I understand that, Marley. What I don’t understand is why other people can talk about my having been “eviscerated” in this thread, or how I’ve “made my bed and now I can lie in it,” none of which also has anything to do with the purpose of ATMB, and no one says a word about it.
But let me ask this: since the problem seems to be my explaining my justifications for challenging these posts, what if I were simply to meet such allegations with something along the lines of “This is not true. Anyone wishing a more detailed explanation should post their query in the Paterno Pit thread.”?
Believe it or not, I’m actually not interested in making your jobs harder or in pushing the limits of what I can get away with. I’d just lilke to have some way to confront these allegations that come from out of nowhere in such a way that makes it clear these allegations are opinion and not fact, and to have an opportunity to connect up with the reader at some place on the board in order to set the record straight.
That’s not ideal, but they’re commenting on the thread rather than starting the argument all over again.
Please stop attempting to negotiate a response. Every proposal you have made is just another way of keeping the discussion alive and putting more attention on it, and we don’t want any of that in ATMB. And speaking more generally of the actual issue… you really would be wise to let this go. Your determination to rebut this stuff is not doing you any good.
Seriously? Your answer is not only on the first page of this thread, it’s in the first 10 responses. You’ve spent more time sticking your head in the sand than making an effort.
You’re probably right. In the real world I wouldn’t have taken things nearly this far. But there were four or five things about the Paterno thread that I found particularly galling, and those things have provided the fuel that has kept me going.
However, I suppose at this point - and considering the way things have played out in the other thread - I can afford to let the issue drop.
Thanks for the “Please” and for the compassionate advice.
We simulposted, so I’m adding a note here to reflect the fact that I’ve told Peter Morris not to post to this thread anymore. So please don’t respond to his posts here.
I can’t imagine a way to talk about the “toilet paper tube” or “paper towel tube” as an allusion to the Penn State thread that is not a deliberate jab at Starving Artist.
No, it was a jab at SA. Colibri was discussing the “can’t defend himself” aspect, where banned people can’t defend themselves. He was saying that Starving Artist could have taken that as provocation and come into the thread to defend himself, with an ensuing hijack.
It is a board meme that is a jab at Starving Artist. It has no place in GQ, or really anywhere outside of that Joe Paterno thread.
I saw it as both a nasty jab at SA and as a hijack of the thread. I considered it trolling.
I think it would be a nasty jab if SA had disavowed the statement, or had misspoken, and he was still being pummeled with it. He’s pretty proud of the stance though, so I don’t see it.
The problem though is like I said to Saint Cad, the allusion to paper towel tubes is rarely the end of it. Pretty soon people are linking to the original post (usually with asides intended to educate the reader as to how he should interpret what he sees…the need for barf bags and so on) and then insults and insinuations of perversion and various forms of character assassination often follow on the heels of that. It’s the fact that the paper towel tube references lead to insults and comments which I’m not allowed to challenge that has been the problem, not the references to paper towel tubes per se.
At this point, though, Starving Artist, the more you complain about it, or try to explain what you meant, the worse it’s gonna be. Ever hear of the Streisand Effect? That’s pretty much what’s going to happen if you keep complaining about it.
And quite frankly, YOU were the one who made the argument in the first place, you had to know how it would play out. Face it – it’s gonna haunt you. You’re going to be known as Paper Towel Tube Man. I believe you said you didn’t care if your rep was ruined around here, so why are you complaining about it?
I don’t care what people make of what I’ve said or the positions I’ve taken. I don’t want them getting away with lies and vile insinuations which they know I can’t respond to and which have no place on a board devoted to fighting ignorance in the first place.
Or that has been the case up to now. As I told Marley, however, upon reflection I’ve decided that the way the Paterno thread has progressed I can afford now to let the issue drop. I merely responded to Bob Ducca to clarify what I felt was his misunderstanding of the problem with regard to the paper towel tube meme and the problems it leads to vs. my willing endorsement of the thought experiment itself.
