Jinx, you're a fucking jackass.

[Excalibre]

@Priceguy

So Jinx hasn’t read the US Constitution, and that somehow justifies you spouting profane insults in General Questions? That was the best warning I’ve ever seen.

Yeah. Wow. A guest violated the rules. Let’s all pile on! He made a reasonable point; he did it in a rather impolite way, and he broke the rules of the forum. He got warned. He doesn’t really need every mod wannabe on the boards to warn him again. Besides, he’s right - Jinx is a fucking jackass.

@The King of Soup

People who use their knowledge to feel superior to another who lacks it have missed the point. It’s the seeking of knowledge that is blessed, not the possession of it. It’s the confession of ignorance, not the crowing over a little learning, that we must respect.

I saw no sign in that thread that Jinx had any particular desire to remedy his not having read the Constitution. If you examine the questions he asks, you start to think that maybe he’s not seeking knowledge. Or if he is, he’s doing a bad job of it. His habit is developing an idle curiosity about one minor thing, and then doing nothing to improve his knowledge in general, doing no research on his own, just sort of regurgitating the wanderings of his mind into threads on the SDMB. It’s gross mischaracterization to call that “seeking knowledge”.

@Revtim

Well put, The King of Soup. I’d rather have a thousand Jinxs on the board than one tiel0301.

Really? I mean, let’s face it, Jinx is not exactly heavy cavalry in the war on ignorance. His presence isn’t terribly destructive, but if there were a thousand of him asking inane questions that he could find the answers to anywhere (like, say, on the curriculum of any middle school), the boards would become completely useless for the rest of us. Jinx doesn’t even try to find the answers to things he asks, or to learn anything about the subject matter. It’s lovely to talk about people earnestly seeking knowledge, but Jinx ain’t it. Let’s not canonize the dude, ok?

tiel0301 made a mistake in posting what he did in GQ. A more charitable group of people might not try to chase him off the boards for it.

@silenus

$5 says tiel0301 doesn’t make it through the weekend.

Does anyone remember when this place used to be about, you know, seeking knowledge? Because I’ve noticed that nowadays it’s more about “reinforcing each other’s self-esteem” and not breaking the mindless, happy MPSIMS dynamic which now seems to have taken over the boards. tiel0301 obviously didn’t know the rules, and he broke them in a rather spectacular way. That doesn’t mean he needs to be chased off the board with a pitchfork, though. But I guess there’s no stopping the self-righteous fury of a group of people ganging up on an outside.

Jinx is, at his best, rather annoying. An outsider pointed that out. He’s right about that. He did it wrongly, and he got pointed to the pit by a moderator. Do we have to have this big stupid pile-on?

@tiel0301

I can not believe that OP is being defended. It did not say “I read it and do not understand it”. It said “I am too damn lazy to look it up. Do my work for me.”

You will find that is Jinx’s modus operandi. Like I said, the search for knowledge is far secondary to helping maintain this place’s culture, which is progressively becoming more and more focused on a childish sort of self-esteem building.

For a look at a subculture based entirely on that, check out this thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=372148

In particular, read MrJackboots’ posts. That’s what the SDMB is turning into. If you break the illusion, people here will get very, very angry at you. It’s easier to talk about fighting ignorance and seeking knowledge than to actually try to do it.

@WhyNot

Not to mention you’re a guest. We take that term literally around here, it’s not just messageboardese for “random jerk who hasn’t paid”. You are our guest, and we’ll welcome you into our “home” and let you poke around in our underwear drawers to see if you like the place. But being a guest carries responsibilities, as well. Rather bad form to spew vile in the wrong forum of a message board of which you’re not even a member. I’d suggest a time of lurkitude while you figure out how things work around here before you go all pit happy.

Since when? Are guests “probational members” or something? Because there’s nothing about that in the rules. tiel0301 was rude. He has been told as much already. You don’t need to try to chase him away for it.

@glee

Well the OP makes a contribution and is polite.
Unlike some posters.

By “the OP”, do you mean Jinx? Because he has never made any contribution that I’ve seen.

[Bryan_Ekers]

@Excalibre

Does anyone remember when this place used to be about, you know, seeking knowledge? Because I’ve noticed that nowadays it’s more about “reinforcing each other’s self-esteem” and not breaking the mindless, happy MPSIMS dynamic which now seems to have taken over the boards.

Huh? I thought the board was becoming increasing hostile and cliquish, with even long-time members being turned off by administrator antics and whatnot. Or was that just last month?

It’s getting so’s I need a scorecard.

