# Coldfire's "standards" for the Pit **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 11, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246 "2003-12-11T00:52:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/1 "2003-12-11T00:52:57Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Coldfire:_ > \*\*TVAA, if you honestly in your heart of hearts think you were NOT a jerk in that thread, I can guarantee you one thing: you will get banned from the SDMB sooner or later. Because if you don’t see your mistake, you’ll make it again. After which, you’ll be out of here. \*\* The “mistake” seems to have been expressing an opinion that the great and powerful **Coldfire** didn’t agree with. The woman in the thread-in-question grossly insulted every person ever hurt by childhood sexual abuse, then demanded the compassion and respect of other Dopers for relying on the same excuse she denied others. > [@](#): > > \*\*Can’t make it any clearer than that, I’m afraid. Personal judgment doesn’t enter into it - \*\* Is this supposed to be a joke? > [@](#): > > \*\*- sure, the “Don’t be a jerk” rule is not carved in stone. It’s deliberately vague: as one can’t quantify it properly anyway, why attempt to do so? The rule serves us well as it is. \*\* No, it doesn’t serve us. It doesn’t even serve the moderators. It seems to serve _you_ quite well. > [@](#): > > \*\*And most people know where the line is. Some cross it slightly, and are told to knock it off - and then they do. Some cross it gigantically, and are reprimanded - and they listen. Some keep crossing it knowingly and marginally, and eventually, they get banned. Some are too stupid to realise where the line is, and even too stupid to realise they crossed it 50 miles ago, even though it’s been pointed out to them. The latter category will get banned at some point. > > Guess which category you’re in, TVAA? \*\* I’m in the category of people who knows that “ **Coldfire** ’s whim” != “the line”. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/2 "2003-12-11T00:56:22Z")
What is the point of bringing this up yet again. OK, you disagree with **Coldfire** , we get it. He’s the HMFIC so you have to listen to him. Alternatively, you can stop posting in the Pit. Are you trying to become the next martyr? Haj ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/3 "2003-12-11T00:57:42Z")
oh, THIS will end well… ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/4 "2003-12-11T01:01:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hajario \* > \*\*HMFIC > \*\* Took me a second, but I got it. If I ever change my screen name, that’s it 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/5 "2003-12-11T01:03:07Z")
Head Mo Fo in Clogs? ---
**Author:** ![\_possum\_stalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/b77776/32.png) [@\_possum\_stalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_possum_stalker)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/6 "2003-12-11T01:06:41Z")
**TVAA** , I enjoy most all your posts, but is this really a profitable topic to pursue? I don’t think you- or **Coldfire** - came off very well in that thread. Christ, the mods are not soulless robots. And tearing into a juicy hypocrite is fun, but it calls for some tact (to say the least) when they are sharing sexual abuse stories. I agreed with your reasoning, but your approach was a tad inappropriate. Walk it off, champ. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/7 "2003-12-11T01:08:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Berkut \* > \*\*Head Mo Fo in Clogs? \*\* Hey, My Father IS Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/8 "2003-12-11T01:13:01Z")
Good Lord. I’ve sent my colleagues an e-mail. They’ll deal with this. I doubt the OP would consider me impartial, if I spoke my mind. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/9 "2003-12-11T01:15:07Z")
I would have posted in the other **Coldfire** criticism thread, but _someone_ posted it… and without explanation, as far as I could tell. If I start treating sexually-abused idiots like idiots, I might as well abandon these boards completely. Their purpose is to point out ignorance, shoddy reasoning, and obvious hypocrits. And this isn’t the first time **Coldfire** has (without cause, in my judgment) threatened me for making posts. The most notable recent example was when he warned me for making medical claims about depression – _when I’ve never said anything that even implied that_. He scanned my statements, saw what he expected to see, and went straight to the threats. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/10 "2003-12-11T01:16:32Z")
Eck. Change that to “_someone_ closed it…” ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/11 "2003-12-11T01:24:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*I’m in the category of people who knows that “ **Coldfire** ’s whim” != “the line”. \*\* TVAA would the mods malign And take the SD version of strychnine We need no proof – he isn’t an Einstein The OP crossed Coldfire’s line. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/12 "2003-12-11T01:30:47Z")
My, you **have** loosened up since you gave up the stress, haven’t you? ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/13 "2003-12-11T01:47:28Z")
At least **manhattan** was occasionally clever and witty… That line would have scanned better as “he’s no Einstein”, though, especially as it would repeat the use of ‘no’ from the previous segment. I would rewrite it as follows: _TVAA would the mods malign and take SD’s version of strychnine. We need no proof – he’s no Einstein. The OP crossed Coldfire’s line._ ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/14 "2003-12-11T01:54:12Z")
Maybe change “SD” to “our”, too. The line doesn’t need an extra syllable. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/15 "2003-12-11T02:02:03Z")
Could we have a **LINK** here? You know, it’s just not possible for everyone to follow every soap opera in every thread on the board anymore, and the hamsters are just too overworked to appreciate the overtime when curious Dopers want to find out _what the hell you’re talking about **TV** _! ---
**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:** [December 11, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/16 "2003-12-11T02:09:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > **I would have posted in the other Coldfire criticism thread, but _someone_ [closed] it… and without explanation, as far as I could tell.** I guess you didn’t notice that [the other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228268) had turned into a five-way pissing match and no longer about **Coldfire**. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/17 "2003-12-11T02:10:46Z")
Most recent thread was [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228268](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=228268) . The original thread mentioned was [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226710](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226710) . I thought I showed remarkable restraint, really. I was considering using certain words that describe the female anatomy (which is not usually my habit) to refer to the human flotsam who started that thread, but I figured it wasn’t appropriate for a thread involving child sexual abuse. Her original post, while an insult to the millions of people whose lives have been warped by abuse, isn’t particularly offensive. Her later revelations about why she didn’t press charges – leaving an abuser free to abuse again – is beneath contempt. Just thinking about it again makes me **angry…** ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/18 "2003-12-11T02:11:52Z")
**Squink** , here’s the [link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=226710) here’s my fave quote > [@](#): > > **TVAA** > You weren’t coerced into making false statements, you chose to make false statements. Being stuck in a house with an sexually abusive parent isn’t an excuse for giving false testimony. You lied because you chose to, now get over it. > > Turnabout is fair play, after all… I weep for TVAA poor guy was just trying to give a reasonable sensitive opionon to someone that was raped and was too scared to testify. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/19 "2003-12-11T02:12:19Z")
So what? Lots of Pit threads do that. But with the thread closed, it was no longer possible to criticize **Coldfire** in it. “Personal judgments don’t come into it” my foot. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246/20 "2003-12-11T02:16:10Z")
Excusing illegal actions by citing emotional trauma was invalid, according to that poster. It follows that “being too scared to testify” isn’t valid according to her own standards, so she’s condemned by her own judgment. After all, emotional trauma doesn’t “force” anything to do anything. She made her choice – now she needs to take responsibility for it. If you find this attitude repugnant, yell at the OPer. It’s hers, after all. I have concern and compassion for others in the same way that a mirror has a sense of aesthetics. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coldfires-standards-for-the-pit/218246.md?page=2)