And the award for best up-and-coming new SDMB member goes to: FarmerOak!

The BBQ Pit
1

I’d like to just take a moment and shine the spot light on one of our more recent members here at the Straight Dope: FarmerOak.

I have been following his latest contributions to the various fora, and find that his postings are witty, informative, accurate (where applicable), pert, and bold when necessary.

Acclaim:

He has made only limited contributions to Great Debates, but that small piece of quality work rivals almost anything I have personally posted in that forum. Expect to see more of him in GD soon!

To date he has posted to twelve threads in GQ, each addition a delicious tidbit painted with the skill of an accomplished artist’s brush. Solid material with just a hint of comic relief.

Moving on to IMHO, he offers sage advice such as:

And a FarmerOak classic:

Diving a little deeper down into the mysterious well of the Oak man’s soul, we have the mirror turned upon ourselves, forcing us to confront a harsh reality:

But never afraid to place himself under the magnifying glass, we discover some deeply personal & troubling aspects of a Farmer’s life. Quoth FarmerOak:

Sigh… sometimes the details are best revealed under a cold and sterile light.

And if you think a man of such poignant wisdom would not lower himself to enter the world of MPSIMS, think again. In less than two hundred posts, the Oak man has already received his first warning for flipping the virtual bird to authority. I’ve been here over two years with hardly a finger-shaking from the mods for any of my reckless behaviour.

And finally, a delightful Pit performance where we watch Farmer beat the beejays out of Scoo Guy with his own ugly stick.

Keep an eye out for this poster, everybody! For therein lies the makings of one of the SDMB’s most dynamic personalities. So what happens to FarmerOak in the future? Only time will tell for sure, but I’m laying odds on him becoming:

  1. A moderator
  2. Banned
  3. A moderator, and then getting banned

I think Carina42 said it best when she said:

C’mon, Farmer… step up to the podium and say a few words!

::Spotlights pan across audience::

Farmer??

2

I know, it was love at first sight for me with this guy, too.

Adding to my admiration was his ability to back off and apologize humbly when he got snippy to a moderator after the moderator told him to cool off. Would that more of us knew how to say “sorry.” I mean, jeez, even when you’re not as much in the wrong as the other Dopers claim you are, it never hurts to be a little humble for god’s sake! Wait, that’s another rant.

Anyway, FarmerOak, I’ve only read a little of your stuff but you seem like a class act to me.

he called me wench! twice! :: sighs dreamily ::

3

From what I’ve read of his, FarmerOak is clever, witty, and does “angry” quite well. (Check out those Pit posts. Niiiiice.)

Glad to have him around! Where is the old so-and-so?

::clapping and cheering::

4

yea, I’m fond of the crusty geezer myself.

I’ll even go so far as to continue to call him cool. I’m hoping he won’t get himself banned. A mod? Wow. scary.

And I’m jealous of Cranky. He hasn’t called me a wench even once.

5

FarmerOak, hmmm… FarmerOak, nope don’t need no FarmerOak. Got a whole load a birch.

I’ll let the bandwagon pass by for awhile before I decide which way to leap.

6

As this is not the Pit, I will merely point, without comment, to FO’s recent ATMB diatribe on the Anthracite situation.

7

Gasp!

Why’d ya have to and spoil a good celebrity roast, minty? Now what am I gonna do with this ‘most valuable newbie’ award, attractively carved from sturdy balsa wood?

The awards committee did a full search of the message board for all threads in which the good Farmer has participated, looking for any signs of demerit, and the aformentioned ATMB thread did not appear in any of the searches (it still doesn’t).

:Sulks:

8

What’s to feel sheepish about? He spoke his mind and it seems consistent with his overall posting style and crabby attitude that we admire.

So he spoke before having all the facts in? We’ve all done that. And if, say, his conjecture is right (that someone left the boards voluntarily, but was deliberately coy about it) his rant would be dead on. I’m not saying he IS right, but I’ve sure as hell felt that way when others have done what he’s assuming A. might have done.

