have some respect please October 11, 2006 12:59 PM   Subscribe

Please give it a rest in the blue.
posted by nixerman to Etiquette/Policy at 12:59 PM (185 comments total)

I understand that being a snarky asshole is the standard operating procedure in the blue but maybe just this once you could give it a rest. There's a lot of mefites in NYC and some of them might be personally affected by this tragedy.
posted by nixerman at 1:02 PM on October 11, 2006


Oh, it's the 11th. Time for another terrorist attack. Accidents don't happen now, only terrorism.
posted by bob sarabia at 1:06 PM on October 11, 2006


nixerman, given our history, I was half-expecting that you were decrying the existence of the post, and I was going to come in with guns blazing. Then I read your comment. I'm glad I was wrong and I think you're absolutely right and I apologize for what I was thinking.
posted by jonmc at 1:08 PM on October 11, 2006


“There's a lot of mefites in NYC and some of them might be personally affected by this tragedy.”

There are many more that aren’t. This is newsfilter at its worst.
posted by ijoshua at 1:11 PM on October 11, 2006


I cannot begin to understand fully the emotions that this dredges up for long-time New Yorkers. But I feel that it any fretting in the blue about this is perfectly OK, given past trauma.

I wonder if Keswick would react the same way if he possibly had loved ones in a earthquake in NorCal, and did not as yet know their fates.

I wish for an *ignore* option for individual users. I would surely employ it right now.
posted by Danf at 1:11 PM on October 11, 2006


Yeah, no kidding. I'm sure keswick feels all badass because hearing sirens and news of a plane crash into a building does nothing to him. I'm hearing the sirens, and it's troubling.
posted by fet at 1:13 PM on October 11, 2006


some of the comments on that thread are awfully insensitive ... and it is a rather unusual thing to have happened
posted by pyramid termite at 1:14 PM on October 11, 2006


It's amazing how much of an asshat someone can be while hiding behind anonymity.
posted by caddis at 1:17 PM on October 11, 2006


You raise a good point. I apologize if mine was among the voices that prompted this callout. I stand by my opinions, but I completely agree that a thread discussing people being hurt in a crash is not the appropriate place to voice them.
posted by quin at 1:17 PM on October 11, 2006


I don't want to mention keswick's name, but there is some severe dickishness goin on over there.

As for being "newsfilter at it's worst" well, hey, when a plane flies into anything in Atlanta, feel free to make an FPP about it.
posted by nevercalm at 1:18 PM on October 11, 2006


One more vote for a worthy FPP. If this was happening in San Francisco right now I would doubt that you'd hear one NYC mefite getting snarky about it being newsfilter.
posted by allkindsoftime at 1:19 PM on October 11, 2006


Okay, you pussies, I won't disrupt the navel gazing in the thread, despite the fact you're much more likely to die crossing the street. Carry on.
posted by keswick at 1:19 PM on October 11, 2006


did someone call for a snarky asshole?

*dons snarky asshat*

i'll be prepared when the buildings begin to fall.
posted by quonsar at 1:20 PM on October 11, 2006


Emotionally Impactful? yes. Bizarre? yes. In keeping with posting guidelines? No. I abhor the insensitivity in the thread, but the thread doesn't belong on the blue.
posted by potch at 1:20 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


fuck you, keswick.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 1:21 PM on October 11, 2006


you're much more likely to die crossing the street. Carry on.

you're even more likely to die from gangrene after you get your needle sized dick caught in the keyboard ...
posted by pyramid termite at 1:23 PM on October 11, 2006 [2 favorites]


D:
posted by thirteenkiller at 1:25 PM on October 11, 2006


I won't disrupt the navel gazing in the thread,

keswick, as someone who's defended you on occasion, I offer you some advice: don't act like an ass.
posted by jonmc at 1:26 PM on October 11, 2006


Car crashes Crashes into NYC low-rise. ???
posted by keswick at 1:26 PM on October 11, 2006


keswick is tough and manly. and an asshole of the highest order.

carry on, then.
posted by fet at 1:26 PM on October 11, 2006


It's amazing how much of an asshat someone can be while hiding behind anonymity.

You wouldn't say that if you knew me IRL.
posted by sonofsamiam at 1:28 PM on October 11, 2006


I believe you mean, "don't fuck with metafilter".

MetaFilter: Don't. Fuck. With. MetaFilter.

or

MetaFilter: You fuck with me, you fuckin' with the best!
posted by GuyZero at 1:30 PM on October 11, 2006


*sigh*
posted by edgeways at 1:31 PM on October 11, 2006


Jon, I can sympathize with you for being rattled, given the events of 9/11. But correct me if I'm wrong, but you live in an entirely different burrough than Manhattan. I've been to NYC; it's a big fuckin' place.

Also, I know helicopters go down there on semi-regular basis, so this sort of thing isn't too uncommon.

From what I understand, the guy flying the plane was performing acrobatic maneuevers and slammed into a building. I also understand the fire is already out, and likely the only deaths are from the crash itself (probably the pilot and a passenger).

Personally, I'd be more worried about random street crime than terror if I lived in NY.

I don't, though. I live in NorCal, which is much less dense. So when planes crash (and one did this morning) they crash into forests or fields. Maybe I am an ass, but maybe, just maybe a lot of people are over-reacting.
posted by keswick at 1:33 PM on October 11, 2006


Keswick, I can't believe you actually took me up on that "car flying through the air into a building" thing. Touche, of a sort, I guess?
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 1:34 PM on October 11, 2006


I think it's time for keswick to take a time out.
posted by empath at 1:37 PM on October 11, 2006


SmileyChewtrain: Thanks. I saw it on the same page as the airplane crash.
posted by keswick at 1:39 PM on October 11, 2006


i would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has posted from nyc for letting us know what is actually happening.

i would also like to say that i love metafilter and if anything happens anywhere i want to read about it here.

i would also like to say a big fuck you to all the egotistical wankers who have nothing to show for themselves aside from the uncanny ability to fuck with people's feelings from behind a curtain of web anonymity.

