Why was my comment in this thread deleted?

February 16, 2005 4:08 PM

Why was my comment in this thread deleted? My comment was "How much do you make?" and I was serious. Is that somehow not appropriate? Does jessamyn or Matt get to decide what might be an appropriate conversation starter?
posted by fixedgear to MetaFilter-related at 4:08 PM (14 comments total)

*tumbleweed

Maybe the problem is that it seemed like a jokey-type comment. Perhaps if you wrote your comment, and backed up with a reason why, it wouldn't have been a problem.
posted by Quartermass at 4:24 PM on February 16, 2005

...and there's this. Although that may get deleted too.
posted by rooftop secrets at 4:26 PM on February 16, 2005

creepy
posted by delmoi at 4:28 PM on February 16, 2005

My comment was "How much do you make?" and I was serious.
If asked that by my parents I would walk away in silence. You will be happy to know where I reside the true Dallasites would be perfect company with you.

Worst post if you have to ask why the deletion. Yet I thought e-mails are being sent to the members having a thread deleted about it.
posted by thomcatspike at 4:30 PM on February 16, 2005

skeezy
posted by quonsar at 4:31 PM on February 16, 2005

It was right after "how much do you hate america" and both are very bad advice, which seemed equally non-serious.

Asking a date how much they make is a terrible, terrible idea for a conversation starter.
posted by mathowie at 4:33 PM on February 16, 2005

Are you sure you actually posted your comment (as opposed to just previewing it)? If that comment really was deleted, things have really taken a turn.
posted by timeistight at 4:34 PM on February 16, 2005

And mine too. I thought a liberal date would find it an amusing and ironic ice-breaker, and it merely more succinctly re-stated the comment immediately before it, but apparently it was too amusing and ironic to be appropriate to the commissariat.

It was: "So, why do your people hate America?"

Now that Askmefi has shown up on Lifehacker, I guess we have to be on our best behavior.
posted by orthogonality at 4:35 PM on February 16, 2005

Jesus H. Christ!
posted by timeistight at 4:35 PM on February 16, 2005

Why are people giving terrible/jokey advice in that thread? Is it because it involves someone from a different culture so it's less serious or something?
posted by mathowie at 4:36 PM on February 16, 2005

Oh, no, rooftop! Animal sounds is a good one — my husband and I have had many long discussions over how very, very wrong any given animal sound is in the other's native tongue, so definitely a great conversation beguiler. It does, however, lead to sneering, which may not always be a good thing for a first date. (I mean — dogs go "gav-gav"? I don't think so.)
posted by taz at 4:37 PM on February 16, 2005

Matt not only runs many popular weblogs, but is also the basis for a brand new Will Smith movie.
posted by Doug at 4:38 PM on February 16, 2005

If I had seen that, I would have thought it was a joke rather than a helpful answer since that's a more charitable interpretation than to assume that you're really clueless enough to ask that as a conversation starter.

But by all means, feed the hysteria. If either of the moderators delete so much as an extra couple of blank lines from now on, it will mean a MeTa thread with fifty comments and plenty of all caps, accompanied with a large dose of expounding about how Things Have Changed.
posted by anapestic at 4:38 PM on February 16, 2005

And just to repeat:

Ask MetaFilter is as useful as you make it. Please limit comments to answers or help in finding an answer. Wisecracks don't help people find answers. Thanks.

The deletions I made fell into the wisecracks realm, which is why I removed them.
posted by mathowie at 4:41 PM on February 16, 2005