# I \*am\* here, I \*am\* here! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 8, 1999, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114 "1999-09-08T02:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/1 "1999-09-08T02:11:00Z")
Finally, after a string of threads (pause for mixed-metaphor cringing) in which I said something and other folks kinda looked at each other blankly and picked up as if I hadn’t, I have an effect! Uh, I killed a thread. My detailed description of how to perform a “coathanger abortion”, aimed at convincing people that even under ideal conditions it’s a dangerous procedure that hurts women, often destroys reproductive capacity, and often enough kills them…led to the erasure of my posting plus the closure of the entire thread! Not that the moderator’s intentions were not good and judgment not valid, this is not a complaint about moderator mistreatment… Actually, I’m surprised at the extent to which I’m feeling validated because something I posted into an existing thread actually **didn’t** fall into the abyss without proverbial ripples! Are there other folks who have felt that their contribs to existing SDMB threads made them feel invisible sometimes? Do you find, to your embarrassment, perhaps, that you sometimes check threads in which you have posted only to see if anyone has replied to what **you** said? Accused by self of daring to think he had often posted truly clever and illuminating content, I plead guilty. But I killed a whole thread… ::slow grin:: * * * Designated Optional Signature at Bottom of Post ---
**Author:** ![Stoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stoid/32/272_2.png) [@Stoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stoid)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/2 "1999-09-08T02:14:00Z")
Your post was removed/thread closed because you described a coathanger abortion?? Huh? Certainly that can be no worse than the thread “Grossest thing you ever saw”? What are we coming to… * * * * * * I am #1. Everyone else is #2 or lower. ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/3 "1999-09-08T03:57:00Z")
They were probably concerned that someone actually would try it; you were pretty detailed. Gave me the willies. If someone tried, it would be one heck of a lawsuit for the SDMB. I promise I’ll try to respond to you next post I see. 🙂 I don’t always look and see who is posting, though. * * * “Eppur, si muove!” - Galileo Galilei ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/4 "1999-09-08T13:05:00Z")
I can understand why someone would want to abort a pregnant coathanger, though – the durn things reproduce like rabbits whenever you leave two or more together in a dark closet! ;D ---
**Author:** ![SqrlCub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SqrlCub](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SqrlCub)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 1999, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/5 "1999-09-09T05:23:00Z")
I thought knitting needles would be better than a coat hanger anyway. 🙂 SC ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/6 "1999-09-08T19:18:00Z")
> [@](#): > > AHunter: > Do you find, to your embarrassment, perhaps, that you sometimes check threads in which you have posted only to see if anyone has replied to what you said? My name is Doctor Jackson, and I look. I have looked since my first post to the message board. There is a sense of anticipation when I open a thread to which I posted. Did someone shoot holes in my answer/opinion? If so, is my answer/opinion still defensible? Did someone agree? Did someone take a tangential part of my post and run it through the wringer? Did anyone laugh at the joke? I replied to a serious inquiry about animal size/speed with a rather long (for me) humorous (to me) post that furthered the thread not one iota. It was a pretty blah day at work and the question sent my mind off on a tangent. When I opened the post the next day (in order, I didn’t skip down read it first or anything) the only response was from the OP, saying basically “Ha, ha, I was looking for a serious answer.” Oh, well, sometimes I just miss the mark. Lo and behold, I looked at the “classic threads” page today, and it’s there! Vindication! I made the big time! Keep posting, AHunter, you never know which post will be a classic, a thread killer, or both! * * * The overwhelming majority of people have more than the average (mean) number of legs. – E. Grebenik ---
**Author:** ![BunnyGirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@BunnyGirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyGirl)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/7 "1999-09-08T19:57:00Z")
Hey Doc! I’m with you. I’m a _voyeur_ also (that sounds better than “looker”). Plus, I think I’ve developed some friendships or the beginnings of such on this board and I don’t want to miss what someone says. I liken it to making a comment during a conversation at a party and then going to get a drink from the fridge and coming back to catch up on the talk. See, now I’ll post this and go look. ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/8 "1999-09-08T20:21:00Z")
No, I **always** check threads to see if anyone has responded to **my** post. And I jump right to it – none of this working down the list stuff for me! But I agree with previous posters – sometimes I think I’ve really nailed the answer, or really found just the _bon mot_ and nobody even notices. ☹ But once in a while someone acknowledges me! 🙂 Nothing makes my day like a “Me too, Pluto!”. ## Simperingly, Pluto “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![Dirty\_Devil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Dirty\_Devil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dirty_Devil)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/9 "1999-09-08T20:23:00Z")
What is the “Classic Threads” page? What am I missing here? ---
