# MeBuckner--Rules clarification request **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 28, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275 "2002-10-28T17:48:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/1 "2002-10-28T17:48:00Z")
I post this here, because I have had no response from you regarding the apology I e-mailed you quite a while ago concerning your outrage at the thread I started challenging **Collounsbury** and **December** to debate a specific item raised in another thread, and the subsequent locking. See [Challenge: Collounsbury vs December](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=138700&highlight=collounsbury+december) > [@](#): > > _MeBuckner_ > Moderator’s Note: Both december and Collounsbury are entirely capable of starting threads and responding to threads if they so desire. There is NO need for anyone to start any threads of the “let’s you and him fight” variety, not in Great Debates, and not anywhere else on the Straight Dope Message Board. > > grienspace: DO NOT DO THIS AGAIN. Frankly I was taken aback by the tone, and considering the fact that I have been described as fortunate not to have been banned long ago, I thought it best to apologize and meekly turn the other cheek. However my memory has been jogged recently concerning a thread whereby myself and **Fenris** were called out to a “lets you and him fight” thread. See [A Place for grienpace and Fenris](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=128931&highlight=fenris+grienspace) The OP reads as follows: > [@](#): > > _Binarydrone_ > Context: I put this thread here so that grienpace and Fenris could kick each other in the shins if they so desire without further distracting from what I feel is a very important topic. This thread ran for three days before descending into obscurity without so much as a hint of impropriety. So where did I go wrong and **Binarydrone** go right? I’m sure we all need to know the rule. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/2 "2002-10-28T19:13:18Z")
Good question. ---
**Author:** ![IzzyR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/2acd7d/32.png) [@IzzyR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IzzyR)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/3 "2002-10-28T19:33:46Z")
The real truth is that much of rules here are ambiguous, and a lot appears to get interpreted along the way - sort of the “seat-of-the-pants” approach. So that much depends on the feeling of the mod looking at the given situation. But - being that I am the type of guy who is always looking to help out my friendly moderator - I will point out a difference between the two cases. In your case, your ostensible motivation in setting up a debate was to make a more direct clash between two posters than would otherwise have taken place - hence your request to have a one-on-one clash. And this was the only purpose - the debate was perfectly apropriate where it already was. Here, a moderator might feel that you were setting up a “fight” for no justifiable purpose. By contrast, in the Fenris case, you were already engaged in a fight in the other thread. The ostensible purpose of the new thread was not to create a new or increased confrontation, but rather to avert having that confrontation derail a thread in which others wished to discuss other issues. This is indicated in the OP that you quoted. Seems like a reasonable distinction to me. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/4 "2002-10-28T19:36:15Z")
One really apparent difference - You placed your thread in GD, where **MEBUckner** is a mod. **Binary’s** thread was placed in the Pit, where he isn’t. In addition, **your** thread, as you outlined in your OP was specifically _just for those two_ posters, **and** was a duplicate of an already exisiting thread. in the other, the thread in question was being hijacked by two people going back and forth. and of course, for the final point - that thread didn’t have a moderator post in it, so it’s entirely possible that they didn’t notice it, and it died rather quickly. The pit is a fast moving place and a thread which stays open for three days and doesn’t even make it off the first page is really a slow moving one. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/5 "2002-10-28T19:40:56Z")
Ah, wring? I don’t mean to tell you how to do … what you do, but that’s more than one thing, there. Yeah. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/6 "2002-10-28T19:57:00Z")
and another thing, there’s more than one reason that I can see. (happy now **dan**? 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/7 "2002-10-28T20:48:54Z")
Is there a good answer? ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/8 "2002-10-28T22:23:17Z")
Here is a thought: Is it just possible that the thread that you mention was started by a more inexperienced poster (i.e. Me), and that when this was pointed out as a bad idea that poster (i.e. Me) apologized? > [@](#): > > If this is the case, I apologize without reservation. My intent was in no way to (as you say) create a “lets see you guys fight” sort of thread. Rather, I wanted to remove a source of distraction from what to me is a thread of vital importance, as it concerns the very tone of the SDMB will take in the future. > > In reflection, I suppose that this may have been somewhat presumptuous of me. Should any passing mod rule that I am out of line here, by all means, close the thread. Also (and this is the really interesting part) as you participated in that very thread in which this was pointed out as something that is considered (as a matter of policy) to be bad form, one might wonder why you chose to engage in this practice. Granted, when **Anthracite** pointed out that this may not have been such a peachy idea, she did not back up her claim that with a cite that **Lynn** had posted that people not do this, but being a face value kind of guy that I am, I believed her. Did you not? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/9 "2002-10-28T22:27:07Z")
Perhaps I was too sweeping when I said “not anywhere else on the Straight Dope Message Board”. As has been pointed out, a major difference between the two threads is that one was in Great Debates and the other was in the Pit. At any rate, posters should refrain from posting threads of the “let’s get so-and-so and so-and-so to debate” in GD. And **grienspace** , I did appreciate your e-mailed apology. Sorry for not responding to that sooner. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/10 "2002-10-28T22:48:50Z")
Thankyou very much\*\* MeBuckner\*\*. The distinction is noted. Perhaps this thread could now be locked ? ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2002, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mebuckner-rules-clarification-request/134275/11 "2002-10-28T23:13:31Z")
Glad I could clear that up for you.