# Do you think of Dopers as your friends? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 4, 2007, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490 "2007-07-04T13:21:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/121 "2007-07-13T16:35:49Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] And some of you are that annoying guy in the cubicle down the hall that I can’t get away from. 😉 [/QUOTE] **pokes head, prairie dog-like, over cubicle wall, ever alert for the smell of pastries or the sound of gossip** ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/122 "2007-07-13T16:39:00Z")
Huh? Wha? **Beaucarnea** , you may get taken up on that offer some time… Who’s going to start the book “Doping Across the USA”? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2007, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/123 "2007-07-14T15:28:10Z")
If we could get Lance Armstrong to register we could call it, “The Doping of America”. Thank you. I’ll be here till Thursday. Try the veal. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/124 "2007-07-15T13:58:52Z")
A couple of years ago in the news a Brit bloke who had struck up at first a friendship and then fell in love with with an extremly attractive young American nurse,proposed to her was accepted and then flew over to marry her,all without having met her . Except that she was thirty years older then her pic. and a right munta,not that that mattered as she was arrested shortly before he landed because the police had discovered the body of her previous boyfriend in a chest freezer at her home. You cant really know a person from only long distance communication,they might be incredibly articulate on a keyboard but incoherent in speech. And though this sounds shallow they might be incontinent ,have bad breath ,a nervous tic,be serial nose pickers,disgusting eating manners,have a huge adams apple,nose ,skin conditions,squeaky voice,greasy hair,bizarre clothing,dribble,invade your personal space or fondle their genitals . But enough about me. All things that in real life we use to form our judgement of people . And before anyone jumps in with the obvious I didnt mean to suggest that one individual would have all these characteristics though Im sure that any circus would leap at the chance to hire them. ---
**Author:** ![Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/df705f/32.png) [@Full\_Metal\_Lotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Full_Metal_Lotus)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/125 "2007-07-16T00:57:04Z")
I have been a mamber since last December… (or so)… I have found that the personality “types” here follow the same basic bell curve that people in real life do, with perhaps a slightly higher level of education/experience/wit, IQ, what have you. There are the total jerks (very few) - one end of the bell curve and there are the total saints (other end of bell curve) Most of us are clumped around the centre. Just like real life… As for being friends with ALL of you, or having feelings of friendship[, it ain’t gonna happen. Just like real life. There are many Dopers, however that have made me laugh, think, and feel definite empathy for/with. Those people, I would not hesitate to lift a glass of beer with, or a cup of tea/coffee… What I really like about this “community” is that it is so varied, all political, philosophical and other veiwpoints seem to be represented, and there are among that group people who I feel definite affinity towards… There are, I guess, many that I could be friends with, but I have yet to (knowingly) meet anyone… Maybe its time for an Edmonton Dopefest… regards FML ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/126 "2007-07-16T02:33:52Z")
{raises a glass in toast to the clump around the centre}Cheers, fellow Clumpers! (Give us a little advance notice on the Edmonton Dopefest, and we could probably make it - we have an old friend in Edmonton who we haven’t visited for way too long.) ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/127 "2007-07-16T07:40:56Z")
I wouldn’t help any of you move if thats what your asking. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/128 "2007-07-16T07:47:42Z")
[QUOTE=ScareyFaerie] You love me really, all of you. Go on, admit it. [/QUOTE] I do, I do 😃 ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/129 "2007-07-16T15:33:08Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] Even some of the Doper freaks, weirdos, social misfits and Appalachian Trail hippies would find the key under the mat. [/QUOTE] D’oh! I’ve been trying to figure out what AT means. So it’s not Arctic Tundra after all. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![want2know](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@want2know](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/want2know)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/130 "2007-07-16T16:17:04Z")
Funny, I was just thinking about this over the weekend. Friends is a bit strong. But I consider many of you to be acquaintances who I would like to get to know better. An earlier poster mentioned wanting to have a Las Vegas Dopefest–I would be so there if that were to happen. There are many of you I would like to meet face-to-face for various reasons, whether it be for hanging out watching movies, good conversation, even debates with people whose political views I disagree with, but whose intelligence I respect enough to want to know why you take that particular position. Just a few examples: **Cal Meacham** – When I read his posts on old sci-fi and horror, I feel like I may have found a long-lost twin brother! **Sampiro** – I could sit for hours just listening to his funny stories! **tdn** – A true entertainment trivia junkie like myself. **Martin Hyde** – Conservative in an intelligent way that I have the utmost respect for. I believe he could shed some light into the true reasons people embrace that ideology, and would welcome a political discourse with him. **Loach** – I have nothing but the utmost admiration for his profession and would like to tell him so. **Bricker** – I find the law fascinating and want to know more about it. There are many more; these are just the ones that come to mind right now. ---
