# I protest! **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 24, 2015, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085 "2015-07-24T18:13:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/101 "2015-07-25T22:48:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > True- _but every poster that knows enough about SA to launch a snarky personal attack mentioning the tube_ should know about it. How? where do we find this rule? Please point me to it. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/102 "2015-07-25T22:49:06Z")
I’m also disturbed that this thread has been going on for over a day and not a whiff of comment from the mods. I’m going to report my own post and ask if we’ll be hearing from them soon. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/103 "2015-07-25T23:08:19Z")
If the title had a “doth” in it, maybe somebody could take it seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/104 "2015-07-25T23:16:24Z")
no, then it would be too much! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/105 "2015-07-25T23:35:17Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > I’m also disturbed that this thread has been going on for over a day and not a whiff of comment from the mods. I’m going to report my own post and ask if we’ll be hearing from them soon. Make sure to yell “MOD IS GREAT!” before you push the button. ---
**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:** [July 25, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/106 "2015-07-25T23:36:44Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > How? where do we find this rule? Please point me to it. Yeah, remembering all these various specific rules would be a challenge even for one as gifted as the Amazing Randi. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/107 "2015-07-25T23:57:45Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > no, then it would be too much! Somebody needs to start sending me some money for these perfect set up lines 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/108 "2015-07-26T00:24:19Z")
Ok, now we have: Sheep Buckeyes Paper towel tubes All context specific.\* Anything else? Yes, yes, this is _totally_ reasonable. We should absolutely be required to track and memorize these on our own. :dubious: \*which I only have for 1 of these ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/109 "2015-07-26T00:25:01Z")
Wait, the sheep things isn’t actually one is it? ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/110 "2015-07-26T00:28:45Z")
I don’t know if the sheep thing is, actually. Something about a bitching out via PM. I’m being conservative. It’s on the list. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/111 "2015-07-26T00:34:19Z")
What’s the Straight Dope on quarries? And eels? Seriously, those two things are half my material here people! And if you throw out Step 2 ??? I might as well just blow my brains out and be done with it. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/112 "2015-07-26T00:40:23Z")
Not necessarily. We’ve been kicking this around on the mod loop for a day or so and the consensus is that there is no special rule about Starving Artist but rather a rule about harassment and - for lack of a better word - stalking. It become associated with Starving Artist following the Paterno thread in the BBQ Pit because it became a ‘thing’ to bring it up in other threads - and other fora - in which Starving Artist was participating. This is poor form in almost any forum on the SDMB. Every forum will have its in-jokes and such, of course. However, using them (paper towels, buckeyes, sheep, what-have-you) as a continual thing in threads in which they’re not already a part could be considered harassment. A great deal depends on the context of the thread and the participants. Note the final sentence in paragraph two, however. In the BBQ Pit such harassment and insults can be considered par for the course and each poster should approach with appropriate caution. That said, I think I will rescind RNATB’s warning in this instance. Moving forward, though, I hope it will be clear that harassment - following a poster from thread to thread to mock about older, off topic posts - may be dealt with either a note or a warning. So choose your words carefully and treat your fellow posters with respect, please. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/113 "2015-07-26T00:52:00Z")
I’m glad you reconsidered, Jonathan Chance. I don’t think the stalking rule really applies though. RNTB wasn’t following SA around to harass him. He simply responded to a fairly idiotic post about Donald Trump with a reference to a paper towel tube, another example of one of SA’s idiotic posts. Also too: I have no idea when a reference to sheep would be considered stalking because I don’t know the poster or issue involved. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/114 "2015-07-26T00:58:20Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > Also too: I have no idea when a reference to sheep would be considered stalking because I don’t know the poster or issue involved. It hasn’t ever been and will not be. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/115 "2015-07-26T01:07:18Z")
Since it looks like posters will now be able to snark at me with the paper towel tube thing outside the Paterno thread but in the Pit, will I now be able to respond in kind? As it stands now I’m forbidden to fight back and must limit my comments to the Paterno thread. ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/116 "2015-07-26T01:08:09Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > It hasn’t ever been and will not be. Darn, I was hoping there was a very embarrassing story involving far too much alcohol and a nearby farm. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/117 "2015-07-26T01:18:21Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > I received a warning in **Starving Artist** ’s Trump thread ([here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=18544926&postcount=35)) for bringing up the paper towel tube thing. > > I had never heard that the “incident” was _verboten_, and as far as I can tell no effort was made to advise people that this rule was in place. What rule? What paper towel tube thing? Apparently, I didn’t get the memo either. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/118 "2015-07-26T01:22:18Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > Since it looks like posters will now be able to snark at me with the paper towel tube thing outside the Paterno thread but in the Pit, will I now be able to respond in kind? In kind? You might have trouble finding posters with similar statements in their past. ---
**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:** [July 26, 2015, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085/119 "2015-07-26T01:36:43Z")
You know what? Enough. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-protest/726085.md?page=5)