# Shagnasty and the Worst Anecdote in SDMB History **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468 "2005-02-17T02:49:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 24
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/461 "2023-06-03T08:10:22Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > I always felt he made most of his stories up. He wrote like he had a third grade education, but everyone in his family were millionaires with super successful careers, including him. So… Eric or Don Jr.? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/462 "2023-06-03T13:38:12Z")
> [@mordecaiB](#): > > He doesn’t show as banned and he’s even visited since his last post. Am I confusing him with some other misogynist? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/463 "2023-06-03T13:59:55Z")
He has some sort of Topic Ban, let me check what that is. BRB @Spice_Weasel issued a Topic Ban: > [@On another topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/749998/7): > > **Shagnasty** , after a lengthy discussion and resulting moderator consensus, we have decided that your repeated trolling on this subject warrants a topic ban. > > You are no longer permitted to start threads on the subject of: > > **your involvement with women, your opinion of women, or romantic/sexual interactions with women** > > If you start another thread about any of those things, you will be moderated for it. So **Shagnasty** is not banned, just topic banned. He didn’t bother making the transition to Discourse. His last thread was the apology: > [@I want to give a formal apology to the SDMB](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-want-to-give-a-formal-apology-to-the-sdmb/846200): > > My behavior over the years has been completely uneven and sometimes infamously terrible. My statements about women in particular were horrible. I am engaged to an extremely talented Episcopal priest against all probability. I was embarrassed when I realized she might find out some of what I wrote along with my mothers and daughters. Everything I have ever said is true but it was presented in an inflammatory way that I deeply regret. This is a completely sincere apology that no one else knows ab… This was after 2 years of not starting any threads at all. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/464 "2023-06-03T14:04:24Z")
While misogyny spans a vast range of assholes, and it is hard to identify just which asshole said what, I am fairly sure Mr. Nasty got banned. Perhaps he got unbanned in the shift to Discourse? In any case, if I were a mod, I would re-ban him. What a horrible person. ETA - not banned, just topic banned, but I would have gone full ban. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/465 "2023-06-03T14:09:28Z")
I wasn’t a Mod for the decision making, but if he had been banned, there would be a record. There is not. If he chose to come back now and didn’t cause problems, I see no reason to ban him for past posts. But if he did cause problems, I doubt his leash would be long. But this is just the opinion of a single mod and not anything official. Decisions like these are made by the entire team in the Modloop. * * * * * * Speaking as a long time poster, he always pegged my BS meter and I largely passed over his posts, especially his anecdotes. That is a rare for me, that I categorized someone that way. ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2023, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/466 "2023-06-03T15:12:25Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > So… Eric or Don Jr.? Hard choice, but I think Jr. wins by a hair. > [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Am I confusing him with some other misogynist? That would be easy enough to do. We’ve had a few doozies. > [@What\_Exit](#): > > Speaking as a long time poster, he always pegged my BS meter and I largely passed over his posts, especially his anecdotes. He probably had a career writing _Penthouse Forum_ letters. That said, I hope his apology was sincere and he has changed for the better. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/467 "2023-06-05T15:28:34Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Am I confusing him with some other misogynist? Maybe. At any rate, if your mod powers could be reinstated for just long enough for you to ban him for real, I’d be down with that. ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/468 "2023-06-06T02:51:48Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Those filler words can be tricky. As the old Hemingway advice goes, “Every time you are tempted to write “very,” replace it with “damn,” and your editor will remove it accordingly.” Somewhat pedantic (the best kind of pedantic!) comment: I saw this quote, and since I’m supposed to lecture a group of early career engineers on how to write a technical white paper, I thought I might use it. But I don’t like to attribute quotes without some sort of…provenance. So I plugged the entire phrase above (including all the quotation marks) into Google and exactly one hit came back- this thread. So I tried Hemingway and various subsets of the words and Hemingway plus quotes, and writing, writers, and editors. I must have read a 100 Hemingway quotes. No phrase that even mildly resembles this quote. So I got a little innovative and used the first half of the phrase and the word quote. That led me to a quotes site that attributed it to Mark Twain. But no cite as to where or when Twain wrote or said this. So I added “attribution” to my search and found a paper on writing that included this quote and the words “misattributed to Mark Twain”, So I substituted “misattributed” for attributed in my search and found [**The Quote Investigator**](https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/08/29/substitute-damn/), which attributes the quote to most likely have come from William Allen White, with a strong cite from 1935, and earlier partial versions as early as 1917, quoting Mr. White, an editor from Kansas. With the exact wording of “_If you feel the urge of ‘very’ coming on, just write the word, ‘damn,’ in the place of ‘very.’ The editor will strike out the word, ‘damn,’ and you will have a good sentence._” **So, while the quote sounds very much like advice Hemingway would give, it is actually from William Allen White.** _(nerd mic drop)_ Everyone should remember the following: > Over 37% of all quotes on the internet are wrongly attributed - Abraham Lincoln ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/469 "2023-06-06T04:11:13Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Somewhat pedantic That is a damn good post! ---
