# Skid Row--you crossed the line. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 29, 2003, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161 "2003-05-29T01:46:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/61 "2003-06-01T15:54:57Z")
Well wouldja look at that. I just did a search and the “thing” in question has posted today. Right here in the Pit. Looks like we can safely bust out the “coward” sign. Pathetic coward. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/62 "2003-06-01T16:51:02Z")
Hm? I just checked his [profile](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/member.php?s=&action=getinfo&userid=25494), and it still shows his last post being on 5/28. ---
**Author:** ![lezlers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/258eb7/32.png) [@lezlers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lezlers)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/63 "2003-06-01T17:13:25Z")
Ah crap. My eyes are playing tricks on me. When I did the search the last post was today, not _his_ last post. Someone give me a good smack before stick my finger in an electrical socket or trip over my shoelaces or something. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/64 "2003-06-01T18:00:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by spooje \* > \*\*I don’t entirely agree. First off, what would be _compelling_ evidence to the contrary? Secondly, a medium that offers complete anonymity cannot rquire us to take _any_ of us at face value. We may get a feel for a person given enough posts and enough time and may actually trust that they are presenting the Gods honest truth. But barring that, we have to look at things with just a hint of skepticism because someone could be pulling our legs. > > Of course, this doesn’t make it right to call someone a liar without good reason. If you throw that word around, you’d better be able to back it up. > > We should assume that we are being told the truth. But I assumed **Freak Freely** was telling the truth, and it only came to light that he was lying because of the questions he was asked. And I certainly am not ready to take **Skid** ’s claim of being a prosecutor, or anything else, at face value. I don’t believe him, but I’m not yet prepared to call him a liar. > > Yet. \*\* See, i don’t think this is very different from what i was trying to say. I don’t advocate a wide-eyed credulity that would prevent us from seeing through people’s deceptions. However, the context in which **belladonna** made her post, and the post itself, gave no indication (to me, at least) that there was anything deceptive about it, or that she was lying simply to strengthen her argument. And, as others have pointed out, she has discussed the incident on these boards before, so if it _were_ a lie (which i strongly doubt), then it would be an ongoing one rather than a simple matter of incidental expedience. All i am suggesting is that, while starting out from a position of slight skepticism might be understandable, starting from a position of simple disbelief makes an online community like this one untenable. Especially when one’s disbelief, like that displayed by **skid row** , seems to be so uncharitable, so unsupported by the available evidence, and so unfounded in anything except his own self-importance. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/65 "2003-06-01T20:01:35Z")
I pretty much accepted **Skid Row** ’s story of child abuse until he was so quick to dismiss \*\*belladonna \*\*'s story as a lie. One thing I have found in my 53 years is that those who tend to lies assume that everyone else is lying. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/66 "2003-06-02T07:34:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*All i am suggesting is that, while starting out from a position of slight skepticism might be understandable, starting from a position of simple disbelief makes an online community like this one untenable. Especially when one’s disbelief, like that displayed by **skid row** , seems to be so uncharitable, so unsupported by the available evidence, and so unfounded in anything except his own self-importance. \*\* Well said. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/67 "2003-06-02T14:03:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Furthermore, with reference to the particular issue at hand, Belladonna’s assertion that she was raped was made in response to a claim by skid row that s/he knew about rape because s/he prosecuted rapists for a living. He did this very thing way back in the Elizabeth Smart thread where he claimed to know “facts” about the case because of his profession, blah blah blah. Interestingly, the things that this know-it-all so diligently blew hot air about could not been any more wrong. If on the slight possibility he is really a prosecutor, it’s no wonder the courts are so fucked up. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/68 "2003-06-02T15:14:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mhendo \* > \*\*All i am suggesting is that, while starting out from a position of slight skepticism might be understandable, starting from a position of simple disbelief makes an online community like this one untenable. Especially when one’s disbelief, like that displayed by **skid row** , seems to be so uncharitable, so unsupported by the available evidence, and so unfounded in anything except his own self-importance. \*\* Someone’s been watching **The Pirates of Penzance** … 😃 -Rav ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/69 "2003-06-02T15:58:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The\_Raven \* > \*\*Someone’s been watching **The Pirates of Penzance** … > > 😃 > > -Rav \*\* I haven’t seen Pirates of Penzance; can you explain this reference to me? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Raven\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@The\_Raven\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Raven_1)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/70 "2003-06-02T16:48:20Z")
Howyadoin, Sorry for being obtuse. It’s a Gilbert and Sullivan musical, which has had a recent run on Broadway, as well as being featured in _The Simpsons_. The “understandable…untenable…uncharitable…evidence…importance” passage I quoted reminded me of the meter of the song “I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major-General” from _Pirates_, which goes like this; > [@](#): > > I am the very model of a modern Major-General, > I’ve information vegetable, animal, and mineral, > I know the kings of England, and I quote the fights historical > From Marathon to Waterloo, in order categorical; > I’m very well acquainted, too, with matters mathematical, > I understand equations, both the simple and quadratical, > About binomial theorem I’m teeming with a lot o’ news, > With many cheerful facts about the square of the hypotenuse So to sum it up… I am the very model of a drive-by posting poopyhead ☹ -Rav ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/71 "2003-06-02T17:32:33Z")
Thanx for the clarification. I have heard the song before, but i guess i didn’t make the connection. ---
**Author:** ![pencilpusher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/d6d6ee/32.png) [@pencilpusher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pencilpusher)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2003, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/72 "2003-06-02T19:12:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bnorton \* > \*\*I pretty much accepted **Skid Row** ’s story of child abuse until he was so quick to dismiss \*\*belladonna \*\*'s story as a lie. One thing I have found in my 53 years is that those who tend to lies assume that everyone else is lying. \*\* Thats what I’ve always found to be true as well. I don’t like saying someones lying but geeze he was AWEFUL quick to say SHE was lying… :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/73 "2003-06-03T06:55:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The\_Raven \* > \*\* > I am the very model of a drive-by posting poopyhead > > \*\* You know, I may never be able to forget that. Well done. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2003, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161/74 "2003-06-03T12:03:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bnorton \* > \*\*I pretty much accepted **Skid Row** ’s story of child abuse until he was so quick to dismiss \*\*belladonna \*\*'s story as a lie. One thing I have found in my 53 years is that those who tend to lies assume that everyone else is lying. \*\* Or…those who have been lied to on the subject before. However, most people are not so classless as to publicly declare that someone is lying without proof. I don’t necessarily “believe the children!!!” - but I still wouldn’t **assume** guilt - much less make public accusations with little to no information. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/skid-row-you-crossed-the-line/178161.md?page=3)