# Holy crap! No more Dio? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [September 15, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416 "2011-09-15T18:01:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/281 "2011-09-16T12:49:03Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Dio had detailed knowledge of the scholarly literature on early Christianity, buttressed by fluency in ancient Greek. I would like to respectfully take exception to this. I think I understand why you say it, but I don’t think it’s true. Dio’s college experience apparently included some time in a seminary-like curriculum. He studied the bible and bible criticism, and he learned some Koine Greek. On a board where almost no one knows much about early Christianity, and where no one knows Koine Greek (as far as I know), it’s easy to seem like an expert, especially if one is a bit of a bully and those who might be equipped to dispute just don’t have the energy to deal with it. I spend a fair amount of time reading popular literature on Christianity, bible criticism, and some time reading scholarly stuff. It always appeared to me that Dio had read a few text books, read some popular literature that matched his existing beliefs, and that plus some google-fu was enough to make him our resident expert. He knew enough to be helpful, but he often wasn’t, due to his polemical nature. He was not, on this subject, IMO, an actual expert. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/282 "2011-09-16T12:49:42Z")
Damn, and I _just_ bought season tickets to the Dio Show. Anyone know the process of obtaining a refund? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/283 "2011-09-16T12:54:07Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Damn, and I _just_ bought season tickets to the Dio Show. > > Anyone know the process of obtaining a refund? > mmm This joke is so tired it’s already been made at least twice in this thread alone. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/284 "2011-09-16T12:54:51Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > Dio being banned is predictable and I can’t really get upset about it. Not so much upset in my case as dismayed that he just would not adjust. He would make valid points that would proceed to get needlessly lost in the heat of the quarrel. There does seem to be a vibe in the general culture (including both online and IRL) towards seeing _“uncompromising”_ as the ultimate praise of character; that you never back down or give an inch _no matter on what_ and that “but I could be wrong” means you’re admitting you were wrong all along (and so’s deciding you don’t want to bang your head on the wall and walking away, too); and that if person A’s right (or better informed) and person B’s wrong (or less informed) then A is entitled to just blast away at B with all guns and no consideration, no matter what the issue. OTOH nobody ever pointed a gun at anyone’s head to make them join in a prolonged, heated, recursive argument. The so-called “Dio Show” could not exist in a vacuum and often was as much about people wanting him NOT to have the last word as it was about him wanting to have it. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/285 "2011-09-16T12:55:58Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > So if someone is perceived to have “value” as a poster the rules should not be applied to them? > > They are exempt from being civil, from having to follow moderator instructions, they can be big ol’ jerks and that’s acceptable behavior? > > That seems, well, capricious and unfair somehow, seeing as everyone else is expected to follow the rules of the road here and to disregard them at their peril. > > And who makes this grand determination – who decides? > > That attitude is actually a slap in the face to everyone else – the great majority of everyone else – the many Teeming Millions who strive to post by the rules, the people who are thoughtful about what they say and how they say it. > > It’s not okay to treat these people poorly, it doesn’t matter how big an “expert” or a “genius” you might be. A brilliant jerk is still a jerk. (Note that I am not specifically naming anyone as brilliant or a jerk or a brilliant jerk.) Exactly, **TubaDiva**. You’ve put together the argument that so many of us had with regard to Dio’s staying power (i.e. how in the world was he still able to post?). The fact that you all finally came to the correct conclusion makes me know that questioning your decision is not an option. I’m actually amazed at the number of posts claiming he will be missed. In all the years I’ve been on the board (admittedly, relatively invisible considering other posters), I can’t think of a poster who deserved to be banned more. I have no idea how many chances he was given, but I do have a fair idea of how many times I thought to myself “this guy is beyond being a jerk in xxxxx thread.” right before I’d check out of the thread, unable to continue reading through his nonsense. Knowing that I will no longer be reading and enjoying a thread only to be halted by a typical Dio appearance has instantly made the board a much more enjoyable place, even if I spend the exact amount of time out here. I think folks that think this board is selectively getting rid of certain posters on a whim, to get a homogeneous posting population, have no idea how long Dio was pushing the edges of the envelope. I don’t think you (or the mods) have to defend your decision. I guess folks feel like since he posted what, 59K times on this board, that somehow gave him the right to behave how he wanted… Dio is no more a staple of this board as anyone else, and he, like everyone else, posts at the discretion of TPTB. \*\*Quantity \*\*does \*\*not \*\*equal **quality**. There have also been many posts to refute those that are going to miss his “expertise” in religious threads, or anywhere else for that matter. When his posts would fall under the scrutiny of other posters, even in his “expert” areas, you have to re-evaluate his value to the board. I can think of one other prolific poster that left (Liberal) and people thought the board would not be as good as they once were. I can’t recall anyone wishing somewhere in any thread that Liberal were around to add his POV. I suspect the same will happen here. Dio will fade from memory, and the board will survive just fine. We may even find posters that will now partake in discussions that they chose to stay out of because Dio was in the thread. With this, we may even discover posters with knowledge that has been in hibernation. The phrase “addition by subtraction” seems so appropriate with this decision. