Really!?! It's Over!

Um, wow.

So yesterday was an eventful day here at Synful Ramblings. I guess I have to thank a website (which I won't post because I don't want to send any traffic there) for posting a link to my blog below titled Why the Girl-on-Girl Crime?. Though I'm a bit frightened by the delightfully rude posters it brought to the blog. And it really is quite rude to go into someone's virtual "home" and post some of the things that you posted. But it only proves my point about the girl-on-girl crime. Based on names alone, most of you who posted these nasty comments were female. So I guess I should thank you also for proving my point. Maybe I would just have to be a woman to understand the deep-seated hatred that you people have for Danielle. Someone who you will likely never meet in your life, with the exception of "Megan" who clearly has some sort of personal vendetta against the woman.

You all do realize that Big Brother Season 14 is over right? I watched the finale, so I know it's over, so I was wondering where you people might have been. Just so you know, the finale occurred September 19th at 830p Central Time on your local CBS station. In case you missed it, here's a link to Part 1. Watch it, it's a pretty good episode. Spoiler Alert, the object of your hatred doesn't win, so you can rest easy that it will end badly for you. She doesn't even get America's Favorite, so seriously, you won't be upset over it.

By the way, you've likely noticed that Blog Comments have been disabled. I will not allow my blog to become a platform for your hatred. My true friends know how to reach me should they want to share a comment with me about whatever I may post in the future. I attempted comment moderation, but my inbox quickly filled up with hate comments just waiting to be published.

Next, I want to give Melinda Murphree a chance to speak, because I would hate for her 2nd post about her daughter's experience on Big Brother to be deleted because of "haters" (yes I called you people that again, omg).

Melinda MurphreeSeptember 24, 2012 2:48 PM
Yes, thank you for shedding light within a very dark underworld. Danielle is doing fine, naturally she has moments that breaks ones heart. Regarding mention of her support system -- she has the best one can offer. To the folks that may not like her play but are still kind, thank you!! I did have the feeds; logged over 100 hours I believe. I am not attempting to defend all of her conversations as it isn't realistic. However I have seen multiple posts regarding China, the gypsies, etc. Danielle was involved with the People to People Student Ambassador program to China her junior high school year. As well, during another travel venture her Home Ec teacher told her to straighten up or she would sell her to the gypsies while in Italy. Didn't see the feed on this just a memory. Also, my mother is a member of Mensa (sorry mom!) and her father -- Danielles great grandfather was a chemist. He in fact invented the formula for soap now used within laundry detergent. Lastly, we live on a bluff (yes she is a true country girl :)) and our Rhodesian Ridgeback, Ringo, saved her from a sure incident when she was a mere toddler. My first post was preseason .. and now my 2nd post. But who really cares about any of this info anyway???? Danielle, if you ever see this you are my rock! Love, Mom

Melinda, and I have to assume that you are who you really are because I have no choice really. And that's cool with me. But in the world of the internet you can never be 100% certain that you are talking to who your are really talking to. Anyhow, I am truly honored that you chose my blog as a place to post your thoughts about this. It's clear that you love and support your daughter, and I am certain that Danielle will be absolutely fine. She had a terrific summer, and though she didn't win the grand prize or even 2nd place, she is one of four people so far who can say that she spent an entire season of Big Brother in the Big Brother House despite not winning. She joins the ranks of Adam Poch, Enzo Palumbo, and Kevin Campbell. That is a huge accomplishment and she can walk away with an experience of a lifetime. Now, please take my advice, and please stop reading internet posts about Big Brother and/or your daughter. I have learned this season, that Big Brother is better enjoyed with true friends, than it is with Big Brother communities. The hate runs rampant in these groups, and it's truly not something that one person has the power to stop. There aren't enough mods in most communities to put out those fires. And the only option for a blog writer like myself is to disable comments completely. There aren't many people that have the credibility to do that, so the hate continues. That cycle, at least in my little corner of the internet stops here. Nothing healthy will come of the vast majority of Big Brother communities, including SuperPass. Spicy was a complete and utter bitch (Hater's take note, I called someone a bitch, but I am not perfect and don't claim to be, but that doesn't mean I'm going to decimate Spicy's life for the public to criticize and salivate over while forming the line to rip her apart.) during the backyard interviews that played on SuperPass. She deliberately tried to hurt Danielle with her not-so-clever but oh-so-obvious questions. So again I say, SuperPass is not a safe place. I would stick to CBS only, and even then I would be extremely cautious because Allison Grodner Productions really did nothing to try to dial back the hate, and the edits even fueled some of it. Again thank you for stopping by my modest virtual "home". Please know that I am wishing only good things for you and your daughter's future.

