Do we occasionally give Chris less credit than he deserves? -

[LazarusOwenhart]

Ok first of all inb4 white knight. I'm referring to those occasions when, rarely, Chris follows through and attempts to do the right thing.

The eBay medallions are actually quite nicely made and he's gone to a bit of effort with the certificate and the albeit obvious care manual. The people who have received them seem happy and therefore Chris has, in a convoluted way brought a small amount of joy into the lives of others. He has done this without charging $200 dollars per medallion and in the grand scheme of things has treated his customers with slightly less than his usual disdain.

He's also, for better or worse, incredibly tenacious. For example, I have a 'man' room in my house. It's much like Chris' bedroom except clean, tidy and full of things that have actual monetary and historical value (and a reasonable amount of Lego it must be said). If my collection was to go up in smoke I'd be absolutely devastated and probably react far worse than Chris did. Some might argue that Chris' lack of appreciation for the value of money gives him a lack of emotional attachment to things but it's also true of the destruction of the medallions, Chris took it in a fairly stoic manner.

Not giving a shit about serious adversity is quite impressive in a man-child therefore do we occasionally fail to credit Chris remarkable (autism granted) strength? Please note, before you flame this thread into the ether, I am, to some degree playing devils advocate in the interest of sparking discussion.

 

[BT 075]

When he does something okay, or has a minor victory, I see plenty of people rooting for him or praising him. When he had success on eBay I saw a lot of comments of people who were happy for Chris to have some degree of success. There was plenty of bitching about his social security and whatnot, but I think there's definitely credit give were credit due. It's just, he doesn't do a lot of chill things so there's not much credit to give.

Don't be afraid to point out when Chris fucks up, but also don't shy away from positivity where positivity is fitting. Just remember that he's Chris, so it's always baby steps. Don't get mad at him, just laugh.

 

[Dr.Research]

Part of the issue is that Chris doesn't really do anything commendable by normal person standards. If you want to congratulate his eBay success or going out to bars every so often, fine. I myself think it's good he went out on Halloween. However, Chris doesn't have a serious mental or physical affliction that really warrants praise for doing everyday things. It depends on your POV. If Chris is judged by typical standards, he doesn't deserve anything. But judging from Chris/ severely lowered standards, yes, he deserves praise for going out or doing chores.

 

[LazarusOwenhart]

I guess part of the debate is where to set Chris' "bar" as it were. If we call Bob and Barb variables who are responsible for 80% of Chris' failings by being enablers, do we therefore need to set it lower to account for factors entirely outside Chris' control?

 

[Dr.Research]

I guess part of the debate is where to set Chris' "bar" as it were. If we call Bob and Barb variables who are responsible for 80% of Chris' failings by being enablers, do we therefore need to set it lower to account for factors entirely outside Chris' control?

That starts a slippery slope about self-determination and taking control for yourself. There are other people who grew up a lot worse and turned out a lot better. They were a factor, but I don't think it's a reason to lower the bar.

 

[Marvin]

Part of the issue is that Chris doesn't really do anything commendable by normal person standards. If you want to congratulate his eBay success or going out to bars every so often, fine. I myself think it's good he went out on Halloween. However, Chris doesn't have a serious mental or physical affliction that really warrants praise for doing everyday things. It depends on your POV. If Chris is judged by typical standards, he doesn't deserve anything. But judging from Chris/ severely lowered standards, yes, he deserves praise for going out or doing chores.

Chris is Barb's donkey and he works hard enough every day to serve her. But that's normal person effort, so it doesn't need praise.

Now, when it comes to the medallions, Chris definitely did a great job. The problem is that people inconsistently interpret Chris' public posts.

"Hmm, yeh, I saw a cop and told him off and he was so embarrassed!" - Pfft, Chris is a liar, this is totally bullshit!
"GRR I am out of money I'm TOTALLY going to be Late on the medallions due to Trolls!" - Chris is late on the medallions because he's a loser and can never get anything right!

You have to come to a consistent position: is Chris a liar (or essentially untrustable) or isn't he?

