Generalissimo Fancisco Franco Is No Longer Dead June 22, 2011 8:05 AM Subscribe

The Queen is Dead JK LOL LMFAO!!!!!!

Why was this post allowed to stand in that form? I was under the impression that misleading single-link headlines were strongly discouraged around here.

That post could have been very easily "fixed" by moving the rest of the content above the cut. Can we not do this again?

posted by schmod to Etiquette/Policy at 8:05 AM (239 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite

Also, a slightly more unreasonable request: Any post about Terry Pratchett must be immediately accompanied by the phrase "STILL ALIVE," as long as that is still applicable.
posted by schmod at 8:06 AM on June 22, 2011 [26 favorites]

I'm probably an outlier, but I saw that title and knew what it was about without clicking on the link or the more inside. But then, I've seen other news items on other blogs about it recently, so my mind was prepped.
posted by LionIndex at 8:07 AM on June 22, 2011 [9 favorites]

The queen does not die at this time.
posted by maudlin at 8:07 AM on June 22, 2011 [9 favorites]

If it had produced any kind of HEY MODS, UH, IT SUCKS THAT SOMEONE PRANKED US ABOUT THE QUEEN BEING DEAD response we would have taken a look at it, but no one said anything and it didn't pick up a significant pile of flags either.

I think "Famous Person X is Dead" would be more problematic if it were almost any other value of X than this, given that TQID is one of those weird long-running cultural jokes/idioms that isn't so much likely to be serious and isn't, in any case, what an actual post about the sudden unexpected death of the Queen (of, presumably, England) would look like.

That said, I totally sympathize if it caused anyone distress. I'm not a subject, I don't have any particular feelings about her. But if there's distress, people need to let us know about it or we can't do anything about it.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:10 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Considering that the OP actually seems to believe it's the greatest album in the history of history, (s)he may also just be ridiculously myopic enough to think that everyone will immediately recognize that as the title of a Smiths record rather than thinking it's a declarative sentence about a person.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:13 AM on June 22, 2011 [8 favorites]

She should have died hereafter. There would have been a time for such a word.
posted by Floydd at 8:14 AM on June 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

Ah, I saw the post and realized that there was more than one way to parse it, with the two most likely probabilities being "Smiths Album" and "Dead Royalty." About 500 milliseconds later, as I saw that there were only twenty-odd comments in the hours since it had been posted and, coupled with a lack of "The Monarch of England, blah blah blah," immediately selected the Smiths as being the subject.

I don't think anyone was deceived or mislead or even panicked (on the streets of London).
posted by adipocere at 8:16 AM on June 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

STILL ALIVE

Surely you mean "HE ATE'NT DEAD."
posted by The corpse in the library at 8:20 AM on June 22, 2011 [16 favorites]

Newsfilter: Panic Seizes London, Birmingham, Carlisle, Dublin, Dundee, Humberside; Reports of DJ Hangings.
posted by Admiral Haddock at 8:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [74 favorites]

Why would anyone think he was referring to anything other than The Smiths?

Because not everyone is familiar with their oeuvre?
posted by nickmark at 8:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [8 favorites]

Why would anyone think he was referring to anything other than The Smiths? I mean, does America even have a queen? I don't think so.

She ain't our Queen, but Liz 2 is someone I think most of us have at least heard of...

(not a Smiths fan, caught me off guard for a second, clicked through and saw what it was about, shrugged and moved on.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:31 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Is it really so strange?
posted by Trurl at 8:31 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

A quick look at google news, twitter, or wikipedia could have set your mind at ease. Or, you know, if you're such close personal friends with her, contact someone in her family to check.

Don't have a heart attack. Even if she really was dead, we'd get through this together, like we always do.
posted by Eideteker at 8:34 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Does it read as jokey? It's not like there's a big "ha ha gotcha" on the inside, it seems a pretty straightforward reference to the album that actually bears that name. If you want to call someone out, it should probably be Morrissey.
posted by donnagirl at 8:35 AM on June 22, 2011 [7 favorites]

Even if she really was dead, we'd get through this together, like we always do.

Indeed. Most likely we'd go for a walk where it's quiet and dry, and talk about precious things.
posted by mykescipark at 8:35 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

The capitalization of 'Dead' made me think it was the name of a thing.
posted by shakespeherian at 8:37 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

I mean, does America even have a queen?

Dairy Queen.
posted by elizardbits at 8:37 AM on June 22, 2011 [24 favorites]

I would pose the question "Why does anyone care about The Smiths?", but I don't want to die in a hail of bricks thrown by angry Mefis.

_{_{Really, though. I effing hate The Smiths.}}
posted by DWRoelands at 8:37 AM on June 22, 2011 [7 favorites]

also i hoped it was a post about Aliens
posted by shakespeherian at 8:39 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

FWIW, I just flagged it. I don't know if it's because this is a US-based site with a lot of US users, so it has a US-centric theme to it, but I don't think it would go over well if someone posted THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD and then under the fold made it about The Dead Presidents or some rap group or whatever.
posted by 1000monkeys at 8:41 AM on June 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

Imagine my embarrassment. I even phoned my mum to tell her (she's rather fond of the royals, you see). 'My god!', she said, and promptly raced off to tell the neighbours. Now I'm, going to have to explain Metafilter to a load of old ladies, as well as probably taking them biscuits.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 8:41 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Also, the whole "unarguably the greatest album ever" (or whatever it said), isn't that editorializing? I thought that was frowned upon in FPPs?
posted by 1000monkeys at 8:42 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Dead Presidents or some rap group or whatever

My new favourite band name. Thanks.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 8:42 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

I would pose the question "Why does anyone care about The Smiths?", but I don't want to die in a hail of bricks thrown by angry Mefis.

Wrong audience: you only have to worry about the subset of MeFites that would stand over next to the wall, muttering darkly and looking at their shoes and wondering if maybe that means you secretly like them.
posted by Shepherd at 8:43 AM on June 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

To clarify: I was not shocked, upset, or horrified by this post, nor am I one of the queen's subjects.

I just want to be able to read the front page of Metafilter without having to follow every link to second-guess what each post is about. More of a "Gotcha" than an actual joke.
posted by schmod at 8:43 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

The Queen has been dead to me since she poured the milk first. Commoner.
posted by londonmark at 8:44 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I thought this was about the Sweater Queen. I was going to comment that it was old news. I think everyone was a little disappointed today.
posted by TwelveTwo at 8:44 AM on June 22, 2011

Needs more Mercury.
posted by clavdivs at 8:47 AM on June 22, 2011 [12 favorites]

does America even have a queen?

Aretha Franklin.
posted by Trurl at 8:50 AM on June 22, 2011 [10 favorites]

The topic for this MeTa thread is causing me distress. I was under the impression that misleading headlines were strongly discouraged around here. Mods, can we get a ruling on this, please?
posted by entropicamericana at 8:50 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I just want to be able to read the front page of Metafilter without having to follow every link to second-guess what each post is about.