that is all.
posted by dminor at 1:39 PM on October 11, 2006


I think it's time for keswick to go fuck himself.
posted by nevercalm at 1:40 PM on October 11, 2006


Interesting enough post to me to quip on it.
Otherwise, if I don’t think they’re good as a front page post, I don’t read ‘em.
...of course I still say “fuck you” a lot. You gotta keep your chops in shape.
posted by Smedleyman at 1:40 PM on October 11, 2006


Yeah, Keswick's right. I saw a few helicopters crash just this morning on the way to work. Also, he's correct that, as jonmc lives in Queens, there is no way he would ever be in Manhattan or know anyone there or anything like that. Finally, he's correct that, in 2006, random street crime is a massive NY problem. In fact, the helicopters that crashed this morning actually *interrupted a mugging.*
posted by hackly_fracture at 1:41 PM on October 11, 2006 [3 favorites]


Metafilter: I apologize for what I was thinking
posted by found missing at 1:42 PM on October 11, 2006


you live in an entirely different burrough than Manhattan. I've been to NYC; it's a big fuckin' place.

NYC becomes suprisingly small and claustrophobic when something like this happens. And any escalation of fear - including any type of evacuation scenario (which springs to mind from time to time, given that most of NYC's burroughs are islands) reminds you just how jammed bridges and tunnels get during an everyday rush hour.
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 1:43 PM on October 11, 2006


but you live in an entirely different burrough than Manhattan.

I work in Manhattan, and that's where I'm sitting right now. And where I live is less than a mile from the area of the incident.
posted by jonmc at 1:43 PM on October 11, 2006


OKAY IM SORRY NYC IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE *runs off crying*
posted by keswick at 1:44 PM on October 11, 2006


I think it's time for keswick to take a mime out.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 1:44 PM on October 11, 2006


Hey, that's Boston, asshole.
posted by Saucy Intruder at 1:50 PM on October 11, 2006


Crap. I'm glad you're okay, Jon.
posted by keswick at 1:50 PM on October 11, 2006


I'm in New York and I'm being mugged right now.
posted by dame at 1:53 PM on October 11, 2006


dame,

Probably he's on that PCP that everyone takes these days. I'd try hiding in the automat.
posted by hackly_fracture at 1:58 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


Okay, I'm gonna start making a list.

1.) NYC IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE.
2.) THERE IS NO MORE CRIME IN NEW YORK, AT ALL.

What else?
posted by keswick at 1:59 PM on October 11, 2006


I think the tone in the thread is unfortunate, but one has to wonder what the point of the FPP was. A single link to breaking story with no facts behind it and the only supporting detail in the post are an ominous '???' and a reference to '10/11' in the thread title.

Is it really surprising things went south after that?
posted by mazola at 1:59 PM on October 11, 2006


of course, I'm fine. I was just trying to show you that assuming things can make you look stupid and callous.
posted by jonmc at 2:00 PM on October 11, 2006


Well, that's what MeFi is for am i rite?
posted by keswick at 2:06 PM on October 11, 2006


2.) THERE IS NO MORE CRIME IN NEW YORK, AT ALL.

MOST CRIME IN NEW YORK, LIKE MOST CRIME IN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY, IS NOT PERFORMED BY RANDOM STRANGERS ON THE STREET.

#1 is correct as is.

(Hackly_fracture, apparently there is a new automat on St. Marks. I find this horrifying.)
posted by dame at 2:06 PM on October 11, 2006


The guy in the apartment across the hall from me stubbed his toe. I hope Jonmc is ok.
posted by crunchland at 2:07 PM on October 11, 2006 [2 favorites]


I don't think anyone's rooting for death, fire, and fear, but I think a little skepticism is a necessary antidote to the climate of OMG TERRA! that pervades what's left of our culture. I know that it's ridiculous and insulting to suggest that the only people who may have been harmed were socialites and candy-bar-fortune heiresses, and I think it is also ridiculous and insulting to suggest that everyone who died in the towers on 9/11 is a hero - but that is the party line these days. Those people weren't heroes, they were people who would have gladly been elsewhere had they known what would happen that morning. They were people, not cardboard "hero" cut-outs and their deaths have been co-opted to serve the interests of our ruling class.

I do not mock the people who died in today's crash, I mock the culture of persecution and fear that elevates their deaths to the story of the day while death stalks the cities and plains of Iraq, the Sudan, and a thousand less-known places.

On another note, what's up with that Yankee pitcher?
posted by Mister_A at 2:08 PM on October 11, 2006


3. ) DROP HEAVY BOOK ON BALLS
posted by lovejones at 2:10 PM on October 11, 2006


Wait, an automat? I thought those were extinct! I DEMAND PICTURES.
posted by keswick at 2:10 PM on October 11, 2006


Has anyone else besides me noticed that the smoke mark (seen well in this photograph) looks suspiciously like the "lightning bolt" S of the SS?

(...is that Godwin enough for a clean start?)
posted by SmileyChewtrain at 2:12 PM on October 11, 2006


But correct me if I'm wrong, but you live in an entirely different burrough than Manhattan.

Borough. Not burrough.

Different borough != separate planet. The Queens waterfront sits maybe a quarter of a mile from where the crash took place.

OKAY IM SORRY NYC IS THE CENTER OF THE UNIVERSE *runs off crying*

No. New York isn't the center of the universe. But I'm willing to bet that the four people (who we know of so far) who died in that crash had people in their lives who loved them very much and considered them the center of their own universes. I'd also pay good money to see you explain your dismissive attitude and snarky comments to them in person.
posted by jason's_planet at 2:12 PM on October 11, 2006




Automat.
posted by dame at 2:18 PM on October 11, 2006


Keswick's M.O. seems to be jumping on almost any given thread to drop a one sentence pile of turd. I'll give him one thing though: he's quick, because his little splurts always tend to be near the top of the page.
posted by picea at 2:19 PM on October 11, 2006


My God ... he has no... life...
posted by geoff. at 2:23 PM on October 11, 2006


4) NYC REMAINS CENTER OF UNIVERSE, ADDS AUTOMAT:


posted by supertremendus at 2:30 PM on October 11, 2006


Danf : "I wish for an *ignore* option for individual users. I would surely employ it right now."

