manhattan & GQ drug threads

[Bricker]

*Originally posted by dropzone *
**Sometimes, age, while not conferring wisdom (see: everything I’ve ever posted), does provide experience. In my case, I’ve been reading The Straight Dope since its beginning, several Cecils ago. And do you younguns know why it was called The Straight Dope? Because Cecil answered drug questions. So I find this discussion, in light of my peculiar perspective, more than mildly amusing. **

As I understood it, the column was so named because Cecil could deliver the staright dope – that is, the actual facts, on any topic.

I have been reading the Straight Dope since the Washington, DC, City Paper began carrying it - for over fifteen years, in any event. I have not noticed a proliferation of drug-related questions.

Moreover, the very first Straight Dope column ever published, by the Chicago Reader, dealt with the closing of some Chicago-area theater – hardly an auspicious beginning to a column intended to address mainly drug use questions.

Finally, dropzone, what evidence do you have that there have been “several Cecils?” While it’s an open secret that ‘Cecil Adams’ is a pseudonym for the real writer, most likely our beloved Ed Zotti, the most reasonable inference is that Ed’s been writing the column all along. Why wouldn’t that be so?

• Rick

[choosybeggar]

*Originally posted by Bricker *
**

Finally, dropzone, what evidence do you have that there have been “several Cecils?” While it’s an open secret that ‘Cecil Adams’ is a pseudonym for the real writer, most likely our beloved Ed Zotti, the most reasonable inference is that Ed’s been writing the column all along. Why wouldn’t that be so?

• Rick **

Oh come down off your fucking high horse Bricker,

It’s common knowledge aroung here that Sean Connery was the first Cecil, Roger Moore the second, and Pierce Brosnan the last. Also, there have been two interim Cecils, played alternately by the two Darren’s from Bewitched.

[bibliophage]

The very first Straight Dope Column from 1973 does not deal with drugs. It deals with the aftermath of the 1968 rioting at the Democratic National Convention, crime rates, Aaron Ruso, and the Bryn Mawr Threater (which wasn’t closing down).

Finally, dropzone, what evidence do you have that there have been “several Cecils?” While it’s an open secret that ‘Cecil Adams’ is a pseudonym for the real writer, most likely our beloved Ed Zotti, the most reasonable inference is that Ed’s been writing the column all along. Why wouldn’t that be so?

Ed Zotti became Cecil’s editor in 1978, about 5 years after the column began. For the first three years, the editor was Mike Lenehan (who is now executive editor of Chicago Reader, Inc.) For the next two years, the editor was Dave Kehr, who went on to become a film critic for the New York Daily News. I believe he’s a freelance writer now. He wrote a documentary about Clint Eastwood last year.

[andros]

It’s common knowledge aroung here that Sean Connery was the first Cecil, Roger Moore the second, and Pierce Brosnan the last. Also, there have been two interim Cecils, played alternately by the two Darren’s from Bewitched.

Lil’ Ed tried to get George Lazenby, but he was too fuckin’ nice to make a good Cecil.

[dropzone]

Okay, maybe I started reading it NEAR the beginning. But the first few years had an awful lot of dope columns. So many that I, a member of the “Just say YES!” generation, thought it was rather tacky.

And didn’t Peter Sellers, David Niven, and Woody Allen all play Cecil in the only Straight Dope column that had not been included in the original contract with the Chicago Reader?

[omni-not]

I think you meant the two Darryls from the Newhart show.

[omni-not]

[Dani_Filth]

Wow, i’m being talked about, who’d have thought? Eh, what the hell, i’ll throw in my $0.02. I live in the US (austin, tx actually) and yes, drugs are illegal here. However…

It was NOT my intention to piss off the mods. Believe me if i wanted to do that, i’m sure i could be a little more original. Besides all that, why would i intentionally do something to get banned?! Basically what it boils down to is that I didn’t realize such a posting would not be acceptable, i was well informed on the subject (countless hours of research :D), and i think the marajuana laws here in the US are fucking BS. I was just happy that i knew and happy to give an answer that i thought might help the OP.

deep breath

And as far as mj goes, i don’t give a fuck what some puritan assholes (the government i mean, not you guys :)) think about what i should or shouldn’t be doing to MYSELF if it doesn’t hurt ANYONE ELSE. So i guess helping others see through the lie of how evil mj is could also be my way of extending my middle finger in the face of these moral crusaders. Now, can you guess the good news ladies and gentlemen? In the next, oh, 20 to 30 years, guess what will happen to all these old fundies in office? That’s right, they’ll be dead. And the US will definitely be a better place. Woo hoo.