Also a special thanks to Tiffany Yeung regarding my "bravery" to speak up against the haters. I don't really consider it bravery, just trying to do the right thing.

To the posters who mentioned my use of the word "crime" in the previous blog. This was not meant to be crime in the literal sense of the word. In fact I think I ripped the line from the movie "Mean Girls". Ironic right? I wasn't trying to insinuate that you could be prosecuted for your hate speech, but you should be ashamed. Though I do think the stalkerish tendencies displayed by some of the "haters" that I personally witnessed could actually be criminal, at least in some states. But I don't have a law degree so I couldn't say with any certainty.

To the poster that said they found it funny that I tried to shame you for "hating" on Danielle, but that I was guilty for "hating" on Chick-Fil-A, Thanks for that laugh. It was really fun trying to decipher how the two correlated. Equating a small group of individuals expressing their hatred of one reality star to a national movement that perpetuated discrimination on a national scale just does not compute. But you did make me laugh, so you get bonus points.

Now, as I’ve mentioned, the game is over. I’m one of those fans who can separate the person from the gamer. The Danielle we saw on the shows and the live feeds was the gamer. The Danielle we see outside of the house and what she does beyond the Game of Big Brother, is the person. I don’t believe that the two are carbon copies of each other. It is absolutely fine if you aren’t one of the people that has the capacity to differentiate the two. But it is not in anyway healthy for you to hold on to this hatred for a character on a reality television show. Danielle does not owe you an apology. She made decisions that were just that, HER decisions. The only people she has to answer to for that are those people she holds close to her and whatever higher power she chooses if any. I do not, and will not, understand the personal hurt feelings that you as a viewer will have. Matt Hoffman made a horrific lie about a medical condition that his wife had and blatantly used that to hopefully win the game and prize money. Yet, he didn’t get pages and pages and posts and posts professing the author’s hatred and personal injury because of it. But, Matt Hoffman is a man. And still it seems that some women can only make themselves feel better by tearing down other women.

Thank you for your attention. I fully expect that my little blog will quickly be returned to less than 5 page views a day, but for one day in 2012, I reached over 1,400 page views during that 24 hours, so I guess that’s pretty cool. Now that you no longer have a place to voice your hatred here, please find another place, or better yet, heal, and get over it. Enjoy your life. And perhaps skip Big Brother next season. Best wishes to you all.

Disclaimer: Though I live in Alabama, I have never been to Tuscaloosa and do not personally know Danielle or anyone in her family, nor do I believe I will ever meet her.

Why the Girl-On-Girl Crime?

When AGP began formulating this fourteenth season of Big Brother, complete with four controversial former players, I bet they never imagined that the most talked about contestant would be a “Southern Belle” from Alabama. But just visit any Big Brother Blog, Website, Facebook Group, and you will likely see a growing pattern of post after post dedicated to Danielle Murphree. It doesn’t just stop there either, AGP themselves have cashed in on it with their “stalker” innuendo delivered by the Zingbot. And if you thought you could expect the same type of generally unbiased commentary that we’ve had in season’s past on the live SuperPass shows, think again. Missy, Ellen, and Spicy have all boarded the Danielle HateExpress.

The other pattern, which is unfortunately extremely prominent, is that these posts are dedicated to the poster’s hatred for her. It’s not just hatred it’s a combination of every word used to define hate wrapped into one.

