# Hey, UncleBeer, You're Laughable **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 19, 2003, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145 "2003-02-19T16:15:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/21 "2003-02-19T18:32:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > \*\*No shit, Dick Tracy. I am, however, supposed to control the content of that forum. \*\* And I thought moderating was a difficult job… controlling… that is on another level altogether. Just a word of warning: your control of MPISMS will eventually conflict with my quest for world domination. I’m beginning with Turkistan, so you have plenty of time before I reach MPISMS, but just be aware that you are on the List. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/22 "2003-02-19T18:34:14Z")
So you think the **personal insult** was “mild”. Big whoopdedoop. It was, in fact, a **personal insult** and it was, in fact, **in the wrong forum for personal insults** , “mild” or not. People _don’t_ post their personal opinions of other posters “all the time”, as **it isn’t allowed** anywhere outside The Pit. And if they did, as I said above, they’d _at least_ be scolded. “Attack the post, not the poster” is the SDMB motto for god’s sake! You broke that rule and even went so far as to admit it. Why can’t you just admit you made a mistake and apologize? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/23 "2003-02-19T19:25:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > Actually, it does. Several of the people made comments that indicated they believed my words were those of policy. And if people believe that, then their remarks belong here in the Pit, not in MPSIMS. What? **Tesseract** should have posted to the pit? No, he was just commiserating with the OP and trying to get the thread back on track – hardly a serious complaint about moderator action – and no more of an offense than your insult and following actions. Perhaps you meant the first person to make a federal issue out of it. Hey you’re on: > [@](#): > > _Originally by Rhinostylee_ > I suppose since you’re a moderator, your opinion is somehow supposed to carry more weight. My lack of maturity makes you sad? Then don’t read my posts! > > _Originally by UncleBeer, bolding mine_ > No, my opinion of you doesn’t necessarily carry any more weight than that of anyone else. **Where the weight of my opinion is applied, however, is to the content of this message board, and more specifically, this particular forum.** In fact, before I posted my opinion, I read all of your posts. It’s not from this thread alone that I’ve formed my opinion of you, which is low and getting lower. Further, I suggest you do not attempt to tell me what to do, or not do; that is highly inadvisable. Judging by the thread, you responded to someone who told you to shove off if you didn’t like their immaturity – as they would have told any other poster. YOU are the one who made into a moderator issue. You could have simply said – “That’s my opinion and that’s that” or “It’s a friendly comment about raising the tone.” But instead?\*\* “Further, I suggest you do not attempt to tell me what to do, or not do; that is highly inadvisable.”\*\* He’s not telling you what to do, he’s telling you off. As a poster. And you respond by hiding behind your moderator hat and _really_ admonishing him?!? You were insulting, and you certainly know your own rules. You then hid yourself behind moderator privilege when called on it. Don’t you think you can do better than snarky ex post facto justification? > [@](#): > > I did no such thing. Furthermore, I don’t think I understand what you mean. I concur with, what, exactly? Again, you once pitted someone, at which time I complained that you couldn’t put a strict wall between Moderator and Poster; that it was unfair to have to defend oneself against a pit thread run by the judge of another forum, owing to human nature. Several people saw no issue with it saying “Moderators are posters too.” I thought this was ridiculous, and your actions underscore that point. I see now that you’ve responded thusly: > [@](#): > > Controlling the content of the forum refers to keeping complaints about mod-type things out of MPSIMS. Damn it, **UncleBeer**! Are you fucking listening? Your response to **Rhinostylee** discusses just that, and it is clearly a “poster-type” complaint, not a “mod-type” complaint. That’s the damn point. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/24 "2003-02-19T19:48:42Z")
Because I don’t believe I did? > [@](#): > > And if they did, as I said above, they’d at least be scolded. Care to provide some examples of scolding for mildly insulting opinions of the character of a member? Here’s a number of them that **didn’t** result in a specific warning, all posted recently and all accusing another member of immaturity. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2998345#post2998345](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2998345#post2998345) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2925989#post2925989](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2925989#post2925989) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2724152#post2724152](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2724152#post2724152) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/25 "2003-02-19T20:01:00Z")
Next up on Fox _When Mods Go Bad_ … ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/26 "2003-02-19T20:03:32Z")