I do too, but without wanting to be a pill here I think that's actually how the front page actually works in general and that one silly Smiths post is not likely to be the vanguard of some smothering insurrection of intentionally misleading links or anything.

I don't think it would go over well if someone posted THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD

Agreed, but there's a significant difference here is part of my impression: "The Queen/King Is Dead (Long Live The Q/K)" is an established idiom, "The President Is Dead" not so much. Questions of bad taste or potential confusion aside, that does sort of matter in how something's like to be received.
posted by cortex (staff) at 8:51 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

I do plan to paint the White House black. Literally.
posted by mintcake! at 8:54 AM on June 22, 2011

The headline is not misleading.
posted by dirtdirt at 8:54 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I say we call out "The Queen Is Dead" because it suggests Leeds might be a desirable place to visit.
posted by The Whelk at 8:55 AM on June 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

Soon, it will be suggested we should be required to wear helmets while reading the front page.
posted by Threeway Handshake at 8:55 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

A better headline would have been "My favourite album is 25 years old and I would like us to chat about it here on MetaFilter".
It was a crap post without the crap headline.
posted by rocket88 at 8:57 AM on June 22, 2011 [16 favorites]

I just want to be able to read the front page of Metafilter without having to follow every link to second-guess what each post is about.

You just haven't earned it yet, baby.
posted by Trurl at 8:58 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

So, you know, stretch out and wait.
posted by Trurl at 8:59 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

At first i was like "What queen is dead? There are many queens in this world."

Then, I hovered my mouse over the link and from the address deduced that it was a link to a music website of some sort. Not exactly the kind of source that would break news as to the death of a monarch. That, coupled with the capitalization in the post, led me to deduce that we are talking about an album, not a news item.

This comment will probably be misconstrued to be some sort of criticism of or insult to people who don't hover their mouse pointer over links (or click on "more inside") before making assumptions about the content of a post, so I will pre-state that I don't intend any insult.
posted by muddgirl at 8:59 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

I just want to be able to read the front page of Metafilter without having to follow every link to second-guess what each post is about.

You don't have to follow the link, you just have to hover over it to see the URL. They're not headlines; they're posts, and people are allowed to be creative.

I immediately thought of the Smiths, and I'm not a particular fan or anything. For one, Dead was capitalized; for another, there's more than one queen in the world. Would anyone really post a single-link* obit thread with that vague pronouncement? I suppose anything could happen, but it seems unlikely.

*Note: nothing wrong with single link posts, but I doubt the obituary of one of the three Queens Regnant would have only one link.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:00 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Well, for one, The Queen is Dead could have "Dead" capitalized because it's a headline. Two, I've never heard of the Smiths before (yeah, I know, I'm not a cool hipster I guess), and three, as rocket88 said even without the misleading headline, it was an extremely thin/weak post that was basically editorializing and chatfilter, in my opinion, and should've been deleted as is regardless of the Queen is Dead stuff.
posted by 1000monkeys at 9:03 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Queen is just in a coma. But I know it's really serious.
posted by Babblesort at 9:05 AM on June 22, 2011 [7 favorites]

As a preemptive heads up: R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It" turns 25 next year.
posted by Slack-a-gogo at 9:07 AM on June 22, 2011 [49 favorites]

"I immediately thought of the Smiths, and I'm not a particular fan or anything."

I immediately thought of the Sex Pistols, because I'm even less particular of a fan.
posted by Eideteker at 9:09 AM on June 22, 2011

Stunty post. Please don't do that.
posted by smackfu at 9:10 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

What do we even mean by Queen?

Admittedly, if you are reading a post that reads "The Queen is Dead", you may have to check whether the thing you see over there really is the Queen, and if she is dead, but then you do at least know what people mean by a "Queen", and "Dead"; and if you don't you can look it up, - but then you must know what some other word means. Such as "Royalty", "Crown", "Mortuary", maybe even, "Homicide" or "Galumptious." The fact that a word means such-and-such, is used in such-and-such a way, is in turn an empirical fact, like the fact that what you see over there is a Queen. But what if the person is lying to you? Perhaps that is the Queen but she is not dead. Or that is someone else who is not the Queen and is dead. But still other options remain. What if that is not a Queen at all, but a toaster with some bit of bread already spread with jam. Why would anyone do such a thing as that? Put jam on bread prior to, and not after, toasting. What if what they mean by "The Queen is Dead" is that they, perhaps too tired in the morning or distracted by a morning bird's warbling song, had inadvertently put jam on untoasted bread before placing it into their toaster for the morning crunch of sweetened wheat. These are things which you must know.

Therefore, in order for you to be able to understand a Metafilter post there must be some empirical fact about which you are not in doubt. Doubt itself rests only on what is beyond doubt. But since a language-game is something that consists in the recurrent procedures of the game in time, it seems impossible to say in any individual case that such-and-such must be beyond doubt if there is to be a language-game - though it is right enough to say that as a rule some empirical judgment or other must be beyond doubt. Therefore, it might very well be the case that the Queen is dead, just as well as it may be that the Queen is not. In conclusion, this call out is an unnecessary play of inconclusive language games.
posted by TwelveTwo at 9:17 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

But if there's distress, people need to let us know about it or we can't do anything about it.

I didn't experience distress, but is that really the primary concern of the "no misleading posts" rule? I certainly only clicked because I thought we were talking about the actual Queen. It's like using the stupid "SEX! (now that I have your attention" headline.
posted by DU at 9:18 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

I guess that:

1) living in London
2) having seen HRH ER II alive and well on the teev at multiple official occasions in the last couple of weeks, and
2) being a Smiths fan

meant I was biased straight away towards reading the title as a Smiths reference. Those with different geographic, media and musical biases might not have made that connection, but they would have been swiftly disabused of any grave concerns.

TL;DR: People will read into things what they want, no biggie.
posted by bright cold day at 9:22 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I honestly thought it was about Aretha Franklin until I clicked the link, because I heard she got hurt yesterday (turns out she stubbed her toe).
posted by Danila at 9:22 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I didn't experience distress, but is that really the primary concern of the "no misleading posts" rule?

There's not really any formal "no misleading posts" rule. Generally, not being intentionally malicious or shitty with the framing of a post falls under the auspices of "don't be a dick" and I'm happy to state for the record that it would be a good thing for people to avoid Ha Ha Gotcha type framing since it's likely to annoy people and cause friction, but that's as with most things concerning style here about as far as it goes.

People are, generally, pretty good about it to the point where this sort of thing doesn't come up with any regularity, and on the occasions it does it usually seems more like misstep than any kind of willful jerk move.
posted by cortex (staff) at 9:24 AM on June 22, 2011

We do have a queen, and it's one of the Kardashian sisters. I forget if it's the dumb one or the one with the big ears that was on Star Trek.
posted by Mister_A at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Hey, everybody! Genuine apologies to anybody that suffered distress.

