# 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:** 93
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1841 "2024-03-31T16:22:13Z")
Having looked at the thread @scudsucker linked, that’s pretty much what they did. Called out ColdBrew but as it was something of a hijack of the MSPSIMS thread, brought it here to stop the hijack from taking the other thread out of control. I have a vague feeling about Coldbrew50 saying questionable stuff before, but haven’t the time or energy today to research, so sounds like a 👍 to scudsucker for bringing it here if the other poster doesn’t have a pit thread and has a beef (IMHO justified, I too haven’t seen any signs of XKCD being party to either of those two behaviors) with a specific post! ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1842 "2024-03-31T16:27:47Z")
**Coldbrew50** has pushed the line from time to time, but nothing too bad. A few modnotes I believe and no warnings so far. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1843 "2024-03-31T16:30:28Z")
But you have to admit, slamming xkcd and smearing Randall, beloved by almost anyone here at the Dope, is textbook trolling. Just like others, I’ve had a vague troll vibe from ColdBrew for some time, but this clenches it. ETA: to make my point clearer, this was as much of a trolling post as the “all atheists are psychopaths” from one of our latest trocks. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1844 "2024-03-31T16:36:36Z")
I’m not sure that Coldbrew is a troll, if anyone is certain, the parent thread is always waiting, but just that several of their posts in the past had rubbed me wrong. So I won’t jump to conclusions yet, and we have the Pit to do just such research. It could be a vaguely disagreeable poster (to me at least) who did the above Scott Adams / Randall inversion (I’m being defensive because I did a much less weighted name flip in a thread recently!), or it could be a cheap, trollish potshot. TO THE RESEARCH PIT-IZENS! ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1845 "2024-03-31T16:37:32Z")
Some folks are really Jekyll & Hyde depending on how much / many recreational substances they’ve consumed recently. I have heretofore put **ColdBrew50** in the “mean drunk” category. Although _In vino veritas_ has been a saying for millennia now for a reason. If someone is showing us who they really are, perhaps we should beleive them. Even if most of the time they can keep it in their pants. ---
**Author:** ![scudsucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scudsucker/32/14101_2.png) [@scudsucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scudsucker)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1846 "2024-03-31T16:38:33Z")
I missed the “all atheists are psychopaths” thread, alas. But yes, in this case, I wanted to go into full-on battle-mode in a thread totally unrelated to the on-topic posts; so after a few minutes of considering I reported my own post. I like to think that the rational Dopers would do the same, and I am ashamed to have fallen for the bait. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1847 "2024-03-31T16:45:56Z")
> [@scudsucker](#): > > I am ashamed to have fallen for the bait. Pardon my snip, but I’m CERTAINLY not going to throw stones. Probably just about everyone in this and the parent thread have done so either in heat of the moment or despite knowing better. Sometimes a specific poster, or a specific potshot gets to us despite our normal ability to just say no. And bravo for stopping a hijack! ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1848 "2024-03-31T17:31:11Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I assume that’s just trolling. 100%. Transparent. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1849 "2024-03-31T17:42:20Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > I too haven’t seen any signs of XKCD being party to either of those two behaviors) I’ve seen a fair number of signs of XKCD being very much the reverse. > [@LSLGuy](#): > > If someone is showing us who they really are, perhaps we should beleive them. Even if most of the time they can keep it in their pants. If they’ll try hard enough to keep it in their pants, they don’t fail often, and when they fail they’re not causing massive damage, I’ll give them a pass while they’re behaving. As well as remind them firmly to zip up when they’re not. After all, I want to encourage the idea that if one has some types of impulses but doesn’t act on them, this is better than acting on them. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1850 "2024-03-31T17:53:58Z")
Agreed in general. Which is what this thread is for, to remind folks who forget or even “forget” occasionally to zip up. The challenge is how much discount to apply to the rest of what they say, and also keeping an informal sort of score so we can see when the cumulative quantity, or frequency, of unzippings gets beyond the loose community standard. Moving along from policy to specific cases … Clearly **Imuseless** just blew past every warning sign and the assembled police at 150mph and crashed quite spectacularly. IMO **ColdBrew50** is racking up points and might, just might, be gaining speed. But hard for me to make a firm judgment since I haven’t been doing a post-by-post follow, nor am I motivated to start. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1851 "2024-03-31T18:13:35Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Clearly **Imuseless** just blew past every warning sign and the assembled police at 150mph and crashed quite spectacularly. Honestly, even the username was a yellowflag, as early as February 13 I had the first discussion of that user being a troll or not. That was a troll and when they realized they were almost gone, they dropped all pretense. > [@2/11/2024: Fatal shooting at Joel Osteen's controversial Houston mega"church"](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2-11-2024-fatal-shooting-at-joel-osteens-controversial-houston-mega-church/997444/23): > > They should bring back insane asylums and lobotomies. It’s tragic what happened to the church goers. Not all insane asylums were abusive. I’ve stayed in a mental hospital for ten days after my therapist called the ambulance because I made a video and talked about me having homicidal thoughts and I don’t act on it because it’s illegal. and I didn’t see anyone getting raped or beaten. I been in the psych ward three times. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1852 "2024-03-31T18:28:34Z")
