# 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:** 5
**Author:** ![Toucanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Toucanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toucanna)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/81 "2013-02-12T01:27:12Z")
Unless y’all can convince me otherwise, I’m going to vote for “15%”. I’ll check back later to see what y’all advise. ---
**Author:** ![manila](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e5b9ba/32.png) [@manila](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manila)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/82 "2013-02-12T02:37:24Z")
This is why we can’t have nice things ---
**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 12, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/83 "2013-02-12T03:29:14Z")
So, thanks to the PSFs, the numbers cannot possibly work out without 159 more votes. Curse you, non-conformists! ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/84 "2013-02-12T13:07:03Z")
I did not vote for 5%. I did not read the thread first. I did cheat by looking first. I don’t think I achieved anything. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/85 "2013-02-12T14:53:32Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > 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%. Not me. I read the instructions, and I voted for 5% because I thought it would be funny if 100% of the respondents voted for 5%. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Krouget](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@Krouget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Krouget)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/86 "2013-02-12T15:26:19Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > 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. I knew this thread would get…passionate, and move in this direction, lol.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/87 "2013-02-12T16:01:12Z")
Are there existing psych experiment results based off this? ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/88 "2013-02-12T16:10:42Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Stop voting for 5% you jamokes! I must say… Do you think people not reading the directions (or reading and not comprehending the directions) is going to read the thread far enough to see this post? Besides, this post would force some people to vote for 5% because they don’t like to be told what to do. 😃 I **AM** amazed at the passion this thing has stirred in people. It would seem that some of you actually **CARE**. Why on earth would this kind of thing stir any emotion in people? Is the psychological answer something about lack of control? ---
**Author:** ![Jr.DNA\_test](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d78d45/32.png) [@Jr.DNA\_test](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jr.DNA_test)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/89 "2013-02-12T17:32:55Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > I don’t know why but this poll made me feel very happy. Seriously. 😃 ---
**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 12, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/90 "2013-02-12T17:45:24Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > I **AM** amazed at the passion this thing has stirred in people. It would seem that some of you actually **CARE**. > > Why on earth would this kind of thing stir any emotion in people? Is the psychological answer something about lack of control? That pretty much explains why I voted without viewing. It was such a pointless exercise that I skimmed through the OP and didn’t read the instructions thoroughly. No different than getting part way through assembling a piece of IKEA furniture before turning to the instructions. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/91 "2013-02-12T18:04:09Z")
It’d be a tedious exercise if you didn’t vote blind. ---
**Author:** ![Jr.DNA\_test](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d78d45/32.png) [@Jr.DNA\_test](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jr.DNA_test)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/92 "2013-02-12T18:16:04Z")
I just thought it’d be a dumb one. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/93 "2013-02-12T20:26:12Z")
The point of course was to be the FIRST person to post a picture of the percentages working out just right. This is ONLY possible if everyone looks ahead of time and sees how to vote. Voting blind will NEVER result in anyone winning. So if you think this is so tedius, dumb, pointless, just don’t vote at all… instead of ruining it for everyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Jr.DNA\_test](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d78d45/32.png) [@Jr.DNA\_test](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jr.DNA_test)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/94 "2013-02-12T21:05:54Z")
