Morning, everyone. Let's keep the lively conversation going in the comments below. You've all done a fine job of spotting terrible comments this week, and making them too.
Anyway, here's your Youtube clip that you never discuss despite the fact that I put a lot of thought into these to get you started.
It's painful to say I don't get Raysism's Jackie Robinson/FBI reference. It is obviously a great joke.
ReplyDeleteSomeone please help me get on with my day.
Lin Chu = lynch you
DeleteFoster the Aryan didn't get it either, that's why he made the same joke minutes later.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete@Big Pun
DeleteThank you.
Just in case anyone missed this:
ReplyDeletehttp://deadspin.com/5885526/deadspin-up-all-night-fight-on?comment=47051645#comments
As a result of this:
http://deadspin.com/5885372/ron-jaworski-gets-booted-from-the-monday-night-football-booth-this-guy-is-happy?comment=47024562#comments
I feel like if you have to ask, "what does having a star mean?," you probably shouldn't have one.
The sad part is that I do think he got it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not trying to toot my own horn here at all, but I noticed the same thing yesterday with my SIPHILSIMMS/Syphilis joke. I think that they see a joke that does well, and don't see anything wrong with stealing a key component of what made the joke work so well, and then modify and regurgitate it in an effort to make a quality joke themselves.
God damn I'm struggling today. This was supposed to be in reply to @Nice Job, Tool
DeleteThank you for using hyperlinks!
Deleteyou mean like how you stole the idea to pick a word that starts with SI from sneijderman and raysism
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty incredible to me that someone who reads this blog would so grossly misunderstand the difference between using the same concept in a joke (#SI________) and straight lifting the punchline from Hammerclaw's joke.
DeleteJesus. There is a difference between working off a formula (SI + Cover Story of the magazine = joke), and taking the exact same word and reusing it. The guys I referred to literally took the joke (SI+Phil=syphilis), and made it their own.
DeleteMy point was in response to "Nice Job, Tool"'s comment, in that I thought Foster the Aryan did get Raysism's joke, but was more than comfortable stealing a key component that Raysism came up with and using it for their jokes.
Sgt.,
DeleteAbsolutely no offense taken at completely ripping off my joke, you weren't the first to do it. I have several angry voicemails to SI as well.
So, who the fuck is Pittsburgh Sports and mini-ponies? I've never seen him before, yet he somehow has a star. But, despite having a star he can neither format correctly nor construct a good joke. What is the history here?
ReplyDeleteHe's one of the old-schoolers. From back when guys like myself were considered funny. SO BACK OFF!
DeleteHe's pretty typical of your 2007 to 2009 DS commenter. People talk about the good old days, but they were basically horrible. Other than Steve U and a small, small group of others (like, 2 or 3), there's no one from that period that would crack the top 30 today.
ReplyDeleteThey don't delete old stars, although if he keeps commenting, he will have it forcibly removed, no doubt.
I'm less tenured than you appear to be, but that agrees with my perception. Every time I see a horrible comment from a starred commenter, I assume it was someone who "made it" 2-3 years ago.
DeleteThat includes current frequent commenters who date from that period - Steve_U is fantastic, but I believe that other "legends" who still receive universal accolades would be nobodies if they started commenting today. That includes David_Hume (hit rate ~20%), Hatey McLife (hit rate ~10%) and Sheed's Bald Spot (hit rate ~5%).
I would put even the most mediocre newly starred commenters (Post-Apocalyptic whatever, Poignant Theater, or Dubai at night) against them any day.
@Not Too Angry Starred Commenter
DeleteThen you aren't paying attention. I'd take Hume, Hatey, and Sheed against any three other commenters, period. Those guys (especially Hume and Hatey (no offense to Sheed (he's really, really funny))) are still the cream of the crop regardless of how long they've been around.
@NTASC
DeleteI've been around since 2006 and disagree entirely. I'd say commenting hit its zenith in about 2008. In the good old days, there was no need for quality controlling blogs like MBA or this one. There were 50-75 solid commenters who consistently brought the funny. Now I'd say it's 20 or so...and even then, a lot of the humor is pretty absurd. Plus there's a shitload more terrible comments that would have been shamed out of existence (or not let in) back in the day. Not to say I don't enjoy it around here now--why else would I hang around--but it was a lot more fun then.
Also, a lot of the "old school" commenters mentioned are not nearly "old school." "Older" perhaps, but not paleozoic.
Now get off my lawn!
Wow, ntasc. I couldn't disagree more about Hune and Sheed. Not only are they consistently funny, which I guess is in the eye of the beholder, but they also both have incredibly unique voices that don't sound like every other DS commenter.
