deliberately cryptic commenting is annoying as hell

March 29, 2005 7:04 PM

In the interest of avoiding further derail of the Aryan Justice thread, I am going to accept amberglow's invitation to bugbread and state that deliberately cryptic commenting is annoying as hell and is counterproductive to the idea of communication.
posted by John Smallberries to Bugs at 7:04 PM (71 comments total)

Dude, thomcatspike has always had....shall we say.... a way with words. That's not cryptic, that's the way all of his posts are!
posted by graventy at 7:11 PM on March 29, 2005

Dang - I just noticed I posted this to "bugs" instead of "Metafilter Related". Mea culpa, and is there a way to change that?

And on preview: Ok, he has a way with words. Which he is absolutely entitled to have.

But I find it annoying to have to try to decode what the hell he is saying, and I am just as entitled to say so.
posted by John Smallberries at 7:15 PM on March 29, 2005

Yes, you are. And it's been said before. It's just one of those things we live with. Like quonsar.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 7:30 PM on March 29, 2005

I agree.
posted by delmoi at 7:37 PM on March 29, 2005

q = art
t = outsider art
posted by fishfucker at 7:40 PM on March 29, 2005

qt = quiet time.
posted by fishfucker at 7:41 PM on March 29, 2005

It reminds me of those Kubrick 2001 plaques embedded in the streets around NYC. They SEEM to be making sense, but damned if I know what they mean...
posted by papercake at 7:46 PM on March 29, 2005

posted by quonsar at 7:52 PM on March 29, 2005

he's totally ESL, dude.
posted by puke & cry at 7:53 PM on March 29, 2005

get a browser.
posted by quonsar at 7:58 PM on March 29, 2005

puke & cry, have you met him or seen him? He looks like Seth frickin' Green!
posted by riffola at 8:11 PM on March 29, 2005

Hello, complaint hotline? I keep hearing references to SNL jokes, but I stopped watching that show after Joe Piscopo left and so the references confuse me. I prefer speech that refers only to things I already know about.

Also, please ask people to stop "owning" me.
posted by squirrel at 8:20 PM on March 29, 2005

i'll never forgive him for cryptically eating my emaculate kittens with warm butter sauce and soft breads of many flavors. damn him!
posted by weretable and the undead chairs at 8:21 PM on March 29, 2005

I can recall thomcatspike always being like this as well. However, there has been a fairly recent period of time, perhaps even the entire last year or so, where he's been much more coherent... as if someone altogether different was doing the commenting.
posted by Witty at 8:25 PM on March 29, 2005

as if someone altogether different was doing the commenting.

What are you impl...inferr...suggesting?
posted by thanotopsis at 8:32 PM on March 29, 2005

But I find it annoying to have to try to decode what the hell he is saying, and I am just as entitled to say so.

And I find you annoying and am entitled to say so.

Come on, let's keep it going!

Seriously, yeah, dude, you're, like, entitled to, like, broadcast your, like, annoyances, you know? Sure. But, like, dude, like, chill.

free thomcatspike!
posted by scarabic at 9:06 PM on March 29, 2005

And I find you annoying and am entitled to say so.
Damn, scarabic, you're an annoying fucker.

I feel....entitled!
posted by graventy at 9:17 PM on March 29, 2005

I find "free [whatever]!" annoying and am entitled to say so!
posted by Stauf at 9:17 PM on March 29, 2005

WELCOME TO mEfI, SMALLBERRIES. - luv m . ;-P

posted by mischief at 9:24 PM on March 29, 2005

Is this turning into a Bloom County strip?
posted by edgeways at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2005

There's always going to have to be thomcatspike here somewhere; so it might as well be thomcatspike.
posted by carter at 9:38 PM on March 29, 2005

sigh.
posted by LouReedsSon at 9:39 PM on March 29, 2005

Does anyone else find it weird that he gives as his excuse that leaving out "I" is a way of protesting the "me, me, me" world, but that he only elides it, thereby not actually writing anything differently?

Anyway, I find it obscenely annoying and don't read any of his comments, but then there are a lot of people I ignore, so . . .
posted by dame at 9:58 PM on March 29, 2005

A little history Mr. Smallberries.

