# Why was I the only person chastised in this thread? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 18, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231 "2011-08-18T22:04:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/1 "2011-08-18T22:04:25Z")
[The thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14152740#post14152740). [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14152740&postcount=44](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=14152740&postcount=44) At least two thirds of the other respondents were not in agreement with the OP, and quite a few of them used _much_ stronger language than I did. Including using adult epithets and clearly perjorative language. In fact, I thought I was somewhat conciliatory and trying to get information (in my other few posts in that thread), rather than out-and-out attacking him or what he said. The only ad homeinem attack - perhaps - was my use of the term “passive aggressive.” Which is my opinion of his presentation of the situation he posted to the board looking for other people’s opinions. Come on…read the responses both before and after mine and tell me what I said that was pit-worthy or more antagonistic than anyone else’s responses. I don’t want to pit jamie, I’ve said in at least one other of his threads that I get where he’s coming from, I didn’t call him any names. The news link I provided - he has the balls to use his own name here and has provided the same links - included news stories and editorials that SUPPORTED him as well as castigated him…I could have simply picked one of the more negative stories but I didn’t, intentionally. So what’s the big deal? I am more curious than anything else, Czarcasm. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/2 "2011-08-19T01:55:30Z")
FWIW, i agree with you. **Czarcasm** ’s instruction to you in that thread was bullshit. You didn’t break any rules, and you didn’t insult anyone. Also, the information you gave about **jamiemcgarry** ’s posting history was completely relevant to that thread. I made this point in the [other thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=14156002#post14156002) currently running in ATMB about **Czarcasm**. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/3 "2011-08-19T02:00:22Z")
**chiroptera** , you explicitly called **jamiemcgarry** a jerk. Others called his _actions_ jerkish, but my quick scan didn’t see other such direct insults. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/4 "2011-08-19T02:04:22Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > **chiroptera** , you explicitly called **jamiemcgarry** a jerk. Others called his _actions_ jerkish, but my quick scan didn’t see other such direct insults. Actually, what he said was: > [@](#): > > Surely you know that most people are going to tell you they think you were being a jerk, in light of other stories you’ve told. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/5 "2011-08-19T02:05:59Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Actually, what he said was: > > > [@](#): > > > > Surely you know that most people are going to tell you they think you were being a jerk, in light of other stories you’ve told. The implication was clear to me. I can understand why others might disagree. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/6 "2011-08-19T02:29:43Z")
> [@To the members of SDMB: Another one bites the dust. Are you next?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-members-of-sdmb-another-one-bites-the-dust-are-you-next/71010/16): > > Why was I chastised. . . . Maybe he thought you were engaging in some batty behavior? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/7 "2011-08-19T02:33:11Z")
Wait, calling people a jerk for being jerks is against the rules now too? Gosh, I can hardly keep up. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/8 "2011-08-19T10:38:25Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > **chiroptera** , you explicitly called **jamiemcgarry** a jerk. Others called his _actions_ jerkish, but my quick scan didn’t see other such direct insults. No I did not. Nor did I intend to imply he was a jerk; I don’t think he is. (Jerkish behaviour in the instance he posted about, sure.) I did not call him a name anywhere in that thread, nor anywhere else. My comments were mild and un-snarky compared to many. I don’t have the time nor the interest to scroll through that thread to cull and post all the other negative comments made, because I’m not really emotionally invested. Just curious. I’m rarely confrontational on here and was surprised to see my comment alone picked out for a warning. \*\* Czarcasm\*\*, what rule of etiquette did I break? What line did I cross that nobody else did? ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/9 "2011-08-19T11:36:24Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > FWIW, i agree with you. **Czarcasm** ’s instruction to you in that thread was bullshit. You didn’t break any rules, and you didn’t insult anyone. Actually, it’s one of Czarcasm’s super-secret rules: You can be warned for “tone”/swearing, even if it’s not at another poster. See this thread for another application of this made-up, applied at a whim, Czarcasm only rule. And as for the folks trying to defend this, 1. It’s always been legal to tell someone that they shouldn’t have posted the OP because it was obvious that they’d be piled on\* and 2. It’s always been legal to factually discuss a poster’s prior behavior–even in GD and ATMB: “Don’t bother engaging with him on this topic. He won’t budge.” I don’t know why Czarcasm gets to make up and selectively apply rules (I understand perfectly well why the other mods don’t apply these stupid made-up rules). Why do the other mods/admins put up with him unilaterally trying to set board policy? \*How many times have you seen something like: “You opened a thread in support of racists who smoke while declawing and circumcising really obese kittens??? Buddy, if you get called a “jerk”, that’s the best you can expect with that op” \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/10 "2011-08-19T11:42:05Z")
