‘Tis an unnecessary alternative (although it can be helpful insofar as it allows the reader to identify a lazy writer). One would be mad to use it in a business letter.
A lot or alot, neither belongs in a business letter, in my opinion.
Beck did not write a business letter, though.
Nope, she was telling us how much Walz, specifically, embellishes his life story, in order to support her personal opinion of whether or not Walz is the type of guy who likes to cook.
You must not read very many pit threads. The tone of most posts here could best be described as “exasperated and tired.” The most mean-spirited posts I’ve seen have been by her gallant knight - not by anybody with a bone to pick.
I almost never post in these threads. But this is what I don’t like about the Pit. We have a pretty good community here, and I don’t see the value in these threads.
Exactly
I mean, that can be arranged…
That’s on you then. Human beings are human beings and need a way to vent. This forum is expressly for that purpose and the same advice being given to the people who post here can be personally applied - ignore the Pit threads and they can’t hurt you.
Pretending everything is hunky-dory all the time or even silently fuming while somebody is misbehaving is rather unhealthy. And this thread has been rather civil as Pit threads go.
As for my $0.02 on the Pittee, I don’t really care much either way about Becks, though if forced, I’d put myself on the anti- column. I’m not thrilled with her behavior some of the time but not enough to hurl invective. Though I totally understand why some posters would be.
Also not thrilled that she’s being held (and holds herself up to be, if we’re being honest) as an exemplar for Arkansans - I’ve still got plenty of friends and family back home, and most of them are civil, well educated adults and don’t pull the passive aggressive victim act when they’ve been caught out behaving like jackasses.
But some of the posters somehow think white-knighting is virtuous. Or that aggressively taking the high road is virtuous. Well, fine then, those who think those are good things can go eat a bag of hairy dicks.
Well, there’s Hot Springs National Park for one thing, though it is not on my bucket list of national parks to visit.
Too bad there are no outdoor oppotunities to lie in and soak up the healing waters (you have to visit one of the “historic bathhouses” to do so).
Southern Arkansas has to be more scenic than the east-west Interstate route one takes from Memphis to Texas.
Don’t bet on that. There are good spots but the region as a whole generally takes a certain frame of mind to love for its scenic splendor. The Park itself is just outside (well…kind of inside but not) the National Forest and Southern Arkansas is nothing like that (Hot Springs isn’t really considered southern Arkansas).
And I say that as somebody who spent a couple years of high school in walking distance from the National Park and having spent a fair amount of time in my youth tromping about the state parks.
Northwest Arkansas, on the other hand, is almost universally considered very lovely.
Also, I got no clue what the fuck Becks is going on about with chiggers or being tongue-tied. Take that from somebody who also grew up in the state. Not that it looks like many posters took those assertions seriously.
Tongue-tied and twisted
Just an earth-bound misfit, I
Yet we see this behavior all the time with other members dragged into The Pit. The real question for this thread becomes which is it:
- Beck’s behavior is so mild that she should not be pitted? I don’t find her homespun yarns all that entertaining but many do. I just don’t read them. Not everything here is going to be my cup of tea. But as annoying as I and a few others here might find those stories, we just ignore them and move on. Certainly not pit worthy. However, her judgmental opinions followed by playing the victim followed by trying to close the thread after she has had her say? Yeah, worthy of a mild pitting.
Side note: Is this her response to this thread? Or something else related to her tales from Lake Woebegone, Arkansas version?
- You can’t Pit Beck because she deserves a pass for (insert reason here). Maybe you defend Beck because you think she’s right. Or maybe her 95% of cute stories absolves her of the 5% of coming in like a wrecking ball. I’m going to be honest in that over the past few months I’ve been worried about Beck & her health. As my mom got sicker with diabetes, heart issues and taking an asston of medication, she had behaviors very similar to Beck coming into threads with her opinions. Angry over something that doesn’t affect her personally. Brutally judging others and telling them how to act. Refusing to let go of the issue. Always feeling attacked if you say something that contradicts her like, “No mom, Obama is a natural born citizen.” Or, “No mom, Spongebob does not make fun of retarded people.”
There’s a tradition on the Dope of having “Ask the […]” threads, although it seems that it’s been a while since I’ve seen one.
You could do an “Ask the gambler” thread in MPSIMS. Offer some anecdotes, maybe some tips or warnings…I’m sure you’d generate interest.
D’oh!
And now the circle is complete.
I look at it as proof positive that you had a good idea 
Yeah but too bad so many people in that region are NIMBY gated-community carpetbaggers who don’t hide their disdain, elitist know-nothings who present as socially liberal but are still carpetbaggers, and the insanely racist native assholes.
Or that may be my natural misanthropy showing
The Beck stuff is, at best, mildly amusing, but what I’d really like to see is more of the great wrongs done to @Mundane_Super_Hero by rich and famous people. Where can I find more of that gold?
Not really planning on spending much more time in this thread, but I’ll answer this.
When I was twenty, I drove cross-country solo for the first time, and I stopped in Hot Springs, Arkansas. I was really excited to soak in a hot spring, never having done so before–but I couldn’t find anywhere in town to do so. “Hot Springs, you had ONE JOB!” I thought, and left, disappointed. That is, I think, my only experience with the state.
And it’s irrelevant. Really I was just snapping back at a stupid tough-guy posturing about what I better not do in Arkansas. I have nothing against the state as a whole (Hot Springs notably excepted: one job!), and it was a cheap shot, and for the love of God I take it back.
I don’t know about that, but I can tell you about some messed up stuff @Mundane_Super_Hero himself did.
I saw @Mundane_Super_Hero at a grocery store in Los Angeles yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything.
He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?”
I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence,” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.