# Skald the Rhymer is annoying **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 8, 2012, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631 "2012-07-08T21:22:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 16
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/301 "2018-05-23T19:11:20Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I was asked a question and I answered it. Of course it’s not about me. It’s not about you either, but you seem awfully mouthy on the subject. On 2 boards, no less. I can’t keep up with _that_ > > ETA quit adding up my posts, add up your own. Motor mouth calling someone mouthy. Priceless. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/302 "2018-05-23T19:24:26Z")
Wasn’t this exact scenario an episode of _The Brady Bunch_? It was one of “those” episodes (with Sam). ETA: apologies to those who do not consider “Sam” episodes canon. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/303 "2018-05-23T19:39:19Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Motor mouth calling someone mouthy. Priceless. If the shoe fits… ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/304 "2018-05-23T19:49:11Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Wasn’t this exact scenario an episode of _The Brady Bunch_? There was a _Brady Bunch_ episode about a guy who wrote rapey hypotheticals, but people loved him anyway and handwaved away the rapey stuff? Sheesh, I should have watched that show more often! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/305 "2018-05-23T19:51:33Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Wasn’t this exact scenario an episode of _The Brady Bunch_? It was one of “those” episodes (with Sam). > > ETA: apologies to those who do not consider “Sam” episodes canon. All day long on the board I hear how great kayaker is at this or how wonderful kayaker did that! Kayaker, kayaker, kayaker! ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/306 "2018-05-23T19:54:33Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Oh, wow. I’m really glad you provided that link. It totally clarifies things. > > Y’all are CRAZY. > > This might be a good example: a character was raped as a child, and mayyybe there’s a salacious attitude here. It establishes the character as a victim. > > Not remotely salacious: there’s an attempted rape that someone is saved from, as a way to establish that the savior is a Good Guy. The question is, is discrimination a worse sin than saving someone from rape is a virtue? > > What a goddamned stretch. A racist character makes a shitty joke about how black people rape. It establishes her as racist and therefore a Bad Guy. The question is, would you favor a hyper-competent person who’s deeply terrible over someone less competent but really good? > I mean, maybe salacious? There’s a guy who’s really competent and also a rapist. The question is, would you favor a hyper-competent person who’s deeply terrible over someone less competent but really good? > > Not even rape. A promise of sex extracted under duress but not collected on under duress. The question is, is a promise made under duress enforceable? > > Again no rape. The question is, would you assist someone in engaging in degrading work for money? > > Oh ferchrissake. Rape is mentioned here as an example of the worst thing a person can do. This is not even remotely salacious. > > Okay, dude. The point here is, which is worse: the murder of a bad guy, or the torture of a good guy? > > There’s no pattern here of getting rocks off to description of rape. Now, yeah, there are a lot of sex crimes mentioned–but no more than you’ll find in the average modern thriller, wherein, much like Skald’s threads, sex crimes are used as shorthand for “very bad person,” and rescuing someone from sex crimes is shorthand for “good person.” > > Personally I find such shorthands lazy, which is part of why so many modern mystery thriller novels irritate me: yet another murdering pedophile ain’t a particularly interesting character. > > But the pattern y’all are seeing here? It’s bullshit, and embarrassing for y’all. I’m one of “y’all”. I’m guessing you’re a guy so you really have no reference point of how some women might view these threads. In other words, you’re mansplaining how I should feel about them. You have no right to do this and that’s true even if you’re a woman. Stop telling me, or **Expecto** , or anyone that our feelings are invalid. I’ve been getting the creeps from **Skald** ’s hypotheticals for awhile now, and no, **Big T** , I haven’t been holding some kind of grudge for years and years. No one else seemed to feel like I did which I didn’t understand. However, when I looked at Giraffe Boards, people DID understand. I wasn’t alone in feeling that they’re creepy and exploitive. And now I understand why no one posts objections here: Because they get piled on by his fan club. So call it some kind of mean girl gangbang, but the reality is that people have had enough of what’s viewed as abuse and exploitation in\*\* Skald’s\*\* hypotheticals. If you don’t see it that way, why doesn’t it matter to you that quite a few other people do? One person, ok, maybe “crazy”. But a group of people? Maybe there’s something there. I know it’s easier to label and dismiss. I know nothing will change, but at least I’ll know I voiced my objections. This board has gotten more sexist in general. Look at the demographics. From a lot of the polls, unless women aren’t voting in the “I’m a woman and…” or “I’m a man and…” type polls, women are outnumbered about ten to one. So if you only want to talk to a bunch of guys and a handful of women, you’re on your way. I don’t get into sustained, pointless exchanges so I may or may not respond to any replies. Don’t take it that I’ve been owned. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/307 "2018-05-23T20:06:43Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > All day long on the board I hear how great kayaker is at this or how wonderful kayaker did that! Kayaker, kayaker, kayaker! All hail the mighty **kayaker**! (I say this as one of his admirers.) ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/308 "2018-05-23T20:10:29Z")
