Rant posts will be removed

November 22, 2005 10:21 AM

I posted the following on MeFi, and it was deleted because it would likely result in 'flame wars'. Yet, I have seen similar posts on MeFi several times, except the religion under fire is 'Islam'. Was the post deleted because of the link or the paragraph that followed it? Why are flame-wars in the reverse permitted on MeFi?

http://www.metafilter.com/mefi/46901
posted by Azaadistani to Etiquette/Policy at 10:21 AM (29 comments total)

POOR IMPULSE CONTROL
posted by selfnoise at 10:22 AM on November 22, 2005

Your post isn't just a flame-war, it's a rant. You conflate several issues that have nothing to do with a single court case you linked to, and you mention them in baiting ways.

Left-wing ranty posts are removed from MeFi all the time.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:26 AM on November 22, 2005

Thank you selfnoise ... will work on that.
posted by Azaadistani at 10:30 AM on November 22, 2005

mathowie writes "Your post isn't just a flame-war, it's a rant. You conflate several issues that have nothing to do with a single court case you linked to, and you mention them in baiting ways."

Word. When you can't recognize your own aggrieved tone well enough to know when you should not be posting something, sometimes you get a hand from others who point it out. When that isn't enough, you can start your own pointless meta thread calling attention to your lack of insight. It happens all the time.
posted by OmieWise at 10:31 AM on November 22, 2005

Cool. Got it, mathowie. Just wanted to make sure that was the reason. I recognize it was poor 'impulse control'. Mea culpa.
posted by Azaadistani at 10:32 AM on November 22, 2005

Left-wing ranty posts are removed from MeFi all the time.
posted by mathowie at 10:26 AM PST on November 22 [!]

Meanwhile, ParisParamus shits all over another thread in the blue.
posted by wakko at 10:32 AM on November 22, 2005

MOLSON ICE PULP ROTOR
posted by wakko at 10:36 AM on November 22, 2005

I found PP's comments quite reasonable.
posted by gyc at 10:36 AM on November 22, 2005

Uh, selfnoise, that's like your fourth POOR IMPULSE CONTROL post. Do you maybe have a problem with impulse control? Like its poor, in your case? Maybe?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 10:38 AM on November 22, 2005

Well, no, wakko. Paris certainly shits in threads from time to time, but that's a poor example.
posted by Kwantsar at 10:39 AM on November 22, 2005

PST - I'm just trying to be fair here.

Wakko's version is better though. I bow my head to him.
posted by selfnoise at 10:41 AM on November 22, 2005

a wacky comment by Paris != front page posts that rant about every issue the poster personally feels wronged by.
posted by mathowie (staff) at 10:41 AM on November 22, 2005

Paris certainly shits in threads from time to time, but that's a poor example.

He's still squatting and straining.
posted by wakko at 10:42 AM on November 22, 2005

Todays Metatalk brought to you by the letter WHY.
posted by fire&wings at 10:43 AM on November 22, 2005

POL POT RUNS LICE ROOM
posted by wakko at 10:47 AM on November 22, 2005

He's still squatting and straining.

Well, somebody feed the man some bran flakes.
posted by jonmc at 10:52 AM on November 22, 2005

My callout thread got deleted, but I just wanted to say "Sorry, I will stop eating M&Ms right now. I love you all and want you to be happy."
posted by selfnoise at 11:02 AM on November 22, 2005

PP is not shitting in the thread. His comments are concise and on-topic.
posted by ibmcginty at 11:02 AM on November 22, 2005

Your post content was actually pretty interesting. The tone and the leading questions you asked were dishonest, stupid, and a piss-poor framing of the real issues. In the future, drop the agenda and focus on the specific issue at hand.
posted by nixerman at 11:05 AM on November 22, 2005

Yup, it's gonna be one of those days.
posted by WolfDaddy at 11:08 AM on November 22, 2005

All these newsfilter posts SURE ARE AWE-SUM.
posted by tpl1212 at 11:26 AM on November 22, 2005

I'm glad I saw the guardian article, and I wouldn't have if it weren't for this thread. All of the text after the link was crap, but I think it would have been a perfectly good post otherwise (wouldn't it?).
posted by Chuckles at 11:33 AM on November 22, 2005

Uh, selfnoise, that's like your fourth POOR IMPULSE CONTROL post. Do you maybe have a problem with impulse control? Like its poor, in your case? Maybe?

"Poor 'POOR IMPULSE CONTROL' impulse control" would be hard to fit on a forehead.
posted by cortex at 11:54 AM on November 22, 2005

Azaadistani: in my experience, it's worth taking a few minutes to ask what kind of conversation a given post is going to inspire. If it sets up another round of "Sharon=HITLER L0L!!" vs. "Kill the terraists", it's probably something MetaFilter (and by extension, the world) doesn't need. Those lines are well drawn and there are enough members of the community to occupy the respective positions that not much is likely to come of it.

If you can use a post to encourage people to see the issue in a new way, or to challenge them to rethink their knee-jerk positions, then it'll be worth another iteration.

