Why was my post deleted?

February 13, 2003 11:31 AM

Can I ask why my post about Pat Robertson having prostate cancer was pulled?
posted by stevefromsparks to Etiquette/Policy at 11:31 AM (44 comments total)

Check out lofi mefi.

When a post is deleted Matt makes a comment. To save you trouble, here is what he said about yours:

This post was deleted for the following reason: I dunno if this quite makes the "interesting" cut
posted by konolia at 11:41 AM on February 13, 2003

This post was deleted for the following reason: I dunno if this quite makes the "interesting" cut

Also, Can I ask why you thought it was an interesting link, metafilter-wise?
imho it was the evil offspring of newsfilter and an I/P thread
posted by fvw at 11:42 AM on February 13, 2003

This post was deleted for the following reason: I dunno if this quite makes the "interesting" cut.

Says so right there in the thread.
posted by riffola at 11:42 AM on February 13, 2003

Great minds run in the same channels, I see.

As someone whose father just got a prostate biopsy, I don't think ragging on someone (no matter what you think of him) on the topic of prostate cancer is very nice.
posted by konolia at 11:45 AM on February 13, 2003

Maybe because it was a personal attack on someone? It doesn't matter if you like Robertson or not, that was unnecessary.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:48 AM on February 13, 2003

Maybe it's because it's sickening to imply that anyone deserves a cancer diagnosis.
posted by PrinceValium at 11:56 AM on February 13, 2003

Can I ask

I don't know...CAN you?

I'm turning into my mother.
posted by iconomy at 12:00 PM on February 13, 2003

/raises hand
ot, but what is lofi.mefi? (i went and looked - but no es un techie)
posted by Big_B at 12:00 PM on February 13, 2003

Steve_at, I think steve wanted to discuss the fact that a man made a comment and pointed at others. Now what has he to say about himself from the same conclusions. I don't think he was looking to just point out of spite but maybe wanting to make some sense of it all.
posted by thomcatspike at 12:01 PM on February 13, 2003

Hooboy. Here we go again.

Okay, here's the scoop:

If your post was deleted, it's because it either didn't meet the guidelines, or because you aren't getting something. Posting a meta thread is not the best first course of action when your post gets deleted. Here are some alternate suggestions. Yes, I realize not all of these are available to everyone up front. Metafilter requires something of a commitment if you want to be a great contributor.

1. Check the Metatalk archives for other discussions of deleted threads. That will help you understand why things get deleted. These conversations are, sadly, very frequent.
2. Check the FAQ, not just under the Deleted Posts subject, but look at the side bar for the Best Ofs.
3. Check the Wiki, a damned fine resource.
4. Lastly, hang around. See what stays and what goes. Check the reasons in Lofi. Absorb.

If a thread was deleted for truly inexplicable reasons, then I bet someone other than the poster will ask about it. Wait. If that doesn't happen, let it go.

Stevefromsparks: this isn't really aimed at you specifically, there have just been an awful lot of meta "why me" posts lately, so I thought I'd pitch in with a refresher course.
posted by frykitty at 12:09 PM on February 13, 2003

Lofi carries all the threads, even the deleted ones-which is what makes it useful. Click on the comments of a deleted thread and you will see Matt's verdict. Most of which are pretty amusing.
posted by konolia at 12:11 PM on February 13, 2003

Thomcatspike, I think you are being naive. Stevefromsparks made an awful statement that some how Robertson deserves to get prostate cancer because he is such an asshat. By doing that stevefromsparks lowered himself to Robertson's level. He wanted to take a cheap shot at someone he dislikes, not discuss something.
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 12:17 PM on February 13, 2003

(thanks konolia)
posted by Big_B at 12:32 PM on February 13, 2003

* clicks on the FAQ to see what's new *
* goes on to explore recent additions to the wiki *
* discovers a new resource referenced in the wiki *

Holy shit! You mean someone is keeping track of all the crap that gets said ... um, I mean ...

