Pitting QuickSilver

[iiandyiiii]

@QuickSilver took a hiatus from the board for a few years, and recently returned. Welcome back, QS! In the few weeks since he’s returned, he’s made what I see as snide personal attacks on me without basis three times, and when challenged, refuses to provide any basis, or apologize, for these attacks:

@QuickSilver

But I expect you’ll continue to selectively ignore what I say.

This one is pretty minor. I always want to improve as a poster, so I invited him to cite any time he thought I ignored what he had to say, and he refused. But, as a single incident, no big deal.

@QuickSilver

I recall posts in which you’ve tried to have it both ways in saying that Israel as a whole is responsible and deserves to be collectively punished, and now just the government.

This is a pretty specific criticism. You’d think one would want to be sure it’s accurate before making such a criticism. But in the same post he anticipates me asking him for a cite, and preemptively refuses:

@QuickSilver

I’m sure you’ll feel insulted and demand a cite. I don’t work for you. I’ll leave it to others to draw their own conclusions.

Why the fuck make accusations you refuse to back up? It’s not hard. No one is making you post personal attacks that you’re unwilling to justify.

And then, most recently:

@QuickSilver

Saying you don’t care about definitions of “genocide” because you’re not remotely an expert, but taking pains to define the meaning of “zionist” seems intellectually dishonest, at the very least.

Here’s where I (supposedly) took “pains to define the meaning of “zionist””:

@iiandyiiii

It’s not about should, it’s about how language works. And what you said goes pretty much exactly the same in reverse for the definition of anti Zionism. But it’s usage that defines definition - that’s language, no matter what anyone personally thinks about a particular definition.

I’m not claiming that any particular definition is right or wrong - I’m claiming that usage varies widely, and thus definitions vary widely.

“definitions vary widely”… Okay, so he made a mistake. But he refused to acknowledge the mistake, or apologize, or anything like that.

This is a pattern, QS. A pattern of lies and dishonor, IMO. I hope you can improve as a poster and stop making personal attacks that you’re not prepared to back up with evidence.

[iiandyiiii]

Here I analogize the Israeli soldiers who gang raped a Palestinian prisoner to insects:

@iiandyiiii

We don’t and probably can’t know whether, and how often, this kind of thing might have happened in other cases with no video evidence. Like seeing a single bug means there’s a good chance you have an infestation, this single incident being discovered may mean there are many others that remain undiscovered.

@QuickSilver objects:

@QuickSilver

You painted an analogy to an insect infestation. Claiming “we can’t know for certain” is not the get-out-of-jail-free card you need it to be.

My response:

@iiandyiiii

Rapists are vermin. I have no problem at all analogizing rapists to insects.

Do you?

QS:

@QuickSilver

Once again, I leave it to anyone following this thread to judge for themselves whether this is a question that merits a response.

So as to not hijack that thread, let’s bring it here. What’s wrong with analogizing rapists to vermin? Please, educate me, @QuickSilver. I want to be a better person and a better poster.

[BigT]

I was honestly going to call him out in the Babale thread, but you mentioned enjoying yourself going after him, so I didn’t.

He just really seemed to be looking for a fight with you and using the topic as an excuse.

[iiandyiiii]

By the way, @BigT, I’ve been meaning to apologize to you for snapping at you about the mental health stigma thing in the Platner thread a few months ago. I’m sorry.

[MrDibble]

I know you’re not unaware of the historical tradition of comparing Jews to vermin.

“I’m not comparing Jews. I’m comparing rapists.” you say?

I know that, but that’s not a good look when you’re talking about specifically Jewish rapists.

It’s not your intention, but it’s the crack the IOF bootlickers will wedge their little “Antisemitism!” picks into. “Deflect, deflect, deflect” is always their strategy (look, 3 Ds, so very memorable!), so best not to give them the opening, I’d say.

[iiandyiiii]

Fair enough. I’ll try not to use that analogy again, for tactical reasons.

[Jasmine]

@iiandyiiii

@QuickSilver took a hiatus from the board for a few years, and recently returned.

@iiandyiiii

In the few weeks since he’s returned, he’s made what I see as snide personal attacks on me without basis three times, and when challenged, refuses to provide any basis, or apologize, for these attacks:

It appears to me, and correct me if I’m wrong, that he’s harbored some kind of grudge against you over a period of years? I could understand it if you did something awful to him IRL, but over things said on a message board? If so, that’s scary.

[iiandyiiii]

I recall some similar silliness back before he left. But nothing that egregious - just lukewarm sniping and criticism back and forth in political threads. I remember being surprised by it at the time, since, in my memory, @QuickSilver and I were usually aligned in most issues.

[TroutMan]

First to get this out of the way, I think the insect analogy was a very poor choice. It’s never OK to compare people to insects. Rapists are horrible human beings, not insects, and we shouldn’t suggest either directly or indirectly that people deserve to be exterminated.

That said, QuickSilver seems to be personalizing a lot of arguments unnecessarily. I had a PM exchange with him a few years back when I encouraged him to come back for a mutual topic of interest, and he shared his reasons for leaving. I was really happy to see him back recently, but it’s disappointing that most of his posts are attacks or mean-spirited snark rather than discussion. Given his reasons for leaving in the past, I see only one outcome if he continues this manner of posting.

QS, I hope you stick around and mellow out a bit for our sake and for your own. I really appreciate your knowledge and viewpoints, even when I don’t agree.