If you're using Firefox, install Greasemonkey, and then google for the "Mondo Meta" script. It allows ignoring individual users, as well as comments containing whatever words you specify, or, conversely, highlighting them in case you want to catch comments by some poster you particularly like. Very nice.
posted by Bugbread at 2:32 PM on October 11, 2006


(Off topic, but: Bamn rules! Go and get the Mac & Cheese Krokets, and then have a shaved ice!)
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 2:38 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


When big things happen in New York, or anywhere else, maybe we can talk about that. When little things happen in New York, or anywhere else, and they aren't friggin' cool websites, they don't belong here. No matter how shrill you are about it.

You want Keswick to take a time out because he disagrees with you? Diddums you goddamn crybaby. Talk about how scared you were that your kids were only a block away from a really scary car crash on your own damn website.

Keswick isn't breaking my metafilter, your local newsfilter is breaking my metafilter. You take the fucking timeout.
posted by The Monkey at 2:38 PM on October 11, 2006


Aeroplane-building accidents seem to be rare enough that I don't have an objection to this. The only ones that rolled of my brain other than 9/11 off-hand were the Tampa crash, and the 187 Indianapolis Ramada crash. In looking that up, I found an earlier '69 air disaster than ended up in a trailer park. Chicago Midway had United 533 in '72 and Southwest 1248 in '05.

Perhaps there is a bit of a NYC-filter, and newsfilter in this. On the other hand, at least it's not a non-event like a local tabloid's list of hated people, yet another "trend" invented by the Times fashion page, or a blog making fun of the NYC party scene.

On preview regarding Bamn. The emperor is naked!
posted by KirkJobSluder at 2:38 PM on October 11, 2006


“hey, when a plane flies into anything in Atlanta, feel free to make an FPP about it”

No, I won’t. This story is 6-o’clock local newsworthy. Some guy crashed his private plane. It doesn’t belong on the front page.

I also won’t be an apologist for anyone who shat on the thread, though.
posted by ijoshua at 2:39 PM on October 11, 2006


is keswick banned yet?
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 2:47 PM on October 11, 2006


We'll have to wait a half-hour or so to see whether the world news deigns to cover an airplane crashing into a high-rise apartment building in NYC. It's not every day that the FAA/Pentagon/NORAD/whoever scrambles jet fighters to patrol the skies over "numerous cities." It wasn't only MeFites who thought it was something worth paying attention to.

Then again, maybe it's considered local news to the big networks, many of which are based in NYC.
posted by nevercalm at 2:48 PM on October 11, 2006


Remember that episode of South Park where Kyle, Stan and Kenny just ignored Cartman, who figured since no one was talking to him, he must be dead?

Is anyone else understanding what I'm saying here? Perhaps we could apply this lesson to DAM ASSHATS?

Dame, automats are the reason I moved to NYC! You don't have to talk to any people!
posted by DenOfSizer at 2:51 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


keswick
posted by bardic at 2:53 PM on October 11, 2006


Honestly Matt, I had the banhammer dropped on me (rightfully so) for much less. Keswick's a persistent asshole. He deserves a time-out.
posted by bardic at 2:54 PM on October 11, 2006


It's the top story on the UK edition of http://news.bbc.co.uk/ right now, so as newsfilter goes it's not as parochial as some here are claiming.
posted by nowonmai at 2:57 PM on October 11, 2006


As this thread shows, there are plenty of perfectly good excuses to take the piss at NYC. (The bastard offspring of the cafeteria and vending machine is one.)

A relatively rare accident involving loss of human life is probably not a good one.
posted by KirkJobSluder at 3:00 PM on October 11, 2006


wtf, people.

at the time the post was made it wasn't even clear what type of flying vehicle had crashed.

airplanes crashing into buildings in new york != something that happens all the time | newsfilter.

if the explanation turns out to be prosaic (which, i don't think it has, considering it involves deaths and a yankees pitcher pilot) then the thread is over.

jesus f-ing christ. chill the fuck out.
posted by dminor at 3:00 PM on October 11, 2006


exactly. a plane crashing into a building in manhattan is pretty much worldwide news these days.

use some common sense and lay off the newsfilter talk.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 3:02 PM on October 11, 2006


also, is keswick banned yet?
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 3:03 PM on October 11, 2006


Don't worry Keswick, I'm ok.
posted by Divine_Wino at 3:04 PM on October 11, 2006


also, is keswick banned yet?

Please, STFU (and quit trying to be "provacative")
posted by found missing at 3:21 PM on October 11, 2006


What ijoshua said. The front page of Metafilter isn't a check in and therapy session for people involved in minor local incidents.
posted by fire&wings at 3:23 PM on October 11, 2006


And two wrongs don't make a right, i.e., FPP of questionable quality + keswick being off his meds again /= awesomesauce Metafilter.
posted by bardic at 3:26 PM on October 11, 2006


Please, STFU (and quit trying to be "provacative")

If you're referring to my profile, that's a quote from ParisParamus.

And honestly, it's really hard to argue keswick doesn't deserve a timeout.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 3:30 PM on October 11, 2006


For crissakes, that "minor local incident" is the top news item on every news site I just visited, and is the lead story on all 3 major network evening news shows. Maybe you could cool it with the bullshit?
posted by nevercalm at 3:31 PM on October 11, 2006


that's a quote from ParisParamus.

I have no choice but to apologize for what I was thinking.

but, please, stfu anyway
posted by found missing at 3:34 PM on October 11, 2006


I'd also pay good money to see you explain your dismissive attitude and snarky comments to them in person.

Oh, that's just stupid. You know what I'd pay good money to see? Anyone saying anything snarky on a random internet forum repeating whatever they said in the entirely different context of standing right in front of interested parties.

