# Overreaction in banning this guy? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 9, 2001, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805 "2001-07-09T10:31:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alphagene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Alphagene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alphagene)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/21 "2001-07-09T13:25:47Z")
Let’s see. Gary doesn’t have a history of being a unquestioning mod lover. Badtz, you have a history of being shocked and appalled when it comes to various moderator actions. Which of you sounds more like they have a spastic patella? Is manny’s reaction over the top? It would be if the post wasn’t so goddamn stupid. The minute Cecil Adams starts answering questions in a manner completely devoid of sarcasm, insults and humor at the expense of the dense, then we as mods will do our best to be diplomatic and to ensure that no one’s feelings are hurt, even if they display profoundly dumb behavior. Look, we’re not going to respond to raw cluelessness and snippy posts with nothing but a polite scolding and a shit-eating grin. That ain’t the Straight Dope way. If the Straight Dope way ain’t your way then there’s the highway[sup]TM[/sup]. [sub]“My way or the highway” is a registered trademark of _Road House_. Please do not touch the dancers.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Francesca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Francesca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francesca)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/22 "2001-07-09T13:40:00Z")
As far as it looks to me, thread hijacks such as the tennis one in Silo’s thread (and which the one in this thread is clearly a follow-on to) is simply a way of commenting on the thread by invalidating the subject. “I find this thread so ridiculous that I’d rather talk about tennis” and by doing so, it takes the sting away from the general invective. In this thread I interpreted it to be saying, in an indirect manner, “I find this thread equally as much nonsense as the Silo-banning thread”. By using a continuation of the same hijack, a parallel between the two threads is drawn. Made me laugh, anyway. Fran ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/23 "2001-07-09T13:48:35Z")
Tennis sucks. Baseball rules! ---
**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:** [July 9, 2001, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/24 "2001-07-09T13:59:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francesca \* > \*\*As far as it looks to me, thread hijacks such as the tennis one in Silo’s thread (and which the one in this thread is clearly a follow-on to) is simply a way of commenting on the thread by invalidating the subject. “I find this thread so ridiculous that I’d rather talk about tennis” and by doing so, it takes the sting away from the general invective. > > In this thread I interpreted it to be saying, in an indirect manner, “I find this thread equally as much nonsense as the Silo-banning thread”. By using a continuation of the same hijack, a parallel between the two threads is drawn. Made me laugh, anyway.Fran \*\* Yup, that pretty much defines my intent in a far better way than I’d have done. Ta. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/25 "2001-07-09T14:17:01Z")
It’s _how_ they go about invalidating the subject that’s so galling to me. No thoughtful discussion whatsoever. No reason behind _why_ they find the thread so pointless, just jibber-jabber about Wimbledon. It’s was irritating the first time it happened in the Silo thread, in this thread it’s pathetic and cheap. You disagree with the O.P.? How about saying why? If peoples questions and concerns are so quickly and lamely dismissed outright simply because you don’t agree with them and you’re unwilling to say _why_, then what’s the point? Why don’t you back up your jackass behavior with a serious response, for once. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/26 "2001-07-09T14:26:23Z")
Oh come on Cnote. . . . I think that most of us here are smart enough to understand that opinions don’t always have to be spelled out for a point be made. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/27 "2001-07-09T14:41:30Z")
Oh, honestly. Keep your undergarments on. (Dammit, I’m having difficulty in expressing myself in a way that doesn’t sound like a parrot of **Fran** here) Yes, it’s an expression of how ridiculous the topic is. The Silo thread had rumbled on for several pages before **L\_C** came in with his Wimbledon commentary. During that time, many people (including me) had expressed their views. It had reached the point where views were going round in circles and posters were starting to get annoyed at eachother for no reason. It was going absolutely nowhere except for the beginnings of a totally pointless yet all-out war. And then suddenly the sting was totally removed. As I’ve said before, it’s amazing how a little humour can defuse a situation. In one fell swoop dopers were back to amusing eachother with puns and riling eachother with international sporting rivalries. Friends again. Aahhh. Then **Badtz** started this thread. It was promptly pointed out that the guy had not, in fact, been banned. It was further pointed out that the guy was obviously pretty fucking stupid to pursue an obviously illegal subject matter in an inappropriate way. **Badtz** , for reasons known only to himself, decided that he was going to pursue it anyway. In other words, we had the beginnings of **YET ANOTHER BLOODY STUPID ANTI-MOD BITCHFEST**. Uh-oh! Then **Gary** , in what was in my opinion a HUGELY witty manner, elected to display his opinion of the thread by hijacking in _exactly the same way_ as the Silo thread was hijacked. To me, that said far more about his thoughts than a 1000 word rant would have done. Furthermore, I was entertained. I laughed. And biggest of all, I thought he had an _excellent_ point. Which is why I backed him up. I’m sorry if any of you feel this is intimidating or ruins your lovely chance to bitch. Would you have preferred us to regale you YET AGAIN with the same tired old hackneyed posts that we all made less than a bloody week ago in the Silo thread? Would that have been more fun for you? Then some of you could have made the same paranoid counterclaims. And we could have repeated the dance another time. Mabel! Tell the band - 4/4 time and pick up the pace! Personally, I thought the hijack was more eloquant. By far. Is that an acceptable explanation for you **Cnote**? Is it wordy enough? Is it s-p-e-l-l-e-d o-u-t sufficiently for you? Lovely. Another Pimms please. pan ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/28 "2001-07-09T14:43:32Z")
Alternatively - what **Diane** said. Damn simulposts… pan ---
