# What is Diogenes the Cynic's Condition Called **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 17, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709 "2011-02-17T16:19:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/201 "2011-02-19T21:29:45Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > I am extremely skeptical that anyone is ever ticketed for going the speed limit in any lane. If they are, it would be interesting to see a hearing where the crime is obeying the signs. **Dio** , is that you? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/202 "2011-02-19T21:49:29Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Is anyone able to identify the condition that makes it difficult to perform and/or understand logic? This. ---
**Author:** ![srzss05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@srzss05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/srzss05)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/203 "2011-02-19T21:58:41Z")
> [@Snarky\_Kong](#): > > **Dio** has admitted to trolling sports threads. No, he calls that “smack talking”, although I’m sure no one else in the civilized world would. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/204 "2011-02-19T22:21:05Z")
Here is a website with traffic laws in every state: [State Traffic and Speed Laws](http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html) I invite you to browse that list and find that state that has a statute forbidding people to go the speed limit in any lane. Any reference I could find to impeding traffic involved going less than a posted minimum speed limit. However, I did not check all fifty states. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/205 "2011-02-19T22:27:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > He has never done this. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/206 "2011-02-19T22:52:11Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Thank you. Not sure if serious. ---
**Author:** ![Stratocaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stratocaster/32/16393_2.png) [@Stratocaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stratocaster)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/207 "2011-02-19T23:47:03Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I used to think that, but having seen him so often take positions that I know are factually incorrect, and having seen him refuse to even consider evidence that counters his position, I don’t know that his statements about theology are reliable. I feel the same way. And I like Diogenes (though we rarely agree on anything). But he is one of those people who organize things into “settled matters” in his mind, the type who then accepts those facts that support his position (they must be accurate, since they are consistent with a “settled matter”) and disregards anything contradictory (they must be unreliable facts since they disagree with a “settled matter”). Or so it seems to me. The manner he dismisses anything inconvenient to his position is what I think drives people nuts. Arrogant doesn’t begin to describe it, and his refusal to concede the simplest self-evident fact at times is what gets people sputtering. He truly has a gift for condescension. I’ll admit that it is often fascinating to me to watch one of the train wrecks that so often occur as a result of Diogenes “fighting ignorance.” It’s like Jerry Springer or something. Anyway, I don’t know why I should accept his assertions on religion just because he crafts them with an aura of scholarly impartiality, festooned with details I’m in no position to confirm or contradict. Why should I believe that in this instance alone he is offering a balanced position, one that is open-minded and fair? I generally require someone else reliable to confirm it. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/208 "2011-02-20T01:22:27Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > Here is a website with traffic laws in every state: [State Traffic and Speed Laws](http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/laws.html) > > I invite you to browse that list and find that state that has a statute forbidding people to go the speed limit in any lane. Any reference I could find to impeding traffic involved going less than a posted minimum speed limit. However, I did not check all fifty states. That link SOLELY addresses speeding laws. You want [State "keep right" laws](http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html) if you want to actually be discussing what the rest of us are discussing. By my count, at least 10 states make it an offense to be in the left lane for any reason other than a short list (generally always including passing, and in some places “allowing other traffic to merge” or “proceeding at greater speed than the traffic flow”). In addition, multiple other states make it a ticketable offense to linger in the left lane at any speed if by doing so you obstruct traffic–Virginia in particular notes this applies even if the overtaking traffic is exceeding the speed limit. ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/209 "2011-02-20T01:26:06Z")
Wow. According to that link, almost every state directs drivers who are driving slower than the flow of traffic, regardless of the speed limit, to keep right. Wait, wait – I got this, Dio. “No, it doesn’t.” ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/210 "2011-02-20T01:38:26Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Wow. According to that link, almost every state directs drivers who are driving slower than the flow of traffic, regardless of the speed limit, to keep right. > > Wait, wait – I got this, Dio. “No, it doesn’t.” No, he just never said anything that contradicts that. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/211 "2011-02-20T01:38:45Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > Wait, wait – I got this, Dio. “No, it doesn’t.” No, Technically, thats not EXACTLY what he said/meant. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/212 "2011-02-20T01:58:57Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > That link SOLELY addresses speeding laws. You want [State "keep right" laws](http://www.mit.edu/~jfc/right.html) if you want to actually be discussing what the rest of us are discussing. By my count, at least 10 states make it an offense to be in the left lane for any reason other than a short list (generally always including passing, and in some places “allowing other traffic to merge” or “proceeding at greater speed than the traffic flow”). In addition, multiple other states make it a ticketable offense to linger in the left lane at any speed if by doing so you obstruct traffic–Virginia in particular notes this applies even if the overtaking traffic is exceeding the speed limit. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/213 "2011-02-20T02:07:11Z")
