# Giraffe/VCO3 **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 23, 2007, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992 "2007-12-23T02:59:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/21 "2007-12-23T11:06:06Z")
How can it possibly be fair to apply the same rules to everyone when everyone is different? Once someone has made their personal brand of “uniqueness” clear you can customise the rules for them. I have no idea how this applies to VC03 because I’ve not been paying attention, but if the Mods have it comes down to how much you trust them. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/22 "2007-12-23T11:16:55Z")
[QUOTE=essell] How can it possibly be fair to apply the same rules to everyone when everyone is different? Once someone has made their personal brand of “uniqueness” clear you can customise the rules for them. [/QUOTE] That would work well in the offline world in governance. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/23 "2007-12-23T11:33:41Z")
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory] That would work well in the offline world in governance. [/QUOTE] Like I said, it comes down to Trust. The whole reason we don’t let Government customise the rules is we don’t trust people with power. At one end of the continuum you’ve got Government, prone to abuse and filled with power hungry people. Don’t trust them. And on the other end you’ve got parents. If you hear a kid ask “Why do I have to go to bed at Six when my Brother gets to stay up till 8 ?” you don’t think of parents abusing their power. It makes sense because they know their kids. Mods and bosses and everyone else with authority sits somewhere in that continuum. It comes down to trust. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/24 "2007-12-23T11:35:43Z")
But we don’t pay our parents to tell us when we should go to bed. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/25 "2007-12-23T13:10:55Z")
It has its precedents-remember **handy** being forbidden to post in any medical threads, or on any sort of medical advice? ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/26 "2007-12-23T13:40:57Z")
I don’t see this as being a rule solely fabricated against **VCO3** as much as it is explaining an existing rule – “Don’t be a jerk” – with a specificity that he, apparently, needs. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/27 "2007-12-23T13:46:05Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I don’t see this as being a rule solely fabricated against **VCO3** as much as it is explaining an existing rule – “Don’t be a jerk” – with a specificity that he, apparently, needs. [/QUOTE] So what about this part from the OP link: > [@](#): > > Note to all: this rule applies only to VCO3 and his adherence to it will be judged by the mods (rather than some arbitrary minimum quota of posts per thread). I may be misreading this, but I interpret it to be a rule solely fabricated against VC03. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/28 "2007-12-23T14:10:00Z")
[QUOTE=Boyo Jim] So what about this part from the OP link: I may be misreading this, but I interpret it to be a rule solely fabricated against VC03. [/QUOTE] Did the rule against **handy** making any posts in medical threads also upset you? ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/29 "2007-12-23T14:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=ParentalAdvisory] Maybe all the [hate in GQ](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/search.php?searchid=3072329) [/QUOTE] Your link ends at “No matches to your search” You need to link to the actual thread. Isn’t returning to one’s own thread just common courtesy? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/30 "2007-12-23T14:18:00Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] Did the rule against **handy** making any posts in medical threads also upset you? [/QUOTE] I wasn’t aware of that, but THIS one doesn’t upset me. I think it’s deserved. But I’m just curious how **twickster** could interpret it as anything other than a rule promulgated for a single individual. ---
**Author:** ![Southern\_Yankee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/southern_yankee/32/2800_2.png) [@Southern\_Yankee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Southern_Yankee)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/31 "2007-12-23T14:24:20Z")
Not defending VCO3, but I do think it depends on the forum. I would think it bad form not to return to a GD or even a GQ thread you start. But the Pit is used to vent. You get something off your chest. It doesn’t _always_ need to be a conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/32 "2007-12-23T14:26:38Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] Not defending VCO3, but I do think it depends on the forum. I would think it bad form not to return to a GD or even a GQ thread you start. But the Pit is used to vent. You get something off your chest. It doesn’t _always_ need to be a conversation. [/QUOTE] No, but perhaps _sometimes_. The problem isn’t that **VCO3** did it once, but that it was a pattern. A pattern, I might add, consistent with the behaviour of people who post from underneath bridges. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/33 "2007-12-23T14:33:03Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] Your link ends at “No matches to your search” You need to link to the actual thread. Isn’t returning to one’s own thread just common courtesy? [/QUOTE] The link was a cached search ID. Apparently it gets deleted after some time, there were several threads to be seen. [Here is a pic](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v207/pa_sdmb/lobster.jpg) of what you should have seen. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/34 "2007-12-23T14:34:57Z")
