# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/41 "2010-02-16T19:43:53Z")
I’m not going to disclose what was in our private messages (unless **Curtis** wants to), but I can assure you it was civil, respectful, _completely_ within the bounds of what would be considered appropriate, and contained almost no actual discussion of this book in question and was instead mostly an abstract discussion about philosophical ideas. The private-message element to this interaction should not be cause for moral panic or considered “creepy” in any way. I was an inquisitive and opinionated guy when I was 13 and I remembered what that was like; remembered how I would rather be talked to like a person with valid ideas instead of treated like “a little kid.” I find that treating others how you would want to be treated is generally very good practice. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/42 "2010-02-16T19:45:10Z")
And let’s not forget Woman Sperm … that was a beauty. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/43 "2010-02-16T19:45:22Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Somehow, I’m not getting to the level of umbrage I apparently should over this. On the other hand, I recall the salad days of daily discussions of goat felching at this board, so what the fuck, you know? If a 13 year kid wants to hang out here … let the poster beware, I say. > > Although, yeah, the PM part of it was a little bit of a stupid move (which it sounds like \*\*Argent \*\*has half-assedly acknowledged). > > I wouldn’t PM anything to a minor on the internet anywhere. Even when we discussed goat felching, there were never threads about “rapists-for-hire” selling their 13 year old victims to dockworkers. Ever. And as far as I know, the discussions of goat felching (and “munging” and all other sorts of perversions) were never taken to private correspondence with minors. Also, as far as I know, members weren’t allowed to groom younger members or suggest reading material that would normalize sex between an adult and a child. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/44 "2010-02-16T19:45:51Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > The idea of “normal” behavior varies wildly depending on who you’re talking to and doesn’t have a definition that’s set into stone and handed down from heaven. It doesn’t vary so wildly that anyone other than you thinks that “recommend Hogg to a 13 year old” is _normal_. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/45 "2010-02-16T19:48:23Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Goat felching. > Pan-fried semen. > Threesomes, foursomes and moresomes. > This place, historically, was the very home of TMI. I have read all those threads and I sincerely doubt that any of them rise (or lower) to the level of graphic debauchery of the work we are talking about. Not to mention all the activities discussed were among _consenting adults_. If someone had started a thread about a child named “Cocksucker” servicing a multitude of men, I hope it would be closed. Although frankly the way this board is going, who can tell any more. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/46 "2010-02-16T19:48:33Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > And while I agree that some 13-year-olds might be able to hold their own in a philosophical discussion with adults, that doesn’t make it appropriate to expose them to child pornography. Expose them to child pornography? You’re acting like I sent him magazine full of kiddie porn in an overnight mailer. I didn’t “expose” him to anything. He is free to seek out that book if he wants to and read it, and also free not to read it at all. And by referring to it as “child pornography” you’re using loaded terminology. The book in question is a literary work by a very well-respected author, and was praised by Norman Mailer. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/47 "2010-02-16T19:49:45Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Also, as far as I know, members weren’t allowed to groom younger members or suggest reading material that would normalize sex between an adult and a child. “Groom” younger members? Please. Why don’t you call Chris Hanson while you’re at it? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/48 "2010-02-16T19:50:44Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Even when we discussed goat felching, there were never threads about “rapists-for-hire” selling their 13 year old victims to dockworkers. Ever. And as far as I know, the discussions of goat felching (and “munging” and all other sorts of perversions) were never taken to private correspondence with minors. Also, as far as I know, members weren’t allowed to groom younger members or suggest reading material that would normalize sex between an adult and a child. First of all, that there have never been threads dealing with offensive subjects … I’m not so sure about. Books like \*Hogg \*(which I know nothing about outside of this thread) are perfectly hunky-dory fodder for discussion around here. No, I wouldn’t expect that a thread dealing with actual kids being sold to actual dock workers would fly. I agree about the PMing. I wouldn’t go so far as to call this grooming. I doubt \*\*Argent \*\*is looking for a date. But if this book was recommended in a general thread and \*\*Curtis \*\*decided to read that thread … is that some horrible violation of his tender mind? And if it is … what the hell is he doing posting here? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/49 "2010-02-16T19:50:49Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Expose them to child pornography? You’re acting like I sent him magazine full of kiddie porn in an overnight mailer. I didn’t “expose” him to anything. He is free to seek out that book if he wants to and read it, and also free not to read it at all. And by referring to it as “child pornography” you’re using loaded terminology. The book in question is a literary work by a very well-respected author, and was praised by Norman Mailer. Aw, and he even looks a bit like [Santa Claus](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_R._Delany)! Line up, kids! ---
