# Idle Thoughts - I don't get it. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 21, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243 "2012-01-21T21:46:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/1 "2012-01-21T21:46:38Z")
From [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597387&page=3) Post #136. Referencing my post #132. Which was made because of post #126. Where Clothahump displays an amazing lack of understanding regarding sarcasm and the use of the “:rolleyes:” smiley. The one that says “sarcastic” when you mouse over it. > [@So Cops Have These Things Now...](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-cops-have-these-things-now/571604/136): > > Dial back the anger, **echo6160**. This post is out of line for MPSIMS. Don’t call others names or use insults again. > > No warning issued. > > **Idle Thoughts** Doesn’t “again” imply there was a first occurrence? And if you’re reading anger out of my post, then I guess it’s true what they say: Reality is 9/10 perception and the facts don’t matter. Looks to me like ignorance followed that last quick jab with a feisty left hook. And the fight rages on! What I honestly read from your “non-warning” is that when something waddles by and quacks, it would be in my best interest to NOT mention that it looks a lot like a duck. It’s like one of those picnics where everybody knows that one relative who is an amazing fool and constantly makes everything less enjoyable but nobody can call them out on it because of some unspoken rule. Is that what MPSIMS is? A family picnic? In Minnesota? At Garrison Keilor’s Lutheran church? If anyone was diminishing the quality of the conversation in the thread it was **Clothahump**. He/she totally misrepresented\*\* Airman Doors\*\*’ post and turned it into a “you’re wrong because I believe I am right and do not understand what you said” thing. All I tried to do was acknowledge it and move the conversation along. I don’t think I want to live in a world where noticing what something looks like is an insult. Or maybe I already do… [southern preacher accent/] Lord Jesus take me now! These heathens and their silliness are overwhelming me! [\southern preacher accent] ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/2 "2012-01-21T22:01:40Z")
A more direct quote qould have helped but you did imply he was an UberDouche. Pretty insulting. I think you were right but didn’t need the insult to state it. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/3 "2012-01-21T23:09:34Z")
…My point is that I wasn’t really implying that at all…I was just pointing out that his choice of words made him look that way. I saw the waddle, heard the quack, and said “That looks like a duck.” I guess I’m just trying to figure out the lines here…where are they drawn, and how thick are they? Because I just don’t get it, as the thread title indicates. ---
**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:** [January 21, 2012, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/4 "2012-01-21T23:17:37Z")
I’ve come to expect a certain type of post when I see someone using the “I’m just calling 'em like I see 'em!” line of reasoning. Yours didn’t fail to disappoint. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/5 "2012-01-21T23:44:14Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > From [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597387&page=3) Post #136. Referencing my post #132. Which was made because of post #126. Where Clothahump displays an amazing lack of understanding regarding sarcasm and the use of the “:rolleyes:” smiley. The one that says “sarcastic” when you mouse over it. > > Doesn’t “again” imply there was a first occurrence? “Again” states clearly that this was one occurrence and is warning against there being another one. > [@](#): > > I saw the waddle, heard the quack, and said “That looks like a duck.” Nope. You could have and should have said “you are wrong, here is why.” Instead you decided to insult. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/6 "2012-01-21T23:45:36Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > …My point is that I wasn’t really implying that at all…I was just pointing out that his choice of words made him look that way. > > I saw the waddle, heard the quack, and said “That looks like a duck.” A more accurate description would have been, “I saw _what appeared to me_ to be the waddle and heard _what sounded to me_ to be a quack…”. Never-the-less, the back-handed Uberdouche slur added nothing to your point. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/7 "2012-01-21T23:45:37Z")
A certain type of post? Meh…can’t tell if that’s some type of derision or faint praise. If you see a stranger clearly do something they didn’t realize made them look ridiculous, and you had the temerity to mention it, would it be an insult? If a guy at the bar starts talking obnoxiously and makes himself look and sound like a fool (or douche, or even an a-hole) and it is brought to his attention - that’s an insult? \*\*Clothahump’s \*\*choice of words made him appear like a super jerky person. I didn’t say he was, or that he intended to be, just that he came across that way - and it was kinda funny to watch. Plus, my post carried on with the conversation mainly…not like I posted just to say “You’re a douche!”. Why the hell did that merit a “non-warning” warning? I guess it’s all just about whining over the fact that I countered this guy’s apparent smug attitude with little fear of his opinion that people aren’t liking. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/8 "2012-01-21T23:50:13Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > A certain type of post? Meh…can’t tell if that’s some type of derision or faint praise. > > If you see a stranger clearly do something they didn’t realize made them look ridiculous, and you had the temerity to mention it, would it be an insult? If a guy at the bar starts talking obnoxiously and makes himself look and sound like a fool (or douche, or even an a-hole) and it is brought to his attention - that’s an insult? \*\*Clothahump’s \*\*choice of words made him appear like a super jerky person. I didn’t say he was, or that he intended to be, just that he came across that way - and it was kinda funny to watch. Plus, my post carried on with the conversation mainly…not like I posted just to say “You’re a douche!”