In thomcatspike's defense, he's much different than his early days. I understand him and no longer scratch my head at his comments. As others have said, let him be.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:46 PM on March 29, 2005

take two - action! corrected link.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 10:48 PM on March 29, 2005

The funny thing is that TCS is actually quite coherent in person. Go figure.
posted by amandaudoff at 11:58 PM on March 29, 2005

I don't mind mind.
posted by schyler523 at 12:03 AM on March 30, 2005

Leave the cat alone, you kids!
posted by scody at 12:49 AM on March 30, 2005

TCS has always been perfectly capable of expressing himself clearly, and has, quite a few times. He chooses not to, for reasons of his own. This is pretty much OK with me, much as I get all red-faced and foam-flecked about sloppy writing sometimes. (kettle, black, yeah, I know)
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 1:18 AM on March 30, 2005

Thanks, KevinSkomsvold.

On reading through that whole thread, I can see that it isn't a stylistic affectation, as I had thought it to be, but a problem that has had repercussions since back when thomcatspike was in school.

Apologies, thomcatspike.
posted by Bugbread at 1:24 AM on March 30, 2005

JOHN SMALLBERRIES!

GIVE ME THE OSCILLATION OVERTHRUSTER!

"No, no, no! Don't tug on that, you never know what it might be attached to."

"I'm barely holding my fudge."
posted by loquacious at 2:00 AM on March 30, 2005

His English has gotten much, much better than in the early days. So congrats to him and i hope he keep posting.
posted by dydecker at 2:16 AM on March 30, 2005

That "keep" is irony, you know.
posted by dydecker at 2:17 AM on March 30, 2005

Is this turning into a Bloom County strip?

*pulls tightywhiteys away from crotch, stares thoughtfully*
posted by sciurus at 3:59 AM on March 30, 2005

take two - action! corrected link.

i miss tamim--where is he?
posted by amberglow at 5:21 AM on March 30, 2005

Warp speed to the deadly dandelion patch.
posted by loquacious at 5:55 AM on March 30, 2005

offensensitivity.
posted by norm at 6:09 AM on March 30, 2005

A little nudity would help this thread, too.
posted by breezeway at 6:19 AM on March 30, 2005

What I found really annoying in that thread was amberglow's "Most of us understand him." I hate it when one person speaks for the majority of a group, especially when "most of us" have never expressed an opinion on the matter either way. I personally think "most of us" just skip tcs's comments, for instance, but I have no evidence that it's true, so I don't state it as such.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:26 AM on March 30, 2005

Most of us agree, a little nudity would help this thread, too.
posted by breezeway at 6:42 AM on March 30, 2005

I'm still waiting for evidence that what i said wasn't true. "Most of us" don't express an opinion on anything one way or another, unless we don't like something. If most people really didn't understand him, there'd be far more callouts and derails than there are (or have been the past 2 yrs). I think that proves my statement.

Look back to that older thread, and here, and all incidences of people talking about his style--in threads and outside of them.
posted by amberglow at 6:44 AM on March 30, 2005

and item : >
posted by amberglow at 6:45 AM on March 30, 2005

He admits it's deliberate. His English is fine, as other people have stated.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 6:54 AM on March 30, 2005

If most people really didn't understand him, there'd be far more callouts and derails than there are (or have been the past 2 yrs).

It's just as likely that some people are too polite to say anything, or could be skipping over them altogether without a word. Not everything warrants a weekly callout.

Again and again, amberglow, you use the "most people"/"most MeFites"/"all Republicans"/"all Democrats" construction, and it's really grating to some folks to have words put in their mouth.

I think that proves my statement.

*sigh*
posted by dhoyt at 7:01 AM on March 30, 2005

it's really grating to some folks to have words put in their mouth.

He's not making them stay there, though. The whole spit or swallow decision is totally up to you.
posted by Cyrano at 7:13 AM on March 30, 2005

It's just as likely that some people are too polite to say anything, or could be skipping over them altogether without a word. Not everything warrants a weekly callout.
Given our propensity to call everything and anything out repeatedly, i doubt that.

