# Robin Williams quote a personal insult? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 30, 2016, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460 "2016-11-30T16:00:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**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:** [November 30, 2016, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/21 "2016-11-30T19:42:12Z")
Even now knowing that it was a RW quote, if I go back and read that post, my first impression is that **Grey** says he feels like he’s living over a Meth Lab after reading **DM** ’s post. Whether he’s directing that at the post or the poster is entirely unclear. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/22 "2016-11-30T20:12:44Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Give me a freakin’ break. In many instances, the warning might as well be given for simply responding to an asshole troll. This can certainly happen. The proper response to someone’s trolling is to report the post so we can deal with it, not to insult the poster you think is trolling. Remember, if you respond, you let them achieve their goal. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/23 "2016-11-30T20:29:39Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > Point taken, but to me, it’s indicative of a wider phenomenon that I’ve seen lately on the boards: > > Poster A says something that is idiotic, jerkish and downright nasty. > Poster B says something that may possibly, if you look sideways, be taken the wrong way. > > Poster B gets a warning. "Oh, poster B could have written the post a little better to make his intentions clear. " > > Give me a freakin’ break. In many instances, the warning might as well be given for simply responding to an asshole troll. No one got a warning. ---
**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:** [November 30, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/24 "2016-11-30T20:46:21Z")
> [@Euphonious\_Polemic](#): > > I really don’t see how this could possibly be interpreted as a personal insult. At all. I saw the report and interpreted the comment as a joke, kinda. But to say you don’t see how it’s possible that it could be interpreted as an insult is strange to me. Consider the example. Person A: comment Person B: Based on A’s comment, it’s like the group of people who A belongs to are crazy meth addicts. That’s easily a knock against A. ‘Your comments remind me that I think the group of people of which you are a member behave like crazy meth addicts.’ In any event, it was simply a note which as a reminder seems entirely appropriate. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/25 "2016-11-30T20:56:20Z")
I see Canada as a nearly empty icebox over a refrigerator that contains tasty snacks, but also a few things well past their sell-by dates. But no personal insult intended. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/26 "2016-11-30T21:09:31Z")
I’m sorry, if you were right, I’d agree with you. [C’mon, 25 replies and no one’s turned this into a Robin Williams quote thread? I’m disappointed, SDMB!!] ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/27 "2016-11-30T21:12:43Z")
Fly, be free! ---
**Author:** ![Evan\_Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@Evan\_Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evan_Drake)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/28 "2016-11-30T21:24:34Z")
I did not know it was a quote, but it was very, _very_ obvious it referred to Canada being above the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/29 "2016-11-30T21:24:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I see Canada as a nearly empty icebox over a refrigerator that contains tasty snacks, but also a few things well past their sell-by dates. > > But no personal insult intended. 🙂 Please take all the frozen pouting you find. (I hate the stuff.) Micro for two minutes and you’re good. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/30 "2016-11-30T22:08:48Z")
Frozen pouting? Have you been talking to my teenager? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/31 "2016-11-30T22:46:31Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I see Canada as a nearly empty icebox over a refrigerator that contains tasty snacks, but also a few things well past their sell-by dates. Better check those snacks – the whole fridge seems to have acquired a sickly orange-hued fungus. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/32 "2016-12-01T00:43:00Z")
The ’ living over a meth lab’ is a current humorous meme in Canada. Y’know since y’all elected Trump. Even misinterpreted how is it a **personal** insult? It’s a joke, currently getting lots of play. Sheesh. Pretty dodgy moderation in my opinion. Needs reconsidering. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2016, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/33 "2016-12-01T02:26:55Z")
It’s trivial to turn plenty of jokes into an insult. Not sure why anyone would think otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/34 "2016-12-01T04:40:20Z")
I did not happen to be familiar with the quote, but I would have ruled the same way had I recognized it. Not everyone knows it is a quote, so it is going to appear as an insult to some number of posters. We have previously ruled against quotes that were used as insults. If someone were to post in GD or Elections that _Mary McCarthy could have been talking about you instead of Lillian Hellman_, I would give them a Warning. (Note that in the current situation, no Warning was issued.) Using a quoted insult (which I recognize was not the case here) is not a “Get Out of Jail free” card if it is posted as an insult. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/35 "2016-12-01T06:09:54Z")
> [@Grey](#): > > I suppose you could go that way, but the phrase was directed at the post and the post isn’t the poster. That distinction is no longer honored. Someone explicitly made an argument that an “attack the post” post needed to be moderated, and it got a Warning. It’s honestly not easy to figure out the actual rules of behavior in those forums. While I don’t know about **Bone** yet, both **tomndebb** and **Jonathan Chance** are heavily on the “we use our judgment” side rather than the “have clear rules so people won’t violate them” side. Point is, currently, attacking a post too vigorously can lead to a Warning. Don’t rely on it or any other “rule” to keep you safe. ---
**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:** [December 1, 2016, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/36 "2016-12-01T06:49:48Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > That distinction is no longer honored. Someone explicitly made an argument that an “attack the post” post needed to be moderated, and it got a Warning. I’d like to see a cite for that. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/37 "2016-12-01T07:41:11Z")
So we’ve yet to have any freaking explanation on how referencing the sensation of ‘living over a meth lab’ as a characterization can possibly be construed as a PERSONAL insult. How is it personal? How is it an attack? On anyone? Or anything? How is an observation about how someone feels about something a personal attack on someone else? i realize it’s pointless to expect or seek a reasonable explanation. And I’m sorry, but the moderation of this board just totally jumped the shark for me. Good Lord, how do you expect anyone to stay within your imaginary boundaries? I for one, will have a hard time ever taking the moderation of this board seriously again! “Hurling a personal insult.” What a farce! ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/38 "2016-12-01T12:33:24Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > I did not happen to be familiar with the quote, but I would have ruled the same way had I recognized it. > > Not everyone knows it is a quote, so it is going to appear as an insult to some number of posters. > > We have previously ruled against quotes that were used as insults. If someone were to post in GD or Elections that _Mary McCarthy could have been talking about you instead of Lillian Hellman_, I would give them a Warning. (Note that in the current situation, no Warning was issued.) Using a quoted insult (which I recognize was not the case here) is not a “Get Out of Jail free” card if it is posted as an insult. To be clear, it was not. It was a throw away line on the incoherence of the “rape communists” post. I understand that is was note but I do not see the direct personal insult in the comment. If I had said what an incoherent mess of a post I would not be saying the poster is incoherent. If I had said the post is like living over a meth lab, I would not be saying the poster is a meth lab, meth user or loud toxic mix of danger. It seems to me that a personal insult needs to be personal. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/39 "2016-12-01T13:22:47Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > So we’ve yet to have any freaking explanation on how referencing the sensation of ‘living over a meth lab’ as a characterization can possibly be construed as a PERSONAL insult. I’ve never seen the quote before, and I took it to mean the quoted post was like the rantings of a meth addict. Seemed pretty personal to me. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2016, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460/40 "2016-12-01T13:42:50Z")
Not seeing how your admitted misinterpretation changes it’s _actual_ meaning. If mods write notes for everything someone misinterprets they’re gonna be awful busy, dontcha think? Not clear? Perhaps. Hurling a personal insult? No. Not even close. And the mod doubling down on it, is beyond silly, in my opinion. How are we supposed to take them seriously? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/robin-williams-quote-a-personal-insult/773460.md?page=3)