Seriously, if you want to crucify keswick, do it for his assholishness online and in that context; don't overstep into hypothetical la la land.
posted by cortex at 3:36 PM on October 11, 2006


Crap. I'm glad you're okay, Jon.

You're not glad that pips, Divine_Wino, dame, gaspode, thepinksuperhero and everybody else is OK? and the other 8 million of us. That's touching.
posted by jonmc at 3:37 PM on October 11, 2006


a plane crashing into a building in manhattan is pretty much worldwide news these days.

Paris Hilton speaking to Nicole Ritchie is pretty much worldwide news these days, too. Doesn't make it a good MetaFilter post.
posted by timeistight at 3:40 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


It is newsfilter, and I shouldn't have posted it. The severe slowdown in the internet that I experienced combined with someone telling me they saw a plane that had crashed into a building in NYC gave me deja vu all over again and overrode my better judgement.

The link has 198 posts, I believe, as of 6:39 pm EST, so it is resonating with somebody, somewhere, for reasons that probably have nothing to do with a link on a community blog. I should have worked an elephant into it somehow.
posted by craniac at 3:42 PM on October 11, 2006




start calling, keswick
posted by pyramid termite at 3:44 PM on October 11, 2006


And jonmc, I'm glad everybody who is okay, is okay, whether or not they're on the island of Manhattan. And I'm sorry about the not okayness of everybody else.

Okay?
posted by timeistight at 3:47 PM on October 11, 2006


As an FPP, it was no different than any other daily breaking news story post. As a cultural snapshot, it was sadly revealing.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:47 PM on October 11, 2006


Paris Hilton speaking to Nicole Ritchie is pretty much worldwide news these days, too. Doesn't make it a good MetaFilter post.

This, however, was an acceptable one.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 3:49 PM on October 11, 2006


Is there anyone who thinks there wasn't going to be a post about this? The second I saw it on the Teevee I went back to my office and refreshed the front page. It took about ten more minutes for the story to show up on the news websites I frequent and about five more minutes to show up here. It was inevitable as the tides (unless something happens like in that cartoon I used to watch when I was a kid, where a comet or some shit barrels between the earth in the moon plunging the world into a Gamma World-like wasteland and the moon is broken into chunks. That might fuck up the tides.)

I heard about the 650,000 Iraqi civilian deaths on the radio while driving to work and thought, "That's going to be a Mefi post." And sure enough...

I'm not sure what it says about anything, but I can tell when I hear a news story whether or not it's landing on the front page. And I'm betting I'm not the only one.
posted by Cyrano at 3:51 PM on October 11, 2006


And jonmc, I'm glad everybody who is okay, is okay, whether or not they're on the island of Manhattan. And I'm sorry about the not okayness of everybody else.

Okay?


I'm OK, You're OK. Mommy's alright, Daddy's alright...

(I was making a point. keswick acted very callous until I mentioned that I worked in Manhattan. That's kind of callous to the other NYC MeFites and I was trying to show him that)
posted by jonmc at 3:55 PM on October 11, 2006


It's the top story on the UK edition of http://news.bbc.co.uk/ right now, so as newsfilter goes it's not as parochial as some here are claiming.

It was the top story on the news media here in Canada, too. So yeah, it's obviously big international news. Count me among those who think it shouldn't be. I can understand why it is, since plane crashes and explosions in big cities make for emotionally potent reporting even for those of us whose lives they affect not at all. The factors that determine whether a bus crash in Pakistan gets global media attention seem to be rather capricious: What else is going on that day? How many people died? Is there video? Does it have a catchy "hook" like allusions to terrorist attacks past, or a minor celebrity being involved, or a sweet-looking child in dire peril? Obviously this one makes the cut for the BBC, but that doesn't say much for it. On the other hand, there are obviously lots of people here who live in NYC and might want to discuss it, so it does make some kind of sense that news from there should get more attention on metafilter. The BBC has no such excuse.
posted by sfenders at 3:58 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


I was making a point. keswick acted very callous until I mentioned that I worked in Manhattan.

Yeah, but then he showed some human concern and contrition. I understand the desire to make your point, but don't be graceless about it, or the exercise is essentially wasted.
posted by cortex at 4:00 PM on October 11, 2006


Yeah, keswick deserves the benefit of the doubt. It's not as if he has a history of this or anything.
posted by bardic at 4:04 PM on October 11, 2006


So unwavering condemnation and dismissal is a good thing now?
posted by cortex at 4:28 PM on October 11, 2006


I say we ban all the snarky fuckers, and the gnarly one liner machines, and leave only the emotionally co-dependent. Lets have us a fucking support group.


The guy in the apartment across the hall from me stubbed his toe. I hope Jonmc is ok. LOL


I'd also pay good money to see you explain your dismissive attitude and snarky comments to them in person. WTF?
posted by econous at 4:29 PM on October 11, 2006


I have no control over dismissal, obviously. But the fact is, people have been timed-outed for less.

Unwavering condemnation? Yeah, I'm for that. You are your posting history here, for better or worse.

And I'm guessing he got the tempo ban anyways. He'd have been along here to bleat some more in his inimitable ITG (Intarweb Tough Guy) style if he hadn't been.
posted by bardic at 4:36 PM on October 11, 2006


I just wish someone would demean me, as I live thousands of miles from NYC.
posted by BrodieShadeTree at 4:38 PM on October 11, 2006


The link has 198 posts, I believe, as of 6:39 pm EST.

I am not passing judgement on the link but counting how many comments a post has is not an accurate reflection on quality.

I am glad this was not a bigger story than it was, and that NY mefis are ok, it is sad about the deaths, but no more, or less sad than most of the deaths that happened today
posted by edgeways at 4:38 PM on October 11, 2006


BrodieShadeTree: "I just wish someone would demean me, as I live thousands of miles from NYC."

