# Ivylass is a humorless idiot **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 16, 2004, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025 "2004-08-16T00:46:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/41 "2004-08-21T06:38:45Z")
How was **lissener** ’s thread any different from the “Onion Headlines for September 11th” thread? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/42 "2004-08-21T06:40:10Z")
Answer: Ivylass is a humorless idiot. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/43 "2004-08-21T16:51:48Z")
Jesus = [Joshua bar-Joseph](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_035a.html) lissener = Charley bar-Andrew What does that make you? [The Rain King](http://launch.yahoo.com/song/default.asp?songID=220676)? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/44 "2004-08-21T17:36:10Z")
Can we call them _both_ humourless idiots? …blowhard, heh. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2004, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/45 "2004-08-21T21:49:29Z")
**Lissener** , in that thread you were being a bit insensitive. Probably more a matter of timing than anything else. The Onion (and prior, the StraightDope) found the dark humor in 9/11 but this was not the next day. People had had their time to mourn. In Florida, like anywhere else, we will find, in time, some humor in this situation. But not before the power is back on or the body count is finalized. What may have been funny to a co-worker 3,000 miles from ground zero doesn’t necessarily play well on a message board or in a written forum where tone, inflection, sarcasm doesn’t not always connote, even with smilies available. Now, by harping on this, you are certainly being a bit of an asshole. From what I recall of other stuff you’ve written, this isn’t your defining archetype, so I’ll cut you some slack. But pitting **Ivylass** for having a reaction that could very well have been predicted does not help your case. Sometimes you’ve got to lissen to that little voice inside your head that says “this might be the best time to make this joke”. Let it go. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/46 "2004-08-25T06:43:56Z")
I recently [made light of an argument](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5194711&highlight=scientific#post5194711) that some of us - including me - had with **lissener** a while back. He emailed me to complain about my little joke. What was this thread about again? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/47 "2004-08-25T07:31:21Z")
Awe, **lissener** , {{hugs}}, come here buddy, I’ll take you under my wing. And speaking strickly as a redneck-homophobe, I don’t often, offer to do that… ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2004, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/48 "2004-08-25T08:12:50Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > A good rule of thumb: if people died from it, don’t joke about it in public. That’s the exact reason that David’s Letterman’s comment to Howard Stern has been the accepted wisdom for the last decade. There is nothing funny about double murder. No surprise that nobody has ever made an O.J. joke since that appearance. Rework your hypothesis. I suggest the following: A good rule of thumb: if people died from it, don’t be the first to joke about it in public, because that guy is an asshole. Be the second person to make a joke, because then you are part of the healing process. Sure, it’s basically PC bullshit, but that’s the world we live in. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 26, 2004, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/49 "2004-08-26T08:15:12Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > That’s the exact reason that David’s Letterman’s comment to Howard Stern has been the accepted wisdom for the last decade. There is nothing funny about double murder. No surprise that nobody has ever made an O.J. joke since that appearance. Refresh my memory: What appearance? What comment? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/50 "2004-08-27T03:46:51Z")
> [@Rilchiam](#): > > Refresh my memory: What appearance? What comment? I don’t have exact quotes. I remember the original appearance, and have heard Howard rail about it numerous times since, and his rants have been pretty in line with my memory of the appearance. Basically, a few days after the infamous low-speed chase, Howard was on Letterman. I believe he was promoting something; perhaps one of his books or his movie. But that’s neither here nor there. Anyway, Howard started riffing about OJ, making jokes about how guilty he obviously looked. The audience didn’t know how to react, and ummediately after a punchline, Dave brought the show to a screeching halt by saying, in a fairly stern voice, “There’s nothing funny about double murder.” Howard was basically left out to dry, and is probably still pissed about it to this day. A week after this appearance, Howard relentlessly ran clips of Letterman and Leno doing OJ jokes in their nightly monologues, ranting about how it was okay for them, but when he tried it Dave buried him. Granted, Howard has a major martyr complex, but the lesson is a very true one. Don’t be the first guy to make the joke, because then you’re the insensitive asshole. Howard has the unfortunate tendency to be the guy to make the first joke. Reminds me of the trouble he got in regarding the Magic Johnson / HIV announcement. Howard (quite legitimately) took Magic to task for sleeping around so willy nilly (couldn’t resist the pun) the day after the press conference, for which he caught some flak. It wasn’t until much later that other people started to point out that maybe, just maybe, Magic wasn’t the greatest role model. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/51 "2004-08-27T04:38:00Z")
