# Are "Ask the-" posts are frowned on now? Hope that's in error **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [May 3, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919 "2003-05-03T22:10:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MaryEFoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@MaryEFoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaryEFoo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/1 "2003-05-03T22:10:02Z")
Rumor, from [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=150932) Hope it’s not so, a lot of them are totally interesting. I only wish you could search on “Ask the”. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/2 "2003-05-03T23:44:43Z")
I think that it is the frivolous ones that are frowned on; if some representative of a tiny minority, or some misunderstood or obscure group were to start one, I don’t see how it could be regarded at a problem, given the opportunity for fighting ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Lorenzo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4da419/32.png) [@Lorenzo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorenzo)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/3 "2003-05-04T03:31:11Z")
“Frowned upon” can be pretty tricky to measure especially if it’s not enumerated anywhere. There’s really only one way to scientifically test that hypothesis. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/4 "2003-05-04T12:53:49Z")
We haven’t formulated a formal policy of condemnation. We are asking you to use some common sense and be respectful of others… and that thread titles should give some indication (even if vague) about what’s in the thread. Having a zillion threads that all have the same title (or the same title aside from one word) makes life confusing and less interesting. And threads like “Ask the Republican” or “Ask the Democrat” tend to mean a long, meandering, lots of different topics all wound together… when it’s not really difficult to find such opinions almost anywhere. Finally, having a single member of a group speak for the whole group seems to be border-line stereotyping. “Ask the American”? “Ask the black female”? Speaking for myself, I don’t like the notion of using one person to characterize a group. At the point that we’ve got “Ask the rainbow trout” or “Ask the calculator” (“OK, what’s 7 x 6, come on, really?”), we move from the useful to the surreal. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/5 "2003-05-04T17:21:37Z")
Darn. I was about to start an “Ask the bulletin board user” thread. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2003, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/6 "2003-05-04T23:13:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by C K Dexter Haven \* > **Finally, having a single member of a group speak for the whole group seems to be border-line stereotyping. “Ask the American”? “Ask the black female”? Speaking for myself, I don’t like the notion of using one person to characterize a group.** With the greatest of respect, I don’t see that as being their function; when I ask questions of The Gay Guy, I’m interested in _his unique perspective_; some of this will be borne out of his ‘group’ membership, but not all of it. being able to get the frank opinion from _ **one** _ horse’s mouth is still probably better than guessing about it, or listening to misinformed public opinion… Just my coupl’o copper coins… ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-ask-the-posts-are-frowned-on-now-hope-thats-in-error/172919/7 "2003-05-05T01:04:30Z")
I said that was my personal opinion. I wonder how many people think that, by having asked a question of The American, they have heard THE party line? To reiterate: we haven’t made any rules on "Ask the — ", we’ve just said please use common sense. We don’t want “Ask the Cocaine Addict” or “Ask the Embezzler” or “Ask the Serial Rapist” or…