> [@griffin1977](#): > > > [@scudsucker](#): > > > > I would appreciate evidence that XKCD and/or Randall is misogynistic, illterate or a turd. > > Yeah this is a head scratcher. I have not seen anything remotely negative about Randall Monroe (his discussion of his [fiancee’s cancer](https://xkcd.com/1928/) was particularly touching IMO), and even if there is some scandal lurking out there being “illiterate” seems like a stretch for a former NASA researcher who regularly covers very advanced physics and maths. > > My actual first thought is they have got Randall Monroe confused with [Scott Adams](https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/02/28/dilbert-scott-adams-racist-elon-musk-fragile-white-men/11360216002/). Who is 100% a racists misogynist MAGA, though other than “they both make cartoons” there is a 0 things they have in common AFAIK. The charitable interpretation is that **ColdBrew50** has indeed confused the two. I used to really enjoy Dilbert and it’s a shame that Scott Adams has lost his mind. I haven’t seen enough of this poster’s work to know if the charitable interpretation is appropriate. If he meant what he said about Randall Munroe and XKCD, that should have been flagged. We’re all entitled to our opinions, of course, but an “opinion” that is this outrageous, that is directed against a target that is very popular on this board, and that cannot be substantiated with a credible cite, is just blatant trolling. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1853 "2024-03-31T18:30:08Z")
Isn’t it Munroe? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1854 "2024-03-31T18:46:01Z")
I’d bet he was thinking of Scott Adams. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1855 "2024-03-31T18:47:52Z")
He made the jump from ‘XKCD’ to ‘Randall’, he knew exactly who he was talking about. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1856 "2024-03-31T18:52:08Z")
It’s been 12 hours since the XKCD outburst. If he wanted to triangulate or profess confusion (sincerely or otherwise) between Munroe and Adams, it’s about time. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1857 "2024-03-31T19:06:56Z")
Long before Scot Adams went to Ezra Pound-town with his bigotry, journalists Norman Solomon called out his BS with “The Trouble with Dilbert,” in that Adams pits the rational-thinking techs against the middle management weenies, while ignoring the CEO’s and shareholders who impose the actual system. There’s no evidence of XKCD’s misogyny. And that’s highly to Randall’s credit, since it was very much a part of the tech-bro culture he came up in. However, there are valid criticisms of XKCD online. None of which stoop to asinine names ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1858 "2024-03-31T19:48:46Z")
Damn, @What_Exit. Now we will never know how many lines are in line art. ---
**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:** [March 31, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1859 "2024-03-31T19:52:31Z")
Sorry, she was supposed to be processed earlier in the week and I think it slipped. So with yet another virtually identical OP it was time to end it. I expect an announcement will follow later in the week. This one was not mine. Also had another weird troll pop up a few minutes ago with a very trollish OP. But I think I saw it before anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2024, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/1860 "2024-03-31T19:59:32Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Long before Scot Adams went to Ezra Pound-town with his bigotry, journalists Norman Solomon called out his BS with “The Trouble with Dilbert,” in that Adams pits the rational-thinking techs against the middle management weenies, while ignoring the CEO’s and shareholders who impose the actual system. I don’t entirely agree with that. While I certainly won’t defend Scott Adams who has gone headfirst into looneyville, he’s depicted CEOs as idiots as well. Which, in the Dilbert world, is why the Pointy-Haired Boss is successful: his idiocy is consistent with the idiocy of upper management. In that world, they’re all guilty of mindless short-term profiteering and screwing the customer. > [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > There’s no evidence of XKCD’s misogyny. And that’s highly to Randall’s credit, since it was very much a part of the tech-bro culture he came up in. However, there are valid criticisms of XKCD online. None of which stoop to asinine names I’d state it more strongly than “no evidence”. XKCD is populated by female characters who are often portrayed as professionals and are usually the ones making astute observations and rebuttals. XKCD is pretty much the direct opposite of misogyny, and **ColdBrew50** is an idiot and almost certainly a troll for making that comment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=92) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=94)