# Can we just dump "zombie calling" altogether? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 12, 2018, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293 "2018-04-12T14:57:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/81 "2018-04-15T22:19:13Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > The only “joke” worse than this one (here) is the “Hi Opal” followed closely by the Quarry one. “Hi Opel” has become more about a thread reminding me of the kind she started or having former posters as a subject. That one was always more about having fun than being funny to me; now its just a reflection of how sad I can get sometimes remembering. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/82 "2018-04-15T22:21:56Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2018, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/83 "2018-04-15T23:18:29Z")
FWIW, **Opal** herself actually hated the whole “Hi Opal!” thing and used to beg people to cut it out. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/84 "2018-04-16T00:17:51Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > FWIW, **Opal** herself actually hated the whole “Hi Opal!” thing and used to beg people to cut it out. I believe I (and a lot of us) knew that at the time and I don’t know if I ever used it before her death. Since then its been sparing to say the least but there are just times (like zombie references) when it just feels right. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/85 "2018-04-16T01:20:31Z")
There are a number of threads about “Hi Opal!”, some having participation by its namesake. [Here](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=2117441), posters complained that the joke was getting old. _c. 2002_. The practice apparently stretches back to the AOL days. Click the link for Opal’s description. At that date, Opal was fairly resigned about the whole thing. > [@What is Hi Opal?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-hi-opal/109880/26): > > I pretty much feel that it has its own life. Half the people who use it don’t even know who I _am_ so it isn’t really “about me” it’s more just “about itself”. It doesn’t bother me that people do it, but if they all stopped tomorrow I wouldn’t miss it. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/86 "2018-04-16T02:25:48Z")
I’d like to see a list. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/87 "2018-04-16T04:03:00Z")
> [@Leo\_Bloom](#): > > I’d like to see a list. 2 quarts milk 1 lb. butter, salted 1 dozen eggs oatmeal mangoes toilet paper 2 lbs. ground round ---
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/88 "2018-04-16T06:22:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I know the mods would prefer that people just report zombie threads instead of making “cute” references to what is happening in-thread, but I think it is time to make an official rule about it. It’s far too easy to link up to an old thread nowadays, and I don’t think name-calling and mockery should be the first response newbies get when they post here. I’m rather perplexed by this, because I’ve never thought of zombie jokes as “name calling and mockery”. It’s not making fun of the person for bumping an old thread, it’s just using an inside joke to reference the fact that it’s an old thread. I can’t recall ever reading one that seemed to be attacking the person who did the bumping. And how is it “name-calling”? It’s the _thread_ that’s the zombie, not the person who bumped it. The cheesy inside jokes are, or used to be, part of what gave the board its charm. And having some in-jokes made the board feel more like a community. Even though I was a johnny-come-lately with a 2004 join date, knowing what they old-timers were talking about when they referenced the “Winter of our Missed Content” or something else from before my time made me feel like I belonged. (And it’s not like it’s that hard to learn these things; there’s a [list](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298).) That said, I can’t say I personally make zombie jokes very often. I may have made one once. In 1960. It was funny for… let’s just say a little while. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/89 "2018-04-16T13:39:27Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 2 quarts milk > 1 lb. butter, salted > 1 dozen eggs > oatmeal > mangoes > toilet paper > 2 lbs. ground round [A loaf of bread A container of milk A stick of butter](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNghp9tPXjo) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/90 "2018-04-16T18:59:45Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > 2 quarts milk > 1 lb. butter, salted > 1 dozen eggs > oatmeal > mangoes > toilet paper > 2 lbs. ground round But … Bobby loves mangoes. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/91 "2018-04-16T19:32:57Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > FWIW, **Opal** herself actually hated the whole “Hi Opal!” thing and used to beg people to cut it out. I asked her about it at one of the Gettysburg dopefests, and at that time she said that she didn’t really mind it. I guess her opinion about it changed a bit over the years. ---
**Author:** ![Crazy\_Canuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazy_canuck/32/5282_2.png) [@Crazy\_Canuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazy_Canuck)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/92 "2018-04-16T20:20:32Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > It won’t stop until and unless there’s a rule, because too many Dopers _still_ think it’s funny. It will only get funnier for them if more people respond to those kinds of posts, particularly in a negative fashion. Yup and yup. You’ll have to take my zombie jokes from my cold, dead, and lifeless yet somehow still animated hands. ---
**Author:** ![SantaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/da6949/32.png) [@SantaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SantaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2018, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/93 "2018-04-16T23:33:30Z")
I started lurking the board about the time that “Pride, Prejudice, and Zombies” was big. It took me quite a while to suss the real meaning. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/94 "2018-04-17T00:10:03Z")
Let’s compromise, lets have a new rule based upon my idea:\*Look, if you post to add something worthwhile, but can’t resist a little zombie joke, fine. It’s stale and old, but meh. But dont jump in JUST to post the zombie joke.\* That way, yes, you can make your joke, but you have to add something worthwhile also. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/95 "2018-04-17T01:25:04Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Let’s compromise, lets have a new rule based upon my idea:\*Look, if you post to add something worthwhile, but can’t resist a little zombie joke, fine. It’s stale and old, but meh. > > But dont jump in JUST to post the zombie joke.\* > > That way, yes, you can make your joke, but you have to add something worthwhile also. BRAAAAAIAIIIININNNSSSISESESSSES!!! Sorry to zombiefy this hour and 15 minute old thread but I wanted to add something worthwhile and say that I am against **DrDeths** rule idea. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/96 "2018-04-17T02:41:09Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > BRAAAAAIAIIIININNNSSSISESESSSES!!! > > Sorry to zombiefy this hour and 15 minute old thread but I wanted to add something worthwhile and say that I am against **DrDeths** rule idea. Thank you. Now I _know_ my idea is fabulous!😛 ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/97 "2018-04-17T04:52:18Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > . . . > The cheesy inside jokes are, or used to be, part of what gave the board its charm. And having some in-jokes made the board feel more like a community. Even though I was a johnny-come-lately with a 2004 join date, knowing what they old-timers were talking about when they referenced the “Winter of our Missed Content” or something else from before my time made me feel like I belonged. (And it’s not like it’s that hard to learn these things; there’s a [list](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=320298).) > > . . . I’ve wondered about this, and [started another thread](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20907505#post20907505)rather than derail this one. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2018, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/98 "2018-04-17T16:48:08Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I asked her about it at one of the Gettysburg dopefests, and at that time she said that she didn’t really mind it. I guess her opinion about it changed a bit over the years. Probably resigned about it, sort of like Hal Briston and sheep. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/99 "2018-04-18T05:23:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Let’s compromise, lets have a new rule based upon my idea:\*Look, if you post to add something worthwhile, but can’t resist a little zombie joke, fine. It’s stale and old, but meh. > > But dont jump in JUST to post the zombie joke.\* > > That way, yes, you can make your joke, but you have to add something worthwhile also. It doesn’t work that way. People only post zombie jokes in response to others bumping zombie threads. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293/100 "2018-04-18T15:05:31Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > It doesn’t work that way. People only post zombie jokes in response to others bumping zombie threads. Not necessarily true. When they bump an old thread, people often apologize for bumping a zombie. In that context, I think there’s no objection to it, since that’s just the board term for an old thread. The problem is when someone just posts “ZOMBIE!” or “BRAAAIIINS” with no further explanation when someone else bumps and old thread, which is neither funny nor informs a newbie of what the problem is. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-just-dump-zombie-calling-altogether/812293.md?page=6)