# Request for clarification on announcement re: falsely attributing **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 23, 2002, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402 "2002-05-23T00:10:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**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 24, 2002, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/21 "2002-05-24T14:09:19Z")
Enough of these cornflower puns! ---
**Author:** ![Farren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@Farren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farren)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/22 "2002-05-24T19:37:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Actually, I was gonna e-mail this to an Admin, but I just realized that at work, I _can’t_ e-mail. > I agree with your guesses that stuff like the SDMB One Trick Pony Chowder and Marching Society is _probably_ ok, but until I hear it from an Admin, I’m gonna refrain from that sort of post, just in case. After all, doing something like… > > \*\* (parody snipped) > [@](#): > > 1. We have established (yet another) rule: Falsely attributing a quote to another user, or modifying another’s post in order to cast him/her in a bad light, even if meant in jest, is grounds for revocation of your posting privileges. \*\*This does not apply to parodies to which no name is attached. \*\* (bolding added) It looks like Ed changed the announcement. The One Trick Pony Chowder and Marching Society lives on! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2002, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/23 "2002-05-24T20:47:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Farren \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > This does not apply to parodies to which no name is attached. > > (bolding added) > It looks like Ed changed the announcement. The One Trick Pony Chowder and Marching Society lives on! 🙂 \*\* Not necessarily: I attach names. It’s not funny otherwise. Like I said, I’m holding off for an official “They’re cool” or “Knock 'em off, ya knucklehead”. Either one. (and since I’m not itching to post one, it’s not all that urgent, but I would like to know) 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/24 "2002-05-25T00:18:01Z")
Actually, if you’re not allowed to attach names, it might make them even more fun (guessing who; not that it would be particularly difficult to identify the current society membership) ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/25 "2002-05-25T11:56:31Z")
Are my Pit parodies in violation of the rule? It doesn’t seem like they are, but if they are, I’ll stop doing them. What I normally try to do is capture the spirit of the thread that I’m parodying and frame it in a context intended to highlight its absurdity. Is that flirting with a rules infarction? ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/26 "2002-05-25T12:02:00Z")
[…sigh…] Not that the rules would have a heart attack or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/27 "2002-05-25T20:28:07Z")
I wouldn’t think so, Lib. Not as long as your parodies don’t have a name attached, or in any way hint that the person parodied really said those words. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/28 "2002-05-25T20:59:39Z")
What Gaudere just said. And what I said earlier. We want wiggle room for good fun, what we can’t have is anyone putting words in someone else’s mouth. Hope the distinction between the two is clear. And yes, Ed DID change his original announcement, after this distinction was brought to his attention. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/29 "2002-05-25T21:27:12Z")
I’m not trying to be an ass here, but I want to be sure I understand how absoute the “words in other’s mouth” restriction goes: In my example above, that sample “Chowder and Marching Society” dialogue I did (assuming that those were the names of real posters) would now be verboten, correct? Assuming those were the names of real Dopers, I’d have put words in their mouths, but the script format would make it obvious parody that no rational person could mistake for anything else. On the other hand, a poster just threatened to sue, so… who knows? Heck, if taken absoutely literally, that Spider-Man parody I did in the [PJ Girl](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=116085&pagenumber=4) Pit thread would be against the rules (If so, I apologize!) Are these examples of things that are now no-nos? Is this “no words in other’s mouths” policy absolute or is there room for obvious parody?\* Thanks Fenris \*again, this is coming out much more stridently that I’m intending! Absolutely NO criticism of the policy (or policymakers) is intended, just a request for clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/30 "2002-05-25T21:33:55Z")
One more question: My Origins of the Mods all involve false attribution. If I was doing them now, would they be OK? I’m NOT asking all these questions to cause grief or to stir up trouble or to look for rule “loopholes”, I hope you all know me well enough to know that that’s not the sort of thing I do, but at the same time, the more I think about my output, LOTS of what I do involves this and I want to be certain that I don’t break the rules. I value this Board and it’s members too much to risk it. 🙂 Thanks again Fenris ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2002, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/31 "2002-05-25T21:42:21Z")
For what it’s worth (and don’t answer that), what **had** been done that precipitated this whole bruhaha, **looked** very different from all of what you, **Fenris** and **Lib** do. Generally, both of you open a new thread, and do a long posting in ‘the style’, and I’ve **never** seen either of you doing **anything** remotely like > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Fakeusername_\*\* something they didn’t say \*\* which was **exactly** what was done. And w/o getting into the ‘tactical’ warfare question, on the surface, to people skimming the thread, it would, indeed \*\* look\*\* as tho that poster had said that. The fact that we could scan up and see that the poster **didn’t** actually say that didn’t (in my eyes) justify it. Again, to some on just scanning the thread, it would look like a quote. But then, again, I am neither a mod, nor an admin, so my vote doesn’t count on this. Just from my perspective, what I saw precipitating the ‘rule’ _looked and was_ very different from what you’re talking about. Hell, in any debate, we all paraphrase each other and get called on it between each other all the time, and I don’t _think_ they’re talking about that (now, watch some smart ass quote my line here and just put ‘I don’t think’). ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/32 "2002-05-27T15:16:06Z")
Parodies in good fun are just that, good fun, and are permissible. Only a total dolt would read such a posting and take it as offensive. What we don’t want are misattributions of what could be libelous or otherwise actionable material. Not sure how I can make that distinction to you except to say that you’re doing okay so far, Fenris. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/33 "2002-05-27T15:20:08Z")
Go Fenris! ---
**Author:** ![InkBlot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5e925/32.png) [@InkBlot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InkBlot)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2002, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402/34 "2002-05-29T15:40:31Z")
Good boy, Fenris! On the paper, that’s a good… _CHOMP_ Ow…hey, that’s my hand…er, that was my hand. Where did it go? Boy that’s a lot of blood. Excuse me, I think I need to sit dow…_thud_ -inkblot- [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/request-for-clarification-on-announcement-re-falsely-attributing/110402.md?page=1)