How nice. There's also an info page about the #mefi IRC channel now. I'm sure this will prove to be yet another valuable resource for the community.
posted by yhbc at 12:32 PM on February 13, 2003

asshat
i guess the pancakes are all gone
posted by Big_B at 12:34 PM on February 13, 2003

yhbc! That's not to be linked here.
posted by riffola at 12:34 PM on February 13, 2003

I'm sorry, is 'assblanket' the new vogue?
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 12:39 PM on February 13, 2003

Aaah! Forgive me father, for I have sinned.
posted by yhbc at 12:39 PM on February 13, 2003

there is no need to use lofi.mefi when you are the poster of the thread. just go to your user page, and click the links you find there.
posted by quonsar at 12:47 PM on February 13, 2003

and boy, yhbc, sir evan throbbinghams is gonna go all george bush on your ass!
posted by quonsar at 1:01 PM on February 13, 2003

steveo: Like we really want to talk about a growth up Pat Robertson's ass?!

newbie questions not immediately answered on the front page:

You've talked about this before?
You have a FAQ?
What's a wiki?
What's a lofi?

What do you expect?
posted by mischief at 1:07 PM on February 13, 2003

Steve_@, your comment back to me was similar to my original comment in the deleted thread, with no comments posted yet.

So maybe steve could shed some more light to his reason of posting the thread. I'll ask: Steve are you soul searching?

But yes, this may not be the place for your soul to search, well we are a community.
posted by thomcatspike at 1:08 PM on February 13, 2003

Stevefromsparks made an awful statement that some how Robertson deserves to get prostate cancer because he is such an asshat

utter horseshit, steve. he made no such statement, and you know it. i'm not arguing that the thread should or shouldn't be yanked, i'm just saying your statement above is crap. because it is.

the post:
Pat Robertson talked about the United States being punished by God for its sinful ways in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks. Now, he's been diagnosed with prostate cancer. Maybe God does punish the sinful?

there it is steve, in living white on gray. show me and everyone here where stevefrom sparks made a statement that somehow pat robertson deserves to get cancer because he is an asshat.

perhaps he OUGHT to have said "I wonder if PR feels God is punishing him?" instead of "Maybe God does punish the sinful?" but that doesn't fundamentally change the meaning, which was simple speculation as to whether robertson applies his own "godview" to his own life. i'm a bit curious about this myself. your comment above was a deliberate misstatement, serving what purpose i cannot imagine.
posted by quonsar at 1:11 PM on February 13, 2003

First off, I wasn't aware of the comment explaining why a post was deleted. Thanks for pointing that out.
I kept my original post short and simple and was looking forward to reading the follow up comments.
When the nation was recovering from the shock of the Sept. 11 attacks, Pat Robertson made his remarks. It certainly made the cut interest wise on Metafilter then, with 78 comments. This seemed like a logical follow up.
Linwood Steve: I don' t seriously dislike Robertson. But sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
I think Matt might be a little heavy on the censorship. But freedom of the press belongs to those who own the press.
posted by stevefromsparks at 1:16 PM on February 13, 2003

quonsar, it was a cheep shot, and you know it. (But sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.) I am not going to dissect the sentence for you.

I personally dislike Robertson, but that is besides the point. I don't believe that this site is here to take care of personal grievances. (Unless of course, you dislike Bush & Co.)
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:31 PM on February 13, 2003

I think Matt might be a little heavy on the censorship. But freedom of the press belongs to those who own the press.

Look at the comments, the thread was pretty useless due to everyone either saying it was evil to relish another's suffering (even if that suffering guy is a jerk), or they're asking what the point was. I can see you thought it was ironic, and it kind of is, but I don't know if I could call that interesting enough to post here.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 1:45 PM on February 13, 2003

Linnwood Steve: I don' t think the U.S. had it coming on Sept. 11 because of its sinful ways and I don't think Robertson deserves cancer. But can't you agree that there's irony in a man who says tragedies are punishments from God suffering his own tragedy? That's what I'm saying.
posted by stevefromsparks at 1:46 PM on February 13, 2003

Wah, MeFi is biased against Bush, and if I misdirect folks here with that statement, maybe I can hide the fact that I'm being a jerk...