> [@](#): > > Again, you once pitted someone, at which time I complained that you couldn’t put a strict wall between Moderator and Poster No, I fucking didn’t. A simple search will show you that I’ve started exactly one Pit thread in the past year. This one: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162955](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162955) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/27 "2003-02-19T20:42:40Z")
The minions of the Grammar Gestapo would have you know that if anything, he’s a **martinet** , not a martinette. ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/28 "2003-02-19T20:46:37Z")
**UncleBeer** , that you don’t “scold” every single solitary instance of personal insults outside the Pit is irrelevant. And before you try to play spin the words with me, I’ll remind you that you’re the one that claimed personal insults go on “all the time” and I responded that they don’t go on “all the time” and if they did go on “all the time” whoever did it would at least be scolded. How are we to know that you even saw any of those examples until you just now searched for your keywords? There’s _always_ a chance those were missed. Or even \ relevant comments based on a poster actually asking for feedback about themselves or their opinion. And for that matter, your last example doesn’t even qualify because they called the _post_ immature, not the poster, thereby following the motto I mentioned above – insult the post, not the poster. _AND_, your second example _does_ contain an admonishment from a moderator – **Coldfire** – though not for the specific insult of calling the poster immature, but for _everyone’s_ behaviour who was insulting and/or rude to the OPer, telling them all to knock it off. So basically you found _one_ example where someone got away with it (possibly without notice). That hardly supports your contention that personal insults go on “all the time” outside the Pit, or that they’re tolerated. The bottom line is this: you posted a personal insult to a poster, _as_ a poster, in the wrong forum, merely because you don’t like him generally (not even because of that specific thread, since you said you weren’t addressing that thread’s content, which makes it a completely irrelevant hijack for the mere purpose of insulting him!), then you put your moderator hat on to admonish him when he said, basically, “if you think my posts are immature, don’t read them.” You broke your own rules, then stepped in with your authority and are now trying to justify your bad behaviour by pointing out other people’s bad behaviour. Nice. But what the hey, it’s your forum. Just don’t be surprised the next time someone complains about the rules being arbitrarily enforced around here. That’s all. I’ve said my piece – you know how I feel, I know how you feel and clearly we disagree. I don’t see the need to further this argument, so I’ll just close by wishing you a great afternoon and evening. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/29 "2003-02-19T20:46:37Z")
I, for one, think it is HIGH FUCKING TIME that **rhinostylee** at _least_ got his wrist slapped. He’s been cruising for a bruising since he got here and I’d like to commend **UncleBeer** for being the first mod brave enough to step into the breach and take care of it. Look, people, you all were quick enough to berate **Ryan\_Liam** when he had his shit all over the board, right? And when **lobsang** was using MPSIMS as his own personal lj. This is the same type of crap, and I’m tired of it. Apparently so was **UB**. That’s what the mods are for. He told the guy that he thought the thread he started made him look immature. Boo fucking hoo. I don’t think the mods should have _carte blanche_ to go around closing any threads they don’t feel like continuing to read, but they’ve got to have the leeway to make _some_ judgement calls. And in this case I think **UncleBeer** ’s judgement was right on the money. ---
**Author:** ![rhinostylee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bc79bd/32.png) [@rhinostylee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhinostylee)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/30 "2003-02-19T21:17:08Z")
Quote: (for some reason my buttons aren’t working) I’d like to commend UncleBeer for being the first mod brave enough to step into the breach and take care of it. I agree, White Lightning, that is true bravery. How valiantly he stepped in and spoke up while all of the other moderators huddled in the corner, too afraid to even speak! Not only did he interject, but he STEPPED INTO THE BREACH!! Wow, I hope that America’s soldiers over in the Middle East display one-fourth that amount of bravery, because if they do, the war will be over in weeks! Consider my wrists slapped (ooh, it stings, I wish that UncleBeer would have stayed away from the breach) and I will stay away from posting anything that could be considered “highly inadvisable!” I don’t mind being told I’m immature because I am, and people like White Lightning and UncleBeer I guess can’t handle it. But yesterday on another one of my posts that got removed, he UncleBeer called me an asshole and then closed the thread before I could retort. THat’s way worse than saying I’m immature! The only difference is that since he closed the thread, nobody could see that he called me an asshole for very long. Not that I care, I’m sure that you probably all would have agreed (another immature post). But I do think it’s really funny how many people were offended by UncleBeer trying to flex his moderator muscles! Ha ha! That’s what you get for being a clown! And there’s my two cents. Sorry to all those who defended me if you now want to change sides . . . . ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/31 "2003-02-19T21:18:10Z")