Hate  [heyt]
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: extreme dislike
Synonyms: abhorrence, abomination, anathema, animosity, animus, antagonism, antipathy, aversion, black beast, bother, bugbear, bête noire, detestation, disgust, enmity, execration, frost*, grievance, gripe, hatred, horror, hostility, ill will, irritant, loathing, malevolence, malignity, mislike, nasty look, no love lost, nuisance, objection, odium, pain, rancor, rankling, repugnance, repulsion, resentment, revenge, revulsion, scorn, spite, trouble, venom
Notes: hate means to 'dislike intensely, loathe' and despise means 'look down on contemptuously'

When I read this definition, I can think of very few people I’ve encountered in my life that I would attribute this word to. And I certainly couldn’t attribute it to a contestant on a reality television show that I will likely never ever meet. But this hasn’t stopped “haters” from pouring out in droves to voice their extreme hatred towards Danielle. And what has completely baffled me is that a very high percentage of these people have been women. Women banding together with other women to collectively hate another woman.

The things I have read have been terrible. She’s been called a bunny-boiler. Delusional. Stalker. Vain. Liar. The Zingbot said Shane was going to get a restraining order against her. For someone who is supposedly being the stalkee, he certainly isn’t doing anything to send her a clear message that he’s not interested. That kiss after the first endurance comp of the season comes to mind. She’s been called a predator, social misfit, and human miscreant. She’s been disparaged for her weight and called fat. And I say this, if Danielle is fat, I’d love to see the funhouse mirrors that these people picking Danielle apart have in their homes.

As a man, how am I ever supposed to learn that it’s not okay to talk about a woman’s body size, her looks, her actions, her words, if everywhere I turn I read things that contradict that? Thankfully I grew up with a Mother and Father who instilled these values in me. But I worry about the ones who didn’t.

In a time where we have NOH8 and “It get’s better” campaigns, and celebrities speaking out against bullying, it’s astonishing to see that at least when it comes to some Big Brother fans, we have learned nothing. These monsters continue to sit behind their computer screens and perpetuate this hateful behavior. It seems to me that no amount of children hanging themselves in their closets because they would rather face death than the bullies at schools can reach them. No amount of teenage girls starving themselves to be thin can reach them? What about the ones that cut themselves privately in their bathrooms as a way to cope with the emotional pain that they are feeling? I know, these examples seem extreme, but are they? These children did these things because they were being bullied. What’s the difference?

There’s this excuse being bandied about that Danielle signed up for this when she agreed to go on a reality television show. And to this I say, “Really?” She signed up to have her personal life before the show to be spread out across the internet and dissected? She signed up for someone to post her Grandfather’s obituary online to prove that she doesn’t have a biological sister, ignoring the fact that she herself has said numerous times on the live feeds that this is her God-Sister? She signed up to have her body and weight scrutinized to the minute details of how long she spent in front of the mirror?

I was completely awestruck when I engaged someone on the topic of Danielle the other day to find that they were so annoyed with her looking at herself in the mirror for over an hour while she applied makeup. Annoyed? When there is typically another feed option that you could switch to, or even a commodity to a BB Superfan, and actually turn the feeds off and get something productive done for a change. But not only do people sit there and let themselves get annoyed with what she’s doing, but then take time out of their lives to post about it and analyze every single move she makes, from who she sits next to, to what face she makes to herself in the numerous mirrors in the house. And that only opens the door for more people to flock to the post and share their thoughts and opinions in support of this bullying. And don’t dare to be one of the few brave people that stand up and call this bullying what it is. Because then these monsters focus their attention on you. Some Facebook group admins would rather turn a blind eye to it rather than confront it head on. Some blog runners have adopted the mindset “If you can’t beat them join them.” And these attitudes only perpetuate the bullying.

At the beginning of this post I asked “Why?” Is it because of some kind of jealousy? Danielle is a very attractive female and in great shape. Is she that much of a threat to these people who will never meet her? As I’ve heard, there’s a lack of “eye candy” in the house this season, so are people mad that Danielle gravitated towards Shane? She’s 23 years old. I didn’t know who I was at 23, and I doubt Danielle does now. She’s still obviously trying to get comfortable in her own skin. She’s looking for acceptance from the people in her life, and for these three months, those people are her fellow houseguests. But outside of the house, there are people that are crucifying her for this. And to those people I say, “Shame on you.”

