# Euty, Politcal Correctness, and "gratuitous" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 12, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669 "2001-04-12T03:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/1 "2001-04-12T03:04:03Z")
I wish to add to the thread started in [Staff report by Euty](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=67045) but which now must be continued here. The offending passage is > [@](#): > > “Notary sojac,” like the Bible Code and most Republican dogma, has no meaning My main point was/is, that Euty’s statement was _gratuitous_ in the meaning that one would assume on a message board—_not called for by the circumstances_ per Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. Yes, we all make flippant remarks all over this board. Yes, they are mostly meant as a joke. Yes, I have done it time after time. Yes, Cecil does it all time. Yes, sometimes the Democrats gets skewered, sometimes the Republicans. But, damn it, a column like Euty’s is perhaps the first contact point for a newbie on the SD. Why go out of your way to alienate a reader? Oh! It was meant as a joke! Guess what…a percentage of the readers probably didn’t see it that way. Before you flame me for being humorless, I am a liberal Democrat, enjoy toasting ultra-rightwing-Republicans as much as anyone, and post remarks about other posters which border on the insulting. But I think the phrasing was out of place in an **official SD posting**. Cecil can post what he damn-well pleases. He’s Cecil. But mere mortals, posting **as representatives of the SD** should try to be funny without using _gratuitous_ language. (Should I have said _fuck_ or _asshole_ in this post? Not use to posting here). ---
**Author:** ![riley\_dieffenbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@riley\_dieffenbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/riley_dieffenbach)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/2 "2001-04-12T03:21:03Z")
This can’t possibly be a serious complaint. Fuck all the strife in the world. With just the microcosm of strife on these message boards - This is what you choose to complain about! I do believe someone is being just a bit sensitive. I read research journals when I want a recitation of facts. I started reading SD because it is informative, enlightening, irreverent and damn funny. In short samclem take a deep breath. Relax. ---
**Author:** ![Spiritus\_Mundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Spiritus\_Mundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiritus_Mundi)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/3 "2001-04-12T03:25:40Z")
We must not allow mere moderators to express any aspect of personality or opinion in their musings. Impartiality above interest, dammit! Only Cecil has earned the exalted status of making jokes with political, social, or humorous content. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Mercutio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Mercutio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mercutio)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/4 "2001-04-12T03:34:55Z")
Shit, I thought this was going to be a rant about the “Bible Code” part. I agree whole-heardeatly with **Mundi**. There are bigger fish to fry. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/5 "2001-04-12T04:15:35Z")
Wow, the OP has such a “what about the _children_??” feel to it, it’s staggering. If a new user finds the Straight Dope web page and gets offended by an offhand remark by one of the people running it before they’ve had a chance to properly scope things out, who gives a rat’s ass? It’s not like we’re so desperate for users that we must woo anyone we can get, no matter how sensitive or easily offended. Good riddance. Personally, I like that the people running this board have opinions and personalities. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/6 "2001-04-12T04:27:00Z")
I’m (technically) a Republican. I found nothing insulting about Euty’s comment. In fact, I found it very amusing and agreed wholeheartedly with it. In short, it’s merely a molehill, pal. ---
**Author:** ![evilbeth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/evilbeth/32/2268_2.png) [@evilbeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilbeth)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/7 "2001-04-12T04:29:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > **…_gratuitous_ in the meaning that one would assume on a message board—_not called for by the circumstances_ per Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.** Like your hypersensitive complaint here? > [@](#): > > \*\*But, damn it, a column like Euty’s is perhaps the first contact point for a newbie on the SD. \*\* As are Cecil’s columns which you’ve established are acceptable even when they include such views. > [@](#): > > **Why go out of your way to alienate a reader? Oh! It was meant as a joke! Guess what…a percentage of the readers probably didn’t see it that way.** I’d wager a rather _small_ percentage. Individuals who intend to become regular readers of either Cecil’s columns or the SDMB had better learn pretty damn fast how to recognize such jokes or they’re going to be offended left and right. > [@](#): > > **But I think the phrasing was out of place in an official SD posting.