# There a special place in Hell for those who backstab their friends...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-a-special-place-in-hell-for-those-who-backstab-their-friends/376207>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [October 12, 2006, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-a-special-place-in-hell-for-those-who-backstab-their-friends/376207 "2006-10-12T15:28:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 6

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**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:** [October 15, 2006, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-a-special-place-in-hell-for-those-who-backstab-their-friends/376207/101 "2006-10-15T18:56:42Z")

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I got pissed at you because you’re being disingenuous.

You make no distinction, in this whole debate, between “publicly being called out” and genuine academic debate. The very fact that continue to use terms like “called out” and “hurt” to encompass the whole gamut of possible intewractions is indicative of either simplistic assumptions or dishonest debate on your part.

I asked you on multiple occasions to clarify where you draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not, and to give us some idea of what would and would not be acceptable types of questions for friends to ask in an academic setting. You completely ignored that whole issue, choosing instead to accuse me of being insensitive to or ignorant of the requirements of friendship and suggesting that my attitude meant that i must have no friends.

If you think that’s honest discussion of the subject, i submit that you belong in the same category as the OP’s “friend.”

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**Author:** ![galt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@galt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/galt)\
**Post date:** [October 15, 2006, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-a-special-place-in-hell-for-those-who-backstab-their-friends/376207/102 "2006-10-15T21:06:29Z")

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I would like to take the opportunity to point out that the quote in question was “‘Rue the day?’ Who talks like that?” Not simply the phrase “rue the day.” If you’re naming movies that contain the phrase “rue the day,” you have missed the joke.

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**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\
**Post date:** [October 16, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-a-special-place-in-hell-for-those-who-backstab-their-friends/376207/103 "2006-10-16T15:11:03Z")

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The fact that the guy didn’t bring up this “error” in practice runs does make him out to be a jerk. But, still, as a general proposition, I don’t think it’s a violation of friendship to criticize your presentation in class. It’s an _academic_ exercise and the potential for harm is quite minimal. So, you might get a slightly lower grade; in the long run that’ll be the least of your worries. The opportunity for the whole class to learn is more important than petty loyalty issues.

The real villain here is the lecturer, who was too much of a dope to know who was right and declared that he would base his grade award on random, unverified commentary.

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