# Delete despicable lies from the board. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 29, 2001, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914 "2001-03-29T02:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ma\_Parrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Ma\_Parrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ma_Parrot)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/21 "2001-03-30T15:58:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lynn Bodoni \*This doesn’t mean that we LIKE having it around, just that we need to have it here so that we can look up things. I guess that’s where we disagree. Take the case of the guy who’s thread was deleted recently and he was banned. Ky…something. That would have been a keeper, if any was. But now it’s gone and so is the “problem” it created. The same would be true of the cancer threads, erase them and the “problem” goes away. Are you telling me you think anyone’s ISP would ever care that they lied on a message board to get mere sympathy? We’re not talking about luring children into white slavery here. **C K Dexter Haven** has the best logic on this thread, but it doesn’t explain why some things stay and some things go. The simplest explanation to my mind, since it’s as easy to delete a thread as post to it, is that somebody likes the stuff left up there. In fact, I’m sure if you ever tried to convince someone a posting was so terrible, the first question they would ask is “Then why wasn’t it deleted? How bad could it be. One of your mods even estimates 25% of your threads are like that.” > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Coldfire_"Good idea. That’s what would happen at an normal board." > Lesson 1: Our boards are not normal. Hey, we’re not exactly holding her down - buh-bye! I guess I should be honored to hear those words. You’ve given them to some of my favorite posters, all of which are still with us. Here’s your logic: Love the board, love every policy of it. Here’s my logic: Love the board, don’t love every policy of it, and when someone comments that a counterprductive policy is due for a change, agree with them. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/22 "2001-03-30T16:30:56Z")
> [@](#): > > … heck, if we deleted EVERY despicable lie, we’d have to delete around half of Great Debates I’d resent that, if it weren’t true. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/23 "2001-03-30T16:31:23Z")
Doesn’t the agreement state you can’t say things you know aren’t true? I remember reading something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/24 "2001-03-30T20:53:09Z")
handy Well I do believe it’s there. Personal note. You sometimes get nasty, but you generaly know what what your talking about. I like that, and am not pointing fingers here. I can be turt in answering to posts also. This was a compliment by the way. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/25 "2001-03-30T21:38:31Z")
From the registration agreement: > [@](#): > > You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use this BB to post any material which is **knowingly false** and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, threatening, invasive of a person’s privacy, or otherwise violative of any law. (emphasis mine) > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Phobia \* > I can be **turt** in answering to posts also. This was a compliment by the way. (emphasis mine again) Couldn’t make up your mind between “curt” and “terse”, huh? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2001, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/26 "2001-03-30T23:10:48Z")
Make it curt. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/27 "2001-03-31T01:44:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ma Parrot \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by Coldfire_ > > “Good idea. That’s what would happen at an normal board.” > > Lesson 1: Our boards are not normal. Hey, we’re not exactly holding her down - buh-bye! > > I guess I should be honored to hear those words. You’ve given them to some of my favorite posters, all of which are still with us. > Here’s your logic: Love the board, love every policy of it.\*\* Nope, wrong. My logic: this board’s not a democracy. Voice your opinion, but don’t _expect_ it to be acted upon. If the Administration choses to disagree, don’t be an ass about it. Respect it. _You’re not a shareholder_. Get over it. > [@](#): > > \*\*Here’s my logic: Love the board, don’t love every policy of it, and when someone comments that a counterprductive policy is due for a change, agree with them. \*\* So, in your world, “agreeing with someone commenting on a counterproductive policy” equals “deliberatley spewing lies about a board Administrator”. Right. Remind me to never use your name and the word “logic” in one sentence ever again, OK? ---
**Author:** ![Ma\_Parrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Ma\_Parrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ma_Parrot)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/28 "2001-03-31T03:21:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\*My logic: this board’s not a democracy. Voice your opinion, but don’t _expect_ it to be acted upon. If the Administration choses to disagree, don’t be an ass about it. Respect it. _You’re not a shareholder_. Get over it. \*\* Did I _expect_ it to be acted upon? No. I didn’t say that. I said the OPPOSITE. I told Phobia it was a good idea, but it WOULD NOT be acted upon. See the difference? Remind me to never use your name and the word “logic” in one sentence ever again, OK? ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/29 "2001-03-31T06:31:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Did I expect it to be acted upon? No. I didn’t say that. I said the OPPOSITE. I told Phobia it was a good idea, but it WOULD NOT be acted upon. But you ARE acting as if it’s a horrible, horrible thing that they’re NOT acting on your opinion. You’re acting as if… hmm… they’re somehow violating someone’s rights by banning them. Curiouser and curiouser… Anyway, silly claims of Evil Admin Syndrome aside… > [@](#): > > If you want evidence, just save the page to disk before it’s erased. You mean to save the individual threads as an HTML file. Which would utterly destroy the point of keeping the threads around for evidence. For example, do you know how easy it is to edit an HTML file? Without leaving the [Edited by so-and-so] tags afterwards. I’ll give you a hint… in order to do that with the threads still on the Boards, they’d need to break into vB’s software and change it around. Far more trouble than it’s worth for a simple message board that’s strapped for cash. ---
**Author:** ![TVeblen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4bbf92/32.png) [@TVeblen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVeblen)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/30 "2001-03-31T06:54:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ma Parrot \* > \*\*Good idea. That’s what would happen at an normal board. > If you say it sounds counter productive to do that, you’d be right. But they actually like to keep the dirt here. Ed likes it. He also likes to see the spiteful talk it generates. By framing everything as a power struggle, the locked threads means he’s “won” in some sense. \*\* Just for the sake of clarity, what you actually SAID is quoted above. **Phobia** asked a reasoned and reasonable question, and did it in civil fashion. Your “contribution”–and I use that in the loosest sense possible–consisted of deliberately hateful, unsupported personal attacks. Given your revisionist squirming I can readily understand your eagerness to have despicable lies deleted. Too bad. As with others, your words stand as well. You wrote them and they’ll stay. Your charges of “liking dirt and spiteful talk” are well and truly placed in full context. ::shrugs:: We trust people enough to let them read, weigh and evaluate for themselves. But don’t gritch when you get cut by your own sword. Veb ---
**Author:** ![Ma\_Parrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Ma\_Parrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ma_Parrot)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/31 "2001-03-31T07:08:15Z")
“revisionist squirming” ? That’s an outright lie. I stand by every word I ever wrote! I have not backed off one inch. You can try to put words into my mouth but it won’t work. Ed likes those threads, or they would not be here. If that not true, then I’d like to hear it from him. And people like **Spoofe** keep coming up with the queerest mis-attributions. **Spoofe** I did NOT say anything about saving things to disk! That’s a lie. I did not suggest “they’re somehow violating someone’s rights by banning them” That’s a verry verry stuuuupid lie. I want them banned AND I want the BS removed. I want the BS removed from Daniel…wolf and the others who got banned lately as well. READ what I said, creep! Don’t just make up lies and then try to scold me for what you made up. And I DO NOT THINK it is horrible that people aren’t acting on my opinion. I just think it’s horrible that when smears are made and people banned that the smears remain. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 7:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/32 "2001-03-31T07:46:07Z")
> [@](#): > > I **want** them banned AND I **want** the BS removed. I **want** the BS removed from… My bolding of course Well, I **want** world peace too but I am not blaming the world leaders, I blame humanity as a whole. Look Parrot, what you want and what the administrators of this board do will not always be to your **wanting**. You might find it easier to leave such trivial issues alone or go about it in a different way. They have their reasons, you are a guest here, of your own will, you can whine and cry all you’d like but does it really do you any good to make your point with the way you do? If you’d like to see some changes, how about some constructive critism rather than the blather you have posted in this thread? Point: > [@](#): > > But they actually like to keep the dirt here. Ed likes it. He also likes to see the spiteful talk it generates. By framing everything as a power struggle, the locked threads means he’s “won” in some sense. Then one of your next assignments called upon: > [@](#): > > Remind me to never use your name and the word “logic” in one sentence ever again, OK? Not to mention your last post: **I want, I want, I want**. Well, if I really wanted something I think I would work with the system than against it. It’s kind of like PETA (not trying to get political here) or Greenpeace or many other groups that feel the need to make waves rather than work **with** the system to change things. It’s counter productive. You look like a whiney and snippy toy poodle with all bark and no bite. This kind of attitude you give us in this thread makes me ill. I don’t poopoo the idea of questioning the way things go on this board or any board but to go about it in such a spiteful way sure makes your “cause” not worthy of even considering. Kindergarten antics as far as I am concerned. You might think it right the next time to to say something constructive rather than biting. ---
**Author:** ![techchick68](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea5d25/32.png) [@techchick68](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/techchick68)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 7:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/33 "2001-03-31T07:53:35Z")
BTW, I think it’s actually productive to leave threads of banned people. It kind of makes examples (right or wrong) of why they were banned. I don’t always agree with the admins/mods decisions here, I tolerate it. I may fume for a while but usually get over it. I still don’t know what the big fargin deal is with leaving a banned persons thread visible or searchable, or any of their posts. More and more I am going back to the “it’s just a message board thing” these days. So what is the big fargin deal with it, no one has convinced me that it’s a crime of humanity or a crime against the banned member’s person…blah, blah, blah. ---
