I now know that Doctor Who fans are called "Whovians."

[Deputy-Assistant-Second-Prime]

Wow, I'm gone for a little while and look what I missed.

Apparently my inquiry was taken in entirely the wrong light, and I am very, very, sorry. I thought I had sufficiently explained myself in the opening post, but apparently not. It was not my intention to offend anyone, and I apologize if that was the result.

You say someone played a joke on you. I believe you.
You posted an inquiry to verify it. No problem here.
People took it the wrong way and got upset. Sounds familar. Happens to me quite often.

To make up for it, here is a list of ten things I like about Doctor Who (please keep in mind I've only seen two episodes, "Bad Wolf" and the one where the Daleks kill a bunch of Americans in Utah)

Don't bother. Either people will believe you or they won't.

I know you to be a very respectful and empathetic individual who has exercised great personal restraint even in the course of some very heated debates.

Personally, I see this as a non-issue.

Next time I have a question about Doctor Who, I'll just Google it.

Why? That's what this folder is for.

You shouldn't self-impose restrictions like that.
At the very least, feel free to PM me with any questions.
I'm always willing to discuss my favorite television program.

[Major Tyler]

I know you to be a very respectful and empathetic individual who has exercised great personal restraint even in the course of some very heated debates.

Personally, I see this as a non-issue.

Thank you very much, DASP. I really needed to hear someone say something nice. I feel like people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater in my case. I appreciate your kindness a great deal.

[ShadowMaat]

I'm coming into this a bit late, but I've been dealing with the flak all day.

First of all, Tyler, thank you for the apology, it is much appreciated.

Second, in the future perhaps you should take the advice that is given to ALL newbies- and to oldtimers as well: read a section before you post in it. If you'd done that, you would have seen a thread called You Know You're a Whovian When... That right there should have answered your question about what Who fans call themselves (when they call themselves anything). It's a popular thread and it has been on the first page of this folder for a few days. At least when I've been around.

Less obvious but also helpful is What the Heck is Doctor Who?, which has become a sort of FAQ/Q&A thread for all things Who. If the answer is not there, the question could certainly be asked. In fact, maybe the title could be tweaked to indicate that it's an unofficial FAQ of sorts.

Third- and I mean this sincerely and without rancour- try thinking before you post. Such advice has been expressed often enough in the Ask a Mod thread and various other help-type threads. What sort of reaction did you expect? You called people whores. Yes, you were the victim of an apparent joke and yes, apparently you asked the question in the honest assumption that what you were told was the truth, but even if it HAD been real you had to have expected some kind of negative reaction/backlash, if only from those who didn't know that it was the proper term. The fact that it isn't the proper term... Well... Caution is always best when it comes to potentially controversial terms, however "real" you (generally speaking) may think they are.

Say that in a hypothetical fandom you have two characters: Fiona and Tucker. They have a strong ship contingent. Someone tells you that the shippers call themselves F***ers. Would you hop into the middle of the shipping folder and ask folks if they were F***ers, or would you look around a bit, first? Maybe see if there's already a thread about it. Maybe PM someone you know who ships Fiona/Tucker and ask him/her what the appropriate term is. Or just start a thread saying, "Hey, what do you guys call yourselves?" and completely ignore the info you were given unless/until it is confirmed within that thread and save yourself the turmoil of calling fans a bunch of F***ers when, in fact, they're Tunas.

I've been duped before, myself. It's usually pretty embarrassing, especially when it's public, but when you think you know something the trick is to ask someone else the same question and seeing how they answer.

[Major Tyler]

You called people whores.

No, I didn't. I'm willing to take responsibility for what I did do, but I won't let myself be indicted for something I didn't do.

[ShadowMaat]

No, I didn't. I'm willing to take responsibility for what I did do, but I won't let myself be indicted for something I didn't do.

Hmm... Then I've been blatantly misled by others all day long. My apologies, Tyler.

