# Anyone ever finger a fellow Doper by an SDMB in joke? Or try to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 12, 2004, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833 "2004-03-12T03:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/41 "2004-03-14T13:21:04Z")
My senior year in college I spotted some SDMB jokes among the humorous computer printouts decorating the door of a hallmate. I can’t remember what they were now, but I recognized them. I wasn’t sure if my hallmate was actually a Doper though, 'cause she might have just found them posted on a webpage somewhere. So I left a little note on her whiteboard saying “Hey, do you read the SDMB?” Turns out she did! I went to a pretty small college, so it was quite a coincidence to meet another Doper just two doors down from me in the dorm. Not long after I started my current job a coworker (while speaking, shall we say, colorfully) used the name of a less-than-mainstream sex act that I’ve never heard mentioned outside the BBQ Pit. I thought I’d met a second Doper by coincidence, but after dropping a few SDMB hints in his direction and casually asking about his Internet habits I had to conclude that the guy just has a specialized vocabulary. Oh, I don’t think we can count every real-world use of “Hi, Opal!” as a hit. I mean, some people happen to be named Opal, and others occasionally have cause to greet them. ---
**Author:** ![wireless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f14d63/32.png) [@wireless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wireless)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/42 "2004-03-14T14:36:36Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > We should come up with a decent code question, similar to AA’s “are you a friend of Bill’s?” How about “are you a friend of Cecil’s?” This gets my vote. And “Hi, Opal” T-shirts would be really funny - especially to see the curious look on the faces of non-Doper Opals (say that 3 times fast!). ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2004, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/43 "2004-03-14T18:14:31Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I think that we should have those EU oval bumper stickers, only ours would say: > > **SDMB** that’s it. No explanation. If anyone asks, just say, " You wouldn’t understand." > > Make it all that much more mysterious. I’d probably first think they were with a [marching band](http://www.asuband.org/), then into [mountain bicycling](http://www.sdmb.org/), then maybe I’d think of this board, if it came to mind at all. I’d go with “friend of Cecil,” but I can just imagine people correcting me and asking if I really mean friend of Bill. We need something fairly unambiguous – is there an outside cultural reference for 1920s style death rays? (I tried OG SMASH! once and it turns out that it’s a spoof of HULK SMASH! How was a poor non-Hulk fan supposed to know that?) ---
**Author:** ![BornOfStardust](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@BornOfStardust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BornOfStardust)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/44 "2004-03-15T06:42:09Z")
> [@](#): > > I was watching a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 DVD the other day, and Crow yelled “Hi, Opal!” at one point. I think he’s more likely a doper than John Mayer. See, that really puzzles me. I was watching the episode in question with **Marley23** , and it had Joel in it. (Actually, it was Joel, not Crow, who made the comment in question.) Which means that I’m pretty sure it HAD to pre-date the SD, or at least that joke (Opal dates it at about '96 or '97). Which could only mean that “Hi, Opal!” has some other cultural significance. Dammit, I wanna know now! Anybody have any idea? ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/45 "2004-03-15T07:02:45Z")
> [@BornOfStardust](#): > > Which could only mean that “Hi, Opal!” has some other cultural significance. Dammit, I wanna know now! > > Anybody have any idea? I think you’re wrong in assuming it could only mean there’s some other cultural significance to the phrase. Some of the jokes on _MST3K_ were in-jokes among the staff, and some were just silliness with no special meaning. It may have been merely a shout-out to someone named Opal, as the John Mayer quote almost certainly was. Opals do have some minor significance in the world of _MST3K_, though. In _Gamera vs. Barugon_ (season three), a monster’s egg is mistaken for and repeatedly referred to as a giant opal by the none-too-bright characters. I suppose “Hi, Opal!” could be some sort of reference to that, although I don’t know the context or even the episode for the “Hi, Opal!” line. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/46 "2004-03-15T07:47:37Z")
