# To people who don't "get" rants (ahem, obfusciatrist) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 21, 2003, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759 "2003-10-21T19:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/41 "2003-10-24T17:04:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rimshotgdansk \* > \*\*“Wasted” how? Because it wasn’t significant? Or (worse) because it wasn’t funny? Neither failing seems to have stopped you from posting. \*\* Duh, guess you got me with that one, yesiree.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![leatherheather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ea666f/32.png) [@leatherheather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leatherheather)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/42 "2003-10-24T17:58:45Z")
Wow, this is really entertaining. Oops, I guess I’m supposed to say more than that (sorry, newbie mistake). Well, I can actually see both sides… on the one hand, it would piss me off if people told me to “get over it” after I ranted on about something, and then on the other hand, people can comment on a post in any way they see fit. Sooo… I guess this is just another pointless post to get my numbers up… sorry! \ ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/43 "2003-10-24T19:33:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by leatherheather \* > \*\*Wow, this is really entertaining. Oops, I guess I’m supposed to say more than that (sorry, newbie mistake). Well, I can actually see both sides… on the one hand, it would piss me off if people told me to “get over it” after I ranted on about something, and then on the other hand, people can comment on a post in any way they see fit. Sooo… I guess this is just another pointless post to get my numbers up… sorry! > > \ \*\* You _almost_ get it. But we’re not just saying it “pisses us off” when people say “get over it”. We’re saying that we _already are_ over it, and it’s just a silly waste of bandwidth to point out the obvious like that. I know it’s a little confusing to the newbies because the BBQ Pit doesn’t say “This is the place to post rants”. You just have to know that that’s what people do here. The first time I encountered a rant in the BBQ Pit, I kind of said to myself, “Huh? What’s this all about.” After I read a few of them, I figured out what was going on. It’s just a fun thing that people do here. Right now, **the wiz** has a little piece about people who do obnoxious things when dropping their kids off at school. **JohnBckWLD** has written about some of those annoyances we encounter while shopping for clothes. **Monty’s** contribution is about people not flushing the toilet. **elmwood** tells us about a not-so-hot potential mate from an on-line matchmaking service. NONE of these are Earth-shattering subjects, and I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that at the end of the day, ALL of these folks have gotten on with their lives. In other words, they ARE “over it”. They’re just harmless rants, folks. It’s not so much that the constant influx of banal “get over it” type comments are rude (although that’s also true), it’s more that they are utterly devoid of intelligence or comprehension of what’s going on. Hope that helps, although there seems to be a subset of posters here for whom this is never going to sink in… ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2003, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/44 "2003-10-24T20:38:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\* We’re saying that we _already are_ over it, and it’s just a silly waste of bandwidth to point out the obvious like that. \*\* Hehe. Talk about not getting it. And a _humorous rant about relatively trivial things_ is just a perfectly valid use for bandwidth. Nosireebob, not wasting bandwidth at all, are you? :rolleyes: I have to say, you are coming off as a world class dumbass, blowero, no matter how many of your fellow whiners agree with you. Having a lot of people on your side does not make you right. Personally, I get frustrated by the waste of bandwidth over idiotic rants and other pointless shit. It makes it harder for the rest of us to access the site and drives the hamsters batty. “Let thy speech be better than silence, or be silent.” – Dionysius the Elder (c. 430–367 B.C.) ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/45 "2003-10-25T06:51:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by presidebt \* > Having a lot of people on your side does not make you right. No, but being right puts a lot of people on my side.😛 Whatever, dude - you want to act like a troll? Knock yourself out - we’ll just ignore you. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2003, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/46 "2003-10-25T18:01:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*See, the BBQ Pit is the place where people post hopefully humorous rants about relatively trivial things. \*\* But that’s the problem. You’re not funny. Your original rant wasn’t funny, so some people thought it was serious. You’re accusing people of not having a sense of humor simply because _you_ can’t tell a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Matchka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Matchka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Matchka)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/47 "2003-10-26T05:00:04Z")
[Stuffing a dinner roll into Blowero’s mouth and handing him a Foster’s/] dude…you can’t win this one, walk away… ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/48 "2003-10-26T05:21:18Z")
