# Question: What is a "fake Pit thread"? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 8, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256 "2003-10-08T09:10:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/1 "2003-10-08T09:10:36Z")
In reference to [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=216008), is a fake Pit thread one for which the title is misleading? Or was the Opening Post in that thread disingenuously stating that its writer had previously pitted the mod, and it was in fact the nonexistent referenced thread was called “fake”? So, is a fake thread: (1) A thread with a misleading title? (2) A thread that is referenced but does not exist? (3) Something else? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/2 "2003-10-08T09:34:53Z")
It’s (3), I think. My take on **Lynn** ’s closure of that thread is that she doen’t like Pit threads in which the OP is not genuinely angry with the thread’s subject, but rather is merely showing off a rant which he or she thinks will attract lots of “great rant! I spat Mountain Dew into my keyboard” validation posts. I think she’s right. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/3 "2003-10-08T09:39:38Z")
I think **TheLoadedDog** has it in one. A fake Pit thread is one that is never really intended as a true Pit-style rant – just a bit of a muck around. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/4 "2003-10-08T10:43:05Z")
Okay, got it. Thanks to both of you! ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/5 "2003-10-08T11:03:16Z")
The thread in question was really more of a MPSIMS thread, not a true Pit thread. The Pit is not for jokes and games. Similarly, I don’t allow “Flame me!” threads. Lynn ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/6 "2003-10-08T12:06:51Z")
Aren’t parodies in the Pit also “fake Pit threads”? After all, a parody is a game, of sorts. ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/7 "2003-10-08T12:14:15Z")
We’re probably starting to look to deeply into this. I’d guess that if the parody is genuinely hanging shit on somebody or something you dislike, then it’s ok. **Fenris** ’ song parodies come to mind. I’ve seen them in the Pit, and also in MPSIMS, depending on how strongly worded they are. I think it’s an arbitrary line drawn somewhere up the scale. One of those “know it when you see it” things, I’d guess. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/8 "2003-10-08T12:50:04Z")
There are different forms of pitting, so I’ve seen. The classic pitting and the parody both have purpose, and that is to draw the attention of the users here to an issue or poster in particular, and then roast the subject at hand, only in different ways. A “fake pitting” is just the bread slices without the filling. Pointless, and more worthy of MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/9 "2003-10-08T12:54:38Z")
What is the purpose of the parody, if not to play a game of deception (albeit mild) on other people? When one writes a parody, one means for one’s words not to be taken seriously or literally. These threads should be in MPSIMS. They are not Pit threads by any definition I’ve seen yet. And one can certainly make the case, based on **Lynn** definition above, that they are against the rules of that forum. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/10 "2003-10-08T14:00:53Z")
But deception is removed by the rules, which state that a parody must be clearly identified as such. My own parodies, when I have done them, have been intended to ridicule assertions made on the SDMB that I believed to be stupid. It is a way of calling someone a stupid prick. It just requires a bit more creativity. It sounds like you might have parody confused with satire. A parody merely imitates a style. It is satire that is intended to be taken with a grain of irony. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/11 "2003-10-08T14:26:46Z")
A parody is “a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule.” A satire is “a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.” It’s not mere imitation; it’s imitation for the purpose of lampooning. Ergo, it’s for chuckles. Ergo, it has no place in the Pit. I’m not arguing against parodies (or satires) being on this board. I do think that they have no place in the Pit, according to **Lynn** ’s definition of what is permitted in that forum. I argue that both satires and parodies should be in MPSIMS with the other “fun” stuff (that is, “fun” stuff that is inappropriate for CS or IMHO). Source: [www.m-w.com](http://www.m-w.com) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/12 "2003-10-08T14:38:40Z")
> [@](#): > > A parody is “a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or in ridicule.” A satire is “a literary work holding up human vices and follies to ridicule or scorn.” Yeah. That’s what I said. > [@](#): > > I argue that both satires and parodies should be in MPSIMS with the other “fun” stuff (that is, “fun” stuff that is inappropriate for CS or IMHO). When they are fun for the person being parodied, perhaps. But when they are intended to call out the person, the pit is where calling out is done. Isn’t it? The purpose of a pit parody is to show how stupid someone is. It isn’t for holding hands and singing _For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow_. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/13 "2003-10-08T14:46:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Libertarian \* > **Yeah. That’s what I said.** Not exactly. You said a parody was imitation; I said it wasn’t merely imitation but rather imitation with a purpose of lampooning. I could write a short story in the style of Poe, and it would be mere imitation, not parody. It would be parody only if I wished to make fun of Poe’s style, even to the point of exaggerating aspects of his style. > [@](#): > > When they are fun for the person being parodied, perhaps. But when they are intended to call out the person, the pit is where calling out is done. Isn’t it? The purpose of a pit parody is to show how stupid someone is. It isn’t for holding hands and singing _For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow_. Well, sure. And this is why I am asking for clarification, hopefully from **Lynn** herself. Parodies would seem to be prohibited according to the rules, but perhaps they’re merely an exception, since they’re a special case. ---
**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:** [October 8, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/14 "2003-10-08T17:32:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > A parody is “a literary or musical work in which the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect or \*\*in ridicule.” \*\* I think the bolded words are significant. If you are using a parody to ridicule someone who has offended you, then the Pit is the appropriate place for it - especially if the target is another poster, since a parody will often consitute a flame. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/15 "2003-10-08T20:12:25Z")
That’s what I meant when I said, “My own parodies, when I have done them, have been intended to **ridicule** assertions made on the SDMB that I believed to be stupid.” And Dantheman, Gaudere (also an administrator) has already ruled that parodies are appropriate for the Pit. Plus, see the [sticky thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127729) in the Pit where Lynn gives a solitary constraint on parody threads there. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/16 "2003-10-08T20:46:39Z")
Yes, I remember now the bit about linking to the original thread - someone or some people started parody threads with zero links. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2003, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-what-is-a-fake-pit-thread/206256/17 "2003-10-08T21:00:19Z")
Actually, I did some parodies without links, although they were before the rule was in place.