# Argent Towers, a moment of your time. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 16, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227 "2010-02-16T18:23:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/241 "2010-02-17T00:25:28Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > :rolleyes: No, really. What is the value of coming and saying, “I’m not going to bother reading what the rest of you have contributed, or to familiarize myself with the arguments that have been made, but I simply must rattle off my uninformed opinion.” Either participate in the thread or don’t, but don’t assume your comments are important when no one else’s are. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/242 "2010-02-17T00:26:13Z")
Don’t roll your eyes. Myrnalene is enjoying her moment as the shrieking hag leading the angry peasant mob. Don’t piss all over her moment to sparkle. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/243 "2010-02-17T00:27:40Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > shrieking hag Oh! Have we met before? ❤ 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/244 "2010-02-17T00:29:53Z")
> [@Myrnalene](#): > > No, really. What is the value of coming and saying, “I’m not going to bother reading what the rest of you have contributed, or to familiarize myself with the arguments that have been made, but I simply must rattle off my uninformed opinion.” > > Either participate in the thread or don’t, but don’t assume your comments are important when no one else’s are. If you think I am going to slog through that pathetic display of a witch hunt just so that I can opine on the OP, you are as ridiculous as you came off in that silly post. The problem with members of lynch mobs is that they feel the need to speak for others (even people dumb enough to allow others to speak for them) instead of just speaking for themselves. The posts in this thread (that I barely skimmed) that compared sending that pm to sending porno to a kid are enough for me to decide to go right ahead and blurt my opinion. Who gives a fuck if I’m ‘uninformed’ about the ravings of a fucking internet lynch mob? ETA: Who cares if AT agrees with you all, lorene? That has nothing to do with my post. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/245 "2010-02-17T00:33:51Z")
**begins embroidering sampler reading "When you find yourself in a hole, the first step is to stop digging"** This will look lovely up on the wall, don’t you think? ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/246 "2010-02-17T00:35:23Z")
Oh, whatever. You think it was a lynch mob and you determined this by “barely skimming” the other posts. Uh-huh. I just read through all five pages - which, by the way, took me a grand total of about 15 minutes - and it didn’t seem particularly lynch mobby to me. And speaking as the person who has actually read the material that we are discussing here, I think I have the high ground. Mostly it just irritates me when there’s been a lengthy discussion of some sort, and then someone breezes in to say, “I’m not going to bother to read what everyone else wrote, but here’s my shining nugget of wisdom. It’s probably identical to something that someone said back on page 2 that sparked a lot of ensuing discussion, but who cares, I’m special and you guys suck. If it was that important to talk about it, let’s just have the exact same discussion again.” ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/247 "2010-02-17T00:35:50Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > Then again, some people did actually read the thread and still don’t get it. Please enlighten me, oh wise one? Your brilliant mind can surely impart some wisdom on me. Go ahead, I’ll wait. ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/248 "2010-02-17T00:49:48Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Oh, whatever. You think it was a lynch mob and you determined this by “barely skimming” the other posts. Uh-huh. I just read through all five pages - which, by the way, took me a grand total of about 15 minutes - and it didn’t seem particularly lynch mobby to me. And speaking as the person who has actually read the material that we are discussing here, I think I have the high ground. > > Mostly it just irritates me when there’s been a lengthy discussion of some sort, and then someone breezes in to say, “I’m not going to bother to read what everyone else wrote, but here’s my shining nugget of wisdom. It’s probably identical to something that someone said back on page 2 that sparked a lot of ensuing discussion, but who cares, I’m special and you guys suck. If it was that important to talk about it, let’s just have the exact same discussion again.” Actually, my original post didn’t call anyone lynch mobby at all. It clearly stated that \*I personally \*am not about to get lynchy about what the OP described. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go and read my post again. Did it say anything about how lynch mobby you all are? No? Ok, then. As soon as I was told that nobody cares what I think (what a dumb thing to say. Nobody?? Of all the people that may read this thread?) I knew to go back and really see all of the deliciously mobby posts that have been posted. Sending porn materials, indeed. So, I put the question to you. Must I read every post in a thread before I get to opine on the OP? Cause if I have to do that shit, I’m not posting at all. Fuck that. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/249 "2010-02-17T00:49:57Z")