**Author:** ![Frankie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/258eb7/32.png) [@Frankie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frankie)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/10 "1999-09-08T21:03:00Z")
Me Too Pluto! 😉 I actually really couldn’t agree more. It kinda makes me a little sad when its not even acknowledged. Like when you are in a group of people that are all standing around joking and laughing and then you say something thats gonna kill em…and they all just stand there staring at you. That sucks! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/11 "1999-09-08T21:06:00Z")
Bunny replied to my post! Yesssssss! Consider this areply to yours, Bunny. Unwashed Demon - Go to the SD homepage and click on the link to “Classic Posts”. It’s a compilation of posts that tickled someone’s fancy (Tuba Diva’s, I presume). I would have thought pluto would have posted to this thread by now. Hmmmm. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/12 "1999-09-08T22:19:00Z")
I admit, I, like BunnyGirl, am guilty of frequent thread voyeurism (FTV). In fact, I’ve considered entering my screen name in the “Find” tool to quickly see if my post elicited a response from anyone. I haven’t stooped that low … yet. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/13 "1999-09-08T22:40:00Z")
I sometimes feel like my posts are ignored. Heck, sometimes they **are** ignored. At least by other posters. But after submitting the world’s longest and driest post recently, I received a very kind email from a _very_ respected SDMBer. S/He thanked me for going into such depth, had learned so much, etc. And that person hadn’t even posted in that thread! I walked two feet above the ground for the next few hours. So don’t assume that because no one responds, no one cares. Oh, and so as not to commit the sin at hand, **Dirty Devil** asks > [@](#): > > What is the “Classic Threads” page? What am I missing here? Well, DD, you must be coming straight to the Message Board. Go instead to [www.straightdope.com.](http://www.straightdope.com.) You will find links to this week’s column, classic Cecil answers and “Classic Threads” (among other things). ## Classic Threads is a place for the Mods/Admins to post threads from right here in the SDMB that they think are especially funny, relevant, or otherwise deserving of front-page placement. And Doctor Jackson’s was. Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 1999, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/14 "1999-09-08T22:44:00Z")
And sometimes your post isn’t being ignored, it’s simply that the boneheaded next poster didn’t hit “refresh” before submitting a reply to see that a question hadn’t already been answered. Sorry, Doctor Jackson. * * * Livin’ on Tums, Vitamin E and Rogaine ---
**Author:** ![pluto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f08c70/32.png) [@pluto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pluto)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 1999, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/15 "1999-09-09T03:57:00Z")
Dr. J! Look at me! Look at me!! Yoo-hoo!! ## Transparently, Pluto “non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem” – William of Ockham ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 1999, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/16 "1999-09-09T04:25:00Z")
I’ve often felt that some of my posts (or my presence in general) were invisible and I’m glad to see it’s not just me. Sometimes I can understand the temptation to take up an outlandish position (Jesus was gay, Hitler was Jewish, Ross Perot is sane) just to provoke a reaction. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 1999, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/17 "1999-09-10T05:10:00Z")
manhattan - Thank you for the compliment, and you are forgiven your unrefreshedness. Where the hell is pluto?!? ---
**Author:** ![Sealemon88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Sealemon88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sealemon88)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/18 "1999-09-19T15:37:00Z")
Hell, I’m so lame, I even posted to the About This Message Board forum asking if there was a way to check for replies, like in Yahoo’s mb. I check the threads all the time, and I try to rember where all my posts are located, so I can see if anyone acnowledged me existence. The only reason I don’t use the search engine is because it doesn’t work ☹ * * * You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing. ---
**Author:** ![\_00\_The\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/ed655f/32.png) [@\_00\_The\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_00_The_Fool)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/19 "1999-09-19T16:24:00Z")
I killed the first thread I posted to ( “Another Stupid School Board Decsion” ), and have remained invisible since. Now, to be fair, I haven’t been here long enough to gain a presence here yet. I haven’t posted anything too profound, either. Even my thread-killing debut was nothing more than a promise to post a lengthy, informative post at some later date. So I guess I really Shouldn’t complain if no-one’s replied to me yet. Why did I even post to this thread? I guess I just want to be heard. . . or something. ---
**Author:** ![Prairie\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Prairie\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prairie_Rose)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 1999, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114/20 "1999-09-19T18:24:00Z")
I’ll also admit it tickles me when someone replies to a post. I usually don’t post too much in the Pit, so when kellibelli replied that she liked my slam, it made me feel good. 🙂 PR * * * If you’re not part of the solution you’re just scumming up the bottom of the beaker. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-here-i-am-here/8114.md?page=2)