# Terr and BrainGlutton **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [October 3, 2015, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406 "2015-10-03T20:59:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/81 "2015-10-05T01:25:40Z")
> [@Morgenstern](#): > > Look at any thread on Christianity. I can name at least one poster who will post, before the 10th post, loudly proclaiming he’s an atheist and that’s all there is to it, everything else is a fairy tale. FWIW, I didn’t see that in the SDMB Weekly Bible Study threads over at Cafe Society. > [@](#): > > I am a conservative. > > I believe I am a disproportionate target of vitriol here, and that my behavior is modded more strictly than that of my opponents. I opine that Bricker receives a disproportionate amount of vitriol relative to the quality of his posting. I’ll also opine that Bricker has in the past deserved _some_ of his vitriol, but that he has self-corrected over time. I’m less convinced regarding other conservatives on this board. I was unaware of his issues with moderation, but then again it’s not like I would be. ETA: Oh yeah sorry: Sam Stone also received disproportionate vitriol. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/82 "2015-10-05T02:01:08Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am a conservative. > > I believe I am a disproportionate target of vitriol here, and that my behavior is modded more strictly than that of my opponents. You are a conservative. And indeed in many threads you are knowingly deep behind enemy lines. In my experience you generally comport yourself well given those circumstances and well articulate your perspectives without behaving like a jerk. Mostly I am not swayed but I very much appreciate hearing the thought process behind your perspective. And having my thought processes challenged. Given the circumstances it is probably unavoidable to not get a little jerky as often there is one of you and several of “them” not necessarily playing nice themselves. I believe that you are being a bit paranoid however in my limited experience of observing moderation. But then again, I am not wherever you post and you are! FWIW **Airman Doors** is an example of someone whose intelligent articulation of perspectives very different than my own caused me to significantly change my beliefs. It happens. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/83 "2015-10-05T02:02:40Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > That presumption leads to you, and others, falsely calling opinions or people racist, as an attempt to shut down those views. I’m sure you do find it convenient not to have to argue with those you disagree with, though. Forget that. You’ve been asked several times why you thought the posts in question were “on topic”. Are you ever going to answer that? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/84 "2015-10-05T02:03:43Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am a conservative. > > I believe I am a disproportionate target of vitriol here, and that my behavior is modded more strictly than that of my opponents. What is the basis of that belief? Do you have quantitative evidence, or is it just a feeling? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/85 "2015-10-05T02:10:26Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > I find it amazing that you and any other conservative posters seem to think this is somehow wrong or surprising. I’m fairly liberal, myself. If I were to find myself a message board that leaned right, and constantly challenge the prevailing point of view there, do you really think I’d be treated politely? I sincerely doubt it - I’m sure I’d get slammed on a regular basis. And that would be fine by me; it is what I would expect. > > I am glad that we have some conservative posters here to generate arguments and force people to defend their views\*. But the idea that anyone of any viewpoint who voluntarily posts contrary to the board zeitgeist, on any board, is not going to be heartily attacked (within whatever posting guidelines are in force, one hopes) is very odd. > > \*Though I myself stay out of GD, as I read and post here to relax, and for me that sort of thing is not relaxing. I don’t see this liberal “board zeitgeist” of which you speak. The claim of a liberal zeitgeist leaves the impression that the board is rooted in the central tenets of some common ideology, as if it was, say, a discussion venue for the Democratic Party. I’ve never thought of it as particularly political at all. I don’t see posters being attacked for their ideology – if they’re attacked at all they’re typically attacked for specific ideas, ideas that many of the analytical denizens of this board disagree with on substantive grounds. We all get carried away sometimes so the arguments aren’t always quite so pure, and some broad-brush tarring goes on, but by and large I believe that’s how it works. If the upshot of all this is that, have pondered the issues, more folks here have aligned themselves with liberal positions than conservative ones, then so be it. But it’s not like there’s some secret oath to dump on conservatives just on general principle, and there’s no shortage of right-leaning posters here. Sometimes, as in gun control discussions and even health care, the proportion that is aligned with typical conservative views is really quite high. Indeed those kinds of discussions are sometimes more polarized along the lines of national culture than along liberal-conservative lines. And other discussions where conservatives appear to get the short end of the stick – like climate change – aren’t political discussions at all, they are arguments between people who actually know the subject matter and those who don’t. This board having a fair proportion of scientists and other educated folks, it’s to be expected that they will predominate. