# 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:** 168
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3342 "2023-04-13T22:45:23Z")
Beatles are okay in my book, but I don’t have a favorite era because I don’t have a strong liking for them. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2023, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3343 "2023-04-13T23:11:27Z")
Whereas I don’t have a favorite era because I love them all. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3344 "2023-04-14T01:34:38Z")
Once upon a time, after my junior and senior years of college, I worked for university housing with a bunch of other 19-23 year olds. Half the time we painted dorm rooms, and the rest of the time we moved furniture, both in dorms without a/c so we all wore shorts and tee shirts. And as you can imagine, toting around furniture in shorts and tees led to lots of bruises. One day a few other girls and I were complaining about how people would give us pitying looks whenever we stopped somewhere on the way home from work…and more than one of the boys said people looked at them like they were domestic violence victims too. Oh, and I like my middle name but I’ve only ever known a couple other women with it, so I was surprised that R is one of the two most popular letters. We’ve got a lot of guys whose middle name is Robert, I assume 😄 ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3345 "2023-04-14T02:03:44Z")
I have two middle names, too. However, I went with the one I usually use. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3346 "2023-04-14T03:22:33Z")
My middle rame is Renee. I use it for one of my alter egos 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3347 "2023-04-14T03:56:39Z")
Mine is René, according to my parents, but the accent usually gets lost. My parents didn’t realize it’s the male version of the name. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3348 "2023-04-14T04:05:12Z")
I had to learn to use a slide rule in high school. Mine was the last class that did. Multiplication is easy. It’s division i need to stop and think about. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3349 "2023-04-14T04:19:31Z")
We learn to use a slide rule early in high school as well, but eventually the assumption was that we would buy a TI calculator since they were located in the same town as us, and we got some kind of deal. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3350 "2023-04-14T05:22:25Z")
I was able to choose all but a few of the cats - I’ve never had one who pooped when angry or didn’t knead or intentionally broke things (as opposed to the ‘gravity checks’ many of them do). But all those other behaviors? Yep, and many of our cats have had more than one of the traits. For the black eye poll, I might have considered it differently before the incident years ago when I _opened a car door directly into my face_. I had a shiner for over a week, and Mr. Legend was a little leery of being seen with me. One saving grace was that I did it in my mom’s driveway in front of her and my kids, so none of our nearest and dearest had to ask any awkward questions. And I’m not a _huge_ fan of my middle name, but it was also my mother’s, so I’ve come to like it better as I’ve aged. Although when I was considering baby names and mentioned to her that I was considering passing it along if I had a girl, she wrinkled her nose and said, “Why would you do _that_ to a baby?” _Why indeed, Mother?_ ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 10:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3351 "2023-04-14T10:22:29Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > And I’m not a _huge_ fan of my middle name, but it was also my mother’s, so I’ve come to like it better as I’ve aged. Although when I was considering baby names and mentioned to her that I was considering passing it along if I had a girl, she wrinkled her nose and said, “Why would you do _that_ to a baby?” _Why indeed, Mother?_ Ulysses S. Grant hated, _hated_ his name. In part because schoolmates called him “Useless”. He named his firstborn son Frederick. His second son? Ulysses Jr. mmm ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3352 "2023-04-14T11:21:49Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > For the black eye poll, I might have considered it differently before the incident years ago when I _opened a car door directly into my face_. I had a shiner for over a week, and Mr. Legend was a little leery of being seen with me. One saving grace was that I did it in my mom’s driveway in front of her and my kids, so none of our nearest and dearest had to ask any awkward questions. When my daughter fell on a teeter totter and broke her hymen I was really glad it happened in a room full of witnesses (it was at a child’s birthday party, and in addition to all her friends and their parents, me, her father, and her babysitter were all there.) But it never occurred to me to question my mom’s story about how she got her black eyes. My reaction was, “omg, you need to change blood pressure meds”. Re “let the food sit a minute”, i would not be staring impatiently at the food, I’d set a timer and walk away. And i might not be too prompt about running back when the timer went off. I let all my meat rest after roasting, too. (For a lot more than 1 minute.) And anyway, i don’t want to eat an entree with hot spots or uncooked bits. I think if the resting as part of the cooking time. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3353 "2023-04-14T13:04:22Z")
