# Hello Dopers **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [March 8, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185 "2004-03-08T21:43:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/1 "2004-03-08T21:43:23Z")
Hi All, I have been an off/on lurker since just after Wally died. I never understood how I could be so affected by the death of someone I had not encountered. I am not a Diana Merchant. Since then I have read as much of Wally as I have been able to find. Don’t need to tell you he was a genius… The events surrounding Persephone and her family moved me even though I never ‘knew’ her… I find myself posting for the very first time. I guess it is a community thing. I’m from England… enough of this mawkishness! Pleased to meet you all. xxx ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/2 "2004-03-08T21:45:31Z")
Welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/3 "2004-03-08T21:51:20Z")
Hello and welcome to the SDMB, **Bojangles**. Don’t be surprised, though, if your thread is moved to MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/4 "2004-03-08T22:53:25Z")
> [@Ice Wolf](#): > > Hello and welcome to the SDMB, **Bojangles**. Don’t be surprised, though, if your thread is moved to MPSIMS. Thanks Ice Wolf… this was a test post though. Guess I should have made that clear… Nice to meet you anyhow. ---
**Author:** ![Ice\_Wolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/dfb087/32.png) [@Ice\_Wolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ice_Wolf)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/5 "2004-03-09T07:11:37Z")
No worries. Hope you enjoy your time here. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/6 "2004-03-09T12:45:43Z")
I’ll go along with it being a test post and leave it here. (I’m being explicit so that another mod won’t come along later and make a different decisions.) And welcome out of de-lurk mode! ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/7 "2004-03-09T13:20:48Z")
Yes, indeed. Always room at the table for one more. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/8 "2004-03-09T14:23:01Z")
Yes, welcome! (What’s a Diana Merchant?) ---
**Author:** ![paperbackwriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@paperbackwriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/paperbackwriter)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/9 "2004-03-09T17:21:41Z")
Welcome, **bojangles** , we’re generally a nice bunch here, as you know already. I think it was a thread that **Persephone** started that actually encouraged me to register. ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/10 "2004-03-09T21:35:33Z")
> [@dantheman](#): > > Yes, welcome! > > (What’s a Diana Merchant?) Hi Dantheman, I guess this ‘thread’ has probably run its course, but in the interests of clarity: I mean I am not given to histrionic exhibitions of pseudo-grief on account of a tragedy occurring to someone I have never had contact with. Sadly, some of my country-folk are. I really just meant that, 4 years late, I am offering a comment on the phenomenon of Wally, as a test post. Nice to meet you. I am sure we will meet in more other fora. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/11 "2004-03-09T22:53:46Z")
Welcome, my friend. Welcome, that is, if you can correctly answer _one question:_ Are you a Roundhead, or a Cavalier? Choose carefully! \Your head depends on it.\ ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2004, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/12 "2004-03-09T23:54:31Z")
> [@Bojangles](#): > > Hi Dantheman, > > I guess this ‘thread’ has probably run its course, but in the interests of clarity: I mean I am not given to histrionic exhibitions of pseudo-grief on account of a tragedy occurring to someone I have never had contact with. > > Sadly, some of my country-folk are. > > I really just meant that, 4 years late, I am offering a comment on the phenomenon of Wally, as a test post. > > Nice to meet you. I am sure we will meet in more other fora. Likewise. I still don’t get the reference, though. No big deal. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/13 "2004-03-10T07:45:05Z")
Hi, and welcome to a fellow countryman. 🙂 > [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Welcome, that is, if you can correctly answer _one question:_ Are you a Roundhead, or a Cavalier? Choose carefully! \Your head depends on it.\ Is this as personal a question as it appears, or would only a Brit think so? 😉 **dantheman** - I believe Bojangles is referring to the outpouring of grief exhibited by we Brits, on the demise of Her Beautiful Loveliness the Blessed Princess Diana _sniff sniff_. ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/14 "2004-03-10T10:40:52Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Welcome, my friend. > > Welcome, that is, if you can correctly answer _one question:_ Are you a Roundhead, or a Cavalier? Choose carefully! \Your head depends on it.\ I am afraid the answer to that lies between me and my rabbi. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/15 "2004-03-10T11:13:25Z")
> [@Shrinking Violet](#): > > **dantheman** - I believe Bojangles is referring to the outpouring of grief exhibited by we Brits, on the demise of Her Beautiful Loveliness the Blessed Princess Diana _sniff sniff_. Oh, _that_ Diana! Yes, I remember her… And to think I googled “Diana Merchant” and came up empty. (It was the capping of “Merchant” that messed me up.) ---
**Author:** ![Algernon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a183cd/32.png) [@Algernon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algernon)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2004, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hello-dopers/233185/16 "2004-03-10T13:47:22Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Are you a Roundhead, or a Cavalier? I wouldn’t have had any idea what you were talking about, except for the fact that I just read this (along with the explanation) in a book somewhere. Now it is driving me crazy trying to remember. Does anyone know the original source of this usage? Or is it just one of those common references that I was blindly unaware of? PS - I’m aware of the Roundhead/Cavalier _historical_ reference, but only recently aware of its more personal allusion. It’s the personal allusion I’m interested in.