I’m sorry. 🙂 Funny thing is you’ve really set the odds against yourselves as anyone screwing with it will be amplified. Which actually makes this a rather interesting thread. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/95 "2013-02-12T21:26:14Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > It’s interesting that, as a group, we cannot do such a simple thing. No, we can, we (as a group) just don’t want to because it’s fucking retarded. If there was a reason to do it, it would be done. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/96 "2013-02-12T21:30:59Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > The point of course was to be the FIRST person to post a picture of the percentages working out just right. This is ONLY possible if everyone looks ahead of time and sees how to vote. Voting blind will NEVER result in anyone winning. So if you think this is so tedius, dumb, pointless, just don’t vote at all… instead of ruining it for everyone else. Um, **drewtwo99**? If your instructions weren’t ambiguous, you would have probably achieved exactly what you wanted. Or not. Here’s the thing… There is no way to guarantee that someone wouldn’t just vote for 5% to ruin your experiment. But if you would have written the instructions correctly (like saying “before you vote, take a look at the current percentages, and vote where a vote is needed.” instead of saying “looking “might” help”… No, looking WILL help, and in fact it is required to have any chance at all for this thing working. If you would have written it correctly, you would have achieved one of the things you just posted. I wouldn’t have voted at all. It’s beyond stupid, IMO. So _I_ wouldn’t have ruined it for everyone else. This “exercise” is only interesting if you vote blind. And that is stretching the definition of interesting quite a bit. It is downright pointless to check before you vote. If that’s the case, then why not have the OP tally your “vote” whichever way he/she needs to to make it turn out the desired way? Or better yet, if you are one of the people that just can’t handle it, create your own poll, either here or at home, and put the proper controls on it to make sure each one hundred votes generates the correct percentages. You will sleep better tonight. Finally, I am truly amazed at how many people have turned this into a “you didn’t read the instructions” debate. I read the instructions, and thought the “quotes” around “might” were indicating that to look would be cheating, and that wasn’t what this was supposed to be. Or was it? If the OP (you) were serious about wanting everyone to look before voting, staring that implicitly is the only way to go about it. Putting the most important word in “quotes” leaves it ambiguous at best. I am amazed that people are figuring out how many people need to vote a certain way to get this back on track and to “NOT VOTE FOR 5% AGAIN!!!”. Hilarious! My only regret is that I did not come up with this ridiculous exercise. Then I could take credit for all the teeth gnashing and internal anger being generated by some of the dopers. It is brilliant! ETA: after some consideration, if I read all of the replies and read all the whining, I may have voted for 5% on principle. As it stands, I voted for 5% completely at random, and I couldn’t be happier. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/97 "2013-02-12T21:40:37Z")
> [@Stink Fish Pot](#): > > Um, **drewtwo99**? If your instructions weren’t ambiguous, you would have probably achieved exactly what you wanted. His instructions weren’t ambiguous. A lot of people fucked it up\* by voting blind and are now trying to pass the buck. The point was very obviously to see if the ‘OCDers’ would win against the apple-cart upsetters. \*For loose definitions of fucked up. It’s a poll in IMHO with nothing riding on it. It would be interesting to do one with no instructions and see how people react. I predict there would be lots of posts about ‘cheating’. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/98 "2013-02-12T22:53:32Z")
This poll is obviously a fail; 7.41% for 5% now, for a total of 560 votes needed (182 more) - but only if NOBODY votes for 5% again. Also, even if people are voting blind, then WHY are they picking 5% so much? A bit of thinking will tell them that 5% shouldn’t have many votes since it is only 5% of the votes, or 1 in 20. 50% is the most obvious answer so I’m surprised it isn’t higher. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/99 "2013-02-12T23:24:02Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > His instructions weren’t ambiguous. A lot of people fucked it up\* by voting blind and are now trying to pass the buck. The point was very obviously to see if the ‘OCDers’ would win against the apple-cart upsetters. > > \*For loose definitions of fucked up. It’s a poll in IMHO with nothing riding on it. It would be interesting to do one with no instructions and see how people react. I predict there would be lots of posts about ‘cheating’. There is no “buck passing”. If there was money involved, and if this was something of consequence, AND I was lying, you may have a point. But the directions **were** ambiguous, and I can say that unequivocally because I read them and consciously chose not to look, not to be a **jamoke** , but because I honestly saw no point in doing this exercise if you looked first. Actually, I didn’t see much point in doing it if I **DIDN’T** look, because the chances of _ **that** _ working out we’re basically nil, but what did I care? It was something to do, it took me a few seconds, and I thought I was helping the OP out. What has cracked me up is the insistence by those that looked before choosing that they are somehow intellectually superior to those that didn’t. Whether that is true or not has NOTHING to do with this poll. Quite frankly, I think we are all monkeys for even considering the poll in th first place. Signed, Jamoke Monkey ---
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2013, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534/100 "2013-02-12T23:27:06Z")
The challenge is to The Dope as a whole, so surely it wouldn’t be against the rules to have a mod fix the results. Or, if you want to make it more challenging, simply to edit the title asking people not vote blindly. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-challenge-the-dope-to-answer-this-poll-with-the-required-percentages/649534.md?page=6)