# A poster's join date doesn't invalidate/validate their position **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 13, 2014, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605 "2014-03-13T12:48:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 12:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/121 "2014-03-16T12:33:34Z")
Um…to the people decrying the horrible way people in this thread are comparing join dates as some sort of pecking order, this link may be of use: [Joke - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joke) ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/122 "2014-03-16T13:46:40Z")
To me, a join date doesn’t yield much data. However, if the poster’s location is Arkansas, well… that says a mouthful. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/123 "2014-03-16T14:11:35Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > A recent join date doesn’t invalidate _factual_ positions, but it does get my back up when some rank newb starts [aggressively lecturing me on my tone and motives for posting](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17189898&postcount=75) in GD. Seasoned with “I’m not impressed” snark, at that. Snark’s something you have to _earn_ a right to, IMNSHO. Well is this the board culture? As this poster suggests, this is a place where you have to earn your right to say certain things and act certain ways, or is this a more open and democratic culture? The OP who has been on the board for twelve years seems to want this sort of attitude curtailed when he mentions the excessive amount of swagger concerning join date. I originally found this board to be more of the former, which I find to be interesting and refreshing; if the board turns into the latter, then that is not a culture I have any interest in contributing to or being a part of; but I’m so new I do not know what the prevailing attitude is. ---
**Author:** ![harmonicamoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@harmonicamoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/harmonicamoon)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/124 "2014-03-16T14:40:51Z")
I don’t believe this board has a dominant culture. It has many members, and a lot of talent. But because it is huge, it can have its share of a$$holes. But, I am a positive thinker, and I prefer to believe the a$$holes are just having a bad hair day. Welcome **Mr. Nylock**! Enjoy your time here. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/125 "2014-03-16T15:08:02Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > Well is this the board culture? As this poster suggests, this is a place where you have to earn your right to say certain things and act certain ways, or is this a more open and democratic culture? Note that the particular thing that I said had to be earned was the right to snark - which is sarcastic statements **about this board and its members**. Yes, I don’t think you can come in after one week and actually be justified in making dismissive comments about the intellectual level _of the board as a whole_. Especially when ones own intellectual level is vastly self-inflated, I might add, as in **Frank Merton** ’s case. Hey, I can see the apparent appeal of wanting to “make your bones”. But choose an aggressive way of doing it and you’re going to get pushback. To then complain about the pushback and gloss over the aggressive tone you started out with, is just going to make people PALATR. > [@](#): > > if the board turns into the latter, then that is not a culture I have any interest in contributing to or being a part of; but I’m so new I do not know what the prevailing attitude is. The board gives back what you put into it, I think. This is more strongly obvious when you’re new, and haven’t made any connections with other posters so there is some history to back up e.g abrasiveness. That’s kind of what is meant by “earn the right to snark” - you earn it by people having enough experience so that they know your aggressive replies aren’t just posturing to cover up lack of actual argument. And even then, excessive aggressiveness isn’t going to get a pass regardless of how long you’ve been a member. My general attitude is I have no problem with new posters, unless they’re dicks _to me personally_ and\* without good reason\* (like, I was an outright dick to them first, which I initially _wasn’t_ to **Frank Merton**. Disagreeing isn’t being a dick). We get new posters here all the time. The vast majority of them settle in just fine, and I don’t even notice they’re new. There is no marker for newbs. But there is for dickheads - their own posts. You don’t look like being one at all. I especially liked your interactions in the “print a trillion dollars” thread. And I don’t know about anyone else, but I think [this post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17197015&postcount=11) (in the “Where to hide a key?” thread) shows you’ll make you a valuable new recruit for the Teeming Millions. _That’s_ just a sterling example of how you fit into our Board culture. Welcome, indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/126 "2014-03-16T18:36:05Z")
Have nothing but contempt for dopers who registered after 1999. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/127 "2014-03-16T19:34:42Z")
> [@Frank\_Merton](#): > > Interesting; Buck Godot provides you with the link and you don’t even bother to apologize. You were the one that couldn’t be bothered, so you get no apology. **Buck Godot** get’s a belated “thank you” for stepping up to the plate, but doesn’t need an apology because he never made the claim that he couldn’t be bothered, and my post was directed at you, not him. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/128 "2014-03-16T20:49:49Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Have nothing but contempt for dopers who registered after 1999. 😛 You folks who registered after March 1999? You are less than insects to me. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/129 "2014-03-16T21:02:14Z")
