# Don't experiment on rental cars **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 10, 2010, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391 "2010-01-10T14:37:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/121 "2010-01-13T08:09:15Z")
As an afterthought, there’s no point being evasive or trying to salvage some kind of hairsplitting dictionary defense as a lot of people around here (including me, I admit) try. I clearly _did_ use the word “stalker” in reference to ivn. He remains, however, full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/122 "2010-01-13T15:22:46Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > do you not understand that paying for the damage done to an automobile is not a fucking penalty you ignorant shithead? Evidently, I gave you too much credit by assuming you were on “the legal definition of a word is the only definition of that word” kick again. One of the definitions of penalty is a negative consequence of an action; I would say that damaging a rental car and having to pay for it is a negative consequence for the guy who damaged the rental car. Go look it up yourself; I’m tired of trying to teach you English. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/123 "2010-01-13T15:28:34Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > Evidently, I gave you too much credit by assuming you were on “the legal definition of a word is the only definition of that word” kick again. > > One of the definitions of penalty is a negative consequence of an action; I would say that damaging a rental car and having to pay for it is a negative consequence for the guy who damaged the rental car. > > Go look it up yourself; I’m tired of trying to teach you English. you’re a stupid idiot. no one is impressed by your pithy “i’m tired of teaching you English” and “you’re a pedant” comments because it’s obvious to everyone that it is you who are lacking in the comprehension department. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/124 "2010-01-13T15:38:25Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > As an afterthought, there’s no point being evasive or trying to salvage some kind of hairsplitting dictionary defense as a lot of people around here (including me, I admit) try. **Bryan** , although I’m certain you know this, **ivn1188** is wrong so often that evasion is the only tactic he can manage to keep his self-esteem intact. Thankfully, this trait generally prevents him from persisting with pedantic moronery à la **Rumor\_Watkins**. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/125 "2010-01-13T15:42:27Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > you’re a stupid idiot. no one is impressed by your pithy “i’m tired of teaching you English” and “you’re a pedant” comments because it’s obvious to everyone that it is you who are lacking in the comprehension department. Once again, a thoroughly wrong person fails at presenting any argument beyond ad hominem. It’s okay to attack someone personally, but you need an concrete argument - an appeal to popularity is not a concrete argument either. Congratulations on using two logical fallacies in one post, however - I imagine it forced you to use a little brainwork. ---
**Author:** ![Rumor\_Watkins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d9b06d/32.png) [@Rumor\_Watkins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rumor_Watkins)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/126 "2010-01-13T15:56:10Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > Once again, a thoroughly wrong person fails at presenting any argument beyond ad hominem. It’s okay to attack someone personally, but you need an concrete argument - an appeal to popularity is not a concrete argument either. Congratulations on using two logical fallacies in one post, however - I imagine it forced you to use a little brainwork. It’s not an appeal to popularity. It’s just pointing out that you’re a moron. I won this argument long ago so there’s no need for me to continue farther. But I feel bad for you and your dim wits. Does that mean I was penalized for posting in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/127 "2010-01-13T16:02:44Z")
> [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It’s not an appeal to popularity. It’s just pointing out that you’re a moron. I won this argument long ago so there’s no need for me to continue farther. > > But I feel bad for you and your dim wits. Does that mean I was penalized for posting in this thread? Wrong again. From Wikipedia: An argumentum ad populum (Latin: “appeal to the people”), in logic, is a fallacious argument that concludes a proposition to be true because many or all people believe it; it alleges, “If many believe so, it is so.” So how is saying “because it’s obvious to everyone that it is you who are lacking in the comprehension department” not an appeal to authority? Also, do you mind indulging me when I ask you how you won this argument? I just see a lot of assumptions that might prove you right, if those assumptions were true. Assuming what I wrote was intended to be legitimate legal jargon is the most prominent example. And yes, if you feel that way, you penalized yourself by posting to this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/128 "2010-01-13T16:06:47Z")
The fact that an argument is fallacious does not necessarily indicate that its proponent is wrong. You’re being an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/129 "2010-01-13T16:07:43Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The fact that an argument is fallacious does not necessarily indicate that its proponent is wrong. You’re being an idiot. > [@Rumor\_Watkins](#): > > It’s not an appeal to popularity. Wrong. End of story. The fact that he refuses to recognize that English definitions are different from legal definitions is just plain stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/130 "2010-01-13T16:15:37Z")
And again, I screwed up in my haste, I meant an “appeal to popularity” instead of “an appeal to authority.” Sorry, I normally write about the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/131 "2010-01-13T17:24:15Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > Wrong. End of story. The fact that he refuses to recognize that English definitions are different from legal definitions is just plain stupid. The fact that you are arguing that the “English” definition supercedes the definition at law \*in a legal context \*is just plain stupid. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/132 "2010-01-13T17:28:42Z")
This is some thread. Isn’t the bottom line here that if you don’t own it, don’t experiment on it? That’s common sense, right? ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/133 "2010-01-13T17:31:38Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > That’s common sense, right? Less common than you’d think. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/134 "2010-01-13T17:35:54Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > I like to rent cars because they give me a quiet roomy place to indulge my electronics hobby. I used to practice on planes, but for some stupid reason they kick up an ignorant fuss when anyone with a brain can see that all my little wires and such are perfectly harmless. I’m going to have to inspect your set-up. Mad Scientist Guild rules require at least one Jacob’s Ladder in all labs (and I doubt a rental car is big enough to contain one), but does include an exception for certain fields of research where that much electricity would interfere with the projects. So your electronics work may qualify for the exception. Even so, you’re clearly using the rental car as a lab, not as a part of the research / experiment. The guild doesn’t even need a rule for something as self-evident and good practice as “don’t muck with someone else’s stuff.” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Krebbs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5fc32e/32.png) [@Mr.Krebbs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Krebbs)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/135 "2010-01-13T17:39:56Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The fact that you are arguing that the “English” definition supercedes the definition at law \*in a legal context \*is just plain stupid. No, I’m arguing that both are applicable. If one cannot understand that, he is just plain stupid. There is only poster in this thread who fits that criteria. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/136 "2010-01-13T18:46:48Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > This is some thread. Isn’t the bottom line here that if you don’t own it, don’t experiment on it? Thats why most men don’t “touch” other men’s dicks 🙂 It has nothing to do with homophobia. Its just good manners. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2010, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/137 "2010-01-13T20:42:35Z")
> [@Mr.Krebbs](#): > > Employee mistakes cost stores more than theft, at least in the (four) stores in which I have worked. Well of course they did, after all, you were working there. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/138 "2010-01-30T21:26:27Z")
She’s back! and now with waist length red hair and [DD boobies](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12010327&postcount=92) to boot. And still as full of shit as a Christmas goose. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2010, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/139 "2010-01-30T22:28:17Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > She’s back! > and now with waist length red hair and [DD boobies](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12010327&postcount=92) to boot. > > And still as full of shit as a Christmas goose. Into the cornfield, **Manhands**!! ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2010, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391/140 "2010-01-31T05:51:25Z")
I vote that Mr. Krebbs be forced to let The Central Scrutinizer use his car for the Great Experiment [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-experiment-on-rental-cars/524391.md?page=8)