> [@](#): > > Debit cards are a much higher risk proposition than checks (most consumer advocates, and many debit consulting services will strongly advise you away from them) Hijack - I always use my debit card and never write checks. What is the higher risk in doing so? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2003, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/49 "2003-10-27T08:33:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A Monkey With a Gun \* > But that’s the problem. You’re not funny. _sigh_ Apparently you missed where I said all the stuff like, "I’m no Lewis Black; “I’m no Jerry Seinfeld”, etc. A few of you guys seem to be making a career out of missing the point. It seems to be going something like this: Blowero: “I’m not trying to say I’m all that funny” Stupid Fucks: “You’re not all that funny” > [@](#): > > Your original rant wasn’t funny, so some people thought it was serious. You’re accusing people of not having a sense of humor simply because _you_ can’t tell a joke. They’re not _jokes_, they’re _rants_. And I don’t give a rat’s ass if you think I’m funny. You want to tell me that you don’t think I’m funny? - knock yourself out; you don’t strike me as exactly being a comedy genius yourself. If it were just my thread, I wouldn’t have said anything. But it’s virtually EVERY goddamn thread in here where some clueless person says “D’er - It’s not that important; calm down; just deal with it.” All I’m asking is that people stop treating obvious hyperbole as if it were literal. What exactly is the major meltdown you guys are having with the concept? It’s. Not. That. Hard. ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/50 "2003-10-28T10:39:57Z")
**Blowero** , I like you, but I don’t think you’re understanding something. Some people thought your original rant was serious, and responded as such. Instead of starting a new thread bitching about how people didn’t “get” your rant, you should have just chalked it up to a swing and a miss. My only complaint with you is that you didn’t. In writing, speech, or any other communication medium, you have to know your audience. If the audience does not understand what the speaker is trying to get across, the blame is not with the audience - it’s with the speaker. It’s bad form for the speaker to complain that the audience did not “get” him. Your rant was light and tongue in cheek, but we both know that many rants _aren’t_. You didn’t express the fact that you were only semi-serious well enough. No problem there, a simple “hey, I’m more amused than angry - don’t take this so seriously” would have sufficed…if it stayed in the same thread. Instead, you posted this OP. You shouldn’t have started a thread about how you were taken too seriously, you should of just chalked it up to a swing and a miss. Never, _ **EVER** _ complain to the audience that they don’t “get” you. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2003, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/51 "2003-10-28T18:49:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by A Monkey With a Gun \* > Some people thought your original rant was serious, and responded as such. Instead of starting a new thread bitching about how people didn’t “get” your rant, you should have just chalked it up to a swing and a miss. My only complaint with you is that you didn’t. While I understand what you are saying, I disagree with it. As I said several times, it’s not JUST my thread, it’s part of a larger problem. I don’t think we can dismiss it as just being a poorly written OP, because that doesn’t explain the countless other times that I have seen this sort of “get over it” reaction to things that are obviously tongue-in-cheek. I see it all the time in _other_ threads - threads that weren’t written by me. And then we have the fact that many people understood perfectly well that it was hyperbole, and said as much. Frankly, I don’t even understand how it’s even _possible_ to think I was seriously upset by the incident. As I said before, were you of the opinion that I wouldn’t “get through this”, or that I wouldn’t “survive”? Those were the words I used, and if you can’t see that as hyperbole, then we must not be speaking the same language at all. But I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt, and allow that some people really didn’t get that it was tongue-in-cheek. Given that this happens _so_ often in other threads, and that many people seem perfectly capable of understanding hyperbole, I’m still going to have to maintain that this is a fault in _understanding_ on the part of the people reading the threads, if not deliberate obtuseness. > [@](#): > > In writing, speech, or any other communication medium, you have to know your audience. If the audience does not understand what the speaker is trying to get across, the blame is not with the audience - it’s with the speaker. It’s bad form for the speaker to complain that the audience did not “get” him. I disagree. If some jackass goes to a museum and spits on the Mona Lisa, I do not blame Da Vinci. [For the analogy impaired, I am not in any way comparing the quality of my rant to the Mona Lisa] > [@](#): > > Your rant was light and tongue in cheek, but we both know that many rants _aren’t_. Then we aren’t talking about _those_ rants, are we? I maintain that it’s not that difficult to tell the difference. > [@](#): > > You didn’t express the fact that you were only semi-serious well enough. No problem there, a simple “hey, I’m more amused than angry - don’t take this so seriously” would have sufficed…if it stayed in the same thread. Instead, you posted this OP. I disagree; lots of people “got it”, and as I explained numerous times, I started another thread because the problem is so prevalent in virtually _every_ BBQ Pit thread. But you ( and a couple others) seem to be deliberately ignoring that and pretending that I started this thread to somehow defend my writing. You’re creating a strawman Blowero who is so enamored with his own comedy stylings that he defends them at all costs. That’s just total bullshit, and you would