What you don’t get is that no on was accusing AT of “grooming,” or being a pedophile (with the exception of a poster who made a mistake) of actually sending the kid porn. There was no “lynch mob.” There were no “pitchforks.” You’re bitching about a thread that doesn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/250 "2010-02-17T00:55:46Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Read the thread and attempt to understand what is being said: It wasn’t the book, per se, it was an adult sending a PM recommending it to a 13-yr-old whose parents could bring down upon the SDMB a world of hurt if they found out. I’m catching up and it looks like it would be an interesting issue, to the say the least. > [@lorene](#): > > That’s actually really beside the point. It wasn’t necessarily a matter of people feeling that there was any _thing_ that was going to be a direct result of his reading the book, but that it was wildly inappropriate to suggest it,\* as **AT** has himself agreed.\* > > Some people have just chosen to display an amazing inability/unwillingness to read for comprehension and keep saying that everyone is crying pedophile, which actually didn’t happen. Yeah I caught a bit of that as I was skimming the posts. I never knew Child Grooming was an actual “thing”. But Argent’s never came off as such a person. If I’ve gotten the gist of the thread, and that’s AT recommending a graphic sexual book to a 13 year old, then I don’t see what the big deal is, aside from the possible lawsuit. I doubt it would even be winnable by Curtis’s parents. AT’s post #120 told him to read the book, it’s not like he sent him naked pictures of things that happen in the book. Personally, I think the whole thing’s hilarious. It’s just a book recommendation people! Come on! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/251 "2010-02-17T00:56:06Z")
Nick Cave, “Stagger Lee” lyrics, just a sample: “And I’ll crawl over fifty good pussies just to get one fat boy’s asshole” Murder Ballads (1996) UK #8, Australia #3, Germany #5, Norway #1 That’s 4 countries that need to be nuked. Songs from the album played on MTV which is watched by 13 year olds. The government should censor MTV. This thread is ridiculous. I saw worse than Hogg when I was 13. Argent Towers would clearly recommend Hogg to anyone, at any time, for any reason, which is annoying, but… this is ridiculous. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/252 "2010-02-17T00:58:41Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Please enlighten me, oh wise one? Your brilliant mind can surely impart some wisdom on me. > Go ahead, I’ll wait. God, you are such a tool sometimes. It’s ridiculous to say that the point of all of this discussion is “Oh noes, won’t someone think of the children” and that people are advocating for a stop to mature topics on the board. It is ridiculous for **Nginza, Seated** to breeze in here and say, "I’m not going to bother reading this, but I’m not going to tolerate babysitting on the board, when no one is advocating for that. I might as well breeze in here and say, “I’m not going to read this thread but I am not going to eat Spaghettios for dinner every night, no way no how, and you can’t make me.” No one advocated for that. My issue with you in particular is that you are neither a parent nor someone who has read the book in question and you’re trying to tell people who are parents and/or who have read it or are at least familiar with it that their reactions seem like overreactions. My issue with the people who default immediately to the eye-rolling “Oh noes the children” is that it’s lazy and doesn’t address the real point. Have you ever tried to address a specific behavior with someone who defaults to a martyr-ish, “Well, I just can’t do anything right, I guess”? That’s lazy and dismisses the opportunity for real discussion about a real behavior or incident. No one said “Oh noes, the children!” here. People very specifically tried to discuss an interaction between\*\* Argent Towers\*\* and **Curtis LeMay** and what they felt was wrong about it. Most people said they did not specifically think it was a pedophile/grooming thing, but the counter-Offenderati painted everyone with that broad brush once again, and once again missed the point. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/253 "2010-02-17T00:58:56Z")
No, you don’t have to read every post, but it would be nice if you read enough of the posts to have half a clue what everyone else in the thread has said. Seriously, if there are five pages of discussion already, it’s just common courtesy to at least scan through the posts to make sure you’re not about to repeat what someone else already said, or that you don’t, I don’t know, have the entire gist of the thread completely wrong, or something. “Oh shit, I wish I’d read the whole thread so I knew it was about Kung Fu Cult, before I posted my three paragraphs ranting about the Extra-Crispy chicken coating!” **Carmady** , I have to know what you saw at age 13 that was worse than _Hogg_. I am totally not doubting you, I am just madly curious to know what this stuff was. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/254 "2010-02-17T01:02:47Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > I think I’ve permanently shot my credibility to hell, and will be voluntarily leaving the board indefinitely. I wish there was a way to remove your account, but there isn’t. Hey, AT, I hope you don’t mean that, really. As others said, there’s no reason to leave over it, and I don’t think any of us were trying to run you off the board or get you banned. We just were trying to give you a point of view on why this wasn’t such a smart or good idea. We’ve all done stuff we shouldn’t, the important this is to learn from them, you know? ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/255 "2010-02-17T01:04:29Z")