Personally, I think Chris' posts are overall truthful, but with a huge amount of drama and exaggeration thrown in. So, as far as it applies to the medallions, people started giving Chris shit because he started whining publicly like a baby about how he might be late. But the story of his possible lateness is very far separated from the reality. At least wait until the late reports start filtering in.

That starts a slippery slope about self-determination and taking control for yourself. There are other people who grew up a lot worse and turned out a lot better. They were a factor, but I don't think it's a reason to lower the bar.

Eh, yeah, but that'd be like taking some random rags-to-riches story and holding it up as the standard for all the bums who aren't millionaires.

 

[LazarusOwenhart]

That starts a slippery slope about self-determination and taking control for yourself. There are other people who grew up a lot worse and turned out a lot better. They were a factor, but I don't think it's a reason to lower the bar.

Yea I see your point there. Part of me is interested in Chris' reactions to unexpected experience. What if he did something amazing, purely by accident. Like he witnessed a car accident and dragged some poor girl out of a car before it caught fire (hoping for china as a reward) Saving a life is a big deal BUT importantly (in that situation) requires little effort and could be accomplished for selfish reasons. I'd just love to see his reaction to a huge level of justifiable praise.

 

[Stud2Stud]

Now, when it comes to the medallions, Chris definitely did a great job. The problem is that people inconsistently interpret Chris' public posts.

"Hmm, yeh, I saw a cop and told him off and he was so embarrassed!" - Pfft, Chris is a liar, this is totally bullshit!
"GRR I am out of money I'm TOTALLY going to be Late on the medallions due to Trolls!" - Chris is late on the medallions because he's a loser and can never get anything right!

You have to come to a consistent position: is Chris a liar (or essentially untrustable) or isn't he?

Well, this seems inappropriate. I'd rather suggest deciding the amount of truth on a post-by-post basis. Generalizations like treating them all like unadultered truth or complete works of fiction hardly seems viable is all I'm trying to say.
If it's unlikely what Chris describes, it is kind of ok to doubt it. Chris doesn't have to be lying and still give a warped view of events and how they transpired. If Chris made a post about how he managed to outwit a Jerkop in a conversation that's pretty obviously not what has happened, but it still might be how Chris sees it. Also he kind of seems to have a tendency to deliberately misremember events so they fit his own narrative of being a victim.
As long as you keep track of that, you can read between the lines.

Edit:

Yea I see your point there. Part of me is interested in Chris' reactions to unexpected experience. What if he did something amazing, purely by accident. Like he witnessed a car accident and dragged some poor girl out of a car before it caught fire (hoping for china as a reward) Saving a life is a big deal BUT importantly (in that situation) requires little effort and could be accomplished for selfish reasons. I'd just love to see his reaction to a huge level of justifiable praise.

People on and off this forum would be amazed. There'd be a ton of funny remarks, too. There'd be hilarious facebook posts coming from Chris. But somehow, in the long run, I'd be afraid of how it turned out. I can't shake the feeling Chris would somehow abuse this deed and try to use it as an excuse, bargaining chip or to gloat over whenever he wants to.
I mean, he did something really minor when he was (poorly) taking care of the Pokemon League at the Game Place every once in a while and he was using it in his resume.
If he'd do a heroic deed, his ego would be off the fucking scale.

But I digress: in such an unlikely event, I would guess he'd be DROWNING in praise, even from haters. I, for one, actually would like to see OPL do something awesome (or at least something nice). You know. Even though I don't think Chris is a nice guy, I would still prefer seeing him do something nice then doing something messed up.

Spoiler

but I also admit that watching him do messed up shit or outright stupid stuff is way more funny.

 

[Dr.Research]

Now, when it comes to the medallions, Chris definitely did a great job. The problem is that people inconsistently interpret Chris' public posts.

"Hmm, yeh, I saw a cop and told him off and he was so embarrassed!" - Pfft, Chris is a liar, this is totally bullshit!
"GRR I am out of money I'm TOTALLY going to be Late on the medallions due to Trolls!" - Chris is late on the medallions because he's a loser and can never get anything right!

You have to come to a consistent position: is Chris a liar (or essentially untrustable) or isn't he?

