# The Ryan, you are NOT cute! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 26, 2001, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928 "2001-01-26T22:35:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazing\_Tiki\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazing_Tiki_God)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/21 "2001-01-28T08:54:49Z")
Damn this is the first time I’ve seen any of **The Ryan** ’s posts and I have to agree with everyone else. Just from this your a sludge-fucking, ignoramis, with stinky feet! Ha and your mother dresses you funny bastard! ---
**Author:** ![xenophon41](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xenophon41/32/253_2.png) [@xenophon41](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xenophon41)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/22 "2001-01-28T14:34:21Z")
Ryan, there’s an old saying that if a hundred people tell you you’re drunk, maybe you should lie down. Most of the people you’ve argued with now think you’re a shithead. Maybe you should go flush your brain. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/23 "2001-01-28T15:09:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by ENugent \* > > [This thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=56572) is only the latest example of your willful disregard of both basic courtesy and logic in your neverending need to have the last word. > > Strange. You have no quotes to support your assertion, just a link. Sure, because the whole thread is an example of your ridiculous behavior. > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Insulting other posters because you don’t understand their arguments is _not_ an acceptable debating tactic! > > If you can find a single insult directed at another poster by me in that thread (and no, me asking Jodi to pay attention to what I am saying is **not** an insult), I will apologize. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by The Ryan_ > The purpose was not formulated for discriminatory purposes? Huh? Let’s try this one more time. This time, try to keep your brain on track. That is not a request to pay attention, it is an insult. The followups included > [@](#): > > Yes, I’ve seen before how intolerant you are of the mention of your flaws. > [@](#): > > Would you like to embarrass yourself further, or will this be all for today? Also insults, and further totally unwarranted. ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/24 "2001-01-28T15:15:39Z")
**DNFTR!!!** ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/25 "2001-01-28T21:20:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > No, _expressing_ a belief is **not** a statement. It is an action. Whoops, sorry. I didn’t explain that as much as I should have. In the thread in question, Jodi was using the term “express” to refer not simply to the statement of a belief, but to the implementation/ enactment of that belief. That is, she was claiming that the purpose of the BSA’s ban on homosexuals was not to discriminate against homosexuals, but to express their belief that homosexuals should be discriminated against. She claimed that the discrimination that resulted from the ban was simply an effect, and not a goal, of the ban. I hope you can see how this is very sort of hair-splitting and word games that my detractors accuse **me** of. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/26 "2001-01-28T21:32:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by xenophon41 \* > Ryan, there’s an old saying that if a hundred people tell you you’re drunk, maybe you should lie down. 1. Quite a bit fewer than one hundred people have come to this thread. 2. Even if a hundrend people came, that would be less than 1% of the posters. 3. If someone is trying to convince me that I’m drunk, it helps if they’re not slurring their words and constantly falling down while they’re doing so. > [@](#): > > Most of the people you’ve argued with now think you’re a shithead. I see no evidence for that. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/27 "2001-01-28T21:53:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ENugent \* > > > [@](#): > > > > _Originally posted by The Ryan_ > > The purpose was not formulated for discriminatory purposes? Huh? Let’s try this one more time. This time, try to keep your brain on track. > > That is not a request to pay attention, it is an insult. To phrase “keep your brain on track” means “to pay attention”. Ergo, I was asking her to pay attention. > [@](#): > > Yes, I’ve seen before how intolerant you are of the mention of your flaws. This is a statement of fact, not an insult. Furthermore, Jodi was exhibiting an intolereance towards mention of her flaws in that thread, so my comment was not unwarranted. > [@](#): > > Would you like to embarrass yourself further, or will this be all for today? I was pointing out that her statements were not helping her credibility, another statement of fact. And again, it was not unwarranted. She made a clearly false statement, and either did so intentionally or else with utter disregard for the truth. And if you think those were insults, then surely you must agree that these are insults: > [@](#): > > First of all, keep a civil tongue in your head when you address me, or you can hold the balance of this discussion alone. I have neither done nor said anything deserving of your unaccountable snippiness, and I am not inclined to tolerate it. