lissener needs an education in The New Way of the Dope

I’ve been modded before. I’ve even been warned a couple times. I have, as most of you know, even experienced bannination AND resurrection. But I can’t remember ever being so thoroughly bewildered by a mod scolding as I have by this one.

Now I’m not so stupid that I don’t realize that by merely opening this thread I am, metaphorically speaking, similarly opening myself up—goatse-like even—to what will surely be an extremely entertaining pounding of vitriol from my usual suspects. Let’s just take that as read, shall we? I’ll be ignoring those in a sincere effort to understand fut the whuck just happened.

(Initial disclaimer: I admit that “fanboy wanking” was not the friendliest way I could’ve described what I saw the OP as doing, so I’ll take that ding. I probably could’ve come up with something about dancing angels or something more, I don’t know, dancing-angeley. It was an emotional response to being called a *child *for making what I thought was a valid, if admittedly snarky, point.)

So, breaking it down:
[ol]
[li]Let’s define threadshitting. [/li][LIST=a]
[li]An unpopular opinion in a general, open-ended thread, depending of course on the gratuitous snark level[/li][li]Crashing a feel-good-party thread just to say you’re glad you weren’t invited [/li][li]Other (please define)[/ol][/li][li]Let’s define namecalling[/li][LIST=a]
[li]Must include swears[/li][li]Anything poster-specific and disrespectful (e.g., “child”)[/li][li]Other (please define)[/li][/LIST]
[li]Please explain to me the cognitive dissonance I feel in this modding.[/li][LIST=a]
[li]My own blindspot, I was an unmitigated jerk, there’s no ambiguity, bias, double-standard, or mod-overzealousness anywhere near this[/li][li]Dunno, bizarrely illogical all around[/li][li]Other (please explain)[/li][/LIST]
[/LIST]

Bottomlining it here: [ul][li]Was this relatively heavyhanded modding (I know I know, there’s been worse; it still struck me as overdone) just for “fanboy wanking”? If so, is there a double standard for overlooking “child”?[/li][li]Minus my snarkiness, was my desire to discuss the sifting-through-minutiae trend evidenced by the OP entirely out of place in the thread? If so, did it rise to the level of threadshitting?[/li][li]Am I weaving connections out of thin air in wondering if this has anything to do with the new “tone” mandated by Ed’s recent micromanagement?[/ul][/li]
Thanks in advance for all of the constructive input in this thread. *Extra *thanks for all the entertainment I’m looking forward to from the unconstructive input.

Dude, you fucked up. Your very first post in that thread was rude, hostile, and thread-shitty. You got called on it, and rightfully so. All fiction is pretend. Everybody knows that, and nobody needs enlightenment from you on the point. You brought nothing to the thread, and should have just stayed out of it.

Try running this simple test. After typing up your response, read it back and ask yourself “will anyone reading this and think anything other than ‘cripes, that was douchey’?”

Your response in the linked thread failed that test by a mile.
You’re extra welcome.

Moderator-enforced niceness is fucking stupid, and is making me seriously consider leaving this board instead of staying and being treated like a child.

Moderator-enforced niceness has always been the case in Cafe Society. That just now troubles you?

Rule Number one of this board is don’t be a jerk. If following that rule requires moderator action for you then don’t let the door hit you in the ass.

Agreed.

The modding was reasonable. You seem to be very thin-skinned. “Child,” in this context, was not clearly an insult, and even if it was, it was so mild as to not be worth considering.

Yes, it was out of place in that thread. You provided a classic example of threadshitting. The thread was clearly directed towards people who enjoy analyzing LOTR minutiae. The response in that thread and in similar threads suggest that there are many members here who enjoy that kind of discussion. For you to come in and dump on them was rude and uncalled for. If they want to fanwank, what difference does it make to you? If you want to discuss the “sifting-through-minutae trend,” then you should have started a new thread.

Tha hell?

You acted like an ass in that thread. You got your hand slapped. What does that have to do with Ed Zotti?

I hope you’ll listen to what I have to say.

The OP asked a question that, I assume, is interesting to folks who care a lot about LotR. Plausibly, there is an answer within Tolkien’s mass of lore on Middle Earth to this question. Failing that, the answer might be that there’s an internal inconsistency within the books, or that this was a case in which the books were not faithfully adapted to screen.

Your answer, “because it’s pretend,” was not helpful. On the most general level, it’s an answer that could apply to any “why” question asked about any work of fiction ever. Why did Hamlet appear mad? Because it’s pretend. Why does the Count of Monte Cristo not murder everyone? Because it’s pretend. Why was Rosebud so important? Because it’s pretend.