In my defence, this place has been a bit fighty lately, and I thought that light-heartedly bringing attention to a significant anniversary of an album that a lot of us have fond memories of would be fun. I wasn't taking the piss, I wasn't trying to mislead or offend anybody. I'm at a loss as to how somebody could be so outraged that they'd go to the trouble of framing a denunciation, but that is probably a failing of mine rather than the poster of this MeTa.

Also, the 'unarguably the greatest pop album' thing was just a loving tip of the hat to the 'your favourite band sucks' riff that MeFi actually does well.

Anyway, I've learnt my lesson. Sorry.
posted by veedubya at 9:26 AM on June 22, 2011 [5 favorites]

Eh, this place has always been a bit fighty lately.
posted by shakespeherian at 9:32 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

"I'm at a loss as to how somebody could be so outraged that they'd go to the trouble of framing a denunciation, but that is probably a failing of mine rather than the poster of this MeTa."

Can't it be both?
posted by Eideteker at 9:33 AM on June 22, 2011

rocket88: "A better headline would have been "My favourite album is 25 years old and I would like us to chat about it here on MetaFilter".
It was a crap post without the crap headline"

At least it wasn't a post about a commercial bakery closing one of its retail outlets.
posted by Mitheral at 9:34 AM on June 22, 2011

1000monkeys: " I'm not a cool hipster I guess"

what in the world this is like broad countermeasure of rhetoric, firing chaff in every direction to deflect from any potential countermeasure -- we're talking about the smiths for god sakes.

Eideteker: "I immediately thought of the Sex Pistols"
I thought about riffing on this, but declined. How odd to see it would be a real, genuine response.
posted by boo_radley at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2011

Eh, this place has always been a bit fighty lately.

Well, of course it has been fighty. Yesterday brought forth a Mercury-Saturn square, Mars-Neptune square and Vesta station. In addition, the Moon in Pisces is void for the entire day and night, and that will last until early morning tomorrow when the Moon enters fiery, forceful Aries. To make matters worse, later today Mercury squares Saturn, Mars squares Neptune, an asteroid is motionless, and a long void Moon is moving through a water sign like Pisces. But at least, later this evening Venus makes a 72-degree link to Uranus and the Moon makes its monthly union with nurturing and comforting Ceres.
posted by TwelveTwo at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Someone needs to modify "Girlfriend in a Coma" for this occasion, but I haven't finished my morning tea yet.
posted by katillathehun at 9:35 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

No outrage intended -- I'm trying to have a discussion; not an argument. I'm sorry if that's how it came across. You're fine, veedubya, and not the only person guilty of framing posts this way. (And your posting history is pretty good, so it'd be a shame if this deterred you from future FPPs!)

I'd just like us to collectively be a bit more descriptive and accurate when framing FPPs. As I mentioned, moving the rest of your post above the fold would have been 100% OK with me, even with the "The Queen is Dead" phrase bolded and hyperlinked.
posted by schmod at 9:39 AM on June 22, 2011

I would pose the question "Why does anyone care about The Smiths?", but I don't want to die in a hail of bricks thrown by angry Mefis.

If that's something you'd like to try you could post it to Ask Me. I won't say no. How could I?
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 9:39 AM on June 22, 2011 [11 favorites]

Anybody who thinks "fans of The Smiths" and "hipster" is really really proving how much they are not a fan of The Smiths, despite their error... or has certainly not been anywhere near a concert where Morrisey was performing any time recently. Because...yeah... just no.

(And I say this as a person whose music taste tend to run to concerts where the hipster label would be accurately applied.)
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:40 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

later this evening Venus makes a 72-degree link to Uranus and the Moon makes its monthly union with nurturing and comforting Ceres.

And that's after barely surviving a tough 3 set match earlier today against 40-year-old ex-world No.4 Kimiko Date-Krumm!
posted by BeerFilter at 9:42 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Huh. I knew what it was the moment I saw it. Probably because it said "The Queen is Dead" and not "The Queen is dead." And even then, I'd expect a more fleshed out obit post.
posted by eyeballkid at 9:45 AM on June 22, 2011

Cheers, schmod. Sorry that I misread you. If you should ever happen to find yourself in the UK, the beer's on me.
posted by veedubya at 9:48 AM on June 22, 2011

Anyway, I've learnt my lesson. Sorry.

There's no lesson to be learned here, people on metafilter are way too sensitive.
posted by TheBones at 9:48 AM on June 22, 2011

Two, I've never heard of the Smiths before (yeah, I know, I'm not a cool hipster I guess),

Cool hipsters* or not, I suggest any people that get ruffled about posts that seem to be about something other than what they are develop the habit of rolling over links to check the URL. This is not meant to point out UR DOING IT RONG: it's meant to save the time of people who don't want to click on random stuff, which is why I do it myself.

*where does this little dis even come from? Smiths fans are perennially uncool. That's their schtick.
posted by oneirodynia at 9:48 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

I didn't experience distress, but is that really the primary concern of the "no misleading posts" rule?

Well, it is the name of the album so I'm not sure if it qualifies as misleading...

FWIW my first impression was also that the Queen of England had died. I guess now I know that when that actually happens my reaction would be to say "huh," and then I'd proceed to read about a bagel shop I've never heard of.
posted by Hoopo at 9:49 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Yeah, that post should be deleted. But mostly because the Smiths suck.
posted by koeselitz at 9:49 AM on June 22, 2011

When the real Brittishy queen dies, can whoever writes the obit post please please have the single sentence above the fold be "The Queen is Dead."?
posted by andoatnp at 9:51 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Just played in a performance of Dido and Aeneas last Friday-Saturday. I can confirm that the queen is dead.

Wait...
posted by Namlit at 9:53 AM on June 22, 2011

I'm one of the Queen's subjects. Well, I'm in the UK so I guess I'm a subject by default. I haven't bent the knee or anything. Anyway, I did at first think it meant ol' Lizzy, so I took a look (might have meant a day off work for the funeral), and then promptly got over it when I realised that it was about something else.

Yeah, I think it was misleading, but it only took about 2.4 seconds to figure out what it was about.
posted by Solomon at 9:53 AM on June 22, 2011

At least it wasn't a post about a commercial bakery closing one of its retail outlets.

