Down with all these stupid “ask the <insert name here>” threads.
Why do people do these stupid things?
ENOUGH ALREADY!
What is your opinion of Eminem?
What does paisley taste like?
Actually I find many of them quite interesting, as well as informative. Haven’t you ever wondered about something but not really known anybody who’s able (or willing) to provide information on it? For example, I’m finding QtM’s current thread in health care in prisons fascinating reading, even though I haven’t asked any questions myself (yet).
Why do people do these stupid things. Maybe you should ask a “ask the…” thread guy. 
But seriously, they were informative in GD when they started. The “ask a gay” and “ask an athiest” and so forth led to some information being disseminated that was worthwhile.
I kinda dislike these things too. Although clearly info is being disseminated, it just smacks of attention-grabbing. “Look at me! I’m special! I’m a gay muslim albino Amway salesman! TALK TO ME!!!”
And you have to open these threads because…??
I like them, too. I’ve probably learned more from them than from anything else on the board.
Although I can see the potential for people to abuse the format for egotistical self-promotion-related reasons, I can’t think of a better way to open up discussion on a topic about which a certain category of person is especially knowledgeable about without restricting it to one particular debate. That’s why you see FAQ’s all over the web. The Mods can decide if someone’s “Ask the…” is frivolous or not.
Didn’t I see you on Jerry Springer with the Lesbian Nazi nun?
That was a *Crossdressing]*Lesbian Nazi nun. And her Midget pony.
It warms the heart to see love as true as that…
So I guess I shouldn’t start the “Ask the Smart-ass” thread I was contemplating…
I read most of the “Ask The…” threads. I love the one by the prison doctor. You just can’t get this stuff anywhere else!
Open the ones you like, ignore the ones you don’t. It’s not like there has been a spamworthy flood of “ask the…” threads. There have been a couple lately that I personally think are pretty stupid, but the pairing of the prison physician and convicted felon threads are very interesting. QtM certainly gets a fair amount of questions when he posts his “tales from prison” threads, so it was definitely sensible of him to open one of these. The recent “ask the cop” one was great as well, and I think I saw an “ask the Muslim” one again as well?
Attention. Its fun for them. Boredom.
Take your pick.
The scary thing is that my first boyfriend was a gay Muslim albino. To my knowledge he did not sell Amway.
While I do find it occasionally annoying to see so many of them, I cannot deny they usually make for interesting reading. When I get a chance I’m going to point out the “Ask the chick with dreads” thread to my wife because she has always been interested in them and has considered doing it herself.
Well, I LOVE THEM!
You think I’m going to just walk up to a Mormon woman and say:
“Is it true what they say about your underwear?”
Or a Muslim guy: “If you kill me will you REALLY get 72 virgins when you die?”
Or a prison Dr. “Aren’t you afraid of being raped in there?”
Like it was mentioned, you just can’t get first hand information like this without asking directly. In public you’d often wind up looking like a fool! Here at the SDMB there are people saying “Here I am, fire away!’
I don’t like the self aggrandizement deal either, so if its a topic I don’t care about I don’t open the thread - easy!
See, I’d always wondered about the hair washing thing with dreads, so I like that there was a topic for that. The same with the convicted felon and prison doctor (not whether they wash their hair. You know what I mean). Where else could you comfortably ask those questions that would otherwise go unanswered because they’re just not polite but that you’re intensely curious about?
It’s nice to know my legacy lives on. Thank you, one and all.
Esprix, the one, only and original