On a more specific level, you seem to be deriding the idea that we can hold up an author’s work to a standard of real-world consistency. I disagree: while it’s certainly possible to create a work of great art that’s not internally consistent (I say, having seen a wonderful performance of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead last weekend), for many works, especially for many works of fantasy, internal consistency is very important. Tolkien’s oeuvre is possibly the best example of this: he spent tremendous time developing his world, almost to the extent that the story of the ring is just a MacGuffin allowing him to showcase his creation (almost).

His world is so rich in detail that it easily supports questions like this one. While “because it’s pretend” is obviously true, it’s completely missing the point: the OP, and everyone reading the thread, knows that it’s pretend. That’s a given, that’s stipulated, that’s bleedin’ obvious, it doesn’t need to be said. The OP is understood to be saying, “Within the parameters of the world that Tolkien created…”

If you’re not interested in exploring such questions within such a world, no problem at all. Neither am I. You’ll note that I didn’t post in the thread.

Which brings us to my definition of threadshitting: it involves posting something contemptuous of other posters based on their noncombative interests, in a thread devoted to one of those interests. It’s especially threadshitting when the thread isn’t about the value of that interest.

It’s not threadshitting to come into a thread about Obama’s budget and explain why you think it sucks. It’s threadshitting to go into a thread called, “I love hot peppers!” and say how irritated you are by hot-pepper machismo and how you wish folks would get over themselves. It’s really threadshitting to go into a thread about the minutia of Tolkien and mock the people having that discussion.

To answer your questions at the end:
-The modding looked to me like it was for both your posts up to that point.
-Your desire to discuss sifting-through minutia was entirely out of place in that thread, just as it’d be out of place to enter a thread on favorite films to bemoan the death of a bookreading society. Start your own thread if you want, but don’t go into ones where people are enjoying a specific discussion and try to make it about how the very idea of having such a discussion is contemptible.
-I don’t see a connection between the new rules and this. Honestly, if there is a connection, it makes me feel a bit better about the new rules.

Take that for what it’s worth.

True. I just read the thread in question and immediately came to the Pit figuring either (a) someone would be Pitting Lissener for threadshitting and the subsequent asinine justification for it or (b) Lissener would start a Pit thread about the modding.

You acted like an ass, and your attempt to justify it made you more of an ass. I’d say quit while you’re ahead, but it’s too late for that.

It was all about your first post lissener. Posts like that are never allowed in Café. They might slip by if not reported, but obviously either someone reported it or Marley looked through the thread on his own.

I don’t think this is anything new. I also note it was only a note and not a warning. I just got a mod note in ATMB and I did not run to the pit but asked for a simple clarification. I actually got a very nice and reasonable response from SkipMagic.

BTW: Thank you, I did not see that thread until I followed your link. I will see if I can provide a decent answer to it. (ETA: Nah it is a movie question, not my specialty.)
Excellent post Left Hand of Dorkness!

I was going to write a post saying this, but now I don’t need to.

I always thought thread-shitting rules were dumb as hell, but I could live with them. Now they’re trying to make the entire goddamn board polite. If I wanted to fake being polite to people I can’t stand, I’d probably just put in some overtime at work.

e: I don’t mean that I can’t stand everyone on this board, or even a majority, but the few people who do bug me, really bug me. I’ve never made a secret of who those people are in the past, and I’d rather not start.

Again: since when has rudeness like that been acceptable outside of the Pit? I know I’ve seen plenty of very similar warnings in Cafe Society in that past. Lissener, weren’t you banned for similar behavior in CS in the past?

It’s not about this specific instance so much as it is the general trend.

This is a terrible post. You’re a terrible poster with an even worse username. Get out.

It’s worth an adult beverage of your choice if I ever meet you. Well said.

Dang, I’ve never earned beer with my posts before. Rock on!

Don’t take the bait people(for his own good) he is just setting up a strawman for his personal crusades. He wants a license to citizen mod against others critiquing his stuff.

Huh? I disagree. I’ve had serious problems with lissener in the past, and I think he behaved poorly here, but I’ve never known him to be scheming or dishonest.

I’ve read the entire thread in CS, and honestly, lissener, I don’t think you deserved the Modding. Yes, the first post was snarky, but I laughed. The second post, the one actually quoted by Marley, I have no problem with. No problem at all.

I swear, I don’t know what’s come over these boards lately. Y’all need to unbunch your panties.