# I take umbrage with both this warning and the mod attitude **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 18, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138 "2012-04-18T08:13:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/1 "2012-04-18T08:13:08Z")
In this thread here on Spitfires buried in Burma ([Spitfires buried in Burma for 67 years - is this true and could they fly? - Factual Questions - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=648369)) Another poster (IMHO) acts like a jerk and _I’m_ the one who gets warned over it? I’ve been posting here for many years, and never had any warnings or run-ins with the mods that I’m aware of. I recently took some time off because (among other things) I didn’t like the way the tone of the boards was going in some directions and thought a break might be a good way to get . So, after my break, I come back, and get involved in an interesting discussion on old aeroplanes being found, and was condescended to by another poster in said thread. And observed that people behaving in the same manner as that poster was one of the reasons I took said break. > [@Askance](#): > > They were not on the offensive in AUGUST 1945, when the Spits were buried. The last offensive operation during the war in Burma was on 6th May, according to the very article you linked. > > […] > > So am I; my disagreement is with your statement that the British were on the offensive at the times they were buried. Indeed depending on the exact date in August the whole war may well have been over when they were buried. > [@Martini Enfield](#): > > Personally, I’d consider “Having won the war” as the epitome of “being on the offensive.” They certainly weren’t on the defensive, or worried about the Japanese getting them, which is what your condescending one-word rebuttal to a number of earlier posts seemed to be implying. > > It’s people like you, being a dick for no reason, that remind me why I took an extended break from this place. Result? This post from **Colibri** : > [@Spitfires buried in Burma for 67 years - is this true and could they fly?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spitfires-buried-in-burma-for-67-years-is-this-true-and-could-they-fly/618773/34): > > [Modertor Warning] > > If you are going to come back and insult people, you might find your next break will be involuntary. This is an official warning. Do not do this again. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator All I can say is: _SERIOUSLY???_ 😕 Firstly, I don’t consider the scenario to be a personal insult. Fair and perhaps unrefined comment on someone’s _actions_, yes, but an insult? I would suggest you’d have to have wafer-thin skin to be insulted by that, especially in the context of the exchange in the thread. Secondly, I’ve seen people do far, far worse things and get let off with either nothing or a mod note at best. And I get a bloody warning and an implied threat of suspension or ban for noting that people behaving in a particular way were one of the reasons I took a break in the first place? As the thread title says, I take umbrage. A Mod note? Sure, OK, not great, but contextually appropriate and something I can work worth. But I say a warning is manifestly excessive and the implied threat of permaban inappropriate and unprofessional. Thus do I petition The Council Of Mods to rescind said warning and suspension/ban implication. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2012, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/2 "2012-04-18T10:35:07Z")
You called another poster a dick. I wouldn’t expect to get very far with this. I think the warning was merited. ETA - Since you were not in the Pit. You probably would have gotten away with it there. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/3 "2012-04-18T11:26:11Z")
Seems pretty cut and dried warning to me. Sorry to disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/4 "2012-04-18T11:38:31Z")
I honestly cannot see anything in the other guy’s post that could possibly be interpreted as him being condescending or rude. I think you just might have come back with a chip on your shoulder. ---
**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:** [April 18, 2012, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/5 "2012-04-18T11:58:45Z")
Love the word “umbrage”. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/6 "2012-04-18T12:00:14Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > Seems pretty cut and dried warning to me. Sorry to disagree. Same here, I’m not sure what your complaint is. Since you seem to agree that you were wrong to post that, the difference between a note and a warning is the only place you have to argue. While that is a judgment call, it seems justified here, IMO. Your dig about why you took a break was just the bit to push you over the line. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/7 "2012-04-18T12:02:48Z")
Don’t take too much umbrage; there’s little enough to go around as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/8 "2012-04-18T12:21:14Z")
I agree with you Martini as far as the other poster goes, and do think in context the warning was a bit harsh, a general ‘tone it down’ as probably more warranted in my view. But I dont think you’re going to win this one, and in the grand scheme it doesnt really matter that much unless you let it. Otara ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/9 "2012-04-18T12:57:01Z")
