# Liberal: Prove it or retract it **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2005, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314 "2005-06-15T02:21:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/41 "2005-06-15T14:21:41Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Once somebody accused me of “having a problem with him” or following him around the board to argue with him or something similar. I was quite surprised, because I hadn’t associated the person’s user name with any kind of viewpoint or personality yet. > > Obviously, we were simply interested in some similar topics, but happened to have opposing viewpoints on these subjects. There was no stalking or anything like that involved. > > **Lib** , isn’t it somewhat likely that’s simply the case with those you refer to as the “offenders”? I haven’t said anything about stalking, Rev. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/42 "2005-06-15T14:23:20Z")
Stalking is deliberately following someone around from thread to thread. What Guin, This Year’s Model, et al, engage in is mere opportunism. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/43 "2005-06-15T14:25:23Z")
Whatever you want to call it, isn’t it possible they simply disagree with your point of view and it’s not a personal thing? ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/44 "2005-06-15T14:29:39Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Prove it, or admit you libeled me and apologize. Libeled you? On a message board? Sheesh. You guys take this place so seriously. A lot of you have a LOT of free time that lets you care about being…ahem (snicker) libeled. I find this place useful and entertaining, but some of you have waaaaaay too much invested here. :wally ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/45 "2005-06-15T14:32:48Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > In fact, just yesterday, I did pretty much for myself what you’re asking me here to do for you. I examined 750 of my posts spanning a three month period in order to discern whether the allegations were true, or even had an element of truth. As it turned out, fewer than 4% of my posts (25 out of 750) could be construed by a reasonable person, in my opinion, to fit any of those categories. There were 17 possible nitpicks, 5 posts which could be said to have nothing to do with the OP or surrounding posts, and 3 which could be said to be about my philosophy in an off-topic context. The accusation that I “[very rarely will set Libertarianism/Propertarianism to the side for the purposes of discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6260798&postcount=172)” was indeed baseless, unless by “rarely” the poster meant more than 96% of the time. Did I mention some of you have too much time on your hands? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/46 "2005-06-15T14:32:58Z")
I see **Liberal** attempting to brand most criticism of his aforementioned annoying habits as part of a conspiracy, thereby attempting to discredit their legitimacy. Most are as legitimate as B. Graham’s kids and, like others, it’s part of what’s caused me to quickly abandon any thread he’s entered that appears in danger of yet another hijacking. It just ain’t worth the frustration anymore. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/47 "2005-06-15T14:37:09Z")
> [@newcrasher](#): > > I find this place useful and entertaining, but some of you have waaaaaay too much invested here. :wally Mega-dittos to that one. You see a topic, post your thoughts. If someone disagrees with you, why worry about it? All this fuss over one guy lends a false appearance of legitimacy to his odd philosophy. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/48 "2005-06-15T14:43:21Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Whatever you want to call it, isn’t it possible they simply disagree with your point of view and it’s not a personal thing? Whatever I want to call it? I want to call it whatever it is. Don’t you? Anyway, anything is possible. I’m willing to hear a compelling argument that this OP, this thread in general, and the long string of potshots from those I mentioned, is not about me personally. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/49 "2005-06-15T14:43:33Z")
I’m just posting here because I’ve been stalking **lieu**. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/50 "2005-06-15T14:46:00Z")
> [@NurseCarmen](#): > > I’m just posting here because I’ve been stalking **lieu**. Keeping in mind some of the subjects **lieu** has posted on, I wouldn’t follow _too_ closely. If you know what I mean. ---
