# Dopers vs. Teeming Millions **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [July 11, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136 "2008-07-11T14:59:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ntcrawler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/34f0e0/32.png) [@ntcrawler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ntcrawler)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/1 "2008-07-11T14:59:13Z")
So what exactly is the difference between the Dopers and Teeming Millions? It seems to me that the Teeming Millions are readers of The Perfect Master’s column, whereas the Dopers are those Teeming Millions that also inhabit these boards? Are they one and the same? What’s the straight dope (no pun intended)? And just how many teeming millions are out there? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/2 "2008-07-11T16:16:44Z")
Moving from GQ to ATMB. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/3 "2008-07-11T21:13:40Z")
[QUOTE=ntcrawler] So what exactly is the difference between the Dopers and Teeming Millions? It seems to me that the Teeming Millions are readers of The Perfect Master’s column, whereas the Dopers are those Teeming Millions that also inhabit these boards? [/QUOTE] Yes. > [@](#): > > And just how many teeming millions are out there? It’s very difficult to tell circulation figures with so many papers running the column online. I’ve _heard_ that it works out to be anywhere from 2-10 million readers per week, but I have absolutely no backing I can share for that number. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/4 "2008-07-11T22:37:08Z")
Ah, but now we have Dopers who aren’t Teeming Millions, because they’ve declared they don’t read the column! ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/5 "2008-07-12T00:03:18Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Ah, but now we have Dopers who aren’t Teeming Millions, because they’ve declared they don’t read the column! [/QUOTE] And although that may not be their thing, I find it somewhat sad from a metaphysical standpoint that they wouldn’t read the column of the guy who’s behind the whole formation of this place. ---
**Author:** ![Mongo\_Ponton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Mongo\_Ponton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mongo_Ponton)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2008, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/6 "2008-07-12T03:01:47Z")
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen the column in print. Never heard of teeming millions and have never looked at anything on the site other than the message boards. ignorance marginally fought ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2008, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dopers-vs-teeming-millions/456136/7 "2008-07-15T06:57:04Z")
Ed Zotti sez re “The Teeming Millions:” > [@](#): > > The phrase precedes my involvement with the column. Cecil first used it during Mike Lenehan’s tenure as editor in the early 70s, although I don’t know the exact date. -Ed Perhaps “Dopers” started when The Straight Dope was on AOL, which would be 1996. I don’t remember seeing “Dopers” in the columns or the books before then, though I could be mistaken.