# Assholes, the jealous, and mediocretins. Cemetary Savior, spoke-, Fessie, Treis, etc **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 12, 2005, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591 "2005-05-12T19:24:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/161 "2005-05-13T00:34:37Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > And we wonder why America has a creeping culture of anti-intellectualism? Until I read the last line I thought you must have been right here in Australia (mate). ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/162 "2005-05-13T00:47:29Z")
Not sure I want to step in this mess, but what the heck. I didn’t see **Finn** as bragging either, at least not in the post that started this. Now…yeah kinda. It’s a little justified though. Not everyone is happy being on the bottom of the dogpile. I’m just wondering why such insistance that **FinnAgain** was bragging. He has said that it wasn’t his intent. Why keep pushing that point? Do you know more about what is going on in his head than he does? ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/163 "2005-05-13T00:50:16Z")
Oooooh. I want to play. I am perfectly reasonable. I was just making a point. I was not trying to prove superiority. Fuck you all, stupid bitches! I’m smarter than you. You are all fucking morons. How do you manage to breath with such low IQs? \. ---
**Author:** ![Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try_As_I_Might)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/164 "2005-05-13T01:00:03Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Sure. > (snip) > It’s a complicated issue, and yes I oversimplified, but it is a combination of nature and nurture which yield intelligence. Thank you for the cite (and a good cite-not wikipedia or some blog.) I thought you were making a more direct assertion regarding intelligence and genetics. I withdraw my previous comment. ---
**Author:** ![GaWd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f08c70/32.png) [@GaWd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaWd)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/165 "2005-05-13T01:01:33Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > My only regret is that I had to share my very first Pit thread with **Cemetery Savior** , **fessie** , **treis** and those lesser lights comprising “ **etc.** ”. > > Would it be self-aggrandizing to request that in future I be pitted separately? I can’t see how Lib’s respect for you is justified IMO, you’ve shown yourself to be everything he’s said you weren’t in the beginning of this pitting. Sam ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/166 "2005-05-13T01:05:30Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > I can’t see how Lib’s respect for you is justified IMO, you’ve shown yourself to be everything he’s said you weren’t in the beginning of this pitting. > > Sam Really? And you say that while quoting my last post? Damn! Is there a tongue-in-cheek smiley? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/167 "2005-05-13T01:14:26Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > The more unlike your classmates you are, the more of a cause and a center for mockery you become. No doubt about that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/168 "2005-05-13T01:20:26Z")
> [@spoke-](#): > > He uses the cover of a post about the difficulties of raising smart children to brag about his own accomplishments. No, he posted _two_ of his accomplishments because he found it relevant–although misguided. It’s not like he made a list of everything he’s done _since_ then! ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/169 "2005-05-13T01:29:16Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > … > You’re kidding me, right? > You don’t understand why pointing out that some parents might have valid concerns instead of bragging might relate to an OP about parents not having valid concerns and bragging? Because the OP is specifically about _bragging_, not about valid parenting concerns. It doesn’t take much inside knowledge about another board to get that. That’s why I’m confused when you say you were “whooshed”. What exactly went over your head? But nevermind, this was minor question anyway and has more to do with how people define “whooshing”. > [@](#): > > Again, are you fucking kidding me? > If I’m talking about a first hand experience of being a smart kid and having problems, why do I need to bring myself into it? That’s a joke, right? Dude, slow down and read things carefully. I said no such thing. My point is why do you have to “show and tell” about how smart you were in school, when the main thrust of your post does not concern the proof of your intelligence, but rather the problems you had with your peers supposedly because you were smart. > [@](#): > > Give me a fucking break. I was the one in the thread stating that intelligence caused problems for socialization. Who else was Treis responding to? I dunno, people _in general_ who blame intelligence and giftedness on their lack of popularity? Plenty of posters were responding to things they have observed