# Does anyone actually give a shit about being a "Charter Member?" **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2008, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525 "2008-04-23T10:55:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/41 "2008-04-23T18:14:47Z")
You can have my “charter member” designation when you pry it out of my cold, dead hands! Oh, wait. Nevermind. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/42 "2008-04-23T18:28:53Z")
It’s handy for getting tables at restaurants. But mainly I like how it reminds me of my heroic contribution of, oh it must be over $15 by now. I was hoping that they might rename one of the forums in my honour, but I’ll settle for “Charter Member”. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/43 "2008-04-23T18:32:55Z")
I would like my title to be Amber Retcher. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/44 "2008-04-23T18:38:07Z")
Yes. It makes me feel like a unique, special butterfly, amongst the rest of the unique, special butterflies. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/45 "2008-04-23T18:42:30Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] I would like my title to be Amber Retcher. [/QUOTE] How about March Beer Term? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/46 "2008-04-23T18:54:54Z")
[QUOTE=Noelq] Yes. It makes me feel like a unique, special butterfly, amongst the rest of the unique, special butterflies. [/QUOTE] Everyone’s different, except me. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/47 "2008-04-23T19:26:07Z")
I love being a member of the charter member club. It’s not everybody who can say he (or she) helps keep the metric system down, or made Steve Guttenberg a star. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/48 "2008-04-23T19:34:07Z")
Don’t care. Never did. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/49 "2008-04-23T19:39:54Z")
Not that I mean anything by this - but I’m suddenly reminded of a line from the Aviator. Hepburn’s mother: “We don’t care about money” Hughes: “Well that’s because you have it” ---
**Author:** ![ShelliBean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@ShelliBean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShelliBean)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/50 "2008-04-23T19:52:20Z")
Well, I was a lurker in 99 but I was lazy about signing up, so my sign up date isn’t until 2000. Then I let my membership lapse so I lost my charter membership title. That little corner is a constant reminder of the pain I have suffered due to procrastination. Or maybe it’s not quite that serious. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/51 "2008-04-23T20:03:19Z")
I lay awake at night crying because I don’t have a charter member title. It has driven me to the depths of dispair on many occasions. I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die because of my anguish over the lack of the word Charter in my title. My life, it is in ruins over this issue. ::sniffle:: ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/52 "2008-04-23T20:08:52Z")
It’s just another star on my belly. Saves me the price of a 6-pack of my favorites once a year. But it’s not as cool as the 1999. Which I couldda had because I tried to sign up in June of 1999 but couldn’t from work and didn’t have internet at home so I just kinda moved on to other things. But I’m not bitter. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/53 "2008-04-23T20:14:24Z")
Inigo, on that front I had the misfortune to get [bored](http://www.bored.com/) as late as Feb 2002. March even. :rolleyes: In fact, my dopername should be **Bored at Work** (But I think that’s taken, so just **Bored** ) And that will be on my tombstone too - if I don’t get cremated. ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/54 "2008-04-23T20:23:30Z")
I’m a Charter Member, but the hamsters got really hungry recently and ate the “Charter” part of my status. It doesn’t bother me. I still get free membership for life though, so I is happy 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/55 "2008-04-23T20:27:08Z")
Yes, I do. I do because it was offered as a reward for helping out the board when it needed help. I value the title because it represents what I did. The notion that it doesn’t matter anymore now that the board can get along without me is utterly niggardly in its conception. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/41988e/32.png) [@El\_Cid\_Viscoso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cid_Viscoso)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/56 "2008-04-23T20:27:55Z")
It makes me seem frugal and persistent, something the current wife admires greatly. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/57 "2008-04-23T20:47:52Z")
[QUOTE=Liberal] Yes, I do. I do because it was offered as a reward for helping out the board when it needed help. I value the title because it represents what I did. The notion that it doesn’t matter anymore now that the board can get along without me is utterly niggardly in its conception. [/QUOTE] What did you do? ---
**Author:** ![Danalan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/76d3ee/32.png) [@Danalan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Danalan)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/58 "2008-04-23T20:53:49Z")
Of course. I’m human. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/59 "2008-04-23T21:06:18Z")
You know I really hate to admit this, but being totally honest, yes, yes I do …well, maybe not a full shit, but a _boof_; yes, at least a _boof_. Seems silly, but there it is. As someone else who doesn’t post a lot, but has been around quite awhile, somehow it’s kind of nice. Something I earned and I haven’t done anything to un-earn it, so why take it away? It doesn’t really color my view of any other poster - I look at content and sometimes join date, so really the Charter thing doesn’t stand out, but I like it anyway. It doesn’t make my ass look fat, so how can it be a bad thing? On edit: Actually, it’s a bit wide there under my username. May have to rethink this… How about we change it to “C Member” ? ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525/60 "2008-04-23T21:14:17Z")
It’s hard to believe that I’ve been around as long as I have; especially when you look at how few posts I have compared to the heavy users. Anyway, I kind of like being a charter member. If they had a chance to denote someone as an original member from the AOL days, that’d be even cooler. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-anyone-actually-give-a-shit-about-being-a-charter-member/446525.md?page=4)