If it was a non-commercial bakery would it have been okay? Or a wholesale outlet?
posted by Bookhouse at 9:57 AM on June 22, 2011

There's no lesson to be learned here, people on metafilter are way too sensitive

What a horrible, cruel generalization to make! No we aren't! How can you say that? I'm telling my therapist
posted by Redhush at 9:57 AM on June 22, 2011

people on metafilter are way too sensitive

NO WE'RE NOT DIDN'T YOU READ THAT ONE THREAD WHERE WE DISCUSSED THIS?
posted by Hoopo at 9:59 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

NO WE'RE NOT DIDN'T YOU READ THAT ONE THREAD WHERE WE DISCUSSED THIS?

quit shouting it is hurting my ears
posted by TwelveTwo at 10:03 AM on June 22, 2011

THE PRESIDENT IS DEAD
[more inside]

SERIOUS ABOUT HEALTHCARE REFORM
posted by emmtee at 10:03 AM on June 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

This is what you get when you base a system of government on some farcical aquatic ceremony.
posted by crunchland at 10:13 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Just to clarify, I don't really give a crap if the Queen dies (other than from a purely human POV), but I just thought the post was weak and thin, and the only reason why I even hovered my mouse over it/clicked to read more was to see if the Queen really died and if not, what it was all about. Putting aside the title for a minute, I still don't see how it was a good post; it basically comes across to me as, "OMG isn't my favourite band great? They put an album out 25 years ago, isn't that cool? Let's talk about how great my favourite band is!"
posted by 1000monkeys at 10:16 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I saw that post and thought "Damn mystery meat" and hovered over it because if it was from the NYT or CNN or something I thought the Queen of England might be dead and I would have wanted to read about that but I saw it wasn't so got on with my life until early this morning before work there was nothing else interesting so I clicked on it and although not a Smiths fan was absolutely delighted to be reminded of that "Classic Tracks" series and was almost late for work reading about Fleetwood Mac and now I have a bunch of work to do or I'd be reading about The Jam so thanks for posting this, if you had described it I probably wouldn't have clicked on it therefore this was a rare case (to myself personally) that lack of description was a good thing.
posted by marxchivist at 10:18 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Ohh.. I thought Terry Pratchett played Susan on Desperate Housewives.
posted by herbplarfegan at 10:20 AM on June 22, 2011

people on metafilter are way too sensitive

Too sensitive to what?
posted by shakespeherian at 10:26 AM on June 22, 2011

Someone needs to modify "Girlfriend in a Coma" for this occasion

I will never again hear it to any tune other than Tiptoe Through the Tulips.
posted by Wolfdog at 10:28 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I'll just hold off on my post about the TREMENDOUS EXPLOSION in the price of lumber, then.
posted by SpiffyRob at 10:30 AM on June 22, 2011

NEW EVIDENCE THAT HUMANS EVOLVED FROM ROCKS

says schizophrenic man on street corner
posted by shakespeherian at 10:32 AM on June 22, 2011

Fire sale!
posted by proj at 10:32 AM on June 22, 2011

Over-thinking a plate of Queens?
posted by cjorgensen at 10:35 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

I saw the link on my phone this morning, which I mention only because I could not mouseover to see the link address. I thought about it for a second, then decided that if Queen Elizabeth had died, there is no fucking way a single-link obit would have lived for more than thirty seconds. Then I went to work.
posted by Errant at 10:39 AM on June 22, 2011

If your phone is an iPhone press and hold on the link and you can see where it'll take you.

If your phone is not an iPhone I suggest getting one.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:43 AM on June 22, 2011 [6 favorites]

Can I have yours?
posted by shakespeherian at 10:47 AM on June 22, 2011

And more than one button on the mouse!
posted by shakespeherian at 10:54 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Oh, for Christ's sake.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 10:57 AM on June 22, 2011

The problem is you become "The guy with an Android" in your social circle.
posted by The Whelk at 10:58 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Oh, for Christ's sake.

I usually go by Christopher.
posted by cjorgensen at 10:59 AM on June 22, 2011

Do you need more than one friend to have a social circle?
posted by shakespeherian at 11:12 AM on June 22, 2011

OMG isn't my favourite band great? They put an album out 25 years ago, isn't that cool?

This is an album anniversary post that got 23 favorites and no "this post sucks" comments.

That's either because it has meatier links or because The Smiths suck.
posted by Trurl at 11:15 AM on June 22, 2011

I know it's heresy, but I'm not a big Smiths* fan, and I don't know their album titles at all. I'm also not a big European royalty fan, either, so at first I was bemused, then sorted it out upon clicking the link. It felt a little stunty to me, but not just horrifically so. I could see how it might be jarring to a Brit, and maybe the post could have been lest mystery-meatish.

*Morrisey annoys, but I should state that Johnny Marr is a God, just to avoid a total flaying at the hands of the faithful.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:17 AM on June 22, 2011

This is an album anniversary post that got 23 favorites and no "this post sucks" comments.

It didn't take long to look through all 18 of those comments, I'm guessing.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:18 AM on June 22, 2011

It didn't take long to look through all 18 of those comments, I'm guessing.

If your point is that the number of comments proves it's a bad post, I don't agree.
posted by Trurl at 11:20 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The problem is you become "The guy with an Android" in your social circle.

To be fair, if you're currently 'the guy with a Razr,' or 'the guy who likes Ogg Vorbis,' then 'the guy with an Android' may be an improvement.
posted by box at 11:22 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

If your point is that the number of comments proves it's a bad post, I don't agree.

Ahh, so it's the number of favorites and lack of haters that make it a good post. My mistake. I didn't know that was the official criteria.
posted by eyeballkid at 11:22 AM on June 22, 2011

Is it worse to be 'The guy who bizarrely thinks his friends care about what kind of expensive phone he has'?
posted by shakespeherian at 11:23 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

My social circle is comprised of people who don't have a social circle.

Can I have an Android? I think I'll call it 'Rupert' and make it wear a maid's outfit and dust stuff that doesn't really need dusting. If you know what I mean.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 11:25 AM on June 22, 2011

Androids are better because iPhones don't really let you make as many stupid Blade Runner jokes in your day-to-day life.
posted by shakespeherian at 11:27 AM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

We have a constitutional republic, not a monarchy.

The British have a monarchy, we have a moneyarchy.
posted by jamjam at 11:33 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

All this time, I thought we just had a government.
posted by TwelveTwo at 11:36 AM on June 22, 2011

Slack-a-gogo: "As a preemptive heads up: R.E.M.'s "It's the End of the World as We Know It" turns 25 next year."

Fuckin' hell.
posted by zarq at 11:38 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

The Whelk: "The problem is you become "The guy with an Android" in your social circle."

...who's always showing people his cool free apps...
posted by zarq at 11:40 AM on June 22, 2011

Bookhouse writes "If it was a non-commercial bakery would it have been okay? Or a wholesale outlet?"

I don't think either of those changes would make it a good post.
posted by Mitheral at 11:46 AM on June 22, 2011

I totally sympathize if it caused anyone distress.