In this case, supplementary links about IDF policy at border checkpoints, B'Tselem reports about killings of Palestinian civilians along the border, information about the growing trend by Hamas of using children and women as suicide bombers, more information about the effects on Palestinian (or Israeli) families that have been affected by these sorts of events...any or all of these would have helped to contextualize your lead link and set up a good discussion.

The problem is not "POOR IMPULSE CONTROL". This tragedy is exactly the sort of thing that those of us on MetaFilter who are concerned about Israel and Palestine ought to be talking about. Your passion would be a welcome addition to the discussion. But please, help us to talk about the problems with more sophistication and insight.
posted by felix betachat at 11:57 AM on November 22, 2005

Uh, selfnoise, that's like your fourth POOR IMPULSE CONTROL post. Do you maybe have a problem with impulse control?

The thing is, though, that it's on target each time. People have been exhibiting extraordinarily poor impulse control today. (Or for the past 50,000 years, if you prefer.)
posted by languagehat at 12:05 PM on November 22, 2005

/resists urge to throw glass knives
posted by wakko at 12:16 PM on November 22, 2005

I'll second felix betachat, and add that yesterday I had a cordial go 'round with Azaadistani about I/P related issues. This was the one of the only civil discussions about the topic I have seen on MeFi: it was limited in scope and took place in a sparsely populated thread. I also didn't feel like fighting about Zionism=Racism, although from the tone of the thread, I think we could have discussed it rationally.

It was nice to make a limited point, shake hands, and feel grateful for the level-headed, trust building encounter. I think, however, that we were lucky. From what I've seen from my lurking days and in my short posting life, these instances are rare. No one came in spitting venom, no one banged their head against the wall and no one left exasperated--no one got called out, no one asked for the ban hammer.
This tragedy is exactly the sort of thing that those of us on MetaFilter who are concerned about Israel and Palestine ought to be talking about.

I wish we could do it. Level, respectful, and even slightly contentious discussion about the "situation" feels great. I can't yell and scream anymore. Moderate folks need to speak to other moderate folks about what's going on if only just to see that the future is not on long, awful, sanctimonious shitstorm. I just haven't seen it happen here. If you read over the posts tagged Israel or Palestine, it's readily apparent how godawfully deflating Metafilter can be when it comes to this thing we care so deeply about.
posted by kosem at 1:04 PM on November 22, 2005

Metafilter: and by extension, the world
posted by matthewr at 1:05 PM on November 22, 2005

Hey, this is radio station W-S-K-E-E
We're takin' calls off the wish line
Making all your wacky wishes come true

Hello

1-I wish I was little bit taller,
I wish I was a baller
I wish I had a girl who looked good
I would call her
I wish I had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
and a '64 Impala

I wish I was like six-foot-nine
So I could get with Leoshi
Cause she don't know me but yo she's really fine
You know I see her all the time
Everywhere I go, and even in my dreams
I can scheme of ways to make her mine
Cause I know she's livin phat
Her boyfriend's tall and he plays ball
So how am I gonna compete with that
'Cause when it comes to playing basketball
I'm always last to be picked
And in some cases never picked at all
So I just lean upon the wall
Or sit up in the bleachers with the rest of the girls
Who came to watch their men ball
Dag y'all! I never understood
Why the jocks get the fly girls
And me I get the hood rats
I tell 'em scat, skittle, skibobble
Got hit with a bottle
And put in the hospital, for talkin' that mess
I confess it's a shame when you livin' in a city
That's the size of a box and nobody knows yo' name
Glad I came to my senses
Like quick-quick got sick-sick to my stomach
Overcome with my thoughts of me and her together
Right?
So when I asked her out she said I wasn't her type
(rpt 1, 1)

I wish I had a brand-new car
So far, I got this hatchback
And everywhere I go, yo I gets laughed at
And when I'm in my car I'm laid back
I got an 8-track and a spare tire in the backseat
But that's flat
And do you really wanna know what's really wack, What
See I can't even get a date
So, what do you think of that?
I heard that prom night is the bomb night
With a hood rat you can hold tight
But really tho' on figuero
When I'm in my car I can't even get a hello
Well so many people wanna cruise Crenshaw on Sunday
Well then I'm gonna have to get in my car and go
You know I take the 110 to the 105
Get off on Crenshaw tell my homies look alive
Cause it's hard to survive
Livin' in a concrete jungle and
These girls just keep passin' me by
She looks fly, she looks fly
Makes me say my, my, my
(rpt 1, 1)

I wish I was a little bit taller...
I wish I was a baller...
I wish I was a little bit taller y'all
I wish I was a baller (3)

Hey, I wish I had my way
'Cause everyday would be a Friday
You could even speed on the highway
I would play ghetto games
Name my kids ghetto names
Little Mookie, big Al, Lorraine
Yo you know that's on the real
So if you're down on your luck
Then you should know just how I feel
Cause if you don't want me around
See I go simple, I go easy, I go greyhound
Hey, you, what's that sound?
Everybody look what's going down
Ahhhh, yes, ain't that fresh?
Everybody wants to get down like that
(rpt 1, 1)

I wish, I wish, I wish...
posted by moift at 2:38 AM on November 24, 2005