Personally, I think Chris' posts are overall truthful, but with a huge amount of drama and exaggeration thrown in. So, as far as it applies to the medallions, people started giving Chris shit because he started whining publicly like a baby about how he might be late. But the story of his possible lateness is very far separated from the reality. At least wait until the late reports start filtering in.

I personally never really thought about how truthful his FB posts were. Full of drama? Yes. But I never assumed he was outright lying. More likely sometimes skewed by his own perception.

Eh, yeah, but that'd be like taking some random rags-to-riches story and holding it up as the standard for all the bums who aren't millionaires.

Of course that isn't fair because rags to riches isn't statistically what happens. But when it comes to Chris there really isn't anything that would have stopped him from becoming a normal member in society. If he had realistic aspirations or actually wanted to be a comic book artist, he'd perfect the craft and build skills. If he listened to the White Knights or learned from his mistakes he'd be in a better place. Chris is (or was more deeply since real life is coming fast) comfortable in the delusion he doesn't need to work succeed. His upbringing is a big factor, but at the end of the day Chris is an adult of normal IQ who has proved competent enough to hold a job (for as shot as it was), drive, and even put two and two together to make a profit.

Yea I see your point there. Part of me is interested in Chris' reactions to unexpected experience. What if he did something amazing, purely by accident. Like he witnessed a car accident and dragged some poor girl out of a car before it caught fire (hoping for china as a reward) Saving a life is a big deal BUT importantly (in that situation) requires little effort and could be accomplished for selfish reasons. I'd just love to see his reaction to a huge level of justifiable praise.

An ego boost an moar unwarranted self importance.

 

[Le Bateleur]

Yes, this sort of thing happens all the time.

Chris is unemployed, and collects the disability benefit he was professionally assessed as being qualified for.

"Get a job, Chris"

Chris starts selling stuff on eBay.

"That's not a job!"

Chris (clumsily) tries to market his work on Facebook.

"Chris is begging for money!"

Chris doesn't have sex

"Virgin with rage!"

Chris pays for sex

"Didn't happen"/"Hookers don't count"/"Lalalalalalala I'm still better than him"

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

"Hmm, yeh, I saw a cop and told him off and he was so embarrassed!" - Pfft, Chris is a liar, this is totally bullshit!
"GRR I am out of money I'm TOTALLY going to be Late on the medallions due to Trolls!" - Chris is late on the medallions because he's a loser and can never get anything right!

You have to come to a consistent position: is Chris a liar (or essentially untrustable) or isn't he?

I think that's oversimplifying things a little. Some claims Chris makes are far more believable than others he makes, depending on what they are and the circumstances surrounding them.

 

[Honeyrabbit]

"Lalalalalalala I'm still better than him"

This right here is about 40% of Christorians' motivation for following Chris, and about 70% of comments made on Chris overall. I always get a good laugh out of the YouTube comments on Chronicles of Chris-chan videos that say stuff like "I'm autistic, but far higher functioning than Chris! Why, I already have a job, and MY Sonic crossover OC is actually well thought-out and has over 20 fans on DeviantArt!"

 

[Alec Benson Leary]

^That's why we had to put a rule at the top of the page specifically prohibiting that shit.

 

[A-№1]

I think that's oversimplifying things a little. Some claims Chris makes are far more believable than others he makes, depending on what they are and the circumstances surrounding them.

I agree with this completely. Chris is demonstrably not always honest, but he isn't always a liar either. Often he'll tell what he believes to be the truth, which isn't, but those are examples of Chris' messed up perception of reality more than attempts to deceive on his part. When he talks about things like his "vagina of the soul" he's not being dishonest, just really really confused.

Everything coming from Chris needs to be filtered with a healthy application of Occam's razor against what we know of Chris and what we know of the real world before we can come to the truth of it. Most of the unbelievable things coming from him, whether he's mistaken in his perceptions or he is intentionally making a self serving lie, contain at least a seed of truth at their core. This isn't necessarily because Chris is an honest person, but more because usually he simply isn't clever enough to invent fictions whole cloth when he does try to deceive. Pretty much everything Chris creates is derivative of something else, i.e. Sonichu. In the first example I have no doubt that Chris probably did actually see a police officer at some point. In the second, well it's well proven that Chris was, in fact, late producing his Sonichu medallions. But beyond those seeds of truth everything else is suspect and subject to analysis.

