# Why is this thread still in GQ? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [January 25, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878 "2011-01-25T03:43:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/1 "2011-01-25T03:43:07Z")
The OP in the thread [What’s The SD On Exemptions From Obama Care?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=594356) contains these phrases: > [@](#): > > It seems that certain unions are exempt from participating in Obama’s new healthcare funding racket/er..system:… > > was this done because of political influence/contibutions? … > > It seems to me that members of organized labor should be welcoming the Obama system-why would they wish to opt out of this magnificent system? :smack: In the [I disagree that this thread is non-factual](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=593100) thread, we had this and many variations of the same. > [@Gary "Wombat" Robson](#): > > To me, both of the questions in the OP (“Is there any reasonable explanation for this other than the guy is a binaries scam artist?” and “Can I expect him to be endorsing HIV curing magnets anytime soon?”) seem to be asking for opinions. Can you possibly argue that talking about rackets, political contributions and magnificent systems :smack: isn’t both poisoning the well and asking for opinions? The responses are factual refutations of the OP. To which I reply: so what? It was made totally clear in the other thread that the factual nature of responses don’t matter at all. Only the tone of the OP does. So why has this thread been given different treatment? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/2 "2011-01-25T05:27:39Z")
Have you reported the post and thread to the GQ Mods? Are you sure that they have even seen the thread, yet? ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/3 "2011-01-25T08:28:33Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Have you reported the post and thread to the GQ Mods? Are you sure that they have even seen the thread, yet? What fun would that be. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/4 "2011-01-25T15:33:31Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Have you reported the post and thread to the GQ Mods? I wouldn’t have started this thread if I hadn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/5 "2011-01-25T15:43:50Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > So why has this thread been given different treatment? **ralph** is special, has been for years. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/6 "2011-01-25T15:56:39Z")
To me, ralph asks factual questions. 1. Why were certain organizations exempted from the plan? Because of political influence? 2. Why were two groups of workers exempted from Social Security? Now, he does ladle his OP with plenty of political slant. It’s arguable that his tone is more suited to GD than GQ. But he actually asked questions for factual answers. That thread isn’t supposed to be a debate over whether it is a racket or system, it’s looking for the reasons that the exemptions were included. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/7 "2011-01-25T16:20:07Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > To me, ralph asks factual questions. > > 1. Why were certain organizations exempted from the plan? Because of political influence? Seems to be moot now, as the thread is closed. However, I will opine that while “Because of political influence?” does ultimately have a factual answer, _we’re not going to see it_, because only the actual people in power who crafted the deal know for sure, and they’re unlikely to post an answer even if they read the Dope. Anyone _else_ answering would be expressing an opinion, and thus not factual. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/8 "2011-01-25T16:57:07Z")
Similarly, the [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=591107) about the Equal Rights Amendment was allowed to stay in GQ, even though it was speculation about political motivations from beginning to end (and yes, I reported it at the time). ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/9 "2011-01-25T17:29:17Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > To me, ralph asks factual questions. > > 1. Why were certain organizations exempted from the plan? Because of political influence? > > 2. Why were two groups of workers exempted from Social Security? > > Now, he does ladle his OP with plenty of political slant. It’s arguable that his tone is more suited to GD than GQ. But he actually asked questions for factual answers. > > That thread isn’t supposed to be a debate over whether it is a racket or system, it’s looking for the reasons that the exemptions were included. Either tone counts or it doesn’t. That’s what the other thread was all about. Apparently it does, since the mods eventually closed Ralph’s thread. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-this-thread-still-in-gq/568878/10 "2011-01-25T23:24:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Either tone counts or it doesn’t. Look again. The _actual questions_ asked in each of the threads differs in content. This thread asked factual questions with political swipes thrown in. The other thread asked questions about the researchers’ mindset and abilities. Now I grant you the political swipes in this thread weren’t really suited to GQ, so closing it makes sense. But there is still a fundamental difference in content of the two posts, which justifies different action by the mods. Tom, I don’t have an answer for that one.