**Author:** ![Folacin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folacin/32/3195_2.png) [@Folacin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folacin)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/470 "2023-06-06T11:32:33Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > Mr. White, an editor from Kansas My wife would mention that Mr White is the namesake of the University of Kansas School of Journalism, while one of my sons would point out that the University of Missouri School of Journalism has a (much?) better reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/471 "2023-06-06T11:37:39Z")
One might even say a _damn_ better reputation. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/472 "2023-06-06T17:24:31Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > **So, while the quote sounds very much like advice Hemingway would give, it is actually from William Allen White.** _(nerd mic drop)_ I love it. Well done. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2023, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/473 "2023-06-06T20:43:24Z")
Yeah, and Hemingway did not write [Baby Shoes](https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/595402/ernest-hemingway-did-not-write-six-word-baby-shoes-story), either. He certainly didn’t write it on a bet at the Algonquin, because he was not part of that crowd\*. He was rarely even in the US during the heyday of the Round Table. \*You know who was an occasional visitor to the Round Table? Harpo Marx. I assume he talked! ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/474 "2023-06-07T03:37:34Z")
> [@peccavi](#): > > **So, while the quote sounds very much like advice Hemingway would give, it is actually from William Allen White.** _(nerd mic drop)_ This is the kind of quality Straight Dope content I remember! ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2023, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/475 "2023-06-07T18:05:03Z")
I’m a fan of that quote, as a writer who uses too many curse words. My initial drafts have upwards of 400 fucks. No, I don’t keep them all. Truthfully I’ve gotten pretty far with the advice to tone it down on adjectives too. Yes, adjectives. Really, extraneous words in general. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/476 "2023-06-08T00:08:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Speaking as a long time poster, he always pegged my BS meter and I largely passed over his posts, especially his anecdotes. That is a rare for me, that I categorized someone that way. This. Lots of people have one-in-1-million real stories that really happened to them. A very few have two such accounts. Anyone with dozens, doesn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Guapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@Guapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guapo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/477 "2023-06-08T10:11:42Z")
I love this thread. I’m with the OP: ordering milk at a bar is childish, especially in this case where the food exec wanted to treat the woman to a nice evening. I often go out with someone who doesn’t drink alcohol. She orders mineral water with gas, or a non-alcoholic beer, or an espresso: things that adults drink when they go out. But lets turn this around. Imagine they had met a film festival and he invited her to the movies, but instead of watching the film that just won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, she wanted to go see Minions III. He met her at a food festival, is it surprising he expected someone more in-line with his tastes and interests? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/478 "2023-06-08T11:17:29Z")
> [@Guapo](#): > > Imagine they had met a film festival and he invited her to the movies, but instead of watching the film that just won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, she wanted to go see Minions III. I’d date the heck out of her. People who use labels like “childish” or “unsophisticated” to describe folks who don’t like what they like are assholes. You know what I call a woman who orders exactly what she wants at a bar? **Confident.** You want to treat someone to a nice evening? Don’t be a judgemental pick. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/479 "2023-06-08T11:22:42Z")
I agree, although Minions II was so awful I’d want to know what it was about the hypothetical Minions III film that attracted her, just as I’d be interested to know why she’d ordered milk. It’s not a dealbreaker; it’s a conversation starter. ETA: Just discovered that, according to Wikipedia, “_Minions: The Rise of Gru_ debuted at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival”. So there! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2023, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468/480 "2023-06-08T11:30:33Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > according to Wikipedia, Stop relying on Wikipedia, you **unsophisticated child.** [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468.md?page=23) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shagnasty-and-the-worst-anecdote-in-sdmb-history/290468.md?page=25)