# A Resounding Silence.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 4, 2010, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663 "2010-02-04T11:02:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/41 "2010-02-04T16:02:57Z")
Rule by the mob and the ignorant produces neither wealth nor progress. They elevate Jealousy and Envy to public virtues and thus the destruction of your neighbor’s wealth and progress becomes a righteous act. One has only to look at the OP to see how this works. How dare they have more than me! How dare they have steak while I scrounge for bread! How dare they know how to make fine metal pitchers when I’m stuck pouring water from this crappy pot I made in 7th grade pottery class! How dare they make me feel bad about myself because they’re different from me. We have to force them to be the same. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/42 "2010-02-04T16:04:16Z")
Gyrate Clap! Clap! That’s applause for the poster Gyrate. I’m not given you the moves for a new dance there. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/43 "2010-02-04T16:10:27Z")
What price bananas? Are you my Angel? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/44 "2010-02-04T16:11:52Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Just curious, what do you propose replacing government with? If we outsourced it maybe it could be cheaper. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/45 "2010-02-04T16:34:19Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#): > > Gyrate > > Clap! Clap! > > That’s applause for the poster Gyrate. I’m not given you the moves for a new dance there. Altho, that might be a cool dance. We could name it after you - how cool would that be?! 😉 ETA: In my office, doing the Harmonious Discord! ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/46 "2010-02-04T16:37:27Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Did you know? > > Paragraphs can. > > Be. > > More than one sentence. > > Long? He should get together with [**itsmeshh**](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=12069912&postcount=96)\*. The result of such a union would be optimally paragraphical, though we’d still have the problem with every other “word” being in “quotes”. \*only if **Mister Obvious** is willin’. ---
**Author:** ![Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b38774/32.png) [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Attack_from_the_3rd_dimension)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/47 "2010-02-04T16:43:46Z")
Sudden changes in punctuation, capitalization and excessive use of quotation marks lasting more than 24 hours can be a sign of a serious side effect of the medication. See your doctor immediately if this occurs. ---
**Author:** ![42fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/4/b487fb/32.png) [@42fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/42fish)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/48 "2010-02-04T16:44:03Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > If we outsourced it maybe it could be cheaper. You mispelled ‘cheeple.’ ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/49 "2010-02-04T16:56:47Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Sudden changes in punctuation, capitalization and excessive use of quotation marks lasting more than 24 hours can be a sign of a serious side effect of the medication. See your doctor immediately if this occurs. I may be going out an a limb here, but I am pretty sure we are seeing some anal leakage going on as well. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/50 "2010-02-04T17:04:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > “You know, I used to think it was awful that life was so unfair. Then I thought, wouldn’t it be much worse if life were fair, and all the terrible things that happen to us come because we actually deserve them? So, now I take great comfort in the general hostility and unfairness of the universe.” > > -Marcus Cole, Ranger to Franklin, Doctor - _A Late Delivery from Avalon_ - Babylon 5 As long as we’re being literary: “Use every man after his desert and who should 'scape whipping?” -Hamlet ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/51 "2010-02-04T17:08:04Z")
The idea of taking away bad government and leaving a void for all the people in the world to fill in with whatever they feel like terrifies me. People left to their own devices can’t even handle a merge lane properly. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2010, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/52 "2010-02-04T17:17:24Z")
Well, that’s just it, isn’t it Cat? The sheeple are ignorant morons hoodwinked by the masters. And the answer to this is to tear the roof off the system and get rid of the masters. Except the sheeple aren’t going to be any smarter, so what happens next? If the masses are brainwashed ignoramuses, there’s no use ranting about changing the system, because if most people are sheep then the natural form of government will be one form of autocracy or another. ---
**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:** [February 4, 2010, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/53 "2010-02-04T17:18:42Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Rule by the mob and the ignorant produces neither wealth nor progress. They elevate Jealousy and Envy to public virtues and thus the destruction of your neighbor’s wealth and progress becomes a righteous act. > > One has only to look at the OP to see how this works. > > How dare they have more than me! How dare they have steak while I scrounge for bread! How dare they know how to make fine metal pitchers when I’m stuck pouring water from this crappy pot I made in 7th grade pottery class! > > How dare they make me feel bad about myself because they’re different from me. We have to force them to be the same. This might be a valid argument if we weren’t constantly telling ourselves that we live in a meritocracy. However, since the most common path to wealth and influence is inheriting them, people get pissy. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/54 "2010-02-04T17:20:44Z")
> [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](#): > > Just curious, what do you propose replacing government with? A government of the people and by the people. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/55 "2010-02-04T17:21:14Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > As long as we’re being literary: > > “Use every man after his desert and who should 'scape whipping?” > -Hamlet If we’re going with Hamlet, surely it should be > [@](#): > > The rest is [a resounding] silence. ETA: > [@gonzomax](#): > > A government of the people and by the people. But not for the people. They’re an ungrateful bunch of bastards. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/56 "2010-02-04T17:22:56Z")
It’s a good play, but don’t call me Shirley. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/57 "2010-02-04T17:25:19Z")
If there’s one thing the Haitian earthquake has shown us, it’s that people get along just fine when all governmental services and systems are spontaneously destroyed. …wait a minute… ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/58 "2010-02-04T17:25:28Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > This might be a valid argument if we weren’t constantly telling ourselves that we live in a meritocracy. However, since the most common path to wealth and influence is inheriting them, people get pissy. “Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.” — Barry Switzer, former head football coach of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Dallas Cowboys (I also like “Don’t bogart the bong after you just won eight gold medals.” 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/59 "2010-02-04T17:25:30Z")
Smashing OP. It’s put me in such a state. ---
**Author:** ![otternell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecc23a/32.png) [@otternell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/otternell)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663/60 "2010-02-04T17:29:16Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > “Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple.” — Barry Switzer, former head football coach of the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the Dallas Cowboys > > (I also like “Don’t bogart the bong after you just won eight gold medals.” 😃 ) The first is a great quote - I’m gonna try to remember that. The second one is just common courtesy - no one should ever bogart the bong! 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-resounding-silence/527663.md?page=4)