# I work with a bunch of woos **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 30, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177 "2007-04-30T16:55:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/1 "2007-04-30T16:55:59Z")
Sheesh. You’d think that health care professionals would be a little less woo. I was just having lunch with some of them, and one said that most houses in Plymouth were haunted. They’re all built on Indian burial grounds, you see. She owned one, and it had a ghost she named Albert. It was a really old house, so of course it was haunted. Albert would go around shutting windows at random times. General gasps of “Oh my God!” and “I’d move out of there so fast!” Another woman talked about how her house was haunted by the ghost of her father. One night, her toddler was in the kitchen talking to someone. When asked who, she said “The nice man.” She pointed at the dead man’s favorite kitchen chair. “Wow, scary!” I agree. Scary. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/2 "2007-04-30T17:09:09Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Sheesh. You’d think that health care professionals would be a little less woo. [/QUOTE] Excuse me ?!? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/3 "2007-04-30T17:10:55Z")
I don’t get the slang - what are a bunch of woos? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/4 "2007-04-30T17:13:38Z")
Following the success of the TV show ‘The Appprentice’ with Donald Trump, us Brits have our own version with Sir Alan Sugar. (Sugar is not so rich, but also not so slimy. :eek: ) Anyway there’s a high-powered + high paid job waiting for the winner. And on one show, a contestant remarked “Of course I don’t believe in evolution. I’m not descended from a fish.” :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/5 "2007-04-30T17:25:52Z")
Off topic: I think that’s the first time I’ve heard “woo” as a noun. At first I thought, “People who look/act/have the same last name as John Woo?” Then I thought, “Maybe ‘woo’ is a kind of collective pejorative for ‘asian.’” Then I thought, “Or maybe it’s a euphemism for ‘flamingly gay people.’” None of these made a lick of sense though until I fit it into some sort of context, wherein the etymology evidently revealed itself as the vocalization of that creepy Theremin-type “WoooOOOOooo” used in cheesy 50s horror flicks. Having said that, and more on topic: What a bunch of woos. Although I might be inclined to call them “woowoos,” which suits the accompaniment of the circular motion you make with your index finger around your temple. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/6 "2007-04-30T17:26:31Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] General gasps of “Oh my God!” and “I’d move out of there so fast!” [/QUOTE] Eh, I might’ve said the same. It’s polite and makes them go away faster than arguing. Uh oh, perhaps I shouldn’t admit that I’m not out there doing my utmost to fight ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/7 "2007-04-30T17:35:58Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Although I might be inclined to call them “woowoos,” which suits the accompaniment of the circular motion you make with your index finger around your temple. [/QUOTE] Woo is indeed short for woowoo, generally a person who believes in ghosts, Elvis sightings, Bigfoot, alien anal probes, tarotry, the Illuminati, the WTC being bombed by the Bush admin, and the healing power of magnets. I’m surprised it doesn’t get more usage here. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/8 "2007-04-30T17:37:22Z")
Oh - if we’re talking about healthcare professionals believing in ghosts and such, that doesn’t surprise me. You work the graveyard shift at a hospital (where of course many people have died), and the conversation naturally turns to hauntings. All the hospitals I’ve worked at were believed to be haunted by the staff. ETA: A whoooole bunch of the nurses and doctors I’ve worked with smoke, too, so don’t be looking to healthcare professionals to be some kind of shining examples of logic and clear-thinking. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/9 "2007-04-30T17:37:48Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Having said that, and more on topic: What a bunch of woos… [/QUOTE] Which is funny, because they don’t _look_ woo-ish. [QUOTE=Mindfield] …Although I might be inclined to call them “woowoos,” which suits the accompaniment of the circular motion you make with your index finger around your temple. [/QUOTE] Around the temple or not, they _still_ don’t look woo-ish. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/10 "2007-04-30T17:38:47Z")
[QUOTE=Dung Beetle] Eh, I might’ve said the same. It’s polite and makes them go away faster than arguing. [/QUOTE] To be fair, a couple of people just said “wow.” I choose to believe that what they meant was “wow, woos.” ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/11 "2007-04-30T17:39:43Z")
You should check out the Internet Infidels at [iidb](http://www.iidb.org/vbb/index.php). The physicists and other scientists take a rather dim view of medical doctors. “Human mechanics” was one epithet that I recall. 🙂 The idea being (on that board, AFAICT) is that doctors don’t need to have a good skeptical mind to be able to diagnose and help people. A broken arm is a broken arm, a heart attack is a heart attack, whether or not you believe in ghosts, goblin, gods, etc. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/12 "2007-04-30T17:47:01Z")
[QUOTE=FordPrefect] You should check out the Internet Infidels at [iidb](http://www.iidb.org/vbb/index.php). The physicists and other scientists take a rather dim view of medical doctors. “Human mechanics” was one epithet that I recall. 🙂 [/QUOTE] These weren’t doctors, for the record. They were a nurse, a research nurse, and a couple of secretaries. But I once did hear a surgeon spreading the UL about how Dr. Atkins died. ---
**Author:** ![WotNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e19b73/32.png) [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/13 "2007-04-30T17:55:34Z")
[QUOTE=featherlou] All the hospitals I’ve worked at were believed to be haunted by the staff. [/QUOTE] Well, _of course_ they’re haunted by the staff. I’ve seen them, late at night, wandering the corridors – all in white, with their deathly unfocussed eyes. Going “woo”. ---
**Author:** ![Tully\_Mars](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7ab992/32.png) [@Tully\_Mars](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tully_Mars)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/14 "2007-04-30T18:00:54Z")
[QUOTE=tdn] Another woman talked about how her house was haunted by the ghost of her father. [/QUOTE] Was he actually dead? Because I could see a woo overlooking that little detail. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/15 "2007-04-30T18:10:13Z")
[QUOTE=Tully Mars] Was he actually dead? Because I could see a woo overlooking that little detail. [/QUOTE] I assume so, but you never know. What’s funny is that one person commented that children are really good at seeing ghosts. Hello? Ever hear of imaginary friends? ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/16 "2007-04-30T18:10:45Z")
I’m taking notes on all the people in this thread who don’t believe. I’m going to spend eternity opening and closing their windows, chatting up their toddlers, and making weird blowing noises in their attic. We’ll see how cocky they act then. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/17 "2007-04-30T18:13:43Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] I’m going to spend eternity opening and closing their windows, chatting up their toddlers, and **making weird blowing noises** in their attic. [/QUOTE] (bolding mine) Hey, get a room. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/18 "2007-04-30T18:23:24Z")
[QUOTE=WotNot] Well, _of course_ they’re haunted by the staff. I’ve seen them, late at night, wandering the corridors – all in white, with their deathly unfocussed eyes. Going “woo”. [/QUOTE] Darn my unclear referents…😃 (You sound like someone who actually has worked a graveyard shift at a hospital - your description is uncanny.) ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/19 "2007-04-30T18:43:29Z")
He might be psychic. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2007, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177/20 "2007-04-30T18:51:33Z")
[QUOTE=Freddy the Pig] I’m taking notes on all the people in this thread who don’t believe. I’m going to spend eternity opening and closing their windows, chatting up their toddlers, and making weird blowing noises in their attic. We’ll see how cocky they act then. [/QUOTE] Do, please! Guest [in a quavering voice]: Wh-wh-what’s that? Me [in sepulchural tones]: Oh, that? That…is the ghost…of **Freddy the Pig**. Mua-ha-ha-ha! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-work-with-a-bunch-of-woos/402177.md?page=2)