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/286 "2011-09-16T13:02:44Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > There have also been many posts to refute those that are going to miss his “expertise” in religious threads, or anywhere else for that matter. When his posts would fall under the scrutiny of other posters, even in his “expert” areas, you have to re-evaluate his value to the board. This is nonsense, and this is what scares me about the future of discussions on religion here. Scrutiny does not mean equally valid observations. You sound like a “teach the controversy” kind of person when you suggest that the value of **Dio’s** posts on religion were undone by the contrary position of another poster. Jesus, we’re in trouble, since most of the threads in GD are about religion. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/287 "2011-09-16T13:06:48Z")
I’m particularly amused by the arm-chair psychologists going on about what a said life he must lead, and what sad pathetic little troll he is, and how angry he is at the world and all this shit. Fuck’s sake people … he was arguing with you on a message board not raping your pets. Calm the fuck down. Besides, he’s gone now so you don’t even have to think about him at all any more … unless you absolutely must. And apparently many of you do. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/288 "2011-09-16T13:16:19Z")
> [@TubaDiva](#): > > So if someone is perceived to have “value” as a poster the rules should not be applied to them? > > They are exempt from being civil, from having to follow moderator instructions, they can be big ol’ jerks and that’s acceptable behavior? > > That seems, well, capricious and unfair somehow, seeing as everyone else is expected to follow the rules of the road here and to disregard them at their peril. > > And who makes this grand determination – who decides? > > That attitude is actually a slap in the face to everyone else – the great majority of everyone else – the many Teeming Millions who strive to post by the rules, the people who are thoughtful about what they say and how they say it. > > . . . The admin. have found him guilty of one type of prohibited behavior, yet the Teeming Millions are complaining about a different type of behavior while many of them are taking cheap shots at him. Certainly staff has to to draw the line somewhere, but 6 out of 60,000 posts isn’t really that many. What’s done is done. My real complaint in this thread is leveled at those who feel it necessary to slap him in his absence. Poor form to say the least. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/289 "2011-09-16T13:26:47Z")
> [@Crotalus](#): > > read a few text books, read some popular literature that matched his existing beliefs, and that plus some google-fu was enough to make him our resident expert Darn, that doesnt qualify you as an expert anymore? ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/290 "2011-09-16T13:28:33Z")
What does it say about this board that you felt obliged to ban a poster whom several other longtime posters (other than me, that is) would cheerfully nominate as this board’s all-time best overall poster? Have you people forgotten that you run a MESSAGE BOARD? You know, a place where people are encouraged to post dissenting views? So the guy was unbelievably stubborn, and often obnoxious in his stubbornness–that doesn’t begin to make him worthy of banning, and shouldn’t even enter into the discussion, but you banned him mostly because he wouldn’t bow to your awesome authoritah! You should be ashamed of yourselves, but you aren’t in the least. You’re proud and pleased that the mighty **Dio** has been punished, and you’re feeling mighty good about yourselves, but you know? The posters who read him and enjoyed him, even when he was being cheeky or eyeroll-inducing, are the ones you’ve just punished. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/291 "2011-09-16T13:29:02Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > … he was arguing with you on a message board not raping your pets. Calm the fuck down… I read this as “… he was arguing with you on a message board about not raping your pets” and thought “Which side did he take?” I was frequently annoyed by him as much as I was informed by him. Gonna miss him but he had many many chances. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/292 "2011-09-16T13:39:41Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > What does it say about this board that you felt obliged to ban a poster whom several other longtime posters (other than me, that is) would cheerfully nominate as this board’s all-time best overall poster? Have you people forgotten that you run a MESSAGE BOARD? You know, a place where people are encouraged to post dissenting views? So the guy was unbelievably stubborn, and often obnoxious in his stubbornness–that doesn’t begin to make him worthy of banning, and shouldn’t even enter into the discussion, but you banned him mostly because he wouldn’t bow to your awesome authoritah! You should be ashamed of yourselves, but you aren’t in the least. You’re proud and pleased that the mighty **Dio** has been punished, and you’re feeling mighty good about yourselves, but you know? The posters who read him and enjoyed him, even when he was being cheeky or eyeroll-inducing, are the ones you’ve just punished. Not to mention that many times he was pushed by other posters into responding in the manner he did (the manner that earned him warnings). ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/293 "2011-09-16T13:40:33Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > What does it say about this board that you felt obliged to ban a poster whom several other longtime posters (other than me, that is) would cheerfully nominate as this board’s all-time best overall poster? Have you people forgotten that you run a MESSAGE BOARD? You know, a place where people are encouraged to post dissenting views? So the guy was unbelievably stubborn, and often obnoxious in his stubbornness–that doesn’t begin to make him worthy of banning, and shouldn’t even enter into the discussion, but you banned him mostly because he wouldn’t bow to your awesome authoritah! You should be ashamed of yourselves, but you aren’t in the least. You’re proud and pleased that the mighty **Dio** has been punished, and you’re feeling mighty good about yourselves, but you know? The posters who read him and enjoyed him, even when he was being cheeky or eyeroll-inducing, are the ones you’ve just punished. Hey, what if **Dio** could come back in exchange for you leaving? Just brainstorming, here… ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/294 "2011-09-16T13:46:49Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > Some people are just good at being jerks while also saying “please” and “thank you” to Mr. and Mrs. Cleaver. Boy, we really need those folks to predominate here! QFT ---
