# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/41 "2010-02-15T12:25:33Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > False equivalence. It’s perfectly reasonable to snap someone back after an uncalled-for insult. Reasonable, maybe, but against the rules here, definitely. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/42 "2010-02-15T14:07:58Z")
**Ogre** , so you think it should be ok to tell someone to “fuck off” outside the pit? It’s not a personal insult after all, you’re merely telling someone to seek out another thread. I get the impression that some people are unable to fathom the _spirit_ of a rule, and instead get hung up on technicalities. Why is this stuff so difficult? ---
**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, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/43 "2010-02-15T14:14:25Z")
[quote=“1920s Style “Death Ray”, post:42, topic:528989”] I get the impression that some people are unable to fathom the _spirit_ of a rule, and instead get hung up on technicalities. Why is this stuff so difficult? [/quote] We are dealing with someone who thinks the rolleyes is an insult, but “stuff it up your ass” is not. The reason is clear. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/44 "2010-02-15T16:06:49Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > I was given an official warning for the above, which I regard as a bit ass-backwards. We’ve gotten this far in this thread, and no one has pointed out the Ogre DIDN’T get an official warning, but rather just told by twickster to knock it off? Dude - calm the fuck down. It doesn’t help your “I’m not overreacting or misinterpreting anything” OP when you…overreact and misinterpret everything. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/45 "2010-02-15T16:54:41Z")
The mods are kind of overmodding lately because the poor widdle Chicago Reader/Creative Loafing is probably being tarted up for being unloaded by Atalaya, and Ed’s hiding behind the mods this time, because he looked like such an ass last time he stuck his nose in it. ---
**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, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/46 "2010-02-15T17:03:27Z")
> [@An\_Arky](#): > > The mods are kind of overmodding lately because the poor widdle Chicago Reader/Creative Loafing is probably being tarted up for being unloaded by Atalaya, and Ed’s hiding behind the mods this time, because he looked like such an ass last time he stuck his nose in it. That’s a paddlin’. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2010, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989/47 "2010-02-15T17:12:34Z")
No, it’s a closing, now this is just people throwing stuff at one another. If you want to fight one another, take it to the Pit. If you want to complain about why we do what we do, start another thread in ATMB. Try to bring some evidence with you; if it’s just your opinion it’ll need to be in IMHO. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-nature-of-a-personal-insult-the-ol-rolleyes-smiley/528989.md?page=2)