# I challenge the Dope to answer this poll with the required percentages **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 7, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534 "2013-02-07T01:20:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/61 "2013-02-09T18:12:14Z")
I voted blind, which was what I thought the point of this exercise was. I voted for 5. Looking before you vote is pointless, isn’t it? OP, did you want people to look at the totals before voting or not? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/62 "2013-02-09T18:21:50Z")
If the point of the exercise to vote blind then the op would have stated that instead of explicitly stating that looking at the current percentages _might_ help. The point, it seems, is to see how many of us cannot bother to read or actually comprehend the op AND who feel that less than one in twenty others would consider doing 5%. This is sad. Any one who ever wants to claim how smart this board is should be directed here. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/63 "2013-02-09T18:41:27Z")
Ha ha ha!!! I voted without looking, and 15% is right where it should be! (That’s what you were looking for, right?) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/64 "2013-02-09T19:18:26Z")
From the OP: > [@drewtwo99](#): > > It _might_ help if you **view the poll results as they exist so far to see which category still needs a vote**. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/65 "2013-02-09T19:39:58Z")
Voting blind would be ridiculous as we would never ever get the right percentages. At least if you look before you vote you have a chance of doing it right 😃 ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/66 "2013-02-09T21:52:04Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > From the OP: Then this is the most pointless, useless exercise of wastefulness that I have ever participated in. “Look at the results. Where votes are lacking, vote there.” How stupid. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/67 "2013-02-09T22:08:40Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Then this is the most pointless, useless exercise of wastefulness that I have ever participated in. “Look at the results. Where votes are lacking, vote there.” How stupid. Right. Because obviously that is trivial to do… ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/68 "2013-02-09T22:11:03Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Then this is the most pointless, useless exercise of wastefulness that I have ever participated in. “Look at the results. Where votes are lacking, vote there.” How stupid. Agreed. :rolleyes: Besides, the OP says looking at the current percentages “might” help. That means they might NOT help, also. Which is wrong. It would ALWAYS help. If I looked, I would have known which option to choose. Which brings us back to the idea of how pointless this exercise is. Feh ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/69 "2013-02-09T22:11:24Z")
> [@bobot](#): > > Then this is the most pointless, useless exercise of wastefulness that I have ever participated in. “Look at the results. Where votes are lacking, vote there.” How stupid. It’s interesting that, as a group, we cannot do such a simple thing. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/70 "2013-02-09T22:34:44Z")
Yes, obviously I was being 100% serious and not sarcastic at all when I said looking at the results _might_ help. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/71 "2013-02-10T04:27:33Z")
I don’t know why but this poll made me feel very happy. Seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/72 "2013-02-10T04:34:03Z")
Every other group would be just fine if there weren’t a tiny percentage of special snowflakes messing it up for every other group. It’s like a metaphor for life, maaaaaaaan. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/73 "2013-02-10T04:46:34Z")
I thought the whole point was to vote blind, which I did, and was amazed at the results. And then I see that it was OK to look first. Which was kinda disappointing. ---
**Author:** ![bldysabba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@bldysabba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bldysabba)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/74 "2013-02-10T05:28:38Z")
It is unbelievable how many people couldn’t understand the OP. Almost makes you wonder how people ever manage to communicate. ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/75 "2013-02-10T07:06:38Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Every other group would be just fine if there weren’t a tiny percentage of special snowflakes messing it up for every other group. > > It’s like a metaphor for life, maaaaaaaan. Up over 7% right now, we must be having a blizzard. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/76 "2013-02-10T16:08:42Z")
Okay. So over 7% of those who participated in this game BOTH did not bother to read or could not comprehend the clearly stated rules (or ignored them because they thought they were stupid) AND thought that the smartest move choosing blind (what they thought the game _should_ be) was to choose 5%. That means that most likely more than 7% of those who choose to play this game did not bother to read or could not understand or thumbed at the clearly stated rules. Which does not speak well of the make-up of this board. But how much more? How much overlap is there? I suspect that the two greatly co-vary – that most of those who did not bother to read/could understand what they read are also people who would think that 5% was the wisest choice to make blind. It might be that the numbers would not be much different if this _was_ done blind as odds are the people who read and comprehend woud also not choose 5% as the smartest choice. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/77 "2013-02-10T16:41:02Z")
Stop voting for 5% you jamokes! ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/78 "2013-02-10T17:43:55Z")
We are the 5%! We don’t follow the rules! We don’t read the OP! We are special snowflakes who believe blindly choosing the option that hardly anyone should choose is the best course of action! We are the 5%! ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/79 "2013-02-10T17:56:11Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > We are the 5%! > > We don’t follow the rules! > > We don’t read the OP! > > We are special snowflakes who believe blindly choosing the option that hardly anyone should choose is the best course of action! > > We are the 5%! If, by 5%, you mean 7%, absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/80 "2013-02-10T18:37:07Z")
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