# No politics in GQ! = Overboard Policy **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 23, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529 "2003-04-23T04:41:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/1 "2003-04-23T04:41:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Heh. (Politics in GQ) > Persons wondering why we get mad at what may seem to one person as a quick political aside are directed to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176563), which grew out of a single phrase in [Cecil’s latest column](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030411.html) . > > Thank you for your attention to this matter. > > * * * > > -manhattan > General Questions Moderator So, fans of Cecil Adams can not post in the style of Cecil Adams? If GQ is spawning too many politics debates, it’s because dweebs are responding to political asides, like the ones Cecil makes often, as if that was the point of the message. Go after the ones who have no sense of humor, and let the Cecilists be Cecilesque! ## Peace. Refraining from making a comment on Mussolini making the trains run on time for fear a Great Debate on mid-twetieth century Italian facism would break out. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/2 "2003-04-23T05:30:53Z")
Well, first I’d like a link to the thread that post came from, so I can read it in context. When I’m done, I’ll come back and tell you that you’re no Cecil Adams. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/3 "2003-04-23T05:35:35Z")
and I protest - you failed to include **manny’s** name in the thread title. how the hell am I supposed to win that damn contest if people keep pitting **manny** w/out proper title credits, hmmmm? ---
**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:** [April 23, 2003, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/4 "2003-04-23T05:44:54Z")
What are you talking about? GQ is for **General Questions** with factual answers. Political debates belong in GD. Period. What is so hard to understand about that? ---
**Author:** ![Phoenix\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Phoenix\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phoenix_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/5 "2003-04-23T06:54:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\*So, fans of Cecil Adams can not post in the style of Cecil Adams? > > If GQ is spawning too many politics debates, it’s because dweebs are responding to political asides, like the ones Cecil makes often, as if that was the point of the message.\*\* Actually, I’m pretty sure Cecil has followed the GQ policy in every single GQ post he’s made (Which I believe is somewhere around zero). 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/6 "2003-04-23T09:53:48Z")
> [@](#): > > So, fans of Cecil Adams can not post in the style of Cecil Adams? When you’re the Perfect Master, you can post like the Perfect Master. The key word being “when”. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/7 "2003-04-23T10:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SPOOFE \* > \*\*When you’re the Perfect Master, you can post like the Perfect Master. > > The key word being “when”. \*\* “when” implies something that will happen. Could we change it to an “if”? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/8 "2003-04-23T10:39:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gary Kumquat \* > \*\*“when” implies something that will happen. > > Could we change it to an “if”? \*\* “if” implies that it has at least the possiblity of happening. Could we change it to “Since you’re not and never will be the Perfect Master, you can’t post like the Perfect Master, you toad?” Fenris ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/9 "2003-04-23T11:30:22Z")
I’m parsing this thread title as “No politics in GQ != Overboard Policy” Which is true. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/10 "2003-04-23T12:16:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > **So, fans of Cecil Adams can not post in the style of Cecil Adams?** Yes, but only on topic. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/11 "2003-04-23T12:21:35Z")
Cecil’s columns are not GQ. They are not GD. They are _sui generis_. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/12 "2003-04-23T12:33:25Z")
**Bricker** : I thought they were _sua sponte_. Ba-da-BUM! 😃 [sub]Ed Zotti, World’s Best Jizz-Mopper[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Kumquat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/4491bb/32.png) [@Gary\_Kumquat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Kumquat)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/13 "2003-04-23T13:02:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*“if” implies that it has at least the possiblity of happening. > > Could we change it to “Since you’re not and never will be the Perfect Master, you can’t post like the Perfect Master, you toad?” > > Fenris \*\* Yes. Yes we can. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/14 "2003-04-23T18:35:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\*Miller:\*\*Well, first I’d like a link to the thread that post came from, so I can read it in context. When I’m done, I’ll come back and tell you that you’re no Cecil Adams. Umm… perhaps you missed the sticky first thread topic in GQ which has been there for the past 12 days which replaced the other sticky thread throwing down the gauntlet of no political asides, ever. It is located at: [Heh. (Politics in GQ)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176699) It is not a case that I’ve been slapped for doing so, it’s just that I’d like to be able to do so now and then when the mood hits, sort of like when Bush pisses off an ally or like when Clinton wants to dive into an intern. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/15 "2003-04-23T18:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > \*\*and I protest - you failed to include **manny’s** name in the thread title. how the hell am I supposed to win that damn contest if people keep pitting **manny** w/out proper title credits, hmmmm? \*\* Well, **Coldie** got Pitted in MPSIMS yesterday, so it all sort of evens out. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/16 "2003-04-23T19:53:38Z")
> [@](#): > > “when” implies something that will happen. … An infinite amount of monkeys at an infinite amount of typewriters for an infinite amount of time, my good man… ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/17 "2003-04-23T20:48:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\*It is not a case that I’ve been slapped for doing so, it’s just that I’d like to be able to do so now and then when the mood hits, sort of like when Bush pisses off an ally or like when Clinton wants to dive into an intern. \*\* I was right: you’re no Cecil Adams. Leave the funny to people who know how to do it properly, and leave the politics in GD, where they belong. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2003, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/18 "2003-04-23T23:31:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by moriah \* > \*\* It is not a case that I’ve been slapped for doing so, it’s just that I’d like to be able to do so now and then when the mood hits, sort of like when Bush pisses off an ally or like when Clinton wants to dive into an intern. \*\* That’s _exactly_ why the rule exists, and exactly why I have such a bug [location deleted] about it. See, someone asks about, say, the British torching the White House during the war of 1812 and the subesquent restoration. If someone comes (heh) by and opines that the place was cleaned up “until Clinton and Monica soiled it again” or whatever, I know – _know_ – that someone else is going to say something to the effect of “sure, he soiled the carpet, but Bush soiled the institution.” And all of a sudden, BAM!, the poor guy who actually asked a legitimate question is screwed, because the thread is off course and the large, extensive group of people interested in and qualified to answer will abandon it to a bunch of folks taking cheap shots at their un-favored institution. Ain’t gonna happen. Not on my watch. ---
**Author:** ![Siegfried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Siegfried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siegfried)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/19 "2003-04-24T04:09:54Z")
I actually have a question on this very topic, and I’m hoping someone can clear it for me. The impression I get from this thread is that political discussions are banned from the General Questions forum. The impression I get from **manhattan** ’s sticky is that only the random snide remark (whether it’s designed or not to provoke a reaction) are banned from that forum. I don’t see any other threads or stickies on the subject in ATMB or in GQ. So, are we still allowed to pose questions of a political nature in GQ? For instance, would threads like “What are the planks of the Republican Party?” and “How much would it cost to mount an effective election campaign?” allowable? If not, which forum would be best suited for them? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Klaatu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Klaatu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Klaatu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529/20 "2003-04-24T04:26:09Z")
Well of course questions like “What are the planks of the Republican Party?” and “How much would it cost to mount an effective election campaign?” are allowed. It’s when the response to the question is something like “The pubbies planks suck” that will take it out of GQ, and that is frowned upon, as it should be. It should be remembered that it is not generally the question that is the problem but the “answers”. Of course I don’t presume to speak for the mods/admins just my opinion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/no-politics-in-gq-overboard-policy/170529.md?page=2)