# 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:** 87
**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:** [May 15, 2026, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1721 "2026-05-15T15:34:58Z")
All of the Charlie & the Chocolate Factory kids seem like they’d be fine once away from their actual parents. ---
**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:** [May 15, 2026, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1722 "2026-05-15T17:44:39Z")
I thought Violet Beauregarde was the most tolerable. Hell you could channel all that energy and create a profitable Instagram channel. ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2026, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1723 "2026-05-16T19:13:25Z")
I don’t understand all the love for Violet Beauregarde. That gum-popping brat would drive me crazy. I voted for the Bubble Boy - less to deal with. Give him three meals a day and clean clothes, etc. (however that stuff is managed) but you can basically ignore him. He’s responsible for his own hygiene and cleaning. I would be in another room with any communication device turned down (or off). He throws a tantrum and punctures the bubble? Aw, too bad. I guess this little foster kid experiment won’t last as long as it might have 🙂 ---
**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:** [May 16, 2026, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1724 "2026-05-16T20:11:06Z")
> [@Bayaker](#): > > I don’t understand all the love for Violet Beauregarde. That gum-popping brat would drive me crazy. You’re the foster parent. Take her gum away. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1725 "2026-05-17T23:10:07Z")
> [@Polls only: No discussion](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/polls-only-no-discussion/953642/6782): > > fun activity Given the choices, I suspect we have different definitions of the word “fun”. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1726 "2026-05-17T23:18:19Z")
You may be right. The coworker who did the presentation last Friday did it about opossums and their benefit to the environment. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1727 "2026-05-17T23:29:27Z")
I voted other. I recommend you talk about how depopulation of beavers ruined the environment for centuries, and how they are being re-introduced to fix it. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1728 "2026-05-17T23:36:11Z")
Good, I’ll be a Hopper ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1729 "2026-05-17T23:36:14Z")
If you go with that, good source here: > **[The Builders: How Beavers Mend Our Planet](https://radiolab.org/podcast/the-builders-how-beavers-mend-our-planet)** > > A creature whose footprints produce and protect life. ---
**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:** [May 17, 2026, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1730 "2026-05-17T23:58:33Z")
I, too, would advise @Velocity to avoid a topic that could be controversial, even though you were told that a “somewhat controversial” topic is allowed. This is a work event, and I suspect it’s meant to be a way for your colleagues to get to know you, and your interests, better. Talking about something that could be polarizing, and/or lean into conspiracy theories (as several of the topics on your list could) might be interesting in a non-professional environment, but doing so at work is asking for trouble. One of my recent employers had a similar sort of “give a brief presentation about something which interests you” as part of our weekly team meetings. When it was my turn to present, I did 10 minutes on weather and climate; I’ve been interested in weather since I was a little kid, and I seriously considered a career in meteorology. I focused on topics which would be useful for my colleagues: what is the difference between a weather watch and a weather warning, how to understand humidity and dew point, etc. Not controversial at all (I didn’t poke at the climate-change bear), and a number of my colleagues later told me that they found it interesting and educational. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2026, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1731 "2026-05-17T23:59:36Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > . I recommend you talk about how depopulation of beavers ruined the environment for centuries, and how they are being re-introduced to fix it. Good one. But black Mold is an important topic, and not _very_ controversial. Apollo 13 is a good one also. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1732 "2026-05-18T00:23:57Z")
Another vote for beavers. Pliny has some weird beaver beliefs you can throw in for fun. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1733 "2026-05-18T02:07:09Z")
I chose “Other” and would like to suggest the importance of lowering our carbon emissions. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1734 "2026-05-18T03:05:58Z")
You should choose a topic which excites _you_. But of the options given, I chose the Malaysia flight as being the topic I would be most interested in hearing. And I agree with “fun”, but then, I love speaking in front of an audience. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1735 "2026-05-18T10:05:14Z")
That sounds like a terrific topic. Entertaining, and not controversial. I voted for Apollo 13, because i don’t know your interests, and didn’t have any constructive suggestions. And that’s the least controversial/conspiracy theory of the ones you listed. But really, i think you should try to think of something fun that won’t offend anyone. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1736 "2026-05-18T10:08:22Z")
I prefer key lime pie, because i don’t think i want the crust to be as salty as the other crust sounds. But i tend to prefer less salt in my desserts than many. If you like a salty note, go for the other one. (Also, it’s much easier to find lemons than it is to find key limes.) ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1737 "2026-05-18T12:36:42Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > prefer key lime pie, because i don’t think i want the crust to be as salty as the other crust sounds. But i tend to prefer less salt in my desserts than many. If you like a salty note, go for the other one. (Also, it’s much easier to find lemons than it is to find key limes.) That is the exact reason I chose key lime pie. ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1738 "2026-05-18T14:19:13Z")
Definitely a tree. But I,m dithering over which tree. — if a willow keeps sending up shoots from its roots, is that still the same tree? ---
**Author:** ![Bayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bayaker/32/3454_2.png) [@Bayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1739 "2026-05-18T14:48:38Z")
I was thinking something like a bristlecone pine for a tree to observe, but if clonal trees are allowed the [Pando](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree)#Size_and_age) group of quaking aspens would be high on my list. “Speculations on Pando’s age have ranged between 80,000 and 1 million years.” ---
**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:** [May 18, 2026, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/1740 "2026-05-18T16:07:53Z")
I can understand the urge to game the system by choosing whatever entity lives the longest. But looking at a tree for a million years? No thanks. I’m leaning toward choosing my youngest relative (currently a 2-year-old grandniece). I’ll get to see how her life turns out, as well as keeping tabs on the rest of my family. An emotionally satisfying 80 or so years would be preferable to the lifetime of a tree without any personal attachment. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=86) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=88)