**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 16, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/50 "2010-02-16T19:51:38Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Goat felching. > Pan-fried semen. > Threesomes, foursomes and moresomes. > This place, historically, was the very home of TMI. Sure, and here’s the thing. I don’t care if a 13-year-old comes on the SDMB and hears about these things. I learned all about sex from watching the Adult channels on cable late at night while I was babysitting, when I was just about Curtis’s age. And I turned out (fairly) normal. Whatever…the internet is a cesspool of stuff you wouldn’t choose to show your 13-year-olds, and god knows they’ll find it. I wouldn’t have even been bothered SO much if **Argent Towers** had made his recommendation in the thread. But encouraging the kid to PM him so he can tell him all about pornographic literature is just completely inappropriate. It’s a one on one conversation with an adult about a topic that the kid probably shouldn’t be exposed to at all. This is NOT appropriate, any more than it would be if **Argent Towers** picked the kid up in his car and handed him the book. It’s Not Cool. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/51 "2010-02-16T19:51:48Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > “Groom” younger members? Please. Why don’t you call Chris Hanson while you’re at it? As far as I know, Dateline no longer does the Bait the Perverts specials. Which is probably lucky for the SDMB in general. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/52 "2010-02-16T19:51:54Z")
> [@Argent Towers](#): > > The book in question is a literary work by a very well-respected author, and was praised by Norman Mailer. You keep saying that as though that makes it appropriate for 13 year olds. It doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/53 "2010-02-16T19:54:15Z")
PM’ing Li’l Curtis was a bonehead move, BTW. In the linked thread, I assumed you were joking about your intention to do so. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/54 "2010-02-16T19:56:56Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Although, yeah, the PM part of it was a little bit of a stupid move (which it sounds like \*\*Argent \*\*has half-assedly acknowledged). > > I wouldn’t PM anything to a minor on the internet anywhere. Yeah, this is pretty much my whole point. Discussing things on a message board with a 13 year old is one thing\*, taking it to PMs, regardless of intention and especially with that kind of recommendation isn’t a smart move. - and even then, personally, I’d steer clear of lots of topics I didn’t think appropriate to discuss with a 13 year old. > [@DianaG](#): > > You keep saying that as though that makes it appropriate for 13 year olds. It doesn’t. Honestly, he’s just not getting it. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/55 "2010-02-16T19:57:20Z")
He PMed me first. (Did I not mention that?) I guess people here are acting like private correspondence is somehow worse than just talking about it right in the thread. Why that is, I don’t know. I only did it because I knew nobody wanted to see a discussion of that book in the thread. As I said before, now we have a really wonderful discussion of the book, complete with excerpts, just rolling right along - totally initiated by people other than myself. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/56 "2010-02-16T19:58:15Z")
No, but that’s okay, because it doesn’t matter. ---
**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 16, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/57 "2010-02-16T19:58:26Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > He PMed me first. (Did I not mention that?) Because you told him to, duh. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/58 "2010-02-16T19:59:23Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > He PMed me first. (Did I not mention that?) You told him to PM you, that you had a book to recommend. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12120496&postcount=45](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12120496&postcount=45) ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/59 "2010-02-16T20:02:37Z")
There are things discussed on this board that would cause me to hesitate allowing a 13 year old access, but I agree it depends on the 13 year old. That said: > [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Again, you guys are assigning too much power to the written word. Really. Really? I’m not sure it’s possible to explain just how wrong you are here. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227/60 "2010-02-16T20:02:39Z")
> [@Myrnalene](#): > > I know for a fact that this was reported to board management, and the reporter has not received a response. I responded (with the mod hat off) a few minutes after the post was first reported, and I’ve passed the reports and my opinions to the rest of the staff for further consideration. At the moment I’ll say this: this was a really stupid move on **Argent Towers** ’s part. Less so if he forgot how young **Curtis LeMay** says he is, but still not bright. But I don’t think it breaks any kind of a rule. It’s not sexual harassment, it’s not grooming, for crying out loud. Those things are not even in the same universe as _recommending a book._ The recommendation was inappropriate, certainly. It’s not a book I’m ever going to read, or one I would ever suggest to a 13-year-old, no matter how mature he or she might be. But let’s give **Curtis LeMay** a little bit of credit here. He can be very naive but he’s capable of deciding whether or not he wants to read a book. He’s not a moron. Further I’ll point this out: we’ve discussed similar books here many times before, along with who knows how many other racy subjects, and nobody knows how many 13-year-old (or younger) lurkers or posters read those threads. > [@](#): > > Cesario, for all that his posts disturbed the hell out of people, never as far as we know tried to contact any young member. His stated preference was for children who are too young to post here, although if we were told he’d contacted anyone we would have dealt with that. The fact that **Argent Towers** made his suggestion by PM instead of in a thread doesn’t make a difference to me. > [@](#): > > surely some action is required other than just [telling people to ignore it?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12124547&postcount=85) I did not tell anyone to ignore anything. I told people to take their objections out of the thread, which they were good enough to do. But while we’re here, what would you have us do? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/argent-towers-a-moment-of-your-time/529227.md?page=4)