**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:** [June 15, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/51 "2005-06-15T15:08:42Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > The accusation that I “[very rarely will set Libertarianism/Propertarianism to the side for the purposes of discussion](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6260798&postcount=172)” was indeed baseless, unless by “rarely” the poster meant more than 96% of the time. Overstated? Yes. Baseless? No. Thanks for the correction: since I don’t read threads about Survivor, Jeopardy, etc., I don’t encounter you in your benign form all that often, but on your pointing it out to me, I’m happy to concede it exists. However, even if I stipulate your 4% figure, given the enormity of your posting, that’s a helluva lot of hijacks and nitpicks. Why not go through my posts for the last period and see how many are about the inability to prove that logic and reason are valid within our universe? Have you tried my thought experiment yet? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/52 "2005-06-15T15:55:49Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > Whatever I want to call it? I want to call it whatever it is. Don’t you? To be perfectly honest, what I think it is is a persecution complex, but I didn’t want to come out state it so bluntly. I’m not trying to be confrontational. I just think you should consider that maybe it’s like my example before, and some people simply are interested in the same topics as you but disagree with you. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/53 "2005-06-15T16:13:18Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > I haven’t said anything about you stalking me, and yet stalking is now a topic of this thread. Go back and read the quotation of you in my OP: An accusation of stalking you made against me. **newcrasher** , you’re right, “libel” is too grand a word for it. I should have said “added me to your (paranoidly delusional) enemies list”. But then he’d whine about baseless accusations of mental illness. **lieu, Revtim** , your analyses are spot on. The only regret I have about opening this thread is that it gives our resident drama queen yet another stage on which to chew the scenery. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/54 "2005-06-15T16:23:09Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > In other words, you can’t prove it, you won’t retract it. > > Thank you for proving my point. he provided several recent examples of what **he perceived** as you dogpiling on him. He predicted that you would disagree that they are examples of dogpiling. lo and behold, you disagree that they are examples of you dogpiling. but to now claim he “can’t” prove it is wrong. He has, to his satisfaction. Obviously not to yours. this is a written medium. inflections, tone, and all those gentle nuances we are accustomed to IRL to help us discern the intent behind the words are not able to be seen. Rather than simply dismiss his examples, perhaps you could look at them and re-interpret them for him, so that he would (hopefully) be able to discern your intent in the future. I know **Lib** gets on folks’ nerves. We don’t communicate w/each other outside of these open forums, so I hope I won’t be written off as an apologist. Especially since I’ve (on more than one occasion) requested that he and various other folks stop their sniping at each other in some thread or another. But you asked (essentially) where he got the idea that you dogpiled on him, he answered it. You disagree that his perceptions of your posts were correct. That’s not lible. that’s a misunderstanding. ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/55 "2005-06-15T16:38:50Z")
> [@Uvula Donor](#): > > But _genitalia ensuing_ doesn’t…uh…roll off the tongue as nicely. Ahhh {big sigh} the good ole days. When genitalia rolled off my tongue. So…whats this thread about?? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/56 "2005-06-15T16:40:05Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > I want to commend all the posters who have, thus far, resisted making **UD** ’s post into a springboard for a series of crude and vulgar jokes. whoops…shoulda read a little further before I posted. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/57 "2005-06-15T16:42:29Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > Ahhh {big sigh} the good ole days. When genitalia rolled off my tongue. > > So…whats this thread about?? 😕 Well, dammit, why’d you let it roll off? Just when I was… Oh. No, it’s about the ontological proof of **Uvula Donor’s** Liberalism[sup]TM[/sup]. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/58 "2005-06-15T16:43:11Z")
> [@wring](#): > > he provided several recent examples of what **he perceived** as you dogpiling on him. He predicted that you would disagree that they are examples of dogpiling. lo and behold, you disagree that they are examples of you dogpiling. I think that **wring** is a 3-headed space-dog that lives in the rings of Saturn. Of course, I suspect he’ll disagree with me, which will only prove me right. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/59 "2005-06-15T16:51:57Z")
> [@wring](#): > > this is a written medium. inflections, tone, and all those gentle nuances we are accustomed to IRL to help us discern the intent behind the words are not able to be seen. Yep, I continue to embrace the notion he’d be a very decent guy to share a beer with. It’s just here, the communication, it go fucky fucky. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314/60 "2005-06-15T16:53:36Z")
> [@Metacom](#): > > I think that **wring** is a 3-headed space-dog that lives in the rings of Saturn. Of course, I suspect he’ll disagree with me, which will only prove me right. 😉 Three headed cat from Venus. and female. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/liberal-prove-it-or-retract-it/308314.md?page=4)