Er—[this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=597369&highlight=adoption) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/11 "2011-08-19T13:47:52Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > The implication was clear to me. I can understand why others might disagree. To me it reads more like “haven’t you learned anything from your previous, extremely similar threads that all turned into pile-ons?” ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/12 "2011-08-19T14:15:57Z")
Maybe **Czarcasm** thought **jamiemcgarry** was deserving of a pitting but\*\*,\*\* IIRC, mods are not permitted to Pit posters. Instead, it was a passive-aggressive prompt for you to start one. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/13 "2011-08-19T14:38:11Z")
Aren’t mod notes just that–notes or direction? ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/14 "2011-08-19T15:19:12Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Aren’t mod notes just that–notes or direction? They should be, and I have no idea why some people have such problems with them. Part of the moderator’s job is to control the discussion, and that sometimes means telling people what they should not say in one particular thread. Suggesting where they can say it seems to me to be a good thing, as it will prevent derailing a thread without silencing anyone’s viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/15 "2011-08-19T21:54:09Z")
> [@Steophan](#): > > They should be, and I have no idea why some people have such problems with them. Part of the moderator’s job is to control the discussion, and that sometimes means telling people what they should not say in one particular thread. Suggesting where they can say it seems to me to be a good thing, as it will prevent derailing a thread without silencing anyone’s viewpoint. Well sure - and I did, if you notice, avoid any comment that may be seen as negative or derogatory in the thread after that. Except I _still_ don’t know what I said that was worthy of a comment to cease and desist and take it to the Pit. And it looks like I’m not going to be told, so oh well. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/16 "2011-08-19T22:07:44Z")
Maybe it was both the specific and the general ‘you’ that was told? Are you taking it as if you were called out in particular and publicly shamed/rebuked? I get/understand the feeling. But maybe nobody noticed or took it as if you did anything wrong per se. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/17 "2011-08-19T22:26:37Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Maybe it was both the specific and the general ‘you’ that was told? Are you taking it as if you were called out in particular and publicly shamed/rebuked? I get/understand the feeling. But maybe nobody noticed or took it as if you did anything wrong per se. Well maybe, but the rebuke was directed specifically at one of my posts, with no mention of a general “hey guys knock it off.” To be clear, I don’t feel shamed. Czarcasm’s opinion of me one way or another isn’t relevant to my life; I don’t really give a shit what he or she thinks of a post of mine. I did, however, feel curious, as I said in my OP - if I’d violated some rule, then I’d like to know what rule so I could adjust my posting going forward. I was puzzled, is all. But… _crickets_ from the PTB. So, I assume that some moderator warnings or decisions are arbitrary, vague and not really to be taken seriously. So, I’m taking it that way. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![brownie55](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@brownie55](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brownie55)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/18 "2011-08-19T22:31:53Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Maybe it was both the specific and the general ‘you’ that was told? Are you taking it as if you were called out in particular and publicly shamed/rebuked? I get/understand the feeling. But maybe nobody noticed or took it as if you did anything wrong per se. When your post gets quoted it’s hard to believe it is not about you. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2011, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/19 "2011-08-19T23:25:19Z")
> [@brownie55](#): > > When your post gets quoted it’s hard to believe it is not about you. You’re so vain… ---
**Author:** ![Satchmo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/satchmo/32/4223_2.png) [@Satchmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Satchmo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231/20 "2011-08-20T00:51:13Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > Well maybe, but the rebuke was directed specifically at one of my posts, with no mention of a general “hey guys knock it off.” > > To be clear, I don’t feel shamed. Czarcasm’s opinion of me one way or another isn’t relevant to my life; I don’t really give a shit what he or she thinks of a post of mine. I did, however, feel curious, as I said in my OP - if I’d violated some rule, then I’d like to know what rule so I could adjust my posting going forward. I was puzzled, is all. > > But… > > _crickets_ from the PTB. > > So, I assume that some moderator warnings or decisions are arbitrary, vague and not really to be taken seriously. So, I’m taking it that way. 😉 I feel a little strange, **chiroptera** was helping me out and that one post has been reposted and referred to over and over again. I think **Czarcasm** ’s warning/note was a bit extreme. I’m not even sure why I posted so much in that thread. I usually lurk. Something just hit me, so many people shouting at **jamie** that “It’s none of your business”, well it made me remember Marley’s ghost “Mankind should have been my business” and also “the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” I’m aware how adamant **jamie** is about this topic, but felt I had to say something. I’d hate to see _anyone_ driven away just because their ideas are unpopular. Many people disagree with me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-i-the-only-person-chastised-in-this-thread/593231.md?page=2)