# My first pit thread -- probably lame. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 2, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744 "2004-12-02T19:42:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/1 "2004-12-02T19:42:12Z")
Promos for the “comedy” _Christmas with the Kranks_ make my blood boil. Tim Allen – who makes me want to blow chunks anyway – sprays down a cat with a hose in sub-freezing weather, thus encasing it in ice. And this is supposed to be _funny_! This lovely depiction of hatefulness and cruelty is apparently a major selling point for the movie, because it’s in every damn promo they show! I don’t find torturing animals humorous in the least. Even if it’s fictional. Even if the fictional animal is ultimately unharmed. You just _know_ that shit-eating morons everywhere are going to pull this stunt in real life to see if they really can make an instant cat-sicle – possibly with fatal consequences for the poor cats. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/2 "2004-12-02T19:47:24Z")
> [@](#): > > And this is supposed to be funny! Well, yeah! Cats are evil. Look at their eyes! > [@](#): > > just know that shit-eating morons everywhere are going to pull this stunt in real life That’s because they (or their parents) are shit-eating morons. It has nothing to do with Tim Allen or this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/3 "2004-12-02T19:50:41Z")
Nonono you’ve got it all wrong. The \*movie \* is a shit-eating moron, if that’s posisble. Not celebrating Christmas is the worst thing ever. Humph. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/4 "2004-12-02T19:51:31Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > That’s because they (or their parents) are shit-eating morons. It has nothing to do with Tim Allen or this movie. It has to do with Tim Allen and the movie if they do it _because they saw Tim Allen do it in the movie._ ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/5 "2004-12-02T19:56:47Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > It has to do with Tim Allen and the movie if they do it _because they saw Tim Allen do it in the movie._ I watched _Hannibal_. It is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s fault if I strap someone to a wheelchair and light them on fire? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/6 "2004-12-02T20:12:25Z")
I watched a LOT of cartoons when I was a kid. Depite the fact that my mother never specifically told me not to drop anvils on people (or roadrunners), I never did. I wonder why that is? Blaming filmmakers for people actually doing the things they depict in their films is just stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Yamirskoonir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/c0e974/32.png) [@Yamirskoonir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yamirskoonir)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/7 "2004-12-02T20:18:10Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I watched _Hannibal_. It is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s fault if I strap someone to a wheelchair and light them on fire? No, but it is Ralph Fiennes’. In _Red Dragon_. _I keed! I keed!_ ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/8 "2004-12-02T20:18:46Z")
> [@Troy McClure SF](#): > > I watched _Hannibal_. It is Philip Seymour Hoffman’s fault if I strap someone to a wheelchair and light them on fire? I never said moviemakers are responsible for what people do. It might have seemed like I was suggesting that, but I really wasn’t. I was simply making the observation that some people do imitate what they see in movies, and lamenting that this particular movie scene will undoubtedly play out in real life. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still not funny. It’s sick and mean-spirited. By the way, my cats have beautiful eyes and are gentle, loving, and decidedly non-evil. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/9 "2004-12-02T20:37:17Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > I never said moviemakers are responsible for what people do. It might have seemed like I was suggesting that, but I really wasn’t. I was simply making the observation that some people do imitate what they see in movies, and lamenting that this particular movie scene will undoubtedly play out in real life. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still not funny. It’s sick and mean-spirited. > > By the way, my cats have beautiful eyes and are gentle, loving, and decidedly non-evil. And how many cats were electrocuted after _Christmas Vacation_? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/10 "2004-12-02T20:37:44Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > I watched a LOT of cartoons when I was a kid. Depite the fact that my mother never specifically told me not to drop anvils on people (or roadrunners), I never did. I wonder why that is? It’s because one simply _cannot_ drop an anvil on a roadrunner. Many tests have shown that the Acme Rubber Band always brings the anvil back above the dropper’s head, pausing there until the dropper becomes aware of it, and then falling, pushing the dropper through the overhang and into the canyon below. This is an immutable law of nature. ---
**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:** [December 2, 2004, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/11 "2004-12-02T20:45:09Z")
People aren’t going to be cruel to animals that weren’t going to be cruel to animals before. The greater act of cruelty is sitting through this movie. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/12 "2004-12-02T20:46:21Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > And how many cats were electrocuted after _Christmas Vacation_? > > :rolleyes: I don’t like that scene either, but at least it didn’t show the cat being intentionally electrocuted by a human. Are you saying that there _aren’t_ people who imitate what they see in movies and on television? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/13 "2004-12-02T20:49:21Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > Are you saying that there _aren’t_ people who imitate what they see in movies and on television? Do you believe that nothing immoral, illegal, or fattening should be depicted in entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/14 "2004-12-02T20:53:14Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > Even if it doesn’t [happen in real life], it’s still not funny. It’s sick and mean-spirited. Well, that’s a matter of taste. I have Skip Morrow’s “I Hate Cats” calendar hanging in front of me right now, and I think it’s hilarious. However, I wouldn’t dream of doing any of it IRL, and if someone did, I’d be first in line to kick their ass. There’s a huge difference of what’s acceptable in fiction and in fact. However, I know that everyone has their own ideas of what’s funny/acceptable in that regard, so I certainly don’t begrudge you thinking that the gag is unfunny or offensive. > [@](#): > > I never said moviemakers are responsible for what people do. It might have seemed like I was suggesting that, but I really wasn’t. Fair enough. > [@](#): > > I was simply making the observation that some people do imitate what they see in movies, and lamenting that this particular movie scene will undoubtedly play out in real life. Also fair, but if it did play out in real life, it is in no way the movie’s fault. These are two separate ideas- (1) there is an offensive, harmful-in-IRL gag in a movie, and (2) some people do offensive, harmful things IRL. If (2) happens to match (1), it’s just details. If someone who tried to freeze a cat hadn’t seen the movie, they’d be doing something else destructive anyway. > [@](#): > > By the way, my cats have beautiful eyes and are gentle, loving, and decidedly non-evil. They’re also good actors. I’d sleep with one eye open if I were you. They’re just waiting for the right time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/15 "2004-12-02T20:55:03Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > People aren’t going to be cruel to animals that weren’t going to be cruel to animals before. Possibly true, though I would speculate that if the movie cat is unscathed, there will be people stupid enough to think that a wet cat in sub-freezing temperatures will suffer no ill effects. Anyway, whether it happens IRL or not (and I maintain that it will) is not really my point. I just think that cruelty to animals is not an appropriate subject for entertainment, and it says something about people who find it funny. ---
**Author:** ![Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@Licentious\_Ectomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Licentious_Ectomorph)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/16 "2004-12-02T21:01:38Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Do you believe that nothing immoral, illegal, or fattening should be depicted in entertainment? Boy, I guess there’s just no telling what direction these Pit threads are going to take. I’ve gotten plenty of support from fellow animal lovers in other animal-related threads, so I kind of expected those same folks to chime in here about how they also find that scene disturbing ( **Eve** , where are you? ☹ ) Instead I get called stupid, I get rolleyes, and I get repeatedly accused of saying things I didn’t say. ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/17 "2004-12-02T21:06:26Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > I don’t like that scene either, but at least it didn’t show the cat being intentionally electrocuted by a human. > > Are you saying that there _aren’t_ people who imitate what they see in movies and on television? And > [@](#): > > I never said moviemakers are responsible for what people do. It might have seemed like I was suggesting that, but I really wasn’t. I was simply making the observation that some people do imitate what they see in movies, and lamenting that this particular movie scene will undoubtedly play out in real life. Even if it doesn’t, it’s still not funny. It’s sick and mean-spirited. Don’t quite jive. I happen to like cats, too, but I have the sense to apply a little logic to the world. Come to think of it, it’s people like you who are convinced Dungeons and Dragons players all worship Satan…and probably torture cats, for that matter. -Joe ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/18 "2004-12-02T21:06:47Z")
Well, I don’t think this will spark a rash of cat freezings. And I don’t think it will make a kind person a cat-torturer. And I DO think it’s funny in a stupid, Tim Allen kind of way. Same as the Three Stooges, but not as good. I positively worship my cats and would probably turn the hose on anyone who tried to do that to my little softies. But I don’t think it’s irresponsible movie making. ---
**Author:** ![Loopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loopus/32/15343_2.png) [@Loopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopus)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/19 "2004-12-02T21:11:37Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > Instead I get called stupid, I get rolleyes, and I get repeatedly accused of saying things I didn’t say. That’s because you haven’t really **said** much of anything. Why shouldn’t scenes of animal cruelty be shown in movies? Because it might influence others to do it? That’s a pretty lame reason. Because **you** don’t think it’s “an appropriate subject for entertainment?” That’s not a reason at all. Who are you to dictate what’s appropriate for entertainment or not? Unless you have more compelling reasons for your argument people will jsut see this as a, well, lame rant. And they’ll tear it to shreds. This _is_ the Pit. I think if you were just ranting because the scene disturbs you there would be no problem, but you seem to be saying that animal cruelty should never be portrayed in entertainment at all! Because it disturbs **you**! ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744/20 "2004-12-02T21:20:04Z")
> [@Nordic](#): > > I just think that cruelty to animals is not an appropriate subject for entertainment, and it says something about people who find it funny. I’m sure there are some things in which you find humor that others consider appalling. Get over yourself. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-first-pit-thread-probably-lame/277744.md?page=2)