# 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:** 314
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6264 "2023-08-19T06:12:52Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > My passengers alway scream when the tires leave the road. Wusses. That is most annoying. I refuse to take on passengers who are not sanguine about an abrupt demise (noting that “sanguine” means bloody). ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6265 "2023-08-19T09:09:29Z")
When I die I hope it is like my grandfather, peacefully in my sleep, not screaming in terror like the passengers with him. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6266 "2023-08-19T12:45:46Z")
First time I’ve heard that one . . . …today. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6267 "2023-08-19T16:24:10Z")
Oldies but goodies. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6268 "2023-08-19T20:25:14Z")
One of Jack Handey’s, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6269 "2023-08-19T21:01:37Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > My bill was small (for us) last month, and it was over 3,000 kWh. The highest months over the past year have been over 8,000 kWh. I guess we use a lot. You used 10 times the electricity than I did last month, and I work from home. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6270 "2023-08-19T22:15:06Z")
I wouldn’t declare off the top of my head that the election was rigged or not rigged (which may be why I’ll never be a TV pundit). I would be willing to go on record saying the results looked very suspicious and should be thoroughly and promptly investigated. And that anyone who committed any crimes should be charged, regardless of whether they belonged to my party or the opposition party. Of course, one of the reasons I support the party I do is because they’re not the party that’s likely to commit this kind of massive election fraud. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6271 "2023-08-19T22:21:55Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I wouldn’t declare off the top of my head that the election was rigged or not rigged (which may be why I’ll never be a TV pundit). I would be willing to go on record saying the results looked very suspicious and should be thoroughly and promptly investigated. This. Plus I’d be suspicious of anyone, of either party, who didn’t acknowledge that there was reason to be suspicious (unless there were extenuating circumstances). ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6272 "2023-08-19T22:29:47Z")
I actually am currently dating a trans woman. ---
**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:** [August 19, 2023, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6273 "2023-08-19T22:43:23Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I wouldn’t declare off the top of my head that the election was rigged or not rigged (which may be why I’ll never be a TV pundit). I would be willing to go on record saying the results looked very suspicious and should be thoroughly and promptly investigated. Though I voted “Rigged” I would pretty much follow this format. I wouldn’t say it was rigged outright, but I would certainly say I suspect it is rigged just by the results. While I am not actually planning to date anyone at this point in my life, if I were attracted to a trans person and they to me and there weren’t anything standing in the way, I’d be happy to date them. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6274 "2023-08-19T23:38:45Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > A passenger is hella distracting to me. Each driver can have differing distractions. I admit I also find passengers distracting, but not as much as trying to take a phone call. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6275 "2023-08-20T01:38:40Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > > [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > > > I wouldn’t declare off the top of my head that the election was rigged or not rigged (which may be why I’ll never be a TV pundit). I would be willing to go on record saying the results looked very suspicious and should be thoroughly and promptly investigated. > > This. Plus I’d be suspicious of anyone, of either party, who didn’t acknowledge that there was reason to be suspicious (unless there were extenuating circumstances). I would certainly say it looked suspicious and encourage investigation. But i voted “no” because i think it would be irresponsible to just announce “rigged” before that investigation. I think mostly i reject the hypothetical and can’t imagine that happening. I mean, maybe if one candidate won by 1-3% everywhere and that’s why they swept the electoral college? But i don’t believe the results would be massively off from the polls. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6276 "2023-08-20T01:42:31Z")
> [@carnut](#): > > While I am not actually planning to date anyone at this point in my life, if I were attracted to a trans person and they to me and there weren’t anything standing in the way, I’d be happy to date them. Ditto. I’m not on the dating market, so i guess in some sense the answer is “no”. But if i were widowed or something, and find myself attracted to a trans person interested in me, sure, why not? Fwiw, while I’m mostly straight, there are women I’ve been attracted to, and I’m not adverse to dating a cis woman, either. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6277 "2023-08-20T01:54:37Z")