Why, exactly, do you think you should be allowed to call someone a dick in GQ? I’m a little confused. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/10 "2012-04-18T13:06:49Z")
I don’t know who had the correct argument regarding the airplanes, but you can’t call someone a dick because they disagree with you. The Mod _could_ have given you a note instead of a warning, but with a join date of 2006 you should know the rules by now. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/11 "2012-04-18T13:49:25Z")
Honestly. The warning was deserved. Calling someone a dick outside the pit is pretty much against the rules. Move on and learn from it, it’s not the end of the world. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/12 "2012-04-18T13:51:59Z")
He didn’t call anyone a dick. He said **Askance** was _being_ a dick, and he was. That said, I wouldn’t have expected to get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/13 "2012-04-18T13:55:57Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He didn’t call anyone a dick. He said **Askance** was _being_ a dick, and he was. You can’t be serious. If someone wanted to know what “distinction without a difference” means, the above quote from you would be the _perfect_ example. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/14 "2012-04-18T14:07:24Z")
Called him a dick. Open and shut case, Johnson. Now let’s sprinkle some crack on him and get the fuck out of here. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/15 "2012-04-18T14:17:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > You can’t be serious. If someone wanted to know what “distinction without a difference” means, the above quote from you would be the _perfect_ example. The board rules already observe distinctions without difference. You’re free to tell someone their argument is fucking idiotic in GD, but you can’t call them a fucking idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/16 "2012-04-18T14:19:02Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > The board rules already observe distinctions without difference. You’re free to tell someone their argument is fucking idiotic in GD, but you can’t call them a fucking idiot. But if you say they are being a fucking idiot, you _will_ get called on it. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/17 "2012-04-18T14:25:09Z")
**Askance** was terse with his one word response, which might reasonbly be felt as a bit rude. He did elaborate in further posts, before your remark. You then called him a dick in GQ. Yeah, I’m siding with the mods on this one. Outright rules violation. > [@](#): > > Firstly, I don’t consider the scenario to be a personal insult. Fair and perhaps unrefined comment on someone’s _actions_, yes, but an insult? I would suggest you’d have to have wafer-thin skin to be insulted by that, especially in the context of the exchange in the thread. You said > [@](#): > > It’s people like you, being a dick for no reason, that remind me why I took an extended break from this place. That doesn’t pass the time-honored tradition of commenting on the post, not the poster. _In theory_, “being a dick for no reason” could be interpreted as a vague description of actions. **In practice (on this board)**, that remark is not descriptive of actions, it is asserting a remark about the person’s character. You’re also not allowed to call someone a “liar” even if they are stating falsehoods. You’re also not allowed to say someone is “being a jerk” in GQ, and “dick” is a step harsher than “jerk”. And the context of the exchange in the thread? I saw **Askance** make a few brief, one word replies to a couple of sentences, where he highlighted the parts he objected to and put “No”. He then included a slightly longer reply to a couple of the statements with an article link to support his position. You felt his one word reply was rude, and argued the definition of “being on the offensive”. **Askance** replied in a fairly benign tone a counterargument to “being on the offensive”, with reference to a link you cited. Then you name-called. So I’m going to request that you return the umbrage. It wasn’t yours to begin with, anyway. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/18 "2012-04-18T14:49:03Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > He didn’t call anyone a dick. He said **Askance** was _being_ a dick, and he was. That said, I wouldn’t have expected to get away with it. “being a” and “You Are a” are part of the same word (to be). To say someone is being a dick I would imagine one could easily argue is the same as calling them one. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/19 "2012-04-18T15:03:28Z")
This explains why my ex-wife too so much umbrage (love that word) with me when I told her that I wasn’t calling her a bitch, I was saying she was ACTING like a bitch. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138/20 "2012-04-18T15:34:39Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > “being a” and “You Are a” are part of the same word (to be). To say someone is being a dick I would imagine one could easily argue is the same as calling them one. One might make the case that the “you are a \_\_\_\_\_'” implies a permanent condition whereas the “you are acting like a \_\_\_\_\_” indicates an “at this moment” transience. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-take-umbrage-with-both-this-warning-and-the-mod-attitude/619138.md?page=2)