# Colibri warns for language but not trolling/threadshitting **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 13, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133 "2012-07-13T19:06:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**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:** [July 14, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/41 "2012-07-14T17:18:12Z")
I’m undecided whether to move this thread to Great Debates or Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/42 "2012-07-14T17:27:41Z")
The call was right. Perhaps Colibri should have been merciful and made it a Note not a Warning, but the post crossed the line. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/43 "2012-07-14T17:29:24Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’m undecided whether to move this thread to Great Debates or Cafe Society. In a bit of a jam, huh? ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/44 "2012-07-14T17:44:24Z")
“Get the hell over it” is not an attack, but “get the fuck over yourself” is? Is it the profanities or the “it” vs. “yourself” that turns one into an attack but not the other? Edit: Not snarky; serious question. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2012, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/45 "2012-07-14T18:41:22Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > “Get the hell over it” is not an attack, but “get the fuck over yourself” is? > > Is it the profanities or the “it” vs. “yourself” that turns one into an attack but not the other? > > Edit: Not snarky; serious question. **Garfield226** , I find it very hard to believe that you would actually seriously imply that **Irishman’s** remark was a personal attack. If being critical or dismissive of the position taken by other people in an ATMB thread qualifies as a personal attack, we would end up warning many more people here. The language used itself didn’t have much to do with it, although “fuck” is certainly more offensive than “hell” (and **etv78’s** use of caps and an exclamation point intensified it further). **Irishman’s** remark was a general comment, not addressed to a specific individual (and certainly not addressed to **etv78** , who hadn’t even posted in the thread). In contrast, **etv78’s** post quoted **Irishman** , and was clearly directed at him personally. Hence it was a personal attack. This is not to say that in certain circumstances general remarks might not be intended as an attack on certain other posters participating in a thread, even if they are not quoted or named. However, **Irishman’s** remark was pretty mild in any circumstances. I don’t think this distinction is at all hard to understand. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/46 "2012-07-14T18:51:09Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Garfield226** , I find it very hard to believe that you would actually seriously imply that **Irishman’s** remark was a personal attack. > > [snip] > > **Irishman’s** remark was a general comment, not addressed to a specific individual (and certainly not addressed to **etv78** , who hadn’t even posted in the thread). In contrast, **etv78’s** post quoted **Irishman** , and was clearly directed at him personally. Hence it was a personal attack. > > [snip] > > I don’t think this distinction is at all hard to understand. You’re right. I hadn’t read the thread (until now), just the quoted parts in this thread — I didn’t realize **Irishman** ’s post was general and not directed at **etv**. Good call. FWIW, it was a serious question, not snark (hence the edit), but predicated on a faulty assumption. ---
**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:** [July 14, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/47 "2012-07-14T19:03:37Z")
> [@Garfield226](#): > > You’re right. I hadn’t read the thread (until now), just the quoted parts in this thread — I didn’t realize **Irishman** ’s post was general and not directed at **etv**. Good call. > > FWIW, it was a serious question, not snark (hence the edit), but predicated on a faulty assumption. Ok then. But the context of the two remarks was important. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/48 "2012-07-14T19:52:35Z")
> [@voltaire](#): > > You might be surprised to discover that most of the rest of the world hasn’t ever even had PB, much less PB&J! It’s only in America that we see fit to regularly dose our children with sugar-on-sugar sandwiches. Those poor mother smuckers. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133/49 "2012-07-15T01:51:04Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I’m undecided whether to move this thread to Great Debates or Cafe Society. I’d like to request the creation of a new forum. Whether it’s Great Society or Cafe Debates is of no matter to me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/colibri-warns-for-language-but-not-trolling-threadshitting/628133.md?page=2)