Why I will no longer be a Browns or a Cleveland sports fan
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I wasn't going to post again. But, after what this twat posted, I had to. You are a complete FUKCTARD, you got that? Did I say I was in Miami? No. I said TAMPA. Can you fukcing read english? And by the way, I saw the movie with a good female friend of mine who is an avid sports fan and knows I am (or was) a Cleveland fan, and the other was mutual friend of ours (who I met through her), and is a guy.
Man, this decision I've made to ditch Cleveland is getting better by the minute, and posts like this one from tweedle-dumbass helps too.
Maybe I am just wasting my time, but I'll try to be sensible.
What all these posts should show you is exactly how much civic pride Clevelanders DO have for their city. You come talking shit and they jump all over you in defense of their city. Make sense?
But let me get this straight. You went to a movie that had a spoof mocking Cleveland and you're ditching your fandom because you think people will make fun of you (or actually do make fun of you)?
Weak, man...really weak. Hiwaygal said it best, and Clevelanders don't put up with that kind of weakness, which is why you're getting the beatdown from us. Grow a set and man up.
Look, Cleveland is not very different than most cities during this Great Recession. It's tough all over. You know, you can find those images in any city in the USA. Tampa, Miami, San Diego, Phoenix, Charlotte, Denver, etc., etc. Do you think those cities are not losing jobs? Do you think those cities don't have people who use a pay phone? Do you think that trains don't exist outside of Cleveland? Do you think those cities don't have people who make fun of their home town?
Come on, man. Think about it.
Cleveland is historically a blue collar industrial town. Most industrial jobs have been shipped overseas (the good paying jobs, anyways), and now Cleveland doesn't have the workforce to make a smooth transition into healthcare, IT, etc., etc. (Although the Cleveland Clinic is the WORLD leader in heart research, therapy, and technology.)
Cleveland will be fine, but it's gonna take 20 years to get there. The youth will get the education that their parents didn't and Cleveland will be fine after it remolds itself into a 21st century city.
If there's anything to be embarrassed about, it's the Old Boy Network politics and corporate socialism that goes with it.
-Al
Maybe I am just wasting my time, but I'll try to be sensible.
What all these posts should show you is exactly how much civic pride Clevelanders DO have for their city. You come talking shit and they jump all over you in defense of their city. Make sense?
But let me get this straight. You went to a movie that had a spoof mocking Cleveland and you're ditching your fandom because you think people will make fun of you (or actually do make fun of you)?
Weak, man...really weak. Hiwaygal said it best, and Clevelanders don't put up with that kind of weakness, which is why you're getting the beatdown from us. Grow a set and man up.
Look, Cleveland is not very different than most cities during this Great Recession. It's tough all over. You know, you can find those images in any city in the USA. Tampa, Miami, San Diego, Phoenix, Charlotte, Denver, etc., etc. Do you think those cities are not losing jobs? Do you think those cities don't have people who use a pay phone? Do you think that trains don't exist outside of Cleveland? Do you think those cities don't have people who make fun of their home town?
Come on, man. Think about it.
Cleveland is historically a blue collar industrial town. Most industrial jobs have been shipped overseas (the good paying jobs, anyways), and now Cleveland doesn't have the workforce to make a smooth transition into healthcare, IT, etc., etc. (Although the Cleveland Clinic is the WORLD leader in heart research, therapy, and technology.)
Cleveland will be fine, but it's gonna take 20 years to get there. The youth will get the education that their parents didn't and Cleveland will be fine after it remolds itself into a 21st century city.
If there's anything to be embarrassed about, it's the Old Boy Network politics and corporate socialism that goes with it.
-Al
great post, I agree 100%.
to the op,
btw in those videos, they were taken when one of the roads were temporarily closed and he shot them on one of the greyest days, nonetheless they are funny and anyone who has been in cleveland knows it's not like that. you name me a city, and I can shoot a video of it to make it look bad(including weather conditions).
so to sum things up: Fvck you, go root for the Bucs.
