# 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:** 23
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/441 "2018-05-25T20:13:46Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Said nothing of the kind. > > But the issue here is that none of us get to decide to make him stop posting this stuff. The board administration and moderators are the only ones with that power. If you want it to stop, report the damned posts, complain to moderators. If they aren’t being made aware that people are offended by something or if they’re only getting a few ‘usual suspects’ that complain about them, they have nothing to act on. They’re also perfectly in their rights to tell you to put the man on ignore or **stop reading his damned threads**. > > That’s not being dismissive or insulting, that is reasonable advice to people who don’t like someone’s threads. Jesus Fucking Christ, some of you have been tracking this shit for 12+ years. Why the fuck are you still reading his hypotheticals? That’s like watching a torture porn movie 40 times and then demanding that the studio pull the movie from circulation because it keeps bothering you. > > Hell, I put Clothy on ignore a very long time ago, because I saw no value and nothing but froth and anger in his posts. I have about 14 people on my ignore list now for various reasons. > > This board bans people for repeated bad behavior, not for making some people uncomfortable. You’re still missing what they are saying. I’ve yet heard them to ask for more than a few things. 1. Resignation of the fact that, to them, it this creepy. 2. Accept that they are, and should be, the sole judge of what is creepy to them. When you get that, we’ll go on. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/442 "2018-05-25T20:14:01Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Who is calling for his banning? Maybe I missed that–but this thread is in the Pit, not in ATMB. That’s something you read into one of my posts. ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/443 "2018-05-25T20:15:01Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > That’s something you read into one of my posts. Yeah, this one, emphasis added: > [@Chimera](#): > > But some people clearly want the board administration to do so for them, which I had imagined would come from mod notes, then warnings and a possible ban (as the ultimate, but not necessarily certain end). ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/444 "2018-05-25T20:19:37Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > The part where he said he stopped, years ago, maybe, and stopped because he thought it was bad for himself and for the women involved? The part where there’s a less vicious explanation for his posts that make sense? The part where it’s possible to address what he’s doing without imputing flasherlike motives? That’s not being prudent. That’s extending the benefit of the doubt, perhaps further than some people feel is reasonable. It’s kind of the opposite of prudent. ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/445 "2018-05-25T20:21:05Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > That’s not being prudent. That’s extending the benefit of the doubt, perhaps further than some people feel is reasonable. Okay. I tend to think extending the benefit of the doubt, when accusing people of reprehensible motives, is the thing to do. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/446 "2018-05-25T20:26:19Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > By way of analogy: the black man dies. > > Another cliche in modern thrillers is that the nonwhite sidekick character dies pretty early on in the story. The death is narratively useful: it establishes that the villain is a real sonofabitch, while leaving the (white) hero alive to take care of business. > > It’s also an obnoxious cliche, and it’s fair to call people on it. > > What wouldn’t be fair, IMO, would be to suggest that the people using it hate black people, or are fantasizing about killing black men, vicariously enjoying the murders. That imparts a motive to the authors that doesn’t reflect what they’re actually doing. > > Don’t ignore authors doing this. Call them on it. Explain one’s own reactions to it. > > But if you ascribe them motives–well, erring on the side of caution seems prudent to me. **LHoD** It’s things like this that led me to think you were brushing off the voices of women in this thread. Because people of color absolutely do find this offensive, and they absolutely do complain, and many people absolutely do tell them not to be so sensitive, or that lots of other people don’t feel that way, or to just let it go. Sound familiar? I accept that your last post was different. I admit that I glazed over when you went back to the fiction/movie references again. My apologies. I don’t think I’ve got anything more to add to this. Good luck to the Sisyphusians sticking with this rock. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/447 "2018-05-25T20:28:32Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > That is a very reasonable response except that it’s not what one would expect in response to a complaint about sexual deviance that makes people uncomfortable. > > For example, the late, lamented **Clothahump** made a lot of statements that were racist, and almost every poster said “stop doing it”. Very few argued on his side for him to keep saying offensive things. Nobody was in there saying, "you just keep saying “wetback” or “nigger”. Weird. > > In this case, people are saying this poster can keep saying all the offensive things he wants to because they like the rest of what he does. Crazy idea - what if he just stops doing the offensive things? What is difficult about this? There is no reason at all he can’t craft his hypotheticals without the humiliation porn and all that nonsense. I like his hypotheticals, but I can do without the weird sex shit. > > Holy hell people - this shouldn’t be this hard. You just typed those words and the world is still spinning. :eek: If I found them so offensive even in a non-offensive context and you persisted in typing words commonly used as racial slurs and/or rap music filler I have the option of not reading your posts. Not all subject matter or themes are going to appeal to all people. Some of it is offensive such as the “Fuck you” part of the Pit thread title that keeps popping up on my screen. It’s not super offensive to me, but I have kids who like to see what I’m reading and I have to explain what it is. So, if the subject matter is not prohibited from the forums the solution, while imperfect is obvious. That is not downplaying people’s concerns. That is expecting a certain amount of agency. /octopusplaining ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/448 "2018-05-25T20:28:56Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Okay. I tend to think extending the benefit of the doubt, when accusing people of reprehensible motives, is the thing to do. YMMV. Women who extend the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the motives of creepy guys usually end up being sexually assaulted. We have the gift of fear, and those of us who honor our own knowledge and lived experience then act accordingly really don’t give a fuck how many men get offended by us being “mean” to them. My safety and wellbeing are about a million times more important than some man’s hurt feefees. ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/449 "2018-05-25T20:29:27Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#): > > **LHoD** It’s things like this that led me to think you were brushing off the voices of women in this thread. Because people of color absolutely do find this offensive, and they absolutely do complain, and many people absolutely do tell them not to be so sensitive, or that lots of other people don’t feel that way, or to just let it go. Sound familiar? Yes, and that’s why I used it as an analogy! I’m saying that addressing it is a good thing! I’m saying that being bothered by it is totally reasonable! I’m saying that asking for a change is the thing to do! I thought I really emphasized that: > [@](#): > > Don’t ignore authors doing this. Call them on it. Explain one’s own reactions to it. But I’m also saying that there’s a difference between asking for a change, and imputing malevolence to the author. And that holds true with Skald and with the analogy. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/450 "2018-05-25T20:30:10Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You’re still missing what they are saying. I’ve yet heard them to ask for more than a few things. > > 1. Resignation of the fact that, to them, it this creepy. > 2. Accept that they are, and should be, the sole judge of what is creepy to them. > > When you get that, we’ll go on. I have accepted both. What I’m arguing is their response and how they expect the board to respond. Because it’s like someone complaining that they’re bothered by a certain author’s subject matter, but they can’t bring themselves to stop reading the author so they want the publisher to pressure the author to stop it. That’s not a reasonable response. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/451 "2018-05-25T20:31:06Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > Look, dude. I am no SJW. I think feminist extremism does as much harm as sexism. But this mindset is the type that leads to victim blaming. Sure, I’m familiar with Skald’s style, but not everyone else is. So a female poster sees an OP about a hypothetical about interfering in a friend’s relationship. Read read read, so far so good, relationship on the rocks, blah, then suddenly gang rape abuse porn incest wtf-ville. No warning. No indication this is an OP which contains a graphic description of something of an upsetting nature. He just drops it in the middle like it ain’t no thing. Ok, that’s a legit complaint. Perhaps, spoiler tags for graphic descriptions of sexual or violent content outside the pit? Or perhaps the title could be labeled NSFW like I see in some forums. ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/452 "2018-05-25T20:31:20Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Women who extend the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the motives of creepy guys usually end up being sexually assaulted. We have the gift of fear, and those of us who honor our own knowledge and lived experience then act accordingly really don’t give a fuck how many men get offended by us being “mean” to them. My safety and wellbeing are about a million times more important than some man’s hurt feefees. What, in what I’ve said, would lead to a danger to your safety or wellbeing? or are you responding to someone else with this? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/453 "2018-05-25T20:37:05Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You’re still missing what they are saying. I’ve yet heard them to ask for more than a few things. > > 1. Resignation of the fact that, to them, it this creepy. > 2. Accept that they are, and should be, the sole judge of what is creepy to them. > > When you get that, we’ll go on. You either are dumb or intellectually dishonest. Chimera is saying nothing of the sort. He’s saying it’s up to them to recognize that Poster X is posting “creepy” stuff and then use the tools available on this very forum to avoid posts from Poster X. He’s not saying that the ladies’ perceptions or objections are mistaken/wrong/\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. The reading comprehension on this board cannot be this consistently bad, can it? ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/454 "2018-05-25T20:43:00Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Nobody is saying to behave unsafely. Nobody is saying to do anything that would endanger your wellbeing. You kind of are. Because to insist that in THIS case it’s all unfair and stuff to infer that Skald types his hypotheticals with one hand is to, by extension, insist that other instances of feeling creeped out by a man’s behavior and inferring his motives are not pure as the driven snow are likewise unfair and wrong. Which encourages women to dismiss and downplay their own feelings in order to be socially acceptable. Unfortunately, much of what constitutes being “socially acceptable” for women also means “being an easy fucking target for creepy abusive men.” Sure, in my particular instance it won’t do that because I’ve been case hardened by some really vicious abusive behavior and I’m immune to falling for anything other than a really world class abuser (who’d have to be way prettier than George Clooney in his prime because I’m also pretty calloused to the charms of men these days) but I’m not the average woman. I’m old, mean, been hurt too much but still standing and I don’t give a fuck what men think of me. I worry about the younger ones with less lived experience, who still think that there’s a value in being the Get Along Cool Girl. I’m here to tell them that trying to impress men by how much grossness you can handle before you start hollering for the cops is a bootless errand. Go right ahead and bitch whenever you feel uncomfortable, because we have the right to exist in the world too and our feelings are just as important as the feelings of creepy men who want to tell us gross shit to watch us be uncomfortable. Men who want to say nasty shit to women to make them uncomfortable need to obtain consent for their behavior just like everyone else. If they don’t like it, tough shit. That’s living in society and nobody gets to run around with their dick hanging out no matter how much they like it or how comfortable THEY feel when they do. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/455 "2018-05-25T20:44:00Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I have accepted both. What I’m arguing is their response and how they expect the board to respond… You’re against the NSFW work warning they are requesting? ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/456 "2018-05-25T20:45:21Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > You’re against the NSFW work warning they are requesting? Nope. But if the writer doesn’t include one, or refuses to include one, what is their proposed solution? ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/457 "2018-05-25T20:46:59Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Nope. But if the writer doesn’t include one, or refuses to include one, what is their proposed solution? Well, if it were a rule that said certain content needs a Title warning and the Title itself has to be “Safe for Work” then it becomes easy to moderate without needing to add more topics to ban as a general rule. ---
**Author:** ![Morgenstern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Morgenstern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morgenstern)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/458 "2018-05-25T20:47:21Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > You either are dumb or intellectually dishonest. Chimera is saying nothing of the sort. He’s saying it’s up to them to recognize that Poster X is posting “creepy” stuff and then use the tools available on this very forum to avoid posts from Poster X. He’s not saying that the ladies’ perceptions or objections are mistaken/wrong/\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_. > > The reading comprehension on this board cannot be this consistently bad, can it? Go away numbnuts. No trolls allowed. ---
**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 25, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/459 "2018-05-25T20:50:23Z")
Also, why do y’all assume that nobody has ever reported any of \*\*Skald’s \*\*bullshit? I know for a fact that at least SOME reports have been made, and all we see is mods lining up to volunteer to fix his typos because ONOZ HE BLIND. I think it’s pretty fair to assume there’s a lack of will on the part of the mods to do anything about it and nothing will, in fact, get done. **ITD** is the standout here, but she’s speaking as a poster, but I have the feeling that if something nasty by **Skald** were to be reported in her area of effect she’d do something about it, but the male mods? Yeah, not so much. Since we’re unlikely to get any official assistance, we’ll just keep right on airing our grievances. Any guys who don’t like it are, of course, free to just not read these threads. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2018, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631/460 "2018-05-25T20:51:46Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > Well, if it were a rule that said certain content needs a Title warning and the Title itself has to be “Safe for Work” then it becomes easy to moderate without needing to add more topics to ban as a general rule. True enough and I have zero objections to the requirement for a NSFW tag. There a two step requirement for NSFW links -in- threads. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631.md?page=22) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skald-the-rhymer-is-annoying/627631.md?page=24)