The problem with your reasoning, **WL** , is that according to **UncleBeer** himself, he was not acting _as a moderator_ to proscribe **rhino** ’s content: > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > **Moderator’s Notes:** > What did I just say, plnnr? If you have remarks regarding my comments/actions, **put 'em in the Pit**. Isn’t that it? And once again, I’ve said not a goddamned thing about proscribing immature material. Read the post. Or are you being deliberately dense? He may have insulted **rhino** ’s maturity as one poster to another, but that’s not a moderator action, slap on the wrist or otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/32 "2003-02-19T21:27:42Z")
> [@](#): > > But yesterday on another one of my posts that got removed, he UncleBeer called me an asshole and then closed the thread before I could retort. THat’s way worse than saying I’m immature! The only difference is that since he closed the thread, nobody could see that he called me an asshole for very long. That thread’s still there for anyone who cares to view it. [Click here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=163700). ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/33 "2003-02-19T21:43:02Z")
Unclebeer in that other thread - > [@](#): > > Asshole Diane in this thread - > [@](#): > > Amen ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/34 "2003-02-19T21:50:29Z")
Well, I _was_ thinkin’ that maybe **UncleBeer** was overly harsh. Luckily, **rhinostylee** swiftly corrected that first impression. I would think that, at a message board dedicated to fighting ignorance, posters would exhibit at least some level of adult behavior. Those that cannot perhaps ought to consider alternate message boards. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@The\_Ace\_of\_Swords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ace_of_Swords)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/35 "2003-02-19T21:53:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by UncleBeer \* > \*\*No, I fucking didn’t. A simple search will show you that I’ve started exactly one Pit thread in the past year. This one: > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162955](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=162955) \*\* I’ve said what I have to say – I can’t make you listen, and you certainly aren’t rushing to address my main points, so that’s it for me, too. Parting bit of advice: The way to shake the “laughable” tag is to make serious responses, not compound your error with further laughable explanations. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/36 "2003-02-19T22:13:29Z")
I addressed your main points. Your second post was a re-hashing of them and a continued insistence of something which I did not do. There’s nothing new and substantive to be addressed. Also, since you continue to perpetuate a lie, I feel justified in disregarding your re-hash. What’s laughable is that you refuse to back up your assertion with some hard evidence. Post the link to what you claim exists. Go ahead. It’s your last chance to show you have credibility. ---
**Author:** ![Ferrous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Ferrous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferrous)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/37 "2003-02-19T22:57:05Z")
I’m feeling all ahead-of-the-curve here, since I’ve been of the opinion that **rhinostylee** is a first-rate asshole for a whole week now—ever since he shat all over **Hamlet** ’s “Cute Sweatshirt Wearing Girl” thread. ([Here.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=2988145#post2988145)) Maybe **Unc** ’s comments were a little out of line, but personally, I’m not going to mind too much when the target is such an annoying little wanker. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/38 "2003-02-19T23:00:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Captain Amazing \* > \*\*But the question is, is he snuggably soft? \*\* He’s definitely kinda smushy. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2003, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/39 "2003-02-19T23:29:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*zut \*\*\* > Those that cannot perhaps ought to consider alternate message boards. . **Ferrous** , you and I are on the same train. I actually pointed out how obnoxious the **rhinostylee** was [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=2988594#post2988594). **RT** , I see what you’re saying. Frankly, I can’t figure out why **UncleBeer** closed the thread in question; he didn’t seem to justify that action in his closing remarks in that thread. But I don’t really have too much of an opinion on that. Any outrage I might have felt at the seemingly arbitrary thread closure was quashed and stifled by my rejoicing at seeing _somebody_ stand up and say that they were tired of the DRECK ( **UncleBeer** ’s word, I use it for its sheer appropriateness) that was being produced by this poster. ---
**Author:** ![White\_Lightning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@White\_Lightning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/White_Lightning)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2003, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145/40 "2003-02-20T00:23:48Z")
Hold on a second, that thread wasn’t even closed? What in the world is the problem, then? Is this thread seriously about the fact that **UncleBeer** said im MPSIMS that he thought the **rhinostylee** was immature? Seriously? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-unclebeer-youre-laughable/156145.md?page=3)