ReplyDeleteI understand, and I am willing to admit that I might not "get" their humor because, as you said, it doesn't sound like most other DS commenters. But, I think that most other DS commenters are quite funny, so not sounding like them is a detriment in my book. That said, I do think Hume in particular occasionally contributes a gem (hence the 20%) but frequently his reach for the obscure or intellectual falls very flat. The other two also can hit, but do so with an irregularity that belies their reputation.
DeleteIf people like Hume or Sheed, then good for them. We can all like and +1 whatever tickles our fancy. But I just cannot shake the notion that at least some of the adulation that certain commenters receive is due more to their perceived status than to their actual contribution.
As for "LOLWUT," if you want to defend your boys while insulting others, you might want to pick a screen-name that doesn't scream "teenage girl with an inferiority complex." I'm neither an idiot nor Dubai, but I look forward to your next random and pointless contribution.
Hardworking troll works hard.
DeleteDude, Sheed has only been around as long as I have, which is like 2 years now. He's not that old-school.
Delete@Always Winning
DeleteCome on man. Stating a non-majority opinion isn't the same as trolling. If I were trolling, I would say that Steve_U, RMJ, BoC, EMS, etc. sucked. That would be undeniably stupid -- and I'm not even saying Hume, Hatey or Sheed suck. I'm saying that they are in the middle 50% of starred commenters between the top 25% (comprised largely of the above) and the bottom 25% (comprised largely of folks I mentioned earlier), but they are treated like upper echelon commenters because the newer folks like to suck up to their elders). If that is your definition of trolling, then you don't spend enough time on Yahoo or ESPN boards (actually, any time spent there is too much time, so ignore everything above).
You're crazy. Everybody's entitled to his/her opinion, but yours is wrong. Even aside from the obvious point that the old-schoolers created the tone and standards that characterize nearly all the best Deadspin comments, many of them still crank it out of the park with regularity.
DeleteAnd if you were willing to stand your own work up against theirs, I suspect you'd have posted your comments here under your own Deadspin handle.
@UweBullocks
DeleteIn that case, you pass the "old-school but off-the-charts hilarious" test, while he does not.
This isn't about tenure, it is about the way reputation affects current response.
Actually, you offer a unique example for this debate. How many new commenters have come in and made reference to the "Uwe's basement" meme? They do that because they want you (and your inner circle) to pay attention to them. Eventually the efforts of the ninja, a few senior commenters, and you personally have cut that shit out. And, you keep giving us funny comments that are independent of that meme, so we can move on.
My point is that, because there is no obvious meme to counteract, we cannot convince new participants to stop sucking up to other "old-school" commenters.
Even if they wanted to suck up, at this point I'm not sure that most commenters even know who the "old school" commenters are. How many commneters could put the starrings of Steve U, Sharting, Bevraj, Hatey, IMG, myself, Always Winning, etc. on a timeline?
DeleteI think there are a few established commenters that get the benefit of an occasional charity +1, but by and large I think people reply to the ones they find funny.
@Sharting
DeleteThe "tone and standards" at Deadspin are identical to those at any purveyor of short-form written comedy. The old-schools guys did nothing except get here first and take advantage of the insanely low bar that most blog comment sections provided.
As for publishing under my own handle, I didn't say that I could match any of those folks - I said that most Deadspin commenters can, including the relatively untalented folks whom I named (interestingly, none of them have appeared to defend themselves).
"If I were trolling, I would say that Steve_U, RMJ, BoC, EMS, etc. sucked."
DeleteVery subtle, nice.
"I'm not even saying Hume, Hatey or Sheed suck."
Right, you used the word "nobodies."
"but they are treated like upper echelon commenters because the newer folks like to suck up to their elders"
I don't understand. Where's this misplaced outpouring of support? Did I miss the results of a survey? Are people throwing Hume (et al) +1s just because he's Hume? I think you're the only person living with the idea that there's some group of "upper echelon" commenters who receive undeserved, outweighed praise from other people. If it actually makes you bitter that some commenters are garnering positive attention then you might have some issues of your own to deal with.
When are you going to let us know your DS handle? I need to start paying more attention to the commenter with the "(hit rate ~100%)."
@Uwe
DeleteI wrote a long response comparing incessant references to "your" basement from new commenters looking to fit in to the +1 flood for mediocre comment from your preprocessors and contemporaries, but that post somehow was lost in the ether.
