# Can we make this not become a board meme? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 21, 2013, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576 "2013-03-21T22:12:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/21 "2013-03-22T02:46:03Z")
I’m just sick of the Opal saturation period. We’ve never done that for any other Doper that has passed away. What really creeps me out about this whole thing is, now, it seems people are doing it not because they actually morn Opal, but rather they’re doing it just because it seems like the “cool” thing to do right now. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/22 "2013-03-22T02:53:22Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s also true, yes. Dopers can run a joke into the ground like nobody else. 😉 Of course you’d say that, sitting there in your Mod Hat and jackboots, drinking tea from your free Straight Dope mug. _hopes the hamsters won’t devour this post_ ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/23 "2013-03-22T02:55:30Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m just sick of the Opal saturation period. > > We’ve never done that for any other Doper that has passed away. > > What really creeps me out about this whole thing is, now, it seems people are doing it not because they actually morn Opal, but rather they’re doing it just because it seems like the “cool” thing to do right now. Dude, seriously, did you sleep through the whole Wally thing? That was absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/24 "2013-03-22T03:07:30Z")
Not unless he was lurking. Wally died in June, 2000. In one of the most horrific accidents imaginable. Crushed like a can of pineapples, he was. ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/25 "2013-03-22T03:19:11Z")
Cans of pineapple are notoriously resilient. ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/26 "2013-03-22T03:30:56Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Not unless he was lurking. Wally died in June, 2000. I joined this board in 2002. I had been lurking for maybe a year before that. But even after I had joined, threads about Wally were bizarrely moderated. Threads that questioned his death or called into question the veracity of his posts were shut down, usually to avoid hurt feelings or flame wars. I remember responses to legitimate questions being met with such hostility that mods would automatically close threads and instruct users not to post such questions on this board. Then I found the LiveJournal threads, where people were free to post what they thought about the whole matter of Wally. I believe that was the birth of the snark boards. The current situation with **OpalCat** is nowhere near that level of hero worship. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/27 "2013-03-22T05:46:48Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > It should be pointed out that OpalCat herself HATED the “3. Hi, Opal!” thing. She herself wanted the meme to end about 10 years ago. I’m glad you posted this. The maudlin post-Opal tributes seemed cheap and tacky but now I can see them as ironic and quite hilarious. Kind of like the original plans to have FDR in a wheelchair. Now that’s thoughtful memorialisation. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/28 "2013-03-22T08:06:15Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Kind of like the original plans to have FDR in a wheelchair. Should have embalmed him and put him in a glass case, like Lenin. ---
**Author:** ![NineToTheSky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5a626/32.png) [@NineToTheSky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NineToTheSky)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/29 "2013-03-22T09:37:58Z")
The whole meme thing doesn’t seem as popular as it used to be. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/30 "2013-03-22T12:07:38Z")
I’m pissed that no one told me there was going to be a parade. I guess I’m not one of the cool kids. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/31 "2013-03-22T12:24:45Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I keep wanting to post 1920s-style “death ray” references, but that one seems to have died out. I’m with you. I love me some 1920s-style death memes. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/32 "2013-03-22T13:20:10Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Not unless he was lurking. Wally died in June, 2000. In one of the most horrific accidents imaginable. Crushed like a can of pineapples, he was. What happened to him? ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/33 "2013-03-22T13:54:39Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > What happened to him? Almost certainly nothing. Best thing would be to search for old threads in MPSMIS with “Wally” or “WallyM7” in the title. I think [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=229542) was one of the first threads posted that openly questioned his death on this board. Theretofore, the random posts about it were more along the lines of “Gee, why couldn’t we ever find any details on his accident or the services?” You can see the battle lines being drawn between the Wally Believers and the Wally Skeptics. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/34 "2013-03-22T14:07:02Z")
Parade? I didn’t realize Opal lived in New Orleans. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/35 "2013-03-22T16:50:13Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s also true, yes. Dopers can run a joke into the ground like nobody else. 😉 Hadn’t noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/36 "2013-03-22T17:21:37Z")
> [@Hal\_Briston](#): > > Hadn’t noticed. Sometimes it gets quite baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/37 "2013-03-22T17:25:33Z")
> [@hrhomer](#): > > From [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=685845) : > > Thanks. Why do you care? ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/38 "2013-03-22T17:32:40Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m just sick of the Opal saturation period. > > We’ve never done that for any other Doper that has passed away. > > What really creeps me out about this whole thing is, now, it seems people are doing it not because they actually morn Opal, but rather they’re doing it just because it seems like the “cool” thing to do right now. Few of the posters that have passed previous to this have been around as long, nor been as prolific as OpalCat. Love her or hate her, she was one of the lightning rods of the boards in the early years. When word reaches that **TubaDiva. Drain Bead,** or other early era posters have gone you can expect to see a similar outpouring. Though with probably less complaining from inconsiderate folks. ---
**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:** [March 22, 2013, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/39 "2013-03-22T17:37:15Z")
I made a list that originally had three items, but the third one became unnecessary, so I wrote my litle shout-out to Opal because it reminded me of her at that time. There’s no “meme” here to worry about. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576/40 "2013-03-22T17:40:12Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > If you’re indifferent about **Opal** , you don’t have to use the meme, but don’t rain on everyone else’s parade. But how else will they be able to attract attention to the fact that they totally hated how Opal was always trying to attract attention to her feelings about various things? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-we-make-this-not-become-a-board-meme/653576.md?page=3)