That judge in New York refusing to convict people for blocking speeding traffic is my new hero. It should not be a legal obligation to enable illegal activity. I thought it was a preposterous notion, and still do. I was just wrong that it was too preposterous to exist. Nothing in my legal experience should have led to that assumption. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/214 "2011-02-20T02:08:20Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > Fair enough. Is that code for I was totally fucking wrong about the point I was making? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/215 "2011-02-20T02:22:07Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Is that code for I was totally fucking wrong about the point I was making? No, because… oh wait, this is how these things happen, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/216 "2011-02-20T02:30:52Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > That judge in New York refusing to convict people for blocking speeding traffic is my new hero. It should not be a legal obligation to enable illegal activity. I thought it was a preposterous notion, and still do. I was just wrong that it was too preposterous to exist. Nothing in my legal experience should have led to that assumption. Which Judge is this? ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/217 "2011-02-20T02:49:53Z")
It was a note on the page Zeriel linked to. The notes also said that police rarely pull people over for going the speed limit so that people behind them can speed – it says that the police prefer to pull over the speeding cars. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/218 "2011-02-20T08:07:01Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > 1. Put him on ignore. Honestly, he rarely says anything that is so earthshattering or original to make this a bad option. He’s simply the gnat on a hot summer day, flying around your head, annoying the shit out of you, but you are unable to squish it or shake it. > > > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > > > This is a Bad Idea. The man literally taught me more about Christianity in my short time on this board than I learned after a childhood of churchgoing and a lifetime of Bible reading. Put him on ignore, and you will miss something good. It’s an idea; I don’t think it’s necessarily the best idea or the only idea… but it is a viable idea. It’s also not necessarily something I partake in. However, if a person is causing you anger, frustration, and making your experience on the board an unpleasant one, using the board’s software capabilities to make him go away is much better than leaving the board entirely. Why let Dio annoy you off the board? If it is your OP, and you have a nice discussion going on, why permit him, of all people, to derail you or the thread? If you can’t ignore him, let the board’s software do it for you. As for the Christianity comment, I can’t speak to that. No matter what the subject matter however, I’d personally find it impossible to take him seriously. His posting style does not command respect, therefore the information in the post may or may not be worth noting. For many of us, he’s simply not worth the effort to sift through the bullshit and the absolutes to find any pearls of wisdom. > [@Nadir](#): > > Stink Fish Pot: Thank you for that. I’ve only been around here for a month or so, but I believe I was already beginning to intuitively suspect everything you said in your Dio analysis post# 65, above. > > Thanks again for clearing that up! No problem. I’m glad I could help someone. Even if it is only one or two people, I consider it time well spent. As a newcomer, it can be hard to figure out some of the board’s more prolific posters. But as you have quickly learned, being a prolific poster can’t make you an expert on any subject. It can only make you someone who has the time to post 18 times a day for 8+ years. Odds are in that time, anyone can say something intelligent. Hell, even a blind squirrel stumbles on an acorn every once in a while. ---
**Author:** ![TravisFromOR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/cc9497/32.png) [@TravisFromOR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TravisFromOR)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/219 "2011-02-20T08:13:05Z")
> [@tnetennba](#): > > I am extremely skeptical that anyone is ever ticketed for going the speed limit in any lane. If they are, it would be interesting to see a hearing where the crime is obeying the signs. Snowy, slick, icy conditions? Traveling the posted speed limit? You can get cited for both reckless driving and violation of the basic rule in Oregon. Edit: Nevermind…I didn’t realize that you were defending being a traffic hazard. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709/220 "2011-02-20T14:01:59Z")
> [@TravisFromOR](#): > > Snowy, slick, icy conditions? Traveling the posted speed limit? You can get cited for both reckless driving and violation of the basic rule in Oregon. > > Edit: Nevermind…I didn’t realize that **you were defending being a traffic hazard**. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-diogenes-the-cynics-condition-called/571709.md?page=12)