So, I will take that as a sign that I am defeated - if you believe that the funniest folks at Deadspin were all here 3 years ago, then I will not convince you otherwise. I'll see you on the other side, where if I get up my courage to comment for the first time in a few months I hope that you will evaluate my contributions objectively.
Well, it depends on how effectively you tear up your straw men in the comments section (as opposed to the ones at which you're taking aim here).
DeleteThe tone and standards at Deadspin are wildly different from any other sports blog, or almost any other blog, in part because of the work of the old timers.
DeleteAt most other blogs, the standard for what is funny is measured by who can be the first to post a meme picture, or best make a reference to a show, or drop an appropriate movie quote. I don't think any other blog at the time (of the old-timers) had comments sections with jokes/comments that took the forms of carefully-written dialogue between multiple parties, or fake charts and graphs or jokes that wouldn't be out of place being delivered by a good late-night tv host.
Sure, Deadspin has the occasional annoying rhyme time threads and pun chains and posts where people desperately scramble to make something out of nothing. Its focus on originality is a fuckload better, and more creative than comment sections where something is deemed "funny" because is repeated to death, and is something laughed at, and not with.
Fark and sites like that did (and do) one-liners well, but try finding something constructed like EMS' "Man's Laugher" joke somewhere else, and try making a credible argument that that joke would have come to be in a place where the door to our current tone and standards wasn't opened by the old school guys.
@NTASC
DeleteFirst off, I agree on the "basement" thing, and it annoys me worse than anyone else. Trust me.
Also, in no way do I believe that the best commenters were only the ones who were here 3 years ago. Not one bit, actually. Some of my favorites have come along in the last year or so. But there are way better examples than the ones you mentioned if you want to point out people slobbering all over someone because of their name-recognition. Sheed's off-the-wall comments are almost always hilarious, and Hume is one of the best. In my opinion, anyway.
Baloney. Nobody is saying that "the funniest folks at Deadspin were all here 3 years ago." Nobody has said anything close to that. Nobody's even disputed the general argument that the bar is higher today than it once was. But you're saying that revered long-time commenters don't measure up to newer commenters you yourself describe as "mediocre," and that's nonsense.
DeleteI hope I measure up, because like my mom said, "Always give (hit rate ~110%)"
Delete"I might not "get" their humor because, as you said, it doesn't sound like most other DS commenters. But, I think that most other DS commenters are quite funny, so not sounding like them is a detriment in my book."
DeleteFigured out who NTASC is, everyone. He's noted commenter "Guy Who Doesn't Understand What Commenting On Deadspin Is Supposed To Be."
Love that guy.
Inclusio alterius est exclusio ursus.
Delete@NTASC
DeleteThe very thing that you hold against Hume (and is true for Sheed and Hatey too), which you mischaracterize as reaching for intellectual or obscure, is exactly what makes them particularly valuable. I think of all the commenters at DS, Hume or Hatey or Sheed are among the least likely to use a "template" style joke, or jump into some pun chain or reference some thing that has been referenced a billion times before, at least not without somehow tweaking it and making it their own. I'd rather die strangely on the island of weird than live, bored, in the land of stagnant and predictable.
My hit rate is ~4%
Delete:(
My hit rate is <12 ONLY!!!!!
DeleteI am an "old" guy. I think the old days were about the same than they were today. You could get away with more insider-baseball stuff (which I'm feeling the brunt of now, sorry ninjas if you're reading this), but that doesn't (1) mean it was better or (2) mean it was worse either.
DeleteIt was just different. I assume that since I was not mentioned by name by this NTASC fellow I can go fuck myself.
Well, let me tell you, Mr. NTSAC: I am one hot piece of ass. I'm lucky to have me.
That comment doesn't make any sense.
DeleteWhat I meant was:
Quality = Same
Environment = Different.
What a moron I am.
@RMJ=H
DeleteDon’t get down on yourself. As the old saying goes, I’d rather have a 63% hit rate RMJ=H than an 88% hit rate IMG.
Or something like that.
Hey Pthalates, I agree with you completely - at least about Hume & SBS.
DeleteHatey's "look it's a shocking joke!" shtick is so terrible I would rather read the collected works of Analysis Rube than see another one of his terrible comments. He truly is one of the old guard who gets by only because he's old.
His recent vacation was great. Hopefully get goes away again soon.
"Hopefully he goes away again"
DeleteUgh.
Wow, should I defend myself since I am a "mediocre newly starred commenter". I won't, actually, because this is just pretty ridiculous. Being a mediocre starred guy, I'd be the first to tell you that I am nowhere near as funny as guys like Hume, Hatey, et al. I just try to make jokes, man. Sorry if you don't like them.
