# The New Announcement by Ed **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 23, 2002, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473 "2002-05-23T13:18:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/41 "2002-05-23T17:11:42Z")
I think it’s fairly common to hear around GD/Pit especially “I didn’t say that” or “you’re misrepresenting my position”. we’re all putting words up on a screen (my pithy comment for the day). Words subject to interpretation, paraphrasing, misinterpretation, etc. The proper way to handle it (MHO) is Poster Z : I think apples are jim dandy. Poster Y: what, you got something against Oranges? Poster Z: why no, I just really like apples. Poster Y : Oh, ok. OR: Poster Z: I think apples are jim dandy. Poster Y: you think apples like to be called jim? Poster Z: that’s not what I said, I merely was saying that I like them. Poster Y: Oh. \*\*not \*\* ok: Poster Z: I think apples are jim dandy. Poster Y: You hypocrit, there’s nothing about apples that make them belong to this Jim dandy, whoever he might be. Poster Z: Um, I just really like apples. Poster Y: Take it back!! My name is Jim and I can’t have anyone reading this trash and believing that I’m an apple, erase that post! NOw!! or I’ll sue!!! Seems easy enough to me. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/42 "2002-05-23T17:20:53Z")
I bet the nice folks at [Fathom](http://fff.fathom.org/forums/index.php) wouldn’t mind an unabridged discussion of something that happened on another message board. hint, hint ---
**Author:** ![Robb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Robb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robb)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/43 "2002-05-23T17:24:56Z")
I’ll bet that the initiation rite into The Clique[symbol]ä[/symbol] will now include learning the identities of Posters A and B. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/44 "2002-05-23T17:31:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Fenris \* > \*\*Ah! Sorry **Tranq** , I completely misread your earlier post. Sorry 'bout that! \*\* No problema. I suspected so, hence my mild tone. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/45 "2002-05-23T17:32:04Z")
I remember A but not B. Anyone up for a game of Hangman? 😃 ``` _____ I I I I I I I I ``` * * * ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/46 "2002-05-23T17:33:19Z")
While the nice folks at Fathom (and even those of us who are habitually cranky) do not feel bound by SDMB regulations (any more than the SDMB does or should feel bound by Fathom protocols), we are not really in the business of providing deliberate work-arounds to the SDMB. There have been “frank discussions” regarding the SDMB on Fathom, and there will be more, I’m sure, however I do not see passing that sort of information in the same category. I am speaking only for myself, (and have not “checked in” with OpalCat or any other Fathom staff), but I would be disappointed to find folks using Fathom _simply_ to thwart the anonymity that Ed accorded Poster A and Poster B. I’m as curious as anyone else, but it is a Straight Dope situation and if the names are going to be revealed, they should be revealed, here. (And how many of us are going to have our lives enriched by the knowledge, anyway?) ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/47 "2002-05-23T17:34:22Z")
Is there a P? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/48 "2002-05-23T17:35:12Z")
Whoops, that didn’t quite work out the way I wanted. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/49 "2002-05-23T17:35:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zev\_steinhardt \* > \*\* > > Was, in fact ‘A’ banned as well? From Ed’s post, it seemed that only ‘B’ was banned for the lawsuit threat. > \*\* Sorry for the confusion, that banning of ‘A’ comment was in response to poster’s indicating that they felt that A’s actions were “jerkish”. The word jerk does have a banning connotation around here. ---
**Author:** ![Tejota](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@Tejota](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tejota)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/50 "2002-05-23T17:36:09Z")
What’s really sad is it is no longer possible to view the posts that lead up to this. It’s all very well to have the mods give us a general rule, but nothing teaches what not to do like having an actual example of behavior that leads to banning. For that matter, it appears that the word ‘banned’ no longer appears under a user’s name, so if you didn’t happen to see the train wreck, (or in my case, didn’t pay enough attention to who was speaking), you have no idea which user is never coming back. That’s just **wrong**. ---
**Author:** ![Why\_A\_Duck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/13edae/32.png) [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/51 "2002-05-23T17:36:53Z")
I found out. Does this mean I’m in the Clique? Where’s my coffee mug dammit. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/52 "2002-05-23T17:40:39Z")
I guess I lost that bet. ---
**Author:** ![Milossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Milossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Milossarian)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/53 "2002-05-23T17:40:43Z")
I think Doper B is an A-hole. Wait; now I’m confused … ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/54 "2002-05-23T17:42:31Z")
And doper A is a B-hole? ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/55 "2002-05-23T17:42:32Z")
Would someone be so kind as to take a moment and drop me an e-mail identifying A and B? [jhinmt@yahoo.com](mailto:jhinmt@yahoo.com) Ta entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/56 "2002-05-23T17:45:01Z")
**Tejota** the bannable offense here was threatening to sue the Chicago Reader over an on-board dispute. I was following this thread and saw ‘B’ blow up over the revised quote, lawsuits were mentioned in the thread, but I never imagined that ‘B’ would ever contact the staff officially to pursue it, and I don’t recall the Reader being mentioned. I just figured it was a bunch of hot air blown out in the heat of the moment. AFAIK, nothing said inside the thread itself was bannable, unless there were lawsuit threatening posts that I missed. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/57 "2002-05-23T17:46:10Z")
**gobear** or **Why a Duck** , do you mind if i email you with questions about the identities of said posters? ---
**Author:** ![EchoKitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@EchoKitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EchoKitty)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/58 "2002-05-23T17:49:02Z")
Well, it was public knowledge when it happened, and until the thread was pulled. I read the incident, but I can’t for the life of me remember who it was. UNFAIR to ban one and not the other. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/59 "2002-05-23T18:00:01Z")
Unfair? These guys had a dispute over something that gets done here time and time again. Taking someone’s post and slightly revising it to make a point happens all the time. They got in an argument and one of them decided to threaten the **Chicago Reader** with a lawsuit over it! The other one was more than happy to keep it within house and just discuss, or argue, or whatever. A lawsuit, no matter how trivial, is a very costly endeavor, the Reader will have to have it’s lawyers deal with it. Hours of time spent, and thousands of dollars, all for a nonsense dispute on a message board. Considering how much money they make on this board ($0) they would shut us down in an instant, and I wouldn’t blame them. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2002, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473/60 "2002-05-23T18:00:01Z")
I need to confess that I pulled a similar stunt on **fatherjohn** about a year ago. I, too, did it to show that his words were inflammatory and prejudicial. I replaced the subject of each sentence that he posted with “fatherjohn.” Am I in trouble for this? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-new-announcement-by-ed/110473.md?page=4)