When someone's so stupid and ignorant on such a regular basis that you're often inclined to punch their lights out...

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...whose fault is this, theirs or yours? Is it correct to be upset (provided you don't ACTUALLY punch their lights out) or does the "Why don't you just cool your jets and go have an ice cream or something" line have any validity?

― Person, Monday, 16 June 2003 20:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Are you able to avoid this person at all?

― C J (C J), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:42 (twenty-two years ago)

See, you're just giving me that "ice cream" line...

― Person, Monday, 16 June 2003 20:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Ice cream is nice, though.

― C J (C J), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:45 (twenty-two years ago)

momus to thread!

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Person X is who again?

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:50 (twenty-two years ago)

any time someone else has more control over your emotional state than you do, that is the time to change things.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:51 (twenty-two years ago)

possibly by punching.

― teeny (teeny), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

If you're positive that the other person is irredeemably stupid and you STILL get upset about it... then it's your fault. But since the "ice cream" line tends to result in passive-aggressive behaviour you better get upset when you feel like it. Just don't hit the other person and try not to scream too loud.

― Sommermute (Wintermute), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:52 (twenty-two years ago)

are they actually doing anything to harm you or somebody else, or are they just being a dumb nuisance? If the former, explain the situation and be polite in requesting that they change their behavior. If the latter, don't waste your time. If I let myself get so angry at some of the people I work with I'd have been in the stockade quite some time ago. Cool your jets, indeed. Energy is better spent on things like doodling on a notepad, or posting to ILX.

― Millar (Millar), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Punching them out would only hurt the skin on your hand....also it might hurt your chance of a reference if he/she is your boss.

― Nichole Graham (Nichole Graham), Monday, 16 June 2003 20:57 (twenty-two years ago)

or they may give you the most rootinest, tootinest reference ever

― oops (Oops), Monday, 16 June 2003 21:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes but surely the point of this thread is that ice cream is nice.

― Matt (Matt), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:08 (twenty-two years ago)

Punch. Unless you think you might be punched harder in return. I especially recommend the punch if your grievance is petty and snobbish.

― Eyeball Kicks (Eyeball Kicks), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm really hoping taht the grievance in question is something like, "My coworker drinks the last bit of coffee and doesn't make more every day".

― Ally (mlescaut), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Now y'see I was hoping the greivance was "my coworker owns a helicopter gunship and goes nuts with the gunning down of innocents n a daily basis then brags about it in a nasal whine" kind of a grievance.

― Matt (Matt), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Which I coould understand fully, obv.

― Matt (Matt), Monday, 16 June 2003 23:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I've decided to not let stupidity and ignorance bother me. It's wearing me out due to an excess of source materials.

― ChristineSH (chrissie1068), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 00:51 (twenty-two years ago)

stupidity and ignorance only bother me if i am exposed to it in high doses from someone i cannot avoid.

― di smith (lucylurex), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 02:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm saddened to hear that the words 'stupid and ignorant' trigger the association 'Momus' for Martin and Julio. On the trucker hats thread I argued some fairly indefensible positions, perhaps, but neither 'stupidly' nor 'ignorantly'. I linked to a lot of outside evidence and cited relevant examples of artists, from Adrian Piper to Robb Pruitt, who use and attempt to recontextualise stereotypes in their work.

Nabisco and a few others proved willing to debate the issues seriously. But far too many people (yes, Persons, Mr Stencil) bypassed any kind of reasoned argument and, like truckers in the throes of road rage, just honked. This comment about 'punching lights out' is actually a continuation of that 'road rage' mindset. Cease and desist or I'll... continue trying to argue lucidly, adventurously and politely.

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 02:43 (twenty-two years ago)

I still like ice cream.

― C J (C J), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 04:14 (twenty-two years ago)

I find it completely disturbing that I haven't posted to ILX in four days (on vacation in flyover country) and yet Momus brings up what I posted almost a week ago to the trucker hat thread. I find it even further disturbing that he seems to imply that what I wrote on that thread was "bypass[ing] any kind of reasoned argument." That is quite low, and frankly quite telling of Momus' complete inability to consider or comprehend anything I wrote, which definitely led to me being frustrated and telling him to fuck off (or some such vulgarity, I don't remember). After which, I took a break. Anyway, Momus, if you ever read this, if you honestly think that writing responses to a bulletin board is the equivalent to "road rage" or "punching lights out," then no wonder you think trucker hats = Republicanism. It's rather pathetic, really.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 17 June 2003 05:10 (twenty-two years ago)

Drop the odd hint here and there e.g. ' I'm finding my pacifist beliefs increasingly difficult to maintain in this office environment'.

