Come on, Morgon. This is the internet. Did you really think you were going to change my mind when I've already stated somewhere in this this topic (if not to you) that I consider all third-party ads to be malware as a result of the abuses you describe as "punch the monkey shit"? Ten years ago, I would have said your stance was reasonable. Now, I say your stance is reasonable, but I no longer consider myself obligated to care. I've already made my decision, and that's to block all third-party ads.
The ad industry had their chance, and they blew it not only for themselves, but for those who depend on them to make money because nobody wants to pay for anything on the net when they already pay at least fifty bucks a month to their ISP. Instead of providing a legitimate public service, they tried to turn the Web into TV 2.0.
AC is right. Instead of 'running ads', you are the ad.
The difference is that I'm up-front about it. If you were to punch up my site at starbreakerseries.com, it would be pretty damn obvious that the site exists to promote my fiction. My shit isn't cluttering up your reading experience at other sites. Facebook and Twitter aren't going to clutter your feeds with ads like "Angry wizard sex! Check it out at starbreakerseries.com!" If you're at my site in the first place, it's most likely because you already bought my book and want to see if the next one's out yet.
My site is a first-party ad for my own work. I don't see any hypocrisy in condemning third-party ads or sites that use them.
In addition using they/their in a singular fashion is considered to be improper use by many in grammar.
I've heard the same said about passive voice, and starting a novel by describing the weather. I'm not in the habit of following rules off cliffs. Until the prescriptivists who insist that singular they/their as a gender-neutral pronoun come up with a better alternative, they're welcome to kiss my fat New Yorker ass.
Because their logic is that if you use any gender specific pronouns you are, by default, misogynistic?
I thought their logic was that using the male pronoun for persons of unknown gender or in contexts where gender ought to be irrelevant is both unnecessary and sexist - even if it used to be standard usage. How hard is it to use they/their instead of he/his? I manage it easily enough.
If a subordinate asks you a pertinent question, look at him as if he had lost his senses. When he looks down, paraphrase the question back at him.