# I alone am capable of reasoned debate **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 22, 2001, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837 "2001-10-22T10:11:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/61 "2001-10-24T21:47:19Z")
[…beating chest…] Why, oh, why do you taunt me so? Why do you attack me with such relentless abandon? And now, from out of the blue, without provocation, you imply, without subtlety, that I consume my own waste. Am I not spread eagle upon the cross of your pointless persecution? Do you truly consider your empty and flippant remark to be intellectually honest and fair? Are you not a sophist of the basest order? Oh, woe! Oh, calamity! Oh, what a heavy weight I bear in sparing you the fullness of my wrath. I warn you. Taunt me further, and I shall unleash upon you _twice_ as many words as these. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/62 "2001-10-24T22:21:20Z")
No! No! Anything but THAT! :eek: ( **Lib** , I hope you realize that I still think of you as a friend. You know what a friend is, don’t you? It’s someone who likes you in spite of yourself.) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Read\_Icculus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Read\_Icculus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Read_Icculus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/63 "2001-10-24T23:04:46Z")
My first post… I have spent the last 4 hours reading posts in several forums, (the last 2 hours of which were spent reading the links in the original post here, as well as some of Lib’s other work.) As someone else stated, Lib is either a genius or a madman. I was unsure until the Vandalay reference. Lib is great. Straightdope is great. Thanks for having me. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/64 "2001-10-24T23:12:38Z")
Welcome Read Icculus, In my experience, he’s both. ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2001, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/65 "2001-10-24T23:35:43Z")
Pretty much both, yup. He seems to have come back rather improved from his last sabbatical, in general getting a better handle on the tendency to unconsciously reduce any opponents to absurdities, and then arguing with the inner caricature instead of the actual human being on the other side of the text. These last couple of In Character threads are doing that consciously, which is a big improvement (I think the first was a bit less forced simply because the I’m Not Impressed, Have You Seen My Shoulder Chip? routine is just a block or two closer to the absurdity neighborhood than the I Am Scholarly And Troweling Debate On Thick gig). ---
**Author:** ![bagkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bagkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bagkitty)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/66 "2001-10-25T11:18:01Z")
Okay, it’s been a couple of days, and I still think industrial grade pharmaceuticals are called for. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/67 "2001-10-25T11:23:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jab1 \* > \*\*No! No! Anything but THAT! :eek: > > ( **Lib** , I hope you realize that I still think of you as a friend. You know what a friend is, don’t you? It’s someone who likes you in spite of yourself.) > 😃 \*\* […waking from dream…] And that’s what makes life worthwhile. Whether you know it or not, you’re the reason I returned here, thanks to a little assistance from SDMB administration. See you in the next lampoon. ---
**Author:** ![aegypt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/76d3ee/32.png) [@aegypt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aegypt)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/68 "2001-10-25T11:55:06Z")
“Who was that masked man?” “Folks call him the Libertarian.” [Wilhelm Tell Overture] [Roll credits] ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/69 "2001-10-25T12:16:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Beagle \* > \*\ ***Astroboy** come hither and let me lay great knowledge upon your feeble countenance. Methinks thou dost have a mere dial up connection, or thou hast no patience. > > You can’t understand the game without a program–and a cable internet connection. Egads, this crap was loading slowly. Anyhoo, this whole thing is directed at **ambushed** whos post on materialism is, shall we say, obtuse. Lib. is affecting a quasi- **ambushed** character. Got it? Good. Now carry on. > > \*\* Thank you, **Beagle** (though I may still have to twack you if the boss says so… nothing personal, I assure you…). I promise, once my LAN is working right again, I’ll read all of the threads so I know what I was talking about…😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/70 "2001-10-25T12:33:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Milossarian \* > \*\*When did **elucidator** change user-names, and does the real **Libertarian** know about it? \*\* Wow, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this. **elucidator** , my favorite poster-on-a-self-proclaimed-pedestal. ---
**Author:** ![jab1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ee7513/32.png) [@jab1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jab1)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837/71 "2001-10-25T21:26:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by jab1 \* > > ( **Lib** , I hope you realize that I still think of you as a friend. You know what a friend is, don’t you? It’s someone who likes you in spite of yourself.)😃 > > Whether you know it or not, **you’re the reason I returned here,** thanks to a little assistance from SDMB administration. Jeez, something else I need to apologize for… 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-alone-am-capable-of-reasoned-debate/88837.md?page=3)