# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 40
**Author:** ![Thumper668](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thumper668/32/20803_2.png) [@Thumper668](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thumper668)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/781 "2026-03-17T18:18:05Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Well, people pinched like hell in Texas I grew up in one of the most densely Irish areas of New Jersey and the first time I ever heard of this was 4 years ago. [Someone’s Gonna Get Pinched - South Park (Video Clip) | South Park Studios US](https://southpark.cc.com/video-clips/wzm7u2/south-park-someone-s-gonna-get-pinched) ---
**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:** [March 17, 2026, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/782 "2026-03-17T18:27:44Z")
I grew up in an Irish neighborhood in Massachusetts, and this is the first i ever heard of pinching. And i was given a lot of shit for not wearing green. (And orange…_orange_!) I’m sure that if pinching had been a thing in my town, i would have been pinched. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/783 "2026-03-17T18:28:24Z")
I grew up in the Midwest (Illinois and Wisconsin), and never heard of the pinching thing for St. Patrick’s. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/784 "2026-03-17T18:36:05Z")
I’ve lived in states in the northeast, midwest, and west coast US, and I have NEVER heard of the “pinching” thing, so by default it must be a southern-US-plus-Texas thing. 🙂 (Plus one valley in central Colorado, it seems.) ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/785 "2026-03-17T18:45:33Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > today’s clue is “Tradition says you do this to people who don’t wear green on St. Patrick’s day, because it’s what a Leprechaun does.” Repair their shoes? > [@Google's AI](#): > > Leprechauns are solitary Irish fairy cobblers known for mending shoes, hoarding pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and playing mischievous tricks. As cunning tricksters, they guard their treasure fiercely, but if captured, they may grant three wishes in exchange for their freedom. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/786 "2026-03-17T18:46:20Z")
Pinching was definitely a thing in 1970s San Diego. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/787 "2026-03-17T18:47:28Z")
So, VERY broadly, the more demographically Irish you are, the less likely you are to do it? (if true, it would make sense, it being an American thing) ---
**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:** [March 17, 2026, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/788 "2026-03-17T18:51:35Z")
I guess pinching probably falls under the category of “mischievous tricks”. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/789 "2026-03-17T18:53:23Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > I guess pinching probably falls under the category of “mischievous tricks” I put it in the category of “assault.” It (pinching) was a thing in suburban Maryland public schools in the 1970s. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/790 "2026-03-17T19:09:54Z")
That’s what I think it is, but I’m not 100 percent sure. As you point out, the link does not actually define what “start stop” is. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/791 "2026-03-17T19:14:46Z")
> [@zimaane](#): > > That’s what I think it is, but I’m not 100 percent sure. As you point out, the link does not actually define what “start stop” is. Yup, that’s exactly what it is. > [@](#): > > A **start-stop system** (also referred to as **idling stop** or **micro hybrid** ) is a technology that automatically shuts down and restarts a vehicle’s [internal combustion engine](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine) to reduce [idle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_(engine)) time, with the aim of lowering [fuel consumption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuel_consumption_in_automobiles) and [emissions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle_emissions). The system is most beneficial in urban environments, where vehicles frequently stop and start, such as at [traffic lights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_light) or in [congestion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_congestion). > **[Start-stop system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Start-stop_system)** > > A start-stop system (also referred to as idling stop or micro hybrid) is a technology that automatically shuts down and restarts a vehicle's internal combustion engine to reduce idle time, with the aim of lowering fuel consumption and emissions. The system is most beneficial in urban environments, where vehicles frequently stop and start, such as at traffic lights or in congestion. > Originally developed for hybrid electric vehicles, start-stop systems are now found in a range of conventional ve... ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [March 17, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/792 "2026-03-17T20:11:50Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The pinching part is _all_ I knew about St. Patrick’s Day when I was a kid That is a kid thing only, IMHO. The poll about how many people we have or need, seems overly concerned with grammar, as opposed to the answer. ---
