Do You Read The Whole Discussion, Here At myLot Posted Before Replying?

United States
August 3, 2008 9:21pm CST
Earlier this evening I was sitting on my porch enjoying a beautiful night. After many days of scorching heat, the weather cooled down enough to cut off the air conditioner and open the windows in the house. As I was looking into the sky, I saw a streak of light. It was too low to be a airplane or other craft. As it desended towards the ground I stood up to see what was happening. All of a suddend I heard a loud noise. There was a huge fireball approximately a half of mile from my house. The flames were as high as a skyscraper. Within seconds I heard the sounds of sireens wailing. I didn't know what was going on, but I was too afraid to go and see what had happened. I tried calling 911 but my phone wasn't working. Then the televsion went out. Now I was becoming very frightened. "What is the world was going on"? As I sat and waited I decided to post this event here at myLot. I wanted to tell everyone here that I made this whole story up. I just wanted to see if people here at myLot read the whole discussion before posting a reply. I hope I didn't frighten anyone. Just wanted to take a break from religious and political discussions. Hope you read this whole post before replying. Lloyd
14 people like this
35 responses
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Oh, the "War of the Worlds"? Very interesting post, I'm sure that you will get a lot of OMG what happened. Sometimes I don't read all of the post but that is because it turns out to be something that doesn't interest me, or it is something in politics that I know it's best not to do, and I don't comment at all. Ah, and remember your discussion about your rating falling? If you notice mine fell 3 lol. I noticed it today when I was commenting today. Those darn politics people lol. Good post by the way.
2 people like this
• United States
4 Aug 08
"War of the Worlds" has been mentioned a few times since I posted this discussion. For those of you not familiar with "War of the World", here a quick summary. The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween special on October 30, 1938 and aired over the CBS Radio network. Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode was an adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel The War of the Worlds. The news reports grew more frequent and increasingly ominous after a "meteorite" lands in New Jersey. A crowd gathers at the site and events are related by reporter "Carl Philips." The "meteorite" is revealed as a Martian rocket capsule, and the Martians incinerate onlookers with their "Heat-Rays." (Later surveys indicate that many listeners heard only this portion of the show before contacting neighbors or family to inquire about the broadcast. Many contacted others in turn, leading to rumors and confusion.) More Martian ships land and wreak havoc throughout the United States, destroying bridges and railroads, spraying a poison gas into the air. An unnamed Secretary of the Interior advises the nation on the conflict. (The "secretary" was intended to be a portrayal of Franklin D. Roosevelt, then President, but CBS insisted this detail, among others, be changed. The "secretary" did, however, sound like Roosevelt as the result of directions to actor Kenny Delmar by Welles.) Military forces begin to attack the Martians, but are unable to fight them off. People flee or gather in churches to pray as the Martian machines head towards New York City, spraying poison gas. This section ends famously: a news reporter (played by Ray Collins), broadcasting from atop the CBS building, describes the Martian invasion of New York City — "great machines" wading across the Hudson River, poison smoke drifting over the city, people running and diving into the East River "like rats", others "falling like flies" — until he, too, succumbs to the poison gas. Finally, a despairing ham radio operator is heard calling, "2X2L calling CQ ... Isn't there anyone on the air? Isn't there anyone on the air? Isn't there ... anyone?" This is why so many people are mentioning "War of the Worlds". Lloyd
2 people like this
@ZephyrSun (7381)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Well I stated it because people didn't listen to the entire show and started panicing. If they would have listened they would have known and not jumped to conclusions, such as if people on mylot read the entire post they wouldn't have to jump conclusions and start ranting.
@alexsis (2149)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yep, I read the whole discussion. I was started to wonder too what had happen. Did the lightening strike someone? Get story though, you had my attention. But yes, I do read the whole discussion before replying.
2 people like this
• United States
4 Aug 08
You are the first to mention that it might have been caused by lighten. That could have been a logical explanation. I'm glad the story caught your attention and I'm glad you read the whole discussion before replying. You can tell from many replies that some people don't do that. Have a great night. Lloyd
2 people like this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yes I read before responding. I was concerned at first at what was happening then you stated that you made up the story..So it kind of relieved me that it wasn't true..Well everyone needs a break occasionally. well I do hope you enjoy the rest of the evening and let us know if anyhting else falls out of the sky..(just kidding!)(Grins!)