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/28 "2001-01-28T23:02:26Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by xenophon41 \* > > Ryan, there’s an old saying that if a hundred people tell you you’re drunk, maybe you should lie down. > > 1. Quite a bit fewer than one hundred people have come to this thread. > 2. Even if a hundrend people came, that would be less than 1% of the posters. > 3. If someone is trying to convince me that I’m drunk, it helps if they’re not slurring their words and constantly falling down while they’re doing so. > > > [@](#): > > > > Most of the people you’ve argued with now think you’re a shithead. > > I see no evidence for that. I think 593 page views (so far) with not a single person coming to your defense qualifies as evidence that a lot of people think you’re a shithead. I’m not about to go count how many people you’ve argued with, or pull out statistics about board usage to try to argue the precise statement. You, on the other hand, are already probably composing your reply explaining in the most condescending manner possible that evidence that a lot of people think you’re a shithead has nothing to do with whether _most people you’ve argued with_ think you’re a shithead. And to the rest of the SDMB who’s looking at this - if you think we’re off base in thinking that **The Ryan** is missing a few socks from the drawer, please go ahead and post. I certainly don’t want this thread to misrepresent the general views of the SDMB as a whole… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/29 "2001-01-28T23:39:40Z")
Well, I actually enjoyed being on **the ryan’s** side in the thread about government slavery ala the draft. I still think we had a point. Never had a problem with him yet. ---
**Author:** ![Primaflora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/898d66/32.png) [@Primaflora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Primaflora)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2001, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/30 "2001-01-28T23:50:47Z")
I’ve had one encounter with The Ryan where he told me in the most condescending manner possible to use my common sense. I’m voting for him being a shithead. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Ryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7feea3/32.png) [@The\_Ryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Ryan)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/31 "2001-01-29T00:17:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Primaflora \* > I’ve had one encounter with The Ryan where he told me in the most condescending manner possible to use my common sense. She’s referring to this statement: > [@](#): > > I’m not sure why you consider it Mercutio’s responsibility to provide you with common sense. from [Fuck you, Eat Shit and Die Golf.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=53944) My statement was in reference to her complaining that it was unreasonable for Mercutio to expect her to figure out on her own that “I need one of those new things, you know, those things that record all the shows so you can see them later and keep you ever so entertained, you know, a woman.” was not meant to be serious. She wan’t even complaininng that the joke was in poor taste; she was complaining that it wasn’t clear that it **was** a joke! And frankly, I think that by Pit standards my response was rather polite. If she really believes that this is the “condescending manner possible”, then she must have lived a very sheltered life. Oh, and notice yet again how people are making accusations without quotes. I think it says something that they are presenting only their interpretations of events, rather than the events themselves. ENugent > [@](#): > > I think 593 page views (so far) with not a single person coming to your defense qualifies as evidence that a lot of people think you’re a shithead. The fact that only a few percent of the people that have read this thread think it’s important enough to respond to somehow supports your position? Since when do people express their displeasure at other posters by ignoring a Pit thread on that poster? ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/32 "2001-01-29T00:49:18Z")
Now he’s following me around from thread to thread accusing me of hypocrisy. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57631](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57631) [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57432](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57432) What a creepy little cockroach. One more vote for “shithead.” ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/33 "2001-01-29T00:49:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by The Ryan \* > > Monty: > > > [@](#): > > > > They are different. The first is an action and the other is a statement describing the value of an action. > > No, _expressing_ a belief is **not** a statement. It is an action. Actually, expressing a belief is merely expressing a thought. Last I checked, we don’t have Thought Police (well, other than you) here. Now, taking actions based on that belief very well could be discrimination. As it is, you’re confusing a person’s thoughts with his actions. They are not the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![City\_Gent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a87d85/32.png) [@City\_Gent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/City_Gent)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/34 "2001-01-29T04:13:14Z")
Although The Ryan and I had a somewhat testy exchange: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=50033](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=50033) (maybe he didn’t consider it testy; I did), I don’t think he’s a “dickhead”, a “cockroach”, or a “shithead”, as others have stated. I think his only fault is that he tends to attack the person making the statement rather than confining his attacks to the statement itself. Personality aside, I think he is a pretty intelligent guy and my newbie opinion is that the board is better for his being on it. ---
**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:** [January 29, 2001, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/35 "2001-01-29T09:19:37Z")
I was going to respond to the OP. But somewhere in the middle of **The Ryan** ’s six consecutive, long-ass posts, I lost my will to live. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/36 "2001-01-29T10:59:49Z")