**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:** [March 17, 2026, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/793 "2026-03-17T21:00:41Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > So, VERY broadly, the more demographically Irish you are, the less likely you are to do it? (if true, it would make sense, it being an American thing) I grew up in Los Angeles and went to Catholic elementary school where nearly all the nuns were from Ireland. The pinching rule was strictly enforced! But I think I remember the thing about the boys getting kissed instead of the pinch. ETA re: the who/whom thing. I learned it much as @Johanna explained, and I always found it easy to use/understand. Although sometimes I’ll dumb myself down if someone might think I’m an English butler. What really frosts my cookies is when someone uses “I” (i.e. a capital i) as an object of a preposition. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2026, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/794 "2026-03-18T00:12:10Z")
We need a slow very gradual drop in population, in the USA and the rest of the planet. A rapid drop would be disastrous. If we’re to avoid eventually having a rapid drop in the USA, we need either to enslave women, or to start massively supporting childbearing and child raising with both money and respect, or to allow immigration. The first of those is repellent, and the second ain’t going to happen any time soon, so we need to allow immigration. There are other reasons to allow immigration, but that’s one of them. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 10:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/795 "2026-03-18T10:16:28Z")
I’m really hoping the vote registered for “Force women into handmaiden-style baby-production slavery” was either an error or a joke. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/796 "2026-03-18T11:23:53Z")
> [@carrps](#): > > What really frosts my cookies is when someone uses “I” (i.e. a capital i) as an object of a preposition. Unless they’re from Jamaica, where it’s the norm (or can be). “_Be like I_…” (object of preposition), “_…follow I_” (object in a sentence): [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/n8oNnxWL70Y/maxresdefault.jpg "The Black Arks ~ 02 Come Along") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8oNnxWL70Y) (Great early reggae song) ETA: They actually sing “_be I_,” so that example isn’t an object of prep. It’s a copula (right?), so according to the misguided English-should-be-like-Latin sticklers I mentioned in a previous post, it’s _more correct_ than “be me”! ---
**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:** [March 18, 2026, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/797 "2026-03-18T11:36:50Z")
“Jeopardy!” category yesterday, 3/17: “You Can’t Pinch Them!” Each answer showed a person wearing green. mmm ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2026, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/798 "2026-03-18T11:39:32Z")
“We _need_ more people on this planet” is an odd way to phrase it. It’s simply a fact that population growth slows down as an economy modernizes; that this has been happening in different places at different times and at different rates, but in general terms to the planet as a whole for over a hundred years; that it is inevitable that the world’s population will peak somewhere between 9 billion and 11 billion, somewhere between 2060 and 2090. “Need” is a strange way to say it, IMHO. It just _is_. The inevitable corollary is an aging population. Smaller families → rising median age. Countries that handle this fact poorly – i.e., by overly restricting immigration – are (or will) suffer from “too few people contributing to the economy, supporting too many dependents.” @Karen_Lingel knows this, hence their second poll, putting the “choice” in provocatively stark terms. But, again, the “need” part only applies to individual countries (plus the EU), where immigration policy is formulated. It doesn’t have meaning (to me) for the whole world. It’s like saying “do you _need_ 1 plus 1 to equal 2?” ---
**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 18, 2026, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/799 "2026-03-18T12:10:24Z")
In the back of my brain there is a glimmer of a thought that I heard about the pinching thing before. Maybe it was from the South Park episode. It certainly wasn’t a thing when and where I grew up. ---
**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:** [March 18, 2026, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/800 "2026-03-18T15:50:58Z")
I actually got pinched yesterday! Since I wasn’t planning to leave the house, I didn’t bother looking for anything green to wear. A neighbor offered us some extra chicken breasts that she’d cooked too many of; when I went over to get them, she saw that I had no green and gave me a playful pinch on the arm. (It was light and didn’t hurt or anything. We’re good friends and I took it in the spirit intended.) Though I’d heard of the tradition, that was the first time I’d ever _experienced_ it — and right in the midst of this discussion! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=39) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=41)