# Warnings in Politics & Elections **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 5, 2021, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717 "2021-01-05T16:09:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/21 "2021-01-05T20:52:23Z")
There were multiple offenses. Just because they didn’t get caught until after reoffending doesn’t mean they should get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/22 "2021-01-05T20:54:04Z")
Common, man. You know the issue wasn’t the word “beg”, but “invent”. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/23 "2021-01-05T20:55:02Z")
The only claim that was being made was that Trump said that they needed to find 11,000 votes. That was based on the words that Trump had said. No one in that thread, had used the word invented until the poster in question brought it up. This is pretty much a perfect example of strawmanning. And it’s not about the word “beg”. I wouldn’t use the word beg, personally, I would say demanded, threatened, extorted. Begging would be a much softer accusation. I’m not entirely sure if we are on the same page as to what the actual offense _was_ here. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/24 "2021-01-05T20:58:07Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > This is pretty much a perfect example of strawmanning. Strawmanning in a thread protesting the warning another poster received for strawmanning is ballsy, I’ve gotta say. ---
**Author:** ![half-elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@half-elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/half-elf)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/25 "2021-01-05T21:48:09Z")
I think k9bfriender was explaining to Velocity what the strawmanning in question was about, not saying that Velocity was strawmanning. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2021, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/26 "2021-01-05T22:00:58Z")
Well, I was, yes. But, as I haven’t seen anyone in this thread make any arguments pertaining to the word “beg”, I suppose it’s more of a twofer. ---
**Author:** ![raventhief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/raventhief/32/4_2.png) [@raventhief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raventhief)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/27 "2021-01-06T04:23:40Z")
The poster came into the thread to rebut a claim that Trump _literally_ asked Georgia to “invent” votes. They even had a handy excerpt with bolding to highlight that he never used the word “invent.” > “…In that last quote, Trump was addressing one of his attorneys, Cleta Mitchell, who was also on the call. At no point did he utter “invent.”…” _This was not a claim that had been made in the thread._ The cite did back up the actual claim - that Trump used the word “find.” Which… He did. I believed - and still do- that this was intentionally inflammatory, and designed to derail the thread. Hence the warning. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/28 "2021-01-06T04:50:16Z")
NOTE: This is NOT directed at any poster or moderator. I think **Jonathan Chance** explained it nicely in the board sticky: “Posters stating things you don’t like are not necessarily trolling. Posters disagreeing with your posts are not necessarily trolling. Try to listen to the other side. Don’t try to shut them out because they have a different opinion or belief. Posters you don’t like - or have a history with - are not necessarily trolling. Posters and their opinions may offend you. This does not necessarily mean they are trolling.” In any case, isn’t any post in Politics and Elections going to be inflammatory to somebody? Partisan politics go back to the beginning of civilization. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/29 "2021-01-06T04:53:36Z")
Did you read the thread? The poster was warned because he came into a thread, built up a strawman, and demolished it, in such an obvious way that it could be nothing except trolling. He then doubled down. The warning had nothing to do with his politics. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/30 "2021-01-06T05:00:19Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > The warning had nothing to do with his politics. I didn’t say that it did. In any politically based thread, someone, somewhere, is bound to take offense. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/31 "2021-01-06T05:16:17Z")
> [@Saintly\_Loser](#): > > Two warnings for the same thing, in the same thread? As I posted earlier in the Pit, I agree with this take - I don’t think two warnings are merited. I have no strong opinion on whether the poster in question was deliberately trolling or simply…something else. But I don’t have any particular issue with A warning per se. It’s a judgement call and from where I’m sitting this one looks close enough for government work. But two without allowing the poster to back down between them looks a bit unbalanced to me. Warnings are theoretically supposed to help moderate behavior, not pile up offenses to speed up the race towards sanction. But eh, I’m not that incensed either. Just looks a little off to me. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/32 "2021-01-06T05:34:50Z")
> [@D\_Anconia](#): > > > [@Babale](#): > > > > The warning had nothing to do with his politics. > > I didn’t say that it did. In any politically based thread, someone, somewhere, is bound to take offense. Cool. Since he was not warned for being offensive, I’m a bit confused about why you are posting that here, though. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/33 "2021-01-06T05:51:02Z")
I don’t see much difference between calling a post “offensive” vs. “inflammatory”. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/34 "2021-01-06T05:53:52Z")
Neither warning was for being “inflammatory” either. Here are both warnings: > [@Trump Pressured Georgia Official to ‘Find’ Enough Votes to Overturn Election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/218): > > _ **Moderating** _ > > Coming into a thread to “debunk” a claim no one has made is trolling. > > Warning issued. > [@Trump Pressured Georgia Official to ‘Find’ Enough Votes to Overturn Election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/236): > > > [@Trump Pressured Georgia Official to ‘Find’ Enough Votes to Overturn Election](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-pressured-georgia-official-to-find-enough-votes-to-overturn-election/929592/211): > > > > As the Lead Stories fact check link shows, context is important. Those votes **DO EXIST** and have been counted. Trump is referring to what his lawyers believe are **INVALID votes cast for Biden… not uncounted votes.** > > And you believe that this is what Trump meant when he said > > > And there’s nothing wrong with say saying, you know, um, that you’ve recalculated. > > Not to mention his repeated demand to “find” 11,780 votes. I have to consider this a troll. This is an official warning, the second you’ve received in this thread He was warned for arguing against a point no one was actually making (a form of trolling). Not for being offensive or inflammatory. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/35 "2021-01-06T06:10:01Z")
> [@raventhief](#): > > _This was not a claim that had been made in the thread._ > > The cite did back up the actual claim - that Trump used the word “find.” Which… He did. > > I believed - and still do- that this was intentionally inflammatory, and designed to derail the thread. Hence the warning. Eh, I think, in this case, you’re overestimating the reading and debating skill level of the poster. S/he made a leap that wasn’t warranted, but I can see how s/he thought that way, based on _many_, if not most, other illogical arguments made by them in the past. This fits right in with those. I think s/hw was sincere, just wrong per usual. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/36 "2021-01-06T06:56:06Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > But two without allowing the poster to back down between them looks a bit unbalanced to me. Warnings are theoretically supposed to help moderate behavior, not pile up offenses to speed up the race towards sanction. Yes, exactly this. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/37 "2021-01-06T06:58:34Z")
Well, he then argued the warning in thread- which usually gives you a warning. So, he is evens. ---
**Author:** ![DemonTree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/demontree/32/8646_2.png) [@DemonTree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DemonTree)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/38 "2021-01-06T07:02:11Z")
Oh, is that what he meant when he said he thought only the mod could see his comment? ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/39 "2021-01-06T13:26:17Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Well, he then argued the warning in thread The poster was apparently under the mistaken impression that a reply to a warning would be visible only to the mod issuing the warning. I’d take that claim at face value, and call it a good-faith error. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2021, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717/40 "2021-01-06T13:34:01Z")
Unless your argument is that if a post is inflammatory and/or offensive, it cannot be trolling, I’m not seeing your point here. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/warnings-in-politics-elections/929717.md?page=3)