DeleteMost would probably agree with your theory about there being an upper echelon of commenters, including guys like EMS, BoC, formerly cheese-mac, Steve U, Gambo, Sharting, RMJ, SSE, IMG, AT, Uwe... (the abridged list could go on and on and my intention isn't to slight anyone not listed here, just agree that there are some consistently excellent commentators that are on a different level). I'd even submit that some of these commenters are clever, quick-witted, and smart enough to be professional comedy writers. That's a pretty high bar with which to compare all others. At any rate, we are talking about maybe 15 people. The way you see it, only comments from the likes of these guys are worthy of DS. That's a pretty limited range of people, who also very likely have jobs and lives outside of DS. In your world, there'd be very few comments and a lot fewer page hits and probably a different website as a result.
Honestly, you are entitled to your opinion of me as a commenter and as I said I won't defend myself. However, I will defend some of the other people you take shots at and say that just about everyone with a star on DS has a star because they are funny more often than not and are a hell of a lot funnier than commenters you'll find elsewhere. In the end, that's what makes the site what it is. As for these screeds and pointless arguments, I don't see how they improve DS.
@Raysism
DeleteIt's very important that you preserve the tilde in front of your stated ~[Hit Rate]%. Hit Rate is exacting but it's not settled science so we mustn't get too carried away.
@Poignant Theater
DeleteThat's all very well put. Don't let some putz hiding his Deadspin pseudonym behind another pseudonym make you feel like you have to defend your (excellent) work.
Other than our esteemed namesake, this is the only pre-2010 commenter who was worth a damn:
ReplyDeletehttp://deadspin.com/5422770/the-machine-won-10-preposterous-moments-from-sis-1996-tiger-woods-profile/gallery/1?comment=17470718
http://deadspin.com/5447871/gq-unveils-new-stunning-details-about-marvin-harrison-gun-incident?comment=18359759#comments
http://deadspin.com/5441517/wilt-chamberlains-legendary-bedroom-body-count-bested-by-fidel-castro?comment=18106851#comments
I'm 100% serious. And who is Ray?
DeleteAnd don't call him Shirley!
DeleteYou won't be missed:
ReplyDeletehttp://deadspin.com/5885723/darren-rovell-appeared-on-wfan-to-explain-his-indecent-proposal-to-kate-upton?comment=47068057#comments
Ninja got that one, but missed this one.
DeleteWhoopsie.
Deletehttp://deadspin.com/5885723/darren-rovell-appeared-on-wfan-to-explain-his-indecent-proposal-to-kate-upton?comment=47067218#comments
Good christ thank you StF. That's just stunningly lazy, and it's been bothering me since it was posted. Also, my comment below was supposed to be in reply to AtF's banning, but I fucked it up somehow.
DeleteI DID NOT see that one coming.
ReplyDeleteYOUR YOUTUBE VIDEO IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER SEEN, IMG!
ReplyDeleteI love you.
DeleteTDK's is much much better, but still:
ReplyDeletehttp://deadspin.com/5885748/the-piggyback-bandit-has-now-been-banned-from-high-school-sporting-events-in-minnesota-too?comment=47070217#comments
But this was just a week ago:
http://deadspin.com/5884107/28+year+old-man-banned-from-north-dakota-high-school-basketball-games-after-allegedly-dressing-in-uniform-and-asking-for-piggyback-rides?comment=46885607#comments
I read a lot of comments, and even I don't remember that one. You can't get too caught up in what someone said in an old post. If you remember a certain joke, then you probably shouldn't make it, but I'm not going to hold an old post against someone.
DeleteBesides, TDK's joke was fucking hilarious.
@very angry starred commenter
ReplyDeletewhat exactly is the purpose of ripping commenters you don't like? it reeks of sour grapes. most people do their talking with +1s or no comment.
signed,
horrible
I think we can all agree on one thing: Replying to a funny comment with anything other than a "+1" (or some form of kudos) is fucking horrible.
ReplyDeleteYou have an amazing awanus.
DeleteTotally disagree. But let's be friends anyway.
DeleteWell, there may be instances where it's acceptable, but most of the time when someone replies with something other than a +1 or what have you, it's just not funny. It's one-upmanship at its worst.
DeletePosting unfunny comments sucks either way. It's not worse just because it appears beneath somebody else's comment. That's not anybody's turf.
DeleteNope...comedy pyramids are wonderful. When replies are horrible it's the specific replies that are causing the problem...not the act of replying with something other than a +1.
DeleteHere's an example of a really funny reply from Arthur_Digby_Sellers. There's no bright-line rule for a good reply other than, always be funny.
