Open Letter From Ol' Sarge

[PlunderSteed 1,251]

its a shame they couldn't let everyone who was already a member stay, and just have it like "all new members have to click a check box agreeing theyre 13+" or something. and if such is found they lied to join, they get banned. something like that. its sad that people who were members already who had nothing to do with this drama had to suffer the consequences.

 

I agree; it's not fair to the members who happened to have been born in the wrong year. Thousands of websites blow off legal requirements to maintain records, get parental consent, etc. and the big bad FTC ignores them. Why? They're small fries, and aren't worth the time and energy it wold take to drag them to court. There are plenty of ways to meet the letter of the law, but in such a way that doesn't screw a significant chunk of the site's membership.

 

A lot of people here are encouraging Ol' Sarge to laugh at, and then ignore any vague legal threats, or even the possibility that some kind of legal threats might appear in the future. This site's owner could easily do the same. Think about it: his site operates largely off of member donations. Nobody is going to (successfully) string up a 17 year old kid because his website about candy colored cartoon horses has failed to bend over backwards for a handful of concerned parents (who might not even exist). Give me a fuckin' break.

[FoxyCryptid 4,327]

I'd like to point out that faking this like you guys suggested is even easier than you think. A facebook group I left had someone who faked breakdowns with all the subtly and skill of a drunken tank driver, and they still fooled the more gullible members to running around in a panic and bending over backwards to help.

[♥.:Yulaiyre:.♥ 290]

this is one of the reasons why age verification is important...though it is not easy to do such a thing...oh sarge..I am so sorry to see this happen to you, you are such a lovely person...but please, do not let this get you down, as others have said, you can easily defend yourself in court if you have the right arguments, and I am sure anypony here can vouch for how much of a nice guy you are ♥

[Creamy Arty 6,251]

Brohoofs all around.

 

There's nothing that can be done legally. The other user did not disclose her age, and no personal contact with her was attempted. You know all those guys the cops bust for creeping on underage girls on the internet? It's always a massive setup. They have to solicit themselves as children, arrange to meet the individual, and wait for him to carry out the attempted meetup before arresting him. Anything else would have to rely on too much supposition to fairly convict him of anything.

 

Posting something innocuous in a thread about a hypothetical situation involving a cheesy, pubescent level of romance doesn't qualify, especially given the anonymity of the other person involved. Don't be surprised if there are questions from the authorities, but nothing transpired that can land you in the big house.

[Colon Leftbracket 971]

This is an extremely unfortunate turn of events, and it all really boils down to a silly misunderstanding.

 

I see many people saying some awful mean things about the young girl and father and I implore you to please stop and focus solely on Ol' Sarge. Sarge needs to know that he has done nothing wrong and is still the wise old stallion we all know him for despite this slip up.

 

In this conflict I see two sides; one side Ol' Sarge innocently playing a silly forum game, and the other a young girl who doesn't quite understand what she is getting into. I've seen posts putting blame on the young girl for "tattling" on Ol' Sarge. Actually the young girl was in the right to show her guardian questionable messages. She just did not understand exactly what was going on and thought she was being victimized. We all know she was not in any danger at any given time, but in her mind she thought she was and took the correct action.

 

I've also been seeing a few posts bad mouthing the father, but he wasn't truly at fault either. I ask you, would you personally reason with someone you thought was a pedophile? In most cases probably not. Though Ol' Sarge being completely innocent, in the father's eyes he was a predator. He took just action in defending his daughter from this "threat" to his daughter's safety. The situation would be more fortunate if the father were to slow down and listen to reason, but in a panic one is not going to see reason from a predator.

 

In less words, my message to Sarge is that it is really unfortunate that this whole situation had to happen and that he should return to the community whenever he feels he is ready to return. He did nothing wrong other than a simple miscommunication that ANY of us could've easily done without knowing.

 

And my message to the rest of the community is to not place blame on the child and parent either for they are mostly just scared of a demon they thought they saw. And also as always be careful on what you do over the Internet.

 

- :{

[Happysalesman 23]

Well, Ol' Sarge, I can see where you're coming from on this. I wouldn't necessarily say you failed the community, perhaps a minor lapse in judgement, but this isn't the military. I know that in the military a minor lapse like that could essentially cost you your job (almost happened to me once) but civilian's get treated differently. You really have done nothing wrong except play a game on the internet. The fact of the matter is that she was playing the game as well, so she (and the father, for not keeping an eye on what she was doing) is as much to blame. I know I'm new, but I wouldn't say leaving would do anypony any amount of good. From what I've heard you're a great, upstanding guy, and you're the only other person I know who's been in the military that's a brony ><.

