A Short Treatise on Dickriding

[Certain]

Originally Posted by PancakeBrah

Explain my semantical arguments to me.

Zygote is a perfect example of what I'm talking about. I rate Zygote highly, but not top tier. He has an emotionless style I can't reconcile with his expert technical ability. But he has built equity. Equity in that we know he is a top notch technician, so when he drops a piece that "barely even rhymes" we know it's on purpose, and it's a purpose of the piece. Your argument seems almost petty.

The semantics are in the word "dickride." It means different things to everyone. I think what people want to avoid is the feeling that voters entered a thread already knowing whom they would be voting for.

Battlers are the ones who complain about this the most, but I think it's a much more difficult line in open mics because individual punchlines aren't there to be judged on their own merits and styles are so much more varied. Personal taste simply matters more in voting on a topical battle.

I've said in the past that your style probably is my favorite on the board. Even though I have no interest in voting for anything less than the verse I prefer in a battle, that does cast me as a biased voter. But we're all biased voters. We all have styles we prefer, and it's impossible to separate them from quality.

Take your Writing Challenge League battle with PiE. His verse was more unique, more fleshed out and more impressive as it related to the challenge. But I connected more with your verse. I seriously thought about voting for PiE because it seemed like the logical answer, when I laid the facts out on the table. But I enjoyed your verse more and enjoy your style more because it's better. You're the better writer, and the better writer usually wins.

Then take Mike Wrecka's battle against Pinot Grij. I like Pinot Grij's style much more than Mike Wrecka's because he's on another level as far as mechanics and clarity. But Mike Wrecka did exactly what a writing underdog must to win a topical battle: He came with a very strong take on the topic. He did the same against me. He knows how to turn the tables, and he's proven it over and over again. That's its own skill.

I think the important thing is to acknowledge why your favorite writers are your favorite writers, to then address how they can improve and be mindful that they are not always on their games and to finish by giving fair consideration to writers whose styles you don't like as much.