# I am SPARTACUS -- I mean msmith537

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-spartacus-i-mean-msmith537/795294>\
**Category:** About This Message Board\
**Created:** [September 2, 2017, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-spartacus-i-mean-msmith537/795294 "2017-09-02T02:16:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 11

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**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\
**Post date:** [September 2, 2017, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-spartacus-i-mean-msmith537/795294/11 "2017-09-02T18:34:26Z")

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> [@Richard\_Parker](#):
>
> If you are insulted by a totally fair paraphrase of your comments, then that paraphrase is something really quite useful in the discussion.
> 
> If the paraphrase is unfair, then it’s just an insult.
> 
> I don’t think you get to duck that distinction by observing that the paraphrase was inflammatory. The unferlying opinion was inflammatory.

For what it’s worth, **Flyer** himself later conceded that the paraphrase was _semantically_ accurate (albeit with a hate-the-sinner-not-the-sin preamble):

> [@making america great again](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/making-america-great-again/794585/106):
>
> …I have a problem with homosexual behavior…

So the bone of contention is **msmith537** ’s introduction of explicit inflammatory/offensive vocabulary (outside the Pit) that was absent in the original. I’m in two minds about this. It’s pretty clear that **Flyer** used the standard weasel words that actually mean precisely what **msmith537** said they mean.

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