BrodieShadeTree also was not injured in today's crash in NYC. Not that anybody asked.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:42 PM on October 11, 2006


New Yorkers do it with their hipster librul attitudes and seven dollar mochachinos on a daily basis BST. Sheer contempt for the flyover states and beyond. Didn't you get the memo?
posted by bardic at 4:42 PM on October 11, 2006


I'm in New York and I'm demeaning you right now.
posted by dame at 4:53 PM on October 11, 2006


I just wish someone would demean me, as I live thousands of miles from NYC.

we usually charge for that.
posted by jonmc at 4:56 PM on October 11, 2006


IMM IN YUR NU YORK AND IMM DEMEANNG U RIGHT NOW!1!!!! WTF
posted by found missing at 4:56 PM on October 11, 2006


Yeah that BrodieShadeTree sure is a...motorcyle fixin’...uh...bastard. Isn’t he? All thousands of miles away out there. He deserves a time out.
posted by Smedleyman at 5:06 PM on October 11, 2006


Holy shit, is this ever dum (D-U-M, DUM!). NYC, though I love it, is not some sort of sacred cow. NEWS MEDIA OVERREACTS, METAFILTER OVERREACTS ACCORDINGLY. DISSENTERS, WHETHER FLAMEBAITING OR COOLER HEADS, TO BE ROUNDED UP AND PUT IN CAMPS. This is the same MetaFilter that lampoons all the "terra" campaigns designed to keep us scared, but then turns around and goes all "omg terrism is happening in NYC atm its no laughing matter." Face it, you got caught by the hype, and it stings. Taking it out on keswick won't save you face.
posted by Eideteker at 5:06 PM on October 11, 2006


Matt, if you ban keswick, please also put me on a time out for the next five (5) days. It's not really in solidarity or anything, because I don't owe keswick any allegiance. Qualitatively, for me it'll be the equivalent of giving everyone else a time out, which many of them seem to desperately need.

Also, pls see jessamyn re: my request that "time out" be officially rebranded "fresh air", or possibly "go outside and play".
posted by Eideteker at 5:11 PM on October 11, 2006


nevercalm said : "the top news item on every news site I just visited, and is the lead story on all 3 major network evening news shows."

Ok, then why does it need to be on Metafilter? This is exactly why newsfilter posts are so awful. What could we possibly add to the story, besides shallow sympathy for those directly affected by the event, aside from snarky and humorous comments? And don't discount snark. It's a valid response. Dark humor is a perfectly valid coping mechanism when dealing with death and destuction.
posted by crunchland at 5:23 PM on October 11, 2006


crunch, call me crazy, but a lot of those comments didn't strike me as 'coping,' so much as plain old nastiness.
posted by jonmc at 5:25 PM on October 11, 2006


I wonder if, despite all the great members we got because of the 9/11 thread, it was a bad thing FOR THE COMMUNITY. Arguably, that wasn't a great FPP, but was obviously a very moving and powerful thread. And it brought a lot of positive attention to the site.

And now we're hopelessly stuck in limbo regarding the criteria for a good post. Because newsfilter can be good, although it often isn't.

But this is besides the point. Today's FPP sucked. No argument here. This doesn't absolve certain users from being serial assholes. But they manage to play themselves out eventually, with or without the magic of the banhammer.
posted by bardic at 5:31 PM on October 11, 2006


Metafilter: you got caught by the hype, and it stings.
posted by Kwine at 5:33 PM on October 11, 2006


Just because it stings, that doesn't mean I regret slamming my dick in the oven.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:36 PM on October 11, 2006


Dicks, ovens, banhammers, snarks, blah -- I just want an automat in my neighborhood in Los Angeles. That shit is awesome.
posted by seancake at 5:39 PM on October 11, 2006


These are some people who take Metafilter way too seriously. With all the inane shit that scrolls across the various parts of this website---that we're perfectly free to ignore---for someone to actually take the time to write a "callout" about this FPP, rather than just ignoring it, is just, pathetic.
posted by jayder at 6:12 PM on October 11, 2006


jason's_planet writes: I'd also pay good money to see you explain your dismissive attitude and snarky comments to them in person.

If that could somehow be a requirement, I reckon we'd have a much more civil forum here. That and a "no anonymity" rule. Ain't gonna happen, though, so I guess cortex is right when he says you're in la la land...
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:25 PM on October 11, 2006


Heh, MILF.
posted by If I Had An Anus at 6:26 PM on October 11, 2006


Oh, that's just stupid.

Yeah. I reminded him that actual human beings were involved in this. How retarded of me!

Seriously, if you want to crucify keswick, do it for his assholishness online and in that context; don't overstep into hypothetical la la land.

It wasn't a hypothetical la la land for me. It wasn't a purely media event. It may have been an abstraction for you out there on the West Coast. But I could see the building burning from the windows of my office twenty blocks to the south. I could see the looks of fear on my coworkers' faces as I told them about the crash. I was fairly sure it was an accident, not a deliberate act. I tried not to panic. I remembered 9/11. I was an eyewitness to 9/11. I saw the flames creeping down the Twin Towers that day. So I kept my cool and went looking for the emergency exits. If anything else had happened, I was going to run for it.

So it's not a purely online thing for me. It wasn't limited to that context.
posted by jason's_planet at 6:34 PM on October 11, 2006


Ok, I had two classes and had to study. What did I miss?

Jon: I'm glad your wife is okay too, but I really don't know any other NYC MeFites to offer a sincere sigh of relief. I mean, death sucks, but it happens all the time and we don't offer condolences to the people who are DYING... RIGHT... NOW... in say, I dunno, Kahikistan, do we? Honestly, it was pretty clear right off (IMO) that it was an accident not an attack. I imagine the odds of a MeFite dying in a terror attack are pretty friggin' ridiculous.

To all: I will not apologize for my insistance that this is a shitty FPP, and that if a plane had crashed into a high rise in say, Kansas City, you'd agree with me. Again, planes crash all the time, and often with a much higher death toll.

Also, I suspect many of the people gnashing their teeth and wailing were griping about terrorism being overblown yesterday.