(sorry, it is the pit after all

All in all, i was just trying to be helpful, so again i’m sorry if i pissed you off manhattan.

And just for the record Jeremy’s Evil Twin, yeah Cradle of Filth is what inspired my handle. Was signing up, needed a name, a CD happened to be in the player at the time, the rest is history. And to clear up a bit of confusion (at least it was confusing at bat dope) it’s pronounced DANNY, not DANEY.

Oh yeah, and in the future i will make sure to be carefull how i share my expertise in those church burning and virgin raping threads.

-Dani

[TheLoadedDog]

Just my two cents worth:

Manhattan, you were right to come down hard on the GQ thread in question (to which I regretfully posted).

You were wrong to go threatening a member for a BBQ Pit post, regardless of how personal or erroneous it may have been. Your reply was every bit as offensive - this is fine here in the Pit, but I mean to say,“worthless cunt sore” is hardly the phrase an oversensitive person would use. The flaming’s over now. Can we get on with our SDMB life?

Manny and Neutron Star, most of us respect you both, at least a few of us can see both sides of this debate. Can we just forget about it?

[Una_Persson]

This whole motherfucking train wreck of a thread makes me sad on so many levels.

[Doc_Moss]

Just for the record, manhattan does lock threads that don’t contain illegal material, including perfectly legal pictures that were published in a nationally circulated magazine that can be purchased by ANYBODY.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=31211

Not drug-related, I know, but still highly contrary to his claim of:

“Find a thread that I closed or edited which did not contain instructions or a link to instructions on how to commit a crime. Oh, and good luck. I don’t recall ever doing any such thing.”

[reprise]

All I can say is that the people who used to sook, whine, whinge about Manny’s moderation of this forum should definitely extend their fire insurance before they presume to engage Jill.

Manny - have a great sabbatical, you have surely earned it

Jill - welcome : I’ll prolly piss you off, and provoke you to distraction tomorrow, but welcome anyway today.

{{{{{{manny}}}}}}

my contact details are in my profile Manny - just remember, it’s only a message baord…

[Mr_Fish]

Who’s Manhattan?

[matt]

It’s not a question of legality.

It doesn’t matter whether an activity is moral, legal, or widely practiced by 90% of the global population.

What matters is whether some concerned parent/professional shitslinger can scream to the world that the Chicago Reader is teaching “my kids”/“the youth of the nation” how to take drugs/hotwire cars/build silencers/download MP3s.
That’s bad publicity, and if the Reader gets bad publicity because of its website, the website may be castrated or disappear completely.

Manhattan has to make judgement calls all the time. He has let questions on murder using nitrogen or heavy water poisoning stand because they’re esoteric and impractical. He closed a thread on hotwiring although it’s not technically illegal. Sometimes I would have called it differently, but it’s not my job, it’s his and he does it a damned sight better than I would.

My sympathies to the drug taking people - in an ideal world you could post whatever you like about drugs and bongs. But it isn’t an ideal world, the Reader has to worry about bad publicity and lawsuits, and every time you post construction advice you hand the shitslingers a baggie of ammunition.

[Jeremy_s_Evil_Twin]

*Originally posted by Doc Moss *
**Just for the record, manhattan does lock threads that don’t contain illegal material, including perfectly legal pictures that were published in a nationally circulated magazine that can be purchased by ANYBODY.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=31211

Not drug-related, I know, but still highly contrary to his claim of:

“Find a thread that I closed or edited which did not contain instructions or a link to instructions on how to commit a crime. Oh, and good luck. I don’t recall ever doing any such thing.” **

Even better, there’s this thread: Who is the 6th most shown character in the Simpsons? Manny declared it “too stupid for GQ” despite the total absence of links. (Why not move it to MPSIMS, then??)

Yeah, I’m beating a dead horse here…OH WAIT ITS TAIL MOVED!! THAT HORSE AIN’T QUITE DEAD YET!!!