Sorry to go public with this, but a query to the mods went unanswered.
Silenus, this is not about you and me…
Unless he changes it immediately (in which case all evidence is gone forever :)) for I don’t know how long this has been the custom title chosen by Silenus:
Isaiah 1:15 Screw the NRA.
Charter Member
It’s annoying to me, for any number of reasons. At the very least the first part reminds me of the nimrod at every baseball game behind the batter’s box. And don’t get me (or a zillion other Dopers) started on the next part.
And see:
From Custom titles now available! Can I use my title to make political statements, change it every five minutes, engage in “title wars” with other members, or otherwise go nuts?
Please use reasonable restraint. We’d like to keep this simple and enjoyable for all, and hope everyone will approach it in that spirit.
I looked it up, and it’s about not listening to someone’s prayers because they have blood on their hands. This would be an accurate summary of how many feel about the NRA. Political messages have never been banned from custom titles, as long as it’s something that would be appropriate to say in plaintext in the body of a post.
The custom title announcement also has these guidelines, a bit further down from the part you quoted:
It seems to me that silenus’s title conforms to the guidelines given. While it is political, it is not profane or jerkish, and is not inflammatory to the point where I think it could be considered beyond “reasonable restraint”.
“Screw the NRA” certainly sounds like a political statement. So this
seems unclear. It seems to equate making a political statement with “going nuts”. It also implies that one can engage in “title wars” as long as you do so with reasonable restraint.
I would recommend updating the guideline rather than sanctioning anyone, and remove the reference to political statements altogether.
The NRA isn’t formally a political entity. The engage in political activity, yes. But they themselves weren’t founded to be a governmental advocacy organization.
If his custom title said something along the lines of “Screw the GOP,” then I would think it’d be closer to a political statement. As it stands now, it’s akin to saying, “screw the PTA.”
The overarching guideline of the Dope is, “Don’t be a jerk.” I think that Silenus’s title doesn’t pass that test. Firstly, it’s rude. Secondly it’s incorrect. Isaiah 1:15 actually says:
This means the title is contrary to the purpose of the Dope which is fighting ignorance.
Seriously, that’s your objection? It seems patently, painfully obvious that Silenus is not intending to quote Isaiah. I’m all for pedantry, but sheesh.
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I’m pretty sure he’s not suggesting that Isaiah 1:15 is “Screw the NRA” (it’d be a very odd version of the Bible if it were) but rather that they are two separate but related statements.
That said, it seems to me like the sort of thing you’d put in a signature rather than as a title but whatever makes you happy.
My take on it was that was a play on something that WWF legend Stone Cold Steve Austin used to have on some of his merchandise, “Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!”