# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 392
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8211 "2026-09-18T17:48:02Z")
Nice. Kind of the software version of “No user serviceable parts inside.” Which is a polite way to say “Tinkerers keep out!” ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8212 "2026-09-18T17:58:27Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > IMO as a very much non-lurker, it’s wrong to converse on an expert-level topic using “Explain it like I’m 5” rules. > > But it’s useful to remember your audience is mostly lurkers, not the other participants. They deserve some consideration in your posts too. Yes, exactly this. Chat at the level that makes sense _and_ explain at a simpler level when asked. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8213 "2026-09-18T18:06:16Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > It’s virtually unprecedented for the owner of a stadium to personally interfere with his management company’s booking decisions, and I for one want to howl in protest as loudly as possible to make sure nobody sees this as setting a precedent. I would feel exactly the same way if was Matisyahu being censored. Funny that you say it is unprecedented and then cite precedent? Yes venues cancelled Matisyahu due to his Jewish identity and support for Israel. I suspect you do not actually feel that a venue has an obligation as Americans to host all performers with no regard to the what they say. Someone promoting the KKK is not owed a platform, even if the crowds would be profitable. It is American to have the freedom to say whatever shit you want to say, within broad limits, and it is American to decide if you want to help amplify that speech or not. I don’t think his plug should have been pulled for many reasons, even though he by past actions, by promoting a group that supports the a terror organization, clearly is an antisemite, but characterizing this as a free speech veto power thing is just not correct. ---
**Author:** ![fachverwirrt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/94ad74/32.png) [@fachverwirrt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fachverwirrt)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8214 "2026-09-18T18:13:58Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > I’ve done IT support for years, and I could tell stories. “My printer doesn’t print” or “My internet is down” can mean anything from a loose cable, a burning office up to global thermonuclear war. My time in support was short due to lack of both interest and general tech savviness, but my favorite one from my brief time was “the thing is over there, and I deleted the Internet!”. (She had, of course, merely dragged her Internet Explorer shortcut into the recycle bin. The “thing” turned out to be her Windows task bar, which she had also dragged out of place and which was now on the side of her screen.) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8215 "2026-09-18T18:18:51Z")
> [@fachverwirrt](#): > > The “thing” turned out to be her Windows task bar, which she had also dragged out of place and which was now on the side of her screen. Gladly, Microsoft eliminated that horror feature in Windows 11… ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8216 "2026-09-18T18:49:19Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > Anyone who doesn’t know those acronyms aren’t going to have anything useful to add nor will knowing the acronym help then understand the topic. Hard disagree and that’s a shitty attitude to have on a board like this. You had to learn those acronyms from somewhere as well. Imagine if instead of someone telling you what they meant, they told you that you don’t have anything useful to contribute. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8217 "2026-09-18T18:55:38Z")
My recollection is that Matisyahu had shows cancelled due to bomb threats, not because venues objected to his message. That is of course terrible and I said so at the time. If he was censored for his content, that is also terrible. I don’t think the comparison to the KKK is at all relevant here. Actively preaching hate is not the same as having once praised an organization some of whose members preach hate. The guy explicitly denies being antisemitic and says he loves Jewish people, and even if his sincerity is dubious that moves him clearly out of the “so blatantly toxic that they should never be platformed by anyone” category IMO. You may disagree with them, but Macklemore’s opinions about Gaza are widely held and well within the mainstream. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8218 "2026-09-18T18:56:15Z")
They probably only listen to string quartets or vinyl records on hand-cranked Victrolas. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8219 "2026-09-18T19:00:08Z")
Haha! “You listen to pre-recorded music? I only ever see live string quartet performances.” ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8220 "2026-09-18T19:02:07Z")
Speaking for myself, sometimes I use language that I assume everyone else understands when they may not. Like apparently, some people didn’t know that “eloping” could mean a (disabled) child running away from a designated area into potentially unsafe territory. That’s common language in my arena. I’ll happily define something for someone but I don’t want people to be annoyed at my hand-holding either, so there’s gotta be some middle ground. Also, like really, sometimes, just Google it. I Google stuff from this board all the time. If the thing appears central to the conversation, you can even Google it and say, “I just learned what this means, and now I have some questions.” I wouldn’t be bothered by that at all. I’m going to hazard a guess that most people here would be happy to field sincere questions from people trying to learn. That’s what we do, right? ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8221 "2026-09-18T19:10:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > And on the flip side, i don’t think that poll belonged there. It’s a light, silly thread. Then the title of the thread should be “Mundane and Pointless Polls Only” or something. As far as I’m concerned, a poll is a poll is a poll, whether it’s about your brand of toothpaste or whether God exists. > [@DSeid](#): > > But seriously, if you don’t know what any poll list or OP is talking about then maybe the question or subject isn’t for you? You don’t need to be the target participant of everything! Just don’t answer. Absolutely. It really annoys me when someone asks, who do you think will win the Super Bowl, and they inexplicably include an “I don’t care” option that hits 75%. Way to go, I’m sure that really helps them answer their question. It serves as much purpose as threadshitting, IMO. > [@Thing.Fish](#): > > To me, the relevant question to poll would have been “Is it OK for billionaires to have veto power over the free speech rights of artists?” and the correct answer is “hell no”. It’s completely beside the point IMO to argue about whether Macklemore personally is a good or wise person; people at the center of free speech controversies often are not. Actually, the question I was interested in was: if you express support for someone who agrees with you on a specific topic, but they have also done controversial things in the past, are you inherently tacitly endorsing or dismissing those? IOW, are the pro Palestine people who are now enthusiastically buying Macklemore’s music and amplifying his voice on social media antisemitic solely by those actions? One criticism I will agree with is that this question may be too complex for any one person to think of enough options to cover everyone. That was probably my main error. Maybe it was too broad to reasonably cover with one poll. ---