Well, to be fair, that sort of thing isn’t uncommon in martial arts dojos or even in some workplaces. I knew some piss-poor martial artists (well, two in particular) who would still think themselves superior to people who started after them, even if that person had surpassed them in rank. :rolleyes: When I worked for the University, one of my co-workers refused to take any instructions or orders from one of the supervisors, because he had started there one month after she had. That plan didn’t work out so well for her. That being said, I think anyone saying “I’ve been on this board for 10 years, you’ve only been here a year, so you have nothing to teach me” would be roundly laughed at. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/130 "2014-03-17T19:03:33Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Do you know what you get when you combine crappy content with a \ join date? A crappy poster who’s not going to participate in their own crappy threads. And on this board, you can add in a healthy dose of posters who fall for it every. single. time. Yeah. They are either trolls or seagulls. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/131 "2014-03-17T19:37:36Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > Well is this the board culture? As this poster suggests, this is a place where you have to earn your right to say certain things and act certain ways, or is this a more open and democratic culture? I don’t think there’s anything undemocratic about having to earn one’s rights. I’m an immigrant to the US and I wouldn’t be so bold as to say it’s not a democratic country because I can’t vote (yet). What is certainly true is that longtime posters have more leeway to say stupid (or apparently stupid) things. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2014, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/132 "2014-03-17T20:07:37Z")
It’s not that you have to be a long-timer to snark and whine and bitch. But if you just joined this month, and all you want to do is complain about how this board sucks, well, what’s up with that? Or you can have people who joined in 2002, and all they want to do is complain about how much this board sucks. That’s a different thing. But for both cases, the answer is: if this board sucks so much, why do you bother reading and posting here? I admit when I see someone who’s name I don’t recognize complaining about this board, I check their join date, and draw some conclusions from that. Or if someone posts some incredibly complicated problem and solicits advice on how to handle it, if they just joined today and this is their only post, I’m going to assume they’re a troll. Hey, I could be wrong. But if someone with hundreds of posts posts about some life problem I’m going to assume they’re going to stick around to read the replies. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Nylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Mr.Nylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Nylock)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2014, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/133 "2014-03-25T16:40:41Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You don’t look like being one at all. I especially liked your interactions in the “print a trillion dollars” thread. Well thank you:). I really am enjoying the board so far, I like how it runs and I have no complaints at all. I think I’m finding that I get more responses from the posts I write that are a little inflammatory and slightly underinformed - I don’t set out to write things one way or the other I just kind of go with my mood and write a response to things that interest me and try to keep it relevant and appropriate to the forum I’m in. Has anyone else found this to be true in there experience? ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2014, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/134 "2014-03-26T04:11:10Z")
> [@Mr.Nylock](#): > > I think I’m finding that I get more responses from the posts I write that are a little inflammatory and slightly underinformed - I don’t set out to write things one way or the other I just kind of go with my mood and write a response to things that interest me and try to keep it relevant and appropriate to the forum I’m in. Has anyone else found this to be true in there experience? Yeah, I’ve noticed that. It’s even more dramatic at the blogs I occasionally comment on (eg Kevin Drum). Over there, conservative bashing pulls in the likes, while reasoning and links don’t. Here though, I’ll say that links and solid argumentation are _appreciated_, which isn’t the same as garnering attention. There are a number of posters that inspire multipage discussions and many of them aren’t especially well liked. Over at the trillions thread, I was impressed by your willingness to change your assessment. One of the odd aspects of human psychology is that we instinctively shy away from a public shift in position, _even when such a shift makes us look better_. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2014, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/135 "2014-03-26T08:05:33Z")
Meh, I only look at join dates if: - it’s a poster whose name is wholly unfamiliar, and - they’ve said something particularly and egregiously stupid. ---
**Author:** ![sentrix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@sentrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sentrix)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/136 "2014-04-26T13:08:02Z")
Content and opinion is more important than post count or join date. You could have a join date of 1BC and still be a fool if the rest doesn’t click. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/137 "2014-04-26T16:23:26Z")
Tell me it wasn’t obvious to you without looking what this guy’s join date was: > **[Science is not a Panacea](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=721896)** > > I’ve always had a problem with most Skeptics’ viewpoints but could never properly express my attitude until now. I recently watched “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” and can now put my perspective into words. The reason I don’t like Skeptics (or... ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2014, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/138 "2014-04-26T20:51:12Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > But for both cases, the answer is: if this board sucks so much, why do you bother reading and posting here? If I don’t post a complaint about the board at least once a week, they’ll trigger the bomb strapped to my ankle. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605/139 "2014-04-27T01:46:27Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > But for both cases, the answer is: if this board sucks so much, why do you bother reading and posting here? It’s like the old joke about the restaurant whose food is really terrible “and such small portions.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-posters-join-date-doesnt-invalidate-validate-their-position/683605.md?page=6)