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/86 "2015-10-05T02:16:33Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I am a conservative. > > I believe I am a disproportionate target of vitriol here, Overall I agree, though I do think you occasionally generate some on target vitriol as well. Which I suspect makes it easier for people to go overboard. > [@](#): > > and that my behavior is modded more strictly than that of my opponents. I’ve never had that perception myself, but we all see with biases. For what it’s worth I think that was a little bit of a short leash for banning **Terr** and I suspect he and I have very little in common politically. But both he and **BG** did thoroughly deserve their warnings in that thread - they were both being insensitive assholes. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/87 "2015-10-05T02:26:52Z")
I wish that one of the modding options was simply to limit posting privileges to one post per day, and then that mechanism was used more often than warnings. I’d like to see a lot more posts out of **Bricker**. And **UltraVires**. And **Iggy**. And **Martin Hyde**. And **Bone**. (To name a few of the rightish-on-at-least-some-issues posters.) And a lot less posts out of some of the usual suspects on both sides. ---
**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:** [October 5, 2015, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/88 "2015-10-05T02:42:00Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I wish that one of the modding options was simply to limit posting privileges to one post per day, and then that mechanism was used more often than warnings. > > I’d like to see a lot more posts out of **Bricker**. And **UltraVires**. And **Iggy**. And **Martin Hyde**. And **Bone**. (To name a few of the rightish-on-at-least-some-issues posters.) And a lot less posts out of some of the usual suspects on both sides. I can back this entirely–although I can’t imagine who you could possibly mean by talking about the Usual Suspects ™. Iggy’s not really on my radar, UltraVires is only getting on there recently, and I have a terrible habit of confusing Martin Hyde with magellan and magiver–but Bricker and Bone and Martin Hyde have all been folks I’ve had interesting conversations with around here, even though I disagree with them pretty strenuously on a lot of stuff. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/89 "2015-10-05T02:44:13Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I don’t see this liberal “board zeitgeist” of which you speak. The claim of a liberal zeitgeist leaves the impression that the board is rooted in the central tenets of some common ideology, as if it was, say, a discussion venue for the Democratic Party. You’ll often see the leftish posters here using the term “we” when referring to this MB. You will never hear a conservative poster use that word, except sarcastically. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/90 "2015-10-05T02:47:56Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > …my behavior is modded more strictly than that of my opponents. Take it from someone who used to have SDSAB under his name, if you are modded more strictly it’s because you do. Better is expected from you than from the common rabble. You are considered Staff Lite and the book will be thrown at you for embarrassing Cecil. In my case some repeated threadshitting earned me a suspension and the loss of my title. And not a measly 30 days like **BG** got, but for an indeterminate time, which turned out to be several months. I had to demonstrate that I was sober and could be a good board citizen before Ed gave his permission for me to return, and I stay here at his good graces. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/91 "2015-10-05T02:51:17Z")
I agree with **camille** , even if I did not like **Terr**. I do remember that the one single occasion I got a warning, there was no heads up before the mod came in with the hammer but in this case many did got an early heads up so I think that deserved warnings because they also ignored the mods. But like **camille** I think that did not deserve a ban or a suspension. As for the board leaning left, what **wolfpup** said, I have to add only that I still think that many important issues that fighters of ignorance are encountering just happens to be followed by the left nowadays. It could easily had been the other way and the right wingers of today could be ones more in tune more with the debunkers of myths and other common misunderstandings. I always mention that if by magic we could make Teddy Roosevelt the current president then I would expect many democrats to oppose the environmentalist and economical agenda of his administration (against the robber barons) only because the president is of the opposite party. However, I think many liberals and environmentalists would be happy to see Teddy defenestrating guys like the Kochs and to not just wish to do it like when he met one very unpleasant robber baron back in his day. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/92 "2015-10-05T02:51:24Z")
