# What is the nature of a personal insult? The ol' rolleyes smiley. **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 14, 2010, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989 "2010-02-14T20:53:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/21 "2010-02-15T01:49:15Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > I see. So you’re just complaining. > > And failing and being clever enough to hand someone their ass without breaking the rules. > > Keep up the good work. :rolleyes: Read the OP again, genius. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/22 "2010-02-15T01:52:55Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > At what point did I say “I don’t understand”? That’s pretty much what you said in the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/23 "2010-02-15T01:59:05Z")
> [@DocCathode](#): > > That’s pretty much what you said in the OP. No, it isn’t remotely what I said in the OP. I understand perfectly. I just think it’s stupid. ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/24 "2010-02-15T02:06:13Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Read the OP again, genius. I read it. I remain unimpressed with your complaint. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/25 "2010-02-15T02:06:58Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I understand perfectly. I don’t think you do. You claim that the rolleyes smiley is an insult, but that your attack was not an insult. Even if I did agree with you, you responded to what you perceived as an insult that skirts the rules with an insult you claim is acceptable because it also skirts the rules. So, either you don’t understand or you’re engaging in exactly the same behavior you deplore in others. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/26 "2010-02-15T02:22:31Z")
False equivalence. It’s perfectly reasonable to snap someone back after an uncalled-for insult. And I didn’t “skirt the rules”. Read **BigT** ’s post above. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/27 "2010-02-15T02:25:41Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > I read it. > > I remain unimpressed with your complaint. :shrug: ---
**Author:** ![tacoloco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tacoloco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tacoloco)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/28 "2010-02-15T02:55:00Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > False equivalence. It’s perfectly reasonable to snap someone back after an uncalled-for insult. And I didn’t “skirt the rules”. Read **BigT** ’s post above. BigT doesn’t make the rules around here, in case you didn’t know. Next time, try harder. ---
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/29 "2010-02-15T03:38:21Z")
There is only one valid retort to the dreaded :rolleyes: smiley, and that is to respond in kind but with greater force! Hence! The dreaded double :rolleyes: :rolleyes: No words will be needed, you have clearly proved your self superior. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/30 "2010-02-15T04:01:16Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I tend to interpret the rolleyes smiley as an insult, and react accordingly. In my opinion, it’s a smarmy way to get around the “no insults outside the Pit” rule. It’s an insultingly superior way to thoughtlessly dismiss what another poster says. It’s usually a way to say “I don’t care to actually think about what you’ve posted, so here’s a blindly dismissive emoticon, followed by bloviation”. > > That, to me, is insulting. That is not a personal insult. It characterizes what you have posted, not you personally. Only personal insults are proscribed outside of the Pit; I am free to characterize the content of your posts any way I wish, except to call them lies. If you interpret my characterization of your posts as insults, it is your problem not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/31 "2010-02-15T04:04:58Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > BigT doesn’t make the rules around here, in case you didn’t know. > > Next time, try harder. Neither do you. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/32 "2010-02-15T04:06:40Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > That is not a personal insult. It characterizes what you have posted, not you personally. Only personal insults are proscribed outside of the Pit; I am free to characterize the content of your posts any way I wish, except to call them lies. > > If you interpret my characterization of your posts as insults, it is your problem not mine. Then mine isn’t either. If you take a simple retort as an insult, it’s your problem, not mine. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/33 "2010-02-15T04:10:11Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Then mine isn’t either. “…but you can shove your rolleyes up your ass” is certainly a personal insult, unrelated to the content of any post. You were warned for good reason. ---