I would probably wait briefly, most likely doing something else during the time such as filling my water glass or putting away a couple of dishes or letting in and feeding a cat or so; but I wouldn’t time it. Didn’t vote. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3354 "2023-04-14T13:55:39Z")
Actually, for just one minute, i probably wouldn’t set a timer, like thorny\_locust I’d probably just do some other stuff. I wouldn’t fret about it, or stare impatiently at my food, though. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3355 "2023-04-14T16:07:31Z")
There’s no way I would have passed a security check at 21; at least not without a whole lot of lying, which I wouldn’t have done and probably couldn’t have pulled off if I’d tried. Too much anti-war hippie. Voted other. I considered voting ‘maybe’ – but if I had somehow wound up in such a job, while I might have stolen papers, it would have been because I’d considered the matter and decided it was genuinely useful; not, I think, due to immaturity. I might not have been the best judge of what was genuinely useful; but I’m not sure that I would be now, either. Daniel Ellsberg was 40 when he released the Pentagon Papers; and is considered by many people now to have been on the right side of the matter. So I suppose the question about the poll is, what precisely qualifies as “responsibly handle”? Does “responsibly handle” include “steal and release them if the benefits are almost certain to significantly exceed the overall damage”? (I don’t, for what it’s worth, think that the current issue meets that standard; but in any case that’s off topic.) ETA: Not ready for oblivion yet – but might be by the time I’m actually dying. ---
**Author:** ![TruePisces](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/truepisces/32/13628_2.png) [@TruePisces](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruePisces)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3356 "2023-04-14T16:50:57Z")
Re: Oblivion, I’m not ready yet, but I know how stacked the deck is against those in poverty. No thanks. Re: 21 being old enough for responsible handling of classified material, I think it really does depend on the 21 year old. I’ve known some that are more mature than people three times their age. And I’ve known some that I wouldn’t trust to watch my cat (when I had one). I’ve never been one who likes to put ages on things because that cuts out the individual. ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3357 "2023-04-14T16:51:03Z")
With the microwave food, although I don’t usually eat commercial frozen dinners, I freeze single servings of my own food. They also need to rest for a minute or two after heating; what I do is wander away, remember after ten minutes that I’m heating my dinner, then come back and have to reheat it. I would have been responsible enough for a clearance at 21. I’d already been married a year, and I’d been interviewed for Mr. Legend’s (age 24) clearance, so I’d already seen the process up close and knew the rules. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3358 "2023-04-14T19:05:10Z")
At age 21, I think I was plenty mature enough to Not Do what I was not supposed to do, even though there were other dimensions in which I was not especially mature. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2023, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3359 "2023-04-14T19:57:36Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Ulysses S. Grant hated, _hated_ his name. Hiram? ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3360 "2023-04-14T20:09:49Z")
I have two middle names, too. I like them both. I was named after a cousin who died in a car crash not long before I was born; my parents put our family name at the end, and there you have it. When I can only use one initial, I either use the first one, or neither. My father used to share office space with a lawyer whose initials were HT. He didn’t have a middle name. When a new phone system was set up, everyone’s initials had to be input. He let the secretaries pick a middle initial for him, and of course they chose O. I like the Beatles’ songs from throughout their career, but tend to prefer _Sgt. Pepper’s_ and thereafter. As to waiting one minute after nuking food, I remember a comedian cruelly joking that Elizabeth Taylor, rather plump by then, was the kind of person who’d stand in front of a microwave and yell, “Hurry!” Washington commanded Virginia militia in the field at age 22, made mistakes but learned from them. I’m pretty confident I would’ve been mature enough to handle a security classification at 21. I was a junior in college then, and dealing with some relatively serious stuff. ---
**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:** [April 14, 2023, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/3361 "2023-04-14T21:21:42Z")
> [@Die\_Capacitrix](#): > > Mine is René, according to my parents, but the accent usually gets lost. My parents didn’t realize it’s the male version of the name. I had a friend who had a daughter and wanted to name her Noel – spelled that way. I told her (being my pedantic self): Actually, the correct spelling for a girl is Noelle. She used my spelling and thanked me years later, because apparently that spelling is not that common, and her daughter loved it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=167) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=169)