― Bob Six (bobbysix), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 05:52 (twenty-two years ago)

'bypassing any kind of reasoned argument' = 'refusing to cater to a discussion on my - and only my - terms'

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 06:42 (twenty-two years ago)

that said what the hell is it with all the 'I wanna puncha somebody' threads. join a gym or something people.

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 06:43 (twenty-two years ago)

right thats it, you, outside...

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 08:00 (twenty-two years ago)

"That was interesting, James. Not entirely on topic, but not off it either!"

― dave q, Tuesday, 17 June 2003 08:03 (twenty-two years ago)

''I'm saddened to hear that the words 'stupid and ignorant' trigger the association 'Momus' for Martin and Julio. On the trucker hats thread I argued some fairly indefensible positions, perhaps, but neither 'stupidly' nor 'ignorantly'. I linked to a lot of outside evidence and cited relevant examples of artists, from Adrian Piper to Robb Pruitt, who use and attempt to recontextualise stereotypes in their work.''

hey momus I'm only joking. I enjoyed the trucker hats thread. I think sometimes you do ignore what some other ppl have to say at times but you stuck to yr points and that's OK with me (most of the time anyway).

― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 09:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Also you might've misinterpreted Martin's answer: I don't think it's a direct reference to you. Okay, technically, it may actually be "a direct reference to you", but I think he was just commenting on the instinctive desire of people around here for anonymous thread starters to name names.

― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 10:02 (twenty-two years ago)

well you did tell him to fuck off stency? and it was a very good thread in my opinion.

and yeah, surely its a reference to the houseguest thread?

anyway, if someone is stupid and ignorant on a regular basis, hmmm, well its all about context i guess. perhaps it is the regular basis that is the problem, i mean everyone interacts with supid/ignorant people, thats life, but the same one repeatedly is different. but again, what context? does it harm you in any way, i mean, some people are stupid/ignorant but i like to watch, because they are often angry, or the way they are hurts themselves not me, and it can be amusing to observe, like a wind-up toy that bumps into the wall repeatedly to no purpose.

but if the behaviour is detrimental to you, which, from the post i guess it must be, then avoidance is key, or making it so the specific elements of the behaviour do not affect you in any way. again, this is all far too vague on my part because there is not enough context

― gareth (gareth), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 10:05 (twenty-two years ago)

"Better murder an infant in its cradle than nurse an unacted desire."

― bobby sixer (bobby6), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 10:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Yes, I was making a jokey reference to the house guests thread. I thought one short comment referred to that and the tendency of general threads to become personal, and to the fact that Momus had wound up and annoyed a bunch of people around here recently. I certainly wasn't implying that I feel or have ever felt remotely like punching Momus, and I haven't.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 11:34 (twenty-two years ago)

WHat are the rules of punching people with eyepatches. I know you're not supposed to punch people with glasses* but eyepatches? Hmm.

* The should take their glasses off so that either
a) They don't get tiny shards of glass in their ieyes
b) You've got a slightly better chance of realising that it isn't actually a mild-manner reporter and that this will hurt you a lot more than it will hurt me.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 11:48 (twenty-two years ago)

so, if i'm asked to remove my glasses (or someone removes them for me), depending on circumstances:

1)i am having an eye exam
2)i'm about to be kissed
3)i'm about to be punched

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

i guess this means i have to go read the trucker hat thread now

― Stuart (Stuart), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 16:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Why would someone ask you to remove your glasses before kissing you? Are they poisoned?

― Chris P (Chris P), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 17:05 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently you've never heard of the seductive art of oculingus.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 17:25 (twenty-two years ago)

for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would want to punch Julia. Kiss her, sure, but punch? How ungentlemanly.

― hstencil, Tuesday, 17 June 2003 17:49 (twenty-two years ago)

well, thanks stence. :)

all i meant was that the removal of glasses sometimes occurs in romantic circumstances.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:00 (twenty-two years ago)

like eye exams

― James Blount (James Blount), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:06 (twenty-two years ago)

'specially if the opthamologist is hott.