outside of the actual thread. And even if he was talking about you, he wasn’t being a jerk about it. So I still fail to see why he needs to be pitted and you’re not doing a good job of explaining why. > [@](#): > > Ah, my third favorite piece of bullshit that happens all the time on the Dope. Newsflash: your opinion is not justification for itself, opinions can be wrong, opinions can be hurtful, and only a coward reteats to claims of “it’s only my opinion!” once they’re stirred up a fight. If you took issue with the logic behind **treis** opinion, perhaps you should argue rationally against it instead of nailing yourself to a cross and begging for honor and courage like the hero out of _Braveheart_. You have really blown things out of proportion. > [@](#): > > And yeah, that them thar “fancy polysyllabic” words is a clue, aint it? Especially since that was the word I used, and it magically showed up in Treis’ post? So now you have a monopoly on words that are rather commonplace on the boards? Cool off. > [@](#): > > But naw, it couldn’t have possibly been in response to me. And if it was, why, it’s just an opinion! I shouldn’t take offense if someone is of the opinion that my difficulties in highschool were caused by me being an asshole. Espeically if the person doesn’t even know me. Yep. I could see you disagreeing with the opinion. I could see you inferring some insinuations from his post. But I don’t understand why anything he wrote was a Pitable offense. > [@](#): > > Treis made a statement about all children, I made a statement about only my highschool experience. I will continue to think you are reading things that aren’t there until you “show and tell” us where **treis** made an absolute statement about children every where. Perhaps I missed it. > [@](#): > > Someone insulted me, and I responded. That’s the point of contention, isn’t it. It’s not clear to me that he did insult you. At least to a level that is on par with your response. > [@](#): > > Moreoever, if a woman was so beautiful as to be intimidating, and someone told her she was being a bitch for pointing that out, I think she’d be pretty well entitled to get pissed off at whoever was insulting her. It all depends on how she went about saying it. If she said “Well, I have the kind of looks that most guys find intimidating. I mean, whenever I walk in the people stare at me, especially other men. It makes guys insecure having a girl that garners that kind of attention, but I can’t help it!” wouldn’t your eyes roll just a bit? > [@](#): > > Let’s give it the benefit of the doubt and say he wasn’t responding to me in any way. He was still saying that people aren’t picked on for their intelligence, and that the only excuse is that they must’ve been assholes. If you can’t see how this would be a criticism of me, I really can’t be any clearer. How do you interpret that out of “I also was not friends with the people that were generally assholes and used their intelligence to demean others.” Or "The amount of friends you have has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with being a friendly, down to earth, humble and frankly just a nice person. " He never even said anything about people being picked on. But if it makes you feel as if this thread was justified, go head and get your feelings hurt by his post. > [@](#): > > ecause being insulted isn’t an excuse! And, let’s allow that Treis was pure and innocent as the driven snow. How then do you explain all the other insults levied against me? Hey I’m only wanting to know what venom you saw in **treis** post to have his name included in the title. Frankly, I don’t see it. Your initial post in that thread wouldn’t have striked me as being all that braggadocious, outside of that discussion. But because of the context, it indeed was amusing to observe that your post bore similarities to what was being pitted. Jokes were made about that and you perceived them as attacks. And reacted in a way that spawned a true pile-on. > [@](#): > > You’re pointing out how people denied that increased education helps one’s social standing… why? > People like to sling around the word ‘elitist’, but calling me an elitist for pointing out that educated people have a higher social standing than uneducated people is simply an exercise in stupidity, YHO indeed. You did more than point out statistics. You basically belittled all activities that involved something other than burying your nose in a book. You reduced extracurricular activities that develop atheletic, leadership, and interpersonal skills to “throwing a ball”. When people mentioned that there are more prerequisites to success than a GPA and a degree, you ignored that so that could you pontificate more about the virtues of scholastic credentials. Because you couldn’t even begrudgedly acknowledge the value of skills other than the ones you happen to have, you were called elitist. Not because of anything else. > [@](#): > > I see nothing mature about being a doormat or allowing people to insult you without speaking back. You can speak back. But when people keep telling you similar things, there’s nothing doormat-like about listening to them. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/170 "2005-05-13T01:34:40Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > I’m just wondering why such insistance that **FinnAgain** was bragging. He has said that it wasn’t his intent. Why keep pushing that point? Do you know more about what is going on in his head than he does? He may not have been bragging _this_ time. But the kid has a tendency to fart his own [horn](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305065). It can be incredibly annoying sometimes, and if he acts like he does here in real life, I can see why he has faced some problems. I agree with the posters who have said that being intelligent does not mean you will be subject to ridicule. Believing this does not mean that _no one_ has ever been teased for being a brainaic. It just means that I think 9 times out of 10, there’s something else about that kid that makes him or her a target (obsequious behavior, no social skills, quirky habits, arrogance, etc.) (I belong to the school of thought that says a truly intelligent person knows how to handle both the “intellectual” stuff and the emotional/social stuff. I don’t know why our society thinks brain power is more important than feeling power. I guess we are stupid.) That said, I think people should have left him alone in the original OP. But at the same time, **FinnAgain** should grow thicker skin and learn how to construct an intelligent retort that does not include the words “bitch”, “fuck”, fucking", “idiot”, and “mediocretin”. Maybe he would get more sympathy from people. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/171 "2005-05-13T01:53:35Z")
> [@GaWd](#): > > I can’t see how Lib’s respect for you is justified IMO, you’ve shown yourself to be everything he’s said you weren’t in the beginning of this pitting. > > Sam You deserve a more serious reply. **Lib** ’s words were kind, but I can’t live up to them. I do get into pissing matches from time to time. (Just ask friend **Miller**.) I do try to remain calm, even when I disagree with someone. I do try to be reasonable and thoughtful, though perhaps I don’t always succeed. Please go back and read my posts in this thread. You won’t find any profanity, or (I think) any posts which suggest flying spittle. I don’t doubt that **Finn** had some unpleasant experiences in school. Hell, I got teased, too. Probably most of the posters on these boards did at some point. (This is a pretty intelligent community, wouldn’t you agree?) I disagree with **Finn** ’s style. Not only the initial post (which still looks like bragging to me) but also the subsequent posts in which **Finn** accuses his critics of jealousy. Does that not strike you as the least little bit arrogant? Wouldn’t you agree that it is dangerous on these Boards to assume you have higher test scores or greater academic achievements than other posters? But hey, if **Finn** wants to let bygones be bygones, I’m fine with that. And I really will buy him a beer if I ever meet him. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/172 "2005-05-13T02:45:27Z")
Does anyone else have links to \*\* FinnAgain \*\* blow ups? These threads are pretty darn amusing. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/173 "2005-05-13T03:04:44Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Oh boy! An out of context off topic nitpick from other threads! Why don’t you bring up some of my ontological discussion on the nature of groups, that’ll sure add to the discussion! Actually, it would prove something. It would prove that when you are the butt of the joke, you get awfully pissy awfully fast. But when someone else is the butt of the joke, well HAW HAW HAW! In the linked pit thread, you were the butt of the joke. It was actually pretty funny, I thought, until you started getting so upset about it. At that point, it stopped being particularly funny for me. Why? Because you were getting upset about it. And while I’m not a kind person, I’m kind enough not to want well-meaning people feeling like they’re under attack. In the thread I linked to, you viciously and spitefully attacked everyone who was upset at what they (and I) perceived as sexist jokes. You screamed lots of epithets, attempted to belittle lots of people, and then said they were “humor-impaired” if they didn’t see that the jokes were jokes. It’s a two-way street, you know. If you get to belittle others as being humor-impaired when you think the joke is obvious, others get to belittle you for being humor-impaired when they think the joke is obvious. If you get to scream at others for laughing at your expense, then others get to scream at you for laughing at their expense. You don’t get a magical free pass to be unoffended, especially when you scream at others for taking offense. I like Grover, by the way, but Elmo is a bit overwhelming. Perhaps I could watch “The Electric Company” instead? ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/174 "2005-05-13T04:18:36Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Does anyone else have links to \*\* FinnAgain \*\* blow ups? These threads are pretty darn amusing. It’s amazing to me that someone who really is genuinely insightful much of the time seems to be so lacking in the all-important quality of self-insight. Even when his behavior is described by outsiders - ones not involved in the conflict, and whose opinions are obviously much more objective than his own - he can’t see it. Even when they’re unanimous in their opinions, he won’t stop to consider that they might be right. This defensive lashing-out is what leads to the harsh responses he gets. I wonder how bad school was for him to cause him to constantly perceive himself as being under attack. ---
