Can’t we at least give IAMBIC the benefit of the doubt and assume good intentions until clearer evidence arises? It didn’t seem all that cut-and-dried.
These three threads remind me of an episode of ER where somebody was doing experiments on antagonism, trying to see how many obnoxious remarks it took to incite violence.
Anyone who thinks my posts are pointless need not respond, right?
How many times do I have to say that the thread was not about the science of why it’s warmer in the summer?
I had direct personal experience with three people who are well-educated and (in my experiences with them) have demonstrated that they are intelligent. Two of them did not know the correct answer. Both of them thought that the Earth was closer to the Sun in the summer. (Which, of course, it is during summer in the Southern Hemisphere.) So … the direct evidence is: Some intelligent well-educated people do not know some of the basics of science. Fine. No big news. I never said that this was a remarkable observation.
It seems to me that some people resented the implication that I knew something that they didn’t and that, therefore, I felt that I was superior to them.
Here was my thinking:
- Some people are wrong about some basic scientific facts.
- Dopers are people.
- Therefore, in the absence of evidence to the contrary, it’s reasonable to assume that some Dopers are wrong about some basic scientific facts.
I was just wondering if the ratio was better than that of my limited sample. I was guessing it would be.
As for the implication that I knew more, in my explanation I had added some additional conditions that did not really apply to the question in the OP, namely: precession of the Earth’s rotation axis, amount of daylight, different reflective index of land and water, ocean currents, wind patterns, and altitude above sea level.
But then I realized that these factors are not really relevant in answering the question: “Why is the weather warmer in the summer?”
That’s why, later, I said “And maybe it’s the only answer for the question as worded in the title”, namely the tilt of the Earth’s axis of rotation, and I said: “I realize that a better more complex question would have been: Why is the weather in some parts of the world warmer than that in other parts?”
And then "But, as I said, this wasn’t meant to be a quiz, but, rather, a survey. And not a very effective one at that … "
So I admitted it was a lame attempt and I went along with **Zebra’s ** suggestion to turn the thread into a game of guessing which of my three friends got the right answer.
And, of course, I didn’t have an opportunity to explain because the thread was closed.
I’ve apologized for some of my posts in other threads. I think I deserve an apology for the accusations by some people in this thread.
Works for me. So far, he’s been living up to the pun of his name.* I can see the fellow possibly being honestly confused by the reactions from here. Especially if, like many Dopers, he’s the smart guy in his circle of friends. In the thread to which I contributed, I expessed a hope that he opts to stick around. I restate that here.
Arrogant people like myself often ascribe that same quality to others.
*Oh, please. Surely, you get it!
Having read the thread in question, here’s my impression:
Czarcasm was unduly harsh and misread IAMBIC’s motives.
I believe IAMBIC was motivated, not by arrogance, but by curiosity.
It’s like wondering how many people think dinosaurs and cavemen existed simulateneously, or how many people think Jerry Lewis and Jerry Lee Lewis are the same person.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find out without insulting people’s intelligence, even if you don’t mean to. The people who don’t know the facts or who do harbor misconceptions are made to look stupid; while many of those who do know the right answer are offended that you’re even asking them.
Didn’t Jerry Lewis play a caveman in Great Balls of Fire: The Concurrent Generation ?
I’m pretty sure Dean-o was in it, too. As a dinosaur.
The French * loved* it.
Unstressed/stressed, or starting off on the wrong foot?
Yeah, because the board is all about you, right, asshole?
IAMBIC, you seem like a self-centered little dickhead in those two posts. Here’s hoping you clean up your act and become a productive member of the board. Carry on. :wally
Thanks.
And thanks to Liberal, NoClueBoy, wevets, and Case Sensitive (I think …)
To the others, if you think that I’m posting something that is in violation of SDMB standards, then how about letting me know what the specific offense is, rather than just blasting me?
Thanks.
The first one is what immediately came to my mind, but your second listed def fits even better. I wish I had thought of it. 
WOO HOO !!! We got shit loads of tornados over here. :eek: None right on me, but I can’t go anywhere without running in to one or golfball to softball sized hail. Gotta love Oklahoma!
Maybe I can get Liberal to rescue me if things get worse. 
