# What kind of people strangle their mistresses? Ruthless People! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 29, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332 "2006-10-29T15:31:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/1 "2006-10-29T15:31:31Z")
Am I the only person who read about Ohio Representative Don Sherwood (R-Abuser) being accused of attempting to [strangle his mistress, and immediately thought of the scene in “Ruthless People” where Anita Morris’ character and her bimbo boyfriend secretly videotape a tryst between the mayor and his mistress and mistakenly think he’s strangling her?](http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/archives/2005/05/congressman_mike_sherwood_choking_scandal/) [First pic on the left at the bottom of the page, that’s Morris calling the mayor to blackmail him with the evidence that he’s strangled his mistress.](http://www.movieactors.com/actors/anitamorris.htm) The mayor is the guy holding the phone immediately to her right. I made the connection instantly, and ever since then, Rep. Sherwood has looked like the mayor from “Ruthless People” in my mind. And the debate here is: aren’t Republicans just awful, always running around trying to strangle their mistresses, diddle pages, assaulting cocktail waitresses, condoning torture, starting land wars in Asia … ? ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/2 "2006-10-29T15:37:19Z")
Is this a joke, or is your OP honestly based solely on a compositional fallacy? ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/3 "2006-10-29T15:56:21Z")
Your link does not take me to anything like what your OP seems to be about. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/4 "2006-10-29T16:16:27Z")
You call this a debate? Here, I’l let you express yourself more fully as I move this to the **Pit**. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/5 "2006-10-29T16:18:55Z")
Y’know, some sort of comparative statistics showing elected Republicans involved in more domestic violence than elected Democrats might have passed the test for a debate, but simply riffing on a single (not too strong) connection between one congresscritter and a movie simply does not do it. ---
**Author:** ![waterj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/858c86/32.png) [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/6 "2006-10-29T16:32:48Z")
Well, if his mistress was named Ruth, certainly he’d be Ruthless after strangling her. ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Badger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/848f3c/32.png) [@Dead\_Badger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Badger)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/7 "2006-10-29T16:44:04Z")
[QUOTE=waterj2] Well, if his mistress was named Ruth, certainly he’d be Ruthless after strangling her. [/QUOTE] “I’m fucking sick of cards,” said Tom, wistfully. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/8 "2006-10-29T17:02:35Z")
I had no idea Anita Morris had died over ten years ago. I still associate her with that “She Was Hot” Rolling Stones video with flames shooting out her snootch at the end. Geeze, that’s kind of a unfortunate image since she died of ovarian cancer. ---
**Author:** ![jakeline](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/a8b319/32.png) [@jakeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jakeline)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/9 "2006-10-29T17:18:57Z")
This makes ever so much more sense since I figured out that the OP was talking about strangling a _mistress_, not a mattress. ---
**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:** [October 29, 2006, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/10 "2006-10-29T17:20:56Z")
[QUOTE=Evil Captor] And the debate here is: aren’t Republicans just awful, always running around trying to strangle their mistresses, diddle pages, assaulting cocktail waitresses, condoning torture, starting land wars in Asia … ? [/QUOTE] Assuming this is semiserious and not a drug-addled monologue, one would have to score Dems and Repubs dead even in the “diddle pages” sweepstakes (Studds and Crane) and probably give the Dems an advantage in the “starting land wars in Asia” column, if one takes into account Southeast Asia. But of course Republicans _are_ just awful. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/11 "2006-10-29T17:24:09Z")
[QUOTE=tomndebb] You call this a debate? Here, I’l let you express yourself more fully as I move this to the **Pit**. [/Moderating] [/QUOTE] Well, OK, but I’m not really mad at anybody. I really have no idea where it should go. I just stuck it in Great Debates because it was political. Thanks for fixing the coding. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/12 "2006-10-29T17:31:42Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Assuming this is semiserious and not a drug-addled monologue, one would have to score Dems and Repubs dead even in the “diddle pages” sweepstakes (Studds and Crane) and probably give the Dems an advantage in the “starting land wars in Asia” column, if one takes into account Southeast Asia. [/quote] yeah, but you’re having to go back 30 and 60 years respectively for your Dem misdeeds whereas everything I’ve cited is still current front-page news. We’re IN Iraq right now. Foley’s page diddling came out in the last freaking month. Sherwood’s misdeeds occurred in May 2005 and are getting more “airing out” in the press because they’ve become part of the current election debate in his district. Lately, the Dems have been veritable CHOIRBOYS compared to the Repub … er, maybe that’s an unfortunate analogy. But of course Republicans _are_ just awful. [/QUOTE] Darned tootin’! ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/13 "2006-10-29T17:33:50Z")
[QUOTE=jakeline] This makes ever so much more sense since I figured out that the OP was talking about strangling a _mistress_, not a mattress. [/QUOTE] Well, of course mattress strangling is quite OK so long as it’s consensual and you don’t mess with those little tags. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/14 "2006-10-29T17:39:25Z")
[nitpick]There was no mayor in Ruthless People. William G. Schilling played the chief of Police Henry Benton. [IMDB link](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091877/) [/nitpick] ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/15 "2006-10-29T18:07:18Z")
[QUOTE=Dead Badger] “I’m fucking sick of cards,” said Tom, wistfully. [/QUOTE] The heartless bastard ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/16 "2006-10-29T18:30:19Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] probably give the Dems an advantage in the “starting land wars in Asia” column, if one takes into account Southeast Asia. [/QUOTE] Iraq and Afghanistan aren’t in Asia? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2006, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/17 "2006-10-29T20:30:48Z")
Ah, “strangling the mattress,” “choking the chicken”'s newest brother! I keed, **jakeline** , I keed. ---
**Author:** ![Triskadecamus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@Triskadecamus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Triskadecamus)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2006, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/18 "2006-10-30T00:59:52Z")
Viet Nam was started by Eisenhower. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2006, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/19 "2006-10-30T11:00:17Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] The heartless bastard [/QUOTE] “Being unable to follow suit, I suppose I’ll have to use one of these to win the trick!” Tom trumpeted. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Ripley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b782af/32.png) [@Tom\_Ripley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Ripley)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2006, 11:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332/20 "2006-10-30T11:03:24Z")
I strangled a few people in rome once. Im not ruthless, just efficient. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-people-strangle-their-mistresses-ruthless-people/378332.md?page=2)