http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/report.php?p=20598825
This was in response to a claim using the word “we”, in a topic about the political fortunes of parties in which “we” refers to one of them. Not a personal insult, as **Bone **misunderstands.
You linked to reporting a post. Here’s the link you meant to post:
http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=20598825&postcount=15
I’m not understanding what you think Bone misunderstood. In what was is your response to adaher’s “we”? Adaher said “… and assume it’s because we’re racist and sexist and anti-intellectual.”
When you respond with “Which you aren’t?”, it is of course going to seem to others that you’re claiming that Adaher is indeed racist and sexist and anti-intellectual. What exactly is your objection to the warning and in what way is your post in response to Adaher’s use of “we’re” and not an insult?
Seems like a good call to me. Either you were directing that right at Adaher or you were directing that at a collective that included Adaher. Either way, it was an insult.
Even if the “we” is taken to mean “me and my fellow Republicans”, then “you” means “you [adaher] and your fellow Republicans”.
Either way it’s an insult directed at another poster. Here’s the actual exchange:
One cannot insult oneself (or, one can, and not break the rules). But it was a hypothetical insult anyway, and Elvis made it not only real, but personal. Good moderation.
Splitting hares leaves a bloody mess … you should have thought of what you were posting before you clicked on the “Post Quick Reply” button … Adaher took possession of his insult, you didn’t … thus the warning is fairly administered, I’d expect no less if I posted that …
As I understand the rules, we could get a warning even if we’re insulting ourselves … “I believe this because I’m a dickhead” … obviously this doesn’t come up very often and rarely is it disruptive to the discussion at hand … but if insulting ourselves is shitting the thread, then a warning is due … Bone calls it personal insult, he could have said threadshitting, either way you got a well deserved warning …
I’m pretty sure it’s “splitting HAIRS”…as in, trying to split something already so thin that it’s redundant to try/do.
Not to split hairs over it, though. Back to your regularly scheduled ATMB topic.
You just ruined a perfectly good pun!!
For some reason he got a wild hare up his ass over it.
(cite)
If your contention is that you weren’t directing your comment toward adaher, I don’t find that remotely persuasive. That you may have also been including a larger group in your accusation doesn’t impact that assessment.
If we’re voting, I’d vote “Wrong, Elvis”.
Would it have been acceptable, in that instance, to reply with:
“Which the Republicans aren’t?”
I’m thinking it would be, but I’m not at all sure I’m up on the latest consensus about that sort of thing.
Another vote that the moderation was correct.
A vote for hasenpfeffer …
But why does it taste like carrots?
For my money, I read the you there as meaning the republican party and conservatives in general, not necessarily including adahar, with the you meaning “your team”
Shouldn’t it, though? If a poster said “Republicans are a basket of deplorables”, in a thread where others that labeled themselves as Republicans in that thread were posting, would that comment be a warnable offense? I recall instances where political groups that others were posting in were insulted, but no warnings given presumably because the insults weren’t specifically directed at individual posters.
Speaking generally for GD and Elections - I’m not personally a fan of group insults, however our approach in moderation has been that group insults are not typically moderated as a personal insult. This is very context dependent so it’s not something that can be applied across the board. In the past, I’ve described this as follows:
Thank you; excellent answer.
“[snip] … I’d avoid sweeping generalizations since they are often false.”
That sure is painting with a broad brush …