1 person likes this
@mtdewgurl74 (18151)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yeah that would be nice. Better then a Satalite falling out of the sky. I'm not ot greedy and would be happy with several pounds of gold.. As long as it didn't fall on my beloved pets..lol
• United States
4 Aug 08
I'm glad you read the whole post before responding. I'm sorry that you may have thought that the story was true. However it's nice to know I have friends here at myLot that are truly concerned about the well being of our myLot family. Hopefully, nothing else will fall out of the sky tonight. Could you imagine a 100 pound ball of gold falling out of the sky and landing in your front yard? That would be nice. Lloyd
1 person likes this
@ecogal (522)
• United States
4 Aug 08
When you ask whole post do you mean the original question/topic without the replies or are your including the replies? If you are including the replies than no I do not read the whole thing. Some discussions are way too long. They go on for pages. I do however read the original question/topic/idea and read a few replies.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yes I was talking about the original post. It's very time consuming to read every reply to every discussion that interest you. I think we all agree that some discussions are way too long. I'm glad you do read the whole original post. Thanks for your reply. Lloyd
2 people like this
• United States
4 Aug 08
p.s. I'm glad I didn't scare you. Lloyd
2 people like this
@ecogal (522)
• United States
4 Aug 08
forgot to mention....no worries you didn't scare me :)
1 person likes this
• Philippines
4 Aug 08
Good day.. honestly I do read it before posting, I also read some postings so as to prevent redundancy. By the way that's a good well, true to life story. Can you tell us the conclusion.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
I'm glad that you honestly do read the discussion before posting. I'm going to post the conclusion of this true to life story at a later date, hopefully soon. Have a great day. Lloyd
@CharRay7 (1549)
• United States
4 Aug 08
emergency vehicles - illustration of emergency vehicles
Hi my friend, You really had me going!! I want to know what happened next! You need to write stories for a living! lol I always read the entire discussion before I respond. I also read most of the responses. Now I admit if there are 2 or 3 pages of responses I usually only read the first page, but I do make the effort. [i]Happy MyLotting, Char[/i]
• United States
4 Aug 08
Hello Char. Maybe I have to write my fictionary conclusion to this post. Seems like people want to know what happened next. I try to read the whole post also. I really like reading how people reply to the discussions. It's amazing how people can see things so differently. That's what makes myLot special. Lloyd
2 people like this
@James72 (26790)
• Australia
4 Aug 08
Point taken! Yes I do generally read through a whole discussion topic wording prior to responding (not through all the responses though) although I have to admit that sometimes i will just scan through it if it is longer than usual! This example you have put forward reminds me of an exercise one of my Primary School Teachers out us all through. We were given a test paper of several pages and the very first thing stated on the paper was that we were to read the entire document before starting. Now if we HAD of done this; then we would have seen towards the end of the document that we were to do nothing but write our name at the top of the first page and hand it to the Teacher. The funny part was that many of the questions leading up to this statement to just sign and hand back the paper asked us to do things like stand up and turn around, clap, say our own name loudly etc..... So what we had was pretty much an entire classroom of students acting like maniacs purely because we had NOT done what the first questions asked us to do! It was a very interesting exercise and truly reflective of human nature in general I feel. I will always remember it!
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
It's good to know that most people say they read the whole discussion beford replying. I try to read as many of the responses as possible. I believe that I've heard of exercise given to you at your Primary School. That must have been hilarious seeing people turning around, clapping and acting like maniacs. That is a great lesson to learn at a early age. I wonder if teachers still do this. Lloyd
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
4 Aug 08
As I got deeper into the story I am saying ok his house phone is out, no tv the electric must have went, so why isn't he running for his cell phone? I also was saying to myself Lloyd get to have all the fun, there is all this excitement going on in his neck of the woods and it is very boring over here. Oh you got me good!
• United States
4 Aug 08
I started to write that my cell phone was down, but I didn't want to keep on going with the story. As you can imagine, there are many angles one can take in a fictional story like this. Life may be boring where you are at, but I'm sure you never want to experience the so called "excitement" I wrote about. What would you do or think if something like that happened in your neck of the woods? Lloyd
1 person likes this
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
4 Aug 08
I would have thought of possibly some kind of aircraft explosion, maybe lighting related or even some bomb type device, I know how I am and I would have taken my nosy a$s right on over there to snoop and see what was going on.
• United States
4 Aug 08
good for you but do you realise how easy it would be for someone to turn this either into religious or political if they failed to read the whole thing?
• United States
4 Aug 08
That's so funny because someone has already compared the story to something from the Bible or some type of Religious text. I responded by saying that he was giving me way too much credit. Lloyd
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
hate to say it but I told you so!LOL
@jillmalitz (5131)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Ok, that actually was a good story. You had me going for a minute. I was trying to think of what it could be.
• United States
4 Aug 08
I'm glad you liked the story. I wonder if there are people here who didn't read the whole discussion and are telling family and friends about the "hugh fireball". Thanks for stopping by and replying. Lloyd
• United States
5 Aug 08
Well, now we have an example of how rumors start.
