate

I love you so much! Are you on the baby name thread?

Take some time to grieve befor you begin healing...LMAO!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here, this is in Bethesda,

Figures, good Lord, this is where I live.
The children of the bourgeoisie have no resiliency, and can make no mistakes. Bracing for an epidemic of "white collar' crime.

Let's hope there is some real leadership coming in the next generation from the Heartland Middle Class - a la Bill Clinton.

Okay, really? Clinton was a good president, but not sure I would hold him up as a role model for my children when it comes to personal conduct. Multiple affairs and a marriage maintained for business/political reasons. On the other hand he was never accused, at least that we know of, of pinecone assault.

OMG CAN YOU JUST SHUT UP? You don't know what you're even talking about wrt his marriage.

Hillary? First tweeting and now DCUM?

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well, I guess I'm inviting everyone to mock me as well, but here goes. . .

I don't think the mother's email was really off base. It's not something I would probably send, but my reaction as a recipient would have been mild sympathy.

Some kids have a really strong sense of shame, especially at that age, and many have a strong sense of justice as well. In combination, I can see where a mother would be frustrated at how this played out. My nephew is like that. I can easily imagine him ruminating on this and feeling really bad and embarrassed for a long time.

I also think if you're going to really take someone to task, especially a stranger who won't have the opportunity to follow up later, it's better not to do it in a hit-and-run fashion. The kid is not entitled to "closure" as the mother put it, but it would nice. Since the guy took on the role of "village" in this situation, he could have take the extra 30 seconds to do it more productively. Learning to apologize meaningfully is important and this was a lost opportunity for that. One of my biggest peeves is those terrible, passive-voice, "I'm sorry if what I said/did offended you," nonapologies that you hear all the time.

+1

-1

[Anonymous]

I dont really care about the pinecone kid controversy, but i loved the other listserve post craziness that others posted. Hilarious! I loved the parrot needle in the ear lady, you cant make thats stuff up!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I'm sure she's a perfectly nice lady.

I'm not.

[Anonymous]

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:[
Okay, so the pine come lady gets a pass? She gets to go on her neighborhood listserve and post a public rant against a neighbor. But, you're on here criticizing OP for reposting it?

Lol, strange logic.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread has revealed humanity in all its vile filth.

It is truly an increasing avalanche of ever-grosser degradation, from the spiteful little child, no doubt laughing as he hurled his missile at the unsuspecting motorist, to the motorist, delighting in screaming at the poor defenseless child, to the preening mother, plastering her passive-aggressive hypocrisy across Bethesda, to the privacy-stealing anonymous OP, smearing this grotesque incident across the World Wide Web, to the screeching harpies, homophobes and proverb-misquoters alighting on the sorry tale like vultures on the bloated purifying corpse of a baby hippopotamus.

No, I am afraid that no one, except possibly me, has emerged from this wretched little tale covered in glory. SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!

Lighten up, Francis.

This post isn't sarcastic?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I love the picture posters.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

The only person who will NOT be commented about it op - a coward who hid behind an anonymous board to bring public shame to one of her neighbors.

Says the anonymous coward who attacks OP. Shame on you.

[Anonymous]

would someone please, please post the address of the listserv? I do live in Bethesda, I promise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:would someone please, please post the address of the listserv? I do live in Bethesda, I promise.

What GOOD would come of that?! I hope I don't know you. Tacky indeed.

[Anonymous]

I live in McLean. There aren't listservs here are there? I'm not sure I want to know if there are after reading this thread . . .

[Anonymous]