# What would happen if we put an X on CNN? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 28, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069 "2005-11-28T16:52:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/141 "2005-12-05T16:15:21Z")
Yeah, I think we should. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/142 "2005-12-05T16:57:44Z")
> [@Atticus Finch](#): > > Yeah, I think we should. Sounds good to me, but it’s not gonna happen. I tried to call his attention to it in another thread. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2005, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/143 "2005-12-05T17:08:16Z")
As fun as it is to needle **Clothy** on this, I’m uncomfortable with badgering him in other threads about it. IMHO posters should have the right to be a weenie and abandon a thread, cowardly as that may be, and not be harrassed in unrelated threads about it. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/144 "2005-12-05T17:15:31Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Sounds good to me, but it’s not gonna happen. I tried to call his attention to it in another thread. I doubt he’ll come back into the thread at this point. It is more that as long as this thread is alive and current, he might remember not to start another OP like this or the Liberal Bias OP of last month. Fact checking is our friend. Come on Clothahump, just come in, say oops and make a promise that you’ll dig into a story a little next time before going to the pit. No harm done and an entertaining thread at least. All at your expense but you’re big enough to acknowledge the mistake and move on. I agree with **Revtim** , it is not right to harass him in unrelated threads and you might be risking a mod warning. Jim ---
**Author:** ![zagloba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/977dab/32.png) [@zagloba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zagloba)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/145 "2005-12-05T18:32:58Z")
I was thinking that maybe we should just conspire to boycott **Clothahump** s posts by not responding to any of them until he comes back to this thread. But as I rarely post in any of the same threads as he does any contribution I might make to such an effort would be rather useless. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/146 "2005-12-05T19:35:18Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > As fun as it is to needle **Clothy** on this, I’m uncomfortable with badgering him in other threads about it. IMHO posters should have the right to be a weenie and abandon a thread, cowardly as that may be, and not be harrassed in unrelated threads about it. I agree, and I didn’t needle and certainly won’t do it repeatedly. I felt it was justified once, and also that it was worth it to make sure he knew people were looking for him. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/147 "2005-12-05T21:01:43Z")
My own opinion is that anything he posts in the Pit is fair game for dopers to address his abandonment of this thread in the pit. Posts elsewhere by him should, IMHO, not be subject to reminders of this issue. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/148 "2005-12-05T21:02:50Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > Come on Clothahump, just come in, say oops and make a promise that you’ll dig into a story a little next time before going to the pit. You say that like it’s a triviality. Be fair-- if **humpy** agreed to do cursory fact-checking before regurgitating hysterical partisan outrage, it would shatter the very foundation of his world view. You can’t ask a guy to chuck it all on a whim overnight and become a goddamned despicable flip-floppy _moderate_. ---
**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:** [December 5, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/149 "2005-12-05T21:11:45Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > You say that like it’s a triviality. Be fair-- if **humpy** agreed to do cursory fact-checking before regurgitating hysterical partisan outrage, it would shatter the very foundation of his world view. > > You can’t ask a guy to chuck it all on a whim overnight and become a goddamned despicable flip-floppy _moderate_. Yep, it is tough being a wishy washy moderate. We get attacked by both sides and only offered the Left’s and Right’s candidates. Jim ---
**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:** [December 5, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/150 "2005-12-05T21:19:02Z")
> [@Larry Mudd](#): > > You say that like it’s a triviality. Be fair-- if **humpy** agreed to do cursory fact-checking before regurgitating hysterical partisan outrage, it would shatter the very foundation of his world view. > > You can’t ask a guy to chuck it all on a whim overnight and become a goddamned despicable flip-floppy _moderate_. Yep, it is tough being a wishy washy moderate. We get attacked by both sides and only offered the Left’s and Right’s candidates. Jim ---
**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:** [December 5, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/151 "2005-12-05T21:20:29Z")
We also end up repeating oursleves a lot. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/152 "2005-12-05T22:02:36Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > So do we just keep this thread alive until he shows up for a mea culpa? works for me. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/153 "2005-12-06T01:47:38Z")
Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/154 "2005-12-06T02:00:09Z")
Runs the risk of pointless “bumping”. ---