**Author:** ![coming\_up\_for\_air](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@coming\_up\_for\_air](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coming_up_for_air)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/34 "2001-03-31T08:17:13Z")
I’d remove most of the threads after a couple of weeks, except in the forums about Cecil and Staff and GQ. What good are any old MPSIMS or ATMB threads? Most are obsolete in a couple of days. The Pit is obsolete within hours. And even IMHO can go after a couple of months so someone can ask again and get fresh opinions. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/35 "2001-03-31T10:46:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Spoofe I did NOT say anything about saving things to disk! That’s a lie. My apologies, the second quote in my post wasn’t attributed to you. I don’t know if you’re reading the whole thread or not, but **barflyer** said that quite a ways up. I thought the transition between thoughts was made clear… especially given the fact that _you didn’t say the quoted material_. Given that fact, one could safely assume you’d realize I was quoting someone else. I suggest, in the future, you get a little more evidence to go on before you accuse me, or anyone else, of lying. ---
**Author:** ![Ma\_Parrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dec6dc/32.png) [@Ma\_Parrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ma_Parrot)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/36 "2001-03-31T17:58:55Z")
Thanks for your support. I know you, too, have been in some threads where some people seem intent on making you defend positions you never took in the first place. To clarify: (And this should be my final post to this thread, please; any further attempts to refute things I never said would be in vain.) I do not have an “agenda”, i.e, I am not trying to persuade anyone to do anything. **Phobia** is the one suggesting change, not I. I just commented to her(gender guess) that I don’t think things will change. I am convinced things won’t change because Ed likes them exactly as they are. This is different from many other boards, where objectionable material is deleted as a matter of routine, instead of endless Sturm und Drang. I could cite a few, but there is no point. This is not a changeable board. I’m not trying to change it, I don’t expect it to change, and I didn’t actually care whether Phobia agreed with me, I just wanted to agree with her and tell her my opinion, not convince her. I don’t like debates, because as can be seen here, no one’s mind ever seems to be changed by debates. I like the board, for the most part, and I DO NOT expect a perfect board, perfect admins, perfect mods, nor for that matter a perfect column from Cecil, one that won’t be instantly challenged on several technicalities. I read him for the overall information. I read the board for the overall information. I post information I think will be interesting reading for others. Yes, including my comments to Phobia. ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/37 "2001-03-31T19:14:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by coming up for air \* > \*\*I’d remove most of the threads after a couple of weeks, except in the forums about Cecil and Staff and GQ. > > What good are any old MPSIMS or ATMB threads? Most are obsolete in a couple of days. The Pit is obsolete within hours. And even IMHO can go after a couple of months so someone can ask again and get fresh opinions. \*\* [This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=50923) is as a good a reason as any to not delete ATMB threads. As for the other fora… well, may I suggest you take a little time and browse through them chronologically before you dismiss them so offhandedly (the Pit included)? You might find it educational. jm, your not-so-humble nothamlet ---
**Author:** ![Fatwater\_Fewl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4491bb/32.png) [@Fatwater\_Fewl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fatwater_Fewl)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/38 "2001-03-31T20:08:06Z")
Ignoring history is never a good idea. Not in the world in general, nor in a community such as this one. The culture of the SDMB is in the documents posted on these boards. Yes, there is a culture here – whenever significant amounts of people interact consistently in the same environment a society forms. Inherent in a society is culture – the means and agreements and norms by which social intercourse is lubricated. Culture is not static – it evolves and mutates over time – but the vehicle of culture is history. History is also the wellspring of culture. Without history there is no culture. The ability to learn by observation is probably the defining characteristic of the human animal. We do not need to directly experience something in order to learn from it. We can use the insights and mistakes of others to our own advantage. This applies IRL, and in the growing number of web-based communities such as the SDMB. jm P.S. I don’t mean to imply that the above is why the SD deletes very few threads or posts. I’m simply pointing out a fascinating (to me) and inevitable side effect of that policy. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2001, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/39 "2001-03-31T23:48:06Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ma Parrot \* > \*\*I post information I think will be interesting reading for others. Yes, including my comments to Phobia. \*\* You posted lies, or at least things you could never know about. Can you look inside Eds (or anyones) head? No, you can’t. Yet, you easily jump to the conclusion that Ed must like controversial threads, because they are not deleted at all times. Deduction is a dangerous tool when used by the inadequate. I thank you for demonstrating that. Oh, and stop calling people names, **Ma Parrot**. There’s another forum for that. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2001, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914/40 "2001-04-01T00:10:17Z")
C’mon you guys, this is getting us nowhere. This isn’t the Pit, and even though some are namecalling and some are not, this thread is quickly degenerating into a really nasty scene. I think most of you are far, far better than this. Come on, quit it in here… for lil ol me? P-p-p-p-p-please? [Batting eyelashes to the females, knowing glances to the males] This does little to do with the actual topic. [sub][Oh who am I kidding, this’ll continue forever… Sigh.][/sub] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/delete-despicable-lies-from-the-board/59914.md?page=3)