# A thought for Excalibre **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2006, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782 "2006-06-15T06:17:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/141 "2006-06-16T16:17:25Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] IMHO “WHOOSH” = “I am being a Troll”. :mad: [/QUOTE] You’re whooshing us right now, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/142 "2006-06-16T16:24:56Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] So the fact that a book has been written about by literary critics proves that it’s great literature and, as you claimed, the greatest literature of our time? Out of curiosity, what are you smoking? [/QUOTE] Yeah, that’s exactly what I said. What I said is that your summary dismissal of it, and categorization of somebody who holds that opinion as ignorant, is wrong. I’m _allowing_ for dissension in opinions. You’re not. You’re trying to cow people who hold different opinions than you. You’re a bully. Get it? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/143 "2006-06-16T16:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] You’re whooshing us right now, aren’t you? [/QUOTE] No. I _do_ think that a WHOOSH that isn’t so obviously a “whoosh” as to elicit a serious response is a type of trollery. \*\*Dijon Warlock \*\* isn’t a fool by any means, and attempted a serious response to **dnooman** ’s post. Thus, dnoomans “whoosh” was a (IMHO) a form of trollery. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/144 "2006-06-16T16:29:26Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] You’re whooshing us right now, aren’t you? [/QUOTE] Sadly, no. **DrDeth** was born with a severely underdeveloped sense of humor. No matter how absurd the words on the screen, they will always be taken at face value. Thus, if I said that “I’m so mad, I’m going to go kill six billion Chinamen”[sup]\*[/sup], I would be admonished for (a) being a bigoted genocidal maniac, and (b) not knowing that there aren’t 6 billion people in China. [sup]\*[/sup]Statement for illustrative purposes only. Offer void where prohibited. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/145 "2006-06-16T16:33:22Z")
[QUOTE=D\_Odds] Sadly, no. **DrDeth** was born with a severely underdeveloped sense of humor. [/QUOTE] I wish people wouldn’t joke about that. My little niece was born like that. Such a cute, innocent cherub of a baby. She fought valiantly to hang on to life. Sadly, she passed away in the hospital at 9 days of age. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/146 "2006-06-16T16:40:45Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I wish people wouldn’t joke about that. My little niece was born like that. Such a cute, innocent cherub of a baby. She fought valiantly to hang on to life. Sadly, she passed away in the hospital at 9 days of age. [/QUOTE] Wow, I really want to make a joke off this regarding laughter being the best medicine, but I…just…can’t. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/147 "2006-06-16T16:41:09Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I wish people wouldn’t joke about that. My little niece was born like that. Such a cute, innocent cherub of a baby. She fought valiantly to hang on to life. Sadly, she passed away in the hospital at 9 days of age. [/QUOTE] You know that you’re just asking for it from **DrDeth** , don’t you? ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/148 "2006-06-16T16:46:47Z")
Ooops. Turns out she was born anencephalic, which included lacking a sense of humor. Sorry for my misremembering. She would be seven today, BTW. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/149 "2006-06-16T16:47:56Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] No. I _do_ think that a WHOOSH that isn’t so obviously a “whoosh” as to elicit a serious response is a type of trollery. [/QUOTE] That makes absolutely no sense. You can’t deliberatly whoosh someone. A whoosh isn’t the fault of the person making the joke, it’s the fault of the person who fails to understand the joke. There’s no way you can plan for that. That’s an utterly bizarre and illogical opinion. I can only imagine that you’re operating under some sort of misunderstanding of what the word “whoosh,” or possibly the word “troll,” actually mean. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/150 "2006-06-16T16:52:30Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] Ooops. Turns out she was born anencephalic, which included lacking a sense of humor. Sorry for my misremembering. She would be seven today, BTW. [/QUOTE] How tragic that Scott Thompson, born 32 years earlier with the same condition, has been able to lead a more-or-less functioning life. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/151 "2006-06-16T16:55:15Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Badger] How tragic that Scott Thompson, born 32 years earlier with the same condition, has been able to lead a more-or-less functioning life. [/QUOTE] Oops - that should obviously read “How tragic! Scott Thompson, born…” ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/152 "2006-06-16T16:56:58Z")
[QUOTE=vetbridge] I wish people wouldn’t joke about that. My little niece was born like that. Such a cute, innocent cherub of a baby. She fought valiantly to hang on to life. Sadly, she passed away in the hospital at 9 days of age. [/QUOTE] 10 points! ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/153 "2006-06-16T16:57:20Z")
