# Avatards **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 5, 2010, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161 "2010-10-05T19:22:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/121 "2010-10-06T17:29:29Z")
> [@ataraxy22](#): > > I was sort of meh about whether I’ prefer avatars or not, but after this OP I think I’ve been persuaded to join the pro-avatar camp. Me too. Also there is _no way_ I can ever see the OP’s name without picturing the avatar that **GSV Consolation of Dreams** posted. That makes this whole thread worth it to me. > [@Shot From Guns](#): > > I have a Spider Sense, but for blinding stupidity. This thread had me tingling so hard, I almost had to drag it off to a closet for some personal time. This is a good example of why you are one of my favorite posters. Finally (even though I don’t know shit about it but posting just to fuck with the OP), **Narnia**! ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/122 "2010-10-06T17:43:19Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Basically, Hitler wanted everybody to use the same font. As I recall, he was also a big proponent of people wearing brightly-colored badges to make them easier to identify. Maybe it’s best to say the jury’s still out on the whole Hitler/SDMB avatars thing. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/123 "2010-10-06T17:48:33Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > As I recall, he was also a big proponent of people wearing brightly-colored badges to make them easier to identify. Because those people with the badges would eventually be killed, which leaves the identical, blond, blue-eyed non-badge wearers remaining. My vote is that Hitler would believe that avatars are “degenerate” or “Jewish” or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/124 "2010-10-06T17:56:12Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > You know what other message boards _don’t_ use avatars? Free Republic and 4chan, bastions of intellectual discourse and enclaves of those with superior intellect. The real reason those sites don’t have avatars is to avoid the fights over who gets to have the coveted “Obama as an African witch doctor” and “goatse” images, respectively. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/125 "2010-10-06T18:20:14Z")
> [@Zeriel](#): > > Sometimes, someone posts an insult that’s so evocative that I want to have their babies, even if that’s not physiologically even possible. > > This is one of those times. > [@PlainJain](#): > > This is a good example of why you are one of my favorite posters. \<3 Thanks folks. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/126 "2010-10-06T18:38:03Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Because those people with the badges would eventually be killed, which leaves the identical, blond, blue-eyed non-badge wearers remaining. Huh. Saw my picture, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/127 "2010-10-06T18:48:18Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > > [@control-z](#): > > > > Maybe we should get rid of names too and just be referred to by numbers. Much more fair and efficient that way. > > I call dibs on Number 6. I’d go one further. On each thread you get a new number, the number of the first post you wrote. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/128 "2010-10-06T18:49:51Z")
Better yet–everything is like some of those posts in archived threads, where there’s no name at all. Just the post number. Then no one can tell who’s writing anything. ---
**Author:** ![heatmiserfl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@heatmiserfl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/heatmiserfl)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/129 "2010-10-06T19:01:12Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > > [@heatmiserfl](#): > > > > Oh and can I use your Christ on a floor-mounted dildo line in every other post? > > Only if you also make it your avatar. But, but I thought we didn’t like avatars. Didn’t we? 😕 > [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > > [@heatmiserfl](#): > > > > Don’t listen to these haters **Buck**. I got your back! > > …and your Christ on a floor-mounted dildo\*. > \*Lysol wipes sold seperately. Alright Jesus get up and let the other kids play. > [@elmwood](#): > > > [@VinylTurnip](#): > > > > As I recall, he was also a big proponent of people wearing brightly-colored badges to make them easier to identify. > > Because those people with the badges would eventually be killed, which leaves the identical, blond, blue-eyed non-badge wearers remaining. The SDMB used to have posters with avatars but, but…shhh, someone’s coming. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/130 "2010-10-06T19:14:27Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Better yet–everything is like some of those posts in archived threads, where there’s no name at all. Just the post number. Then no one can tell who’s writing anything. Brilliant! That way, everybody stands on equal ground, and the writing stands for itself. Communications in its purest form, with no frills and no distractions. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/131 "2010-10-06T19:17:30Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > “I think you need to be a shallow, dumb, childish, insecure, empty little moron to actually want an avatar.” > > Yeah, but what about people who complain about them? How shallow/dumb/insecure/etc must one be to write 661 words against the subject? Yeah, but what about people who complain about the complainers? How x/y/z must one be to take the time to count the number of words in a post they are complaining about? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/132 "2010-10-06T19:24:29Z")
copy open MSword paste look at the counter I’ma guess 30 seconds to find out the wordlength of a document. Time investment: trivial Lulz output: worth it ---