• United States
5 Aug 08
I love this! Thank you for an enjoyable story and for causing me to want to read it. I have often criticized people for not reading what I write but simply replying to the title I put in. For one thing, I often put a title that is sometimes the opposite of my discussion. And, I do it for the same reason you did this. I want to know if someone is actually reading my post or just trying to earn points. I want to earn cash but, as a writer, I also like to read and write something that is of value. I don't want to just read some silly item that bears no impact in the world. You created very strong imagery and it was interesting. I hope you are a storyteller as well. You have the makings of a good writer, if you aren't already. As a storyteller myself, I always look for someone else who enjoys it. Thanks for a great story!
• United States
5 Aug 08
I glad you enjoyed the story. I've seen many people who reply to just the title instead of reading the whole post. Now that we are friends here at myLot, I'll start reading your posts. I always enjoy a nice story. I write a lot, but it's mostly for political blogs such as the Huffington Post, BarackObama.com and Fox News. I might try my hand at some fictional writing if I can find the time. Thanks for your reply. Your new friend. Lloyd
• United States
7 Aug 08
I may take time to finish the short story I started here at myLot. Who knows what might happen. Keep informed as to your progress. Lloyd
• United States
5 Aug 08
Well, you and I may clash on our political stuff because I'm not in favor of Obama in the least. I do write a lot of more controversial stuff on here. I'll email you as well because you might be interested in what I'm in the process of doing. I'm setting up my own publishing and merchandising company. I think you should take some time to write fiction. Maybe just short stories like the one on here. In fact, I think you should take this one and finish it. I'm going to check out the links you put in your reply to see what I might be able to do. Thanks for the reply...
@snowy22315 (168421)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Well that was very dramatic. Some times I dont read the whole discussion but most times I do. Most of them are not very long and can be read quickly, sometimes people will just go on and on about something though and I find myself just scanning until the end. Also with the news article I dont want to spend all day reading them. I will scan sometimes.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
I agree with you that the news articles are just too long. And even when you reply to them, they disappear withing a short period of time. Most of the long discussions posted by members of myLot would be easier to read if they broke them down into paragraphs. Some of them just seem like they just go on and on and on like the Energizer Bunny. Lloyd
2 people like this
@kenzie45230 (3560)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yes, I do always read the entire discussion before repsonding, but I have to admit that if there are already 3 or 4 pages of comments, I sometimes read only the first and last page. You're a good storyteller, Lloyd. You had me going too.
1 person likes this
• United States
4 Aug 08
Believe it or not, I actually read about 10 pages of replies to my discussion regarding my rating dropping from 10 to 9. I think I actually replied to most of them. I enjoy the give and take of posting here at myLot. I'm glad you enjoyed my short story. Lloyd
1 person likes this
@jinxky (2248)
• Philippines
4 Aug 08
hahaha honestly i don't read the whole discussion before posting especially if it's long lol that's why the starter will post & say that i just misinterpret the topic or they will ask me if i read the whole discussion. lol what a shame.. well this is my laziness even when im studying, like for example, if we have an exam just like analyzing stories, i will not read it all, but i will just pick a sentence which is similar to the question then i will answer hahaha.. to make it short, i skipped the whole story & just picked the idea of that story
• United States
4 Aug 08
Well at least you are honest. Sometimes if you don't read the whole post, you may not get what the person who started discussion is trying to get at. In this case, it was easy to to skip most of the story and get the idea. Thanks for your reply. Lloyd
2 people like this
@sunita64 (6469)
• India
5 Aug 08
Wow why don"t you start writing science fiction as while reading that episode of firewall turning into skyscraper my mind starting racing what could have caused the fire, the answer which came was that a flying plane came down and the flames from that were that high. Very interesting story keep it up.
• United States
5 Aug 08
I must admit that I'm am very surprised at the responses I've received regarding this discussion. I'm glad you liked the short story. It seemed as if you were actually visualizing what was happening. Thanks for replying. Lloyd
@irisheyes (4370)
• United States
5 Aug 08
Hey Lloyd, you had me there! I think Orson Welles did something like this once on radio. It was called "War of the Worlds" and apparently a lot of people didn't pay close enough attention. Actually on Mylot, I sometimes get so caught up in the first part of the discussion that I find myself coming back and adding a response. Especially when the poster has a question at the end of the discussion. I always forget to answer the question.