**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:** [December 6, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/155 "2005-12-06T02:38:54Z")
I fear that if we wait for him to return to this thread that we will become something like a Cult of Humpy, always predicting that he will be back any day now, any day now… ---
**Author:** ![Merijeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f05b48/32.png) [@Merijeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merijeek)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/156 "2005-12-06T02:55:04Z")
So anyways, I was looking for a place to get dinner. I had a vague recollection from when I was driving to my hotel yesterday that there was a Taco Bell around the corner. So, I head out to dinner, round that corner…and no Taco Bell. The question that must be answered, of course, is WHO MOVED THE TACO BELL?!!? I had good reason to believe it was there and I told my girlfriend that I’d be swinging by there to pick up dinner. She too thought I was going to Taco Bell. Somehow, though, I failed to get my bean burrito. I thought I was going to eat at Taco Bell. Everyone agreed that I’d be eating at Taco Bell. But I got no delicious burrito. So, who moved the Taco Bell? -Joe, thinly veiled alleory ---
**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:** [December 6, 2005, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/157 "2005-12-06T02:58:48Z")
So, would those be beans of mass destruction? ---
**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:** [December 6, 2005, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/158 "2005-12-06T03:00:05Z")
> [@Merijeek](#): > > So anyways, I was looking for a place to get dinner. > > I had a vague recollection from when I was driving to my hotel yesterday that there was a Taco Bell around the corner. > > So, I head out to dinner, round that corner…and no Taco Bell. > > The question that must be answered, of course, is WHO MOVED THE TACO BELL?!!? I had good reason to believe it was there and I told my girlfriend that I’d be swinging by there to pick up dinner. She too thought I was going to Taco Bell. > > Somehow, though, I failed to get my bean burrito. > > I thought I was going to eat at Taco Bell. Everyone agreed that I’d be eating at Taco Bell. > > But I got no delicious burrito. > > So, who moved the Taco Bell? > > -Joe, thinly veiled alleory I am sure the Taco Bell was moved by the Librul Media at the behest of the Beast Kerry or was it Clinton? ---
**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:** [December 6, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/159 "2005-12-06T03:19:03Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > So, would those be beans of mass destruction? About four hours later, yeah… jayjay (has eaten at Taco Bell) ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069/160 "2005-12-06T03:28:58Z")
I must admit, this has been amusing beyond belief. I started to respond to some earlier messages, but I’m glad that I took the time to read through the whole quagmire before I did. First, let me set the record straight on something. It appears the X did happen. It also appears that it really was a technical glitch. It further appears that the story of the telephone operator being fired is apparently bogus. When I first heard it being reported on the news, it sounded like a real deal and I responded accordingly. My response was based on incorrect information, and I retract it. Mea culpa. Now, as far as this thread goes…I know I haven’t posted in it lately and I know that the tradition is to pile on when that happens, so to that degree, I can’t complain. But frankly, people, you should all be ashamed of yourselves. Go back and read it from start to finish. You sound like a bunch of five year olds throwing a temper tantrum in a sandbox. Little pearls such as > [@](#): > > I will most certainly be accused of having no legitimate argument against this brilliant OP since I’m resorting to ad hominem attack, but I would posit it’s because he’s a meathead and an asshole of the highest order. > [@](#): > > Clothahump is always good for a cruel laugh. > [@](#): > > Clothahump waded into the Pit, > Dropped a buttload of paranoid shit > About media bias, > Then vanished. So why is > Our OP not back, the damned twit? > [@](#): > > Humpy is a craven cunt who treats the Pit as his own personal toilet and doesn’t have the intellectual integrity nor the personal honor to admit when he’s wrong or defend his shit-and-run OP’s. Etc., etc. Actually, I’ll retract what I said earlier about you guys sounding like five year olds. That was insulting to five year olds; they’ve got more class. I mean, if you’re going to do a pile-on, I expect something better than just plain namecalling. We’re the SDMB; we have higher standards than that. The limerick came close, but the rest of it was just plain lame. I’ve seen much better pile-ons than this, and I’m disappointed in you. On a scale of 1-10, this ranks about a 3. And the only reason the thread scored that high was because of the limerick and because of **jrfranchi** ’s class act: > [@](#): > > Ok, I will concede this. I was wrong to give Clothahump a hard time on this point. Hopefully this doesn’t distract Clothahump from cross checking his OPs in the future. > > Clothahump : If you read this far, I apologize for an unfair post above. > I also hope you will consider checking your facts a little before starting a pit thread . **jr** , thank you. Please accept my apology for the delay in responding back to the thread. The rest of you need to bring the quality of your pile-ons up to par. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-would-happen-if-we-put-an-x-on-cnn/333069.md?page=9)