**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:** [October 6, 2010, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/133 "2010-10-06T19:26:11Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > > [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > > > Better yet–everything is like some of those posts in archived threads, where there’s no name at all. Just the post number. Then no one can tell who’s writing anything. > > Brilliant! That way, everybody stands on equal ground, and the writing stands for itself. Communications in its purest form, with no frills and no distractions. Your font selection suggests individuality. You will be exterminated. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/134 "2010-10-06T19:27:45Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Brilliant! That way, everybody stands on equal ground, and the writing stands for itself. Communications in its purest form, with no frills and no distractions. Excuse me–is that an _exclamation point_? Look at _you_, Mr. Thinks He’s Too Fucking Fancy for a Period. > [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > I’ma guess 30 seconds to find out the wordlength of a document. I’d call 30 seconds an obscenely conservative estimate. More like 15, and that’s if it takes a while for the application to launch. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/135 "2010-10-06T19:31:06Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > Brilliant! That way, everybody stands on equal ground, and the writing stands for itself. Communications in its purest form, with no frills and no distractions. Sorry, what was that? I was distracted by the missing lolcat next to the chaotic jumble of unintelligible hieroglyphs that I can only guess must be your username. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/136 "2010-10-06T19:43:37Z")
_Sorry I didn’t get the following thought into my recent post (but just think–if we had goofy avatars you could all grumble about either: 1) I’m padding my post count; 2) Getting a visceral thrill from seeing my Rainbow-Unicorn avatar twice in close order; or 3) Both!!)_ I’d like to point out that essentially, we already _do_ have avatars. Not many people seem to be aware of this (well, most ARE aware of it, I suppose. They just haven’t thought of it in this way). Any poster can put an avatar in their user profile. That profile is easily and quickly accessible to all by simply clicking on the Doper’s name in any thread. So those who want to see someones avatar can click on their name and see it, but we don’t have to have a bunch of random images cluttering up and distracting from the topics at hand in the threads. It’s a win-win! Mods: you can close all three of the avatar threads now. Problem solved. (I’m joking about the first part, but serious about the second). ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/137 "2010-10-06T19:45:57Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > copy > open MSword > paste > look at the counter > > I’ma guess 30 seconds to find out the wordlength of a document. Time investment: trivial Lulz output: worth it I’m familiar with word count in Word. I was only ribbing the guy. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/138 "2010-10-06T19:47:40Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > > [@elmwood](#): > > > > Brilliant! That way, everybody stands on equal ground, and the writing stands for itself. Communications in its purest form, with no frills and no distractions. > > Sorry, what was that? I was distracted by the missing lolcat next to the chaotic jumble of unintelligible hieroglyphs that I can only guess must be your username. LOLcat? Hmmm… I took him for more of a Zwinky type. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/139 "2010-10-06T20:02:50Z")
> [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](#): > > Getting a visceral thrill from seeing my Rainbow-Unicorn avatar twice in close order You have no idea how disappointed I am that I clicked over to your profile only to not see a “Rainbow-Unicorn” image. > [@](#): > > I’d like to point out that essentially, we already _do_ have avatars. Not many people seem to be aware of this (well, most ARE aware of it, I suppose. They just haven’t thought of it in this way). > > Any poster can put an avatar in their user profile. That profile is easily and quickly accessible to all by simply clicking on the Doper’s name in any thread. 1.) Pictures can only be uploaded by Members. Guests cannot upload them. 2.) The entire \*point \*of an avatar is that it’s something attached to every post, without requiring any further clicks to see it. It’s a means of visually identifying who is speaking. It’s like saying that handing out a list of attendees at a conference is the equivalent of having everyone wear nametags–i.e., it’s not. At all. > [@](#): > > So those who want to see someones avatar can click on their name and see it, but we don’t have to have a bunch of random images cluttering up and distracting from the topics at hand in the threads. Or people who don’t want avatars could just _disable their display_–a feature that \*already exists \*on this board. There are just no avatars to disable. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2010, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161/140 "2010-10-06T20:11:15Z")
> [@Attack\_from\_the\_3rd\_dimension](#): > > Your font selection suggests individuality. You will be exterminated. What individuality? This is the same font that was used on all of the bulletin boards of old, like The Dragon’s Lair, The Dragon’s Bane, The Dragon’s Cave, The Dragon’s Spell, and The Dragon’s Castle. If it was good enough for 1200 baud dialup in 1986, when only the most knowledgeable and educated were online, it’s good enough for the SDMB now! I honestly can’t respect anybody that prefers variable-width fonts online, even if I can’t see them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/avatards/556161.md?page=8)