Finally, I will close with this Big Brother thought. Danielle is actually playing the game, and she made a big move, whether it was alliance motivated or not, when she took the power into her own hands and won HOH and the POV and made the choice to remove Janelle, whom she perceived as a threat mind you. When the game gets down to the Jury and the final two, countless BB forums hustle and bustle over wanting the jury to vote on game play. So why then I ask you, does Danielle get all this heat for being human, and someone like Ashley skates through in her Snow White fairytale to the end with only a back injury conspiracy?

Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day ... A National Day for Hate.

I'm just disgusted by this. All the reports of packed restaurants, lines around the building, traffic jams. Some are there to support Free Speech and some are there to protest same sex marriage. But what it boils down to is hate. And it just makes me sad.

I'm a hetero, but I'm pro-happy, as in whatever makes you happy, go for it. And I don't think anyone should stand in the way of that. I'm also a Christian. And I am so sick to death of people hiding behind "their" interpretation of the Bible. The God I know is a loving God. And likely doesn't care at all about a chicken sandwich. But this Dan Cathy says that

"we're inviting God's judgment on our nation when we shake our fist at him and say we know better than you as to what constitutes a marriage. And I pray God's mercy on our generation that has such a prideful, arrogant attitude that thinks we have the audacity to redefine what marriage is all about."

I don't remember a government handing out marriage licenses in the Old Testament. I can't say I know much about the marriage debate, but isn't a big portion of it so that same-sex couples can receive the same benefits as married couples? And let's not forget the track record that man and woman unions have going for them. Why isn't he attacking them for getting divorced? But oh wait ... he is. He says

"We are very much supportive of family -- the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives."

So he's also against divorce. Well what about the woman who married young only to find her new husband is a wife beater. Or that Man married the trophy wife, only to learn that she's been sleeping with his entire office. Or visa versa. I just don't think the God that loves me, would want me to stay in an unhealthy and unhappy situation like that.

I didn't even hear about this Appreciation Day until last night. But I knew I was not going anywhere near Chick-Fil-A today. And likely will not be back there again. And then I read articles about the poor people that work there (some even gay) that are being subjected to ignorant homophobes congratulating them on "hating faggots." Can you imagine yourself as a gay person being told that? I just hate this. These employees were just looking for a job, and it's unfortunate that they have someone like Dan Cathy running the corporation they work for. His words are directly responsible for what happens to his employees. And he should have thought about that.

I'm done with Chick-Fil-A. There are plenty of other establishments that would welcome my dollar whether I had gills and purple skin, or if I was just a normal human. I think I'll go there instead. The only time I ever really got a craving for Chick-Fil-A anyway was on a Sunday.

I won't even get started on the Politician that was fueling this movement.

Toto, There's no place like Home!

Dusting this place off for a fresh new post!


Just wanted to let my modest group of followers know where I'm hanging out this summer. I started following a new Big Brother Blog at the end of last season and it's quickly become my favorite. Enough to bump it up to the top of the list over there on the right ----> for the list of blogs I follow. Though it didn't really get geared up until this season of BB, it's quite entertaining, and has filled in the gaps of a whole lot of the pre-season madness, and offers very observant views of Big Brother as the social experiment it is. If you are looking to know whenever someone rolls over during the night or scratches their armpits, then you might want to check out some of the other blogs out that I have been following to get my updates via twitter and facebook. See my suggestions at the bottom of this post.


But if you ARE looking for a place where there aren't armchair psychologists and armchair attorneys waiting to beat you over the head until you fall into submission if you don't agree with who they like in the house, then this new blog might be the place you can find a safe haven. Like a lighthouse on the rocky shores of a shabby island, it has led my ship to the safe waters.