Picking through what Chris says to suss out the truth of the matter can often be an entertaining exercise, assuming you're into those sorts of puzzles. Generally the most stupid explanation is probably closest to reality, and when the reality actually is to Chris' benefit he's usually fairly honest about it even if he isn't particularly accurate.

 

[asperhes]

It's worth noting that the CWCki is an offshoot of Encyclopedia Dramatica. Much of the CWCki was directly plagiarized from Chris's entry on ED. ED's whole schtick was to exaggerate for the sake of trolling and comedy. From the start, the CWCki attempted to develop a separate identity from ED, and has tried to be fair and accurate when it comes to Christory, based on the argument that this is the most effective way to shine a light on Chris's flaws. However, some of the spirit of ED remains in some of the older articles. The "List of Chris's Lies," for example, ironically contains a number of falsehoods and exaggerations. ED's thesis is that Chris is "the mistake of God," and they find (or invent) evidence to support this, for teh lulz. Given that many people first discovered Chris on ED, I strongly suspect that it was this snarky and abusive tone which has accounted for the hateful "Die Chris" crowd over the years. Of course, ED is satirical, but only smart people get satire, and so what Chris rightfully calls "mislabelings" continue to cloud people's minds. The CWCki has not been able to fully disentangle itself from its origins.

 

[Marvin]

I think that's oversimplifying things a little. Some claims Chris makes are far more believable than others he makes, depending on what they are and the circumstances surrounding them.

Chris' whining about how he couldn't afford to send things out were inflated to mean "Chris screwed up a big amount of his sales". People know Chris exaggerates a lot, but they don't apply that rule consistently. Chris was just squawking about not having enough money because everything he does is flamboyant and dramatic.

Yes, some medallions were sent out late, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the amount of bitching that went on here. His lateness on a handful of medallions had a minimal impact to his customers.

 

[Some JERK]

With hundreds (if not thousands) of active users, the answer to this question is all over the map. I do think though, that there are enough people here who genuinely wish Chris could or would do well (or at least better than he does) and aren't shy about making that opinion known, nor are they reluctant to give Chris credit when he does something worthy of acknowledgement. There are also more than enough people here who would rant on into the double-digit page counts if Chris said that he was donating money to Charity.

 

[cypocraphy]

no,he's horrible

 

[A-№1]

Chris' whining about how he couldn't afford to send things out were inflated to mean "Chris screwed up a big amount of his sales".

To be fair, though, Chris did, in fact, screw up his sales. Just not to the extent some people were making it out to be.

Just because Chris is often dishonest or inaccurate or exaggerating doesn't mean others (including the forums) aren't also exaggerating. A lot of the humor in lolcows comes from hyperbole; the problems arise when people confuse that for actuality.

Yes, some medallions were sent out late, but it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, especially compared to the amount of bitching that went on here. His lateness on a handful of medallions had a minimal impact to his customers.

His doxxing his own customers was a significantly bigger issue to my thinking. A lot of things get shipped late, and often from a lack of funding. Chris is hardly unique in that. Hell, it seems like that's the story to half the kickstarters I've seen. It's just that with Chris such problems were, well, predictable. Anyone who bought from Chris should have expected some problems, and it's their own damn fault if they didn't.

Not to get too off topic, but I really wanted people to leave Chris alone to sell his merchandise without people constantly trying to use the opportunity to fuck with him. I honestly wanted to see how well Chris could manage something on his own without any outside interference. It's often hard to judge just how much credit to give Chris when so many of his exploits are so constantly interfered with. But unfortunately there are probably too many weens out there for an objective clean study to be possible.

 

[fuzzypickles]

Like a few people here have said, it really depends on perspective regarding how much credit Chris deserves for his deeds.

His awful behavior often overshadows his accomplishments, making it difficult for many people who follow him to give him credit for any good deed that he does.

There's also the issue that someone else here raised that doing mundane things doesn't warrant praise from most people. In the case of someone who has a condition where daily life is a constant struggle, like mental retardation or severe depression, yes, perhaps some praise is due. Otherwise, it's just doing what everyone else does, and is therefore nothing special.