# I pit Bricker for admitting he plans to make posts that are "clearly and utterly unreasonable" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 1, 2014, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080 "2014-12-01T22:24:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 19
**Author:** ![OwnRules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@OwnRules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OwnRules)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/361 "2014-12-11T21:23:07Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Penis Gallery. Paper Tube Fans. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/362 "2014-12-11T21:36:40Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Oh, I understand what you’re saying. I just don’t believe you. > > I think your purpose was in getting the hypocrisy accusation across in a semi-humorous way, so as to cover for yourself. > > But it doesn’t really work that way. I explained this earlier. For you it doesn’t. But again, you’re very stupid. YOu don’t get the fact that I was specifically NOT covering for myself. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/363 "2014-12-11T21:40:26Z")
The “not covering for yourself” was supposed to be the joke part. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/364 "2014-12-11T21:41:15Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > The “not covering for yourself” was supposed to be the joke part. For fuck’s sake. ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/365 "2014-12-11T21:44:04Z")
Finally one thing we agree about. ---
**Author:** ![OwnRules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ea666f/32.png) [@OwnRules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OwnRules)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/366 "2014-12-11T21:45:05Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I get the impression that in FP’s mind, he’s sitting in an elegant hardwood study, wearing a smoking jacket, with a snifter of brandy and a cigarillo, absently casting off pithy remarks with which to chastise the hooples. Something to do with one of his possible chilhood idols? Say **Rick** , just wondering, any opinions on [**Trujillo**](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Trujillo)? Or would you rather plead the Fifth? I’d understand. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/367 "2014-12-11T22:19:06Z")
How is this even a fucking discussion? We don’t hold a lion accountable for murder. If someone does something wrong and _knows_ that it’s wrong, then they rightfully deserve to be treated more harshly than someone who does something wrong and doesn’t fucking get it. Case in point: **Bricker** and **Der Trihs**. **Der Trihs** is a moron who doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand that painting all republicans with the “evil” brush is wrong. It’s unfortunate that he posts the crap he does. But you know what? He’s apparently mentally retarded, so we give him a little more leeway. **Bricker** , on the other hand, _knows_ that it’s fucked. He’s not a fucking retard. He just opts to act like one. No clue why. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/368 "2014-12-11T22:22:55Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > It may well have been the wrong time. I find meta jokes entirely too amusing and don’t resist them often. Glad that its nature was clear to at least some. I got the joke. It was funny. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/369 "2014-12-11T22:44:55Z")
Oh lord. Funny? I don’t know I’d even go that far. It was kind of a throwaway line meant mostly to amuse myself. In any case, by now whatever humor it may have had is as dead as FP’s sense of proportion, Shodan’s sense of irony, or the Democratic party’s sense of moral fiber. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/370 "2014-12-12T00:55:20Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > Bottom line is that there’s a positive and a negative aspect to it, and in your opinion the negative outweighs the positive and in my opinion the positive outweighs the negative, and it’s one of these judgment calls that can’t be proved either way so everyone does their thing. (The only way to resolve it would be to find another thread where one of us has expressed the exact opposite position when it served our interests … :)) Next time you see a thread in which someone does some hypocrisy-hunting and you think it actually resulted in useful communication, post about it in this thread and we can discuss it. It’s also worth pointing out that of course context and tone matter. Part of what irritated me about Bricker’s bringing up the MA Senate stuff was that he didn’t say “hey, but this seems awfully similar to this other situation… can you explain what the differences are?”. Instead he went straight to “well, we know you guys didn’t complain about the MA Senate stuff, so clearly you’re hypocrites” (probably exaggerated). To the extent that there is benefit to be found in hypocrisy-hunting (for the various reasons you explained or for others), you can still choose to be polite and inquisitive as opposed to being accusatory and confrontational. Again, I don’t mean this to be scoldy, “how dare you raise your voice in anger in the civilized confines of the SDMB”. I’m just saying, think about what your actual objective is in the debate you are in, and consider what type of interaction is actually going to help you achieve that objective, rather than just giving you the giddy thrill of pissing off the people you disagree with. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/371 "2014-12-12T02:00:08Z")
You say, like, let him without sin cast the first stone, and look over and **Bricker** ’s got a rock in each hand and is figuring the range… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/372 "2014-12-12T02:06:08Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Case in point: **Bricker** and **Der Trihs**. **Der Trihs** is a moron who doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand that painting all republicans with the “evil” brush is wrong. It’s unfortunate that he posts the crap he does. But you know what? He’s apparently mentally retarded, so we give him a little more leeway. Just to be clear, **Der Trihs** is hardly the only poster here who does that. It’s actually pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/373 "2014-12-12T03:33:00Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/374 "2014-12-12T14:12:44Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > Next time you see a thread in which someone does some hypocrisy-hunting and you think it actually resulted in useful communication, post about it in this thread and we can discuss it. I don’t know if “resulted in useful communication” is the proper standard. If the hypocrisy-hunting made a valid point in context and/or offset misleading connotations etc., then that’s a positive in my book, even if it didn’t subsequently result in further useful communication. > [@](#): > > It’s also worth pointing out that of course context and tone matter. Part of what irritated me about Bricker’s bringing up the MA Senate stuff was that he didn’t say “hey, but this seems awfully similar to this other situation… can you explain what the differences are?”. Instead he went straight to “well, we know you guys didn’t complain about the MA Senate stuff, so clearly you’re hypocrites” (probably exaggerated). To the extent that there is benefit to be found in hypocrisy-hunting (for the various reasons you explained or for others), you can still choose to be polite and inquisitive as opposed to being accusatory and confrontational. Again, I’ve not really read that thread, and don’t know what the original tone was and what Bricker’s was (& you yourself were unclear on this issue earlier on). But if there was a frank and cordial exchange of ideas taking place and Bricker derailed the discussion by saying “you guys are all just a bunch of hypocrites”, then I agree with you. But if even before that issue was brought up it was already the typical “Republicans suck!!” discussion suggested by the thread title, then I disagree and think that tone would be appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2014, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080/375 "2014-12-12T15:34:35Z")
> [@Fotheringay-Phipps](#): > > I don’t know if “resulted in useful communication” is the proper standard. If the hypocrisy-hunting made a valid point in context and/or offset misleading connotations etc., then that’s a positive in my book, even if it didn’t subsequently result in further useful communication. Sure, and if that happens, let me know. > [@](#): > > Again, I’ve not really read that thread, and don’t know what the original tone was and what Bricker’s was (& you yourself were unclear on this issue earlier on). But if there was a frank and cordial exchange of ideas taking place and Bricker derailed the discussion by saying “you guys are all just a bunch of hypocrites”, then I agree with you. But if even before that issue was brought up it was already the typical “Republicans suck!!” discussion suggested by the thread title, then I disagree and think that tone would be appropriate. It’s not like the thread was perfect and then became terrible. But I’d say the thread was already bad and then became worse (although this issue was brought up several times over the course of the multi-year thread, so to be really fair you’d have to analyze each instance separately…) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-bricker-for-admitting-he-plans-to-make-posts-that-are-clearly-and-utterly-unreasonable/706080.md?page=18)