I disagree with this warning. It isn’t an attack on @gdave.
The reference is to Sidney Powell, and her supposed intelligence expert who participated in her challenges to the election. The so-called expert turned out to be completely unqualified and inexperienced. Powell did not ask what the qualifications are. @Banksiaman was insulting these two, not anyone on the board.
And if someone on the board presents themselves as being an expert in a particular subject, it is reasonable to ask what their qualifications and experience are.
I have no dog in this fight but I disagree with your assessment. I feel the warning was justified.
Gdave said “I am such-and-such” and Banksiaman responded by saying “Are your qualifications real or did you make them up?” It seems clear to me that this was directed at gdave personally and not at Sydney Powell.
For what it’s worth, I had just recently read an article on Sidney’s key witness, and Bansksiaman’s post immediately brought that back. I smiled out loud reading it in fact, thinking it clever. I didn’t think it was insulting at all, rather a “nod” to that breaking story.
Oof. I’ve reread it about 6 times now, and I can see what you’re saying. It’s hard to parse not having been in the discussion, so I imagine that’s what W_E saw as well. I’d think a Note would be fine - because it is one of the “gotta read it in full context” things in a very long thread. Especially considering his mea culpa afterward - hopefully gdave can comment on it as well.
Thanks all for your commentary. To be clear, I’m very happy to apologise - while the intention was, I think, fair the post should be judged by how it can be read, and I had no intention of offending a fellow poster who had provided a fair point.
There is an issue of cross-cultural humour at work here. I’m not claiming it as a defence, but I’ve seen on SD and in real life vey different reactions by some readers and mods to what would not raise an eye-brow in Australia, Ireland or UK, where the repartee can be pretty hard and sharp and directed at both man and ball.
I feel the fact that it was posted in response to gdave saying “for whatever’s it worth, I’m a former Army intelligence enlisted person” makes the direction it was intended ambiguous at best.
“I only ask because Sydney Powell clearly didn’t and look where she’s ended up - being considered for a job in the dying days of Trump’s presidency. I’d hate to have that happen to me.”
I think that makes it clear who is the target of the insult.
It appeared to be aimed at gdave. It appears to be a 2 layered insult of another poster in P&E. It is hard to interpret any other way looking at the 2 posts.
On the other hand, Banksiaman has never been warned and is not the kind of poster to even edge towards problems in P&E or GD. So I was surprised when I saw it. I even wrote something to that extend in the Warning PM to him.
Let me look through the thread a little later, I can’t right now. I may well rescind the warning.
It is still something to avoid as it is hard to read as anything but an insult unless you’re following the thread closely.
It’s not a breaking story, it’s from a couple of weeks ago:
I think it’s clear @Banksiaman was making a joke about this. The way he made it was quite clever, directing it superficially at @gdave, whose own real background is evidently similar to what Powell’s witness lied about. But it’s in the nature of subtly framed jokes like this that they are easy to misinterpret if you don’t immediately get the reference.
Honestly I don’t think either side should feel bad here. I thought the way it was framed was clever, I was taken aback myself until I caught on halfway through. But that made it funnier. On the other hand, it looks so much like a straight insult that I can’t fault @What_Exit for not picking up on the reference.
Clearly the warning should be rescinded as a misunderstanding, though.
Thanks again to all for reflecting on this. I’m glad that GDave got the joke and took the post in the spirit it was intended.
Being someone who only follows selected threads like the Sidney Powell saga, I forgot that not everyone would have either read or remembered it, so it was probably a pretty obscure cross-reference for most people.
I have no problem with mods pointing it out a potential sledge and reining it in before it gets out of hand. I’ve looked at what goes on in the Pit and I have no issue with strict control to avoid boards that I think are genuinely informative turning into something similar.