There are places out there that I had frequented before, but like Dorothy said, "There is no place like home." And while some of these previous places look like The Land of OZ with it's golden brick roads and emerald cities, it becomes evident that it really is just a dream. And those looking for a heart, courage, or brains, may come up empty handed. You can drop some coins in a fountain for the hard work that keeps OZ running that you expect to be shared and distributed to the many that make OZ run, but unfortunately, the coins aren't shared, and The Great Wizard collects them solely. You may spend hours creating things to be used to spruce up OZ, only to have them unused. You may make new items for the OZ store to bring in revenue for the kingdom, maybe silently wishing you could get one as a display of appreciation, only to be left empty handed while the Wizard reaps the rewards. You may sit idly by watching as free feeds are handed out for retweets, and think for certain you'll get some too for trying to help out and fill a gap, only to be disappointed. You may unselfishly spend summers that you would otherwise have off, scouring over every word a houseguest says and sharing with the masses for hours on end, not expecting but maybe wishfully hoping you would get something, anything, in return only to have these wishes squelched like an errant flame. And you might rightfully expect to have the nasty OZites that disparage and blatantly disrespect you exiled to some dingy swampland, afterall there are rules posted against this, only to be disappointed to see that they are welcomed with open arms and even sought out if they go missing for a day. You may think that you’ve made a true friendship only to be disheartened to discover that once the feeds go down, you become useless until the next BB season starts to roll around.


But then you wake up from this nightmare. There is no tornado waiting on the horizon to wipe you off the map. There are no Wicked Witches. And you look around at the familiar faces checking to make sure you are okay and you realize “you were there, and so were you, and you …” And you learn that these people that are surrounding you, that are your true friends, have been there all the time, and they were trapped in the same warped world as you. And you learn that they already have a heart. They already have brains. And they are some of the most courageous friends you could find. In fact the only thing that has changed is that you are in a new place and there is no Wizard masquerading himself as great and powerful. And there is no one bullying you do one thing and not another. And above all, you are free to leave this new place if you want, and even encouraged to visit other corners of the internet to make sure you are up to date on all the Big Brother happenings, because this new place doesn‘t make false promises that it‘s the only place on the internet for reliable Big Brother news. And if you do venture out, you aren’t reprimanded for abandonment and not pledging your loyalty.


So if you have become disenchanted with whatever place you call OZ and would like to try something new, please drop by where I will be spending my summer and say hello. You might be surprised and find some familiar faces there that were also looking for some shelter in the storm. We will just be up to our old Shenanigans again. :D


Here's where I'm going in addition to Big Brother Shenanigan's to get the latest BB Dirt:


iPhone APPs

Big Brother Network

Pocket Big Brother



Big Brother Sites and Pages

Big Brother Network

Big Brother Live Feeds

Big Brother Leak

Remembering ...

It's strange when growing up you hear about those moments in your parents or grandparents past who can say that they remember exactly what they were doing when something happened. Like when JFK was assassinated, or MLK assassinated, or even the day Elvis died.

I never really thought I would see anything like that in my lifetime. The closest to it was when the Challenger exploded during take off. But I was so young then. I barely remember being in 1st Grade or Kindergarten and seeing it on television.

But on September 11th, 2001, I will never forget what I was doing, or how horrific it was. I was sleeping like normal because I worked 2nd shift. After the first tower was hit, my Dad woke me up to watch. We all stood in horror as we saw the second plane hit the other tower. That was when our blood chilled and we knew that this wasn't just some horrible accident.

I was working in Operator Services then as a supervisor over Directory Assistance and Toll Operators. It was 2 days after the attack and communications in and around NYC were still jammed and having trouble. I remember that one operator had an emergency call from one of her callers which required me to take over the call to assist with a request for emergency services. I got on the phone call and it was a Doctor in one of the southern states trying to reach her mother in Manhattan. We could not get the call through for her because we were getting an All Circuits Busy message. And this Doctor actually threatened to bomb one of our offices that was local to her. I knew that she was extremely upset and desperate to get in touch with her mother. So I asked her if she was honestly serious about that threat in an attempt to give her the chance to say that she wasn't. She unfortunately did not and coldly told me that she would do whatever was necessary to speak to her mother. I had no choice but to take her threat seriously and contact the local authorities to report her. And she did unfortunately get into some kind of trouble because her attorney contacted our Human Resources department to speak with me, but the HR department wouldn't allow that. That is one thing that I will never forget about that time either. The lengths people will go to when they are desperate.

These are all the thoughts that come back to me when this anniversary comes around every year.

