# Poll: Ekers vs. Snake **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743 "2004-10-23T07:12:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SnakeSpirit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snakespirit/32/7271_2.png) [@SnakeSpirit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakeSpirit)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743/1 "2004-10-23T07:12:49Z")
In two threads, there have been a few long running arguments entered into by many people, but the major participants are **SnakeSpirit** (myself) and **Brian Ekers**. Each of us claims a superior argument. Bryan has recommended we let the readers decide based on the following criteria: Which of them is making ad-hominum attacks? Which of them is using fair and valid debating techniques? Who is making extraordinary claims, and what are they? **(cites required)** I will be fair, and let the threads speak for themselves. First is: [What is “Paranormal?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=281305&page=1&pp=50) The other is: [Can ghosts be scientifically proved to exist?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278533&page=1&pp=50) **Brian Ekers** has proposed this poll, and **SnakeSpirit** has initiated it. I respecfully ask that the moderator, **Czarcasm** , recuse himself from this poll due to the fact that he is a biased participant in both threads. Other than that, it’s open season. Be honest and fair is all we ask. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743/2 "2004-10-23T07:29:45Z")
I don’t know if I can single out either of you as the “problem”, but the two of you are clearly not making progress. I would recommend a quick recap of the following: 1. What do you two agree on 2. What do you disagree on 3. Of the disagreements, which do you think are opinions and which do you think are facts ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743/3 "2004-10-23T07:30:28Z")
I vote for Snake Plissken … wait, what was the subject? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743/4 "2004-10-23T08:14:15Z")
Yeah, _Escape from L.A._ was cool, and I’ll admit having a thing for Adrienne Barbeau (as I suspect a lot of men my age did) which kept me interested through the originalk _Escape from New York_. I also had a bit of a thing for Michelle Forbes, and it was a pity she didn’t play a larger role in _L.A._ In any case, they’re both classics in the action-movie-parody genre. As for the subject of this thread, I’d rather not take a chance of biasing the results by restating my positions here (esecially since I expect the number of respondents to this thread to be a small enough sample as it is). I would like to point out that Snake stresses the “( **cites required** )” bit because he thinks I made an unsupported claim about his unsupported claims. I just ask for fairness [sub]hail Bryan[/sub] and well-reasoned opinions [sub]crush snake[/sub] on this very important matter [sub]intellectual wankoff[/sub] Do your duty. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2004, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poll-ekers-vs-snake/270743/5 "2004-10-23T08:46:49Z")
> [@SnakeSpirit](#): > > In two threads, there have been a few long running arguments entered into by many people, but the major participants are **SnakeSpirit** (myself) and **Brian Ekers**. > > Each of us claims a superior argument. Bryan has recommended we let the readers decide based on the following criteria: > > Which of them is making ad-hominum attacks? > Which of them is using fair and valid debating techniques? > Who is making extraordinary claims, and what are they? **(cites required)** > > I will be fair, and let the threads speak for themselves. > > First is: [What is “Paranormal?”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=281305&page=1&pp=50) > > The other is: [Can ghosts be scientifically proved to exist?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278533&page=1&pp=50) > > **Brian Ekers** has proposed this poll, and **SnakeSpirit** has initiated it. > > I respecfully ask that the moderator, **Czarcasm** , recuse himself from this poll due to the fact that he is a biased participant in both threads. > > Other than that, it’s open season. > > Be honest and fair is all we ask. Reading the threads you provide, I don’t see where **Brian Ekers** formally proposed any sort of IMHO type poll. Why don’t you keep your fights confined to the threads you’re already participating in, and not try to run popularity contests in IMHO. I’m closing this thread.