**Author:** ![Keapon\_Laffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e274bd/32.png) [@Keapon\_Laffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keapon_Laffin)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/175 "2005-05-13T04:53:42Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > Oooooh. I want to play. > > I am perfectly reasonable. I was just making a point. I was not trying to prove superiority. > > Fuck you all, stupid bitches! I’m smarter than you. You are all fucking morons. How do you manage to \*\*breath \*\* with such low IQs? \. You spelt breathe wrongly. _sniggers_ ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/176 "2005-05-13T05:00:29Z")
> [@Keapon Laffin](#): > > You spelt breathe wrongly. _sniggers_ Hey, this thread seems to be sputtering out. Think we can get it cranking again by arguing whether it’s “[spelt](http://www.spelt.com/)” or “[spelled](http://www.luckymojo.com/spells.html)”? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/177 "2005-05-13T05:10:12Z")
**spoke-** : I probably shouldn’t have used the word jealous, I was reasonably pissed and through explaining myself, still should’ve been more careful in my verbiage. I’ll see that bea\er and buy next round, been a long day. Monstro… how much sympathy do I get for pointing out that you’re a punkass chump? Not much, eh? Well… ok, you’re still a punkass chump though. The thread I was ‘tooting my horn’ in? That’d be the one where I claimed to know what I was talking about, and then [proved it?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=305734) Thought as much. Go back to some damp dark place and molt. Treis, I have no idea how empty your life is that you’d actually spend time looking for instances where I lose my temper on the Dope. That’s beyond pathetic. Good luck with your new hobby. JS: You, too are a moron. Not all jokes are the same, and playful battle of the sexes banter is not the same thing as deliberately insulting someone under the cover of a joke. No ammount of ink you spill will change this fact. But it’s cute seeing you try. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > In the thread I linked to, you viciously and spitefully attacked everyone who was upset at what they (and I) perceived as sexist jokes. Liar. You’ll notice that, first of all, I think the worst I get is calling people humorless whiners, hardly vicious spiteful attacking. Moreoever, you’ll notice that, lo and behold, no I didn’t ‘spitefully attack everybody’ I maintained a perfectly civil dialogue with **matt\_mcl**. I just pointed out that you and others were being humorless whiners. > [@jsgoddess](#): > > It’s a two-way street, you know. If you get to belittle others as being humor-impaired when you think the joke is obvious, others get to belittle you for being humor-impaired when they think the joke is obvious. Listen, learn, stop being so goddamn dense. Here we go: Playful banter about how some women and some men are socialized to behave is not the same as insulting a specific individual and doing so under the cover of a joke. See, not all jokes are the same, eh? Funny… you can’t just take a word and apply it willy nilly as if it means the same thing in every context… try to keep up honey. Exalibre: You really don’t know me, although your armchair psychology is charming. Please tell me more about my processes of introspection? I really want to see what your insights are. > [@Excalibre](#): > > Even when his behavior is described by outsiders - ones not involved in the conflict, and whose opinions are obviously much more objective than his own - he can’t see it. Even when they’re unanimous in their opinions, he won’t stop to consider that they might be right. First, not everybody agreed, even the ‘outsiders’. Second, even if they did and I came to the rational conclusion that I was not in the wrong, should I really change my behavior simply because some people view me some way? Let me let you in on something, the only people’s suggestions I’ll listen to without question are the mods. I didn’t notice that you’re one. Third, how many people might I interact with in a thread? A half dozen? You want me to take the weight of a half dozen, or a dozen opinions more seriously than the verdict of my own mind? You’re not even ashamed to offer such a bald faced bandwaggon fallacy? Fourth what, exactly, should I ‘see’? That even after disclaimers people insist on reading my text a certain way? Enlighten me. > [@Excalibre](#): > > This defensive