# Collounsbury, 6-3-2000 to 11-28-2002 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2002, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027 "2002-12-02T20:10:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 17
**Author:** ![Eva\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e495f1/32.png) [@Eva\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eva_Luna)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/321 "2002-12-05T04:20:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spiritus Mundi \* > \*\*I’m trying to decide if this exchange is a travesty to **Col’s** memorial thread or a perfect and pointed monument. \*\* Yeah; I can’t decide whether all the sniping here is funny, or just a sad commentary on what might lead a frustrated poster to implode. What any of this has to do with the OP, though, I have no clue. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/322 "2002-12-05T04:25:31Z")
What’d I tell you? Seeds of Morgoth, people, seeds of Morgoth. ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/323 "2002-12-05T15:26:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by IzzyR \* > I call for a truce. And there you have it - another successful peacemaking effort by **IzzyR**. Next stop - the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/324 "2002-12-05T17:24:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Spiritus Mundi \* > \*\*I’m trying to decide if this exchange is a travesty to **Col’s** memorial thread or a perfect and pointed monument. \*\* Perfect and pointed monument. And funny, just like **Coll** ’s lambasting of certain drooling idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/325 "2002-12-05T18:50:04Z")
**shelbo**. . . an anagram of **Shelob**. . . _cooincideence?_ ---
**Author:** ![Truth\_Seeker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5fc32e/32.png) [@Truth\_Seeker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truth_Seeker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2002, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/326 "2002-12-06T11:27:42Z")
So there you have it: the life and times of **Collounsbury** by those who knew him best. Years from now, newbies will gather round old, wizened dopers to hear the tale of the great **Collounsbury** and his band of little sycophants, scourge of idiots and exasperater of mods. They say he’s not really gone, you know. He’s still out there, somewhere. Sometimes, when the moon is a crescent, you may catch a glimpse of him, off in the corner of some deserted souk, having a beer with Paul Wolfowitz. _He said, I ate the last mango in Muscat Took the last plane out of Iran Took the first fast boat to Doha but grieny there’s still so much to be done!_ Farewell, **Collounsbury**. As you travel through life, may your aisle seats be many and your strip searches be few. ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/327 "2002-12-07T17:20:13Z")
Now all we need is for “ **Collounsbury** lives!” to be written in graffiti across New York subway platforms.[/really obscure reference] Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/328 "2002-12-07T17:36:41Z")
I think I saw him at a Burger King in Cairo. ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2002, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/329 "2002-12-07T20:05:15Z")
Well, I haven’t been around much recently (about 2 posts in the past few months), but I am certainly sad to see **Coll** go. I won’t say that I think that he didn’t deserve it – anybody who has read his typical post could have seen it coming from a mile away, and I certainly don’t believe in double standards. I found that he reserved most of his harshest criticism for those who he ran into repeatedly. He lashed out at the posters who would not respond to his quieter arguments. The newbies and the newcomers to the debates would get a few of his calm, well-cited, erudite posts. Only after another 20 or so posts would he start spewing. I’m not saying he did the right thing – there are other fora for name-calling and flaming and his vitriol only lowered the integrity of GD. In some ways, he personified the id of the more calm GDers who battled the more stubborn and irrational posters. Where I frustratedly quit if I can’t get through, **Coll** lashed out. Maybe this did get through in a couple of instances – I seem to remember some posters changing their tune on the Great Race Debate which was where **Coll** and I spent a lot of time arguing together. But it probably made a lot of lurkers and newbies post less. And for that, he certainly deserved what he got. I don’t think anyone evaluating the situation logically could argue otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/330 "2003-03-17T08:44:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SuaSponte \* > \*\*Sadly, that’s not true. When **Collounsbury** first became active, he and I were very often in the same GD threads, and usually on the same side. Our interests and POVs were complementary, and I found his more detailed knowledge about certain areas both interesting and informative. > But I stopped reading **Coll’s** posts and generally shied away from getting involved with threads in which he was active about a year ago, for a simple reason – it was getting unpleasant to read them. I was never an object of his scorn, but that didn’t make it much more palatable. > If I am representative, his diatribes not only affected those who incurred his wrath, but people who otherwise would have learned something from him, had it been written in a better form. > > Sua \*\* Couldn’t agree more. If you haven’t convinced someone by facts that are reasonably presented you aren’t going to do it by abuse either. And you will quite likely alienate someone else who might otherwise benefit from the information and viewpoint that you have. The attempt to counter a rude, wilful refusal to come to grips with the facts by using even greater rudeness is stupid, even if the answering rudeness is resplendant with beautiful, undeniable truth. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/331 "2003-03-17T09:19:12Z")
Eh? I do hope **SuaSponte** wasn’t waiting underwater for that reply. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/332 "2003-03-17T09:24:52Z")
Since someone else has revived this zombie, I’ll pitch in my two cents. I’m really going to miss the big lug. He and I may not have always agreed (although we frequently did) but his depth of knowledge was almost breathtaking at times. That said, being a jerk is a bannable offense and the language in the GD post was a bit much. I hope like Hell he’ll return with the vitriol know turned down a notch but don’t hold out any great hope. Quite often the abuse was more than well deserved and pretty hilarious to read. Still, being a jerk is being a jerk and it’s not allowed here for all the right reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Zenster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/cdc98d/32.png) [@Zenster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zenster)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/333 "2003-03-17T09:28:19Z")
That was supposed to be; “vitriol knob” ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/334 "2003-03-17T14:57:25Z")
If he has been banned, why is he still listed as “member”? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/335 "2003-03-17T17:15:07Z")
I guess this is as good a time as any to mention that “vitriol knob” would be a pretty good band name. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/336 "2003-03-17T18:08:19Z")
I too, would like to see him back. In general, I don’t like “bannings”. “Jerk” is such a subjective term. ---
**Author:** ![Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@Fox\_in\_the\_Snow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fox_in_the_Snow)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/337 "2003-03-17T18:25:29Z")
How odd. I’m pretty sure his status used to say banned. I don’t know why it’s been changed unless he’s been forgiven which seems unlikely. ---
**Author:** ![Rockford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ac8455/32.png) [@Rockford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rockford)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/338 "2003-03-17T22:12:16Z")
Why has this thread been revived? ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/339 "2003-03-17T23:29:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fox in the Snow \* > \*\*How odd. I’m pretty sure his status used to say banned. I don’t know why it’s been changed unless he’s been forgiven which seems unlikely. \*\* Unlikely, but not impossible. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2003, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027/340 "2003-03-18T00:51:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Rockford \* > \*\*Why has this thread been revived? \*\* Zombie Commies. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027.md?page=16) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collounsbury-6-3-2000-to-11-28-2002/140027.md?page=18)