Wasn’t Langley the one who kept designing failed airplanes that went nose first into the water a half second after taking off? I think there’s some well-known stock footage of that.
And yet they named an AFB after him.
Nobody interacts with the likes of F-P with any ultimate expectation of changing his preposterously deluded view of the world. But when there is a substantial point, it’s sometimes worth refuting his nonsense for the benefit of lurking readers who might not be familiar with the issue. On other issues, I have sometimes been one such lurking reader.
I said that I don’t think we need people here who theatrically declare that they don’t want to be here. You respond with a broad brush statement that I’m wrong for wanting to get rid of ANYONE. I reject that stupidity. You double down on it.
Allow me to be very clear for the morons in the audience. The Straight Dope benefits from losing the following members:
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People who are banned.
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People who don’t want to be here. (Yes, I oppose the initiative to kidnap people and chain them to their computers.)
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You.
Well, yes it is, here and now.
In the Soviet Union, it was the fault of the left. (Note, I’m not saying that these two situations are exact polar opposites.)
Totally agree, this message board has become totally hostile to certain ideas and attitudes. Flat earthers, believers in pholgoston, and cryptozoologists can’t make three posts here without their ideas being criticized and told that the “facts” don’t support them. When we fail to acknowledge the possibility that 0.9999… is actually less than 1, it is an indication of the close minded group think that permeates these boards and prevents us from having a more balanced outlook. It is the reason that so many free thinkers like cladking leave our ranks and never come back, causing us to miss out on his illuminating theories of pyramid construction.
If we want to break out of our echo chamber we need to treat all ideas equally, regardless of the evidence supporting them. After all isn’t that what this board is about?
No. It isn’t about fighting ignorance, either. It’s about feeling cool, smart, witty, and part of the hip crowd. Note I said “feeling” and not “being.”
It’s ‘fighting ignorance’ like ‘fighting Irish’, right? Ignorance, ignorance, rah rah rah, gooo ignorance, sis boom bah!
I’m sorry that you do not feel cool, smart or witty.
I am lolling at kayaker’s response there.
That’s just because he isn’t capable of being cool, smart, or witty.
Stranger
He sure brings it up a lot, though.
Life is much easier if you convince yourself that anyone who disagrees with you only does so because they are trying to impress others. It keeps you from having to examine any of your beliefs or assumptions. Hard work, that.
Its complicated.
If you think about it, though, it generally works the other way around.
The people who IRL are cool, smart or witty are not the ones who need to come to a MB where they know based on board makeup that everyone will agree with them, find their arguments compelling (or politely refrain from pointing out when they don’t) and their jokes funny, back them up when under attack from outsiders, etc. The ones who do are the ones who sense that they’re lacking in these areas IRL, and try to make up for it by some cheap MB validation.
You know, I’m not sure this is true. I myself am uncool, smart, and witty, and I post on this message board because…I’m at work and have nothing better to do during the long compiles. (And, yeah, because I can apparently get away with it.) Sure, when I’m free to choose my activities I’m out and about and not spreading my uncool smart witticisms here, but when I’m watching the little circle spin, you guys are as good a target for my wit/boredom as any.
The coolest, smartest, and wittiest people are the ones who try to define who among strangers on the internet are cool, smart, and witty.
That means me and you, F-P! Way to go, us! 
Whatever gets you through the day, dude.
“Desert Nomad”, you don’t have to lean “far to the left” to be strongly anti-Trump, but you have to lean “far to the right” to be a Trump supporter.
I will say that this thread supports my argument that there should be one category called “Politics” in which ALL political posts are housed. It would be much easier to avoid political posts and less chance of stuff like this happening.
I’m pretty sure he was a conservative who called himself a libertarian. Did this board take a sudden anti-libertarian slant after Trump was elected? I don’t think so. Why would a libertarian use a ridiculous Republican talking point, like that out-of-context Obama quote? It doesn’t add up.
I can call myself a libertarian, but if all my views and news come from the right, then I’m really a Republican.
Now, for you – I really wish you would add more to a conversation generally. You and I had a nice back and forth, I think, but look at your other contributions to this thread. There are so many language complaints, obfuscation, hijacks. What’s the point? If all you want to do is rant (which is OK, this is the Pit), then you shouldn’t complain about the language. At least rant on the subject at hand without making the thread about you all the time. It’s just annoying.