True or not, it's certainly not appropriate to contact you directly with this issue, Greg. I've received similar messages, although they've usually turned out to be either outright lies or a big stretch of the truth (when I can find out at all).

If the PM's true, the real people who need dealing with are 1. The kids who beat up the brother; and 2. The person who sent you the PM, who obviously has issues he needs to work through.

Regardless, it's absolutely silly to think that you could be held in any way responsible for something like this.

- Bink

Just thought I'd drop in and point something out...

I blame all of this entirely on you.

This person, if the complaint is true, is misjudging the entire situation. Contacting the author of the books and comics to complain about a toy which his stories are based upon is the wrong response. Like everyone else said, this should be sent to the school or to LEGO.

As I said before, this person owns at least one BIONICLE set. He was probably ashamed of himself for liking BIONICLE, perhaps due to getting into a situation similar to but less dramatic than the one he describes his "little brother" getting into, and he sent this PM in a moment of weakness.

If this member has not left as he said he would, I would like him to know that, while he has reason to be ashamed of this choice he made, he will still be welcomed back to this site if he makes amends for his actions. I hope sincerely that others will agree with me on this, for he most likely was not thinking when he sent this PM, and at some point he may want to come back, but may fear a backlash from those whom he offended.

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Yeash it;s not your foult Greg. those school bullies are ingnorant freeks who are stupid kids and something else. I know about those kinds of kids who do that. The person who sent you that email has misplaced his anger which it should be placed toward the school bullies.

Well Greg, I'm gobsmacked.

And to think that they could blame it on you!

That is just awful...

I'm so sorry they had to take it on you.

I made an account on Bzpower specifically just to be able to contact you, Mr. Farshety.

I dont know anything about Bionicle, but I got your name from one of my brother's Bionicle books, and decided that you were the best person to come to.

My little brother, 15, is a really big fan of Lego Bricks, specifically Bionicle. He goes to Central High and plans to attend their College too.

Seems Okay at first...

The other day, my brother came home with a broken collar bone and scarred face from some school bullies all because of this stupid toy he like.

Thats the bullies fault, not Bionicle's

That's not all of it.

I am sick of going into his room, and see it covered and decorated with pictures of bionicles and displayments of his 'masks'.

Do you mean to say that your room doesn't have posters of what you're interested in?

He is becoming a reclusive to our family and is constantly on this website socializing with others about these toys that ruin lives.

Ruins lives? Besides, if he wrongly blame somebody, it rationally would be BZPower.

I blame all of this entirely on you.

What about the 500+ employees of Lego?

Please go home and think about how there is one teenage boy who you made into a freakin zombie and sucked into your little world.

You mean the world of creativity? What do you do all day? Play video games where people shoot each others guts out? Ooo, how constructive.

1) Lots of anger at me, and at LEGO by extension, but no mention of any for the people who beat up his/her brother -- ignorant, intolerant people who would hurt someone for having an interest different from theirs. The evil here is people who want others to think like they do and act like they do -- they are the ones trying to create zombies incapable of independent thought.

This person seemed angrier at you than the bullies. Certainly not your fault.

2) If the account was created specifically to tell me about this, why was it created 12 days ago, and includes posts in the BIONICLE-based creations forums?

Hippocratic.

3) If true, this is a tragic story. Even if not true, there may well be similar (if not as extreme) situations liek this out there, so it is worth discussing anyway. But I am not sure what BIONICLE is guilty of here other than being entertaining. No one is forced to adopt it as a hobby -- it is certainly not omnipresent in our culture or something a 15 year old is going to feel he has to be involved in against his will. It sounds like this person found an interest they were genuinely enthusiastic about ... so we are to blame for making BIONICLE worthy of interest.

YES! People get bullied for liking something they think is cool is not the company's fault. Its the bully's!

BIONICLE is not a cult -- it's a toy line for 7-9 year olds, supported by a comic, a web site, and some books. There is no TV series popping up on your screen, no MMRPG everyone is talking about, or anything else forcing its way into your life. If BIONICLE is part of your life, it is because you actively chose it to be. And, unfortunately, standing up for things you care about can be painful. I know a lot of BZPers can testify to that.

I don't see why people are bullied for being different. The overrated act of conformism *Sigh*

If this young man was spending too much time on BIONICLE -- obsessing over it -- then that is something for the family to deal with. If we are going to blame/shut down everything that has the potential to absorb someone that much, we will not have much left in our culture.

If he is interested in Bionicle, thats his choice.

My main question is:

Do you mean to say that your little brother thinks your interests are 'cool'?

I bet that if this guy was bullied for his interests, he would stick up for them.

~Kongu Inika

To me, it sounded half-serious.

These Bullies musta had a Mallet and a switchblade, otherwise, I don't think that's possible. And this guy post twice, and created this account 2 week before he PMed you, fake, but there might be some fragment of truth somewhere.

-W-

some hwere.

and why would you blame a person who works for the idea that gives him intrest,and why is he angreir at you than those bullies?

and the world of creativity is open for everyone,and if you hate them going in,lock your self up in quillian.seriously,you sound like blok saying that you helped create a world that ruined your life,it's HIS life,HIS intrest,HIS ways.why blame YOU?