Cortex, It Was Really Nothing
posted by chaff at 11:52 AM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: I'm at a loss as to how somebody could be so outraged that they'd go to the trouble of framing a denunciation.
posted by aught at 12:01 PM on June 22, 2011

I know it's a little late, but I'm going to stop you. Because I've heard this one before.
posted by GuyZero at 12:02 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

Although for UK readers I understand that it's too close to home and too near the bone.

can the OP now please comment that's he's seen meta callouts happen in other people's lives and that now it's happening in mine?
posted by GuyZero at 12:06 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

We hate it when our threads become successful.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:19 PM on June 22, 2011 [16 favorites]

box: " 'the guy who likes Ogg Vorbis'"

Okay. This is officially my new nerd putdown.
posted by schmod at 12:24 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

so it's the number of favorites and lack of haters that make it a good post

They certainly don't suggest that it's a bad post.

Can you clarify what, in your definition, makes the post I linked to a bad one? If it's that it has only 18 comments, can you say what number greater than 18 would have been required?
posted by Trurl at 12:27 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

And, yeah. I was formerly an apologist for Apple's app store policies, think that the iPhone generally has better hardware and battery life, hate Google's OS update policy, think that Android OS development has stagnated and doesn't properly follow open-source development models, that Android phone manufacturers always manage to fuck things up, and have been a die-hard desktop Mac user for ~12 years....and still couldn't imagine a circumstance that would make me want to trade my Andriod phone in for an iPhone. How'd we get on this subject again?
posted by schmod at 12:29 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Given enough time, all discussions eventually turn into an Apple versus Android argument.
posted by entropicamericana at 12:32 PM on June 22, 2011 [5 favorites]

Given enough time, all discussions eventually turn into an Apple versus Android argument.
posted by entropicamericana at 3:32 PM on June 22 [1 favorite −] Favorite added! [!]

At least this thread hasn't Godwinned....yet.
posted by 1000monkeys at 12:35 PM on June 22, 2011

Given enough time, all discussions eventually turn into an Apple versus Android argument
I miss the good ol' days of Kirk vs. Picard or Joel vs. Mike debates...
posted by inturnaround at 12:37 PM on June 22, 2011

At least this thread hasn't Godwinned....yet.

You know who else would have said that?
posted by veedubya at 12:39 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Mr. Shankley?
posted by Admiral Haddock at 12:58 PM on June 22, 2011

I miss the good ol' days of Kirk vs. Picard or Joel vs. Mike debates...

That's stupid. Who prefers Mike?
posted by shakespeherian at 1:04 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

.....I can't be friends with you anymore tim.
posted by The Whelk at 1:12 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

YOU NEVER EVEN SHOWED ME THE RED PANTS
posted by shakespeherian at 1:14 PM on June 22, 2011

That's stupid. Who prefers Mike?

I do.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 1:21 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

In other news, reports of Bela Lugosi's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
posted by lekvar at 1:23 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

The problem is you become "The guy with an Android" in your social circle.

That's 1/2 the people I know but I tend to hang out with techie types.
posted by octothorpe at 1:27 PM on June 22, 2011

I miss the good ol' days of Kirk vs. Picard or Joel vs. Mike debates...

Green Screen or Amber Screen!!!
posted by Karmakaze at 1:31 PM on June 22, 2011

In other news, reports of Bela Lugosi's demise have been greatly exaggerated.

No, he's dead. Peter Murphy told me.

he's dead.
he's dead.
he's dead.

Now, the rumours of the virginal brides filing past his tomb? totally made-up.
posted by GuyZero at 1:32 PM on June 22, 2011

> In other news, reports of Bela Lugosi's demise have been greatly exaggerated.
> posted by lekvar at 4:23 PM on June 22 [+] [!]

There you go. Sinatra paid to have him buried, but that doesn't mean he was dead...
posted by jfuller at 2:21 PM on June 22, 2011

I love that just saying "phone" is enough to kick off another Android v iPhone discussion.
posted by Errant at 2:31 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

12% closet warming Queen. Hang on I think I'm in the wrong thread.
posted by Elmore at 2:38 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

That's stupid. Who prefers Mike?

You know I was upset when Joel left the show, and the in-between the movie sketches were never as good during the Mike era, but for actual in-movie jokes Mike is funnier. I did not realize this until I started watching a lot of Joel and Mike episodes mixed together recently. Also, on topic, during the Joel era Mike did a (terrible) impression of Morrissey.
posted by burnmp3s at 2:52 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Joel was so affectionate towards the terrible movies. Mike seemed like he really hated them.

THEREFORE HE DESERVES DEATH
posted by shakespeherian at 2:58 PM on June 22, 2011

What is this thread about now?
posted by TwelveTwo at 3:00 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

It's about 150 comments too long, is what it's about.
posted by shakespeherian at 3:02 PM on June 22, 2011

Needs more Mercury.

Yeah, as far as I'm concerned the Queen died on November 24th 1991.
posted by quin at 3:03 PM on June 22, 2011

We could talk about red pants
posted by The Whelk at 3:07 PM on June 22, 2011

That looks like more of a salmon or maybe terracotta.
posted by cortex (staff) at 3:09 PM on June 22, 2011

Nantucket Red
posted by The Whelk at 3:10 PM on June 22, 2011

Your reward for reading 150 comments is Kirsty MacColl's version of "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby." Enjoy. You've earned it.
posted by mintcake! at 3:21 PM on June 22, 2011 [4 favorites]

I must admit, that title rased my hopes to a cruel degree. Poor show!
posted by Decani at 3:29 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Ha ha! I just skipped the comments and came straight here and got the video anyway!

(Thanks. Love her. Miss her.)
posted by rtha at 3:29 PM on June 22, 2011

Rased? "Razed" might have worked, I suppose...
posted by Decani at 3:30 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I did initially think this meant Liz had passed on. This was a dumb stunt.

our 2 cents worth has been announnced.
posted by longsleeves at 3:31 PM on June 22, 2011

Kristy
posted by The Whelk at 3:32 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Greg Nog: "Why would anyone think he was referring to anything other than The Smiths? I mean, does America even have a queen? I don't think so. I think Michelle Obama's official title is "first lady". We have a constitutional republic, not a monarchy."
This will clearly come as a surprise to you, but not everyone here lives in the US.
posted by dg at 3:47 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

you know The Whelk every time you show a picture of yourself looking dapper you make me attracted to a man, thus reducing my gayness and making the world straighter

is that what you want
posted by NoraReed at 3:50 PM on June 22, 2011

If it had produced any kind of HEY MODS, UH, IT SUCKS THAT SOMEONE PRANKED US ABOUT THE QUEEN BEING DEAD response we would have taken a look at it, but no one said anything

This is why I threadshit.
posted by ryanrs at 3:52 PM on June 22, 2011

We could talk about red pants

Looks like the guys on the trading floor below my office on fridays in the summer when they are all leaving early for the hamptons, except they wear ferragamo driving loafers.
posted by Ad hominem at 3:52 PM on June 22, 2011

This will clearly come as a surprise to you, but not everyone here lives in the US.

