Colon cleanse? 
I’m sure I’ll regret this, but I’m going to try to summarize what I think not_alice is saying. I’m sure he’ll correct me if I’m misinterpreting.
First off, Giraffe’s Pit thread is pure RO. . . easy subject for emotionalism coupled with an easy target to pick on. If Giraffe had only picked on the target Cesario, the thread might have looked like the one DtC did a while back. In that thread, it was mostly about Cesario’s posting style and manner. (I didn’t read the entire thread, just the first few pages and the last few pages.) I also don’t get why posting more about something is like risking other people getting an infection with a deadly virus, but that’s not not-alice’s point.
**
not_alice**'s point is that by adding the link on free speech which is a legitimate topic for Cesario to be posting on, Giraffe made it appear that he is Pitting anyone (but particularly any pedophiles) who speak on the topic of child pornography in free speech threads. Since that’s one of the main issues in free speech threads, Giraffe broadened his OP too widely. The result may be that people may be less open to speak about child pornography in future free speech threads, and particularly pedophiles may be less likely to discuss any topic here.
Alice, I’ve read through your questions in the ATMB thread.
It’s a pity that you are cognitively impaired. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
Glad you are so happy to live in certainty in the center of things in the herd.
But you can;'t have a center of a herd if some are not out on the edges where the dangers are more prevalent.
If you don’t get it, then don’t worry about it, it is not for you anyway.
That’s pretty good I guess!
I’d also add that The Free Speech thing negates the certainty of the OP, but yeah, maybe that is just garden variety RO and chest-puffery from Giraffe. Other than that, and that I don’t know OTTOMH if pedophiles might be less likely to post anywhere, I think the rest of this is a good summary.
I don’t see why Giraffe’s thread was RO in the sense it’s usually used. RO refers to threads where someone posts about some horrible crime and posters weigh in on just how horrible it is. What Giraffe was doing was simply pitting another poster for acting like a jerk, which is (a)what the pit is for and (b) eminently justified in that case. Giraffe linked to a lot of threads in which Cesario posted “Look at me!” posts which served no purpose except to remind everyone that he is an unrepentant pedophile. After a long list of pretty bad posts Giraffe added the free speech post as a case which, while not as bad as the other links, still involved posting about his obsession. Giraffe was clearly not posting about anyone who would post about kiddie porn in a free speech discussion, he was posting about Cesario, who is a gross asshole and a troll.
Except that the Free Speech thing has no such "look at me " language, or else someone would have posted it by now.
And that is why I pitted him.
Feel free to post the “look at me” language in that thread if you see it. I will still apologize if some can find it and put it side by side with the others for comparison.
You know what, not alice, I’m going to teach my cat math. I think I’ll have better luck with that. Good luck with your incomprehensible crusade. I’ll still be watching, as it’s pretty funny. I really only wanted to respond to Heffalump and Roo, as he (or she) can read and think.
Well, pretty much, it’s clear that it’s RO. Here’s the definition of RO that Giraffe gives on his message board.
He knows that no one will argue in favor of baby-raping. But in his OP, he has to bridge the gap from someone who is talking about it to someone who has done it. So he claims that someone who casually talks about it is taking it too lightly because . . . and this is where the analogy is pretty weak. . .it’s like playing with weaponized smallpox because the danger is so great. So that must assume that either other people can get it from reading about it. Or that the person posting will be more likely to cause the danger because of their own posting about it. But there’s no evidence that either of those are true.
And then after he outlines the dangers of talking about it, he ends with a demand for Cesario to stop talking about it because it grosses him (Giraffe) out.
When you talk about the certainty of the Pit OP, you seem to be saying that there was a case that Giraffe was laying out, and that all of the components of his case were shown by the examples. Given that it’s simple RO, I don’t think the certainty of the OP is much of a factor.
Don’t bet the farm on that.
Mmm maybe. But that is a pretty thin defintion of RO - if he could somehow get someone to argue with him, then it is not RO and belongs in his Pit, and maybe by extension in this one?
So isn’t the fact that I argued with him, and you understood the argument sufficient to mean it is not RO by his board’s definition?
Of course RO on his board may not be RO here and vice versa, but still…I’d say if he had left the Free Speech thread out, it would have met the definition of RO you provided, with it, it seems not so much, but I am tired now.
Not really.
You will have better luck teaching your cat math, then finding the outrageous posts in a thread that has been pitted?
Thanks ever so much for making my case for me.
I reckon the best thing to do at this point is to start a BBQ thread pitting both not_alice and curlcoat. After the OP and a couple of responses, leave the two of 'em to talk each other to death.
Except that won’t happen because each of them both want the last word. Could be the longest (and most tedious) thread in internet history though! Anyone wanna contact the Guiness Records people to get them prepared??
I can see how that would go down…
“Snort!”
“Free speech!”
“Snort!”
“Free speech!”
“Snort”, ad nauseum
No thanks. Pass.
Geez, not alice is like curlcoat on speed.
…indeed.
There was this classic thread which not_alice derailed not so long ago…it starts from post 208 and is all down-hill from there. Its really good for a laugh: I still can’t believe that there is someone out there that is so willfully obtuse.
(Although I have to congratulate not_alice on uniting all sides of the SSM debate.)
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=523071&page=5
You will be happy to know that that thread was pretty much concurrent with some behind the scenes political work that earned me notice and continues to earn me notice from many of the top national organizations focused on civil rights for gays.
I am proud of that work, it was unprecedented, and folks discussion in that thread was invaluable in helping me to advance the cause, to literally flip a political vote by anticipating some of the arguments against me in discussions with local politicians.
I know it is only one piece of a much larger struggle, but thanks to everyone on that thread, even if belated, for their roles in assisting me. It means a lot to a lot of people what the result was.
I don’t know how you find the time to talk down to us peons, with all the important work you’re doing. I guess we should be in awe of your greatness. :rolleyes:
Maybe you should look into your self esteem if you consider yourself a peon. I value the collective and sometimes individual opinions here. Don’t you?