Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt

from the come-for-the-insight,-stay-for-the-funny dept

Sun, Sep 11th 2011 12:00pm — Mike Masnick

Short week due to Labor Day, but felt like a long week, so let's get to it. Winning the most insightful comment of the week was MrWilson, responding to one of the more ridiculous comments we've seen in a while, where one of our regular critics seemed rather confused and ignorant of how the law works, and MrWilson set him straight:

1. Let's apply the same logic to other situations:

"Your honor, my client didn't kill the victim because the victim's soul is immortal and is living on in another plane of existence."

2. The speech being restrained is not the infringement of copyrighted streams of sporting events. The speech being restrained is all of the speech being made on the website, including Puerto 80's discussion forums and webmaster's content. Since Puerto 80 isn't infringing any content, restraining their speech without evidence that they are actually infringing is illegal. Which is the entire point that Puerto 80 is making that you keep ignoring.

3. You've got it backwards. If the US government wants the website unavailable to the US, it needs to pass such a law making it so. It's not Puerto 80's responsibility that the internet doesn't have international boundaries

It makes me happy when you guys vote up comments that respond to clueless comments. Not that it helped with this guy (who doesn't want to be helped -- he revels in being willfully ignorant). His response to MrWilson? "what an ignorant piece of drivel." Of course, since the folks here found it the most insightful post of the week, perhaps -- just perhaps -- this particular commenter might want to open his mind a bit and recognize that perhaps he's misjudging who's the ignorant party.

Coming in a rather close second was a comment from the eejit, in response to the news that the RIAA was issuing takedowns on music being purposely given away for free from a Universal Music website by Universal Music's most successful songwriter. The eejit noted that this makes a strong statement:

See this? This right here?

THIS right here is why PRO IP and ACTA and all the other stupid fucking acronym laws need to die in a fire. HARD. It's not about the fucking artists. It's all about the middlemen's pockets.

Ok. Two quick editor's choice awards. First up, we have Derek Kerton with the perfect analogy to the story of the US government blaming Google (to the tune of $500 million) for some illegal pharmacies placing ads on its platform:

There are crimes committed, like illegal drug sales on street corners in many towns. We should hold the government accountable for those crimes. They should fine themselves $500M because other people are doing "no-nos" on their infrastructure, and they should be forced to stop it from happening.

When they succeed at stopping all crimes on all streets, that will prove to Google that it is possible to do such a thing, and Google can follow the shining example.

I suggest the gov't call it "THE WAR ON DRUGS", and that we always write it in all-caps to illustrate the magnanimity of it. It should be over in a few weeks, and then won't Google look so silly!!

And then we have an Anonymous Cowards explaining the true impact of copyright expansionism:

The more copyright is extended, perverted, abused, and forced upon populations who are never permitted any say in the matter, the more people who would never give copyright a second thought will be affected negatively somehow.

Since copyright only exists by consent of the public, don't be surprised when the public decides that copyright no longer serves them and they declare it null and void.

But, of course, you're all really here for the funny. The winner this week had the most votes ever... and beat out second place by a factor of three! Yes, believe it or not, this comment from Chronno S. Trigger had more than three times the number of votes of the second place comment. It was a simple comment in response to the story of Ubisoft screwing up the printing of its one-time use codes, such that the game only came with 19-digit codes when it required 25-digit codes. Chronno had an idea what really happened:

We sure it was a printing error and not Game Stop taking out the extra 6 characters?

That's what's known as a callback.

Coming in a respectable second was John Doe's thoughts on the news that the RIAA is issuing takedown notices for Twitter messages that link to music released directly on a Universal Music website by the musician behind it, who was actively encouraging people to share the work freely. Doe knew what must be coming next:

So Universal Music is a rogue site? I guess ICE will be confiscating Universal's website any time now.

For editor's choice, we'll start with a pair of related comments that both made me laugh. In response to the story of some researchers claiming that Facebook leads to drinking and drug use after they appeared to not understand the difference between correlation and causation, Chris O'Donnell took things a step further in explaining his parenting secrets:

Neither of my teenagers will open a Facebook account, because, as they put it, if I'm on Facebook it can't be cool. Neither of my teenagers is drinking or doing drugs either.

So obviously, hanging on out FB as a parent keeps your kids away from drugs and alcohol.

And people told me this parenting thing would be difficult.

To which Dark Helmet replied:

In the spirit of fucking up correlation and causation, I can only assume that you drink and do drugs heavily.

Yay! This is fun!

Finally, we'll end on a funny comment from Beta, which involves another callback. His comment was on the story of the Double Rainbow dude issuing bogus DMCA notices and insisting that he'll "change the law" if it turns out filing bogus DMCA notices is illegal. Beta wondered if there might be a connection to another story we've covered recently:

See what happens when people can no longer get affordable medication from Canada?

