# On the Melinda Dolittle thread and observations there **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 24, 2007, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436 "2007-04-24T09:34:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/1 "2007-04-24T09:34:32Z")
Giraffe moved it to Cafe Society, noting: [QUOTE=Giraffe] Since this thread has become a fairly civil discussion of a television show, I’m going to move it to Cafe Society. It can always come back here if things get out of hand. [/QUOTE] The only problem is that in Cafe Society, we are decidedly not allowed to get out of hand. We now _have_ to be civil, so there’s no chance of the thread returning to the Pit. That might have been Giraffe’s intention (or he might now claim that it was), but in any case we can’t comment properly on dumbass stupid shit like this: [QUOTE=MadTheSwine] I feel this way exactly.Except for the part of starting out liking her,I couldn’t stand her from the start.She is intensely boring.I also agree with the OP’s take on her being phony and I am glad Simon called her out on it.She is far and away the most irritating person I’ve ever seen on the show.I hate her. [/QUOTE] You know what I can’t stand? Coupla things. I can’t stand adolescent, affected punctuation styles that make no sense and serve no useful purpose. Good thing we don’t have a font with hearts for dots, I reckon. I can’t stand irrational hatred of people just because they’re nice. I can’t stand me-too posts that add nothing new to the discussion. And I can’t stand descriptions of events that bear no resemblance to what actually happened. Simon didn’t call her out. He made a suggestion to her just like he does with whatever inept and bratty hack it is that has earned your admiration. If the worst thing he can say about someone is that they’re not a snotty bitch, then it’s not a “calling out”. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 9:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/2 "2007-04-24T09:35:34Z")
[Fucking link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=417948). ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/3 "2007-04-24T10:15:52Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] [Fucking link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=417948). [/QUOTE] How many times did Pete Cochran mutter \*that \*under his breath? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/4 "2007-04-24T12:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=Contrapuntal] How many times did Pete Cochran mutter \*that \*under his breath? [/QUOTE] Every time someone said, “Where’s Julie?” ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/5 "2007-04-24T12:23:22Z")
What was actually said. “Melinda, I’m about to compliment you. And I’m going to ask you to lose the surprise,” Simon said. “It was fantastic. And I’ll tell you why. It was a great choice of song, I think you look … better than last week.” It was, at the very least, a backhanded compliment. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/6 "2007-04-24T12:25:18Z")
Also, and I am sure your post wasn’t directed at me, but I just want to be sure that we’re clear. I don’t think Melinda Doolittle is especially nice. She comes off as intelligent and manipulative. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/7 "2007-04-24T13:50:19Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] What was actually said. “Melinda, I’m about to compliment you. And I’m going to ask you to lose the surprise,” Simon said. “It was fantastic. And I’ll tell you why. It was a great choice of song, I think you look … better than last week.” It was, at the very least, a backhanded compliment. [/QUOTE] I don’t know where you stole your quote from, since you didn’t attribute it, but it is incomplete. He said she looked “much better than last week” because he had criticized her dress last week — the only thing about her that he’s ever criticized. Plus, he continued (from the DVR recording), “I think I saw a little bit of Tina Turner going on there as well. You know, there was an attitude going back to your whole Southern thing.” Maybe you believe Simon thinks Tina Turner’s a hack too, and that he was invoking her name to make another alleged “backhanded compliment”. > [@](#): > > I don’t think Melinda Doolittle is especially nice. She comes off as intelligent and manipulative. You come off as petty and jealous. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/8 "2007-04-24T14:00:36Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] I can’t stand irrational hatred of people just because they’re nice. [/QUOTE] Word. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/9 "2007-04-24T14:12:38Z")
Melinda’s only problem, for me anyway, is that she’s not picking songs that will make her stand out. I think she’s perfectly capable of winning based on sheer talent, but I’m feeling like Jordin is going to win because of the youth factor. ---
