# What has become of SDMB, especially GD’s? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 19, 2005, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304 "2005-12-19T16:04:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/41 "2005-12-19T22:09:21Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > [An](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6787919&postcount=130) [encapsulation](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6788150&postcount=133) in [four](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6788183&postcount=135) [posts.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6788219&postcount=136) > > Aiint no speed-reading necessary no more, I reckon. You quote out of context quotes that are, themselves, quoted out of context. Interesting strategy, but easy enough to defeat. I continue to stand by everything I have said in those, and all of my other, posts. I won’t be searching through your posts to make some lame attempt at nailing you. Because I WANT to hear what you have to say. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/42 "2005-12-19T22:21:11Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > And thanks for demonstrating \*my \*point, by the way. Which was? ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/43 "2005-12-19T22:29:06Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > Why does he have to be a speedreader? Perhaps he simply needed to be reminded that **you are the asshat behind that other thread**. I know that was enough for me. Bolding added for the comprehension-impaired, although it will not help. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/44 "2005-12-19T22:30:16Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Remember the OP’s conduct in [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=343779)? It’s not substance he’s seeking. What, in your opinion, am I seeking? ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/45 "2005-12-19T22:31:55Z")
> [@Brainiac4](#): > > Bolding added for the comprehension-impaired, although it will not help. Oh, okay. Your meaning wasn’t clear in your post. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/46 "2005-12-19T22:42:53Z")
Personally, I think a lot of people get away with pretty shoddy debating techniques around here, because dishonest/bad-faith debate is not strictly against the rules around here. And if you call people on it, you’re more likely to divert the thread into a personalized hijack than to actually shame them into behaving. In my fantasy version of the SDMB, the moderators have enough time and resources to police each thread for bad-faith debating, but I understand why that’s not a practical possibility. It would be nice if everyone (including me of course) posted here with the standards of, say, a peer-reviewed journal, but that’s not the case. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/47 "2005-12-19T22:45:51Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > What, in your opinion, am I seeking? Another bout of [rope-a-dope](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope) for your own amusement. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/48 "2005-12-19T23:00:20Z")
> [@EddyTeddyFreddy](#): > > Another bout of [rope-a-dope](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rope-a-dope) for your own amusement. Ali won that bout, and against all odds. Still, I’m not hoping that, nor even plying, posters to “punch themselves out,” for my own entertainment, or anyone else’s. **I want to hear what others think.** That’s what my posts boil down to. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/49 "2005-12-19T23:11:33Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > What, in your opinion, am I seeking? Adulation. It’s what we all want, _au fond._ The board would probably be a better place if we could find _some_ means of praising a poster despite our overall conclusions as to his/her ancestry, intelligence and moral fiber. For instance, I agree with your assertion that there are plenty of idiots with credit cards. Someone is buying all those Thomas Kinkade prints and Riverdance CDs. :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/50 "2005-12-19T23:13:55Z")
But, when I called you a knuckle dragging goat felcher, I meant that in a _good_ way. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/51 "2005-12-19T23:27:39Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > Ali won that bout, and against all odds. Still, I’m not hoping that, nor even plying, posters to “punch themselves out,” for my own entertainment, or anyone else’s. > > **I want to hear what others think.** That’s what my posts boil down to. Sure, you want to “hear what others think.” But _why_ do you want to hear what others think? From your posts, it seems clear that you’re far more interested in demonstrating your (percevied) intellectual superiority over them. You’re not interested in education, here, you want self-validation. Now, what does it say about you that you need self-validation from a bunch of random strangers you’ll likely never meet in real life? ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2005, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/52 "2005-12-19T23:31:05Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Now, what does it say about you that you need self-validation from a bunch of random strangers you’ll likely never meet in real life? He’ll never meet me in real life as long as I see him first. ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/53 "2005-12-20T00:55:33Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > I’d actually say that **this** dynamic–debaters who respond to the least of their opponents instead of the greatest–is what causes the worst problems in GD. I agree that that’s a big problem in GD. And another problem (one that I’ve been guilty of plenty) that’s strongly related to it is that people, when they do address strong posts, tend to cherry pick the weak parts (often out of context) instead of adressing the entire substance. USENET-style line-by-line rebuttals do not a good debate make. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/54 "2005-12-20T01:01:04Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > They demand “cites,” as if it’s up to you to do their research for them. They beg the mods to move or close the thread. The mods, being representatives of what is now a for-profit board, know where the bulk of the money is coming from, and that’s from the idiots, who comprise the majority of our populace, unfortunately. The idiots, and their idiocy, must be supported if these boards are to continue to exist. They are paying out the bulk of the money. You could try ignoring the idiots. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![furt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/439d5e/32.png) [@furt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furt)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/55 "2005-12-20T01:34:02Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > **I want to hear what others think.** Since you asked: I think you’re an attention-whore asshole who thinks he’s three times smarter than he really is. I think you are insincere in what you say you believe. I think you’re lying about your job. I think the SDMB would be better off without you. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/56 "2005-12-20T01:51:58Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Sure, you want to “hear what others think.” But _why_ do you want to hear what others think? From your posts, it seems clear that you’re far more interested in demonstrating your (percevied) intellectual superiority over them. You’re not interested in education, here, you want self-validation. > > Now, what does it say about you that you need self-validation from a bunch of random strangers you’ll likely never meet in real life? Based on past experience, if I wanted only “self-validation” I certainly wouldn’t be here. Nor is the selection of posters at SDMB “random.” You have to know about SDMB, find it, subscribe to it (for a fee), and _then_ post and/or start a thread. A considerable selection process takes place all along the way. And after all that you still end up with a group comprised chiefly of screeching little turdlings. You have to grind through all of the ore to get at the button of gold. Still, I find it worth the effort. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/57 "2005-12-20T02:14:06Z")
