Thagomiser, I think it is a fine idea, and I think it would make it easier to recognise how much a person posts on the forum. However, I also think there is a lot of merit in individualised avatars, and thus would like to keep mine. I'm glad I'm not the first person to think Sean was overreacting: to be perfectly honest I thought that the Veteran picture was funny when I first saw it. As a community of Aspies and the like, I think it shameful that we are jumping down each other's throats. On reflection, the trivialisation of an injured person isn't just, but I think we would all agree that Aspies often fail to grasp the full meaning of serious events, and I know a lot of Aspies who react strangely to bad things (people who don't cry when a close friend/family member dies, people who don't 'get' why natural disasters are bad). I doubt that Thagomiser was trying to be antagonistic, and for those of us who aren't always on the mark with interpreting emotions, it can be VERY embarassing and upsetting to get such a sharp remark.
For the record, I feel embarassed: I in no way would mean to make fun of someone who has been wounded in battle, and yet if it hadn't being pointed out that it was in bad taste, I could quite easily have not realised. Am I to be condemned for my honesty?
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...though fire may burn & flames envelop me, I will arise from the ashes...