I was one of the people who flagged the post. To be honest I might not even have noticed it if you hadn’t been so aggressively hostile with @solost earlier. The most recent warning could be as much for ignoring moderator instructions as for the content itself. You seem to have an attitude problem whenever anyone disagrees with you.
In fact, it was for ignoring moderator instructions to refrain from engaging in personal attacks. He’d already been mod noted for that earlier in the thread. It’s why I chose to elevate to a warning and not leave it at just a mod note again. Ignoring moderator instructions was also the basis for the thread ban.
This is a GREAT example of
I did want to participate in the debate, though I was (and am) disappointed by the absence of clear terms in the debate. But you’ve done EXACTLY what you accuse me of doing here. That wasn’t AT ALL what I was saying and you know it.
And actually I don’t really mind the device, as a debating technique–it’s known as “catching someone up in his own words,” and it’s a way to make a point. A little unfair, perhaps, but perfectly legit–people use it all the time, as you did here, and I did there.
There’s a theme running through this thread of “Mods’ ability to read minds” that cuts both ways. The people defending Asperglow’s anticipation of where I was (in her mind) going, and the implications (incorrect) of what I was saying are okay with mod-mindreading, but also rebuking me for assuming the mods can read my mind accurately. Not easy to get that one going both ways.
In any event I’m done here. I totally get what Asperglow was doing, and why she did it, and I totally disagree with it.
If you like, for what I care at this point, you can close this thread. It’s served its purpose. And if you want to leave it open, for the fun of the pile-on, that’s fine too. I won’t be participating or reading.
You did this on the thread title and it got changed for you. Do you not know the mod’s name, or is this a ‘cheeky’ portmanteau of Aspenglow and a particular neurological condition?
It’s unfair and antagonistic. You have a tendency to be unduly antagonistic, and it’s not just in that thread. In general, you would do well to comment on the commentary, not the commentator. If you want to pick fights, head on over to the pit. Don’t do it in Cafe, or IMHO, or MPSIMS. (My active forums.)
Aspenglow did you a favor by tossing you from that thread before you blew up and did something ban-worthy.
Deliberately twisting the words of other posters to ascribe to them positions they clearly are not taking is NOT a “debating technique”; it’s a tactic of trolling. It’s disrespectful to others and designed to annoy, irritate and antagonize them.
If I were to “interpret” the op as expressing support for humans sodomizing penguins, would that be “a little unfair, perhaps, but perfectly legit?” Assuming the answer is no, where is the line separating that from (for example) “interpreting” post #12 in this thread as an affirmation of the OP’s position? The answer is: there isn’t any viable line there. Moderating one, but not the other would be a clear double standard. Allowing both to stand is a sure way to diminish meaningful debate.
Outside of the Pit, posters who demonstrate a pattern of intentional misrepresentation of points made by others should face sanctions, lest they needlessly annoy, irritate and antagonize others, ultimately alienating them from the site.
Total BS. Some people on this site use it too often, most don’t use it at all.
Straw man: “So what you’re saying is…”.
Not straw man: “Are you saying…?”.
IMHO
I can’t speak for Miller, but that behavior might not have free reign even in the Pit. Even there, trolling isn’t fully allowed.
But I agree, misrepresenting what other people say isn’t legitimate, people get banned for that sort of thing (as they should).
Exactly. @slicedalone may feel that it’s a valid “debating technique,” and enjoy using it, but if it’s something that annoys or angers the other people participating in a thread, it adds no positive value to the thread or the discussion (other than scoring imaginary “debate points”), and worsens the overall atmosphere of the board.
If you start twisting other posters words and straw-manning, you will be warned.
If you don’t stop, you will be banned. So avoid this.
I’m the blunt mod, I’m being blunt.
I can think of at least one poster banned for this behavior and I think it was more than one.
He speaks truth. He is blunt, and he’s not wrong. Nor was Aspenglow.
"n’ and “r” are pretty close together on the keyboard. For different ideas of… yeah.
Well, they’re on the same keyboard.
I don’t get why you keep arguing your point. Do you expect everyone here to suddenly back down and agree with you that you were wronged?
I was the one who started the American Experiment thread and I’ve been impressed (and not a little surprised, frankly) at not only the intelligence and civility of the discussion but the lack of antagonism-- until you started being antagonistic. I flagged a post of yours, too, for trashing civility.
Expressing yourself in writing is challenging. I had a 40-year career as a grant proposal writer, and I pride myself on my skill with words. But here at the Dope I’ve learned how something that I’ve said that was perfectly clear to me not only made no sense to someone else, but in fact, offended them. It’s a chastening experience but ultimately a beneficial one. I read my posts carefully before I hit “send.” I’ve already spent about 20 minutes on this one, because I want to be very clear about what I’m saying to you. You may be offended anyway. So be it. As long as you understand me.
When people tell you how you come across, pay attention. Knock the chip off your shoulder and take advantage of the opportunity to gain some useful knowledge about yourself from benevolent strangers.
Band name.
I am not 100 percent certain that you intended this as a pot-shot against a moderator, though I do note that you mispelled it this way every time in this thread, whereas you spelled her name correctly in about a dozen or so previous threads.
I will let you off with a mod note this time, but also with a reminder that intentionally attacking the staff is potentially an instaban offense.
Ok. Closed.