** A non-PC comment in an honest-to-gosh, real and true, bonafide “official SD posting”? _Nooooo!_ I think non-PC comments are right at home in an “official” SD posting–more than PC comments are. You have the right to your opinion on this but I don’t see where the comment was anything to get worked up about. Euty expressed his personality in his posting and I’m sure he will continue to do so with or without the approval of the PC squad. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/8 "2001-04-12T08:15:00Z")
[Webster’s Dictionary](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=66439) defines gratuitous as … oh, never mind, you get the idea. But yes, I’ll agree it was gratuitous. Totally gratuitous. I live for gratutitousness. I _reek_ gratuitousness. Gratuitous is our middle name! The original name of the column was “The Straight Gratuitous Dope.” Any column we submit without a gratuitous cheap shot is sent back to us for editing as a normal course of action. In our Staff Report columns we attempt to emulate the master. Sure, it’s impossible to equal that kind of brilliance, but we give it our best shot. We try to add whatever little bits of humor we can to our writings, including puns, jokes, sometimes excessive verbiage and yes, cheap shots. That’s the nature of the beast. That’s the nature of this site. Godammit, that’s what we _do_ here. Hey, you say you’ve done it yourself. Good. You wanna start carping about what this site is supposed to be all about and how we should be ultra-careful about alientating newbies? Try doing this yourself. I dare say that any site which purports to be as all encompassing as ours without a certain snide sense of humor is going to be as dry as the Enyclopedia Brittanica. Would it not be more honest for newbies to see something like this at the outset rather than being tempted in and later finding out that, oh my GAWWD! These people have a rather bent sense of humor!! In short, as others have already opined, you’re making a boulder out of a grain of sand. You’re swatting flies while the Cromwell’s troops are closing in. You, Drummer Hoff, have fired it off. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s 4:12 in the morning and you’ve already wasted too much of my valuable masturbating time. Yours, Euty ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/9 "2001-04-12T08:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Gratuitous is our middle name! Eutychus Gratuitous 55? ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2001, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/10 "2001-04-12T13:31:38Z")
“About the only people we haven’t offended so far are left-handed Anabaptists, and wait until they get a load of next week’s blockbuster.” -Cecil Adams ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/11 "2001-04-13T00:07:43Z")
Looking at the Staff Report – yeah, I thought the first part, if any, to get hackles up would be the Bible Code thing. But – Republican Dogma? Sheeesh. Well, at least it’s only a matter of gratuitousness. If it was _facetiousness_ – oh, man. Now _that_ would be worth the stocks and a few rotten vegetables! Yessiree! Can we have a dig next time against those who always do informal votes? And what about hanging chads? ---
**Author:** ![ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChoosyChipsAndCeilingWhacks)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2001, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/12 "2001-04-13T00:35:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Eutychus55 \* > **You, Drummer Hoff, have fired it off.** Oh God, don’t start THAT again! -L ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2001, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/13 "2001-04-13T01:31:52Z")
Besides, as part of the media, the Staff Reports are required to be liberal. Just nobody tell SDSTAFF John Corrado. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2001, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/14 "2001-04-13T02:55:18Z")
[sound of hysterical avian tittering] I wanna thank Sam for starting this thread. Because of it, I finally had to go look up the Bible Code on Google. Ohhh, **that** Bible Code!! 😃😃😃 Light dawns. I was absentmindedly assuming it was some obscure Fundie use of the phrase. But no, it’s the scrumpdiddlyicious “count three letters over and four letters down and it spells out Roswell” guy. Ohhh, **him!** I **love** that stuff! [http://www.csicop.org/si/9711/bible-code.html](http://www.csicop.org/si/9711/bible-code.html) Say, the Better Half knows actual people at the Post Office who believe this stuff. Watch the skies–and your mailbox… And BTW, Euty, Republican Dogma is a real thing, too. The Washington _Post_ says so. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/states/stories/sop012794.htm](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/states/stories/sop012794.htm) > [@](#): > > Republican frustration rose throughout the 64 minutes of the speech. It may have peaked when Clinton forcefully enunciated a Republican dogma, that “governments don’t raise children, parents do.” Hee. ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2001, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/euty-politcal-correctness-and-gratuitous/61669/15 "2001-04-13T04:27:57Z")
Excuse me, **samclem.** Buzz off or get a sense of humor. Please? Scotti