have to ignore everything I’ve written in this thread to think such a thing. And to top it off, you are ignoring my point that it happens all the time in _other people’s_ threads. You would have us believe that everyone who ever posts a rant is just so poor a writer that they aren’t communicating their ideas. Poppycock! - I say. It’s a few _readers_ who are guilty of cluelessness. > [@](#): > > You shouldn’t have started a thread about how you were taken too seriously, you should of just chalked it up to a swing and a miss. Please, it’s a thread about how _everyone_ is taken too seriously. My thread is just one example. > [@](#): > > Never, _ **EVER** _ complain to the audience that they don’t “get” you. While I appreciate your lovely, overstated advice with all the shiny colors and such, I must decline. If I write a thread, and _nobody_ gets it, I would blame myself. If _lots_ of people write threads, and a _few_ people never get ANY of them, I blame those few people. ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/52 "2003-10-31T02:46:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\* > > Whatever, dude - you want to act like a troll? Knock yourself out - we’ll just ignore you. \*\* a) I’s dudette, loser b) a troll? dude, that is SOOO against the rules, not to mention erroneous. I’d appreciate if we could get a moderator in here post haste, because that is utter bullshit. In fact, I think I’ll contact them myself. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/53 "2003-10-31T03:29:20Z")
> [@](#): > > _by blowero_ > > Whatever, dude - you want to act like a troll? Knock yourself out - we’ll just ignore you. Psst! **blowero**! It’s been almost a week. Are we through ignoring her yet? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/54 "2003-10-31T08:10:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by presidebt \* > \*\*a) I’s dudette, loser > b) a troll? dude, that is SOOO against the rules, not to mention erroneous. I’d appreciate if we could get a moderator in here post haste, because that is utter bullshit. In fact, I think I’ll contact them myself. \*\* Awww, presidebt’s gonna tell the teacher on me. Fuck you, you stupid whore. Let me clarify what I meant: I’m not necessarily calling you a troll\*, but if one goes around posting “get over it; it’s not that important” in every thread which is obviously a tongue-in-cheek rant, then that constitutes troll-like behavior, and that person’s gonna get ignored. If you don’t do stupid shit like that, then people won’t have a problem with you. \*I _am_ calling you a bitch, however.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/55 "2003-10-31T11:40:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Knowed Out \* > \*\*Ah, the evergoing struggles between the figurativists and the literalists…the figurativist tells how he sped away at a million miles per hour, and the literalist thinks that it’s impossible, since he’d get compressed into a tiny black hole once he exceeded the speed of light. > > Just smile and nod your head. \*\* Well, the speed of light is actually about 670 million mph. One million mph doesn’t even approach relativistic speed. [sub]schmuck[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![presidebt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c37758/32.png) [@presidebt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/presidebt)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/56 "2003-10-31T14:26:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by blowero \* > \*\*Awww, presidebt’s gonna tell the teacher on me. Fuck you, you stupid whore. > > Let me clarify what I meant: I’m not necessarily calling you a troll\*, but if one goes around posting “get over it; it’s not that important” in every thread which is obviously a tongue-in-cheek rant, then that constitutes troll-like behavior, and that person’s gonna get ignored. If you don’t do stupid shit like that, then people won’t have a problem with you. > > \*I _am_ calling you a bitch, however.😛 \*\* Yeah, when you call me names you know you aren’t supposed to, I will report you. And I don’t feel one bit like a tattle tale. You should apologize to me, but instead you go on to dig yourself a deeper hole, and continue on with the toll-labeling. And you continue to assassinate my character. I do not, nor have I EVER, posted to “every thread which is obviously a a tongue-in-cheek rant”. I just posted an honest opinion to this thread. I don’t care that you call me a bitch and a whore, but you _know_ the deal with trolling accusations. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/57 "2003-10-31T15:34:40Z")
**blowero** , no troll accusations, no matter how veiled they are. ---
**Author:** ![Vic\_Ferrari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/dbc845/32.png) [@Vic\_Ferrari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vic_Ferrari)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/58 "2003-10-31T17:41:47Z")
See, now _that’s_ funny. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/59 "2003-10-31T17:44:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bryan Ekers \* > \*\*Well, the speed of light is actually about 670 million mph. One million mph doesn’t even approach relativistic speed. > \*\* /smile /nods head ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759/60 "2003-10-31T18:36:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Coldfire \* > \*\ ***blowero** , no troll accusations, no matter how veiled they are. \*\* O.K., teach. But presidebt’s still an insufferable bitch. She gets “frustrated by the waste of bandwidth over idiotic rants and other pointless shit”, but is in favor of wasting _more_ bandwidth by posting pointless “get over it” type comments. Whatever… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-people-who-dont-get-rants-ahem-obfusciatrist/208759.md?page=4)