> [@Paranoid\_Randroid](#): > > Sexual misconduct certainly appears to be a recurring theme, and that’s going to skeev some people out. It’s hard to put that sort of thing back in the box. A rather unfortunate metaphor. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/309 "2018-05-23T21:45:05Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I’ve been getting the creeps from **Skald** ’s hypotheticals for awhile now, and no, **Big T** , I haven’t been holding some kind of grudge for years and years. No one else seemed to feel like I did which I didn’t understand. However, when I looked at Giraffe Boards, people DID understand. I wasn’t alone in feeling that they’re creepy and exploitive. And now I understand why no one posts objections here: Because they get piled on by his fan club. Excellent post; I couldn’t have said it better. My observations and experiences here are very similar. When I joined the board, I immediately noticed Skald—it was impossible not to. I thought he was tedious, frequently creepy, and way too invested in his status as a Dope celebrity. But I also noticed that he was very popular, so I figured it was just me. It was only when I found the GB that I realized I wasn’t the only non-fan of the revered Skald. I also learned that things typically don’t go well for people who complain about him on the SDMB. Skald has been pitted several times, and each time his admirers rush in with a lot of how-dare-you, you’re-outta-line harrumphing. Well, I didn’t sign a Skald Loyalty Oath when I registered here, and neither did anybody else. The over-the-top defensive reactions in this thread baffle me; nobody on the Dope is, or should be, above criticism. Fortunately for me, the mighty Skald rarely deigns to post in threads he didn’t start, so it’s easy enough to skip over his stuff. That doesn’t mean I can’t point out that his fixation on sexual abuse, and the dismissive attitude of his fans about that fixation, is creepy and repulsive. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/310 "2018-05-23T21:57:39Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > I’m one of “y’all”. I’m guessing you’re a guy so you really have no reference point of how some women might view these threads. In other words, you’re mansplaining how I should feel about them. You have no right to do this and that’s true even if you’re a woman. Stop telling me, or **Expecto** , or anyone that our feelings are invalid. > > I’ve been getting the creeps from **Skald** ’s hypotheticals for awhile now, and no, **Big T** , I haven’t been holding some kind of grudge for years and years. No one else seemed to feel like I did which I didn’t understand. However, when I looked at Giraffe Boards, people DID understand. I wasn’t alone in feeling that they’re creepy and exploitive. And now I understand why no one posts objections here: Because they get piled on by his fan club. So call it some kind of mean girl gangbang, but the reality is that people have had enough of what’s viewed as abuse and exploitation in\*\* Skald’s\*\* hypotheticals. If you don’t see it that way, why doesn’t it matter to you that quite a few other people do? One person, ok, maybe “crazy”. But a group of people? Maybe there’s something there. I know it’s easier to label and dismiss. > > I know nothing will change, but at least I’ll know I voiced my objections. > > This board has gotten more sexist in general. Look at the demographics. From a lot of the polls, unless women aren’t voting in the “I’m a woman and…” or “I’m a man and…” type polls, women are outnumbered about ten to one. So if you only want to talk to a bunch of guys and a handful of women, you’re on your way. > > I don’t get into sustained, pointless exchanges so I may or may not respond to any replies. Don’t take it that I’ve been owned. There’s a lot to unpack here. First, I don’t really consider you one of y’all. The “y’all are crazy” isn’t directed toward you; it’s directed toward Fenris, morgenstern\*, penfeather, and a few others. Your posts are generally more thoughtful, and I weigh them more heavily. Second, nowhere did I tell you how you should feel. Go back and check if you’d like. If you’re creeped out, okay. I no more expect you to apologize for that than I expect myself to apologize for not being creeped out. There’s shit that creeps me out and not other people. But what I called crazy was the long list of links to “rape”, when several of them didn’t link to anything rapelike at all, and others mentioned rape only in passing, or hyperbolically. That’s not about feelings, that’s about facts. If you gotta call that mansplaining, you do you; I’ll have to roll my eyes, so I’ll do me. I respect you. The stuff you (I think) brought up, about the PMing women a decade ago, is the most genuinely disturbing thing anyone in the thread has mentioned. But given everything else swirling around here, I’m withholding judgment on that part. > [@erysichthon](#): > > Fortunately for me, the mighty Skald rarely deigns to post in threads he didn’t start, so it’s easy enough to skip over his stuff. Yup. > [@](#): > > That doesn’t mean I can’t point out that his fixation on sexual abuse, and the dismissive attitude of his fans about that fixation, is creepy and repulsive. I don’t think he’s fixated on sexual abuse. If you think it’s creepy and repulsive for me to draw a different conclusion than you, well, you do you. - Y’all gotta fight between you for who gets to take their red crayon out for this special bonus passage: I I I I me me my I me I I me I my myself me I I I ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/311 "2018-05-23T21:58:14Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Fortunately for me, the mighty Skald rarely deigns to post in threads he didn’t start, so it’s easy enough to skip over his stuff. That doesn’t mean I can’t point out that his fixation on sexual abuse, and the dismissive attitude of his fans about that fixation, is creepy and repulsive. I’m not trying to be dismissive, I just don’t get how people make the leap from what Skald writes to “OMG! Skald’s a sicko!” I mean heck, there is (or was?) a long running show called: “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” And they’re way worse than anything Skald does. Yet, I haven’t seen any outrage over what they do. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/312 "2018-05-23T22:02:18Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > I mean heck, there is (or was?) a long running show called: “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” And they’re way worse than anything Skald does. Yet, I haven’t seen any outrage over what they do. EXACTLY! As I said before, there’s this modern cliche of describing villains not by any interesting new characterization, but simply as “rapist” or “pedophile” or “sex murderer” or “pedophile murderer” or whatever. Personally I don’t care for it at all (including in Skald’s hypotheticals by the way, which makes it weird to find myself described as part of his fan club), and I don’t watch SVU or read many modern thrillers for this reason. But it’s lazy writing, just as it’d be lazy a half-century ago to write about commies, or three centuries ago to make all the villains be witches. It’s shorthand for evil, not interesting characterization. Seeing someone who uses this cliche, and concluding that they’re some sort of pervert, is very akin to reading Steven King and concluding that he’s secretly a monster who kills children. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/313 "2018-05-23T22:03:04Z")
Maybe it’s easier for those who’ve had to contend with guys who were “a little off” who later revealed themselves to be sickos, rapists and child abusers to recognize another one when they see them. I mean, if you hail from some small tropical island nation where the largest predator is the size of a mongoose you won’t comprehend the steps you need to take when you move to bear country. People raised in bear country know all about bear scratches on trees, bear fur caught on a twig, bear tracks, bear shit and bear noises. None of that will be at all obvious to YOU, however, and you’re likely to think the natives are nuts for being so paranoid. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/314 "2018-05-23T22:08:49Z")
I think its official. Everybody hates everybody here. > [@erysichthon](#): > > There was a _Brady Bunch_ episode about a guy who wrote rapey hypotheticals, but people loved him anyway and handwaved away the rapey stuff? Sheesh, I should have watched that show more often! :eek: You should really check out the _Rule 34 Brady Bunch_ stuff floating around out there. 🆒 ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/315 "2018-05-23T22:14:03Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Maybe it’s easier for those who’ve had to contend with guys who were “a little off” who later revealed themselves to be sickos, rapists and child abusers to recognize another one when they see them. I mean, if you hail from some small tropical island nation where the largest predator is the size of a mongoose you won’t comprehend the steps you need to take when you move to bear country. People raised in bear country know all about bear scratches on trees, bear fur caught on a twig, bear tracks, bear shit and bear noises. None of that will be at all obvious to YOU, however, and you’re likely to think the natives are nuts for being so paranoid. Take a slightly different metaphor: people who have been in battle might be better at recognizing the sound of gunfire, but they’re also really bad at recognizing loud bangs that aren’t gunfire as not gunfire. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/316 "2018-05-23T22:19:53Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Take a slightly different metaphor: people who have been in battle might be better at recognizing the sound of gunfire, but they’re also really bad at recognizing loud bangs that aren’t gunfire as not gunfire. That’s a good analogy. It reminds me of the old Tootsie Roll commercial: ♪…Whatever it is I think I see, becomes a Tootsie Roll to me…♪ ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/317 "2018-05-23T22:57:01Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Take a slightly different metaphor: people who have been in battle might be better at recognizing the sound of gunfire, but they’re also really bad at recognizing loud bangs that aren’t gunfire as not gunfire. Well, since Skald admitted he used to frequent a humiliation porn website, before he “decided that porn was extremely bad for [him] and had to be abandoned”, I’d probably lean on the battle veteran’s side. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/318 "2018-05-23T23:37:23Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > EXACTLY! > > As I said before, there’s this modern cliche of describing villains not by any interesting new characterization, but simply as “rapist” or “pedophile” or “sex murderer” or “pedophile murderer” or whatever. Personally I don’t care for it at all (including in Skald’s hypotheticals by the way, which makes it weird to find myself described as part of his fan club), and I don’t watch SVU or read many modern thrillers for this reason. > > But it’s lazy writing, just as it’d be lazy a half-century ago to write about commies, or three centuries ago to make all the villains be witches. It’s shorthand for evil, not interesting characterization. > > Seeing someone who uses this cliche, and concluding that they’re some sort of pervert, is very akin to reading Steven King and concluding that he’s secretly a monster who kills children. You and SHS have so much in common. Nearsighted, uninformed, mislead, baffled and confused. You make me fear getting old. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2018, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/319 "2018-05-23T23:39:21Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Well, since Skald admitted he used to frequent a humiliation porn website, before he “decided that porn was extremely bad for [him] and had to be abandoned”, I’d probably lean on the battle veteran’s side. Huh. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/320 "2018-05-23T23:47:04Z")
Speaking only as a poster, I find his hypotheticals disturbing and believe they do reflect a pattern that gives me pause. I also don’t think the folks pointing that out are blowing it out of proportion or being creepy, themselves, by being aware of it. That said, one can recognize the pattern and find less distasteful explanations, or not think there’s a pattern at all, and that doesn’t mean they’re blind to the problem, just that they view it differently. But you can count me among those who find it offputting and it makes me uncomfortable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631.md?page=15) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631.md?page=17)