That is a bit of a surprise. Can you explain a little more clearly?
posted by Wolfdog at 4:02 PM on June 22, 2011

is that what you want

I like to think of it more like trojan horse program myself.
posted by The Whelk at 4:04 PM on June 22, 2011

dg I think maybe Greg Nog was making a joke

I hear he does that sort of thing

I hear he is sort of a joker
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:04 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

I think I showed incredible restraint by not showing up in that thread, despite the bait.

You're welcome.
posted by jonmc at 4:34 PM on June 22, 2011 [3 favorites]

This is why I threadshit.

Reconsider that.
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 4:55 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Where do you expect me to shit?!
posted by ryanrs at 5:19 PM on June 22, 2011

litterbox motherfucker
posted by jonmc at 5:23 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I believe cups are popular for that these days.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:24 PM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Sandbox environment.
posted by UbuRoivas at 5:31 PM on June 22, 2011

Well, look. It's either (1) create metatalk thread, (2) use the contact form, or (3) post a comment.

Posting a comment is quick, easy, and likely to garner a favorite or two.
posted by ryanrs at 5:38 PM on June 22, 2011

It will garner us being annoyed at you and telling you to cut it out, too. If you absolutely, positively have to vent unhelpful GRAR I'd say go with option (2) since it won't derail anything else or otherwise make a mess and we can just tell you directly if it's something that you need to cut out without a lot of middleman stuff.
posted by cortex (staff) at 5:40 PM on June 22, 2011

The problem with the contact form is that I want my complaints to be read by the poster as well as the mods. So I mostly use the contact form for bug reports, rather than griping.
posted by ryanrs at 5:51 PM on June 22, 2011

What, you've taken some sort of hermetic vow not to ever use the flagging mechanism?
posted by koeselitz at 5:57 PM on June 22, 2011

Flags lack nuance.
posted by ryanrs at 6:04 PM on June 22, 2011

Horselover Phattie: "I'm more outraged that the US media devoted so much time to those entitled brats' "royal" wedding"

What function do those scare quotes serve? The guy getting married was a prince. You can think they're awful people, you can think they should be tossed on their ears, but it was 100% a royal wedding.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:09 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Flags lack nuance.

Isn't that an emo band?
posted by jonmc at 6:12 PM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

I think the title of the post made it clear
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:23 PM on June 22, 2011

The high and mighty snark brigade is out in force. Again, if people are hating on the Smiths I'm never going to make another music posts - anything you like will be torn to shreds. A 'highlight':

My favorite 'I don't own a TV' post from that thread:

"Never heard it.

I'm not saying I don't like it. Or that I don't like the band, or the lead guy who became so famous (I actually like the guitarist from his solo work) or their fans. I actually don't know that much about any of this, since I've sort of let it pass by me, slightly on purpose.

Ever since I've been aware of the how various popular music movements sort of percolate throughout our culture, I've often let bands and albums sort of pass by me without affecting me. I think it might be a way of keeping some aspects of popular music culture fresh, so I am less affected by nostalgic recycles of these movements.

I really like how I can hear about these bands, and know where they generally fit in the cultural musical landscape I move through, but know nothing specific about them or their songs. It isn't a genre thing, either, since I have done this with scenes as diverse as the Barenaked Ladies (I saw them once, all playing separately, at the Winnipeg Folk Fest, and heard about them [but never saw them] when they were the Sneaky Dees house band in the 90s), Oasis (I know the one song, and couldn't pick out any of the band in a line-up -- they all seem to have the same anorak and scowl).

Occasionally I'll hear a song on the radio, and someone will say, "oh, this is Some Band You Only Recognize But Know Little Of" and I'll know I've heard it, but didn't know it was Some Band. And it will be some important band that was part of key scene, and from the Ioving away from important Album.

I love it. It's like I get to hear the music fresh, and try to decode the scene from afar, the way I did when I was first becoming aware of "real" music as a child and moving away from kids music. Having to decode my mom's record collection years or even decades later.

I'm 40+ now, and I can still recapture a little of that feeling, and I think it is because I care about music enough to deliberately remain ignorant of Important Musical Movement or Band Scene now that I haven't burned out completely, like so many of my peers.

This is not to say I haven't geeked out like some Otaku on some /other/ scene, band or movement. I'm pretty familiar with the DC punk scene (band highlight: Fugazi), the English rocksteady/dub/reggae thing from the mid-70s and 80s (The Clash), and the New York punk/new wave thing (The Ramones, Blondie). But I recognize that my interest in these scenes doesn't mean much, other than I payed attention and liked the music.
posted by clvrmnky at 1:12 AM on June 23 [+] [!] "

Come on.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:26 PM on June 22, 2011 [2 favorites]

Considering that the OP actually seems to believe it's the greatest album in the history of history, (s)he may also just be ridiculously myopic enough to think that everyone will immediately recognize that as the title of a Smiths record rather than thinking it's a declarative sentence about a person.

I thought it was the chorus of a Frank Turner song
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 6:28 PM on June 22, 2011

What about this "I've seen a TV in a shop window from time to time but don't own one" post from that thread:

I like the Smiths, though I've never properly listened to them. I'm a mopey sort of person, and like This Charming Man and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out and all the other standards well enough. Need to get into them seriously though.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn 12 minutes ago [+]
posted by UbuRoivas at 6:39 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

I thought that was kind of a neat comment actually, Lovecraft. I'm very similar with music; I'm usually "all in" with a certain time period or genre or style at any given point and dig really deep, then sometimes get bored and move on. For the last few years I've been heavily into punk from the 70s and 80s, but I could probably get into a long conversation with knowledgeable people about hip hop up til about 1999-2000 or other certain genres...I've got weirdly deep knowledge of trivia about all kinds of little musical niches that don't seem to have much connection. I never got into the Smiths either, for no real reason other than I didn't bother checking it out that much.

Anyways, I don't think clvrmnky was detracting from the post. I also don't think the post title was that bad, frankly, but here we are.
posted by Hoopo at 6:40 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

ryanrs writes "Posting a comment is quick, easy, and likely to garner a favorite or two."

You say that like it's a good thing.
posted by Mitheral at 7:06 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Because not everyone is familiar with their oeuvre?

What does their shape have to do with it?
posted by It's Never Lurgi at 7:06 PM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

dg I think maybe Greg Nog was making a joke
I hear he does that sort of thing
I hear he is sort of a joker
Ah, sorry about that - it must have been the lack of humour that threw me.
posted by dg at 7:37 PM on June 22, 2011

Any post about Terry Pratchett must be immediately accompanied by the phrase "~~STILL ALIVE~~ I ATEN'T DEAD"
posted by darksasami at 7:40 PM on June 22, 2011

Bugger. I saw the first comment, frowned, and searched for the phrase, but forgot to misplace the apostrophe.
posted by darksasami at 7:44 PM on June 22, 2011

Man, every single one of you come out of this episode looking shitty.