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I finally got curious enough to watch the two videos and they cracked me up. We've all tried to describe personal experiences and, when faced with blank looks, resorted to "I guess you had to be there." I think it's the same thing with Clevelanders and these videos. You just have to have lived there to really get it.
Cleveland is a gritty town that's experienced more downs than ups yet the people there are tough, can take just about anything, and still survive with a smile on their faces. There's not a thing in those You-tubes that hasn't been controversial IN Cleveland. Before you abandon the Browns, Tribe, Cavs, etc., I suggest you get to know a little more about what Clevelanders love about their home town and what makes native Clevelanders gravitate to one another.
I nearly took hold of the "delete" key and erased all of the 'homo' comments because I really find them distasteful. They certainly don't show the best side of Clevelanders. "Gritty" and "rude" are not the same thing. When I was growing up, I heard a lot of heated discussions on every topic under the sun. My aunts, uncles, cousins, and neighbors would all join in, but there was never name-calling and there were never hard feelings. I wish it were more like that here on this message board. One can be from a blue collar background and still behave with some class.
I think it's great that you became a fan of Cleveland teams because of your Dad. I know my Mom and Dad were a big part of why I became a fan. It was the great experiences we had as a family when we were cheering for our teams that made for some special memories. Shared hardship, frustration, sadness, celebration and other emotions derived from shared experiences cause roots to grow deep. It's the commonality of the experiences that pull us together. In the tough times we can shore each other up. When we're not bickering or mudslinging, the same thing happens here on the message boards.
I, for one, hope you'll stick around. I welcome anyone who's never been to Cleveland but is still willing to give it a shot. One of these days we'll get back to sharing some good times again and it will feel like it was worth it.
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Here's another video of Cleveland ... Pro Cleveland ... http://www.youtube.com/user/PositivelyClev...u/0/MMno6St_hk8
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Here's another video of Cleveland ... Pro Cleveland ... http://www.youtube.com/user/PositivelyClev...u/0/MMno6St_hk8
Here's another video of Cleveland ... Pro Cleveland ... http://www.youtube.com/user/PositivelyClev...u/0/MMno6St_hk8
AMAZING! You mean there are people in this world with DIFFERING opinions on how they view their hometown!? Wow! (roll eyes)
Thanks for your time - have fun rooting for K2 and a good baseball team in a city with nice weather and the crappiest domed stadium ever built on planet earth. Douche.
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LOL, man I have been busy as hell but this thread was a treat. Dude, you are a pansy man, and I mean that sincerely. First off, you can't be that freaking old as you stated to not understand the scenario you have put forth better.
Big cities are not an entity to them self, it's the whole metro area and in our case NE Ohio as a whole. Yes, Ctown proper is rough, yes it is poverty stricken, full of piss poor and underfunded public schooling, run by a corrupt gov't going on 50 years and generally kinda dirty and crime ridden. We get all that, but you can say the same for just about every old school industrial town around. I won't get into all the positives the area has going for it, the ethnicity of the area, beautiful old architecture or any of that other fluff stuff, that probably doesn't meet the vocabulary of you and your bohemian/yuppie folks you hang out with.
The irony of you taking one person who made some self deprecating videos to prove your point is mind boggling to say the least. You're judging the entire populace on one guy's viewpoint, which BTW is meant to be a joke in that sometimes we don't need to take things too seriously. Then you're correlating it to the entire populace in general and pigeon holing the entire area based on some joke videos. On top of that, you decide that Ctown is not worthy of your fandom anymore because a couple of your friends aren't grown up enough to understand the gritty inner city underbelly. Your taking that and stereotyping everybody as a whole. along with the unwillingness to root for the local sports teams over fear of embarrassment?
Bro, honestly, please go root for Tampa, maybe the Lakers, Yankees and Gators. The whole experience will be wonderful for you. That way when you're out your friends can tell you how cool you are cuz not only do you back winners, but you back successful cities too. You can really impress some folks. I say go for it man and good luck to ya.