. Why the hell did that merit a “non-warning” warning? > > I guess it’s all just about whining over the fact that I countered this guy’s apparent smug attitude with little fear of his opinion that people aren’t liking. Being a jerk is against the rules. If you thought he was being a jerk you should have reported him or brought it to the pit. I don’t see how its that hard to see. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/9 "2012-01-21T23:50:24Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > A more accurate description would have been, “I saw _what appeared to me_ to be the waddle and heard _what sounded to me_ to be a quack…”. > > Never-the-less, the back-handed Uberdouche slur added nothing to your point. Oh my my, I apologize for not respecting the rules of pedantry. My bad! I should have said it soooo much differently. See, if only I used the dictionary of P.C. and danced around the obvious “He is being a f@#$ing douche” aspect of what I was replying to I wouldn’t have been warned. Right? For crying out loud, civil discourse has taken some real blows lately if there is to be absolutely zero mention of the poor behavior of those with whom we speak. I don’t mind being called out on my doucheyness I just didn’t get how my post warranted a “Don’t do it again” type of warning. Really… ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/10 "2012-01-21T23:52:07Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > \ > > Nope. You could have and should have said “you are wrong, here is why.” Instead you decided to insult. Oh - so the rules of the Great Debates forum now apply to every other forum? I have to phrase my responses\* just so\* in order to make any contribution to a discussion? That’s definitely something I can say “I don’t get it” to. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/11 "2012-01-21T23:54:02Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Being a jerk is against the rules. If you thought he was being a jerk you should have reported him or brought it to the pit. I don’t see how its that hard to see. Maybe I didn’t want to be bothered with all that rigamarole. All that needed to be done was mention the jerky nature of the choice of words, make a counter point, and move the conversation along. You don’t call the teacher over to help you every time someone says something you don’t like in the school cafeteria. Is this something that we as adults need to start doing? I guess I need to start checking the Pit for a thread about me soon eh? Sounds like there may be posters who don’t like my choice of words. Guess they’ll have to Pit me if they want to mention it. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Doctor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/12 "2012-01-21T23:58:15Z")
Chill out dude. Let the Moderator in question answer. A Mod Note ain’t really that serious to begin with. ---
**Author:** ![Uber\_the\_Goober](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/58956e/32.png) [@Uber\_the\_Goober](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uber_the_Goober)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2012, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/13 "2012-01-21T23:59:50Z")
> [@Doctor](#): > > Chill out dude. Let the Moderator in question answer. A Mod Note ain’t really that serious to begin with. Meh, just happens that I am online right now, which doesn’t happen often, so I thought I would reply to the posts I saw while I had the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/14 "2012-01-22T00:03:55Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > Oh - so the rules of the Great Debates forum now apply to every other forum? I have to phrase my responses\* just so\* in order to make any contribution to a discussion? That’s definitely something I can say “I don’t get it” to. No insults has always been a rule in every forum other than the pit. Its not new. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/15 "2012-01-22T00:27:05Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > No insults has always been a rule in every forum other than the pit. Its not new. Quoted for emphasis. Them’s the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/16 "2012-01-22T00:45:18Z")
> [@samclem](#): > > Quoted for emphasis. Them’s the rules. If I knew you were going to quote it I would have been more eloquent. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2012, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/17 "2012-01-22T01:07:24Z")
These two statements are equivalent: You are an UberDouche. What you said makes you look like and UberDouche. You can’t say the first, and so you can’t say the second, outside the Pit. ---
**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:** [January 22, 2012, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/18 "2012-01-22T01:20:45Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > What I honestly read from your “non-warning” is that when something waddles by and quacks, it would be in my best interest to NOT mention that it looks a lot like a duck. It’s like one of those picnics where everybody knows that one relative who is an amazing fool and constantly makes everything less enjoyable but nobody can call them out on it because of some unspoken rule. Is that what MPSIMS is? A family picnic? In Minnesota? At Garrison Keilor’s Lutheran church? Rather, it’s like one of those picnics where people are generally being cordial, except for the drunken uncle staggering around and calling people uberdouches, and someone takes him aside and tells him to cool it, and he shakes off their calming arm and starts ranting about how he just calls it like he sees it. Yeah, that’s what it’s like. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/19 "2012-01-22T02:10:27Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > Doesn’t “again” imply there was a first occurrence? Yes, you implied the poster was an “Uberdouche”, if I read correctly. > [@echo6160](#): > > I don’t mind being called out on my doucheyness I just didn’t get how my post warranted a “Don’t do it again” type of warning. Really… You didn’t get a warning. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 22, 2012, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243/20 "2012-01-22T02:12:37Z")
> [@echo6160](#): > > A certain type of post? Meh…can’t tell if that’s some type of derision or faint praise. It’s derision. Let me know if there’s anything else I can help you with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts-i-dont-get-it/610243.md?page=2)