I hope he’s wrong. It doesn’t change whether or not he’s an interesting poster and addition to the SDMB, in my humble opinion.

9

Hey now! Personal insults, no matter how cleverly disguised, belong in the Pit. How hard is THAT, Attrayant?

10

Now that this is in the Pit, let me clarify that I don’t really have anything against Farmer Oak. In fact, we’ve had a perfectly good exchange today in GQ, and I feel that he’s made some worthwhile contributions in other threads I’ve come across.

But there have been some posts that were rather less than polite and gracious, and that’s all I have to say about that.

11

I, for one, appreciate the rough edges of FarmerOak, if only because hearts-and-flowers-and-bunnies aren’t always what I’m looking for.

I can’t tell if it’s impressive or shameful that I use Simpsons quotes to explain the matter at hand…

12

Oh my. Oh dear dear dear…

A thread intended to honor has ended up in the Pit. I feel icky… need to go take a shower now.

But, since this is the Pit, I will say that Farmer’s tone is comparable to the general tone of many respected posters back a year or more ago when there were some very controversial bannings and “I’m Leaving” threads. The difference here is that Anthracite didn’t get banned nor did she start a whiny “I’m outta here” thread.

13

So you intentionally posted in the wrong forum?

14

This sounds almost as if you had some light that could be shed, if it were permissible to shed light on this situation. Which we are not supposed to discuss, I guess? Sorry…

[MOONSTRUCK]

I’m so confused!!!

[/MOONSTRUCK]

Just ignore this, folks, and, Mods, don’t lock the thread.

::beats head against desk again::

15

Although her member line initially said “BANNED,” when I checked earlier today it said “On sabbatical,” the same as when Crunchy Frog took his time out. I think that’s what Attrayant meant, so I don’t think he has any particular light to shed on the Anthracite question.

Since it does now say “sabbatical,” I’m working on the hypothesis that this is her decision, and therefore her privacy that should be respected. If it’s a mod/admin-initiated decision, then I think a civil discussion on transparency in government might be in order.

In either event, I don’t think this is the thread for it.

16

Never mind.

17

I have mixed feelings.

Many of his posts have been helpful and informative, but the gratuitous ethnic slurs really rub me the wrong way.

–sublight.

18

I’m holding off weaving the laurels and bays for the time being.

But then what do I know? I still don’t understand why Drew Barrymore married Tom Green.

Looking forward to the pkbites appreciation thread.

Redmean

19

Don’t be too quick to condemn him. Everyone shits where they eat at sometime. Oakie, yeah, he’s pretty funny. Speaks his mind, which is good, once you know what your mind is.

He fucked up, meh, don’t we all?

20

How could I have missed this thread for almost 24 hours?

First of all, thank you Attrayant. The posting of this thread was very gracious of you.

For those of you who have said such nice things about me, thank you, too, particularly ** Cranky, katie, LNO,** and the lovely Medea’s Child, who is lucky she’s on the other side of the country so I can’t take her up on the indecent offer she e-mailed me (don’t ask.) I appreciate the warm welcome I have received here, as I have been a Cecil fan for years and a lurker here for months.

Those of you who find me abrasive or quick to jump the gun: Well, that is a valid viewpoint. I’ll only say that the post about the theatrics stands as written, with no apology.

However, Sublight, your criticism has taken me aback. If you are referring to my post in the French/Frogs thread, then I apologize for offending you. It was a joke, a bit of verbal wordplay on the etymology of “Frog,” and in no way reflects my opinion of the French people, who, after all, produced Jean-Luc Picard and french fries, the world’s most perfect food. I sincerely meant no offense. As evidence of my good will, you will fail to find any other “ethnic slur” in my posts anywhere, gratuitous or otherwise.

Again, thank you. I am truly humbled.

[Groucho]
“And why not? He’s got so much to be humble about.”
[/Groucho]

Now, mods, please lock this thread.