For my 2 cents, I’m with Patrick Harris and D. – I didn’t realise it was a joke. I thought you had real information, and were merely delivering it with a sarcastic commentary. And once I realised it was a joke, I didn’t think it was funny. That’s cool, I don’t have to agree with your sense of humour.

Nor does anyone else. And after what reads to me like a very polite and nonconfrontational series of comments attempting to say that – you still sound like you’re taking this a bit personally, when all that Patrick and D were saying is what I’m saying: hey, dude, that wasn’t up to your usual standard.

*shrug* I wouldn’t have thought that was such a big deal to someone who writes on the internet, and must get dozens of crackpot emails a day, never mind legitimate commentary.

I’m actually very much in agreement with D in #16 & 17. I didn’t think it was a joke. I come to this blog expecting intelligent social commentary and pretty pictures. Not because you have an obligation to provide that, I’ll note before someone gets sidetracked, but rather because that’s what I usually find here. This lacked the latter, so I assumed it was an attempt at the former. This calling of bullshit is a fairly common reaction – an actual reaction, not an attempt at humor – when people hear about this cultural practice, so I went in to the comments intending to tell you it was a real thing.

Upon reading the comments, I found that you were calling it a joke. I first addressed the aspersions you cast on the story (assuming anthropology got it right etc), which weren’t invalidated by the rest of the post being a joke. Then I addressed the common nature of (from my perspective and presumably yours) weird beliefs, just in case you were covering up your reaction by calling it a joke. Then, in case it really was a joke, I told you I didn’t find it funny. I told you I didn’t find it funny because, as I have noted, I assume you are an intelligent person based on previous writing, and I thought it might be useful for you to note that some of your readers, who (if I may be so bold) are at least moderately educated and intelligent, weren’t digging this entry. It’s the sort of thing I’d want to know, personally. Maybe you don’t care. That’s your prerogative.

Now, as to your rebuttal, if you’re going to quote part of my statement, quote it all. I didn’t just say that it was FYI, I said I wasn’t being a dick, and instead was giving you information I thought you might want. I said I wasn’t being a dick because people on the internet are almost always dicks, and those of us who are attempting to exchange legitimate commentary really need to say so lest we be taken as people attempting to be random dicks.

You took me to be a random dick anyway. Comment #7 dismissed my opinion while deflecting an implied – and non-existent, I would point out – attack on you personally. Under the impression that this was what you considered worthwhile debate, I responded in kind in comment #10. Then you started an actual discussion on the matter, explaining your position. So I again responded in kind, explaining my original intent. You’ve now called me a liar while doing what appears to be your level best to prevent any achievement of stasis on this issue, so we’re clearly not going to get anywhere with this conversation.

But I do so love to talk – or write, as the case may be – so we can keep going around if you like.

Oh, and a side note to Brent: Your joke, I liked.

But I don’t see any point in trying to explain further; I’ve said my piece.