# 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:** 67
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1321 "2024-02-25T19:44:31Z")
They can be _like_ hitler. They cannot _be literally_ hitler. I know it’s pedantic, but there it is. ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1322 "2024-02-25T19:48:09Z")
You are literally blowing this out of proportion. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2024, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1323 "2024-02-25T20:22:36Z")
You know who _else_ literally blew things out of proportion? ---
**Author:** ![ASL\_v2.0](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asl_v2.0/32/3525_2.png) [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1324 "2024-02-25T20:37:55Z")
Oppenheimer? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1325 "2024-02-25T20:44:38Z")
⛳ 👏… ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1326 "2024-02-25T20:54:57Z")
> [@Sylvanz](#): > > They can be _like_ hitler. They cannot _be literally_ hitler. Well, there’s this: > **[The Hitler Family Is Alive And Well — But They're Determined To End The...](https://allthatsinteresting.com/hitlers-descendants)** > > There are five remaining members of the Hitler bloodline. If they have their way, it will end with them. But none of them even have Hitler’s name. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2024, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1327 "2024-02-25T21:00:25Z")
Alternatively, Paul Tibbets ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1328 "2024-02-25T21:03:23Z")
> [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > What I can never get past is how aceplace’s posts (almost) always read like they’re from a 4th grader writing a book report. I was never able to put it into words by he was (mildly) annoying to me. This comes close. Also, I’m mildly ashamed that Hitler’s sister and I share a first name. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2024, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1329 "2024-02-25T22:00:51Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > > [@crowmanyclouds](#): > > > > What I can never get past is how aceplace’s posts (almost) always read like they’re from a 4th grader writing a book report. > > I was never able to put it into words by he was (mildly) annoying to me. This comes close. I’ve read many of his posts, and I think he never used a subclause. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1330 "2024-02-25T22:05:39Z")
Hey, he is/was an IT Manager I think he said, Many programmers and engineers were notorious for bad writing skills. Take a look at my earliest postings on the board for a good example of how crappy we are as a group. I guess he just never put in any effort to improve at all. I’m far from an excellent writer, but my early postings are embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1331 "2024-02-25T22:08:36Z")
There is nothing to that story. We sent Steve Gutenberg down there to check it out and heard nothing back from him. ---
**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:** [February 25, 2024, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1332 "2024-02-25T22:10:33Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Hey, he is/was an IT Manager I think he said, Many programmers and engineers were notorious for bad writing skills. I also remember that he wrote and asked a lot of things about IT subjects that were inane. And FWIW, I’m an ee and have worked my whole life in IT, and I can form coherent sentences, even often had to write in my job (documentation, manuals and such), so that’s no excuse. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1333 "2024-02-25T22:12:31Z")
It really was a legit problem though, they made Writing for Composition a requirement for Engineering students in the 90s in much of the US. Of course there were plenty of exceptions and as I recall, you weren’t a US student. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1334 "2024-02-25T22:17:56Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > And FWIW, I’m an ee and have worked my whole life in IT, and I can form coherent sentences, even often had to write in my job (documents, manuals and such), so that’s no excuse. I have worked in IT for more than a couple of decades, I’ve worked alongside many other IT folks, and never have I seen anyone who can’t communicate well. Now granted, I work in an area where you’re supporting _people_ as well as technology, so that might be different from someone who works solely on equipment and that’s it. Though presumably at some point you’re going to need to provide legible reports or other communications to a coworker or employer at some point, and the total inability to do so would seem like a disqualification. I have worked in jobs where you could get by if you were just flat-out illiterate but those weren’t in IT. I suppose this could be a [Chronicles of George](https://www.chroniclesofgeorge.com/) situation. (George wasn’t an idiot, just lazy and/or frequently partying too much the nights before he worked.) ---
**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:** [February 25, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1335 "2024-02-25T22:18:34Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > It really was a legit problem though, they made Writing for Composition a requirement for Engineering student in the 90s in much of the US. Of course there were plenty of exceptions and as I recall, you weren’t a US student. I never understood the notion that engineers can’t write, and I’ve never heard about that trope here in Germany. I mean, what’s regular school for, if not for learning to write as one of the basics? So when you choose a college or university course of study, everybody should already know how to write. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1336 "2024-02-25T22:21:40Z")
Welcome to the US public school systems of the 70s & 80s I guess. Us math wonks got a bad enough reputation for our writing skills, that they made an effort to correct it in college. I can only speak with authority for the Engineering programs and not IT/programming. But so many of us programmers started as Engineering students and when the cold war ended, leapt over to computers for jobs. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1337 "2024-02-25T23:57:58Z")
When I first worked in IT (called DP, then), our training division had me develop and teach a business writing course for other programmers. I think it was only because I’d been an English Lit major. But I found it a fun break from my other work. I enjoy teaching if it’s not a 9-to-5 gig. ---
**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:** [February 26, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1338 "2024-02-26T00:22:16Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Welcome to the US public school systems of the 70s & 80s I guess. Us math wonks got a bad enough reputation for our writing skills, that they made an effort to correct it in college. I can only speak with authority for the Engineering programs and not IT/programming. > > But so many of us programmers started as Engineering students and when the cold war ended, leapt over to computers for jobs. FWIW again, I had never noticed that you are a bad writer (which you aren’t) before you made that self-assessment in another thread a few days ago. There are also a bunch of other IT folks/engineers who write damn well here at this board, so I think you (and everybody else) are too harsh on us tech folks when it comes to writing skills. ---
**Author:** ![Sylvanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Sylvanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sylvanz)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1339 "2024-02-26T00:27:16Z")
OK, but what I’m taking exception to is the word, “literally.” No one is, “literally,” killing me with the misuse of that word but they are figuratively killing me with it. These folks are family of adolph hitler, but they are not literally hitler and neither is anyone else including trump, though he aspires to be like hitler, he uses hitler’s tactics and language. He admires what hitler did and will do the same things hilter did if given half a chance. I’m being pedantic, but seriously it irritates me, which is why I’m letting this particular pet peeve fly in the pit. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2024, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1340 "2024-02-26T00:41:02Z")
lit·er·al·ly (lĭt’ər-ə-lē) _adv._ 1. In a literal manner; word for word: _translated the Greek passage literally._ 2. In a literal or strict sense: _Don’t take my remarks literally._ 3. **Actually; in effect; practically. Used as an intensive to emphasize a figurative statement in an exaggerated way:** _“There are people in the world who literally do not know how to boil water” (Craig Claiborne). I was so angry that my heart literally exploded with rage._ American Heritage Dictionary. Deal with it, grandma. ~Max [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=66) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=68)