> [@furt](#): > > Since you asked: Well, I didn’t really ask for a lot of personal criticisms, but I don’t mind them, and since you insist… > [@furt](#): > > I think you’re an attention-whore asshole who thinks he’s three times smarter than he really is. “Attention whore“? If _I_ got paid for posting, I guess I could be called that. But I pay, like everyone else. I think the more accurate term might be “Attention John,” under the existing circumstances. But, alas for you, attention in and of itself is not what I’m after. As for thinking I am “three times smarter” than I actually am, such an observation has little meaning to me. You see, I _do_ intelligence testing, and the concept of being “three tiimes” more intelligent than another person has no real meaning. One might be more or less “intelligent” than another on some factor or factors, but declaring multiples of such intelligence is simply inappropriate. > [@furt](#): > > I think you are insincere in what you say you believe. Okay, but about what, specifically? > [@furt](#): > > I think you’re lying about your job. Nope. You must understand that the truth remains the truth, regardless of what you opt to believe. I’ve said that before, and I’m sure I’ll say it again. > [@furt](#): > > I think the SDMB would be better off without you. Really? How so? How can these, or any boards, be “better off,” by limiting membership and input? Such a sentiment is in opposition to the free exchange of information that boards such as these provide to a degree unprecedented before in human history. You should be grateful for all of the information you receive, as I am. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/58 "2005-12-20T02:16:31Z")
> [@drmark2000](#): > > You should be grateful for all of the information you receive, as I am. You have an odd way of showing gratitude. It’s virtually indistinguishable from “being a condescending dick.” ---
**Author:** ![Aeschines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aeschines/32/16251_2.png) [@Aeschines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aeschines)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/59 "2005-12-20T02:27:22Z")
I think you’ve got wit, **drmark2000.** I like you’re posting style. You’ve some Hermes in you, which I appreciate. I can clearly state the difference between **drmark2000** and his opponents in this thread. His opponents are (or at least being, or at least are in the mode of) _validators of the group and invalidators of the individual_ whereas **drmark2000** is a _decrier of the group but validator of individuals_. He has no trouble bashing the _mean_ of SDMB, yet is remarkably polite to each individual he encounters. He’s a rebel, but he has a cause. Kinda like me. I have a hard time holding grudges on this board toward individual posters, yet I’m continuously aware of the problems that plague it overall. And like the good **dr** I stick around despite the problems because, overall its worth it. And, no coincidence, my favorite poster, **lissener** , is in here being a voice of reason. Anyhow, keep in mind, **drmark2000** , that if you rub people the wrong way that often means you have grit. Those that don’t have grit are pussies. Rock on. ---
**Author:** ![drmark2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a87d85/32.png) [@drmark2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drmark2000)\ **Post date:** [December 20, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304/60 "2005-12-20T04:10:48Z")
> [@Aeschines](#): > > **I’m for drmark2000** B-b-but, it cannot be! Such a statement in regard to myself is patently impermissable! > [@Aeschines](#): > > I think you’ve got wit, **drmark2000.** I like you’re posting style. You’ve some Hermes in you, which I appreciate. Hmmmm, Hermes, the trickster god, a thief, but also a messenger and dispenser of knowledge. A god of poetry, athletics, travel and commerce. A god of all trades. I like the comparison. I like it a lot. I never identified with Hermes before. Now I do, and thanks. Even if I only have “a touch” of him. > [@Aeschines](#): > > I can clearly state the difference between **drmark2000** and his opponents in this thread. His opponents are (or at least being, or at least are in the mode of) _validators of the group and invalidators of the individual_ whereas **drmark2000** is a _decrier of the group but validator of individuals_. Perfectly and beautifully put! Which is preferable? Both! Neither! We each play our part. “Though Hamlet rambles and Lear rages, And all the drop scenes drop at once Upon a hundred thousand stages, It cannot grow by an inch or an ounce.” Lapis Lazuli - Yeats > [@Aeschines](#): > > He has no trouble bashing the _mean_ of SDMB, yet is remarkably polite to each individual he encounters. He’s a rebel, but he has a cause. Yep, I‘ve got “no trouble bashing the _mean_” at all. As for being “remarkably polite to each individual,” I do my best, but I have been rude, at times. But never rude gratuitously or without any purpose. I’m rebellious; I have something of a cause. Mostly, I just want to hear what people have to say on a given topic. > [@Aeschines](#): > > Kinda like me. I have a hard time holding grudges on this board toward individual posters, yet I’m continuously aware of the problems that plague it overall. And like the good **dr** I stick around despite the problems because, overall its worth it. Be careful what you say, **Aeschines** , or you’ll find yourself on various posters’ “ignore“ lists. Just the same, and as I conclude in the cited thread within this thread, I found that being placed on others’ ignore lists has actually improved the overall quality and usefulness of the responses I have received. The gritless sort of weed themselves out, without me having to do the pulling. They are their own RoundUp®. I’m saddened by the loss of information, but still it’s been a pleasant surprise. > [@Aeschines](#): > > And, no coincidence, my favorite poster, **lissener** , is in here being a voice of reason. He’s only posted once in this thread. I’d like to hear more. > [@Aeschines](#): > > Anyhow, keep in mind, **drmark2000** , that if you rub people the wrong way that often means you have grit. Those that don’t have grit are pussies. Rock on. One of my favorite movies of all time is “True Grit.” As long as I’ve got some grit, I’m happy. Those without any are, indeed, pussies. Rock on I will. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-has-become-of-sdmb-especially-gd-s/336304.md?page=4)