But it is also the same logic that explains why I try to wear matching socks when I’m at work, while wearing mismatched ones when I’m at home or at the grocery store. Or when I’m chilling out at someone’s house.
I’m sure we all have different standards of decorum depending on who and what we are doing.
(Just to reiterate, I’m not defending asscracks or poor hygiene. It’s just that these discussions can be boring without hearing the other side. And for whatever reason, I think I kinda get the other side.)
monstro, you really believe that parade of asscracks is a fashion statement? Well, it’s even stupider than all the guys around here with their pants belted around their knees. But I’m not the least convinced this is a chosen style choice. If it was, why are they so upset someone took a picture of it?
I believe a ‘style’ could be defined as actions deliberately done. So throwing a pair of jeans in a dryer with some rocks to give them a beat up ‘weathered’ look. Grunge, gutterpunk, etc actively work torward acheiving this look.
A nerd that isn’t self aware to realize his ass is hanging out is not doing this on purpose. These aren’t a bunch of baboons working hard to get their asses as big and puffy as possible for some goofy dominance display If my zipper is down and someone laughs and says, “your fly is down”, to respond with “how dare you insult my style you bully!” is a gross overreaction.
Could Concerned Neckbeard quietly taken each crack-hanger aside and pointed it out? Sure, but there were a LOT of guys; the tournament would probably end before he could point it out to half of them! And these folks don’t seem like the type of people to take that kind of feedback graciously.
Yes. I have some experience here because I have a butt crack and I wear pants and shirts. Whenever the shirt rides up above the pants or the pants below the shirt (whether or not any butt crack is visible - hopefully NONE), I feel the difference in temperature and I pull the shirt down. If that happens again, I change/add garments because I don’t want my back/butt showing in public and I don’t want to be constantly adjusting my clothing.
These guys know their butts are hanging out and they don’t care. Well, they don’t care until someone takes a bunch of pictures. Not sure what image they had in their minds’ eyes of what their bare butts look like from behind, but apparently reality has disappointed them.
Looking at that gallery of butt cracks makes me think of cruising through the room with a tray of ice cubes. Now THAT would be mean!
I’m not saying the asscracks themselves are a fashion statement. Just that in the geeks’ minds, it’s probably not THAT big of a deal.
Maybe it’s not 100% analogous, but for some reason the first thing to come to mind is VPL. In some people’s minds, bad VPL is just as embarrassing as asscrack. While in other people’s minds, it’s a trivial concern.
Even if you thought it was a trivial concern, wouldn’t you be embarrassed if someone took a picture of your VPL for the world to laugh at? Maybe I’m the weirdo in the thread, but I think I would be.
Ya’ll are acting like feelings are supposed to be rational. They aren’t.
I actually don’t think this is as common as it used to be. Most of us have gotten the message. Which is why the buttcrack caused such a huge ruckus because it exposed those that still don’t get it and intersected with the new topic du jour of bullying.
As a general rule, no. I used to be the type of person who went to game stores, played in tournaments, and bought the nerd fodder and being a slob and a lack hygienic care generally wasn’t something we cultivated as a group. The ass crackers and cat piss men were a minority, a significant minority at times, but a minority who often drew ire from the rest of us.
There are a lot of theories as to why gamers tolerate these things but basically I think it boils down to avoiding confrontation and trying to remain polite. There’s just no good way to tell someone they stink and most people will avoid confrontation when they can. I’ve had to kick a few people out of the building I work at because of their offensive odor. It was really hard the first time but it was easier the second and third time.
Yeah, it was kind of a dick move on his part. I got no objection to him being banned for 6 months.
I wasn’t talking about people who smell bad. I was pointing out to Askthepizzaguy that plants can smell like cat pee and that might be what he smells 50 feet away from customers’ houses. Has nothing to do with the personal grooming habits of other people (especially you and your amazing, awesome, perfect wife who is also from humble backgrounds).
That’s what I’m guessing. They’re there to play a game and they’re concentrating on the game. Their pants look and feel fine when they stand up, yes maybe they know their pants pull down when they sit but no one is expecting someone to be walking around with their face at butt level during gameplay. The buttcrack is just something that happens with those pants. They just don’t care.
5 Geek Social Fallacies helps explain some of this. It can be summarized with fallacy 1 (Ostracizers are Evil) and fallacy 2 (Friends accept me as I am). Essentially to the geek within the geek circle, he will believe that none of his friends will criticize him (nor will he to they) and anybody that does criticize him is not his friend.
So when a guy in this group reeks, the other geeks are afraid to point it out because they don’t want to neccessarily alienate him. Not only that, but when people are assertive enough to point it out (even in the nicest, most supportive and nonjudgemental kind of way) he’s going to see it as a personal attack and be less likely to believe them or take any action.
So the situation just escalates to the point where one (or several) people snap and simply eject him from the group due to the issue. But you are right, Odesio, that geeks are scared of confrontation. I think that’s one of the reasons they take to the internet so readily- because its easier for them to avoid getting in those situations and they don’t have to deal with the awkwardness of their best friend telling them that they smell and please take a shower once in a while.
It is very easy to tell people they have an offensive odor. Tell them you are very concerned about their health, and they have to go to an ENT specialist because their sinus problem. If (okay, when) they respond they do not have a sinus problem, assure them, gently, that they must, because their olfactory receptors are not functioning very well.
That’s just passive aggressive bullshit and I’d have a bigger problem trying to do that than I would with telling someone flat out that they smell bad.
I work at a chemical plant. Lots of engineers. Lots of overweight folks. They started a yoga class for people who were concerned about their weight. Two guys and about fifteen women. One of the guys is an engineer who I’m pretty sure has undiagnosed Asberger’s. Utterly no social awareness. Also, older and fairly overweight.
He was apparently wearing super-shorty shorts and a threadbare babydoll t-shirt to yoga. From the descriptions, there was asscrack, freeballin’, and God knows what all else being presented for public display. Baboons flashing their butts for mating probably show less skin. His boss had to pull him aside and tell him to wear suitable clothes, or to stop going to yoga.
Seems a discreet way to handle it, no? Everyone in the plant had heard about his outfit, and everyone at the plant knew he had been talked to. So, not even as anonymous as these MtG butts. But it was not something that could be allowed to go on; his right to be socially clueless does not trump everyone else’s right to not be squicked out.
Fortunately, as I said, he’s fairly unaware about that sort of stuff, so he just got new shorts and kept going to yoga.
No, it’s really insulting. It’s the equivalent of Moe waving his left hand in front of Curly in an effort to distract him long enough to smack him across the face with his right hand. Rather than being tactful it seems deliberately cruel to me. It’s dishonest, disrespectful, and won’t spare anyone’s feelings.
Was the montage made for any other purpose other than to point and laugh derisively? I don’t see how that could NOT be its main, if not sole, purpose. I would hope there was no attempt made to cast this little project as something that was doing its subjects any kind of favor…
If my zipper is down and someone laughs and says, “your fly is down”, to respond with “how dare you insult my style you bully!” is a gross overreaction.
Now THAT would be mean!