Duke to Adjust Lemur Population

[TillyGalore]

Please tell me this story on the Home page is an April Fool's joke. There has to be another way to deal with the population of lemurs at Duke than killing them.

[Windsor]

I read it and went 'WTF?' then remembered the date.

Almost had me there!

[TillyGalore]

I read it and went 'WTF?' then remembered the date.

Almost had me there!

I want confirmation it's a joke. Especially since I haven't been able to find anything about it on the internet.

DBR, if this is an April Fool's joke, it wasn't funny. Some animal lovers are most definitely NOT amused.

Lavabe, where are you?

[CameronBornAndBred]

I believe the photo and the caption pretty much give it away as a joke. I'm with Tilly though, I wasn't laughing.

[aimo]

I believe the photo and the caption pretty much give it away as a joke. I'm with Tilly though, I wasn't laughing.

I wasn't laughing when they pulled the one about moving basketball parking to the American Tobacco Campus. Because it was way too believable!

[Jumbo]

I want confirmation it's a joke. Especially since I haven't been able to find anything about it on the internet.

DBR, if this is an April Fool's joke, it wasn't funny. Some animal lovers are most definitely NOT amused.

Lavabe, where are you?

Um ... wow. Lighten up, Francis.

[TillyGalore]

Um ... wow. Lighten up, Francis.

Ummm...NO. Not where defenseless animals are concerned.

And my name isn't Francis.

[Jumbo]

Ummm...NO. Not where defenseless animals are concerned.

And my name isn't Francis.

You really sound ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Unless you're pulling off your own April Fool's Day joke, in which case it's hilarious.

[TillyGalore]

You really sound ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Unless you're pulling off your own April Fool's Day joke, in which case it's hilarious.

I learned from the best, Jumbo!

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I learned from the best, Jumbo!

OK, wait were you being offended in jest? Is this some sort of reverse-Andy Kaufman type gag?

This whole things lemur thing was never hilarious to begin with and is now just bringing me down.

Time to go listen to the Filet-O-Fish song in my head again...

[Jumbo]

Time to go listen to the Filet-O-Fish song in my head again...

What if it were you, hanging up on the wall?

[CameronBornAndBred]

You really sound ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous. Unless you're pulling off your own April Fool's Day joke, in which case it's hilarious.

That's not right to attack her personally like that. She, like others on this site, found the joke to be in poor taste, including myself. Because she expresses her opinion does not make her sound rediculous.

[TillyGalore]

That's not right to attack her personally like that. She, like others on this site, found the joke to be in poor taste, including myself. Because she expresses her opinion does not make her sound rediculous.

Thank you CB&B. You are a true gentleman!

[Jumbo]

That's not right to attack her personally like that. She, like others on this site, found the joke to be in poor taste, including myself. Because she expresses her opinion does not make her sound rediculous.

That's not a personal attack. Tilly could be a wonderful, delightful, saint of a person. Her post sounds ridiculous. Nothing else she has said does. Nothing about her is ridiculous. Just the joke.

BTW, I still can't tell if she's playing around with her own April Fool's Joke.

[TillyGalore]

That's not a personal attack. Tilly could be a wonderful, delightful, saint of a person. Her post sounds ridiculous. Nothing else she has said does. Nothing about her is ridiculous. Just the joke.

BTW, I still can't tell if she's playing around with her own April Fool's Joke.

Jumbo, how is "you really sound ridiculous" not a personal attack?

[Jumbo]

Jumbo, how is "you really sound ridiculous" not a personal attack?

Because it has nothing to do with you as a person. It has to do with what you're saying. You could easily rephrase that as "your post sounds really ridiculous." And that's the same thing I'd write if someone suggested Duke start Jordan Davidson or the U.S. invade Canada. That's how I've always viewed "personal attacks," at least.

[CathyCA]

Because it has nothing to do with you as a person. It has to do with what you're saying. You could easily rephrase that as "your post sounds really ridiculous." And that's the same thing I'd write if someone suggested Duke start Jordan Davidson or the U.S. invade Canada. That's how I've always viewed "personal attacks," at least.