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Or if the other person is really ugly.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:10 (twenty-two years ago)

this would only be helpful, however, if you were farsighted...

― JuliaA (j_bdules), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:12 (twenty-two years ago)

Or if he had a really big dick.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:13 (twenty-two years ago)

I need a timer built into my computer (or my brain) that, after I hit submit, waits five minutes, and then shows me what I wrote again before actually posting it.

― NA. (Nick A.), Tuesday, 17 June 2003 18:23 (twenty-two years ago)

Apparently you've never heard of the seductive art of oculingus.

Oh, I've read Lolita...

― Chris P (Chris P), Wednesday, 18 June 2003 05:27 (twenty-two years ago)

I've already made up my mind what to do in this area pretty much, but just wondering what anyone might think -

I have known X for about 6 years. Long ago I realised that this individual was too incompetent to be trusted for even the slightest activities, so I just stopped asking them to do anything ever. (I don't mean things like 'move my furniture', I meant things like "Oh you're standing right near the TV, can you turn it to channel 3." Like I mean REALLY simple stuff. The TV example, X would 'trip' and knock the TV over or something. We are talking USELESS here.) Fine, right? Except X still finds ways to fuck stuff up like almost through remote control or something! Last week, phones every day. "Hey, haven't seen you in a while"[now why would that be, I wonder]"come round on Sunday. 4:30". Same thing daily. "Sunday 4:30". This is a fair distance away, but whatever. So I go there, and - nobody in. I wait around, maybe they went out to the shop or something, come back - nobody in. So I leave. That evening, phone message - "Man, I just woke up...I must've not heard the bell..." then a bunch of whiny apologetic bullshit. "If you don't feel like calling me back I u-u-u-nderstand..." Passive-aggressive people are not happy people but they should never be allowed even the slightest break, EVER. Easier said than done, as I just proved.

― dave q, Thursday, 19 June 2003 11:02 (twenty-two years ago)

I had a friend like this once (let's call this friend "XX"). I couldn't trust XX with ANYTHING. Asked them to keep some things in our building's storage room for me over the summer while I was out of town. I forgot to put a lock on the storage room door and I said "get a combination lock from the hardware store, I'll pay you back the five bucks or whatever" and they never got the lock, so everything I left down there got stolen. Wait, not EVERYTHING: I had my high-end stereo down there (ok, I concede, this was a bad idea on my part) and I told XX "guard this with your life. don't even touch it, don't try to bring it upstairs, just look after it and make sure no one takes it." So the second I leave town, XX ignores my plea, brings my stereo up to the apartment, and BREAKS the thing. Breaks the CD tray, breaks the cassette player. And my record player (also in storage) has been stolen. Fat lot of good this stereo was gonna do me. I made XX pay me back every red cent of the stolen/broken property's estimated value.

XX just did shit like this all the time. And one night after they stood me up at a gig they were supposed to meet me at (they were my plus-one and I waited outside for an hour because I didn't want to leave them stranded if they showed up) I just said "fuck it": stopped returning their calls and e-mails, never talked to them again.

― Person, Thursday, 19 June 2003 14:46 (twenty-two years ago)

That's like all of my friends, dude.

― Ally (mlescaut), Thursday, 19 June 2003 14:49 (twenty-two years ago)

Is this person named J0hn Vand1ver Gr1ce by any chance? I hate hate hate hate hate hate hate him.

― Nick Southall (Nick Southall), Thursday, 19 June 2003 14:57 (twenty-two years ago)

what did the person say when they had to admit they had done all this stuff?

and why did you trust them again?

i think it can be ok to have friends like this as long as they are not allowed to touch anything. i have a couple friends (lets call them harry and lloyd) who i really do not trust to do anything right at all, so they are not trusted with anything. i have this other friend (lets call him machiavelli) and i definitely dont trust him with anything, i think he has an ulterior motive with a lot of things

― gareth (gareth), Thursday, 19 June 2003 14:59 (twenty-two years ago)

XX took full responsibility, but for months whined about not being able to pay me back because they were "broke" (then mysteriously they won $2000 in the lottery and when I heard I said "guess where THAT money's going ahem ahem").

People: classic or dud?

― Person, Thursday, 19 June 2003 15:04 (twenty-two years ago)

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