lashing-out is what leads to the harsh responses he gets. Defensive lashing out? Another coward, eh? Insult me, and I respond. By the way, just in case you’re planning on being a coward too, yes, implying that I don’t have any self-insight, beyond being a claim to knowledge which is both arrogant and ridiculous, is wrong. So if you want to pretend that you know my inner workings, and speak disparagingly, I’ll be happy to insult you back. If you’re a coward, you’ll point to me getting upset with you as justification. Hell, I’m sure Treis will lap it up and masturbate to it. > [@Excalibre](#): > > I wonder how bad school was for him to cause him to constantly perceive himself as being under attack Constantly, eh? How many posts do I have on the Dope? How many do I think I’m being attacked in? I thought so, asshole. Please, just get a tad bit o’ courage, k? If people are attacking me, I’ll respond. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/178 "2005-05-13T05:12:54Z")
Damnit, that’ll teach me to preview in Word. **spoke-** that’d be a beer, not a bear, or even a bea/er. But I suppose if I have enough beers I might be willing to argue for the right to keep and arm bears… ah well. ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/179 "2005-05-13T05:40:06Z")
Let us summarize the events so far: 1. \*\* Elza B \*\* starts a pit thread about moms that brag about their child. She specifically mentions that the worst are the ones that try to disguise modesty by bragging about themselves in relation to their kids. Saying specifically: > [@Elza B](#): > > “I graduated from high school at sixteen, so of course my child is smart. I worry about how she’ll fit in around kids who aren’t as smart as she is.” 1. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* comes in and posts: > [@FinnAgain](#): > > I’ve always tested in the 99th percentile, grduated highschool at 16, yadda, yadda, yadda. My girlfriend and I are planning on moving in together soon, and we’ll probably end up having kids within a few years. As for brain power, she aint no slouch neither. Now, if nature and nurture hold true, we’ll have some pretty brilliant babies. And yes, it’s fucking hard to grow up being smarter than the majority of your classmates. Nearly identical to the statement that \*\* Elza B \*\* used as an example of what she was pitting in her OP. This is Ironic! Its funny! 1. \*\* CS \*\* Comes in and makes an Alannis Morisette joke. Not extremely funny but a decent reference in response to the irony in \*\* FinnAgain\*\*'s post 2. I make my statement that the amount of friends you have isn’t related to intelligence rather to (paraphrasing) how nice of a person you are. 3. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* apologizes (although its not clear if he realizes what has transpired) and reads way too much into my statement. 4. \*\* CS \*\* mentions his Morisette crack again for no apparent reason 5. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* responds in a fairly confrontational manner and calls \*\* CS \*\*'s post snarky and of 0 content. Still doesn’t appear to grasp what was ironic about his statement. 6. \*\* spoke- \*\* comes in and explains why \*\* FinnAgain \*\*'s comments where ironic attributing motivations that may or may not have been there. 7. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* comes in and responds that he is sorry that his statements make \*\* spoke- \*\* feel inferior and jealous and claims that he was not bragging merely stating facts. 8. \*\* spoke- \*\* comes in and implies that \*\* FinnAgain \*\* didn’t get along with other kids becuase he is an asshole not becuase of intelligence. 9. \*\* CS \*\* explains his irony and further explains event number 6 (apparently its more irony! huzzah!) 10. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* comes back and repeats his claim that \*\* spoke- \*\* is jealous of his test scores (he didn’t specifically say test scores but it is the only thing he has stated in the thread) 11. \*\* CS \*\* posits that it was in fact \*\* FinnAgain \*\*'s touchiness and overwhelming self esteem and tells \*\* FinnAgain \*\* to lighten up. 12. \*\* spoke- \*\* in response to statement 12 says the funny part is that \*\* FinnAgain \*\* is assuming that his test scores were higher than \*\* spoke- \*\*'s 13. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* calls \*\* CS \*\*'s arguing tactics cowardly and basically repeats various insults and repeats the ideas expressed in early posts. Still doesn’t seem to grasp why his first post was ironic. 14. \*\* CS \*\* repeats the basic ideas from his previous posts adding some new insults. Signs it as Asshat which I assume is an unfortunate attempt at calling \*\* FinnAgain \*\* an asshat :wally 15. \*\* fessie \*\* points out that \*\* FinnAgain \*\* missed the point of the OP and critiques his spelling. 16. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* responds to \*\* spoke-\*\*'s statement in 14 by quoting his claim and calls him a lying sack of shit. Clearly he either did not read close enough or projected something that wasn’t there in statements 9 and 12. Continues with gratuitous insults and repeats his claim of jealousy among other factors as being the possible causes of \*\* spoke- **'s statements. Accuses \*\* spoke-**'s suggestion of modesty of creating an anti-intellectual America 17. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* quotes the post represented by statement number 5. Still does not appear to grasp why his statement was ironic. Responds to the spelling critique by claiming that he has dyslexia and dysgraphic. 18. \*\* fessie \*\* says that \*\* FinnAgain \*\* should have kids. 19. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* responds to 16 with the same basic themes and insults as previous posts. 20. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* asks \*\* fessie \*\* what the fuck he meant by statement 20. 21. \*\* fessie \*\* responds that he should have kids becuase he has so much energy and expresses hope that his wife will be the provider so he can spend time with them. 22. \*\* FinnAgain \*\* starts this pit thread. 23. I waste entirely too much time writing this post. To summarize, points 1-5 include \*\* FinnAgain \*\* making an ironic statement, \*\* CS \*\* making a fairly lame joke, me expressing my opinion and \*\* FinnAgain \*\* reads way too much into it. Following from there \*\* CS \*\* makes his second statement which was less than clear and \*\* FinnAgain \*\* responded in a confrontational manner. From there \*\* spoke- \*\* tried to explain, perhaps reading too much into the statements, the irony and was met with insults. In 18 \*\* FinnAgain \*\* calls \*\* spoke- \*\* a lying sack of shit for his \*\* spoke-\*\*'s correct statements in 14. From there its mostly insults exchanged between \*\* FinnAgain \*\*, \*\* CS \*\* and \*\* spoke- \*\* largely coming from \*\* FinnAgain \*\*. \*\* fessie \*\* comes in with a fairly bizzare statement to which \*\* FinnAgain \*\* responds with insults. \*\* fessie \*\* clarified his statements in the following post. Basically we have \*\* CS \*\* making a fairly lame joke about **FinnAgain** s ironic post and \*\* FinnAgain \*\* way overreacting. \*\* spoke- \*\* was attributing motivations that probably weren’t there, \*\* FinnAgain \*\* overreacted with patently false insults. \*\* fessie \*\* makes a bizzare statement but clarifies it in a way that still leaves a lot to desire. Me? I expressed my opinion and now have wasted a lot of time becuase of it. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2005, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assholes-the-jealous-and-mediocretins-cemetary-savior-spoke-fessie-treis-etc/303591/180 "2005-05-13T05:51:44Z")
> [@you with the face](#): > > Because the OP is specifically about _bragging_, not about valid parenting concerns. Yes, and my point was that it might not always be bragging because it’s a valid concern. I was unaware of the message board context it was occuring in, so I didn’t realize that it must, by necessity be bragging. > [@you with the face (bolding mine)](#): > > My point is why do you have to “show and tell” about how smart you were in school, when the main thrust of your post does not concern the proof of **your intelligence** , but rather the problems you had with your peers supposedly **because you were smart.** Need me to say it? > [@you with the face](#): > > I dunno, people _in general_ who blame intelligence and giftedness on their lack of popularity? Plenty of posters were responding to things they have observed outside of the actual thread. And even if he was talking about you, he wasn’t being a jerk about it. So I still fail to see why he needs to be pitted and you’re not doing a good job of explaining why. If you don’t understand why claiming that someone didn’t have any problems due to intellect and was instead an asshole is an insult, well… ~shrugs~ You fail to see why he’s been Pitted, I fail to comprehend your lack of understanding. I’m honestly at a lack for words. How else can I possibly explain it? He suggested that nobody catches a hard time for their intelligence, and only those who are assholes have a problem. That means he called me an asshole. How, exaclty, is that not some sort of insult? > [@you with the face](#): > > If you took issue with the logic behind **treis** opinion, perhaps you should argue rationally against it Bullshit. His opinions are worth precisely shit. I’m not about to ‘argue rationally’ against someone’s claims that their childhood is a model for all children, everywhere. It’s too stupid to justify with anything substantial. > [@you with the face](#): > > instead of nailing yourself to a cross and begging for honor and courage like the hero out of _Braveheart_. You have really blown things out of proportion. What the fuck are you talking about? Nailing myself to a cross? People insulted me, and didn’t have the courage to either apologize or admit it. They then went on to blame me for getting upset at being insulted. Is this honorable? Is this corageous? So take your pop movie refrence and cram it sideways. > [@you with the face](#): > > So now you have a monopoly on words