Then, if it wasn't a personal attack, why didn't you rephrase your post as "your post sounds reallly ridiculous?"

The DBR joke was in poor taste. Tilly and others were offended, and posted about their feelings. I think that your comments directed to Tilly seemed fairly personal, and weren't directed toward her post, but toward her, especially since you used the word "you" instead of the words "your post."

How about a simple apology?

[allenmurray]

Duke houses lemurs. In Duke Forest. Where (perhaps for the benefit of those of you who do not live in Durham) Duke recently had to make the decision to "cull" the deer herd in Duke Forest because of overpopulation.

I don't think anyone was seriously suggesting the killing or eating of lemurs. My guess is that were it not for the recent issue with the deer this whole thing probably would not have been a topic for an April Fools Day joke. (the deer issue was/is somewhat serious - numerous car accidents, deer literally malnourished due to overpopulation, etc. - all in an area where hunting is somewhat dangerous due to heavy recreational use of the forest.)

I thought I had left the craziness behind when I curtailed my frequency to the PPB - this is even more nuts - I may have to quit DBR altogether to get away from the pettiness.

[Stray Gator]

Then, if it wasn't a personal attack, why didn't you rephrase your post as "your post sounds reallly ridiculous?"

The DBR joke was in poor taste. Tilly and others were offended, and posted about their feelings. I think that your comments directed to Tilly seemed fairly personal, and weren't directed toward her post, but toward her, especially since you used the word "you" instead of the words "your post."

How about a simple apology?

In my opinion, the only people who are owed an apology here are Julio and Boswell. They open their online home to people, offer them a free source of information and entertainment, as well as a free place to hang out and interact. In return, what do they get? Publicly criticized by their "guests" in their own house for offering an utterly innocuous--and transparently satirical--parody. And then, those who are themselves criticized for rudely disparaging the "poor taste" of our hosts have the audacity to demand apologies? Where I come from, that's goes far beyond "poor taste"--it's such a complete distortion of perspective and repudiation of common courtesy that it virtually turns the relationship between host and guest on its head.

If people are offended by the DBR owners' humor, why don't they simply find someplace else to perch that is more compatible with their sensitivities? If you are offended by The Onion's humor, don't go to its webpage. If you are offended by Saturday Night Live's humor, don't turn to NBC at that hour. Are you writing letters to The Onion and to NBC complaining about being offended by their articles and skits? Am I the only one that thinks it's enormously presumptuous of one of many guests to demand that the hosts change the way they behave or stop telling jokes in their own house for the purpose of accommodating that one guest's personal preferences?

Seems to me that some people here are taking an awful lot for granted.

[roywhite]

In my opinion, the only people who are owed an apology here are Julio and Boswell. They open their online home to people, offer them a free source of information and entertainment, as well as a free place to hang out and interact. In return, what do they get? Publicly criticized by their "guests" in their own house for offering an utterly innocuous--and transparently satirical--parody. And then, those who are themselves criticized for rudely disparaging the "poor taste" of our hosts have the audacity to demand apologies? Where I come from, that's goes far beyond "poor taste"--it's such a complete distortion of perspective and repudiation of common courtesy that it virtually turns the relationship between host and guest on its head.

If people are offended by the DBR owners' humor, why don't they simply find someplace else to perch that is more compatible with their sensitivities? If you are offended by The Onion's humor, don't go to its webpage. If you are offended by Saturday Night Live's humor, don't turn to NBC at that hour. Are you writing letters to The Onion and to NBC complaining about being offended by their articles and skits? Am I the only one that thinks it's enormously presumptuous of one of many guests to demand that the hosts change the way they behave or stop telling jokes in their own house for the purpose of accommodating that one guest's personal preferences?

Seems to me that some people here are taking an awful lot for granted.

Got your point.

Was not offended by the satire or by the content and forum that J&B provide. Many thanks to them; they've created a terrific site.

I was offended by the conduct of one particular poster toward Tilly Galore. I suspect that several other posters here might agrree.