> [@lorene](#): > > God, you are such a tool sometimes. Way to edit your post after calling me a fucker. Thanks, though. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/256 "2010-02-17T01:13:04Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Yeah I caught a bit of that as I was skimming the posts. I never knew Child Grooming was an actual “thing”. But Argent’s never came off as such a person. > > If I’ve gotten the gist of the thread, and that’s AT recommending a graphic sexual book to a 13 year old, then I don’t see what the big deal is, aside from the possible lawsuit. I doubt it would even be winnable by Curtis’s parents. AT’s post #120 told him to read the book, it’s not like he sent him naked pictures of things that happen in the book. Personally, I think the whole thing’s hilarious. It’s just a book recommendation people! Come on! 😉 What you, and several others, seem to be missing out on is that it’s not the opinion of the people on this board that matters, it’s opinion of others, who none of us might even know are reading, whose job it is to catch those (and yes, they do exist regardless of any one person’s opinion) who contact children via the internet with the intent to have sex with them. Those people have no reason to “learn about a poster” to “decide if s/he is really that sort of person” or “figure out whether or not something’s hinky.” As a matter of fact, they have a very strong reason NEVER to give ANYONE the benefit of the doubt and they do not and they will not. It doesn’t matter if \*\*Curtis \*\*is “really” a 13 year old–the only thing that matters is that he SAYS he’s a 13 year old. Or do you think that the cops who run internet sting operations use \*actual \*underage persons to write the chats? Because they don’t–all that matters is that a person is TOLD they’re communicating with an underage person and nevertheless acts inappropriately. No actual children have to be involved in ANY WAY AT ALL for some poor bastard to get hung out to dry on a short eyes rap, and that is a plain fucking fact. And you don’t have to actually be convicted to have your life ruined–the very suspicion will be more than enough. What most of you are missing is a very real concern for AT, that he understand on a visceral level that his perceptions regarding what he did are not congruent with those whose job it is to investigate such matters. Another thing that many seem to be unclear on is that even if THIS PARTICULAR INCIDENT goes nowhere and gathers no interested parties’ attention, this TYPE of behavior, if engaged in often enough, has a high enough REAL WORLD risk factor to be worthy of a spirited challenge. If a child tries to play with a breakable object, a simple “No, mustn’t touch” is an appropriate response which will no doubt have to be repeated a million times to sink in. When a child darts away from a parent and runs into traffic without looking, perhaps a serious scolding or spanking is in order, to emphasize that they must NEVER DO THAT AGAIN. Because the consequences are too great to risk a “No dear, mustn’t play in traffic” response. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/257 "2010-02-17T01:13:17Z")
A few more lyrics: “Yeah, I’m Stagger Lee and you better get down on your knees And suck my dick, because If you don’t you’re gonna be dead” Said Stagger Lee Billy dropped down and slobbered on his head And Stag filled him full of lead Oh yeah." Same popular album, had songs on MTV, got recommended by all the major music magazines. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/258 "2010-02-17T01:13:54Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > Way to edit your post after calling me a fucker. Thanks, though. I’m not allowed to change my mind after calling you something? Yes, everyone, I called her a fucker. I did I did I did. Please, someone, let the mods know. I then decided that it was unnecessarily inflammatory and I edited it. But clearly it is very important to **Diosa** to let the record show that I called her a fucker, so by all means, don’t let my editing fool you. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/259 "2010-02-17T01:14:18Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Right now, Curtis LeTroll is almost certainly reading this gleefully. I expect he isn’t posting to the thread both out of not wishing to distract from Argent’s stoning and fear of being outed as a 43 year old married man. This has been the only thing I agree with after reading every post in this thread. Have fun duking it out everyone. I’m sure Curtis is watching it. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/260 "2010-02-17T01:14:33Z")
So did we just lose another Poster in 24 hours? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227.md?page=14)