[Cupcake Ice Cream 436]

Well, Ol' Sarge, I can see where you're coming from on this. I wouldn't necessarily say you failed the community, perhaps a minor lapse in judgement, but this isn't the military. I know that in the military a minor lapse like that could essentially cost you your job (almost happened to me once) but civilian's get treated differently. You really have done nothing wrong except play a game on the internet. The fact of the matter is that she was playing the game as well, so she (and the father, for not keeping an eye on what she was doing) is as much to blame. I know I'm new, but I wouldn't say leaving would do anypony any amount of good. From what I've heard you're a great, upstanding guy, and you're the only other person I know who's been in the military that's a brony ><.

 

I would have to attest to the same...Ol Sarge and I did banter back and forth about the military life...so it's hard for me to see this happening to an upstanding fellow veteran like him

Edited August 10, 2012 by Cupcake Ice Cream

[Iudex 1,945]

Wow..... just..... wow.....

Pretty mature father if you ask me.

 

If he would've had the parenting skills to not let his 8 year old daughter to join an online forum with literally thousands of strangers then this would've never happened. It's more his fault then yours, Sarge. Even still, nopony should react the way her father did. This is an outrage.

*sigh* I hope everything turns out alright. What he did was a real **** move.

[Master Chief 183]

You had no way of knowing her age! Besides, the parent shouldn't take a "kiss" on an internet forum so hardly. I know some parents are sensitive about it, but still, threatening to "ruin your life"? WAY TOO FAR. (To Me) there is no reason to apologize to the entire forum community. Besides, anyone that knows you knows that you are definitely not a Pervy Sage. You are, in my opinion, the most respected out of all of us. I hope things get better

 

P.S. And yes, I type like this now.

[Juggler 345]

Tears literary started forming in my eyes when reading this... Words cannot describe how sorry I feel for you. I just cannot believe how something so horrible could happen to you. A more caring person than you is hard to find. I often see you posting in the Life advice section. You're really helping people, and I should know, you helped me.

 

I cannot understand how bad things can happen to good people... It's just so, so, so... Wrong...

 

You don't need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. I thought that no one took something like that seriously in a forum game.

 

Don't believe in what that dad said to you. That you're a bad person. You're not.

 

So please Sarge, don't leave. We all love you here, and we will always be here to support you. Just like you support us.

Edited August 14, 2012 by Juggler

[~The Snowy Wolf~ 1,579]

Vinyl Blade has caught my eye ever since he came on the forums for some reason. He doesn't have anything bad to say about anypony and is one of the coolest members on the site! I trust him.

 

We've got your back Sarge!

 

This made my day

[My little pwny 1,390]

This made my day

 

You are one of many people I trust on this site, I just happened to use you as an example Thanks for not minding

[~The Snowy Wolf~ 1,579]

You are one of many people I trust on this site, I just happened to use you as an example Thanks for not minding

 

Not meaning to get off-topic, but since you made my day on the day before my birthday, you get a (non-existent) gold star

[Raspberry32 226]

I can say something like this have happened to me before. Maybe not in such a severe manner, but more of just a "warning" to me. I can't really relate, but I can understand.

 

I do agree with what everybody else has been saying about the father of this child overreacting, and about how it's his fault this happened in the first place. This is overall pretty pathetic, and it just shows what kind of person he is.

 

Somebody should really call him and give him a nice warm lecture. Drive up to his house, possibly have a bit of a tea party, but with extra police guests, and a little yelling.

 

 

(Just throwing this out there, I have friends who can get this sort of information. We've done it before to a kid who created 5 websites blowing off our Minecraft server. Let's just say, he no longer has access to his Minecraft, his 4 YouTube accounts, E-mail, several forums, and we have his phone number...)

Edited August 14, 2012 by Raspberry32

[Thunderstorm 120]

I feel so bad for you It was just an inoccent game! I'll make sure I pray that nothing bad happens. This is terrible. The man must be a terrible person or something, or the child. If anything, the child should be punished, not you! ;( I feel so bad.. even though I did nothing I still feel bad. I wish you well Ol' Sarge. You deserve none of this.

[Mirad 217]

Your father is over reacting. Seriously the game is ABOUT kissing. if the daughter's mother was worried about it so much, then why in the name of Celestia did she even let her go there? Parents these days...

 

Worthless Bloody Disgraces!

[Clover Heart 978]

Let's let our 8-year-old children run rampant on the internet. That's certain not to end crapfully. /sarcasm. In all seriousness, this sucks. This may have been a lapse in judgement, but that's all it is. A momentary, harmless lapse. Nobody got hurt, nothing happened. Seriously, if that guy gives his young daughter free reign on the internet, he's dumber than a sack of wet manure, and it's a shame that you've been dragged through the mud and taking the brunt of this for their poor decisions. I'm really sorry that this happened to you. I hope that your family forgives you and the good things in your life come back to you. At the very least, we support you.

[Starswirl the Trixie 974]

Imagine that Sarge's post had been on, I don't know, a forum about monster trucks or something very masculine and a girl who likes monster trucks found it.

 

Could you ever possibly imagine these consequences coming from that? The father was so bitterly angry not just because his daughter had been exposed to suggestive content, but also because of that deadly term Sarge used to describe himself: Brony.

