# Wishing death on someone... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 12, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737 "2003-03-12T04:05:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![SisterCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@SisterCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SisterCoyote)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/21 "2003-03-12T21:51:10Z")
and **broccoli!** ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/22 "2003-03-12T21:58:42Z")
What if i wished them to die, then get ressurected as Zombies and forced to walk the earth in search of brains? Or as Vampires? Or as that guy who trapped death in a bag, then let him out, but death won’t come for him because he’s scared, so he is forced to wander the Earth? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/23 "2003-03-12T22:29:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > \*\*What if i wished them to die, then get ressurected as Zombies and forced to walk the earth in search of brains? \*\* That’s wishing _un_death on someone – from my reading, it’s hunky dory. Daniel ---
**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:** [March 12, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/24 "2003-03-12T22:40:16Z")
Kidding aside for just a moment, **Lynn** or other friendly Admin or Mod: Is the phrase “Drop dead” ok? I mean, yes if taken with single-minded literalism is "wishing death"on someone, but let’s be real: the phrase “Oh drop dead, you putz” is not the same thing as “Listen you worthless waste of oxygen: why don’t you go get your razor blades, slit your wrists from elbow to wrist and die slowly, in your own filth.” The reason I’m asking is that this policy (which I support overall) appears to have been triggered by an “Oh drop dead, you putz” type comment, and as far as I’m concerned, “drop dead” no more connotes a death wish than “Sacre Bleu” indicates a worship of a color. Clarification on this specific point would be appreciated. Thanks!!! Fenris ---
**Author:** ![nogginhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@nogginhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nogginhead)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/25 "2003-03-13T02:12:24Z")
Yeah, seriously. The difference between ‘fuck off’ and ‘fuck off and die’ is pretty slim in my book. More clarification would be good. –Nog ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/26 "2003-03-13T13:27:17Z")
> [@](#): > > What if i wished them to die, then get ressurected as Zombies and forced to walk the earth in search of brains? You say that like it’s such a _bad_ thing… Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/27 "2003-03-13T15:33:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Is the phrase “Drop dead” ok? Probably it’s all right. It really depends on the context, like so many things. Lynn ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/28 "2003-03-13T15:54:10Z")
**Fenris** , by the same token, what about “Go to Hell”? As light an epithet as that may be, it could be construed as an actual wish for the individual in question to be banished to neverending torment - which I must say, sounds worse than death. Hijack - How and why is **Otto** an “ASSHAT”? ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/29 "2003-03-13T15:58:38Z")
Mmmmm… sacre bleu cheese is to die for. ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/30 "2003-03-13T19:01:53Z")
This thread confuses me. Context, or the offending thread, would be helpful, for both the “wishing death on someone” rule and the “be blameless before reporting a post” part. In all seriousness, I really don’t understand what’s going on. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/31 "2003-03-13T21:18:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Gorgon Heap \* > \*\*Hijack - How and why is **Otto** an “ASSHAT”? \*\* Why do I have the feeling I’m going to have to [link this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=169246) all over the boards for the next week? Maybe I should just put it in a sig. ---
**Author:** ![porcupine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ac91a4/32.png) [@porcupine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/porcupine)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/32 "2003-03-13T21:35:18Z")
I suspect this is related to the recently-banned **Miss Bungle** ’s bitchin’ to the admins about things said to her in **DAVEW0071** ’s [“You’ve shafted my daughter one time too many!”](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=167809) pit thread. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/33 "2003-03-13T21:51:20Z")
Really? I thought it was about another thread. Hmmm. But I won’t post it in case it isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Opengrave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/919ad9/32.png) [@Opengrave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opengrave)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2003, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/34 "2003-03-13T22:16:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tars Tarkas \* > **ressurected as Zombies and forced to walk the earth in search of brains?** Which pretty much sums up every song the **Misfits** ever did… With a username like mine I’d almost be insulted if someone _didn’t_ wish death on me every now and then :). NP: **Nile** - _Black Seeds of Vengeance_ ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 6:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/35 "2003-03-14T06:20:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Esprix \* > \*\*This thread confuses me. Context, or the offending thread, would be helpful, for both the “wishing death on someone” rule and the “be blameless before reporting a post” part. > > In all seriousness, I really don’t understand what’s going on. > > Esprix \*\* My (educated) guess is that it’s connected to [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&postid=3119850#post3119850), and the events leading up to it. > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Gaudere_ > > > [@](#): > > > > I’ll use a bit of induction here and decide for myself that if it’s not against the rules in GD to express a desire for a public figure to commit suicide, then it’s not against the rules in the BBQ Pit to issue an imperative for another poster to commit suicide. Of course it’s incredibly tacky, tastless, stupid, petty, childish, and moronic, but not against the rules. It ought to be against the rules, though, IMHO. > > **Public figures are a different issue than fellow posters. I have asked posters in GD before to not urge their fellow posters to commit suicide (IN PARTICULAR those who appear to have suicidal leanings in the first place). However, I think that “drop dead” does not really count as a request that someone commit suicide.** ---
**Author:** ![Esprix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/esprix/32/7899_2.png) [@Esprix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprix)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/36 "2003-03-14T17:14:51Z")
OK, so: [ul][li]“Drop dead” - may be ok in some circumstances.[/li][li]“I wish you were dead” - unacceptable?[/li][li]“Go kill yourself” - unacceptable?[/ul][/li] Just for clarification’s sake. Esprix ---
**Author:** ![ResIpsaLoquitor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b3f665/32.png) [@ResIpsaLoquitor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ResIpsaLoquitor)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/37 "2003-03-14T20:41:26Z")
Am I still allowed to wish groin beetles on people, or is that out too? ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/38 "2003-03-14T22:07:18Z")
So, basically, Lynn, what you’re saying is that it’s the victim’s fault? Please correct me if I’m wrong on that. ResIpsa: What’s a groin beetle? _Do I want to know?_ ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/39 "2003-03-14T22:30:08Z")
Guess I wasn’t too clear in that posting just above. What I mean is that there’s a certain difference between a flame and a vehement wish for someone to kill themself, isn’t there? Plus, I don’t “take potshots.” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2003, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737/40 "2003-03-14T22:33:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Monty \* > \*\*Plus, I don’t “take potshots.” \*\* Road Apples. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wishing-death-on-someone/160737.md?page=3)