In conclusion, :P
posted by keswick at 6:43 PM on October 11, 2006


It's just a website. Go get some fresh air.
posted by found missing at 6:44 PM on October 11, 2006


(meant that for j_p)
posted by found missing at 6:45 PM on October 11, 2006


oh yeah, i almost forgot:

bardic: the title of that askme is meant to be a (mildly) humorous exaggeration, but I assure you, my misanthropy is real.
posted by keswick at 6:45 PM on October 11, 2006


I'm glad your wife is okay too, but I really don't know any other NYC MeFites to offer a sincere sigh of relief.

You don't really know me either, any better than you know any of the people I mentioned,

Again, planes crash all the time, and often with a much higher death toll.

Not into buildings in cities where similar incidents changed history and not with famous athletes at the helm. The weird value alone makes it an interesting story.
posted by jonmc at 6:46 PM on October 11, 2006


but I assure you, my misanthropy is real

Um, that's coming in loud and clear for anyone who's read more than ten of your comments. But thanks for the redundant clarification.
posted by bardic at 6:52 PM on October 11, 2006


It's just a website. Go get some fresh air. (meant that for j_p)

It's maybe still too smoky in j_p's neighborhood for that fresh air...

I assure you, my misanthropy is real.

I don't imagine anyone had any doubts about that, keswick.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 6:53 PM on October 11, 2006


for someone to actually take the time to write a "callout" about this FPP, rather than just ignoring it, is just, pathetic.

Oh yes, so I guess taking the time to reply to that callout to call it out as pathetic must be even more pathetic. And replying to that reply reaches depths of pathos previously unimagined.

Planes crash all the time, but not into buildings in cities where similar incidents changed history. Something similar could be said for every plane crash. Each is unique and terrible in its own way.
posted by sfenders at 7:00 PM on October 11, 2006


but I assure you, my misanthropy is real

pin a rose on you.
posted by jonmc at 7:10 PM on October 11, 2006


I'm still ok but now I kinda have to pee.
posted by Divine_Wino at 7:15 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


This is the same MetaFilter that lampoons all the "terra" campaigns designed to keep us scared, but then turns around and goes all "omg terrism is happening in NYC atm its no laughing matter." Face it, you got caught by the hype, and it stings. Taking it out on keswick won't save you face.

Oh please. Go to the thread and do a search for all instances of "terror" and I think you might realize that very few, if any, were "going all 'omg terrism is happening in NYC'". For the record, I don't think the FPP was very good, but, at the same time, I don't think that warrants shitty behavior in the thread.
posted by Stauf at 7:21 PM on October 11, 2006


I assure you, my misanthropy is real.

and you wonder why we distrust your political views
posted by pyramid termite at 7:32 PM on October 11, 2006


So I kept my cool and went looking for the emergency exits. If anything else had happened, I was going to run for it. You sound like James Bond dude, or perhaps Riddick.. more of an anti-hero type thing.

for someone to actually take the time to write a "callout" about this FPP, rather than just ignoring it, is just, pathetic. The callout, being about some of the shitty/amusing comments in the FPP, seemed fair enough to me. However you have gone to far now with your use of the word pathetic, maybe it means something other than you mean. for someone to actually take the time to write a "callout" about this FPP, rather than just ignoring it, is just, super.
posted by econous at 7:33 PM on October 11, 2006


Too rather than to. Example:
This thread is too much fun, I can't bloody leave it alone.
posted by econous at 7:34 PM on October 11, 2006


mazola's got it right. Breathless breaking news posts with more questions than answers almost never work as front page posts. Sure, the original 9/11 thread tested the rule, but it's still a good rule.
posted by mediareport at 7:47 PM on October 11, 2006


Maybe there could be a sort of nuclear option for moderation, so if a fpp gets, say, 500 no votes it disappears.
posted by mecran01 at 8:06 PM on October 11, 2006




Apologies for any and all deceased in the accident but the post sucks.
posted by loquacious at 8:10 PM on October 11, 2006


econous,

Sorry to confuse you, my reference to "callout" was to all the nitwits who chose to criticize the post, not the poster of this MeTa thread.
posted by jayder at 8:12 PM on October 11, 2006


So I kept my cool and went looking for the emergency exits. If anything else had happened, I was going to run for it. You sound like James Bond dude, or perhaps Riddick.. more of an anti-hero type thing.

Funny. I thought I sounded like a guy on the 37th floor of a tall building watching another tall building about a mile to the north of me burn because a plane had just crashed into it. A guy who remembered seeing a similar event and who felt some fairly normal fear.
posted by jason's_planet at 8:18 PM on October 11, 2006


jayder
Ah I see.. cheers for that. I am so very easily confused with these longer threads. It's ADHD, can't get anyone in the so called 'medical profession' to agree. Crazy fools just keep on insisting I'm as thick as plank.
posted by econous at 8:30 PM on October 11, 2006


Matt, if you ban keswick, please also put me on a time out for the next five (5) days.

*I'm* Spartacus!
posted by mazola at 8:30 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


I have missed most of the comments from before dinner, sorry, but what is this crap about banning keswick? He was an ass, yes. Get over it.
posted by caddis at 8:31 PM on October 11, 2006


FWIW, caddis, I don't think he should be banned either. Just getting him to act abashed publicly was lesson enough, I think.
posted by jonmc at 8:35 PM on October 11, 2006


Has anyone here ever said something dickish or at least ill-considered and then just kept pushing it and justifying it rather than just saying "ah shit, I'm sorry, that was out of order."?

Yall should just make your snarky comments and then say "Fuck you and what?" Not all this hemming and hawing and "New Yorkers are so self-centered" and "you're an anti-hero" sarcasm, fucking knuckle up and stand your ground or admit that you popped off because it doesn't really matter to you and you thought you could score points with the too-cool-for-school crowd.

Buncha fucking suckers.