[Ensign_Edison]

@Excalibre

In particular, read MrJackboots’ posts. That’s what the SDMB is turning into. If you break the illusion, people here will get very, very angry at you. It’s easier to talk about fighting ignorance and seeking knowledge than to actually try to do it.

While I agree with some of your points, I have to say you’re starting to look a little funny around the eyes. Getting that crusader look. You against the board! They’re all gonna be sooo mad at you for saying mean things!

You exaggerate the problem in a way that makes me think you’re having a bit of tunnel vision on this one.

[Ensign_Edison]

PS: tiel, welcome to the boards.

[Daithi_Lacha]

@Excalibre

tiel0301 made a mistake in posting what he did in GQ. A more charitable group of people might not try to chase him off the boards for it.

That’s absolutely true – but then he opened up a pit thread about the self-same mistake, whereas a far more gracious action might have been to let that sleeping dog lie, and to move on. Instead, he iterated his original point and elaborated on it. That sounds like fair game to me.

[Squink]

@Daithi Lacha

That sounds like fair game to me.

Someone lets loose a bunch of caged pheasants into a small enclosure and dopers just shoot until they are all dead. I remember a report of this a year or so ago that they had shot 300 of the poor birds.
-paraphrased here

[Excalibre]

@Daithi Lacha

That’s absolutely true – but then he opened up a pit thread about the self-same mistake, whereas a far more gracious action might have been to let that sleeping dog lie, and to move on. Instead, he iterated his original point and elaborated on it. That sounds like fair game to me.

Actually, a mod specifically suggested that this kind of thing was acceptable - and even welcomed - in the pit. It might not have been explicit advice to start a pit thread, but it would be easy to take it that way. Besides, why does it deserve to be castigated for starting a pit thread over Jinx? I’m tired of the crazy-ass self-righteous tone of threads like this - there’s something really ironic about all the people trying to chase someone away for saying something nasty (albeit thoroughly deserved) about Jinx and being a hundred times nastier in the process. tiel0301 didn’t encourage Jinx to leave as most of you people are trying to do.

Interesting choice of words, though - “fair game”. That’s essentially it, isn’t it? Once someone “deserves it”, a pile-on starts to chase them off the boards. It’s remarkable to me that it seems that lately the ultimate SDMB sin is being mean - unless of course you’re joining in a pile-on on someone else who is being punished for being mean. It’s a weird, sort of creepy thing that has started here.

It’s amazing to me that so many of you can be so self-righteous while simultaneously treating a guest - who obviously doesn’t understand much about the boards’ culture - far worse than he treated anyone. But once he marks himself “fair game”, I guess the community lets out all their pent-up rage upon him?

[Daithi_Lacha]

@Squink

Someone lets loose a bunch of caged pheasants into a small enclosure and dopers just shoot until they are all dead. I remember a report of this a year or so ago that they had shot 300 of the poor birds.
-paraphrased here

OK, yes, except for one small difference: we don’t have shotguns, only words. Same as tiel0301. It’s not like we’re physically going 'round to his house to give him a massive wedgie en masse, we’re just typing stuff at him, same as he typed stuff at jinx. And he’s more than free to type stuff back at us, as he’s shown. Your hyperbolic point is noted, I just don’t know how much weight it can possibly carry.

[Dunderman]

@Daithi Lacha

That’s absolutely true – but then he opened up a pit thread about the self-same mistake, whereas a far more gracious action might have been to let that sleeping dog lie, and to move on. Instead, he iterated his original point and elaborated on it. That sounds like fair game to me.

Exactly. No-one bothered him until he opened this thread.

[WhyNot]

Oh, please. This isn’t a pile-on. It’s a puppy pile. A self-professed long time lurker got his widdle puppy nose thwacked by a mod, came in here to try to piddle his wee here, and we let him know his nose-thwacking was appropriate and condoned by many of us.

You want a pile-on, go review Spongemom’s ordeal.

[Excalibre]

@WhyNot

Oh, please. This isn’t a pile-on. It’s a puppy pile. A self-professed long time lurker got his widdle puppy nose thwacked by a mod, came in here to try to piddle his wee here, and we let him know his nose-thwacking was appropriate and condoned by many of us.

This is a clear attempt to chase someone away from the boards. He broke the rules, he got rebuked for it, he got directed by a mod to start a pit thread, and a pile-on ensued. It’s not that he did anything that bad - it’s just that he made himself “fair game” - an acceptable target for people’s moralistic self-righteousness. Being chased away for what he did is punishment far in excess of his crime - but that’s not what matters, right? As long as you feel you can claim the moral high ground, you can be as nasty as you like. It’s apparent that this is just opportunism - a chance to be as nasty as you want while still being “in the right”.

You want a pile-on, go review Spongemom’s ordeal.