**Author:** ![DudleyGarrett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d9b06d/32.png) [@DudleyGarrett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DudleyGarrett)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/10 "2007-04-24T14:14:27Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] I don’t know where you stole your quote from, since you didn’t attribute it, but it is incomplete. He said she looked “much better than last week” because he had criticized her dress last week — the only thing about her that he’s ever criticized. Plus, he continued (from the DVR recording), “I think I saw a little bit of Tina Turner going on there as well. You know, there was an attitude going back to your whole Southern thing.” Maybe you believe Simon thinks Tina Turner’s a hack too, and that he was invoking her name to make another alleged “backhanded compliment”. You come off as petty and jealous. [/QUOTE] Your corrections to my posted quote change absolutely nothing in regards to the context or meaning of what Simon said. You corrected me for the sake of correction alone, and you’re calling ME petty? Gotcha. The compliment was backhanded in that (and I can’t believe I am explaining this to you) Simon called her on her being artificially surprised week after week after which she was given a compliment. Where you get “Simon thinks Tina Turner’s a hack **too**?” Where did I even imply that I believed Simon thought Melinda was a hack? And jealous? You can’t be serious. Please tell me you’re joking. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/11 "2007-04-24T14:24:25Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Every time someone said, “Where’s Julie?” [/QUOTE] Wow. Where else would you find _Mod Squad_ jokes than on this board? This is why I love this place. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/12 "2007-04-24T15:24:04Z")
Oh, is it time for another Lib meltdown/hiatus over his favorite American Idol contestant? Must be almost summer. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/13 "2007-04-24T15:28:57Z")
[QUOTE=DudleyGarrett] Your corrections to my posted quote change absolutely nothing in regards to the context or meaning of what Simon said. You corrected me for the sake of correction alone, and you’re calling ME petty? Gotcha. [/quote] I corrected you because you misrepresented what Cowell said. There was nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing — in what he said that was derogatory, backhanded, or flippant in any way, shape, or form. His inflection througout the whole commentary was bright and effusive with the sole exception of his plea for her to be less modest, which itself was almost reverant in tone. Anyone with a recording of what he said and how he said it can see that your characterization of it is a complete alteration of history. > [@](#): > > The compliment was backhanded in that (and I can’t believe I am explaining this to you) Simon called her on her being artificially surprised week after week after which she was given a compliment. No, that’s not right. You are inserting the “artificial” bullshit (as well as the inaccurate representation that he called her on it). Simon in fact has praised her week after week since the very beginning \*specifically \* for her humility, saying how refreshing it is to have a contestant with her attitude. He has never thought there was anything fake about her. He is simply trying to help ease her into a higher self-esteem, which I’m sure he believes she deserves to attain. > [@](#): > > Where you get “Simon thinks Tina Turner’s a hack **too**?” Where did I even imply that I believed Simon thought Melinda was a hack? It’s implicit in the implication that she’s a fake, pretending to be humble. You might hold that view, but Simon definitely does not and never did. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/14 "2007-04-24T15:32:54Z")
[QUOTE=lissener] Oh, is it time for another Lib meltdown/hiatus over his favorite American Idol contestant? Must be almost summer. [/QUOTE] If your keyboard gets sticky, I recommend putting it in the dishwasher. It really works, trust me. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/15 "2007-04-24T15:43:11Z")
[QUOTE=Bricker] Wow. Where else would you find _Mod Squad_ jokes than on this board? This is why I love this place. [/QUOTE] Took a good full minute of before I got it, too. Best post of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/16 "2007-04-24T15:44:24Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Every time someone said, “Where’s Julie?” [/QUOTE] Damn, son. You pasted that tater! I’ll just keep lobbing them in there and you keep knocking them out of the park. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/17 "2007-04-24T15:48:05Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] It’s implicit in the implication that she’s a fake, pretending to be humble. You might hold that view, but Simon definitely does not and never did. [/QUOTE] I don’t think Simon thinks she’s a phony, either. I think she’s one of those people who simply doesn’t handle compliments well, whether they’re accurate or not. There are lots of people who can’t take compliments gracefully. I don’t think that makes a person phony. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/18 "2007-04-24T15:52:39Z")
[Quote=Liberal] I can’t stand irrational hatred of people just because they’re nice. [/quote] Yeeesh. One more vote against my last pitting. I’ll never get my jackboot spurs. ---
**Author:** ![rayh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@rayh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayh)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/19 "2007-04-24T16:02:10Z")
To hijack the thread slightly, I was just wondering if there was any connection between a certain mod and the Google ads that were at the bottom of the page? Self Cert Mortgage Quote Borrow up to £500k with a Self Cert Mortgage from Giraffe. Look online! Happy Giraffe - marketing Think - Create - Deliver Branding, P.R, Events, Web Design Has he found a creative way to spam the boards? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2007, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436/20 "2007-04-24T18:09:09Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] Every time someone said, “Where’s Julie?” [/QUOTE] Solid. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/on-the-melinda-dolittle-thread-and-observations-there/401436.md?page=2)