The price of a perfect mefi is eternal whiny vigilance.
posted by Divine_Wino at 8:40 PM on October 11, 2006


jason's_planet I guess if I'd seen the things you've seen, I'd take them seriously to.
posted by econous at 8:42 PM on October 11, 2006


I assure you, my misanthropy is real.

Naw, the stink of effort rolls your 'provocative' comments like Old Spice on a weird uncle that corners you at family gatherings and won't stop talking about that dollar he found in a urinal.

Also, I hope that you refrain from making any more FPPs about band break-ups (We all have irritating music snob hipster friends and know Pitchfork's URL... and dude, bands break up everyday).

And Pepsi Google. That was the best link to a press release I ever done saw, sonny!

Oh, and ixnay on any more posts about New York and the WTC site, okay? I mean, shit dude, it's not the center of the world, y'know? We got TVs and can read the papers!

Also, props to you for changing your contact info after this comment. Personally, I think how you quickly got rid of the data ASAP, without concern for how petty and cowardly it makes you look is in itself a special kind of bravery.

Keep fighting the good fight, shitheel!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:52 PM on October 11, 2006 [2 favorites]


ah shit, I'm sorry, that was out of order.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:53 PM on October 11, 2006


The Wino speaketh truth. or thomthingth.
posted by jonmc at 8:54 PM on October 11, 2006


I guess if I'd seen the things you've seen, I'd take them seriously to.

econous, you seem to suggest that it's only the eyewitness to a terrible event who is able to take similar events seriously. Odd.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 8:54 PM on October 11, 2006


For those of you who are claiming that all this is a lot like the 9/11 thread ... that may have been one of our finest hours. The drivel in this thread, and the crap on the front page that it refers to, certainly isn't. You can't hold up a paragon of virtue in one hand with a pile of shit in the other.

For those of you suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and had flashbacks when they saw the plane crash today, seek help elsewhere. The grey (or the blue, for that matter) has never been a place for sympathy. Quit pretending to be shocked and appalled when you don't find it.
posted by crunchland at 9:22 PM on October 11, 2006


ah shit, I'm sorry, that was out of order

How can you put that much work into a response and then suffer crippling remorse one minute after pressing post?
posted by nanojath at 9:58 PM on October 11, 2006


nanojath: "ah shit, I'm sorry, that was out of order

How can you put that much work into a response and then suffer crippling remorse one minute after pressing post?
"

Like this.
posted by bob sarabia at 10:08 PM on October 11, 2006


Ah, I see, not paying attention. Sorry, out of order there.
posted by nanojath at 10:11 PM on October 11, 2006


Oh noes, the man on the internets called me a coward. What do you want to settle this mano a mano in Half-Life 2?

I've had my IM on there since I logged in, and not once has anyone bothered to use it, so I figured I'd remove it. Everyone knows I live in NorCal, so it's not like its a big secret. Let's see, oh, I removed my funny fake name and website too. Are you guys done making this all about me instead of the FPP?

Jesus, it's not like I wished death on all the NYC MeFites.
posted by keswick at 10:39 PM on October 11, 2006


(To any and all as applicable.) Take a deep breath. Unclench. Repeat.

(To all and all alike:) Crazier shit is likely on the way. Keep breathing. Be prepared - but don't freak. Never forgot that 99.99% of the world (or more) is with you in your communal wishes for peace and tranquility.

(To everyone: Humor is a weapon. Perhaps the most powerful weapon. Please don't misplace it or lose it.

Stay in Love.
posted by loquacious at 10:42 PM on October 11, 2006


So, when's the candle vigil and a ribbon ceremony?
posted by c13 at 10:43 PM on October 11, 2006


Are you guys done making this all about me instead of the FPP?

If you want to call out the FPP, start another MeTa. This one's for you being a pencildick shithead.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 10:45 PM on October 11, 2006 [1 favorite]


Afroblanco: nothing personal, but keswick enhances my enjoyment of the site. You're not the only user of MetaFilter.
posted by IshmaelGraves at 10:54 PM on October 11, 2006


Cripes, sensitive lil misanthrope, ain't he?

Annnnnnnnnd scene.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 11:09 PM on October 11, 2006


What do you want to settle this mano a mano in Half-Life 2?

hmmm ... maybe you should cut off your hand for us

remember ... misanthropy, like charity, should begin at home
posted by pyramid termite at 11:22 PM on October 11, 2006


Won't someone please think of the poor innocent Halflifians always being forced from their homes by RPGs and frag grenades. Fight them there so we don't have to fight here, indeed.
posted by shnoz-gobblin at 11:35 PM on October 11, 2006


Just double Crunchland's comments in here for me...
posted by klangklangston at 11:40 PM on October 11, 2006


The score so far: roughly 17,000 words typed into the FPP & this thread. At an average of 40 wpm, that amounts to 425 minutes of typing, which I will round down to 7 hours. Assuming, generously, that most comments were thought through beforehand for a period exactly matching the typing time, that brings us to 14 hours. Assuming, next, that the majority of people here skim comments, mostly, I might add one more hour of collective reading time to the tally, bringing us to 15.

If that time had been spent walking at a moderate pace of 7kph, 6,000kCal would have been burned, which is roughly the equivalent of a little more than ten Big Macs.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:01 AM on October 12, 2006 [1 favorite]


i don't have to eat all those, do i?
posted by pyramid termite at 12:14 AM on October 12, 2006


only if you win the thread.
posted by UbuRoivas at 12:41 AM on October 12, 2006


Q. UbuRoivas, if Cory Lidle gets a K on Smokey Bear in the forest, does Torre consider making him the no. 2 starter in April?

A. It doesn't fucking matter! The poor guy is dead, Smokey (the) Bear is fictional, and Torre would never, ever, make Lidle the number two man behind Mussina or Wang because Joe is working on borrowed time and kept his job by the skin of his teeth.

Go eat a BM and try to find Marvin Gardens and don't post about how someone could lose a couple pounds by channelling righteous indignation and stinging one-liners.
posted by Joybooth at 1:05 AM on October 12, 2006


Oh please. Go to the thread and do a search for all instances of "terror" and I think you might realize that very few, if any, were "going all 'omg terrism is happening in NYC'".