I rarely if ever say "all" anything. If i say "most", i say it with reason. You'll have to prove that accusation, dhoyt, or keep it to yourself, like apparently thousands do (or is it "some people") regarding thomcat.
posted by amberglow at 7:25 AM on March 30, 2005

I'll add in "i say it with reason and based on available evidence"
posted by amberglow at 7:27 AM on March 30, 2005

did you not just commit the same act by saying "some folks" instead of "me"?

No, because I was speaking for at least myself plus a few IRL people I know who've made the same comment, re: tcs's inscrutability. That constitutes a "some".

I rarely if ever say "all" anything. If i say "most", i say it with reason.

We've had this conversation before (most recently when you claimed "Most Democrats weren't bothered by Clinton's behavior" (!), but I'm not going through all your comments to prove it. You made a similiar generalization in the very thread we're discussing, yet you're still not copping to it.
posted by dhoyt at 7:33 AM on March 30, 2005

The whole spit or swallow decision is totally up to you.

That's what I'm saying! Now let's get some nudity here, already.
posted by breezeway at 7:34 AM on March 30, 2005

Most weren't bothered. Shall i dig up all the hundreds if not thousands of polls at the time proving so and his approval ratings for you? If i ever make statements that you think are wrong, please prove me wrong. Don't just say i'm wrong because you disagree. I'm always willing to admit to my mistakes. Present evidence i'm wrong.
posted by amberglow at 8:43 AM on March 30, 2005

That's what I'm saying! Now let's get some nudity here, already.

I'll only do it if it's integral to the plot.
posted by jonmc at 8:58 AM on March 30, 2005

Thank you for not posting mI other 8 commenting posts in the thread.
posted by thomcatspike at 9:08 AM on March 30, 2005

Most Democrats think thomcatspike is annoying.
posted by Pretty_Generic at 9:10 AM on March 30, 2005

Actually, amberglow, most of us don't understand TCS, but we're sick and tired of all the lame callouts on MeTa as well, and prefer to let unimportant things slide.

I think that disproves your statement.

(What kind of evidence could any one of us possibly provide that most of us find TCS incomprehensible? I read the that thread and went right by his comment. The burden of proof is on you—you're presuming to speak for a large group.)
posted by kenko at 9:14 AM on March 30, 2005

If most people really didn't understand him, there'd be far more callouts and derails than there are (or have been the past 2 yrs). I think that proves my statement.

Most of us disagree because most of us skip things we don't like/understand rather than stopping to complain about them, because most of us understand that it would be either derailing or too minor of an issue for Meta. Thus, most of us find your standard of proof too low.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 9:16 AM on March 30, 2005

Most of us are pacing back and forth in our cages, waiting for our keepers' first slip. Most of us can't remember the last time we killed our meal, ourselves. Most of us don't care about MeTa. Most of us are hammering away on our keyboards with oversized claws better suited for the kill.

Most of us scare most of you.
posted by breezeway at 9:32 AM on March 30, 2005

amber: You're insisting we all think a certain thing about thomcat in the same way you insisted gun questions were "inappropriate" for AskMe, despite that numerous gun threads had been—and continue to be—answered successfully & with plenty of input. That thread disintegrated into a complete stonewall against admitting any sort of flawed logic, even as more people from all political persuasions chimed in to disagree.
posted by dhoyt at 10:06 AM on March 30, 2005

thomcatspike is a valuable MetaFilter member and a true gentleman to boot. His contributions, like poetry, reward careful study with revealed meaning.
posted by timeistight at 10:55 AM on March 30, 2005

Failing recourse to silly images, breezeway is finally becoming amusing. Bravo!

*Pours breezeway a bowl of Meow Mix*
posted by taz at 11:04 AM on March 30, 2005

amberglow : " i miss tamim--where is he?"

I think he's doing research for another member dossier. He never disappears, he just gets really busy digging around in the stacks.

Regarding most people understanding tcs: Do you have any evidence for your contention? (Not negative evidence: "There are few callouts, therefore most people understand", but positive evidence?)

Personally, I don't profess to know what people think of how tcs speaks. A very small percent of MeFi members have given their opinion either way. I personally think the sample pool is much to small to draw any conclusions about the issue, one way or the other.
posted by Bugbread at 11:23 AM on March 30, 2005

You know when you're 9 years old, and the cops are taking your dad away, and one of them pats you on the head while your dad kicks and shouts at the closed back windows of the cruiser?