**Author:** ![Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/4bbf92/32.png) [@Heart\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heart_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/295 "2011-09-16T13:47:15Z")
Whoa. Well. It’s a bummer, because I felt he did contribute some good stuff, and would have liked to see him get his act together. I, too, felt he was a fixture around here, and never really expected to see him get banned, but I can hardly say I’m surprised. It was certainly warranted. For the record: those who are saying his behavior was not over the line should remember that, at least at one point, [**Dio** himself](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=13683688&postcount=291) agreed that it was. And that was _before_ his suspension. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/296 "2011-09-16T13:47:43Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Not to mention that many times he was pushed by other posters into responding in the manner he did (the manner that earned him warnings). And yet oddly we have hundreds of other posters on this message board who are able to engage in heated and angry discussions without going into machine-gun-posting I’m-right-you’re-wrong mode. Regarding the moderation, I’ve certainly had my share of beefs with the mods, but in general I’d agree with **Telemark** that my experience with lightly-moderated boards has been…not good. I’m reasonably content with the moderation here most of the time. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/297 "2011-09-16T13:49:39Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Not to mention that many times he was pushed by other posters into responding in the manner he did (the manner that earned him warnings). So, when somebody said “Dio, you said X” Dio was forced to say “No, I did not say X” AND THEN keep repeating it over and over even when somebody came along and showed exactly where Dio said X. I’m just glad the A Team was able to retrieve that photo of Cecil fucking a goat so the TPTB could finally do something about him (other than close threads he destroyed with his behavior). And if TPTB let him back, they sure as heck better let Soulfrost?, who was banned about 2 months ago, back as well. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/298 "2011-09-16T13:56:01Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > What does it say about this board that you felt obliged to ban a poster whom several other longtime posters (other than me, that is) would cheerfully nominate as this board’s all-time best overall poster? Have you people forgotten that you run a MESSAGE BOARD? You know, a place where people are encouraged to post dissenting views? So the guy was unbelievably stubborn, and often obnoxious in his stubbornness–that doesn’t begin to make him worthy of banning, and shouldn’t even enter into the discussion, but you banned him mostly because he wouldn’t bow to your awesome authoritah! You should be ashamed of yourselves, but you aren’t in the least. You’re proud and pleased that the mighty **Dio** has been punished, and you’re feeling mighty good about yourselves, but you know? The posters who read him and enjoyed him, even when he was being cheeky or eyeroll-inducing, are the ones you’ve just punished. I have a deal for the mods. How about this, let Dio come back, but let me (and anybody else who wants to) get away with the same trolling Dio did. Let Dio come back, and let me threadshit like a motherfucker. Everybody wins. Think on it and get back to me will’ya. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/299 "2011-09-16T13:57:57Z")
This board would do A LOT better to adopt the policy over at Giraffeboards, where instead of banning (well, they do ban spammmers and extreme trolls) they just put them in “the Box” for a period of time where they can post to their hearts’ content. When they release them back to the general population (I think–I’m just winging this), they’re on a short leash and then back in the Box if they get too obnoxious. Of course, this does cut back on the Mods having the final authoritah to decide someone’s ultimate fate, and we could never have that here, of course, but I think this is a far more user-friendly system. The SD system is not the only one on the internet, and IMO far from the best one available. I see nothing wrong, BTW, with **Dio** ’s stock response of “No, it isn’t.” It’s a little chippy, but it says in three words what most posters take a hundred words to express. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416/300 "2011-09-16T14:00:06Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > And yet oddly we have hundreds of other posters on this message board who are able to engage in heated and angry discussions without going into machine-gun-posting I’m-right-you’re-wrong mode. But that’s why the members have circled their wagons, not the staff. That was Dio, we expected it. That’s not why he’s no longer with us. > [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Regarding the moderation, I’ve certainly had my share of beefs with the mods, but in general I’d agree with **Telemark** that my experience with lightly-moderated boards has been…not good. I’m reasonably content with the moderation here most of the time. I agree. I have no complaints with the staff or their actions. I wish I had an answer to the current situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/holy-crap-no-more-dio/596416.md?page=16)