# How do I ban smart-assed individuals who post in my general questions? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 24, 2019, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159 "2019-08-24T14:52:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/41 "2019-08-26T06:03:55Z")
What I want to now is, how did the OP get away with calling someone a smart-ass in GQ? ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/42 "2019-08-26T06:17:27Z")
I found **Ficer67’s** [last thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=874156) enlightening. > [@](#): > > What do you call the phenomenon when a professional charges you a consultation fee, but then informs you of everything you already know, and talks to you as if you don’t know anything… > > I am looking for the name of a hustle. And, every professional has done this to me, doctors, lawyers, engineers, computer technicians, carpenters, plumbers… > > It’s become plain to me that some of you, who are consultants, have done this to your clients before. And, you are trying to defend your behavior in this message thread… The question that I have posed has been answered, not adequately enough, but to the best of this message board’s ability. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/43 "2019-08-26T06:58:21Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > What I want to now is, how did the OP get away with calling someone a smart-ass in GQ? I don’t know. Maybe the mods didn’t see the report. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/44 "2019-08-26T10:00:24Z")
Stick a fork in him, he’s done. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/45 "2019-08-26T10:30:22Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > What I want to now is, how did the OP get away with calling someone a smart-ass in GQ? Because on this board it’s considered a compliment. Calling someone a _dumb_-ass, OTOH … ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/46 "2019-08-26T11:55:59Z")
> [@Ponder\_Stibbons](#): > > Because on this board it’s considered a compliment. Calling someone a _dumb_-ass, OTOH … We’re all asses here! Some of us are smart asses, and some of us are dumb asses. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/47 "2019-08-26T12:37:53Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > I found **Ficer67’s** [last thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=874156) enlightening. Oh, I see now. _He’s_ the guy who already knows everything. His mission in life is to show everyone how smart he is and how little they know. Makes perfect sense now. I’m gonna miss him. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/48 "2019-08-26T13:09:56Z")
Whatever happened to that dude who would get into debates here and proclaim that he had “banned” posters for their arguments? I think he even had a blog where he kept a running list of the people he’d “banned”, including the date and reason. What was his name, and is he still around? ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/49 "2019-08-26T13:57:43Z")
> [@Defensive\_Indifference](#): > > Whatever happened to that dude who would get into debates here and proclaim that he had “banned” posters for their arguments? I think he even had a blog where he kept a running list of the people he’d “banned”, including the date and reason. What was his name, and is he still around? **brazil84** , if memory serves. Yeah, that guy had serious issues. I think he still posts from time to time. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/50 "2019-08-26T14:05:09Z")
> [@HelenGawn](#): > > I found **Ficer67’s** [last thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=874156) enlightening. Thanks for the link. This clears up the confusion as to why this thread was started in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/51 "2019-08-26T14:12:04Z")
This whole thread reminds me of the classic, “As a matter of fact, I am the fucking hall monitor” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/52 "2019-08-26T14:58:02Z")
Don’t know if \*\*Ficer67 \*\*is still with us, but in case he’s still reading: **Ficer** , what you have to do is pre-empt the anticipated responses in an OP like that. If you mentally anticipate that someone is going to give you a response like, “Just mentally add up the discrepancy in the PDF pages,” then mention that in your OP itself. Say, “I know that I can simply mentally add 9 pages to the page I want to search for, but is there a way to circumvent that so I can actually get to page 141 directly simply by typing in “141” instead of having to do mental-math gymnastics?” Otherwise you end up with the frustrating situation \*\*TokyoBayer \*\*highlighted, where you say “80% of people will suggest Thing X and I know Thing X but want a solution other than Thing X” and people will give you Thing X. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/53 "2019-08-26T15:08:11Z")