**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:** [July 9, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/29 "2001-07-09T14:43:33Z")
So basically **CnoteChris** , we’re only allowed to answer if we explain ourselves absolutely seriously, preferably in small words, so you can follow us without any chance of confusion? You don’t think that might make for a rather dull discussion forum? I don’t think this is the first time comedic device has been used in a debate. I doubt it will be the last. [sotto voce Peter Cooke voice] humourless cunt [/sotto voce Peter Cooke voice] ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/30 "2001-07-09T14:55:14Z")
No, **Gary** , I think what makes for a dull discussion board is a perfectly legitimate question being dimissed outright, and without reason, simply because you don’t like it. Not only would that make this place dull, it would make this place ignorant as hell… Question- “Hey, why did this happen, or could you explain this for us?” Answer- “Well I could, but I find your question too beneath me to comment on, so I’ll talk about tennis instead. Isn’t that funny and witty? Tee-hee… You little knob-head.” I don’t find it funny, witty, or accomplishing anything. I think it’s rude, childish, and smarmy as hell. Who the fuck are you to decide when the discussion is over, simpy because you feel it should be? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/31 "2001-07-09T15:01:23Z")
I think I have a splinter in my finger. ---
**Author:** ![CnoteChris](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/278dde/32.png) [@CnoteChris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CnoteChris)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/32 "2001-07-09T15:01:58Z")
**Kabbes** , I followed the silo thread from the start, as well as this one. I never bitched about anything one way or the other in it. Other people were doing that. But I did follow it and hoped that it would generate _some_ kind of redeeming response or resolution. It never did. In part due to the tennis hijack and in part, I believe, because the mods were _never_ going to answer any questions in it. But we’ll never know, will we, because it was far more important for a select few to decide the discussion was over and becoming redundant, and, well, you took it upon yourselves to make us a friends around here again. You guys and gals, with your tennis hijack, ruined that. Instead of getting some kind of resolution, it got dismissed without any serious response. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/33 "2001-07-09T15:03:10Z")
He wasn’t deciding the discussion was over. He was making a comment on it. How can anyone “decide the discussion is over” except for the moderators? Market forces work their magic on posts and threads as much as they ever do on pork belly prices. He is, however, perfectly within is rights to let us know what he _thinks_ of that discussion. pan ---
**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:** [July 9, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/34 "2001-07-09T15:06:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > \*\*I think I have a splinter in my finger. \*\* I’ve got some tweezers if that would help… ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/35 "2001-07-09T15:17:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gary Kumquat \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Scylla \* > > \*\*I think I have a splinter in my finger. \*\* > > I’ve got some tweezers if that would help… \*\* 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/36 "2001-07-09T15:17:37Z")
The burning question that I have is where/how did **Scylla** get his splinter? Was it from playing tennis (a bad racket?) or from some other source? enquiring minds want to know. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/37 "2001-07-09T15:17:51Z")
I dunno, it looks like it’s in there pretty deep. Maybe a needle would help. ---
**Author:** ![Jester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jester/32/8223_2.png) [@Jester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jester)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/38 "2001-07-09T15:19:05Z")
> [@](#): > > But we’ll never know, will we, because it was far more important for a select few to decide the discussion was over and becoming redundant, and, well, you took it upon yourselves to make us a friends around here again. > > You guys and gals, with your tennis hijack, ruined that. Instead of getting some kind of resolution, it got dismissed without any serious response. CNote, you said yourself that you followed the Silo thread. Did you not realize that it had more than 5 pages worth of serious response? Newflash: At the beginning of the thread, there was heated debate over an issue which many people disagreed on. At the end of all the ranting and raving, all the “serious responding” that went on, there was _still_ heated debate over an issue which many people disagreed on. I disagree with your statement that the tennis hijack caused the thread to have no resolution. I think it caused the thread to have _much_ more resolution than all that serious discussion did. The simple fact that the tennis hijack was allowed to take over the thread entirely with nary a word of protest should prove that. If all of you people who felt that the issue hadn’t been resolved enough had wanted to continue arguing about it, you would have been free to. Nobody would have stopped you. But the fact that everyone involved got in on the tennis discussion and just basically started having fun again is all the resolution that we need. It shows that people from both sides had come to terms with the issue, and that we didn’t want to fight anymore. It provided a wonderfully friendly close to a heated debate. Or would you have preferred that the entire argument end with everybody still being pissed? Would you rather have had everyone continue to rip into each other about it, with no end in sight? Would bloodshed have been preferable to tennis? Face it. That argument is over with and settled, largely thanks to the hijack which you hate so much. That said, **Gary** , be sure to sterilize the tweezers first. Here, I have some matches. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/39 "2001-07-09T15:19:25Z")
Wring: I don’t know where I got it, 'prolly doing yard work. Maybe it’s one of those alien implants. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805/40 "2001-07-09T15:21:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wring \* > Was it from playing tennis (a bad racket?) or from some other source? enquiring minds want to know. I think the whole business of splinters is a bad racket. Wood. As if it really serves a purpose! pfft. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/overreaction-in-banning-this-guy/71805.md?page=3)