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LOL, man I have been busy as hell but this thread was a treat. Dude, you are a pansy man, and I mean that sincerely. First off, you can't be that freaking old as you stated to not understand the scenario you have put forth better.
Big cities are not an entity to them self, it's the whole metro area and in our case NE Ohio as a whole. Yes, Ctown proper is rough, yes it is poverty stricken, full of piss poor and underfunded public schooling, run by a corrupt gov't going on 50 years and generally kinda dirty and crime ridden. We get all that, but you can say the same for just about every old school industrial town around. I won't get into all the positives the area has going for it, the ethnicity of the area, beautiful old architecture or any of that other fluff stuff, that probably doesn't meet the vocabulary of you and your bohemian/yuppie folks you hang out with.
The irony of you taking one person who made some self deprecating videos to prove your point is mind boggling to say the least. You're judging the entire populace on one guy's viewpoint, which BTW is meant to be a joke in that sometimes we don't need to take things too seriously. Then you're correlating it to the entire populace in general and pigeon holing the entire area based on some joke videos. On top of that, you decide that Ctown is not worthy of your fandom anymore because a couple of your friends aren't grown up enough to understand the gritty inner city underbelly. Your taking that and stereotyping everybody as a whole. along with the unwillingness to root for the local sports teams over fear of embarrassment?
Bro, honestly, please go root for Tampa, maybe the Lakers, Yankees and Gators. The whole experience will be wonderful for you. That way when you're out your friends can tell you how cool you are cuz not only do you back winners, but you back successful cities too. You can really impress some folks. I say go for it man and good luck to ya.
LOL, man I have been busy as hell but this thread was a treat. Dude, you are a pansy man, and I mean that sincerely. First off, you can't be that freaking old as you stated to not understand the scenario you have put forth better.
Big cities are not an entity to them self, it's the whole metro area and in our case NE Ohio as a whole. Yes, Ctown proper is rough, yes it is poverty stricken, full of piss poor and underfunded public schooling, run by a corrupt gov't going on 50 years and generally kinda dirty and crime ridden. We get all that, but you can say the same for just about every old school industrial town around. I won't get into all the positives the area has going for it, the ethnicity of the area, beautiful old architecture or any of that other fluff stuff, that probably doesn't meet the vocabulary of you and your bohemian/yuppie folks you hang out with.
The irony of you taking one person who made some self deprecating videos to prove your point is mind boggling to say the least. You're judging the entire populace on one guy's viewpoint, which BTW is meant to be a joke in that sometimes we don't need to take things too seriously. Then you're correlating it to the entire populace in general and pigeon holing the entire area based on some joke videos. On top of that, you decide that Ctown is not worthy of your fandom anymore because a couple of your friends aren't grown up enough to understand the gritty inner city underbelly. Your taking that and stereotyping everybody as a whole. along with the unwillingness to root for the local sports teams over fear of embarrassment?
Bro, honestly, please go root for Tampa, maybe the Lakers, Yankees and Gators. The whole experience will be wonderful for you. That way when you're out your friends can tell you how cool you are cuz not only do you back winners, but you back successful cities too. You can really impress some folks. I say go for it man and good luck to ya.
"you and your bohemian/yuppie folks" LOL... I like creativity, that was good. Glad you could come up with something different than another "homo" or "douche" reference.
To set the record straight, it would be Tampa teams and only Tampa with the exception of the Florida State Seminoles, since I am an alum. fukc the Gators. Lakers? Yankees? not in a million years. Front-runner? Bandwagoner? I think not.
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After reading all of this, I believe it is safe to say that you truly do not have the balls/testicles/marbles/chutzpah/guts/nerve (you get the idea) ... to be a Browns fan.
I wish you much luck with your new team but can't help but wonder what will happen if they don't turn things around soon and people start making fun of them.
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Good Grief Charlie Brown! Could the OP be any more of a puss?
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I didn't read the whole thread.....but am I the only seeing the irony?
He sees a Michael Moore movie.....Michael Moore, American, making films that talk about how effed up America is.....but gets upset that a dude, Clevelander, made (youtube) films that talk about how effed up Cleveland is.
