# Bryan Ekers, you are a thread-pissing dumbfuck **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 25, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864 "2006-03-25T17:11:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 14
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/261 "2006-03-26T17:45:06Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > And yes, I have already admitted to my own faults on the SDMB. Wanna point that out for us who don’t feel like wading through a landfill to find a nickel? ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/262 "2006-03-26T17:46:53Z")
> [@Harborwolf](#): > > Even in this thread, any admission is followed closely by returning blame to the board itself. Of course, because both myself and the board are to blame. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/263 "2006-03-26T17:48:49Z")
Thank you, **Colibri** and **QED**. I acknowledge your posts. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/264 "2006-03-26T17:51:51Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Of course, because both myself and the board are to blame. If I may adapt some Big Wille S. to suit the moment…The fault, dear Aeschines, is not in the board. But in ourselves. You made the choice to post. You made the choice on what to post. You chose the tone of your posts. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/265 "2006-03-26T18:00:29Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Thank you, Bryan, I acknowledge your post. > [@Aeschines](#): > > Thank you, **Colibri** and **QED**. I acknowledge your posts. Is this your annoying new way of avoiding the issue whenever someone disagrees with you? ---
**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:** [March 26, 2006, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/266 "2006-03-26T18:00:30Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > And neither are dictionaries arbiters in deciding complex questions such as this. My point in citing M-W was simply to show you that your ad hoc definition wasn’t the whole story. _You_ were the one confidently proclaiming on the matter. You have that backward. > [@](#): > > _Further, there was the larger point of what kind of error, at base, you’re/your is. It’s a very common one; you were implying that it indicated some special grade of stupidity. You turned a snark on your part into a pretty worthless debate on typoness._ Now you have me confused with **Updike**. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/267 "2006-03-26T18:08:55Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Is this your annoying new way of avoiding the issue whenever someone disagrees with you? No, just acknowledging your post. And thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/268 "2006-03-26T18:12:24Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Is this your annoying new way of avoiding the issue whenever someone disagrees with you? He’s gone from aggressive aggression to passive aggression, is all. If nothing else, it saves time. ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/269 "2006-03-26T18:17:12Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > He’s gone from aggressive aggression to passive aggression, is all. > > If nothing else, it saves time. Nope, I’m done here. I don’t require the last word. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/270 "2006-03-26T18:18:36Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Nope, I’m done here. I don’t require the last word. Ok, then. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/271 "2006-03-26T18:54:57Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Thank you, **Colibri** and **QED**. I acknowledge your posts. I’m glad you agree that you are delusional. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/272 "2006-03-26T19:25:37Z")
(I know, I know - I’m a day late and a dollar short - but anyway…) First, I don’t agree with everything **Aeschines** has said (by a long shot), but he has made one valid point, which **Rubystreak** has already picked up on - this board is indeed unfriendly to people who are more open-minded about paranormal phenomena. I have no problem with members here taking a skeptical view and saying that they’ll believe it when someone proves it, but that isn’t what happens here - members and staff here go after someone theorizing on paranormal events like sharks smelling fresh blood in the water. That has indeed created a dismissive atmosphere where people have become aware that these are subjects that Are Not Discussed, and that’s one of the few things about this Board that I’m ashamed of. Second, the onus isn’t on so-called New Agers to prove things any more than it is on so-called Skeptics to disprove things. Skeptics take what they consider to be the high ground by saying that all paranormal stuff is crap because none of it has ever been proven, but I think that perspective is just as dangerous as believing everything about paranormal stuff is real. Someone who is truly interested in facts and learning must keep an open mind and be able to entertain new ideas. Third, the debate that went on in this thread about the grammatical points was incredibly boring so I didn’t read it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/273 "2006-03-26T19:27:18Z")