**Author:** ![ajb867](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f14d63/32.png) [@ajb867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ajb867)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/34 "2010-02-15T04:21:09Z")
Two wrongs don’t make a right. /thread. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/35 "2010-02-15T05:50:13Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > “…but you can shove your rolleyes up your ass” is certainly a personal insult, unrelated to the content of any post. You were warned for good reason. No, it’s not, for the reasons already outlined several times in this thread. The trouble is in defining an insult. Is it “calling someone a name”? If so, then my post was no insult. Is it defined by someone taking umbrage? Well, that’s no good as a working definition, since people can take umbrage at a lot of things. Is it defined by the intent of the poster to cause insult? Then my post was no insult. I intended no insult, but merely intended as a “warning shot”. Is it defined by the use of “rough language”? Obviously no good, since such language is used freely and widely on the Dope. Is it defined by the tone of the post? No good, since people write in many different styles. Or is it, as I suspect is the case, “I know it when I see it”? This is a massively inconsistent definition, which leads to extremely uneven moderation. The best answer, of course, is to draw the line somewhere (possibly at don’t call each other names outside the Pit), and for anything below that, let the two posters in question hash it out among themselves. You know, I self-identify as a Liberal, but I wonder if this incessant need to have the mods judge all lapses in civility has anything to do with the Liberal nature of this board. I mean, some of you like to be governed just a little too much. > [@ajb867](#): > > Two wrongs don’t make a right. This would be an excellent reply, except that we’re not discussing useless moralistic truisms. ---
**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:** [February 15, 2010, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/36 "2010-02-15T06:31:39Z")
Just wanted to say that this - > [@](#): > > Originally Posted by Ogre > \ you can shove your rolleyes up your ass. is how I always want to respond to a rolleyes. Oh, also wanted to say that, “shove your rolleyes up your ass” isn’t actually an insult; it’s a direction (albeit a rude one). ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/37 "2010-02-15T06:53:39Z")
Moderator opinions notwithstanding, I would consider a statement such as > [@Olympic luger killed in training run](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/olympic-luger-killed-in-training-run/528780/60): > > Look, I don’t know what the fuck your deal is with me and sports threads, but you can shove your rolleyes up your ass. to such a small, insignificant thing as a smiley directed at me to be a crude reaction better suited for the Pit. In fact, I was going to report it myself, but I saw that you had already been warned. I agree with **Gary** , **Czarcasm** , and **Xash** that your warning was merited. Not that my opinion counts in cases like this. If a little smiley bothers you that much, why don’t you take **Omniscient** to the Pit? It’s what I would have done if I had thin skin. But I don’t. I have learned in my years on the internet how to ignore responses like the eyeroll. I don’t use them myself, but I don’t take them as a personal attack on my honor, my father’s name, my country’s flag or anything else worth defending. I mentally dismiss them, then I move on. I don’t give them more significance than they deserve. You say you didn’t mean a personal insult, but I see crude language and a venting of anger out of proportion to the perceived offense. I would have been more bothered by that than by somebody virtually rolling their eyes at me. IMO you deserved to be warned for this. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/38 "2010-02-15T07:05:20Z")
It can be both a directive and an insult at the same time. **Ogre** , let’s say for a minute that you are taking your mom to a 'Bama game. It’s the Iron Bowl and there is a line at the concession stand. There is some horseplay in line and your mom gets jostled quite a bit. She sighs and rolls her eyes, but doesn’t say anything directly to them. One of the students sees her roll her eyes and says to her, “Shove your rolleyes up your ass.” Would you consider that insulting to your mother? Please don’t change any of the circumstances of the hypothetical. And don’t let anyone yank your chain about the SEC. If they are “from away,” they don’t understand. Finally, you really can choose to leave insults, disagreements, and even lies unchallenged. Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Lunchy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Lunchy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunchy)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/39 "2010-02-15T09:02:05Z")
I haven’t been here very long and not sure how this place works, but I didn’t see Ogre’s comment to be a personal insult. I would even say it wasn’t an insult. Why, because he said a$$? ‘Could’ it cause an escalation? Sure, but so ‘could’ a many number of things. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/40 "2010-02-15T11:05:15Z")
> [@tacoloco](#): > > BigT doesn’t make the rules around here, in case you didn’t know. > > Next time, try harder. And you’d better be happy I don’t! And just in case there is any confusion: I don’t think what Ogre did was right. But I do understand him thinking it wasn’t warnable. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989.md?page=3)