# Debates that are fucking pointless **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 27, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983 "2005-01-27T21:48:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [January 28, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/21 "2005-01-28T01:01:57Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > The word is **one-upsmanship** , you infinitesimally-hung tool, and therefore I feel no compunctions about disregarding everything you have ever said or ever will say on any subject whatsoever, neener neener, see if I don’t. This from a guy who can’t even spell the Spanish word for beer correctly in his own username. Harrumph. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/22 "2005-01-28T01:18:11Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > But, unless I’m misunderstanding you, half your argument here is that no amount of argument will change anyone’s mind. I believe that applies just as well to the Iraq war. No, that’s not at all what I’m saying. On an actual issue like the Iraq war, the chances of someone’s mind being changed are very very very small, perhaps, but (and here’s the difference) if someone’s mind IS changed, it will actually make a difference. That person will have a different opinion about an actual issue, and will (presumably) vote, argue, etc., in ways that support that new opinion. I mean, much as debating here often feels like banging one’s head into logs, people are, occasionally, influenced by the experience. The difference is, even if someone IS convinced that “documentary” is, or is not, the right word to use to describe F911, that in no way would influence how good a movie they thought it was, how relevant and true they thought it was, whether they thought it was 100% objective, how likely they would be to recommend it to friends, how influenced they were by the messages contained in it, etc. It’s not any more or less likely to result in someone’s mind being changed than any other argument. The point is, even if someone’s mind IS changed, it won’t matter. Or to put it another way, if you want to argue that F911 is or is not a movie with some valuable information to impart, then argue THAT. Don’t argue over whether or not it’s a documentary. It could NOT be a documentary, but still be a film that every American should see 80 times. Or it COULD be a documentary, and still be a propagandistic piece of worthless ass. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/23 "2005-01-28T03:22:53Z")
_FAR_ too coherent for GD, **Miller.** It’s typically more like this: Poster A: Since Tuesday. Poster B: Since Wednsday. Poster A: Fuck you, asshat! Tuesday! Poster C: Belief in God is equivalent to belief in a space squid! Poster D: No it’s not! Poster B: Fuck you, posters A and C. Poster D: Bush assfucks puppies!!! Poster C: Believing in God is equivalent to assfucking puppies! Poster A, B: WHAT??? Poster D: Poster C has a good point, and he eloquently made it. Also, fat people are lazy. ad nauseam. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/24 "2005-01-28T03:30:29Z")
I should really stick to the threads where I can simply tell someone to suck my sweaty beanbag _without_ having to make any broader point. “Lick my hairy taint, you pigfucking waste of semen.” Gawd! Life would be so much _easier_ if I would just _let_ it. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/25 "2005-01-28T04:44:17Z")
Reporting in trouble-free after spanikopita and some Fat Tires. Though I did get into a light discussion with a Romany Italian about whether he was Romany or Italian. > [@MaxTheVool](#): > > The difference is, even if someone IS convinced that “documentary” is, or is not, the right word to use to describe F911, that in no way would influence how good a movie they thought it was, how relevant and true they thought it was, whether they thought it was 100% objective, how likely they would be to recommend it to friends, how influenced they were by the messages contained in it, etc. I see your point, I think. I guess I feel that nitpicking arguments about words are important to communication. It helps when we can be sure that the words we are using mean the same thing to both of us. I don’t think that is a waste of time; I think it helps communication in the long run. And now, I’m toddling off to bed, where hopefully, I will find no trouble. Oh, and the humor content of this thread is pretty good too. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/26 "2005-01-28T08:27:31Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > I see your point, I think. I guess I feel that nitpicking arguments about words are important to communication. It helps when we can be sure that the words we are using mean the same thing to both of us. Except that, if you realize that “documentary” means one thing to person A and one thing to person B, well, that’s OK, it’s perfectly possible to stop the argument once you’ve realized the state of play. As opposed to, say, abortion, where if you stop when you realize that you disagree, someone’s still going to think someone else is a murderer, and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/27 "2005-01-28T15:16:56Z")
Btw… Wintel just _owns_ Mac. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/28 "2005-01-28T15:24:14Z")
Don’t forget about Polish people who download MP3s and drive SUVs either. Asshats, all of them. ::::d&r:::: ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/29 "2005-01-28T15:30:50Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Btw… > > Wintel just _owns_ Mac. > > 😛 N00BZ! ---
**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:** [January 28, 2005, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/30 "2005-01-28T15:50:26Z")
> [@](#): > > M: Ah. I’d like to have an argument, please. > R: Certainly sir. Have you been here before? > M: No, I haven’t, this is my first time. > R: I see. Well, do you want to have just one argument, or were you thinking of taking a course? > M: Well, what is the cost? > R: Well, It’s one pound for a five minute argument, but only eight pounds for a course of ten. > > . . . > > M: I came here for a good argument. > A: No you didn’t; no, you came here for an argument. > M: An argument isn’t just contradiction. > A: It can be. > M: No it can’t. An argument is a connected series of statements intended to establish a proposition. > A: No it isn’t. > M: Yes it is! It’s not just contradiction. So, actually $14.95 for a year’s worth of this is quite the bargain. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/31 "2005-01-28T16:44:52Z")
> [@Loopydude](#): > > N00BZ! No, really, they do. Remember when Jobs sold 5% of Apple to Gates? PWNED! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/32 "2005-01-28T19:18:49Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > So, actually $14.95 for a year’s worth of this is quite the bargain. To even _begin_ to make this sort of claim, you need to restate the price(s) quoted in your original source material by converting from pounds sterling to dollars at the appropriate exchange rate for the source material, and then converting to inflation-adjusted dollars. Obviously. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/33 "2005-01-28T20:31:36Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > No, really, they do. Remember when Jobs sold 5% of Apple to Gates? Three items of note: 1. That was 3% in nonvoting stock. 2. The deal was made as part of a larger settlement between the two companies – Microsoft guaranteed continued development of MS Office for the Mac, and Apple agreed not to sue Microsoft for stealing portions of Quicktime into Windows Media Player. 3. Microsoft sold those shares a few years ago, and reaped a nice profit in the process. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/34 "2005-01-28T21:04:08Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > _FAR_ too coherent for GD, **Miller.** That’s as may be, but the thread to which the OP refers was in the Pit, not GD. And if you weren’t an inveterate oyster-raper with congenital syphilis, you wouldn’t need me to point these details out to you. ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/35 "2005-01-28T22:22:47Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > then I’ll go fellate Paul Wolfowitz!" > Shee-eesh. _“barf”_ ---
**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:** [January 28, 2005, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/36 "2005-01-28T22:39:23Z")
> [@mischievous](#): > > To even _begin_ to make this sort of claim, you need to restate the price(s) quoted in your original source material by converting from pounds sterling to dollars at the appropriate exchange rate for the source material, and then converting to inflation-adjusted dollars. Obviously. No you don’t! ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983/37 "2005-01-28T23:01:52Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > No you don’t! Do to! Do to! Do to! Do to! Do to! You dooooooooo tooooooooooooo!!! Gosh, I miss second grade. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/debates-that-are-fucking-pointless/286983.md?page=1)