Ooh - yer all a touch harsh don’t you think? Telling the world that he is a shithead and than castigating him for coming along to deny those claims? Personally I can’t believe that **Ryan** and **oldscratch** are STILL fighting about the goldfish incident. Good god. Perhaps I should bring up some fight I had with another poster 6 months ago too. Look at who has replied here: **oldscratch, Jodi, Esprix, Scylla, Myrr, arl**. All of you have _exactly the same tendencies_ to pull posts apart and disect semantics - that’s what makes you good debaters! OK, some of you are much better than others at being polite about it - but nobody is actually harmed by **Ryan** being rude. Personally I find the posting style a touch abrasive. However I’d rather some intelligent albeit rather rude replies (on any side of a debate) from an articulate poster than a sycophantic incomprehensible nothing post from a poster who finds stringing two thoughts together difficult. So lets all kiss and make up and go find ourselves a nice juicy debate to argue about instead, m’kay? pan ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/37 "2001-01-29T14:22:02Z")
Sorry folks. I have to fall in line somewhere between **aynrandlover** and **kabbes**. **The Ryan** is being mostly reasonable here, as well as in the thread in question. It seems that a lot of people on this board don’t like to be disagreed with, and get fairly testy when they are. It also seems that this happens mostly in threads where a question of morality comes up, and personal views come up that are hard to quantify. I think that both parties are somewhat in the wrong here (man, this fence sures is riding up my ass…). For questions like the ones that came up, its real tough to step back and try to see it from the other parties’ point of view. Or, because issues like this are discussed so frequently, we’ve made up our mind a long time ago, and looked at the issue from the other side’s point of view then - and we’ve forgotten what that POV was. But mostly I’m disappointed (yeah, I know all of you are just hanging on for my approval - :rolleyes:) in the fact that we think that an informal vote in the Pit is going to be an official endorsement of **The Ryan** as an asshole or an unwanted member of this community. You’ll have to excuse me as I dust my head off, its been stuck in the sand entirely too long. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/38 "2001-01-29T14:23:08Z")
Goddammit! I meant: :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/39 "2001-01-29T15:28:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ENugent \* > \*\* > I think 593 page views (so far) with not a single person coming to your defense qualifies as evidence that a lot of people think you’re a shithead. \*\* Okay, I’ll bite. Based on the links provided, I think the criticism of him is way over the top. Lots of posters, including many of the ones in this thread, and probably including me, are just as prone to splitting hairs or looking for semantic outs. In the case of the link **Enugent** provided, I don’t see The Ryan being any more condescending than I’ve seen from many highly respected SDMB posters. Many of his arguments, in fact, were extremely well thought out and highly relevant. He does quote badly, though. I mean, I haven’t gone through a lot of other threads so maybe he’s being an asshole somewhere else, but based on the evidence posted in THIS thread, the case is thin. Yeah, he was a dick to Scylla. Does anyone really want all their posts reviewed to see when they were a dick? ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2001, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928/40 "2001-01-29T18:48:16Z")
Though I disagree with **The Ryan** on most every issue and have had several exhanges with him which made me doubt his ability to rationally debate, I’m going to have to throw my lot here in with **City gent** , **kabbes** , **Connor** , and **RickJay**. Yes, **The Ryan** can be frustrating. He often seems to needlessly contest what most of us regard as universally established truths, or to quibble over semantics while ignoring the heart of the other side’s argument. He definitely has some anger issues–he’s far too quick with an acid reply. But, on the whole, I think **The Ryan** is a valuable poster who’s not nearly the unmitigated dick that most of you are making him out to be. Take the Boy Scout thread, for instance. As I pointed out to another Doper on e-mail last week, I thought **The Ryan** was being perfectly clear in the distinctions he was drawing. When challenged, he repeated his points a little less civilly–which led to more challenges, and more incivility. But I followed his argument from the beginning–indeed, it raised points that I was preparing to mention myself–and I thought that **Jodi** and others were a bit too hasty in jumping on him. (And, conversely, **The Ryan** was a bit vitriolic in his response–something which seems to be a trend.) All in all, I believe that those of us who frequent GD sometimes have the tendency to judge the poster rather than the post. Most of us have, at one time or another, snapped at those who we felt were willfully misinterpreting our words (witness my exchanges with the laughably obfuscatory **Jackmanii** in the liberal media thread). That **The Ryan** perceives himself to be misinterpreted far more than most, and that he tends to respond in a jerkish manner, is certainly something for which he bears more responsibility than the rest of us: many times, **The Ryan** , your points simply aren’t as clear as you think they are, or you just flat out don’t understand the objections that are being made. It doesn’t mean, however, that **The Ryan** is so much more guilty than me or than any of you as to warrant such unqualified broadsides as have been expressed in this thread. As **RickJay** pointed out, we all parse arguments to an uncommon degree–clarity is, after all, the essence of Great Debates, and we all endeavor not to be misunderstood. **The Ryan’s** main failing seems to be that he has earned the ire of enough people that his attempts at parsing aren’t usually evaluated on their own merits any more; people see his name, automatically assume that he is being cryptic and unreasonable, and respond in kind. I’ve done it myself a few times, and upon review, I don’t think it’s particularly fair of any of us. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-ryan-you-are-not-cute/51928.md?page=3)