• United States
5 Aug 08
I couldn't believe the way the American people responded to the "War of the Worlds" broadcast. Here is some of the public reactions. New York Times headline from October 31, 1938. Some listeners heard only a portion of the broadcast, and in the atmosphere of tension and anxiety leading to World War II, took it to be a news broadcast. Newspapers reported that panic ensued, people fleeing the area, others thinking they could smell poison gas or could see flashes of lightning in the distance. Professor Richard J. Hand cites studies by unnamed historians who "calculate[d] that some six million heard the CBS broadcast; 1.7 million believed it to be true, and 1.2 million were 'genuinely frightened'" While Welles and company were heard by a comparatively small audience (in the same period, NBC's audience was an estimated 30 million), the uproar was anything but minute: within a month, there were 12,500 newspaper articles about the broadcast or its impact, while Adolf Hitler cited the panic, as Hand writes, as "evidence of the decadence and corrupt condition of democracy. Isn't that just amazing? You've bought up some ways of responding to discussions that haven't been mentioned yet. Thanks for replying. Have a wonderful day. Lloyd
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Well, well, well, I hope you realize this is what will be happening for real if we take the chance on voting for Obama, that radical Muslim extremist with the racist Christian pastor and the anti-American wife who doesn't like plain iceberg lettuce like real Americans and who probably hangs out with Britney and Paris listening to his buddy Ludicris's racist hate music as they plan to take all our rights away and force us into volunteer service and take all our hard-earned money away to help hungry people in third world countries instead of helping people here even though nobody here is really hungry unless they want to be because we're all a bunch of whiners.... Yep, I read the whole thing but I'll bet nobody will read through my whole long sentence! I'm surprised you didn't get any responses from members who didn't read the whole post because I know they're here! Annie
• United States
4 Aug 08
After Barack Obama raised gas prices, he then used his "Super Powers" to turn Muslims and Christians against the American people. But to his surprise, Britney Spears and Paris Hilton came to the rescue. They "fist bumped" while wearing their Wonder Woman braclets and converted Ludicris into a Red Cross Volunteer, now helping to feed not only the hungry people in third world countries, but also the hungry here in America. Ludicris is now in Iraq attempting to end the war and bring our troops home, but he's having a difficult time due to the fact that Will Smith's new movie, "The Surge Is Working" has mesmerizes the America people. Look forward to Ludicris's new movie, co-starring Britney Spears and Paris Hilton called "10 Billion A Week - Now That's A Lot Of Bread". Anniepa, why did you bring out the politics in me? lol Lloyd
1 person likes this
@anniepa (27955)
• United States
4 Aug 08
You really are quite the story teller, Lloyd! Anyway, I knew it, I just KNEW it although nobody would listen to me or believe me but I knew Paris and Britney would come through for us and help to save and unite the world! I sure hope there's an important position for both of them within the Obama Administration! Long Live Girl Power! Fist bumps to all! Annie
@jcj_111776 (3216)
• Philippines
5 Aug 08
You got me!I was glued to the screen, reading word for word. It was good. But to answer your question, yes. I do read the whole discussion.Even those discussions that seem to have no period!Just one whole, so long paragraph. But when there are days that I'm not in the mood to read long discussions, I just skip it and look for shorter ones. It's hard for me not to read the whole discussion because I won't know where to base my answer. Plus, the fact that I may just end up as a major irritation for the poster because my answer was way off track.
• United States
5 Aug 08
If you were glued to the screen, then you definately would have read the whole discussion. I hate those discussion posts that seems like one very long paragraph. You have the right attitude for dealing with replying to discussions here at myLot. You never want your answer to be off track. Thanks for replying and have a great day. Lloyd
• Philippines
5 Aug 08
this is interesting. i didnt even read your whole discussion. especially when it is long. i usually read only the questions that was asked. and the summary of the whole discussion. but if it is a poem or a story, i would read it.. but i do found some time reading only those that are short.. hehe
• United States
5 Aug 08
I think you might consider reading the whole discussions in the future. I'm glad you enjoy reading the whole discussion when you see a story here at myLot. Thanks for your reply. Lloyd
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
4 Aug 08
Yes, Lloyd, I read the entire discussion topic before replying. I was waiting for you to tell me that the phone had crashed and was on fire. I kept wondering what this discussion had to do with your title. Then, I found out. A very good one for sure!
• United States
4 Aug 08
Hello Barb. It seems as if this discussion may have had a lot of people on the edge of their seats. If the phone had crashed and was on fire, I would have been heading to the hills. I'm glad you enjoyed. Lloyd
@Barb42 (4214)
• United States
4 Aug 08
LOL!!! Looks like I didn't proofread my comment. You have me laughing myself silly! THAT would be funny - a phone crashing! I was saying plane in my mind and why I wrote phone I have no idea, but it was laying here on the arm of my chair by my laptop.