Anyone else remember Benny Blanco?

[Make-U-Tap]

If there were anything, I wouldn't be able to tell you, bud.

I understand. It's likely best that way.

 

[dirtypablo]

Damn, if that post was legit...whoa.

I get it though. Not everyone is trying to stick around. Not everyone enjoys living. Who am I to tell them that they should?

Being born a human, at this time on Earth, is a pretty shitty deal in many ways. Some would rather check out than ride it out. Can't blame em really. It is what it is.

Being born a human, at this time on earth, is a far, far better deal than 99.99% of living beings on this planet have had.

 

[dirtypablo]

I can't call it. Not for certain anyway. It could be the best time and yet still be a shitty deal in many ways, though.

But I'm curious as to why you would say so. Because we have cell phones and shit? Fancy new tech to make life easy? Cars, planes, and other material things?

Because of the options. If you want to go live in the wilderness away from technology, you can. And guess what? Youve got access to all the information in the world to make sure you dont kill yourself if you do, or if you accidentally cut your foot off you can still keep an emergency phone to call for help to assure you dont slowly die of an infection.
If you want to live in a big city you can do that too. If you want to live by the beach, if you want to live in a frozen wasteland, if you want to study one of the thousands of religious paths out there, you can.

 

[equus]

Anyone rember the thread on a Honda website (IIRC) of the guy who went traveling through South America on his bike and hit a donkey? Saddest shit I have ever read on a forum.

Edit- found it

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136505

After a few pages you can just stick to reading the TSs posts and slim the rest. I read it at work expecting it to be a cool adventure story to pass the time and some fucker started cutting onions next to me

that was such a sad story back then. well and now as well. it isn't linked in that specific thread but Charles was typing at the time of his suicide. its an extremely hard and sad read. this is the last exerpt where he describes dying after he stabbed himself. it will be extremely sad to read.

Spoiler

This is my moment.
It

 

[Make-U-Tap]

that was such a sad story back then. well and now as well. it isn't linked in that specific thread but Charles was typing at the time of his suicide. its an extremely hard and sad read. this is the last exerpt where he describes dying after he stabbed himself. it will be extremely sad to read.

Spoiler

This is my moment.
It

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

Can't remember if I remember him or not, was he secretly JackPutz or something?

 

[WorldofWarcraft]

I feel horrible. I wish I could have somehow made a difference and turned their lives around.

 

[new_mexico1]

The guy who owned the club in Carlito's Way?

 

[dirtypablo]

So many words come to mind, but none can relay the true emotion after reading that. I just read a mans dying thoughts. Unbelievable it can be so surreal and serene.

Reading through that thread is rough.

What was the story behind Benny Blanco? Did he post why he was doing it or was it just one post?

 

[Wrath621]

that was such a sad story back then. well and now as well. it isn't linked in that specific thread but Charles was typing at the time of his suicide. its an extremely hard and sad read. this is the last exerpt where he describes dying after he stabbed himself. it will be extremely sad to read.

Was this confirmed as legit?

 

[Caution]

He's hanging around.

 

[equus]

Was this confirmed as legit?

the family confirmed it was written by him. they wanted it off the site. I guess that he emailed it to the guy who posted it and the friend posted it as Charles wish

 

[KaveMan]

There was also the very recent incident of a Sherdog member killing himself; he posted a lot in the Grappling thread as well as in the Mayberry.

 

[Make-U-Tap]

Reading through that thread is rough.

What was the story behind Benny Blanco? Did he post why he was doing it or was it just one post?

It was more than one post for sure. For awhile he had an ongoing dialogue with sherdoggers. You can imagine the trolls in there.

After the server move in 2006 all prior threads were lost.

 

[Wrath621]

the family confirmed it was written by him. they wanted it off the site. I guess that he emailed it to the guy who posted it and the friend posted it as Charles wish

So fucking sad. He and I had some things in common that we would discuss via PM. Some of the things I have struggled with he had too. Then I took a long break from sherdog and never really caught back up with him when I got back.

Shit

 

[dirtypablo]

So fucking sad. He and I had some things in common that we would discuss via PM. Some of the things I have struggled with he had too. Then I took a long break from sherdog and never really caught back up with him when I got back.

Shit

Are you talking about Benny Blanco or Clayton? That suicide note was written by Clayton from the motorcycle forum, not Benny Blanco. Read through that thread if you havent.

 

[Make-U-Tap]

Are you talking about Benny Blanco or Clayton? That suicide note was written by Clayton from the motorcycle forum, not Benny Blanco. Read through that thread if you havent.

Since Wrath said he PM'd back and forth and said he took a break from Sherdog I'm thinking he was referring to Benny. Benny = Charles?

 

[BearGrounds]

I find it really hard to see it any other way without blatantly ignoring or cherry picking from certain parts of human history. I'm not waying the world is good, nor that it couldn't be better, and certainly not that we shouldn't strive to make it better, but in nearly every respect, it has never actually been better.

John Adams isn't a very relevant pundit when it comes to the state of modern democracy, considering he preceeded most of it. It's not a good description for most of the world's democracies, and many of them has lasted for a very long time. No wide spread earlier form of government has done better.

I'm not giving you any shit. You asked if the world is better because we have material things, and the answer is a resounding "yes". It's just not because of the examples you listed.

I am painfully aware of that. I'm also very aware of that this is true for far fewer people than any previous time. Not good enough. Not by a far shot. But the best so far.


I'm not talking about bragging, I'm talking about appreciating. And I know you didn't say it was the worst, that's not what I'm arguing. I'm arguing that it has never been better.

Please understand that I'm not trying to say that people have some sort of obligation to be happy or feel fufilled because they have their material needs covered. They don't, and feelings of estrangement or a lack of meaning can be very real, and shouldn't be trivialised. I'm just saying that while such feelings will bring some people down, a lack of security, freedom or safety can be a source of despair for nearly anyone, and that these reasons for profound unhappiness are less widespread than at any previous point in recorded human history.

Now, "the best" might be shitty. That depends on your outlook on human civilization as a whole. I don't share your perspective on that, but I wholeheartedly agree that the best so far still isn't good enough.

I respect people with your POV, I just don't share it entirely. I do appreciate many things about life and will never turn a blind eye to the blessings I've received; that would be foolish. But my overall view of humanity, during the only time I have knowingly experienced, remains one of disappointment.

 

[BearGrounds]

Because of the options. If you want to go live in the wilderness away from technology, you can. And guess what? Youve got access to all the information in the world to make sure you dont kill yourself if you do, or if you accidentally cut your foot off you can still keep an emergency phone to call for help to assure you dont slowly die of an infection.
If you want to live in a big city you can do that too. If you want to live by the beach, if you want to live in a frozen wasteland, if you want to study one of the thousands of religious paths out there, you can.

Good points. There's certainly many great things about our modern civilization. But there's two sides to that coin, my friend.

For instance, the availability of information can be both utilized for good and bad things. Sure, you can learn how not to die in the wilderness. But you can also learn how to make a bomb that will merk a hundred people.

 

[BearGrounds]

Being born a human, at this time on earth, is a far, far better deal than 99.99% of living beings on this planet have had.

Conjecture. Impossible to know for sure. Past times weren't necessarily worse just because they were less advanced technologically. For someone born today, it may seem that way simply because we're used to having so much tech at our disposal. But I will concede that there's a good argument to be made for what you're claiming.