# Don't we need a forum for outright lunacy? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717 "2015-11-05T15:12:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717/41 "2015-11-25T18:45:43Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I see “they” got to you, wolfpup. Impossible. I’m wearing [The Helmet](http://i1.wp.com/www.gambitmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Screen-Shot-2015-08-07-at-9.59.31-PM.png). ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2015, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717/42 "2015-11-26T09:41:17Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > We can and we do have people with diverse opinions posting here. > > But wackadoodle threads or hijacks have certain well-defined characteristics: the poster implies that he is uniquely in possession of The Truth about a major issue which is unknown to everyone else in the world including the subject matter experts, who are alleged to be either ignorant or engaged in a conspiratorial coverup. Such a position is not an “opinion” – it’s more like the manifestation of a mental illness, or else it’s deliberate trolling, and either way, it’s immune to evidence and logic. This makes discussion with such an individual pointless. Furthermore, such threads tend to be repetitive, appearing again and again on common conspiracy themes, often from new joins who aren’t bright enough to realize that their amazing insights have already been raised and refuted dozens of times before. There is absolutely nothing useful about any of this. Maybe any thread that aspires to Great Debates status could be forced to “play the minors,” as it were, in the putative Looney Bin before graduating to the Show. I recognize that such a suggestion is essentially volunteering the mods to perform extra duties, so I won’t endorse the notion as anything more than a thought experiment. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717/43 "2015-11-27T19:21:26Z")
> [@oft\_wears\_hats](#): > > I do remember him, but in deference to the rules, I won’t mention his name. He sort of got pitted. He had a thing for hijacking every SSM thread with semantic arguments. One of the many SSM threads he derailed got moved to the Pit, so that was basically his pitting. I was very glad to see him go; I was sick of seeing him eat three threads a day. You’re talking about my all-time favorite Doper! I didn’t know it was against the rules to mention his name. Yes, he claimed that SSM did not exist because the word “marriage” had a specific definition that could not be changed. His favorite response to anyone expressing disagreement was “Not an argument.” He also insisted that only cars should be allowed on roads and that women were incapable of writing fiction. Oh, and he vowed that if he ever heard the term “C-level” in a job interview, he would singlehandedly bring down the company. Good times. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2015, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717/44 "2015-11-28T01:06:32Z")
Anyone else here remember Perky Dan? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-we-need-a-forum-for-outright-lunacy/736717.md?page=2)