I dunno what you mean. The rule is quite clear: > [@](#): > > Rule 27(F)(16)(b)(iii): If there are at least 10 occasions of “shit stirring,” a member will be warned [Warning of Type 52(b)] and asked to refrain. For purposes of this rule, the term “shit stirring” shall be defined as starting a thread on a controversial topic and not returning. The term “controversial” is defined in Rule 47(C)(23)(vii) below. The term “refrain” is … My point: we really don’t want to have a twenty-four volume law code to define our rules. And, in this situation, the word “rule” is perhaps misleading. How about calling it “terms of probation”? That seem more fair, more individualized, more case-specific? ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/35 "2007-12-23T14:39:18Z")
[QUOTE=lobstermobster] Why does anyone have to return to a thread? I don’t like new rules being made especially for just one person. It’s a bad precedent. It makes me nervous as an unliked member of this board. It’s for the better when VCO3 doesnt return. He’s reading from afar with a smug grin as everyone falls all over themselves proving him right. [/QUOTE] You’re not unliked. There are just a bunch of dildoes here. ---
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/36 "2007-12-23T16:05:16Z")
My initial reaction to this was the same as the OPs. On the other hand, I do remember that **VCO3** once stated in a pit thread that he had no intention of coming back for discussion. I can’t remember now which thread it was, but I will try to find it later when I have more time. He basically said that he felt like ranting, did so, and didn’t feel the need or desire to talk about it with anyone. I think that the mods are feeling like this is a violation of the spirit of the SDMB, and I’m guessing It’s this stated intention not to return that has earned him this new rule. ---
**Author:** ![Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/48db29/32.png) [@Key\_Lime\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Key_Lime_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/37 "2007-12-23T16:33:12Z")
It is utterly apparent to any thinking person that: -this is complete bullshit -precedent doesn’t make something right -nothing has ever been more selectively applied than the ‘don’t be a jerk’ rule The bottom line is: this place is far more interesting with VCO3 than without him. But who has the energy to keep spitting into the wind? It’s more sad than anything at this point, watching this community crushed under the weight of its self-importance. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/38 "2007-12-23T16:33:55Z")
So there’s a rule made for one guy, big deal. He could have just as easily been banned had Giraffe been in the mood for blood but instead the rules of the game were modified for one player so that they can keep playing a little while longer. I have no problem with the idea with making your bed and having to lie in it. If he wants to do dumb shit, then he has to deal with the responses in the thread. ---
**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:** [December 23, 2007, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/39 "2007-12-23T16:44:22Z")
[QUOTE=Southern Yankee] But the Pit is used to vent. You get something off your chest. It doesn’t _always_ need to be a conversation. [/QUOTE] I agree. This is why I wanted to be very careful not to imply a general rule change in dealing with **VCO3**. This rule is entirely based on **VCO3** ’s past pattern of Pit posting. Time and time again, he has started threads with titles and OPs written to stir people up and then ignored the ensuing discussion. Whether or not you believe his intent is good or to troll, the effect is the same and it’s bad for the board. Besides, it’s not like he can’t start threads any more, he just can’t start hit and run threads. Hardly an onerous burden. ---
**Author:** ![lobstermobster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobstermobster/32/10033_2.png) [@lobstermobster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobstermobster)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2007, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992/40 "2007-12-23T16:50:10Z")
[QUOTE=shamrock227] Why _shouldn’t_ someone return to their thread? Do you typically start a conversation and then walk away while the other person is talking? This is a message board. We are having conversations. Type written and time delayed, yes - but still a conversation. If you just want an answer to a question without having an exchange, use Google. If you want to rant and walk away, get a blog. Besides, this isn’t really a new thing around here. It has always been considered bad form to start a thread and never return, no matter what the forum. You’re right in that it was never a “rule” before just something no one really appreciates. [/QUOTE] I mean I guess it’s somewhat of a jerk stunt to pull by not coming back but to me it seems to fall under the category of Netiquette. It’s an unwritten rule of conduct but you can’t have official action taken against you. If I walked away f n rom a conversation in real life the other person would be annoyed but would have no reason to call the police. Personally I only start threads every now and then so I don’t forget they are there. I am pretty scattered though and could see myself and would have no way to remember to come back if I forgot. I don’t like the rules getting more complicated. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/giraffe-vco3/430992.md?page=3)