# Utah Boy Scout rock toppling outrage **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 19, 2013, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644 "2013-10-19T12:20:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/121 "2013-10-20T22:57:49Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > And \*I’m \*the one whose opinion is unbelievably absurd? Quite. Is there \*any \*evidence that they did it out of concerns for safety, other than their after-the-fact excuse? ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/122 "2013-10-20T23:37:04Z")
[Same shit different day.](http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/blog/2012/01/07/the-goblet-of-venus-gone-and-almost-forgotten-stiles/) ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [October 20, 2013, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/123 "2013-10-20T23:52:33Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > So yes, these evildoers obviously deserve to be raped, tortured, and if someone kills them, eh, they did move that (historically significant) rock. Show me where I suggested any of those things or even came close to it. > [@](#): > > And \*I’m \*the one whose opinion is unbelievably absurd? More and more with each post. ---
**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 21, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/124 "2013-10-21T00:00:16Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > And \*I’m \*the one whose opinion is unbelievably absurd? It’s not that your beliefs are absurd; it’s that your interpretation of what people have been arguing here is completely dishonest and in no way reflective of reality. ---
**Author:** ![TonySinclair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@TonySinclair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TonySinclair)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/125 "2013-10-21T00:04:31Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [Same shit different day.](http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/blog/2012/01/07/the-goblet-of-venus-gone-and-almost-forgotten-stiles/) So? There were children to protect in the 1950’s, too. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/126 "2013-10-21T00:06:33Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > [Same shit different day.](http://www.canyoncountryzephyr.com/blog/2012/01/07/the-goblet-of-venus-gone-and-almost-forgotten-stiles/) Incredible. Reminds me of a story I heard as a child about a biologist who was studying the ancient bristlecone pines. As I recall, he hiked up into the Sierras and cut one down to perform carbon dating on it. He discovered after the fact that he had killed the oldest living organism on Earth. Who was that guy? ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/127 "2013-10-21T00:15:28Z")
I’m a little short of cash right now, so I’m gonna take my wife’s diamond ring, and have the diamond replaced with a piece of gravel, sell the diamond, and explain to her that one rock is just like another. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/128 "2013-10-21T00:24:16Z")
I also _loved_ the ironic hypocrisy of “you don’t have my permission to put this on TV!” Worrying about the concept of permission a little late, aren’t you, you high-fiving dipshit? ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/129 "2013-10-21T00:26:32Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Incredible. Reminds me of a story I heard as a child about a biologist who was studying the ancient bristlecone pines. As I recall, he hiked up into the Sierras and cut one down to perform carbon dating on it. He discovered after the fact that he had killed the oldest living organism on Earth. Who was that guy? [Don Curry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Rusk_Currey). There are conflicting stories about whether he knew it was the oldest tree before cutting it, but at least he had permission from the Forest Service. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a6a055/32.png) [@Tequila\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/130 "2013-10-21T01:45:23Z")
> [@Lightnin](#): > > Quite. > > Is there \*any \*evidence that they did it out of concerns for safety, other than their after-the-fact excuse? People keep saying this, but didn’t they state _right on the video while they were doing it_ that it was out of concern for others safety? Otherwise, I have nothing for disdain for the way those guys handled their “concern,” but I do see the gist of what **Rushgeekgirl** is saying. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/131 "2013-10-21T01:56:36Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Is there more video I’m not seeing on the OP link? Because from that I can see no indication that they had anything but good intentions. They just seemed really happy when they pushed it down. > > I am not saying they didn’t do something wrong, and I realize this is a historically significant rock, but they are getting DEATH THREATS and someone here has actually expressed the hope that they’ll be locked up with hairy sweaty men. I’m assuming they’re hinting that these guys deserve to be raped for knocking over a (historically significant) rock. C’mon. The real life equivalent of an Internet death threat is, “I will stick out my tongue at you behind your back.” ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/132 "2013-10-21T02:06:27Z")
nvm ---
