# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 28, 2022, 11:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380 "2022-09-28T11:33:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/181 "2022-11-01T16:57:42Z")
We live in a nice neighborhood of a major city and often see minivans disgorging costumed kids across the street, in addition to all the local kids. We pass out a _lot_ of candy most Halloweens, weather permitting. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/182 "2022-11-01T19:05:09Z")
We live in a nice neighborhood of a major city, but we don’t often see minivans (just a couple yesterday) because we live next to an even nicer neighborhood and the minivans go there. So, counting just the local kids, we get a good amount, I would say 60+ yesterday. Our next-door neighbor said that he counted 80 last year. That’s down from the peak days, before 9/11, when we’d have 100-120. Strangely enough, a woman at work who lives just 2 miles away from us says that she gets just 4 or 5 kids every year. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/183 "2022-11-01T19:19:40Z")
Judging by the empty bags from yesterday, we had 70-some kids visit. We’ve had quite a few more in the past - not unusual to break the century mark. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/184 "2022-11-01T19:32:49Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > There needs to be an option to pick more than one in the covet poll. > [@puzzlegal](#): > > Yeah, I thought that one ought to have been multiple choice, too. I decided on a single option, for as it is written in the book of Meave : (bolding mine) > 4:13 And god spake unto the children of the straight dope saying “you know that coveting thing … just don’t do it ok ?” > 4:14 And **anyone who coveteth more than one thing shall surely burn in the fires > of the place that is known as the bbq pit.** > 4:15 and will also be smited around the head with a wet fish > 4:16 except on Fridays. IOW, i am saving you from yourselves. You’re welcome. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/185 "2022-11-01T20:55:08Z")
We live in a nice community in a large city, but in a gated condo “campus.” We’ve never had any trick-or-treaters in the nearly 40 years we’ve lived here. ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/186 "2022-11-01T21:37:16Z")
@susan, @thorny_locust, @puzzlegal You are all so nice. First, I’m pretty over the fact that I wasn’t treated special as a kid because I figured out that neither was my mom. Second, I have become the family pie queen. I make the best blueberry pies (and apple, and raspberry, and key lime meringue) that have ever passed family member’s lips. My brothers will attest. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/187 "2022-11-01T21:50:01Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > I have become the family pie queen. I make the best blueberry pies (and apple, and raspberry, and key lime meringue) that have ever passed family member’s lips. That is the best possible response to childhood pie deprivation! ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/188 "2022-11-01T23:29:38Z")
I admire how you’ve broken the cycle! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2022, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/189 "2022-11-01T23:48:52Z")
Well done! ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/190 "2022-11-02T18:12:11Z")
[https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/2271](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/2271) I am darned trying to figure out how mammograms, colonoscopies, and S&G songs are related, but based on the poll results I am in the minority I guess. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/191 "2022-11-02T18:26:50Z")
I join you in that minority. I had no idea what that one was about. (Not the one you actually linked to, but the next one.) ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/192 "2022-11-02T18:31:58Z")
The wording of that poll is confusing, but I took a “yes” vote to mean “Yes, you [@pjd] are the only one who thought that”, not “I also thought of Simon & Garfunkel”. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/193 "2022-11-02T19:35:05Z")
It is a reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song “El cóndor pasa (If I Could)”. The lyricis include “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail” and other similar statements. The poll offered options such as “I’d rather have a colonoscopy than a mammogram”. Some of us mentally sung the colonoscopy/mammogram statement to the S&G tune. mmm ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/194 "2022-11-02T20:03:07Z")
Well, it’s only the “No” vote that really counts anyway. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Some of us mentally sung the colonoscopy/mammogram statement to the S&G tune. This. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/195 "2022-11-02T20:15:34Z")
Oh. I actually thought that it had been ninja’ed and was referring to the previous poll, which made me think that “Clap Directly Above It” was a riff on an obscure song of theirs. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/196 "2022-11-02T20:42:25Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > It is a reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song “El cóndor pasa (If I Could)”. > > The lyricis include “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail” and other similar statements. > > The poll offered options such as “I’d rather have a colonoscopy than a mammogram”. > > Some of us mentally sung the colonoscopy/mammogram statement to the S&G tune. Thanks. But I’m not sure how you were doing that; the rhythm doesn’t fit. > [@WildaBeast](#): > > The wording of that poll is confusing, but I took a “yes” vote to mean “Yes, you [@pjd] are the only one who thought that”, not “I also thought of Simon & Garfunkel” So did I. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/197 "2022-11-02T20:47:44Z")
I was unclear on how to compare colonoscopies to mammograms. I mean, the actual colonoscopy isn’t as unpleasant as a mammogram. It certainly hurts a lot less But the prep for a colonoscopy takes a week and is really unpleasant, whereas the prep for a mammogram is "take off your clothes above the waist and remove any antiperspirant, which takes 5 minutes and is painless. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/198 "2022-11-02T20:47:45Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > the rhythm doesn’t fit. You need to have a certain … je ne sais quoi. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/199 "2022-11-02T21:35:06Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I was unclear on how to compare colonoscopies to mammograms. I mean, the actual colonoscopy isn’t as unpleasant as a mammogram. It certainly hurts a lot less > But the prep for a colonoscopy takes a week and is really unpleasant, whereas the prep for a mammogram is "take off your clothes above the waist and remove any antiperspirant, which takes 5 minutes and is painless. A week! Crikey - remind me not to go to your doctor. My last one took a day for prep. It was still unpleasant. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2022, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/200 "2022-11-02T21:41:54Z")
> [@thorny\_locust](#): > > > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > > > It is a reference to the Simon & Garfunkel song “El cóndor pasa (If I Could)”. > > > > The lyricis include “I’d rather be a hammer than a nail” and other similar statements. > > > > The poll offered options such as “I’d rather have a colonoscopy than a mammogram”. > > > > Some of us mentally sung the colonoscopy/mammogram statement to the S&G tune. > > Thanks. > > But I’m not sure how you were doing that; the rhythm doesn’t fit. Fair enough. Try this: _“I’d rather have colon than a mamm, yes I would, if I could, I surely would…”_ mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=11)