I understand getting frustrated by the snarky responses, but keep in mind it’s why there are so many people available to provide helpful answers on a huge variety of topics. That entertainment value is part of the reason people hang around. If things were more cut-and-dry, then people would drift away to places which provided more entertainment. Instead of being able to ask any question on any topic in GQ, you would have to go to an IT board to ask PDF questions, biology forum to ask biology question, physics board to ask a physics question, etc. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/54 "2019-08-26T15:26:40Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I understand getting frustrated by the snarky responses, but keep in mind it’s why there are so many people available to provide helpful answers on a huge variety of topics. That entertainment value is part of the reason people hang around. If things were more cut-and-dry, then people would drift away to places which provided more entertainment. Instead of being able to ask any question on any topic in GQ, you would have to go to an IT board to ask PDF questions, biology forum to ask biology question, physics board to ask a physics question, etc. I don’t think you quite understand the utility of a message board like this. It exists only to serve _my_ needs. Screw everybody else who might want to read it casually for any reason other than to respond to _me_, in the way that _I_ deem is most helpful. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/55 "2019-08-26T16:53:38Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Thanks for the link. This clears up the confusion as to why this thread was started in the first place. As well as clarifies that thread. Now we see why he believes everyone in the world is mistreating him. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/56 "2019-08-26T18:22:23Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I understand getting frustrated by the snarky responses, but keep in mind it’s why there are so many people available to provide helpful answers on a huge variety of topics. That entertainment value is part of the reason people hang around. If things were more cut-and-dry, then people would drift away to places which provided more entertainment. Instead of being able to ask any question on any topic in GQ, you would have to go to an IT board to ask PDF questions, biology forum to ask biology question, physics board to ask a physics question, etc. This is a clever but kind reply, from which **Ficer** could really learn something. On the other hand, I don’t think ridiculing **Ficer** ’s approach for the rest of the thread is an intelligent, mature, or effective way to fight ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/57 "2019-08-26T18:37:08Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I understand getting frustrated by the snarky responses, but keep in mind it’s why there are so many people available to provide helpful answers on a huge variety of topics. That entertainment value is part of the reason people hang around. If things were more cut-and-dry, then people would drift away to places which provided more entertainment. Instead of being able to ask any question on any topic in GQ, you would have to go to an IT board to ask PDF questions, biology forum to ask biology question, physics board to ask a physics question, etc. Be that as it may, I think that mockery or sarcasm in such threads may also discourage posters from participating or contributing as well. If someone has a potentially embarrassing or sensitive question that they want to ask in GQ, the knowledge that they may not get serious responses, but simply knifing mockery may stifle them. I don’t think the OP’s question about PDFs fits that description, but GQ ought to be a forum in which people can ask any factual question they want, and get a serious, factual response. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/58 "2019-08-26T18:42:10Z")
> [@PlaceboTarget](#): > > On the other hand, I don’t think ridiculing **Ficer** ’s approach for the rest of the thread is an intelligent, mature, or effective way to fight ignorance. He started it. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/59 "2019-08-26T19:50:49Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Be that as it may, I think that mockery or sarcasm in such threads may also discourage posters from participating or contributing as well. If someone has a potentially embarrassing or sensitive question that they want to ask in GQ, the knowledge that they may not get serious responses, but simply knifing mockery may stifle them. I don’t think the OP’s question about PDFs fits that description, but GQ ought to be a forum in which people can ask any factual question they want, and get a serious, factual response. But GQ is already that forum, isn’t it? Humorous replies are only allowed after the question has been factually answered. And **Ficer67** incorrectly claimed that **excavating (for a mind)** was being a smartass when he gave a serious answer to the question. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159/60 "2019-08-26T19:54:49Z")
> [@cochrane](#): > > But GQ is already that forum, isn’t it? Humorous replies are only allowed after the question has been factually answered. And **Ficer67** incorrectly claimed that **excavating (for a mind)** was being a smartass when he gave a serious answer to the question. I agree that \*\*excavating \*\*wasn’t being a smartass, he was only given the only factual answer he could give. But as for the “humor is allowed after the factual answer is given,” I don’t think that helps. Suppose someone has a question, “Why do I get so many yeast infections” or “why is one of my testicles so much larger than the other,” then the knowledge that they’ll get a factual answer, but then \*thereafter \*be subjected to subsequent teasing and mockery is still a deterrent to their asking what’s on their mind. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-ban-smart-assed-individuals-who-post-in-my-general-questions/839159.md?page=4)