The “Hi, Opal” line is during Shorts, Vol 1. The gang is being subject to a short about Home Economics. When the line is said, a woman has just walked down the steps and is showing off a prom dress. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with the situation on screen. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/47 "2004-03-15T10:57:11Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > This just made my day! > > Just for that, you get to wear the Secret Doper Red Velvet Fez. :: does happy fez dance :: This is feztastic! ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/48 "2004-03-15T11:31:27Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > The “Hi, Opal” line is during Shorts, Vol 1. The gang is being subject to a short about Home Economics. When the line is said, a woman has just walked down the steps and is showing off a prom dress. It certainly doesn’t have anything to do with the situation on screen. You don’t think they’re just saying “hi” to the woman in the prom dress? I remember plenty of “Hi, Betty! Hi, Mary Sue!” lines in _MST3K_ episodes, especially ones with '50s movies. Unless it was an in-joke (e.g. the woman looked like someone they knew named Opal), they probably just chose a random woman’s name to call out. Not a real thigh-slapper, but not all the jokes were. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/49 "2004-03-15T11:44:47Z")
They were definitely saying hi to the woman. Given MST3K’s habit of making obscure pop-culture references, I felt that might be one. Especially since there seemed to be no other reason for using that specific name. Maybe they did just pick the name Opal at random, but it seemed like a large coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/50 "2004-03-15T19:39:01Z")
I always wink, point, and say “gotcha ya!” to my dogs. I don’t know if they get the reference, but it does get their tails wagging every time. ---
**Author:** ![angelabaca](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@angelabaca](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/angelabaca)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/51 "2004-03-15T22:44:32Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > I think that we should have those EU oval bumper stickers, only ours would say: > > **SDMB** that’s it. No explanation. If anyone asks, just say, " You wouldn’t understand." > > Make it all that much more mysterious. Have y’all seen that Stephen King movie released here in the States, oh, maybe a year ago? It was called Dreamcatcher, I think? They all used to pal around and quip “S-S-D-D” all the time. Reminds me a bit of that. A secret club. I love it! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![RumMunkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b19c9b/32.png) [@RumMunkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RumMunkey)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/52 "2004-03-16T12:39:08Z")
> [@](#): > > WTF is a DOPER? I once found myself referring to ‘the dopers’ to an outsider (“Oh, by the way I got an answer to that question, some of the dopers seem to think…”) Let’s just say I got a strange look. ---
**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/53 "2004-03-16T14:42:06Z")
> [@DakotaDog](#): > > I once found myself referring to ‘the dopers’ to an outsider (“Oh, by the way I got an answer to that question, some of the dopers seem to think…”) > Let’s just say I got a strange look. I made reference to my fellow dopers once at my mom’s church. Lots of strange looks came from that. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/54 "2004-03-16T14:47:48Z")
My best friend _knows_ what the Dope is, and still shudders visibly when I refer to someone as a Doper. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2004, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/55 "2004-03-16T20:10:21Z")
**Twickster** , why is that? They were once hooked on the boards? They’re avoiding SDMB addiction? I’ve only run across people looking at the archive of Cecil’s stuff, though I should have asked them if they ever checked out the boards. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/56 "2004-03-19T20:29:00Z")
> [@misstee](#): > > No, no the Missouri Dopefests are just as exciting, but you always leave early and miss out on all the fun.🙂 Heck, you guys wouldn’t know what to do if **auntie em** and I stuck around for more than a few hours. You’d be, like, “Wow. Surreal.” Or naked. Or something–I can’t decide. > [@Marley23](#): > > Missouri? Boring? No way! A verbal sleight-of-hand on my part, I swear. I say stuff like that so people keep away. We’re swamped with tourists as it is. We’re kinda like the East Coast of the Midwest. ---
**Author:** ![misstee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@misstee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/misstee)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2004, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833/57 "2004-03-20T05:44:46Z")
> [@SkipMagic](#): > > Heck, you guys wouldn’t know what to do if **auntie em** and I stuck around for more than a few hours. You’d be, like, “Wow. Surreal.” > > Or naked. Or something–I can’t decide. Like thats _never_ happened at a dopefest before. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-ever-finger-a-fellow-doper-by-an-sdmb-in-joke-or-try-to/233833.md?page=2)