**Author:** ![Beaucarnea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@Beaucarnea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beaucarnea)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/131 "2007-07-16T16:34:48Z")
[QUOTE=Lust4Life] You cant really know a person from only long distance communication,they might be incredibly articulate on a keyboard but incoherent in speech. [/QUOTE] Shoot- no internet acquaintance could surprise me more than my own close friends. There was Shane who insisted that wifey bring forth four children in quick succession, then bolted just before number four showed up because he fell in love with an older man. (His choir leader from church). My best friend Lisa from high school, the most beautiful girl at school by popular vote, hacked off her long blond curls, gained 150 pounds, joined a religious cult, and went into seclusion before the age of 20. Gentle, sweet, Eddie held his wife at gunpoint after a fight for two days last summer. (Names changed to protect the guilty). There have been numerous other minor personality quirks that cropped up late in the friendship, and some complete 180s by a handful of friends. But I still keep them close even as I shake my head in bemusement and brace myself for the next gaffe, snafu, lifestyle change, and the occasional crime. So what I am saying is… you can’t ever really know a person. Period. The internet is just one more way to expand your world and you can apply the same approach you use in real life: ask questions, find common ground, and use your best judgment. [QUOTE=Lust4Life] All things that in real life we use to form our judgement of people . [/QUOTE] Yup. [QUOTE=wonderlust] D’oh! I’ve been trying to figure out what AT means. So it’s not Arctic Tundra after all. :smack: [/QUOTE] The Appalachian Trail was made for someone with the username **wonder** (wander) **lust**. And in the spirit of my previous sermon: come on over. We’ve got mountain lions, and hippies, and bears oh my! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/132 "2007-07-16T19:38:36Z")
“Known Associates”, perhaps. ---
**Author:** ![wonderlust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonderlust/32/7237_2.png) [@wonderlust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonderlust)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/133 "2007-07-16T20:12:20Z")
[QUOTE=Beaucarnea] There was Shane who insisted that wifey bring forth four children in quick succession, then bolted just before number four showed up because he fell in love with an older man. (His choir leader from church). My best friend Lisa from high school, the most beautiful girl at school by popular vote, hacked off her long blond curls, gained 150 pounds, joined a religious cult, and went into seclusion before the age of 20. Gentle, sweet, Eddie held his wife at gunpoint after a fight for two days last summer… The Appalachian Trail was made for someone with the username **wonder** (wander) **lust**. And in the spirit of my previous sermon: come on over. We’ve got mountain lions, and hippies, and bears oh my! [/QUOTE] And, it seems, especially for the people? 😉 ---
**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:** [July 16, 2007, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/134 "2007-07-16T22:58:37Z")
I think of some of you as a form of friend–more than an acquaintance, less than an intimate. It has a favorite cousin/aunt/librarian/mechanic flavor, I think. I like some of you electron people much better than I like some of my meat affiliates. ---
**Author:** ![DMark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DMark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DMark)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/135 "2007-07-17T08:14:43Z")
[QUOTE=want2know] Funny, I was just thinking about this over the weekend. Friends is a bit strong. But I consider many of you to be acquaintances who I would like to get to know better. An earlier poster mentioned wanting to have a Las Vegas Dopefest–I would be so there if that were to happen. [/QUOTE] I will be posting a thread tomorrow with details of the LasVegasDopefest07 - check it out and let us know if you can make it! ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/136 "2007-07-17T09:37:26Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] I still think we should have Straight Dope t-shirts. [/QUOTE] Something like [this?](https://securesite.chireader.com/cgi-bin/dopestore/buystuff.bat#tshirt) There are quite a few Dopers I’d like to meet. Actually did meet some at a ChiDope a few years back. But I think “acquaintances” is more accurate than “friends”. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/137 "2007-07-17T10:59:02Z")
[QUOTE=2nd Law] Something like [this?](https://securesite.chireader.com/cgi-bin/dopestore/buystuff.bat#tshirt) [/QUOTE] I am one of many who would buy any T-shirt that didn’t have Slug’s ass-ugly art on it. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 11:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/138 "2007-07-17T11:30:23Z")
Shhh! You insult Slug’s drawing, you insult the Master Himself! _quickly scans the sky for oncoming lightning_ ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/139 "2007-07-17T12:43:48Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I am one of many who would buy any T-shirt that didn’t have Slug’s ass-ugly art on it. [/QUOTE] They can’t afford Gahan Wilson already? ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2007, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490/140 "2007-07-17T13:01:53Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] I am one of many who would buy any T-shirt that didn’t have Slug’s ass-ugly art on it. [/QUOTE] –winces-- Really, is that not a bit extreme? We’re all friends here. Besides, don’t you wonder why they call him “Slug” ? :eek: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-think-of-dopers-as-your-friends/410490.md?page=8)