**Author:** ![Not\_Carlson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bc79bd/32.png) [@Not\_Carlson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Carlson)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/133 "2013-10-21T02:52:21Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > They should be executed because, I gather from the thread title, they moved a rock. Kill them all. Or at least ruin their lives as I assume it was a really cool rock. > [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > So yes, these evildoers obviously deserve to be raped, tortured, and if someone kills them, eh, they did move that (historically significant) rock. Whoa! Don’t leave that sarcasm lying there. Someone might step in it. Of course anyone actually baying for blood over this incident is a moron. But those types are just looking for their regular RO fix, and I’m not seeing that in this thread anyway. Should the doofuses who knocked over the rock formation be punished? Absolutely! Stiff fines and community service. Their do-good excuse is bullshit. They pushed over that rock because they wanted to. I can actually understand the impulse. There once was a time I might have done the same thing myself. But then something happened to me that forever changed my attitude and behavior. . . . I stopped being ten years old! Clearly Mr. McRockpushy and his pals haven’t yet experienced this defining moment. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/134 "2013-10-21T03:09:22Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Incredible. Reminds me of a story I heard as a child about a biologist who was studying the ancient bristlecone pines. As I recall, he hiked up into the Sierras and cut one down to perform carbon dating on it. He discovered after the fact that he had killed the oldest living organism on Earth. Who was that guy? There’s a rumour around these parts that there is a bristlecone pine somewhere in Southern Alberta that is tremendously old - no one knows the location, because if people knew where it was, some asshole would do harm to it. I hate the kind of shit that the louts in the video did - I went on a winter hike to a lovely falls one winter, and watched a family trashing all the icicle formations that made the frozen falls so special. Sure, it was just frozen water, but ruining something just because you could - I hate that shit. Knocking over a hoodoo that took millennia to create - yeah, charge them with something. Teach them a lesson about, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/135 "2013-10-21T03:14:51Z")
Unfortunately, I really don’t see that fining the guy with the camera or the moron who is doing the Snoopy sup-sup-suppertime happy dance on the adjoining rock is warranted. Being a dipshit is not in and of itself a criminal offense. Glenn Taylor is the only one who should be fined. Five thousand dollars and 100 hours of community service seems fair and realistic to me. ---
**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 21, 2013, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/136 "2013-10-21T03:24:05Z")
> [@Tequila\_Party](#): > > People keep saying this, but didn’t they state _right on the video while they were doing it_ that it was out of concern for others safety? Not in the BBC video linked by the OP. If you have a link to a video where they make this clear, i’d be happy to view it. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/137 "2013-10-21T03:32:23Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > Unfortunately, I really don’t see that fining the guy with the camera or the moron who is doing the Snoopy sup-sup-suppertime happy dance on the adjoining rock is warranted. Being a dipshit is not in and of itself a criminal offense. Glenn Taylor is the only one who should be fined. Five thousand dollars and 100 hours of community service seems fair and realistic to me. The guy doing the happy dance should be fined for wearing black socks with tennis shoes. Heavily fined. At least they didn’t try to [fix](http://www.geekologie.com/2012/08/ahahhahahahahahahahahha-old-lady-attempt.php) an old painting ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/138 "2013-10-21T03:38:47Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Not in the BBC video linked by the OP. > > If you have a link to a video where they make this clear, i’d be happy to view it. https://www.youtube.com/embed/EHgpiMp1JqA?feature=oembed&wmode=opaque It sounds like they were making a joke about it. Right after the rock fell, one of them said “We have now modified Goblin Valley” ---
**Author:** ![dasmoocher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dbc845/32.png) [@dasmoocher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasmoocher)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/139 "2013-10-21T03:39:28Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > "Well, I saw that California Condor, and I thought to myself, ‘What if that bird tries to eat a baby?’ > > So I shot it." I at least hope you didn’t waste the meat. Personally, I think it tastes a little like Spotted Owl. When I first read an article about this, there was a quote from the guy to the effect of “The rock was dangerous and would have fallen eventually. We just helped it along.” By that logic, don’t worry about the death threats, guys. Everybody dies eventually and some people just want to help you along. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2013, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644/140 "2013-10-21T03:43:19Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > At least they didn’t try to [fix](http://www.geekologie.com/2012/08/ahahhahahahahahahahahha-old-lady-attempt.php) an old painting Poor Jesus is probably rolling over in his grave. Reminds me of the SNL Weekend Update story in which Jane Curtin announced that art vandals had broken into the Louvre and glued arms on the Venus de Milo. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/utah-boy-scout-rock-toppling-outrage/671644.md?page=8)