DeleteThere's nothing funny about that reply. Sorry. it just stepped on LO's joke.
DeleteThat's a stupid, knee-jerk analysis. It's a completely different, very funny, and very astute joke. It builds out and adds to the humor of Lionel's original, just like a good standalone comment does to the Deadspin post.
DeleteAs plenty of people have pointed out, there are lots of ways to reply to a funny comment that add value and appreciated by everyone. That said, more often than not, the best response is simply +1.
Delete@IMG
Delete+1
Wattznext? His neck, hopefully.
ReplyDeleteOh man, such great work in the Lin/Applebee's thread
ReplyDeleteEeeesh...I'm not even sure where to start here. I hope you're a troll...but if not...here goes. Like mentioned above, Hume has a really unique commenting voice at this point, some of his jokes wouldn't be as funny as they are coming from other people, or if you aren't familiar with him, but he's a pro. And easily in the top echelon of commenters (starred or otherwise) at all times.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know...Sheed has not been here all that long (in the oldguard/newguard sense of that explanation), but is also very, very good at what he does.
Hatey is a vitriol filled maniac who does a better job than anyone at finding the humor in truly tragic posts. But he'll also drop an obscure wordplay, or legal reference, or the line "This is the first time a trip to Singapore cured yellow fever". He's not only funny...he was recognized as one of the top two or three back in the day (as Doyle McPoyle) and is still right there, just less often. Which is nothing but a goddamn shame.
Hatey is terrible, and I've been around since he was Doyle McPoyle. He used to be great, now his "look how shocking I can be" style is tired.
DeleteWattznext did get his neck snapped. However, I am more intrigued by the ninja's comment, which got "unpromoted" somehow.
ReplyDeleteThat's not a neck-snapping. A neck-snapping is when someone's commenting account is "killed". Banned altogether.
DeleteYeah, I realized I used the wrong phase a few minutes after. My bad.
DeleteI have always said that Hume is my favorite commenter, and I stand by that. His shit almost always comes out of left field, and is almost always funny.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that Hatey McLife was Doyle McPoyle. Now that I do, though, it certainly makes sense (and not just because of the handle). He is obviously a favorite as well.
Having been doing this for over four years now (Jesus), I definitely tend to favor anything new, unexpected, or surprising. Hume still comes up with it, somehow. Kerabatsos as well. I'm not sure I do, although I try.
MattinglysSideburns too. There should be more MattinglysSideburns.
DeleteI still don't understand how EMS, GamboaConstrictor, and Raysism did what they did. If you started over four years ago, you started just a bit before my first handle (savedbypurplejesus) and it took me 3-3.5 years to get any kind of tenuous grip on a deadspin comment tone. I feel like those three (and maybe BoC as well...can't remember when he started) all just showed up one day and had it down absurdly well.
But it completely blows my mind that people don't get Hume (I also think the two of you have somewhat similar senses of humor at times).
Hume is hilarious. After every Hume post I read, I end up thinking 1) damn! funny guy, and 2) he'd be a great guy to go drinking with. Not many can elicit that 2nd reaction...A-ok in my books!
DeleteHatey and Doyle are not the same guy, were not the same guy, and will never be the same guy. Different people.
DeleteWorld Comedy Judge just keeps smearing grease all over his credibility.
Ok Hatey. Whatever you say.
DeletePresented without comment
DeleteI just wanted to say that for the most part, I'm impressed with the conversation going on here (today and other days). Any other un-moderated discussion board would have turn to shit a long time ago.
ReplyDeleteTo those that come here just to hate, let me ask you Where Is The Love?
+1
DeleteI made a couple of really shitty jokes today. I'll be better tomorrow. Or not! Whatever.
ReplyDeleteu gays are all hateyrz. hatey takes topics u r 2 pussy to talk about and makes comments about them topics that are not funny but do reference the topic and not take them as seriously as the average person might so i laugh with him and +1 him and sometimes blow on my screen near where his username is so its almost like i am fellatio-ing him and his cum tastes like fire, and ring-dings.
ReplyDeleteWow, so that was an interesting discussion. I have nothing to add except to quickly defend myself from the accusation above that I am the "not angry starred commenter." I may be mediocre, but I am honest - every time I have posted on MKM I have used my "real" handle. And, I loved Sheed, though I haven't seen him around much recently. David Hume,meanwhile was the first person to ever promote one of my comments. So in addition to liking his unique angles, I have a personal debt to him.
ReplyDeleteAs for me, this summer, when my family goes back and I can stay up all night drinking and commenting, I'll try to move beyond mediocre.