A shame indeed. That's that for this week... Play nice.

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29 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 12:30pm

Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel, no matter how many people push the insightful button. Think of it as more proof that birds (or is that turds) of a feather flock together... or that fools seldom differ.

Things like that make Rush Limbaugh's dittoheads appear to be deep thinkers with unique opinions.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 12:53pm

Re:
What ignorant drivel.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 1:22pm

Re: Re:
What witty repartee.
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Greg G (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 1:28pm

Re: Re: Re:
Rapier-sharp compared to yours.

Your dittohead comment shows where your point of view is coming from. And your talking points are fed to you by the likes of MSNBC, the NY Times, et al....

Looks like you're not so unique, yourself.
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Greevar (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 1:33pm

Re:
Repeat that one million times and maybe, just maybe, it will be true! Or it might just prove once and for all that you're insane. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel. Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel...
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angry dude, 11 Sep 2011 @ 1:33pm

Re: Re:
Fucking shut up. You know the original AC is right and you are a jackass for saying any different.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 1:34pm

Re: Re: Re:
I believe it was a �callback. �
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 2:02pm

Re:
You're just sad that you didn't get the insightful badge.

Pro tip: comments like that one won't get you any badges (or friends).
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 2:16pm

Re: Re:
Don't feed the troll
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 2:21pm

Re: Re: Re:
Still ignorant.
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Greevar (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 2:30pm

Re: Re: Re:
http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/4297/20110508133133.jpg
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Zot-Sindi, 11 Sep 2011 @ 4:02pm

Re:
Ignorant drivel is ignorant drivel

yup

so what would you call deliberately ignorant drivel being posted over and over on a site you obviously don't like in an attempt to shut up those who don't share your views on how perfect and awesome that copyright/patent god of yours is?

i call it stupid
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Zot-Sindi, 11 Sep 2011 @ 4:05pm

Re: Re:
and, as everyone knows, stupid is as stupid does, nobody can change that
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Zot-Sindi, 11 Sep 2011 @ 4:07pm

Re: Re: Re:
come now, even trolls have some sense of dignity, this one is bordering on some sort of bizarre masochistic obsession with this blog, they are like in every single article making these comments and i know it's the same one because of how it's worded out
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Atkray (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 7:26pm

Re: Re: Re:
mmm chocolate
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 7:34pm

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Obsession? Nope. Humor? Oh yeah. Since I found this place I no longer need to visit The Onion or listen to Rush Limbaugh. The humor factor here is way better, mostly because not only has Mike managed to convince himself of some truly amusing things, but because so many of you agree.

That Mike had turned out to be a bagger makes it even more amusing.
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The Groove Tiger (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 7:37pm

Re: Re: Re:
"What witty repartee."

Oh, that is so clich�.
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The Groove Tiger (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 7:40pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
*watches AC have a heart attack*
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 8:45pm

Re:
I have to agree with the "fools seldom differ" because you are just like many I came to know in my life.

You look like a fool, quacks like one so you must be one :)
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 8:47pm

Re: Re: Re:
Have a heart man!
Even trolls need to eat.
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 8:52pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Funny I feel the same way about your drivel.
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The Incoherent One (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 9:29pm

Re: Re:
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
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Anonymous Coward, 11 Sep 2011 @ 9:36pm

Re: Re: Re:
BADGERS? WE DON'T NEED NO STINKING BADGERS!
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Eugene (profile), 11 Sep 2011 @ 11:17pm

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
From how consistently bad you are at this, and because of how often your ridiculous comments lead to content-heavy discussions, I sometimes wonder if you aren't actually Mike in disguise, presenting a straw man for everyone to beat on easily.
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The Incoherent One (profile), 12 Sep 2011 @ 12:27am

Re: Re:
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
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The eejit (profile), 12 Sep 2011 @ 2:28am

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re:
Dude, even The Onion can't make shit up on the level of this. Make of that what you will.
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The eejit (profile), 12 Sep 2011 @ 2:29am

Re: Re: Re: Re:
Badgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadgerbadger MUSHROOM MUSHROOM, a troll, ooh, it's a troll...

[/sarc]
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The eejit (profile), 12 Sep 2011 @ 2:30am

Re: Re:
Fools don't quack, they become lawyers. That's why Law gets a bad rep.
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Don Stevens (profile), 12 Sep 2011 @ 8:55am

Eye of the Beholder
It makes me happy when you guys vote up comments that respond to clueless comments... since the folks here found it the most insightful post of the week, perhaps -- just perhaps -- this particular commenter might want to open his mind a bit and recognize that perhaps he's misjudging who's the ignorant party.

Reminds me of the old joke: A woman, knowing her husband is driving on the highway, calls him and warns, "Be careful! The news just reported that someone's driving the wrong way!" He says, "One!?! There's hundreds of them!"
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