Sorry, I couldn’t bring myself to say “shit my thread” on the subject line. Now you know.
So we’ve been talking about threadshitting (I won’t link to the pertinent threads, you probably know which ones they are, anyways). By threadshitting I mean fighting the premises or framework of the OP, instead of arguing about the intended issue within the constraints of it.
All kinds of analogies have popped up. I started with “If I had a thread about pizza toppings, you shouldn’t come with a post saying that pizza sucks”. Then it got crazy, everybody had an analogy for this. It was fun.
Truth be told, though, some threads invite shitting more than others (not that this excuses shitting). I would like you to post your make-believe most threadshitter inviting OP you can think of.
I will start with a couple examples:
My girlfriend forgot my birthday, should I use an alluminium or a wooden bat to hit her?
My cat just had kittens, should I drown them in a bucket or suffocate them in a plastic bag?
My vegetarian neighbors are coming for dinner, should I hide the beef stock in the minestrone or in the eggplant lasagna?
Don’t tell me you don’t feel the need to post on those threads to fight the OP. So go ahead, create a provocative thread that would make you want to jump in and pit the OPer right there and then.
Give it a try, it could be fun.
(or not, of course)
For whatever reason, this reminds me of a Groucho Marx song that had the line: “Show me a rose or leave me alone.”
And then there’s the story-joke about GWB clinging to a tree limb in a flooded river and how you had the option of saving him or taking a prize-winning photograph of the situation. Would you use a flash or high-speed film?
My best friend has been trying for years to get pregnant and can’t. Ironically, I’m pregnant from a one-night stand with a really ugly guy (I mean, nice enough, but ugly! I could have an ugly baby!), so I’m getting an abortion. Should I try RU-486 or go for the traditional suction job?
So I’ve recently gotten a job in the Wal-Mart pharmacy. I’m going on the Equality Ride here in a couple of months, and they won’t give me time off, so I’m going to be leaving. Will I get more money for my stolen OxyContin online or through a local channel?
I disagree with the OP’s premise. I think the examples are more susceptible to either hijacks, flameouts, or pile-ons.
Shitting in a thread is much more likely to come about in a something like “How 'bout them Bears?” or “I just discovered needlepoint! Tell me more!”
Then some asshole will come in with “football is for losers who never grew out of their high school clique.” or “needlepoint is stupid, why would anyone like it?”
I agree, threadshitting is where it seems almost out of the blue and for no good reason. A question about baseball should not invoke threadshitting like, “Baseball is more boring than Golf, why would anyone watch it.”
However, a thread I might start like, “The Yankees will win it all in 2007 after a such a long time” will not get threadshit, but rightfully piled-on. My title contains at least two parts that would raise red flags to most baseball fans and still attract those who just want to let everyone know they hate baseball. It would probably migrate to the pit.
Both comments are true. All threads are shittable by a sufficiently shitty threadshitter (now I am just having fun with the word). The point was that some threads just make it near-impossible to let by without jumping in and saying “NOOO!”.
If I already decided to club my grandfather to death and want to know if a 7-iron is better than a 5-iron, I don’t want to hear your reasons why I shouldn’t club him. I just want the technical analysis of why one would be better than the other.
Maybe this wasn’t as fun an idea as I thought it would be. I will just go to my corner and pop some arsenic. Should I mix it with apricot jelly or grape?