Oh please. The thread would have been likely deleted had it just been another minor accident were it to be posted in the first place. The terrorist "connection" is the reason that post was made, why it was so commented on, why it lasted. Or are we posting all accidents that register a death toll now? Just in the U.S.? Just in New York?

For those of you suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and had flashbacks when they saw the plane crash today, seek help elsewhere.

What he said.
posted by dreamsign at 1:25 AM on October 12, 2006


joybooth: i would channel my non-righteous non-indignation into a BM, but here down under, they have been renamed "McCrocs" in honour of Steve Irwin. Similarly, 1/4 pounders are McRays. These names also give a nod to Ray Croc, the founder of McDonalds.
posted by UbuRoivas at 1:32 AM on October 12, 2006


Would you like fries with that?
posted by flabdablet at 2:09 AM on October 12, 2006


The score so far: roughly 17,000 words typed into the FPP & this thread. At an average of 40 wpm, that amounts to 425 minutes of typing, which I will round down to 7 hours. Assuming, generously, that most

Which barely begins to cover the caloric deficit incurred by climbing right the fuck up on your mom. Fucking hell yes I want fries with that, bitch.
posted by loquacious at 2:49 AM on October 12, 2006


Wow dreamsign, way to quote what you needed and cut it off at exactly the spot where I say "For the record, I don't think the FPP was very good, but, at the same time, I don't think that warrants shitty behavior in the thread". So I agree that it wasn't a good FPP, yet you selectively quote me so you can take issue. Nice.

The claim that I was responding to was that people were going "omg terrism is happening in NYC" and generally freaking out about it. When you look in the thread most mentions of terrorism are either saying that it was being reported that it probably wasn't related to terrorism or that it could be or it couldn't be, it wasn't known for certain at that moment. In other words, mostly levelheaded thinking.

But, hey, go ahead and argue that the very existence of the FPP means that we're all "pussies" or something instead of people just taking the opportunity to comment in an existing thread.
posted by Stauf at 3:50 AM on October 12, 2006


"Go eat a BM"

So now this thread is about Japanese porn?
posted by mr_crash_davis at 6:42 AM on October 12, 2006


I am just surprised that keswick didn't find time to slam hippies and deadheads in that thread as well.

I think the guy is a dick too, but his offense doesn't warrant a ban or a time out/fresh air. His actions in the thread in question (and most any other thread for that matter) as well as this MeTa are probably punishment enough, even if he won't realize it.

The FPP sucked, its poster has apologised, jonmc/pips and all the NYC MeFites appear to be safe and accounted for. I think that's a wrap folks. *clap* Well done. Drinks!
posted by terrapin at 6:46 AM on October 12, 2006


I had never before thought of keswick as someone who "contributed."

I still don't think of him that way, unless by "contribute" is meant "shits all over everything he sees." But I don't think he should be banned for that, just mocked relentlessly.
posted by languagehat at 7:01 AM on October 12, 2006


I think the guy is a dick too

He seems to have a soft spot for me, which is both flattering and troubling.
posted by jonmc at 7:04 AM on October 12, 2006


Cranky curmudgeons are people too.
posted by StickyCarpet at 7:07 AM on October 12, 2006


Figures. Now that you are married, jon, keswick starts flirting with you. Always the case. Forbidden fruit, and all that.
posted by terrapin at 7:17 AM on October 12, 2006


Figures. Now that you are married, jon, keswick starts flirting with you.

I can't help being this beautiful. That's just my cross to bear.

I'm just hoping I didn't somehow inspire him to be dickish (and I know he's capable of better).
posted by jonmc at 7:27 AM on October 12, 2006


For those of you suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and had flashbacks when they saw the plane crash today, seek help elsewhere. The grey (or the blue, for that matter) has never been a place for sympathy. Quit pretending to be shocked and appalled when you don't find it.

I wasn't seeking free therapy or sympathy. I mentioned my experience of watching the building burn and my emotional reaction to it simply to make the point that this wasn't just an online experience or a media experience for some people. It happened in real life. It involved real people. That's all.
posted by jason's_planet at 7:32 AM on October 12, 2006


I guess I have a different outlook on FPP's than some other people. I saw this one, realized that it wasn't anything that I was interested in reading (since I don't live in NYC and I had heard on NPR that it had nothing to do with terrorism) and I moved on.

What I did not do was to read it, decide that no one should comment in it, and then enter to take a dump on everyone who had commented.

Some people just don't realize that there's no rule saying that you must comment in every thread that has over 20 comments. If you don't have any interest in whatever is being discussed, then move on to something else--don't just pontificate that no one else should comment either. That's just plain pissy.
posted by leftcoastbob at 8:03 AM on October 12, 2006


jonmc: forbidden fruit
posted by Hat Maui at 9:19 AM on October 12, 2006


keswick: flirting with you

:*
posted by keswick at 9:26 AM on October 12, 2006


The weird value alone makes it an interesting story.

Ah, so that's how it works. Matt, can we somehow patch in an RSS feed or something so that the entire contents of ObscureStore also run here? It would save time.
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:38 AM on October 12, 2006


I learned an important lesson here:

When a plane crashes into a building in New York, there is always more to the story. Crazy more.
posted by Astro Zombie at 12:59 PM on October 12, 2006


In Russia, the keswick flirts you!
posted by klangklangston at 2:00 PM on October 12, 2006


So, is this just going to be written off as keswick being keswick? Is mattamyn in full ignore mode? I NEED CLOSURE DAMMIT
posted by graventy at 4:57 PM on October 12, 2006


probably.
posted by StrasbourgSecaucus at 5:07 PM on October 12, 2006


But perhaps not...
posted by mediareport at 5:49 PM on October 12, 2006


I think languagehat's policy is best.


And by best, I mean funnest.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 5:53 PM on October 12, 2006


Peace, everybody...


posted by The Deej at 6:08 PM on October 12, 2006


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