I, for one saw NO personal grievance in stevefromsparks' post. That it wasn't up to MeFi snuff (public guy gets cancer, news at eleven) doesn't mean that a vendetta was at play.
posted by Wulfgar! at 1:49 PM on February 13, 2003

it wasn't a personal grievance. see stevefromsparks rationale citing the original "robertson sez 9/11 is god getting you" thread. it actually IS a reasonable followup. but, we shall agree to disagree, since i haven't a hope of convincing you otherwise, nor you me. on reflection i CAN see how one may have read it like you claim to have, but i feel it's quite a stretch, one you may have made knowingly. see you in #mefi d00d! we don't want to miss yhbc's asskicking!
posted by quonsar at 1:50 PM on February 13, 2003

This metatalk thread is turning into what was deleted, there's an unfortunate turn of events.
posted by jonah at 1:51 PM on February 13, 2003

watch out yhbc!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 1:59 PM on February 13, 2003

Shoot. I thought they'd all forgotten about that for a minute there.
posted by yhbc at 2:02 PM on February 13, 2003

"I think Matt might be a little heavy on the censorship."

Says you. Either about right or not enough I'd say.

Sorry dude, but your post wasn't that hot. I personally *do* think Robertson deserves cancer, and even I didn't like your post. Just because something is ironic doesn't mean it *has* to be on Metafilter. The post seemed like a troll to me.

"and was looking forward to reading the follow up comments."

Starting an arguement is not a good reason to post something.
posted by y6y6y6 at 2:20 PM on February 13, 2003

This metatalk thread is turning into what was deleted...

That is usually the case.
posted by mischief at 4:14 PM on February 13, 2003

I think Matt might be a little heavy on the censorship
I feel he is more than a little light and I know that there are a number of others who feel the same way. Being a community means that things have to average out and that is probably the case in this respect.

yhbc, you are so going to hell for that link. Remember rule number 1 - what goes on in #mefi stays in #mefi!
posted by dg at 8:02 PM on February 13, 2003

Don't get too bent out of shape, stevefromsparks - your post reveals the fact that you're most likely under 65. (If you spend much time around the retired, you'll discover that prostate trouble is about as newsworthy as arthritis.) Try posting again sometime, say something positive, and you'll start getting into the groove. In one respect, your post wasn't entirely in vain, because it's probably helped some of us develop a little more insight into the concept of "schadenfreude," or "gloating in other people's misfortune."

Getting a good discussion going with a front page post is a somewhat tricky and unpredictable thing. Irony is a lot easier to pull off in the context of an existing conversation with a variety of viewpoints, rather than in your opening comment.

It's easier to write a front page post if you play around a bit with the possibilities of writing in this MetaFilter genre, and add links and related materials in existing threads. How to do this? Figure out the point you'd like to make in a thread, and then find an interesting link or two that backs you up. No matter what you're thinking, there's a good chance that someone has already put up a web page that expanding on your exact theme much better than you can in a few sentences. If you don't have any related links on hand, try typing a vague, general concept into Vivisimo. I was really surprised at what Vivisimo turned up on the concept of moral authority.
posted by sheauga at 9:17 PM on February 13, 2003

Why in the hell would this be relevant? There wasn't even one word on Metafilter when Janet Reno had her prostate removed.
posted by Mack Twain at 10:40 PM on February 13, 2003

ha!
posted by Steve_at_Linnwood at 11:46 PM on February 13, 2003

Sheauga: I"m not gloating in his misfortune. Really. Unless you consider it gloating to point out the irony. The rest of your post is well taken. I appreciate the advice. I thought the point about the irony of the situation was apparent. That's why I kept it short and sweet.
posted by stevefromsparks at 10:12 AM on February 14, 2003

stevefromsparks: wouldn't it be ironic if you got prostate cancer now? Be sure to let me know if you do; I'd kill to make a short and sweet post about it.
posted by timeistight at 10:46 AM on February 14, 2003

Without major advances in cancer prevention, one out of three Americans now living will eventually get cancer.

yeah? when?
[smiling beautifically like gene wilder waking up in jail in blazing saddles]
posted by quonsar at 10:56 AM on February 14, 2003

stevie: When we asked "what crawled up Pat Robertson's ass", it was a rhetorical question. ;-P
posted by mischief at 11:22 AM on February 14, 2003

This post was deleted for the following reason: I dunno if this quite makes the "interesting" cut
posted by shabrem at 11:27 AM on February 14, 2003

Timeistight: Very little irony. But I'll keep you informed.
posted by stevefromsparks at 12:46 PM on February 14, 2003