 

This whole incident reeks of Brony-hate. A furious parent may be somewhat angry but would probably realize that it wasn't Sarge's fault after a short while. And I don't see how normally the parent would reach the conclusion that Sarge was a pervert. But this is a Brony forum. This guy probably learned about Bronies from Howard Stern's videos, videos which openly define Bronies as pony-sexuals and cloppers. Perhaps it was a FAUX "News" report, or a hater's blog, or any other medium of proliferating hate that has been created in response to this fandom.

 

With that in mind I would like to express my deepest regret to the events that have befallen Ol' Sarge, a sort of martyr for the Brony cause. Infinite brohoofs.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Starswirl the Trixied

[Skullbuster 1,906]

my dad (Ol Sarge)

 

wants you all to know that he has read every reply on this thread, he has read every comment on his profile, and has read every PM he has received and wants to thank all of you for the support

[Iudex 1,945]

my dad (Ol Sarge)

 

wants you all to know that he has read every reply on this thread, he has read every comment on his profile, and has read every PM he has received and wants to thank all of you for the support

 

Tell him he gets a salute from me. This is some bucked up shat right here.

I really feel for him.

[Clover Heart 978]

Imagine that Sarge's post had been on, I don't know, a forum about monster trucks or something very masculine and a girl who likes monster trucks found it.

 

Could you ever possibly imagine these consequences coming from that? The father was so bitterly angry not just because his daughter had been exposed to suggestive content, but also because of that deadly term Sarge used to describe himself: Brony.

 

This whole incident reeks of Brony-hate. A furious parent may be somewhat angry but would probably realize that it wasn't Sarge's fault after a short while. And I don't see how normally the parent would reach the conclusion that Sarge was a pervert. But this is a Brony forum. This guy probably learned about Bronies from Howard Stern's videos, videos which openly define Bronies as pony-sexuals and cloppers. Perhaps it was a FAUX "News" report, or a hater's blog, or any other medium of proliferating hate that has been created in response to this fandom.

 

With that in mind I would like to express my deepest regret to the events that have befallen Ol' Sarge, a sort of martyr for the Brony cause. Infinite brohoofs.

 

 

I disagree. Brony or not, I would probably be disturbed, too, to find that my 8-year-old daughter had been talking to grown married men about kissing. From that angle, I think you can see where the father was coming from, no matter -who- was on the other end.

 

Not that I think it'd Ol' Sarge's fault in any way, and I think that blame lies with a parent who would let a child that young browse the internet unsupervised. But when it comes to your kids, in this kind of situation, I seriously doubt that what community the person comes from really matters to you in any way or even crosses your mind.

Edited August 18, 2012 by Clover Heart

[Retro*Derpy 3,085]

I disagree. Brony or not, I would probably be disturbed, too, to find that my 8-year-old daughter had been talking to grown married men about kissing. From that angle, I think you can see where the father was coming from, no matter -who- was on the other end.

 

Not that I think it'd Ol' Sarge's fault in any way, and I think that blame lies with a parent who would let a child that young browse the internet unsupervised. But when it comes to your kids, in this kind of situation, I seriously doubt that what community the person comes from really matters to you in any way or even crosses your mind.

 

I agree, but i defiantly wouldn't have gone as far as that parent. Hopefully the age restriction will stop incidents like this.

[Archangel 143]

I agree, but i defiantly wouldn't have gone as far as that parent. Hopefully the age restriction will stop incidents like this.

 

It won't. I've been on the internet since I was 5 or 6. I learned to lie about my age in the first year or so.

 

Of course, with the way I typed, (No voice chat back then) everyone really did think I was twenty!

 

Anyway, I'm not entirely sure I understand Sarge's reason for leaving the forum. To my understanding the damage has already been done si? Whatever, sad to see him go none-the-less. I didn't know him very well. But I saw his posts on here and always enjoyed what he had to say. Was always cool get a perspective on things from a military man's... well perspective.

 

I agree with other people, the parent should not have threatened you. Actually, what he should do is what was done to me, I was taught to avoid or how to respond/overcome an conflict or possible danger on the internet. Not to give out personal information and the like y'know? My dad did that so that he could let me loose without worrying. The worst thing that's happened since is I got a broken iPod on Ebay. Which I made sure still had the warranty on it.

[Batbrony 15,994]

Oh my gosh! Wow, that's... that's really heavy man. Geez! Well, I tell you what, you have my condolences, that's for sure. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers!!! This is awful, just awful!!! Well, if anything, at least we now have an age limit on the forums as a result of this terrible incident. I hope that no legal ramifications or charges occur as a result of this ridiculous accident! God's blessings on you and your family!

[Nilkad_Naqadah 144]

There's no need to apologize to us Ol' Sarge. You're not the one who failed. It was that girl's father who failed to look at the situation thoroughly before making a decision. I do hope that you don't get arrested, and that your life gets back to normal soon.