that are rather commonplace on the boards? Cool off. Someone says that they were harrased for using “polysyllabic words” and then a few posts later someone metions “polysyllabic words”… and it’s a stretch to think they’re connected? I don’t have to have a monopoly on words, I just have the ability to recognize when someone uses the same phrase. I know, it’s rocket science. > [@you with the face](#): > > I could see you disagreeing with the opinion. I could see you inferring some insinuations from his post. But I don’t understand why anything he wrote was a Pitable offense. Ah well. Guess you’ll never know. > [@you with the face](#): > > I will continue to think you are reading things that aren’t there until you “show and tell” us where **treis** made an absolute statement about children every where. Perhaps I missed it. I’ve quoted it, what, twice in this very thread? Yet again, he said “The amount of friends you have has nothing to do with intelligence " then " I stand by my statements intelligence does not prevent anyone from making friends.” How the hell are you reading those that they **don’t** come off as definite statements made about large numbers of people? > [@you with the face](#): > > That’s the point of contention, isn’t it. It’s not clear to me that he did insult you. At least to a level that is on par with your response. Why it’s not clear to you, I have no idea. And here we have the same fucking issue, on par with his response. Folks want to insult me for how I respond to being insulted? Isn’t there paint to watch dry somewhere? > [@you with the face](#): > > It all depends on how she went about saying it. I’m not going to get into an analogy fight. The fact remains, in some cases it’s not bragging, and it is the turth. > [@you with the face](#): > > How do you interpret that out of “I also was not friends with the people that were generally assholes and used their intelligence to demean others.” Or "The amount of friends you have has nothing to do with intelligence and everything to do with being a friendly, down to earth, humble and frankly just a nice person. " > He never even said anything about people being picked on. … Again, I think you don’t understand because there’s just something not clicking with you, and I’m really out of patience. See, the statement about the ammount of friends you have having nothing to do with not being picked on? See… being picked lowers the ammount of potential friends you have. This really isn’t rocket science here. > [@you with the face](#): > > But if it makes you feel as if this thread was justified, go head and get your > feelings hurt by his post. No, see… you posting now is after the thread started, thus, it can’t justify my OP. I’m also not insulted by you, but I do think you’re being painfully dense. > [@you with the face](#): > > Hey I’m only wanting to know what venom you saw in **treis** post to have his name included in the title. Yes, you were dense, I’ve pointed it out several times. I’d apologize for not treating you with kid gloves, but ah well. > [@you with the face](#): > > Jokes were made about that and you perceived them as attacks. And reacted in a way that spawned a true pile-on. Again: being dense. Insults were made in the guise of jokes. Not the same thing. You can’t ‘joke’ that a person you’re talking to is a braggart. That’s not humor, it’s a direct insult. > [@you with the face](#): > > You did more than point out statistics. You basically belittled all activities that involved something other than burying your nose in a book. You reduced extracurricular activities that develop atheletic, leadership, and interpersonal skills to “throwing a ball”. When people mentioned that there are more prerequisites to success than a GPA and a degree, you ignored that so that could you pontificate more about the virtues of scholastic credentials. Oh, I’m sorry, I belittled throwing a ball as a legitmate means of social advancement. The nerve! Again, aducation is the most effective way to achieve upward mobility. A school with a struggling academic program should not be running expensive sports teams. Anybody who chooses to avoid academics (as was the subject of the thread) and focus on sports or music has got very slim odds of making it big, and even then, you don’t stay on top long. You want me to sugarcoat facts or something? And if I don’t I’m an elitist? Sorry, getting a good education is a more sure-fire way to getting social power. Dunno what you want me to do about it. > [@you with the face](#): > > Because you couldn’t even begrudgedly acknowledge the value of skills other than the ones you happen to have, you were called elitist. Not because of anything else. Then people were morons to call me an elitist for not saying that throwing or catching a ball was a vastly marketable skill. It’s not. It’ll never be. Deal. > [@you with the face](#): > > You can speak back. But when people keep telling you similar things, there’s nothing doormat-like about listening to them. See… I do listen, that’s how I determine that they’re wrong. Funny… that. 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