I see. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/52 "2004-08-27T17:11:52Z")
It’s interesting to note that when **Troy McClure** bumped this thread to defend him, \*\*lissener \*\* posted within an hour and a half but when **Jeff Olsen** bumped it to point out his hypocrisy, **lissener** ’s not been back in the ensuing two and a half _days_. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2004, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/53 "2004-08-27T19:21:37Z")
Cut lissener a little slack, Aesiron. It takes a great deal of concentration to call a good father who’s in a bad situation an [asshole](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=273131), continue to justify such an absurd and insulting stance and then try to explain it by whining about how bad your parents were. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/54 "2004-09-03T22:21:35Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > It’s interesting to note that when **Troy McClure** bumped this thread to defend him, \*\*lissener \*\* posted within an hour and a half but when **Jeff Olsen** bumped it to point out his hypocrisy, **lissener** ’s not been back in the ensuing two and a half _days_. I get the impression that he has me on Ignore. Because of a joke. Which I had apologized for via response to his complaint :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/55 "2004-09-03T22:50:02Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > I get the impression that he has me on Ignore. Because of a joke. Which I had apologized for via response to his complaint :rolleyes: I’m sorry Jeff, I’m not allow to confirm your impression. But you didn’t apologize: you framed another insult as a sham of an apology. So since then I’ve pretty well written you off. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/56 "2004-09-03T23:17:15Z")
Oh, and not only that, you turned around and used that private email exchange to resurrect this thread, which had dropped off the first page, in order to call me names again. And you wonder why I ignore you? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2004, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/57 "2004-09-03T23:27:35Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > Oh, and not only that, you turned around and used that private email exchange to resurrect this thread, which had dropped off the first page, in order to call me names again. And you wonder why I ignore you? Respect for your betters? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/58 "2004-09-04T00:58:26Z")
> [@lissener](#): > > But you didn’t apologize: you framed another insult as a sham of an apology. Insult? All I did was point out that you misinterpreted my joke and I meant the apology. Again, I’m sorry if I struck a nerve. > [@](#): > > Oh, and not only that, you turned around and used that private email exchange to resurrect this thread I’m sorry but I felt everyone should know that you don’t practice what you preach. Humor is subjective, you see. Shouldn’t be calling people humorless idiots for not finding the humor in a bad situation when you yourself fail to find humor in another bad situation. By the way, in case you haven’t noticed - which you would have if you had been paying attention to my posts - I’m not the one calling you names here or anywhere else for that matter. That’s because I’ve moved on. You should try that sometime. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/59 "2004-09-04T01:10:25Z")
> [@Jeff Olsen](#): > > Insult? All I did was point out that you misinterpreted my joke and I meant the apology. Again, I’m sorry if I struck a nerve.I’m sorry but I felt everyone should know that you don’t practice what you preach. Humor is subjective, you see. Shouldn’t be calling people humorless idiots for not finding the humor in a bad situation when you yourself fail to find humor in another bad situation. > > By the way, in case you haven’t noticed - which you would have if you had been paying attention to my posts - I’m not the one calling you names here or anywhere else for that matter. That’s because I’ve moved on. You should try that sometime. You’re a dishonest asshole. I never complained. I pointed out that you continued to resurrect, as a taunt, an old thread that you think you won because I stopped arguing. You were demonstrably and verifiably wrong in that thread, but you just stubborned me to death. So I did move quietly on. It was your childish gloating about your nonvictory that pushed me to email you privately to try to explain why I had backed away from that thread, and to demand that you stop bringing it up in such a dishonest way, when my silence had made it clear that I was not interested in continuing the argument. Coward that you are, you filled in my resigned silence with your childish, and hollow, gloating. To respond “sorry I hit a nerve” is not an apology, it’s more gloating. That the post which inspired me to email you was framed in gloating sarcasm does not give you the get-out-of-jail-free excuse of “what? what did I say? it was a joke!” Coward. Liar. Asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025/60 "2004-09-04T01:19:01Z")
**lissner** , believe what you want. It’s obvious that trying to correct you is pointless. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ivylass-is-a-humorless-idiot/260025.md?page=4)