I wonder if he's going to move to Canada, too.
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gcarl, close your eyes, cause this ain't pretty ....
The Tampa Bay Bucaneers appear to be a Third-World country if Cleveland are the slums;
Regular Season Record (all-time) : Bucs: 205-314-1 Browns: 475-380-13
Championships: Bucs: 1, Browns: 8
Passing Leader (all-time): Vinny Testaverde - 14,820 yards, Brian Sipe - 23,713 yards
Rushing Leader (all-time): James Wilder - 5,957 yards, Jim Brown - 12,312 yards
Receiving Leader (all-time): Mark Carrier - 5,018 yards, Ozzie Newsome - 7,980 yards
Winningest Coach (all-time): Jon Gruden - 57 wins, Paul Brown - 158 wins
Twice the franchise ... and that's all that matters.
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Let me start by saying that I don't live in Ohio (never have) and the reason for being a Cleveland sports fan is because of my father who was born and raised in Fairview Park. I started following the Browns and Indians when I was 10 (1984) and grew up mostly in Virginia, near Washington, DC. I now live in Florida, and have been here for the last 18 years. Rarely have I ever get poked fun at for being a Cleveland fan, and the THREE times it happened in 25 years, it was just half-way serious but not really. I never spent much time in the Cleveland area except for a week or two during the summer (when I was in school), and last visited in April 2008.
Anyways, I guess because of being naive, and not living in NE Ohio, I never got a good idea of the reputation the Cleveland area has nation wide. Sure, I heard some of the jokes on late-night TV, etc. However, those came from people in other places, NY, LA, wherever.
That is until Michael Moore's new movie "Capitalism: A Love Story" included what I would call a self-degrading, dispicable, insulting Cleveland tourism video spoof. The worst part was that these videos (there's two of them) were made by a native Clevelander as a "joke".
Well, I have to say, that is real shame. I never realized the lack of civic pride Clevelanders have for their hometown. Do all of you agree with what these videos are poking fun at? Do you consider these hilarious? If so, no wonder the rest of the country considers Cleveland a punch-line and worthy of abuse.
If you don't have respect for the community you live in, how do you expect others to respect it?
As a result, I am no longer a fan of Cleveland or their sports teams. It's over for me. The bottom line is, that I am completely embarrassed now to be associated with Cleveland or their teams knowing that everyone who sees this movie will witness an "amusing" video that insults Cleveland which, worst of all, was created by a native Clevelander.
I'm sure that some of you are already aware of them. All I can say is I used to be proud to be a Cleveland fan, but no more. Remember the city you are an "ambassador" for when you wear your Browns, Indians, or Cavaliers gear in other parts of the country. I won't ever wear that stuff again. I don't want people to think I'm from Cleveland, and for them to assume that I would sh** on my hometown by making a video like this.
I'd like to hear some feedback on what some others on here think about these videos, and request that this post not be moved, even though I realize it's not really about the Browns.
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I stopped reading there.
That's as far as I got too..
I scanned the rest of the posts...saw the predictable "you're a homo" responses which doesn't surprise me. Who the hell would come on here just to go on and on about how they're not going to be a Browns fan or a fan of Cleveland anymore? Who the xxxx cares??
Leave already....but don't worry...when the Browns start winning again, we'll save a seat on the bandwagon for you..
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The funniest thing about gcarl's OP is that he doesn't get that both videos are straight-up, world-class satire, i.e., what they depict is TRUE but is purposefully selective and OVER-EXAGGERATED to make a point.
Which is exactly what Michael Moore is the master of: exaggerating a point with selective information to make a strong point.
This whole thread is why his movies are hilarious. Not only are they funny in and of themselves, the reactions by those who completely miss the point is even funnier.
So, gcarl, to translate for you: Cleveland is in fact suffering and those youtube videos are trying to show that suffering in a way that people actually pay attention to, i.e., humor.
It's an age old tactic which has befuddled people like you since the Irish thought Swift really was eating babies.