[jonno]

No, I didn't. I'm willing to take responsibility for what I did do, but I won't let myself be indicted for something I didn't do.

In which case, you phrased yourself poorly enough for some people to think that you DID.

Either way, it's a good idea to think about the title of a thread before posting it. To include the word whore in any thread title is just asking for trouble. And guess what you got ... It just looks, and feels provocative.

[Flyboy]

Guys Guys Guys...

Come on, he made a mistake. But its not the end of the world. Let's just let him off with a caution or something?

[ShadowMaat]

Come on, he made a mistake. But its not the end of the world. Let's just let him off with a caution or something?

Seems like there were a couple of mistakes made which only compounded the original "misunderstanding" but that isn't for us plebs to sort out.

[jonno]

Guys Guys Guys...

Come on, he made a mistake. But its not the end of the world. Let's just let him off with a caution or something?

That's the question isn't it ... should a mod really need a caution? They are arguably supposed to be the 10ish best, most mature, intelligent posters on the forum. To avoid getting into trouble, i'll leave it at that. Everyone will have their own views on it, and it's not up to me to make up anyone elses minds. My own personal views will remain private.

[Tracy Jane]

By my recollection, Dr Who fans were called whores in your post when you said "so that would make them whores, right?" I seem to remember you writing that. Of course, with the mysterious disappearance of the thread I can't verify that statement or quote directly. However, if I've misquoted, then there are an awful lot of people out there who got the wrong impression last night.

[Major Tyler]

By my recollection, Dr Who fans were called whores in your post when you said "so that would make them whores, right?" I seem to remember you writing that. Of course, with the mysterious disappearance of the thread I can't verify that statement or quote directly. However, if I've misquoted, then there are an awful lot of people out there who got the wrong impression last night.

I asked if they were called that, and then explained what my friend had told me after we watched "Bad Wolf." At no point did I say anyone was called anything.

It seems peoples' recollections automatically shift to "worst case scenario."

[Flyboy]

By my recollection, Dr Who fans were called whores in your post when you said "so that would make them whores, right?" I seem to remember you writing that. Of course, with the mysterious disappearance of the thread I can't verify that statement or quote directly. However, if I've misquoted, then there are an awful lot of people out there who got the wrong impression last night.

Thankfully I'm blessed with a fairly good memory. Tyler was referring to the spelling, he questioned the UK spelling systerm of ER, eg Center/Centre. He was inquiring as to whether or not Who-ER would be spelt Whore based on UK grammer. He did not say "Ha Ha Who Fans are Whores!".

[ShadowMaat]

Can I just point out how ridiculously awkward "Who-ers" is regardless of how it's spelled? And if the phrase "whore" was written by Tyler, that kinda answers one of the questions that's been nagging me today.

It really IS a shame that the evidence has been completely erased so that I have no way of putting it into context. It could have been a bad attempt to be clever or it could have been something else. Guess I'll have no way of deciding for myself. But I stand by what I originally said, if someone tells you that a controversial term is the "right" one then research it heavily and triple-check your info before using it. Saves everyone a lot of pain and trouble.

[Egeria]

^ FOB you're quite right at no point did MT directly call DW fans whores. However, the play on spelling thing is a tad lame. You just gotta know that no fandom in it's right mind would call itself whores, and the suggestion, (albeit raised as a question)' is still , to some, offensive . I give MT the credit he's due, I know he's educated, he's no thick newbie and as such I don't believe that he entered the discussion with a naivety based purely on a difference in spelling. Fair dues, he's said sorry...end of. It's just a bit difficult to let this one go when one side of this story can hardly be supported due to the obvious lack of evidence, and as such those of us who feel aggrieved by the thread are being painted in a negative manner.

[jonno]

It would seem therefore that the simplest solution would be to undelete the thread, but have it closed. Then everyones recollections could be verified/comfirmed. Any offensive words can be snipped from posts.