# Does ignoring a situation on this board actually make it go away? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 27, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231 "2026-06-27T17:45:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/1 "2026-06-27T17:45:36Z")
Too many examples over the years of people saying, in The BBQ Pit (and elsewhere on this board), “Yeah, that person is acting up in some manner, but you just ignore it eventually they will stop doing it.” Ignoring the fact that this may be the most ignored advice in the history of this board, do we have any examples of it actually working? Someone posts things designed to elicit responses, rather than respond people just ignore that person, and that person just gives up without escalating the situation and either stops and that person either stops crapping on the message board (on their own without Moderator intervention) or just goes away? Not looking for heart-felt examples on either side as to whether or this works-Just looking for actual examples of it working. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/2 "2026-06-27T18:41:02Z")
Yes, it happens all the time. I’ve seen many dumb questions or provocative statements that were ignored and never went further. I’m always a little surprised when it happens, because it can be tough to do collectively. I’m not going to link to any because that would defeat the purpose of ignoring them. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/3 "2026-06-27T18:45:40Z")
I’m sure that if you pointed out an actual example from the past (nothing recent), it wouldn’t cause them to return to reignite the festivities. If this approach actually works I would like to know, because “everybody knows it works” sounds…truthy? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/4 "2026-06-27T18:54:03Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’m sure that if you pointed out an actual example from the past (nothing recent), it wouldn’t cause them to return to reignite the festivities. Or, if the offender was a now-banned troll. OTOH, you’re asking others to do your legwork for you. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/5 "2026-06-27T18:56:37Z")
No. I am asking for any positive affirmation for this belief. A banned troll does not count because I am looking for examples of someone _voluntarily_ stopping because they were ignored. If it happens all the time, I am most certainly NOT asking for anything difficult to find. I am not the one saying this idea works, so I am not the one that should provide supposedly easy to find examples of it working. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/6 "2026-06-27T18:57:39Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I am asking for any positive affirmation for this belief. And, thus, you are asking: > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I’m sure that if you pointed out an actual example from the past (nothing recent) You’re asking others to remember specific instances, take the time and effort to look them up on the board, and provide you with links. I’m sympathetic to your question, but you are literally saying, “prove to me that it works”: > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Just looking for actual examples of it working. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/7 "2026-06-27T19:01:54Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > I’m sympathetic to your question, but you are effectively saying, “prove to me that it works.” If someone asserts something, it is something they should provide evidence for. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/8 "2026-06-27T19:02:41Z")
If I put the thread and/or the poster on mute, then as far as I’m concerned they **have** gone away. So what if they’re still being annoying somewhere else? ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/9 "2026-06-27T19:02:52Z")
I’m not saying that you’re wrong, but you are, again, asking others to do the work to prove the answer to _your_ question. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/10 "2026-06-27T19:04:55Z")
Again, you have tried to slip the word “prove” into the conversation, asserting that it is something I require. The word is “evidence”, and there is most certainly a difference between the two words. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/11 "2026-06-27T19:05:31Z")
That is another argument for another day. ---
**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:** [June 27, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/12 "2026-06-27T19:05:39Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Agasin, you have tried to slip the word “prove” into the conversation, asserting that it is something I require. The word is “evidence”, and there is most certainly a difference between the two words. Semantics. To make you happy: You are asking others to do the work to _ **provide evidence** _ to answer your question. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/13 "2026-06-27T19:07:31Z")
I am asking others _that have made the assertation_ to show examples of the assertation, yes. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/14 "2026-06-27T19:08:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Too many examples over the years of people saying, in The BBQ Pit (and elsewhere on this board), “Yeah, that person is acting up in some manner, but you just ignore it eventually they will stop doing it.” This does sound like familiar advice, but do you have a specific example in mind of people being advised to ignore bad behavior in the hopes of it going away ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/15 "2026-06-27T19:15:54Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I am asking others _that have made the assertation_ to show examples of the assertation, yes. You don’t seem to be asking those individual posters directly. If you know who they are, you should ask them for the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2026, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/16 "2026-06-27T23:04:59Z")
@Czarcasm I’ll be happy to DM you next time I notice it or if I remember an instance, but I’m not going to spend my time searching. I know it works, but I can certainly appreciate you not taking the word of some rando. Unfortunately that’s all I can offer for now. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/17 "2026-06-28T00:41:38Z")
People become heroes by responding to a crisis. People are laid off despite successfully and invisibly averting a crisis. The OP wants averted crises. Of course they happen. The key word is invisible. No one notices because that’s what is _supposed_ to happen and most often does. Screwworms weren’t a crisis for 25 years. No one noticed because what was supposed to happen - monitoring and prevention - happened. Until it didn’t. Should I list all the crises that haven’t yet happened because parts of the government are still functioning? Evidence for that statement: Michael Lewis’ _The Fifth Risk_. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/18 "2026-06-28T01:07:19Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I am asking others _that have made the assertation_ Who has made this assertion? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/19 "2026-06-28T01:20:16Z")
We get a heck of a lot of posters who show up, start one problematic or iffy thread, maybe reply once in that entire thread, and then are never heard from again. Those are definitely cases of “ignore it and it’ll go away”. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2026, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231/20 "2026-06-28T02:07:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Those are definitely cases of “ignore it and it’ll go away”. Sadly the poster that started _14carats of G in a_ or whatever did exactly that, but the thread took a long time to die. 🤪 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-ignoring-a-situation-on-this-board-actually-make-it-go-away/1031231.md?page=2)