> [@Richard\_Parker](#): > > I wish that one of the modding options was simply to limit posting privileges to one post per day, and then that mechanism was used more often than warnings. That would limit an ongoing debate for anyone replying to them. What about restricting certain posters to the Pit? If they can’t even follow Pit rules then ban them. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/93 "2015-10-05T02:52:30Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > You’ll often see the leftish posters here using the term “we” when referring to this MB. You will never hear a conservative poster use that word, except sarcastically. Even though we seem to have more conservative posters than at any time in the past fifteen years. They need to stop thinking they are lone wolves because that whole “I’m the only conservative on this Marxist board” trope has grown old. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/94 "2015-10-05T03:01:18Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > What is the basis of that belief? Do you have quantitative evidence, or is it just a feeling? I think in **Bricker** ’s case, the vitriol is particularly disproportionate because he is not only attacked for his personal opinions, but personally blamed when he correctly interprets laws that are unpopular here, as if he is directly responsible for them. Check out the Zimmerman and Sandra Bland threads for just two examples of that, and there are many more. It’s a “kill the messenger” mentality that really can’t be justified by ideological disagreement. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/95 "2015-10-05T03:15:23Z")
> [@camille](#): > > I think in **Bricker** ’s case, the vitriol is particularly disproportionate because he is not only attacked for his personal opinions, but personally blamed when he correctly interprets laws that are unpopular here, as if he is directly responsible for them. Check out the Zimmerman and Sandra Bland threads for just two examples of that, and there are many more. It’s a “kill the messenger” mentality that really can’t be justified by ideological disagreement. I think you have a point there, but there are a few examples that I saw of Bricker being wrong on how the courts were going to rule regarding several laws, while at the time of the discussion he was trying to shot down the opponents with his very insensitive bets. Insensitive because he did not care that one of the posters he was pestering into making a bet would had been affected directly if the court decision would had gone the other way. ---
**Author:** ![camille](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/22d042/32.png) [@camille](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/camille)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/96 "2015-10-05T03:27:19Z")
> [@GIGObuster](#): > > I think you have a point there, but there are a few examples that I saw of Bricker being wrong on how the courts were going to rule regarding several laws, while at the time of the discussion he was trying to shot down the opponents with his very insensitive bets. > > Insensitive because he did not care that one of the posters he was pestering into making a bet would had been affected directly if the court decision would had gone the other way. Yes, he can be more insensitive in threads like that. I was thinking more about criminal law threads, where the interpretation of the law was not so much debatable as unpopular. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/97 "2015-10-05T03:37:32Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Even though we seem to have more conservative posters than at any time in the past fifteen years. They need to stop thinking they are lone wolves because that whole “I’m the only conservative on this Marxist board” trope has grown old. I’m on record as being unsympathetic to conservative persecution complex on this MB. That was not what I was addressing at all. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/98 "2015-10-05T03:54:49Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > it’s not like there’s some secret oath to dump on conservatives just on general principle Agreed. Or if there is, no one has invited me to take it. I didn’t realize that “zeitgeist” implied as much; if it does, I withdraw the term and replace it with something mushier. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/99 "2015-10-05T03:58:56Z")
> [@camille](#): > > Yes, he can be more insensitive in threads like that. I was thinking more about criminal law threads, where the interpretation of the law was not so much debatable as unpopular. [Hopefully not crossing any lines here…] I think some of the flack **Bricker** receives here isn’t nearly due to his conservative philosophy as it is to his rules-lawyering. Nothing can derail a thread faster, in my humble opinion, this stressing law in instances where the OP hasn’t asked for it, nor the thread gone in that direction. Add in a political slant and it’ll probably certainly appear it’s the former rather than the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2015, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406/100 "2015-10-05T04:23:24Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Forget that. You’ve been asked several times why you thought the posts in question were “on topic”. Are you ever going to answer that? The topic was a school shooting. Discussion of guns in schools could hardly be more on topic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/terr-and-brainglutton/733406.md?page=6)