I was in the Summer thread. My first impression of him was that he was posturing. It may well be that he was, especially if you consider the perceived tone of other posts of his.
But the Dope needs new members. Are we to turn away every guest because they might have an attitude? Look at the 'tudes of some of the long term posters (even in this thread). If we were to dismiss evryone who rubs us the wrong way, we will end up with a stagnate board that looks like a friends only blog.
I’m sure IAMBIC will continue to rub some of us the wrong way. But he also might be a valuable contributor to the continued existance of this board in his own small way.
Though I first accused him by implication of arrogance, I now say we give him the benefit of the doubt as someone unfamiliar with the subtleties of Doping. If he continues to post with between the lines superciliousness and prentension (intended or not), then he will find himself the butt of yet more scorn, prompting either change or an exit.
So, as one of the original antogonists (even if on a small scale), I implore you, give it a rest, Dopers. And give the new guy a break. We might yet get to like him. If not, good for us then, too.
So the thread was a poll to see what people know, Iambic?
There’s the problem right there. The people here don’t like being guinea pigs, and I’m pretty sure that the mods don’t look kindly upon people using the SDMB for science experiments.
You’re welcome. Just don’t go changing your name to SPONDAIC. I think you did get off on the wrong foot, that’s all: your posts didn’t strike me as particularly egregious, but I can see how the tone could be taken as a little condescending, probably quite unintentionally, and taking it to the Pit didn’t help: unfortunately, there’s more than a touch of “bash the new guy” in this thread, however you do need a tough carapace in this forum at times.
My advice would be to drop this one gracefully, chill out, and do a bit of lurking until you get the hang of what does and doesn’t play well in the various forums: but stick around - you come across as a smart guy with plenty to offer.
No doubt. People do shit people don’t like, they get pitted (sometimes in their own Pit posts), they go back out there and post and no one gives crap what happened before.
So yeah, IAMBIC, don’t make a big deal out of what’s written here. Rock on.
That’s very true. There’s enough people here that no one remembers the minor offenses. And after a few months, no one remembers the major ones either. Hell, I thought I recognized your username as some long-time poster (though I couldn’t quite place who it was.) There’s enough people that you just can’t keep track, unless you’re some creepy guy in a dark apartment making notes in a notebook.
Because they believe, naively perhaps, that others respond to compelling argument? You made the point of how important word-smithing is considered here. And I think you’re right about that. It is not the compelling argument, but the clever turn of phrase that wins out here, as witnessed by Giraffe’s witty little verse. It has not always been thus. Time turns the pages yellow, one imperceptible shade a day.
Liberal, as ever you show your perspicacity in regard to human nature. The fact that the argument usually consists of, “I am not argumentative, dammit!” and has never been compelling certainly hurts this method’s chance at success.
Actually, Giraffe’s “verse” would not have been witty had it not encapsulated the situation so well. You can be funny in your response by cracking a joke, but wit requires a sharper mind - which Giraffe has always had. How better to illustrate the silliness of your show of martyrdom than by comparing it to an equally silly and well-worn cinematic cliché? Lesser people than Giraffe (I hate to speculate on who they might be) wouldn’t have had so deft a touch to ridicule you gently while making everyone else laugh. Had one of your detractors wandered in, you might have found a much rougher take on your whinging. However, we may all be grateful Giraffe used humor to diffuse your cry for attention.
P.S.: You offered this as an example - but surely the implication that what you put forth was a “compelling argument” was unintended. After all, you didn’t see that as an argument at all, right?
I don’t think that this is a situation where argument would be useful. When a poster is taken to be irritating or supercilious, the important thing is the subjective perspectives of the rest of the Dopers. “I wasn’t irritating or supercilious, all the rest of you who think so are wrong” is not a strategy likely to persuade others to like you.
The best strategy is humility, perhaps involving the eating of words, plus a big cup of shut the hell up.
Why, all of us, of course. And I, for one, would like to welcome our new 2-foot-tongued overlord…
Fascinating. You’re almost like a Phaedrus who can spell, and who has figured out which asses to kiss. Your posts have a certain shapeshifting quality. They ooze like mercury, following the path of least resistance, and poisoning whoever might consume them. You carefully select not only your words, but their recipients, on the basis of the greatest appearance of éclat. Popularity and acceptance must be very important to you, which explains your recent apology to the cat lady, offered suddenly and out of whole cloth, manufactured to derail an argument you were losing. And now, your teeth are firmly clamped to the ass of a Giraffe, as you describe to all the animals in the jungle just how tasty it is. None of this is intended as insult. The board needs a sentimental and foppish wordsmith. Since we can’t have Paul Harvey, you’ll have to do.
I shouldn’t have replied to you. I knew you just wanted the attention you were begging for in the first post in the thread. Thus I’m not going to have an argument with you. You win, Liberal. You’re right - you are indeed constantly tormented, you’re put-upon, you bear a cross made of lead and you never complain. People hate you through no fault of your own. Congratulations, you’re my hero.
I wouldn’t know a thing about that. I don’t start pit threads because I’m too lazy to even use the search tool.