# Poster mischaracterizing your posts **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 21, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130 "2013-07-21T19:57:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/1 "2013-07-21T19:57:39Z")
Is it okay for another poster to deceptively and intentionally misrepresent another person’s posts? Repeatedly? In this thread > **[Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common...](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=696659)** > > As a fat but strong kid in my youth I’m kind of conflicted. On one hand I understand the logic. A kid with a BMI of 40 ispretty fat in most cases and I can see that a physically challenging site might be difficult or in some situations, even... **Troppus** does this to me in post 151. I call her out on her it, but she refuses to correct her assertions or apologize. Then she apparently does it repeatedly to **colander** , who had complained about it several times, but her last admonishments to cut it out could be found at post 247. Finally, **Helena330** demands she stop the same thing too in post 248. And I’ve also seen her do it in other threads. Most recently the bicyclist rant in the pit and the off shoot to the above thread, about parents not always being the ones to blame for their child’s obesity, also in IMHO. So, is this ok? I know she’s never going to admit she was wrong or apologize to anyone she keeps lying about their position, but I’d like to know if this is ok on the board in general? If it is, is the only recourse anyone has is to pit people like that? If not, what else can be done? ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/2 "2013-07-21T20:15:34Z")
Altering your posts inside a quote box is not allowed, but creating a strawman argument by paraphrasing your post in a less than accurate way is a common debating style for certain posters. You can pit, ignore, or call them out on it. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/3 "2013-07-21T20:38:09Z")
Wow I can see why she seldom actually quotes people. I guess I figured it would somehow be against the rules or something if it was so blatant and constant, like how she almost permeates that thread with it. But it’s good to know what’s the deal. I’ll handle it by doing one of the things you suggest. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/4 "2013-07-21T21:49:09Z")
If posters had to accurately represent every other posters’ posts, this board would shut down tomorrow. So would the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/5 "2013-07-21T22:06:10Z")
Did you report this to a mod and they didn’t react? I had a hard time figuring out what the issue was by going back to that thread. It started when you reposted your quote, saying you bolded the key part, but none of it was bolded. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/6 "2013-07-21T22:15:07Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > Is it okay for another poster to deceptively and intentionally misrepresent another person’s posts? Repeatedly? Okay? I thought it was required. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/7 "2013-07-21T22:35:21Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > If posters had to accurately represent every other posters’ posts, this board would shut down tomorrow. > > So would the Internet. Probably true. But I had no idea that it could be one person’s entire MO throughout their whole posting history. > [@John\_Mace](#): > > Did you report this to a mod and they didn’t react? > > I had a hard time figuring out what the issue was by going back to that thread. It started when you reposted your quote, saying you bolded the key part, but none of it was bolded. No I didn’t report it. I’d looked through the rules again and only saw what had previously been said; that it was a no no to change a poster’s words in the quote box. Which is why I asked here. It seemed related to that, but I wasn’t sure. And I’d tried to bold that. I still sometimes screw up when I’m trying to code stuff from my phone. The gist was though that any time someone disagreed with parts of her argument, she would come back and give their motives a negative twist by paraphrasing their viewpoint to a strawman. The post that she did it to me is 151. > [@Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obese-boy-scouts-not-allowed-to-attend-jamboree-fat-discrimination-or-common-sense/663634/151): > > You call it discrimination, I’d call protecting already sick kids from getting sicker while protecting the organization from liability. Not sure why you think “Hell, let 'em try, if they have a stroke, oh well, at least they were included” is a more prudent decision than “We’ll let them in when they lose a bit of weight”, but you’ve made your point. Nowhere did I even remotely imply any of the things that she has put in quotes. Also, as I mentioned, the posts from other members taking her to task were over the same exact issue. I hope that at least that was clearer. ETA: I never called it discrimination either, as just another example. I said other people see it as that, but when confronted, all the facts are just ignored. Like I’m sure she’ll ignore the last two posters too and keep up strawmanning the hell out of every thread she participates in. > [@TriPolar](#): > > Okay? I thought it was required. Ha. I didn’t get the memo. Maybe I’d stepped away for coffee then? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/8 "2013-07-21T22:48:59Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > I had a hard time figuring out what the issue was by going back to that thread. It started when you reposted your quote, saying you bolded the key part, but none of it was bolded. Whew! I thought it was just me and my eyes were going to shit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Troppus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a587f6/32.png) [@Troppus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troppus)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/9 "2013-07-21T22:52:30Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > Probably true. But I had no idea that it could be one person’s entire MO throughout their whole posting history. Are you criticizing me or the moderation here? Here, check out these headlines: USA Today: “Jamboree campers thinned out: No obese Boy Scouts” CNN: “Boy Scouts ban obese kids from outing” NBC: “Obese Boy Scouts left out of national gathering” Troppus: “Disney excludes pregnant women from rides” Do see any similarity in the above statements which made national headlines, and the statement I made? Those headlines made an abbreviated, blanket statement which most people understand. But those headlines aren’t “the whole truth” as you’ve demanded it. \*All \*obese Boy Scouts are not banned. Did you apply the same fervor to your letters to the editor insisting they correct the headlines to “Morbidly obese Boy Scouts with BMI of 40+ banned from Jamboree”? I’m guessing you didn’t. You just chased me through the thread to push an unimportant point because… why? Here, look at your posts: > [@Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obese-boy-scouts-not-allowed-to-attend-jamboree-fat-discrimination-or-common-sense/663634/78): > > snipped… why criticize them for declining to serve kids with a BMI above 40 but you’re not criticizing Disney for excluding pregnant women from rides? > [@Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obese-boy-scouts-not-allowed-to-attend-jamboree-fat-discrimination-or-common-sense/663634/84): > > Not all rides. According to one of Disney’s websites, only “thrill” rides are off limits. Everything else is completely acceptable. > > [http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?qid=35681&cid=57](http://disneyworldforum.disney.go.com/questions.aspx?qid=35681&cid=57) > [@Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obese-boy-scouts-not-allowed-to-attend-jamboree-fat-discrimination-or-common-sense/663634/150): > > My point was, that you seemed to ignore the first time I responded to you and again the second time, was that you were wrong. After seeing you in action in multiple threads, I take it that you don’t cotton to having that pointed out much. Again though, you never admitted your error about rides at Disney and now, you can’t seem to grasp that I was illustrating how your rallying cry every post was futile. > [@Obese Boy Scouts not allowed to attend Jamboree. Fat discrimination or common sense?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obese-boy-scouts-not-allowed-to-attend-jamboree-fat-discrimination-or-common-sense/663634/154): > > God, seriously? Are you that wedded to being right that you can’t ever admit to being wrong? Here’s my quote since you’re reading comprehension failed you initially. I’ll bold the relevant part. > > snipped > > My only point, reiterated several times now, is that you were wrong about Disney. If only you’d have come back and accepted the correct facts, I wouldn’t have given a shit about any of the rest of this. But I suppose your incapable and here we are. So I guess I’ll be waiting for the multiple retractions that’ll never come while you keep up the good and sanctimonious fight. I thought you went a little shrill trying to force the Disney issue, and didn’t feel your point was relevant to the discussion. You can’t force someone to respond you, and chasing them repeatedly through a thread is just… odd. Someone on the internet is wrong, I guess you feel it’s your job to right the travesty. Thing is, this is a casual conversation, I didn’t provide cites, and I’m pretty sure that most readers knew that Disney has attractions that pregnant women can attend, well, because family. But the larger point is that parks have the right to protect attendees from themselves, and themselves from liability. Your needling wasn’t necessary, unless you do make a habit of correcting headlines, professional writers, reporters, etc. The moderators may very well tell me to tone it down or post in a less contentious manner, and I’ll follow their instructions. But they aren’t going to force posters to apologize to you for declining to respond to your repeated demands for attention, I’m certain of that. ---
**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:** [July 21, 2013, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/poster-mischaracterizing-your-posts/664130/10 "2013-07-21T23:07:11Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > But it’s good to know what’s the deal. I’ll handle it by doing one of the things you suggest. Thanks. Since the question seems to have been answered to the OP’s satisfaction, I’m going to close this. If you and **Troppus** have further issues to resolve, it would be best to take it to the Pit rather than continue the argument here.