The face of our nation was forever changed. Humanity across the planet was forever changed.

My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the 3,000+ who were killed that day. My heart goes out to the countless innocent victims of hate crimes that followed. My heart goes out to the families and loved ones of the limitless soldiers who have lost their lives fighting the resulting wars since the attacks. My heart goes out to everyone touched by this horrific act of evil and terror.

This Brigade. Wow. They are going to need some serious therapy when they get out of the house and realize that throngs of fans aren't going to be throwing thereselves at them.

Noun 1. delusions of grandeur - a delusion (common in paranoia) that you are much greater and more powerful and influential than you really are
delusion, psychotic belief - (psychology) an erroneous belief that is held in the face of evidence to the contrary
megalomania - a psychological state characterized by delusions of grandeur

A quote springs to mind, uttered by the broken Blanche DuBois.

"Whoever you are, I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

Do they really think they are going to be the next big thing to hit the world. There's so much they want for free. There's so much that they think they deserve. For what? They went on a reality show to win $500K. They didn't do anything Earth-shattering to get to the end. Did they make Rachel and Brendon act like they did? No. All they did was fly under the radar. I'm still not seeing how they've done these amazing things that make them the BEST ALLIANCE in Big Brother History. I just don't understand.

And I also find it quite hilarious right now, with the way Enzo is behaving. He berated Ragan and Britney time and time again for acting the very same way he is acting right now. This is how he has acted after every competition he lost. Which is about 15, by the way. Enzo is SUCH a LOSER in the game of Big Brother.

I'm so glad that this season is almost over. I hope they get rid of the casting people that found this cast and start over.

Could I Care Less?

OMG. BBLand. These last few days have been like watching vultures circle over a struggling bunny rabbit clinging on to the last few minutes of life. The only difference is the HG's playing the role of bunny keep changing. I've lost interest in BB12. There's no one that I'm particularly rooting for.

Matt screwed himself over big time. He's said in both his DR's and to Ragan, that he's being shunned by the people who were his friends (Enzo, Hayden, and Lane). And he KNOWS that they have used him to get them this far and that they are now cutting him loose. So why Matt? Why would you continue to throw Ragan under the bus and share his house knowledge with the Three Stooges? And also, why are you rolling over and dying? For a Diabolical Super Idiot, I mean Genuis, you sure have given up quick. How about exposing the Brigade? Sure, some people might not believe you, but at leave give a chance for the seed of doubt to grow into a fruitful tree. Strike up an alliance with Brendon and Ragan.

Britney, poor little doe eyed Britney. WAKE UP! This is Big Brother. You TRUST NO ONE! Lane is playing you for a fool. He has absolutely no allegiance to you. You were so on to what was really going on after the POV comp. But no, you have to trust your "army" and you will be going to the jury house with a little "Friendly Fire" aimed your way by your "army." They will have you out the first chance they get. There's no reason for them to get rid of Brendon. They stand the best chance of winning if he and one of them is in the final two.

Ragan, stop with the "Inappropriate Zing Bot." It's not funny. And it's a real shame that you didn't believe Kristen until now about the boy's alliance. You pegged it completely. I just fear that it's far too little and far too late. And I'm really concerned how you are going to react once you get out of the house and realize the true depth of Matt's betrayal. It's going to suck for you.

The Three Stooges. Ugh. I'm so over "The Brigade." And the funny thing is, they've gone on and on about how they'll be the only alliance in BB History to make it from beginning to end in a hidden alliance. Well you won't. Joke's on you Boys! When you turned on your own, and booted Matt out of the alliance, then you severed your Brigade Alliance. Yeah, a new one was born with a new name, BG3D (lame), but it won't be the one that last until the end either. Hayden doesn't have an allegiance to either of you Enzo and Lane. He's got Final 2 deals with both of you.

And here's where I get to the point where I really don't care who wins BB12. I'm ready for BB13. This season was a HUGE bust! I'm hoping that AGP does better next season. There needs to be more diversity in the people chosen. These people are all like cookie cutter images of the roles that they were supposed to be.

I don't want to say it, but I'm going to. "I'm so over Big Brother."