**Author:** ![Pleonast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pleonast/32/1183_2.png) [@Pleonast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pleonast)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8222 "2026-09-18T19:11:31Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > Also, like really, sometimes, just Google it. I Google stuff from this board all the time. If the thing appears central to the conversation, you can even Google it and say, “I just learned what this means, and now I have some questions.” The value of this board is we want to learn from interacting with people, not Google or bots. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8223 "2026-09-18T19:17:41Z")
I’ve been looking stuff up as soon as I could read. I don’t care if it’s a book in the library, an encyclopedia or Google. There’s absolutely no shame in it. This is why we have tomes and volumes galore. Someone carved words or pictographs on rock for the same reason. To _give_ information to those who felt like they wanted it. It’s the human condition. You know? You teach. You don’t know? You find a way to figure it out. I’m not into taking apart a motor or understanding clouds. But I know where I can learn about it. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8224 "2026-09-18T19:20:47Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > The guy explicitly denies being antisemitic and says he loves Jewish people, and even if his sincerity is dubious that moves him clearly out of the “so blatantly toxic that they should never be platformed by anyone” category IMO. _I don’t hate Black people or yellow people or any other people on this planet. They’ve got a right to live. They’ve got a right to pursue their own dreams, their own destinies._ - David Duke’s Speech At State of Washington Populist Party Nominating Convention July 23, 1988 > **[Duke interview, Duke David - Nizkor](https://www.nizkor.org/duke-interview-duke-david/)** > > Excerpts from David Duke’s Speech At State of Washington Populist Party Nominating Convention July 23, 1988 Transcript prepared by Political Research Associates (617) 661-9313 References to “our people” and “our heritage” refer to persons of European... _The guy explicitly denied hating black people, and even if his sincerity is dubious that moves him clearly out of the “so blatantly toxic that they should never be platformed by anyone” category IMO._ I don’t think that David Duke is equivalent to Macklemore, but I also think that was the stupidest bit of reasoning I’d read all day. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8225 "2026-09-18T19:22:57Z")
That is indeed an interesting question in the abstract. My point is that the question as written assumes that Macklemore has in fact done or said clearly antisemitic things in the past. And although I’ve seen what seems to be compelling evidence presented on this board that he has, I don’t entirely trust the sources of said evidence. And I don’t care about him enough to research the issue myself, so I reserve opinion. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8226 "2026-09-18T19:26:26Z")
> [@Pleonast](#): > > The value of this board is we want to learn from interacting with people, not Google or bots. I agree, which is why I gave an example of how looking something up online can facilitate interacting with someone on the board. It’s like, if I’m in a room full of experts I don’t want to waste my engagement on “what does that mean?” I want to find out what it means and then ask them questions that it would be harder to find online. I don’t view Google as a replacement for board engagement. I view it as potentially facilitating more in-depth board engagement. But really my main point was that I don’t always know what other people in general are likely to know. It can also be very generational. I have to be mindful I’m talking to a lot of Gen X and Boomers who may not know common references among younger generations. I can’t think of an example right now, but it does come up. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8227 "2026-09-18T19:28:12Z")
David Duke was literally the head of the KKK. When Macklemore explicitly embraces Hamas and praises Sinwar as a brilliant leader, I will concede that all his claims to not be antisemitic were bullshit. If we want the right to demand that hateful extremists be excluded from the public conversation, we have to be careful to not extend that category to “anyone we disagree with”. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8228 "2026-09-18T19:29:50Z")
Not a Pit mod, but we probably have enough complaints about Macklemore to manage it’s own thread, Pit or otherwise. I think we’re past discussing if it was a _good idea for a poll_ or not. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8229 "2026-09-18T19:31:37Z")
> [@Thing.Fish](#): > > David Duke was literally the head of the KKK. When Macklemore explicitly embraces Hamas and praises Sinwar as a brilliant leader, I will concede that all his claims to not be antisemitic were bullshit. Wow, it’s almost like I said: > [@Babale](#): > > I don’t think that David Duke is equivalent to Macklemore But I accept your gracious concession that “he said he loves Jews” is not in and of itself a reason to think that Macklemore is not antisemitic so that we can move on from this topic. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/8230 "2026-09-18T19:35:00Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > > [@hajario](#): > > > > Anyone who doesn’t know those acronyms aren’t going to have anything useful to add nor will knowing the acronym help then understand the topic. > > Hard disagree and that’s a shitty attitude to have on a board like this. > You had to learn those acronyms from somewhere as well. Imagine if instead of someone telling you what they meant, they told you that you don’t have anything useful to contribute. Bullshit. If they asked, of course I’d tell them. I was talking about whether or not you have to define every acronym in advance. I don’t appreciate your snotty mischaracterization of what I said. If we are discussing highly arcane technical knowledge for example, how is telling someone that a TRD is a Transcombulated Reticorous Diviniator useful if they don’t have any idea what a TRD is or the meaning of any of the three words. Either way is gobbledegook to them. In many cases, like SSCI cited above, you didn’t even need to know what it means. I used BASIC programming and didn’t know for years what that acronym was. It’s not even relevant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=391) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=393)