I visited the Pittsburgh city jail in high school as part of a criminal-justice awareness program. It was pretty old and run-down as I recall. As others have said, I would not immediately declare the election rigged, but would certainly acknowledge how unusual and unlikely the results were, and call for a more thorough investigation. Election fraud, even if it benefits my party, is illegal, wrong and corrosive to democracy, and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I’m very happily married but, if I were single, would be willing to date a trans person. If I found that person attractive, it wouldn’t matter all that much to me what they were at birth. That said, I have not yet met or seen a trans person to whom I was attracted, but who knows? Perhaps someday I will. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6278 "2023-08-20T02:44:34Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I would not immediately declare the election rigged, but would certainly acknowledge how unusual and unlikely the results were, and call for a more thorough investigation. Election fraud, even if it benefits my party, is illegal, wrong and corrosive to democracy, and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Seconded. Or, considering the other comments in the thread, more like fifthed or sixthed. Didn’t vote. Also agreeing with this one: > [@carnut](#): > > While I am not actually planning to date anyone at this point in my life, if I were attracted to a trans person and they to me and there weren’t anything standing in the way, I’d be happy to date them. So I guess that’s a yes in the poll. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6279 "2023-08-20T04:01:26Z")
At the risk of running afoul of forum rules, no, I would not date someone who is trans. I assume we mean an MtF, since I’m a heterosexual male. It’s not just physical outward appearance from a distance. There are many things about a person that make them distinctly male or female and you can often tell up close in many instances of such - such as skin texture, mannerisms, other aspects about them. I wouldn’t be able to shake the thought “I’m dating a man” when I see how the person still retains the jaw or facial structure of a man, still has the skin of a man, and in numerous ways still has the vibe of a man. I’m not saying _all_ are this way, but many are. In other words, it would feel homosexual to me. Finally, in terms of sex, the idea of having sex involving a vagina that’s not really a cis-vagina, but is a surgically-constructed cavity to resemble one, squicks me out. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6280 "2023-08-20T14:43:43Z")
I would date a trans man. I’m attracted to masculinity more than any specific body part, I think. I’d at least give it a shot. ---
**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:** [August 20, 2023, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6281 "2023-08-20T15:50:19Z")
I would at some point have to have a discussion about the fact that I’m not attracted to the idea of touching other people’s vulvas; but it seems to me that there would be various things to potentially be done about that, including but not limited to the possibility that the trans person might not have one. And I don’t think it would have to be discussed before the first date – we might not hit it off for other reasons. ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6282 "2023-08-20T16:54:55Z")
I don’t think you’re running afoul of any rules; you are being honest. A decade or two ago, I likely would have posted a very similar answer. But I find my thoughts on this evolving over time. I will admit to finding Laverne Cox very attractive, for instance, and the dissonance I feel about this attraction has gradually diminished. There was a trans contestant on Jeopardy last season whom I found absolutely adorable and developed a bit of a crush. These are very superficial observations, of course, but I find that I’m more and more OK with accepting this sort of attraction and curiosity within myself. Mind you, I am not in a position to date, and odds are I never will be again. And if I were, I’m not saying I would specifically seek out a trans woman to date. But would I consider it? Yes, absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2023, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380/6283 "2023-08-20T19:48:39Z")
For the poll where you have to select Trump or DeSantis to win the presidency (no other options, one or the other), I bucked the trend and voted Trump. The _reason_ is that Trump historically has a bad record at making his incentives stick. They’re rarely legal and have a tendency to fail in court. So short of breaking the system (which ISTM most modern Republicans are willing to do so +/- 0) he’s going to make thing incrementally worse. DeSantis is smarter, and better (although not much IMHO) at providing a gloss of legality for his demands and measures. He also doesn’t inspire quite as much outright negation as Trump. So he’ll get stuff that will just barely pass the “must take notice” level of the current SCOTUS, -and- (short of breaking the gov’t / constitution again) is ready and young enough to have a second term, unlike Trump. So IMHO 8 years of DeSantis is worse than 4 more years of Trump, with the wildcard option where either completely gut Democracy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=313) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-1/972380.md?page=315)