Never stops being funny though...
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never been to Cleveland and never will go there. I hear it is a disgusting city full of low wage and unemployed workers.
Those are funny videos.
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please do not feed the obvious troll. Let him go feast in Pissburgh, where men are men, and sheep are fearful....
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Wait a minute ... you live near Miami beach, full of hot babes, and you went to the movie .. a Michael Moore movie ... with two dudes?
You wouldn't make it in Cleveland.
The last movie I saw with two dudes, was Blues Brothers with my flesh and blood brothers. You don't see movies with dudes, dude.
You are a homo.
I wasn't going to post again. But, after what this twat posted, I had to. You are a complete FUKCTARD, you got that? Did I say I was in Miami? No. I said TAMPA. Can you fukcing read english? And by the way, I saw the movie with a good female friend of mine who is an avid sports fan and knows I am (or was) a Cleveland fan, and the other was mutual friend of ours (who I met through her), and is a guy.
Man, this decision I've made to ditch Cleveland is getting better by the minute, and posts like this one from tweedle-dumbass helps too.
I wasn't going to post again. But, after what this twat posted, I had to. You are a complete FUKCTARD, you got that? Did I say I was in Miami? No. I said TAMPA. Can you fukcing read english? And by the way, I saw the movie with a good female friend of mine who is an avid sports fan and knows I am (or was) a Cleveland fan, and the other was mutual friend of ours (who I met through her), and is a guy.
Man, this decision I've made to ditch Cleveland is getting better by the minute, and posts like this one from tweedle-dumbass helps too.
So you coudln't handle a chick giving you hard time about the team you root for. I see know....
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Terrific post, Geech.
Personally, I find the homo rants and the "you wouldn't make it in Cleveland!" stuff to be silly stupid and naive, but I understand where it's coming from. The original poster, on the other hand, came in from an island owned by his freaking Dad and tried to lay claim to it as his own personal homeland in need of defense.
Beanpot
Beanpot, I have to hand it to you. You're absolutely right. Seriously. I was a military brat. Lived in several different places growing up. Spent 9 years in the DC area (very rare for a military family to stay put that long), until moving to Florida in 1991. Been down here ever since. In DC, they would show Cleveland and other AFC Central teams all the time, since the Ravens didn't exist and Pittsburgh was the closest AFC town. I did adopt the Browns because of my dad being from Cleveland. Maybe that was my mistake. But I didn't have a "hometown" of my own.
Damn, Beanpot. I guess sometimes you need to hear someone else spell it out for you. It seems ridiculous... liking a team because your father likes them? He grew up there, I didn't.
Beanpot, I have to hand it to you. You're absolutely right. Seriously. I was a military brat. Lived in several different places growing up. Spent 9 years in the DC area (very rare for a military family to stay put that long), until moving to Florida in 1991. Been down here ever since. In DC, they would show Cleveland and other AFC Central teams all the time, since the Ravens didn't exist and Pittsburgh was the closest AFC town. I did adopt the Browns because of my dad being from Cleveland. Maybe that was my mistake. But I didn't have a "hometown" of my own.
Damn, Beanpot. I guess sometimes you need to hear someone else spell it out for you. It seems ridiculous... liking a team because your father likes them? He grew up there, I didn't.
Maybe you should ask your dad about Cleveland instead of listening to Michael Moore.
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OK... I have some explaining to do. I did see the movie with 2 friends who glanced over at me with a "we-know-that-you-can-take-that-as-a-joke-right?" kind of look. It didn't bother me at all, and honestly I thought it was cool that Cleveland was being mentioned and given "the time of day" by the movie. If someone tried to use Indianapolis or Charlotte or Cincinnati instead, would the rest of the country get it? It's part of Cleveland's personality to be in that role. The show 30 Rock had an episode back in 2007 where a co-worker takes the Tina Fey character to Cleveland to show her around his hometown, and it was a tongue in cheek segment that poked fun at Cleveland, rather gently, and she actually ends up wanting to move to Cleveland with him because everyone seems so nice to her.