You feel this crazy mix of shames. For your dad, of course, because he was always a bad man and a bad father, but he's your father and he's going to jail. For the police, because you know them by now, and you know they don't like having to keep coming here and seeing you and your sisters, again and again, and because you know they're right to take him away but it still ain't fair. For yourself, because you're a 9-year old and it's all about yourself, for one thing, and because, most of all, you know that you've been tarred with your dad's brush even though you're smarter than he is, you're a good boy and you will be a good man, and this cop who is patting your head thinks he can comfort you even though his pity is no comfort at all.

Soon they'll be asking you to play baseball with churchy cops' kids, local charity hounds, and other kids with "out-of-town" dads. Old ladies in pearls will dollop mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving at the Y, and you'll eat quietly at a big round brown table, not looking in the eyes of the other boys for fear of glimpsing the same damn shame of the same damn fathers looking back at you.

Just be yourself, kid, the cop says. Don't fuck up like your dad.

You know he's right, and means well, but all you want is for him to get his fucking hand off the top of your head before you shrink into your collar forever.
posted by breezeway at 11:29 AM on March 30, 2005

Wow. I really hope you just wrote that because it's very, very good.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:13 PM on March 30, 2005

"If what you're saying is he should let people speak for themselves, did you not just commit the same act by saying 'some folks' instead of 'me'?"

"One" is "some". In categorical logic, anyway. The absent and much missed languagehat would have to weigh in on the common usage angle.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 12:16 PM on March 30, 2005

"Some" is also a lot easier to defend than "most". It's undoubtedly true of some people. Most people? That's a much more contentious claim.

(I doubt dhoyt meant "there exists an x such that ...".)
posted by kenko at 12:24 PM on March 30, 2005

EB: Languagehat is still around, just not posting too often. His last post seems to have been on March 24th or so. Unless you mean "absent from this thread", in which case I apologize, and this post will self-destruct after closing your browser (only to self-reconstruct whenever you start you browser again).
posted by Bugbread at 12:27 PM on March 30, 2005

No, I thought he hadn't been posting at all. I haven't seen any of his comments, and I usually have in the past (frequently), and I read a lot of the site, so I thought maybe he was on a hiatus or had left. Thanks for the heads up.
posted by Ethereal Bligh at 2:38 PM on March 30, 2005

He mentioned (in a mail) that he's giving himself a bit of a break to avoid getting tainted by the negativity.
posted by Bugbread at 2:39 PM on March 30, 2005

Most of us scare most of you.
posted by breezeway at 9:32 AM PST on March 30 [!]


posted by quonsar at 3:06 PM on March 30, 2005

Thanks quonsar for reminding me that something stinks.

Since you have had your jury John Smallberries, please explain to the defendant which words are cryptic for you that you linked?
{the first two sentaces below are other member’s comments so it’s clear for you}
Poor, poor kid. With a name like that one might be able to take her out of the trailer park, but it's not sure that one could take the trailer park out of her.

I really hope it's a spelling error. Poor kid.

You've all cheapened her name with your poor guessing.
The post trolled the "White Power" which has no proven link here. Can't say enough defending this lil girl than; Delete this thread (meta-talk will leave a record) so she will have no record at what an early age assholes of the world like you will attack!
You have shown the corner of the room you sat in during grade school -- making fun of the non-white kids having the last name “White.”

What I see that may confuse your comprehension. The sentence, Can't say enough. The word "I" should have been placed at its beginning.
Near the end of this sentence, record at what an early age assholes. The word "what" should have been "which."
posted by thomcatspike at 4:13 PM on March 30, 2005

No, "what" is correct.
posted by nicwolff at 5:20 PM on March 30, 2005

93% of us miss a particular MetaFilter member.
84% of us remember what Metafilter was like in the good old days.
69% of us smile at the word "smallberries."
54% of us think we are in the majority.
12% of us feel inferior to the majority.
6% of us are uncomfortable with the letter "q."
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:37 PM on March 31, 2005