Never received a response to my PM, which would seem to add fuel to the idea that this was all fake. And, thankfully, I received a very nice PM from a member's Mom who had seen the blog entry and wanted to reassure me that BIONICLE was very welcome in her house.

Greg

well,im glad to here that!

Wow. If that was a prank, then it was pretty cruel... sorry to hear you got this greg...

Yes, it certainly is. They should be completely ashamed from shifting the blame from the bullies to the Lego company, and then to just one employee.

I'm certain that everybody feels bad for the kid that was bullied, but for that kid to make it out like its a bad thing that Bionicle is interesting is terrible. If everything that kid liked was shut down just because one person didn't like it, he would mind. So he shouldn't expect to walk up to an employee, tell him to shut down the company, and expect it to work.

~Kongu Inika

it's definatly not your fault. i mean, it's the stinkin bullies fault. clearly the sender was older than 15, so y doesn't he go to that stupid school and go beat those bozos up?

Never received a response to my PM, which would seem to add fuel to the idea that this was all fake. And, thankfully, I received a very nice PM from a member's Mom who had seen the blog entry and wanted to reassure me that BIONICLE was very welcome in her house.

 

Greg

I've received several similar notes from parents. For me, the benefit of Bionicle (and by extension, BZP) far outweighs any potential negatives like the PM you received.

2) If the account was created specifically to tell me about this, why was it created 12 days ago, and includes posts in the BIONICLE-based creations forums?

Hippocratic.

I think you mean "hypocritical." Hippocratic is that oath doctors take, named for Hippocrates. Hypocritical means "judging people differently than you judge yourself or those whom you favor."

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what does he expect you to say

"oh no! I'm sorry I made the storyline too good. I must ruin it imediatly. thank you for telling me this"

just ignore him he doesn't deserve the attention if he's going to make up something like that

too bad my mum isn't glad to have bionicles in the house

oh well at least I seem to have more of a social life than this odd person

edit: greg you won't let me PM you :angry:

why not

Guys, I just recieved a PM from this member, and the way in which it was written leads me to believe that, while the author was not of sound reasoning when sending this PM to Greg, he is serious about this problem, and in no way deserves all of the disrespect he is getting here. Please try to sympathize with him, so that we can help him to find a more effective solution. I know that Greg and/or the staff may feel reluctant to allow this sort of PM, but realize that it would be nobler to help this member and ask him his motives than to flame him for something he did not think before doing. He has flamed noone, he has merely asked Greg to stop writing for Bionicle, albeit in a way demeaning to Bionicle. Let's pull together and try to discuss this peacefully.

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i was bullied for liking bionicle once. so, in the end, i grabbed the bully, sat him down, and showed him a bionicle book,(timme trap). he became hooked, and now we are friends. so, the little brother should try this.

however, since this seems to be a fake(unless aanchir shows us the pm he got), i say, nuts to him.

Guys, I just recieved a PM from this member, and the way in which it was written leads me to believe that, while the author was not of sound reasoning when sending this PM to Greg, he is serious about this problem, and in no way deserves all of the disrespect he is getting here. Please try to sympathize with him, so that we can help him to find a more effective solution. I know that Greg and/or the staff may feel reluctant to allow this sort of PM, but realize that it would be nobler to help this member and ask him his motives than to flame him for something he did not think before doing. He has flamed noone, he has merely asked Greg to stop writing for Bionicle, albeit in a way demeaning to Bionicle. Let's pull together and try to discuss this peacefully.

 

-

He didn't ask Greg to stop writing. He just placed all the blame on Greg without even thinking anything through.

-Omi

I hope this is a fake, because if not that poor boy getting beat up for his hobby... is so horrible. But you are probably right that its a fake. I'm sorry that some BZP members are so rude and inconsiderate to you

Never received a response to my PM, which would seem to add fuel to the idea that this was all fake. And, thankfully, I received a very nice PM from a member's Mom who had seen the blog entry and wanted to reassure me that BIONICLE was very welcome in her house.

 

Greg

my moms fine with it to, heck, shes happy that I can do something other than better myself on the computer , but that persons pm was just plain wrong, plus if the story was true then couldn't somebody ask the brother? seeing as he "is" a member and all.

By the looks of that horrible rant, the person who PM'ed Greg was extremely biased.

i was bullied for liking bionicle once.

Really? I got really popular in my school for liking bionicle.

Anyway,Greg, That person is probably just trying to destroy bionicle to get people to like something that he likes that usually, no one thinks is good, something like Mega Bloks, which tried to leech off Lego's fanbase.

i was bullied for liking bionicle once.

 

Really? I got really popular in my school for liking bionicle.

 

Anyway,Greg, That person is probably just trying to destroy bionicle to get people to like something that he likes that usually, no one thinks is good, something like Mega Bloks, which tried to leech off Lego's fanbase.

That's a terrible assumption. It is clear that, whether or not this member is telling the truth about his brother, did not send this PM for the sake of a competitor. It is more likely that, for some reason yet unknown to us, BIONICLE was affiliated with something that hurt him emotionally, and therefore he has placed the blame on BIONICLE. He seems unwilling to answer the PMs we send him, or perhaps just new to the system, so I suggest we find some other means to figure out exactly why he joined and why he sent this PM.

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