# Pointing out one's posting style isn't conducive to teaching is not an attack on the poster. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 13, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920 "2019-05-13T18:36:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/1 "2019-05-13T18:36:42Z")
2 May 2019: > [@A Thread for the Mueller Investigation Results and Outcomes (Part 1)](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-thread-for-the-mueller-investigation-results-and-outcomes-part-1/800093/11218): > > Here’s the thing: I predicted we would be at this point quite some time ago, and you all thought I was nuts. > > You all said awful scared for people who have believed that the institutions and the constitution would save us. And you really believe that a failed impeachment is gonna achieve somethin? I’m afraid you all are just revealing how much you don’t understand about how this works. > > I’ve tried to teach you people. 13 October 2018: > [@Republicans can just go straight to fucking hell](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/republicans-can-just-go-straight-to-fucking-hell/822918/1): > > Seriously, just go to hell, animals! > > We don’t need you! None of you are good, and you all suck! > > I don’t care if you grow the corn that I eat or fix my pipes - fuck you, I pay your salaries as you pay mine. You’re not fucking special. > > Drink your own piss. [I pointed out that acting like a nut isn’t conducive to being a teacher](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21620941&postcount=11328) and linked that Pit post in an Elections thread. I was attacking the post, not the poster, but now I have [a note for the link](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21638238&postcount=840) and [a warning for pointing out that I was not attacking the poster](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=21639695&postcount=843). Is attacking the post allowed or not? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/2 "2019-05-13T19:08:27Z")
I don’t find the instructions from the moderator difficult to understand. You were instructed not to link to insulting posts (which were originally posted in the Pit) in that situation, and you did it again. Aside from that, criticizing someone’s posting style is certainly different from criticizing the contents of a post. You used the words “acting like a nut” which sounds like an attack on the poster to me. There were other ways to do what you say you were trying to do, if you had wanted to take the time to do so more carefully. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/3 "2019-05-13T19:16:16Z")
You weren’t attacking the post; you were attacking the poster. That’s why you felt it necessary to bring in posts from other threads in other forums to make your point, which was totally about **asahi** and not about refuting the content of his posts. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/4 "2019-05-13T19:22:24Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I don’t find the instructions from the moderator difficult to understand. You were instructed not to link to insulting posts (which were originally posted in the Pit) in that situation, and you did it again. I linked to the same two posts that are in the OP. He wants to be seen as a teacher? He should have chose different language than in the second example. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/5 "2019-05-13T19:33:32Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > You weren’t attacking the post; you were attacking the poster. That’s why you felt it necessary to bring in posts from other threads in other forums to make your point, which was totally about **asahi** and not about refuting the content of his posts. He still wants teach the board, in that Elections thread and elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/6 "2019-05-13T19:40:46Z")
> [@What constitutes a personal insult in ATMB?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-constitutes-a-personal-insult-in-atmb/520520/2): > > I thought we’d been through this several dozen times, but we’ll try again in very simple terms. Speaking in general, here’s the way to tell the difference: > > - “You are an X” is a personal insult. > - “What you said is X” is NOT a personal insult. > > There’s nothing magic about “henpecking” nor any other word (with two or three exceptions.) We are NOT going to come up with a list of words that allowed and words that are not allowed. " > > ACCEPTABLE: Your post sounds like third-grade writing. > NOT ACCEPTABLE: You must have stopped your education in third grade. > > ACCEPTABLE: What you said comes across like henpecking. > NOT ACCEPTABLE: You are a henpecker. > > NOT FUNNY: How much henna can a henpecker peck if a henpecker could peck henna. The second quote in the OP comes across as nutty. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/7 "2019-05-13T19:41:52Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > He still wants teach the board, in that Elections thread and elsewhere. Hey look: that post was also about **asahi** and not about the content of his posts. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/8 "2019-05-13T19:43:36Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Hey look: that post was also about **asahi** and not about the content of his posts. Unless something’s changed since **Dex** departed, it’s not an insult. Nor is saying that he comes across as a crazed street corner preacher. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/9 "2019-05-13T19:45:52Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Unless something’s changed since **Dex** departed, it’s not an insult. Good job pointing that out! Since no one said anything about an insult, tho, why did you bring it up? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/10 "2019-05-13T19:48:22Z")
> [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Good job pointing that out! Since no one said anything about an insult, tho, why did you bring it up? The note: > [@North Korea suspending missile testing and closing nuclear site; Trump the statesman?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/north-korea-suspending-missile-testing-and-closing-nuclear-site-trump-the-statesman/812829/834): > > Do not link to insulting posts that contain no actual information while attempting to provide “explanations” of other posters’ actions. This sort of action could well be regarded as a Warning-inducing personal attack. > > [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/11 "2019-05-13T20:02:31Z")
The thing is, it’s not that you can’t tell the difference between an insult and something that is not an insult, right? That wasn’t what got you dinged and it wasn’t what you started this thread over, was it? Which is why I didn’t use the word nor invoke it in any way. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/12 "2019-05-13T22:26:33Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > He still wants teach the board, in that Elections thread and elsewhere. **Moderator Note** Personal attacks aren’t allowed either, and this post and this whole thread comes across as a continued personal attack. Keep that to the Pit. Colibri Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/13 "2019-05-13T22:28:59Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Unless something’s changed since **Dex** departed, it’s not an insult. Nor is saying that he comes across as a crazed street corner preacher. **Moderating** Yeah, in my book likening someone to a crazed street corner preacher is an insult, even if you try to make it about the post with “comes across as.” Colibri ---
**Author:** ![Bone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bone/32/407_2.png) [@Bone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bone)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2019, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/14 "2019-05-13T22:47:53Z")
Attacking the post continues to be allowed. Following moderator instructions is also a requirement. You linked to a Pit post and Tom dropped a note. It instructed, do not: [ol] [li]Link to insulting posts; that[/li][li]Contain no actual information; while[/li][li]attempting to provide “explanations” of other posters’ actions[/li][/ol] Here’s how I break it down: [ol] [li]What was the point of your followup post if not meant to hold asahi in a negative light - hence the personalizing aspect[/li][li]You linked to two separate Pit threads, yet you weren’t pitting him. It wasn’t about the thread topic at all - no actual information.[/li][li] Not exactly explaining another posters’ actions per se, but still it strikes me as a way to hold asahi out for mockery.[/li][/ol] Like I noted, if it weren’t for Tom’s note immediately prior that you were responding to, I’d leave it as a note. But it doesn’t make sense to me to continue with basically the same thing that was instructed against. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2019, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/15 "2019-05-14T18:33:56Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > He still wants teach the board, in that Elections thread and elsewhere. It generally doesn’t make sense to take someone’s tone and words from The Pit and use them as an argument in another forum about that person’s demeanor and intent. The Pit is the forum designed to allow that behavior. Cite his attitude in forums where he is actually trying to teach. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pointing-out-ones-posting-style-isnt-conducive-to-teaching-is-not-an-attack-on-the-poster/833920/16 "2019-05-15T19:41:09Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Unless something’s changed since **Dex** departed, it’s not an insult. Nor is saying that he comes across as a crazed street corner preacher. I think that saying that someone “comes across as a crazed street corner preacher” is an insult. IIRC, the rules prohibit nitpickery rules lawyering where you pretend to attack the post, but it is a veiled attack on the poster. You can’t say, “That post is written as if it was authored by a dickless little douchebag who probably beats his wife.” When modded, I doubt that, “But I clearly attacked only the post” would be an acceptable explanation.