Good thing I am already shitty-looking.
posted by joe lisboa at 7:56 PM on June 22, 2011

Well, this all went to hell while I was away. Next time I have a serious site policy question, I'll just keep it to myself.
posted by schmod at 7:59 PM on June 22, 2011

Well, this all went to hell while I was away. Next time I have a serious site policy question, I'll just keep it to myself.
posted by schmod

You were expecting a different result? :-P
posted by 1000monkeys at 8:41 PM on June 22, 2011

is that ever true.
posted by clavdivs at 9:38 PM on June 22, 2011

Horselover Phattie: "Of all the "things" in this "thread" to focus on, "you" chose that?"

Other people had responded to the other things. At great length.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:48 PM on June 22, 2011

Lovecraft, I found clvrmnky's comment fascinating because it presented a completely different way of looking at music - as "scene" rather than songs - it didn't read like the average TV non-owner to me. I've often let bands and albums sort of pass by me without affecting me seems like such a sad and sterile way of listening, but it works for that person. One of the reasons I love metafilter is it reminds me that different people have different things that work for them, and I think a thread reminiscing about an album is a fine place to discuss different ways of relating to music.

As for The Queen is Dead, I immediately thought it was a Smiths post because I would assume that when the actual Queen dies she would get more than a single link.
posted by betweenthebars at 9:52 PM on June 22, 2011

As for The Queen is Dead, I immediately thought it was a Smiths post because I would assume that when the actual Queen dies she would get more than a single link.

UNLESS?!
posted by andoatnp at 9:56 PM on June 22, 2011

Lovecraft, I found clvrmnky's comment fascinating because it presented a completely different way of looking at music - as "scene" rather than songs

too many possible Hold Steady lyrics to quote... brain exploding....

I've often let bands and albums sort of pass by me without affecting me seems like such a sad and sterile way of listening, but it works for that person.

I'm reaching that point. I think when you listen to enough music you get to that 'oh, this is popular or good, but its not for me' stage.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 9:56 PM on June 22, 2011

Greg Nog: "I mean, does America even have a queen?"

No, but you have a Prince. Ahooowah!
posted by bwg at 2:46 AM on June 23, 2011

This has got to be the most surreal thread I've ever read... please continue, I'm waiting to hear the commnity's verdict on the issue.
posted by infini at 3:55 AM on June 23, 2011

Generalissimo Francisco Franco Is Still Dead
posted by pinky at 4:21 AM on June 23, 2011

I am so relieved that Ms. Latifah remains in the pink of health. That gave me quite a scare.
posted by Miko at 6:06 AM on June 23, 2011

Funnily enough I mentioned this to her Maj yesterday: she said she thought it was a bit meh.

"Not amused?" I ventured.

"You know, one has heard an awful lot of weak monarchy-related jokes over the years." she replied.

I think you people have cost me my knighthood.
posted by Segundus at 6:17 AM on June 23, 2011

I thought it was about Elton John...
posted by tomswift at 6:32 AM on June 23, 2011

I don't get it. Can you explain?
posted by shakespeherian at 6:42 AM on June 23, 2011

one million dollars.
posted by clavdivs at 7:06 AM on June 23, 2011

Well, I was suckered by the stunt post. Har har.

I'd say 'well played', but it wasn't, really, was it? Suckered by something not even terribly clever.

Har har.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:23 AM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

London's Burning
posted by wayland at 8:44 AM on June 23, 2011

I'm of the right age to get the reference, but I still was pissed (in a surprisingly strong way, although also relieved) to learn that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had not left this, her earthly realm, bequeathing her stodgy, bassett-eared progeny the throne, but that we were instead celebrating the release of a recording of what I understand to be "popular music"...

Neither funny nor clever.

I am, by the way, a USian who dearly wishes we had a Queen (and no, neither Oprah nor Neil Patrick Harris are acceptably royal substitutes...)
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 9:57 AM on June 23, 2011

Target practice.
posted by Eideteker at 10:20 AM on June 23, 2011

"Target practice" is not exactly an ethnic background; it's more of a creed than a race or color.
posted by Mister_A at 10:50 AM on June 23, 2011

I honestly thought the thread was about Moz dying.
posted by jtron at 11:08 AM on June 23, 2011

...who's always showing people his cool free apps...

Both of them?
posted by cjorgensen at 11:11 AM on June 23, 2011

When I saw that post I had to check and apparently Noor, Beatrix, and Margrethe are all fine.

Just in case anyone was wondering.
posted by TedW at 12:53 PM on June 23, 2011

All I know is that The Cheat Is Not Dead.
posted by schmod at 1:19 PM on June 23, 2011

Despite the (relative) newness of the House of "Windsor," what I find most attractive is the sense of continuity and history associated with the monarchy. The US could certainly use a figure like that - someone "above the fray," as it were, a reminder that we're supposed to stand TOGETHER for something, not just claw and backstab our way to our own ends. I'm one who believes the US' years of broadest global domination are actually behind us, for better or for worse; a monarch might serve to remind USians of the greater vision to which they ostensibly devoted themselves, before the whole pile dissolves into a vicious, bitter muddle...
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 3:18 PM on June 23, 2011

Oh, yes, ethnic background... I have no idea. It would have to be something, I suppose, so I'll go either with Native American or Northwest European caucasian, since those lots were here longest. Of course, the Royal Family would have married broadly across racial and ethnic boundaries, in order to more perfectly reflect the united peoples, so by now, one supposes the monarch would be a beautiful, caramel latte colored woman, with bright blue eyes and severely cropped silver hair, and a taste for chunky, handmade jewelry... A lighter skinned, perhaps a touch svelter Maya Angelou, perhaps...
posted by OneMonkeysUncle at 3:22 PM on June 23, 2011

I'm not a fan of the "Surprise Toy Inside!" FPP. I think they degrade the quality of the site. And, I don't think the mods should have to rely on community reaction when editing content on the site. "We edited/deleted/etc because we run this shit, ya'heard?" is sufficient. IMO.
posted by Brocktoon at 5:06 PM on June 23, 2011

It wasn't a surprise though. While I'm not the biggest Smiths fan I think about them a lot more often than I think about the actual Queen of England.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 5:13 PM on June 23, 2011

If you think the post was an awful gotcha, you should've heard how people felt when they read about the queen being dead on an album cover.
posted by koeselitz at 5:17 PM on June 23, 2011 [4 favorites]

I had no memory of the existence of The Queen is Dead. Never cared for The Smiths. But it never occurred to me to take a one line link at face value, either. But that's just me. I'm a cynical bastard from back in the day.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:22 PM on June 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

The expected formulation for the demise of the Queen of England should be: The Queen is dead, long live the King (unless the next four in line died at the same time). Whereas, just The Queen is Dead would make me mistakenly think it's a Queen who is the consort of a King who's still alive.
posted by BrotherCaine at 7:16 PM on June 23, 2011