Except that Spongemom deserved every pit of what she got - but then, I guess letting her four kittens outside to be killed by the neighbor’s dog in the neighbor’s yard isn’t that bad, right?

[WhyNot]

Who’s trying to chase him away? Two of us suggested he might want to lurk more and get to know the board’s culture before jumping in. No one’s told him to go away.

The only people who’ve been even slightly nasty here are you, Excalibre, and the OP. The rest of us are just a bunch of "me-too"ers who like to use a lot of words.

I agree that Spongemom’s pile-on was deserved. It was also a true pile-on. This isn’t even a pile-near. I’m so meh about this whole thread. I couldn’t be any cooler if I was Zaphod Beebelbrox.

[Daithi_Lacha]

Anyway, according to the OP, he’s got “years of lurking” under his belt, so it seems like his flauting of the rules was pretty flagrant. Either the lurking is a lie, in which case he actually is a newbie and might be entitled to a little slack-cutting, or it’s true, in which case this turned-about pitting is justifiable.

[Dunderman]

@Daithi Lacha

Either the lurking is a lie, in which case he actually is a newbie and might be entitled to a little slack-cutting

Since he is then a lying newbie, I think he’s entitled to no slack-cutting at all.

[Excalibre]

@WhyNot

Who’s trying to chase him away? Two of us suggested he might want to lurk more and get to know the board’s culture before jumping in. No one’s told him to go away.

@The King of Soup

Think about that before you become a member and grace us with any more glimpses into your angry little mind.

@Revtim

Well put, The King of Soup. I’d rather have a thousand Jinxs on the board than one tiel0301.

Right. I suppose this was nothing but good advice. The King of Soup was just helpfully pointing out that he has an “angry little mind”. And Revtim wasn’t encouraging him not to join or anything.

The only people who’ve been even slightly nasty here are you, Excalibre, and the OP. The rest of us are just a bunch of "me-too"ers who like to use a lot of words.

I’ve been nasty? Yeah, I said what I thought of Jinx. You admitted he was annoying too. But I’m not here venting all my anger on someone because they’re “fair game”.

I agree that Spongemom’s pile-on was deserved. It was also a true pile-on. This isn’t even a pile-near. I’m so meh about this whole thread. I couldn’t be any cooler if I was Zaphod Beebelbrox.

No, you’re just being moralistic and self-righteous, as most of the people in this thread have been.

[Miller]

@Excalibre

No, you’re just being moralistic and self-righteous, as most of the people in this thread have been.

Including, it should be pointed out, the OP.

[Gangster_Octopus]

He didn’t come in here to rant about the warning he got, he came in here to rant about jinx. I see nothing wrong with him satarting this thread.

[Excalibre]

@Miller

Including, it should be pointed out, the OP.

I don’t see it.

[aldiboronti]

Oh, get off the fucking high horse, Excalibre.

The OP admitted he’s been lurking for years. He must know full well that if you open a pit thread it can turn around and bite you in the ass.

And, tiel0301, you might wanna consider changing the title to Jinx, I’m a fucking jackass. It gives people a far better idea of what the thread is about.

[askeptic]

In an effort to address the OP I actuall posted the following in the GQ thread:

@me in the other thread

I actually kind of agreed with your sentiment, but then thought about it a bit more. I guess the Constitution really is not that important for most peoples lives. There is no way people who do not study it and keep up with current SCOTUS decisions can really understand it.

I mean what is “due process” “unreasonable search and siezure” “Takings”? What constitutes “necessary and proper”," Full faith and credit". Do “the People” have the right to “keep and bear arms”? Or does only a “well regulated mallitia” have that right. What is “probable cause”? What constitutes a “speedy trial”? What part of “Common Law” provides for rexamination after a trial by jury? What is “excessive bail”? What are the “certain rights” retained by the people? What are “privileges and immunities”? Which ammendments are applicable to the States through incorporation and why? What are the negative implications of the commerce clause? One must know the answers to all these questions and many many more to really understand the Constitution.

So after thinking about it a little I guess I have to say that no, for most people its not really important to read the constitution. It has no impact on their day to day life. That is not to say that no one should read it. Just that without a lot of study merely reading the words on the page is a matter of only passing interest and only serves to assuage idle curiosity.

The Constitution is not as simple and clear cut as many in this thread seem to think. A cursory reading is hardly better than not having read it at all.

As to the OP I don’t see any egregious error. Posted in the wrong forum maybe, but I know I have done once or twice. Fuck its a horrible feeling to notice that you’re not in the pit two seconds after hitting the submit button.

I too am a little skeptical about the lurking comment, but am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.