It’s pretty simple: in IMHO you approach the group asking for information, and you do so with gratitude for their taking the time to share. In fact, that’s really the general attitude that works on SDMB.
Entering the forum like an arrogant smartass, posting what amounts to a fake poll, is what got you slapped down by the mod and blasted here in the Pit. I doubt that you would have gotten a “formal” warning by the Mod had you not seemed like such a prick. But you seemed to be spoofing the use of IMHO while being a dick about it.
Does that make it fucking clear enough for you?
I’m always entertained by these kinda pit threads. Someone comes in because they’ve been accused of being a bit irritating, or perhaps a bit insensitive. They then proceed to beat people over the head with this irritatingness or insensitivity.
It goes something like this:
- So, I’m not really irritating, am I?
- My question wasn’t really rude, was it?
- Why do I piss you off?
- You just can’t handle someone like me. I tell it like it is.
- Are you still irritated?
- Stop your nonsense, tell me why I irritate you!
- That can’t be the reason, tell me the real reason!
- I’m not going to be quiet, I’ve done nothing wrong.
- I’m not irritating!
- Hey, screw you guys, I’m not irritating!
- No way, I disagree. Tell me why I’m irritating!!
In the process, they:
- become more irritating / insensitive / whatever
- become more antagonistic
- ask people to provide evidence of their wrongdoing, resulting in damning links.
Iambic, I’d never read a single post of yours a little while ago. Now, after this thread and its links, I’ve come to the conclusion that you’re a bit of a dick. This isn’t doing you any good, just drop it.
The offense is being annoying and arrogant - our first rule is “don’t be a jerk” which gives mods considerable leeway in closing threads that they don’t think are useful. (Whether they use their power appropriately or not is of course always a matter of debate - as is the appropriate level of moderation.)
Now, I didn’t think you came across as annoying or arrogant, though I thought the post was silly. It’s an interesting topic for discussion, actually, but it just doesn’t lend itself to the style of a message board poll. In fact, it didn’t occur to me to think you were being arrogant until it was mentioned here. I can see it now, but I believe people read that into your post when it wasn’t there.
Many of the folks who post and read here are fairly skilled wordslingers, and there’s probably more attention to tone of voice then in a lot of places. This permits us to compose posts with a certain nuance that might fly over many people’s heads, and it increases the danger of implying exactly the wrong thing if you’re not careful with your writing.
Atticus Finch raises an issue that always puzzles me - why do people think they can somehow argue others into liking them? Why would yelling at people that you’re likable actually help the situation?
Yet it always happens . . .
I didn’t really think it warranted a warning & a closure! It came off as a bit “I know better than you”, but there’s lots of that on this board, and lots of people who pull that shit. It seems like **Iambic ** is getting picked on because he’s a guest.
Well said. I’ve been trying to write pretty much the same post, but that sums it up. The offence you’re committing is being an irritating arse based on the standards of this message board. The way to solve the problem is to do much less posting and much more reading for a while so that you intrinsically understand said standards.
Naw, he’s getting picked on because he started this thread.
“Oh, come on, I’m really likable! Really! Reallyreallyreallyreally! See how likable I am? Hunh? Can you?”
Bah.
Funny! Thanks bunches, I needed a laugh.
You would have to ask the Moderator to be certain, wouldn’t you? You have as much information to go on as we do. We can’t read his mind or know his motives.
We also can’t know for certain your attitude or motives. All we can do is to tell you how they come across to us in the hopes of providing a clue about why you were critized and the thread was closed.
Several people have told you that they disagree with the closing or that they believe in reserving judgment on your intentions. That’s cool with me. I’m sure that made you feel better because you thanked them. But they’re not the ones that tried to answer your question.
The ones that tried to take a shot at why your post may have deserved to be criticized and closed have been scolded and told that they should apologize to you.
Then you asked a still different question:
Is this a poll? A scientific question? Will we need to apologize if we give you honest opinions? Should we distinguish between standard and rule? Do you understand that “blasting” is common in The Pit?
If you reread, I think that you will see that some people have tried to be specific with examples of what gave them the impression that you are arrogant. That doesn’t mean that you are. But it does appear that you have a problem with coming across that way.
I hope that you are able to work out any communication problems and that SDMB turns out to be a great place for you.
Pax