Well this particular "style" of post is hackneyed at this point. We're pretty much guaranteed to get rick rolled on almost all zero context links, and we know it. Playing "hide and seek" with context is even worse.
posted by Brocktoon at 7:17 PM on June 23, 2011

Well this particular "style" of post is hackneyed at this point. We're pretty much guaranteed to get rick rolled on almost all zero context links

I don't think you can really compare Morrisey to Rick Astley, though it does lead to some interesting possibilities.
posted by Lovecraft In Brooklyn at 7:22 PM on June 23, 2011

I'm a Brit, and I didnt recognise the album title, plus I think the queen is a sour-faced old bag. I moused-over the link and moved on, unoffended. I just wanted to say "sour-faced old bag" actually.
posted by Joh at 7:36 PM on June 23, 2011

Mystery Meat is Murder.
posted by entropicamericana at 10:38 PM on June 23, 2011 [5 favorites]

Mystery Meat is mysteriously tasty Murder.
posted by BrotherCaine at 10:48 PM on June 23, 2011

This kind of post should not be a problem for anyone who has a 'back' icon on their browser and a nimble finger on their mouse. What a thing to get cranky over!
posted by h00py at 3:47 AM on June 24, 2011

At Metafilter, somebody is always cranky about something.
posted by crunchland at 3:57 AM on June 24, 2011

Metafilter: always cranky about something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:22 AM on June 24, 2011

MetaFilter: cranky
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:58 AM on June 24, 2011 [2 favorites]

Metafilter: Crank
posted by The Whelk at 6:59 AM on June 24, 2011

Metafilter: C
posted by shakespeherian at 7:15 AM on June 24, 2011

Metafilter: rargh
posted by h00py at 7:17 AM on June 24, 2011

M: Butterfly!
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 9:21 AM on June 24, 2011

Mmmm... donuts.
posted by crunchland at 9:47 AM on June 24, 2011

The album (a well-known and iconic one) was called The Queen is Dead. The thread was called The Queen is Dead. While it's open to other interpretations, it's hardly a massive act of deceit. I'm not normally a fan of mystery meat posts, but this one seems like a pretty mild example.

To be annoyingly detail-oriented about it, the above-the-fold text was The Queen Is Dead. which puts it even farther into the Title Zone and takes it even farther away from being a declarative sentence with the meaning "the female person who is the monarch or the spouse of the monarch has passed away". (The thread was called There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, not The Queen Is Dead.)
posted by Lexica at 11:30 AM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

Pushing the back button should not be how quality is managed on Metafilter. Is an expectation of high quality and well crafted content considered cranky?
posted by Brocktoon at 11:50 AM on June 24, 2011

I think anything approaching an expectation of 100% satisfaction with the contents of the front page is going to land a person somewhere in the vicinity of Crankytown. There's a whole bunch of people posting about a whole bunch of things in a whole bunch of different styles; posts that some folks laud others loathe, as much on the strength of differing tastes as anything.

Quality is managed on metafilter by people flagging the stuff they don't like and praising the stuff they do and to some extent by leading by example in how they choose to make their own posts, and certainly it's managed in part by talking about this stuff in Metatalk, but that goes both ways: sometimes one person's "managing quality" is another person's "making a big deal out of nothing".

I certainly get cranky about shit sometimes. I've made peace with the fact that my opinions about stuff aren't universal.
posted by cortex (staff) at 12:04 PM on June 24, 2011

Everyone get ready for 6 simultaneous Peter Falk Has Died threads.
posted by shakespeherian at 12:05 PM on June 24, 2011

Is an expectation of high quality and well crafted content considered cranky?

No, but we can have a hundred kinds of fights about what "high quality" and "well crafted" means to each and every active mefite.
posted by rtha at 12:21 PM on June 24, 2011

shakespeherian: "Everyone get ready for 6 simultaneous Peter Falk Has Died threads."

As you wish.
posted by zarq at 12:31 PM on June 24, 2011

shakespeherian: "Everyone get ready for 6 simultaneous Peter Falk Has Died threads."

I'm curious to see if anyone adds content in the comments with

Oh, just one more thing....
posted by zarq at 12:33 PM on June 24, 2011

Won't you take me to
Crankytown
Won't you take me to
Crankytown
etc.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:36 PM on June 24, 2011

PETER FALK IS DEAD.

Columbo Star Peter Falk Dead at 83.

Peter Falk was a television actor best known for playing a police detective. His demeanor in Columbo can only be described as inconsequential until it was too late! His affected bumbling curiosity, clad in a steely inner drive towards justice, gave way to a kind of bubbling madness in later life as Dementia and Alzheimer's cast its macabre shadow. It was a world of experiences and memories dissolving into death. So it is that a mind is wiped clean, even as the cultural machines of endless introspection rumble onwards. Aye Metafilter, those fleeting thoughts and emotions are gone now and enjoy the only measure of absolute intellectual prostration. Death, oh death; that mindless aphorism, that carelessly whistled tune.

Stoke the morass of cultural recriminations, oil the machines of cultural significance. Onward Mr Falk, onward! Even as your shadow is cast into a lake of fire.

     ____            ____
  _,',--.`-.      _,',--.`-.
 <_ ( () )  >  ( <_ ( () )  >
   `-:__;,-'    \  `A:__:,-'
                 \ / \
                  ((  )
                   \-'
                    \
                     \
          (           )       -Shimrod
           `-'"`-----'

posted by kuatto at 1:25 PM on June 24, 2011 [1 favorite]

MetaFilter: somewhere in the vicinity of Crankytown
posted by epersonae at 4:43 PM on June 24, 2011

No, but we can have a hundred kinds of fights about what "high quality" and "well crafted" means to each and every active mefite.

So we shouldn't ever discuss maintaining high quality standards here?
posted by Brocktoon at 12:51 AM on June 26, 2011

Did someone already answer this upthread:

Who the fuck would care if the actual queen was actually dead?
posted by serazin at 2:04 AM on June 26, 2011

Fun fact: most 'Brits' do not give a stuff about the Royal Family, other than the extra day off and retail offers a royal wedding brings.

Bonus fact: Oasis are shite.
posted by mippy at 3:35 AM on June 26, 2011 [2 favorites]

So we shouldn't ever discuss maintaining high quality standards here?

Well, arguably if we want to discuss it in a productive fashion we should try to frame arguments in a way likely to provoke substantial and nuanced discussion rather than just replying with absolutist rhetorical caricatures of what other folks have said. Presentation matters; "here is how I see it, in plain words and in detail" gets a lot more across than "here is a pithy reduction of what I'm implying you said."
posted by cortex (staff) at 7:54 AM on June 26, 2011

I have nothing to contribute beyond the fact that I think "litterbox motherfucker" is a great band name. Yep.
posted by slimepuppy at 2:50 PM on June 26, 2011

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