Dammit, where did my sig go? I really wanted it on that post. Well, here it is. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/274 "2006-03-26T19:59:24Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > the onus isn’t on so-called New Agers to prove things any more than it is on so-called Skeptics to disprove things. If someone makes an assertion, the onus is on them to prove it, whether they’re a New Ager or not. And by “prove” I mean offer a convincing argument, not prove in the mathematical sense. ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/275 "2006-03-26T20:11:45Z")
> [@John Mace](#): > > If someone makes an assertion, the onus is on them to prove it, whether they’re a New Ager or not. And by “prove” I mean offer a convincing argument, not prove in the mathematical sense. To me, it’s not the proving or disproving that’s the issue in these discussions. It’s the nasty, condescending tone that people take with anyone who believes in anything supernatural. I agree that, if you’re trying to promulgate a POV or convince anyone of something, you need evidence. However, sometimes people just want to have a discussion, exchange ideas or anecdotes, and they often get derailed by snarking skeptics with a bone to pick. This could easily lead to the frustration that **Aeschines** has expressed and consequent flame-outs like this one. (BTW, I have no idea if **Bryan Ekers** is one of the folks that does the sniping, so I’m not tarring him with this brush.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/276 "2006-03-26T20:29:45Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > To me, it’s not the proving or disproving that’s the issue in these discussions. It’s the nasty, condescending tone that people take with anyone who believes in anything supernatural. I agree that, if you’re trying to promulgate a POV or convince anyone of something, you need evidence. However, sometimes people just want to have a discussion, exchange ideas or anecdotes, and they often get derailed by snarking skeptics with a bone to pick. This could easily lead to the frustration that **Aeschines** has expressed and consequent flame-outs like this one. I almost never go to the IMO or MPSIMS fora, so I can’t speak for the tone of discussion there. But GD is not a place to exchange anecdotes. It’s a place to debate ideas. Yes, people will be nasty and condescending if you can’t defend your statements. But the cure for that is to better defend your statements, and not to simply claim something exists without offering objective evidence. There are plenty of places on the web or IRL to commune about the supernatural. GD isn’t one of them, nor do I think it should be. (Witnessing is allowed in GD, but I don’t think that’s what you’re talking about.) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/277 "2006-03-26T20:45:10Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > To me, it’s not the proving or disproving that’s the issue in these discussions. It’s the nasty, condescending tone that people take with anyone who believes in anything supernatural. The problem is that if you read the linked thread, the exact opposite is going on. The skeptics in that thread are pretty well behaved; it’s the non-skeptics who are the nastiest and most condescending. Have you read that thread? If what you described were true, I’d agree that it’d be a problem. It’s just not true. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/278 "2006-03-26T20:56:47Z")
> [@Rubystreak](#): > > It’s the nasty, condescending tone that people take with anyone who believes in anything supernatural. Some people take a nasty, condescending tone to a lot of things in GD. It’s not limited to the supernatural - try almost any political thread. Some people take a nasty, condescending tone in CS, for that matter. > [@](#): > > However, sometimes people just want to have a discussion, exchange ideas or anecdotes, and they often get derailed by snarking skeptics with a bone to pick. This could easily lead to the frustration that **Aeschines** has expressed and consequent flame-outs like this one. If that’s what **Aeschines** actually wants, there are plenty of places on the net where he could easily have such a discussion. **Aeschines’s** problem is that he has _deliberately_ attempted to debate the subject, on a board which by its very nature is highly skeptical, in a forum in which hard evidence is routinely demanded. GD is a boxing ring, not a playpen. If you don’t want to get hurt - and this goes for any subject - you better be well-armed and well-skilled. **Aeschines** is neither. But he climbs into the ring anyway, and the results are predictable - and then he whines about how everyone is picking on him. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/279 "2006-03-26T21:29:03Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Never underestimate your pointless masturbatory powers. You’re the best. Hmm, I liked Bryan before and now I think I’d like to take him out for a drink. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2006, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864/280 "2006-03-26T21:30:38Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > Nope, I’m done here. Talk about a drive-by. 97 posts to a thread and then just up and _leaves_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864.md?page=13) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bryan-ekers-you-are-a-thread-pissing-dumbfuck/349864.md?page=15)