hehehehe. Fuckin Carrot Top!!!😃 Ya nearly whooshed be **Dead Badger** , ya crazy coont ya.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/154 "2006-06-16T17:10:38Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] That makes absolutely no sense. You can’t deliberatly whoosh someone. A whoosh isn’t the fault of the person making the joke, it’s the fault of the person who fails to understand the joke. There’s no way you can plan for that. That’s an utterly bizarre and illogical opinion. I can only imagine that you’re operating under some sort of misunderstanding of what the word “whoosh,” or possibly the word “troll,” actually mean. [/QUOTE] ['Tis been done.–Should wooshing be considered trolling?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327728&highlight=troll%2A) ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/155 "2006-06-16T17:13:37Z")
Oh, I thought he meant [Scott Thompson.](http://www.phillyfests.com/piglff/2004/press/Scott%20Thompson/Scott%20Thompson.jpg) I didn’t know that was also Carrot Top’s name, so I didn’t get the joke. As a result, I’m reporting **Dead Badger** for trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/156 "2006-06-16T17:16:01Z")
[QUOTE=Miller] That makes absolutely no sense. You can’t deliberatly whoosh someone. A whoosh isn’t the fault of the person making the joke, it’s the fault of the person who fails to understand the joke. There’s no way you can plan for that. That’s an utterly bizarre and illogical opinion. I can only imagine that you’re operating under some sort of misunderstanding of what the word “whoosh,” or possibly the word “troll,” actually mean. [/QUOTE] If someone actually makes a joke and people don’t get it, there’s nothing to blame the joker for (except conceivably not being funny, but there’s no rule against that.) But I have seen people say something ridiculous or just confused - and clearly _not_ a joke - get called on it, and yell “WHOOSH!” I’m not sure if those people were trolling in the first place or if they don’t understand what the word means. But I’m not convinced that every time a person proclaims a whoosh that it’s actually a joke that didn’t take. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/157 "2006-06-16T17:22:22Z")
[QUOTE=Cluricaun] Wow, I really want to make a joke off this regarding laughter being the best medicine, but I…just…can’t. [/QUOTE] I love you, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/158 "2006-06-16T17:43:47Z")
[QUOTE=Zoe] One thing that I admire about **Roger** is that he is able to take an interest in people who approach a subject from a viewpoint different from his own. In general, he hasn’t appeared to be hostile to questions or label them as “ill-formed” and demonstrating nothing but “ignorance.” Maybe it’s the natural teacher within, but sometimes he _does_ put up with the fools that each of us can be from time to time _if we are seriously interested in learning_. Maybe someday, **Excalibre** will consider the option of actually “suffering fools gladly.” He may miss the high that the hostility and vitriol bring, but it works much better at fighting ignorance. **Smeghead** , you said it exactly right in your post. [/QUOTE] **Zoe** , I’ve always liked you, but you’re dead wrong here. **roger** is a moron who refuses to accept that he might be wrong, even with subjects he knows absolutely nothing about (the civil rights movement in the US, for example). Despite being given cite after cite disproving his theories, he insists that we’re the ones who are wrong. If that’s not being willfully ignorant, then I’m the Queen of England. **Excalibre** may be abrasive, but that’s one of the things I _like_ about him-he doesn’t act like a total know it all. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/159 "2006-06-16T17:45:07Z")
[QUOTE=Excalibre] If someone actually makes a joke and people don’t get it, there’s nothing to blame the joker for (except conceivably not being funny, but there’s no rule against that.) But I have seen people say something ridiculous or just confused - and clearly _not_ a joke - get called on it, and yell “WHOOSH!” I’m not sure if those people were trolling in the first place or if they don’t understand what the word means. But I’m not convinced that every time a person proclaims a whoosh that it’s actually a joke that didn’t take. [/QUOTE] Right. And what a wonderful scam it is. A poster says something ignorant and foolish. A smarter and rather observant posters calls them on it. So, then all you have to say is “WHOOSH!” and suddenly it’s the \*other guy \* who is made to look like a fool, and _you’re_ oh-so-clever and funny. :rolleyes: Well, if I was to choose between \*\*Dijon Warlock \*\* and **dnooman** as to who is the fool- well… my choice wouldn’t be **Dijon Warlock**. So, by posting something stupid and attempting to cover it up by a “WOOSH!”, either you’re being a troll or disengenous. And, then dudes will defend the “WHOOSHer” by saying: _"you just don’t have a sense of humor_"- which could be right if the “WHOOSH” had any elements of humor in it at all. Sure, once in a great while a WHOOSH is completey obvious and even funny. But I think more often it’s just a weasle. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782/160 "2006-06-16T17:53:36Z")
[QUOTE=DrDeth] But I think more often it’s just a weasle. [/QUOTE] They have a vaccine for that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thought-for-excalibre/360782.md?page=9)