I started to think about what if someone really did take offense to the vids after seeing the movie to the point of ditching Cleveland. I was using this board as a litmus test, to see how people would react with everyone being anonymous. Cleveland fans don't take any shyte. Just like I figured. I wanted to see if anyone on here was truly upset about the vids, and if anyone has ever thought about changing their support to a local team because they are not in Ohio anymore.
It's crossed my mind to switch to a local team, being in Florida. With the Bucs winning the Super Bowl (which was a huge event down here) it seemed like a possible option. But are you kidding? I have way too many memories and too much invested with Cleveland sports to switch. I'd feel like I was betraying my family.
It's like the mafia... "just when you think you're out, they pull you back in".
I'm sorry to the ones who hate that I used the board for this. I needed to hear honest, brutal reactions.
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OK... I have some explaining to do. I did see the movie with 2 friends who glanced over at me with a "we-know-that-you-can-take-that-as-a-joke-right?" kind of look. It didn't bother me at all, and honestly I thought it was cool that Cleveland was being mentioned and given "the time of day" by the movie. If someone tried to use Indianapolis or Charlotte or Cincinnati instead, would the rest of the country get it? It's part of Cleveland's personality to be in that role. The show 30 Rock had an episode back in 2007 where a co-worker takes the Tina Fey character to Cleveland to show her around his hometown, and it was a tongue in cheek segment that poked fun at Cleveland, rather gently, and she actually ends up wanting to move to Cleveland with him because everyone seems so nice to her.
I started to think about what if someone really did take offense to the vids after seeing the movie to the point of ditching Cleveland. I was using this board as a litmus test, to see how people would react with everyone being anonymous. Cleveland fans don't take any shyte. Just like I figured. I wanted to see if anyone on here was truly upset about the vids, and if anyone has ever thought about changing their support to a local team because they are not in Ohio anymore.
It's crossed my mind to switch to a local team, being in Florida. With the Bucs winning the Super Bowl (which was a huge event down here) it seemed like a possible option. But are you kidding? I have way too many memories and too much invested with Cleveland sports to switch. I'd feel like I was betraying my family.
It's like the mafia... "just when you think you're out, they pull you back in".
I'm sorry to the ones who hate that I used the board for this. I needed to hear honest, brutal reactions.
OK... I have some explaining to do. I did see the movie with 2 friends who glanced over at me with a "we-know-that-you-can-take-that-as-a-joke-right?" kind of look. It didn't bother me at all, and honestly I thought it was cool that Cleveland was being mentioned and given "the time of day" by the movie. If someone tried to use Indianapolis or Charlotte or Cincinnati instead, would the rest of the country get it? It's part of Cleveland's personality to be in that role. The show 30 Rock had an episode back in 2007 where a co-worker takes the Tina Fey character to Cleveland to show her around his hometown, and it was a tongue in cheek segment that poked fun at Cleveland, rather gently, and she actually ends up wanting to move to Cleveland with him because everyone seems so nice to her.
I started to think about what if someone really did take offense to the vids after seeing the movie to the point of ditching Cleveland. I was using this board as a litmus test, to see how people would react with everyone being anonymous. Cleveland fans don't take any shyte. Just like I figured. I wanted to see if anyone on here was truly upset about the vids, and if anyone has ever thought about changing their support to a local team because they are not in Ohio anymore.
It's crossed my mind to switch to a local team, being in Florida. With the Bucs winning the Super Bowl (which was a huge event down here) it seemed like a possible option. But are you kidding? I have way too many memories and too much invested with Cleveland sports to switch. I'd feel like I was betraying my family.
It's like the mafia... "just when you think you're out, they pull you back in".
I'm sorry to the ones who hate that I used the board for this. I needed to hear honest, brutal reactions.
All I have to say is wow!!!!!!!!!!!!
Inspecta give me the rope and I will hang this moron myself.
.jpg.a1a2b9a0c33008fdaf4097d8fe2cfd64.jpg "Riffer X"){kind=avatar}
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