# Idle Thoughts **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 1, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512 "2015-04-01T16:36:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/161 "2015-04-02T01:18:28Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > You, too, lie, D18. > šŸ™‚ > > Seriously, how does one report messages? There is nothing to click on as there is for posts. When you look at the PM there is a red triangle in the upper right of the message, just like the one for posts. ---
**Author:** ![Brad\_the\_Impaler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@Brad\_the\_Impaler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brad_the_Impaler)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/162 "2015-04-02T01:18:52Z")
Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ll never trust again, thereby ruining any future relationships I may have, which will lead me into a downward spiral of shallow, drug fueled relationships, and inevitably end up dead in a hourly rate hotel room. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/163 "2015-04-02T01:33:03Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > When you look at the PM there is a red triangle in the upper right of the message, just like the one for posts. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/164 "2015-04-02T01:42:27Z")
> [@Brad\_the\_Impaler](#): > > Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ll never trust again, thereby ruining any future relationships I may have, which will lead me into a downward spiral of shallow, drug fueled relationships, and inevitably end up dead in a hourly rate hotel room. Thanks. The Fossbean Home can help _you_! ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/165 "2015-04-02T01:52:35Z")
Hourly rate hotel room? They have those? Cool! ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/166 "2015-04-02T01:57:11Z")
If I take it as it was intended, it wasnā€™t a particularly good prank, even though I sniffed it out. What is funny, however, is the massive overreaction to it. Whether you took it seriously or yuk-yukked it (I was the one that said ā€œCool. Are you hot? ;)ā€), it certainly doesnā€™t merit the kind of vitriol some of you are throwing around here. Rule number one of any joke: it has to be at someoneā€™s expense. Knowing that, your reaction to this speaks volumes about you. You could just play it off as a bad joke, you could chuckle quietly, or you could start shouting at the top of your lungs how angry and hurt you are. The people in the latter group are unwittingly the funniest part of this whole affair. Thanks for the laughs. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/167 "2015-04-02T01:58:53Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > As one of the ā€œall members hereā€ contingent, Iā€™d personally like to donate Idle Thoughtā€™s apology to me to the Fossbean Home for Delicate People who are Easily Offended. > > The Fossbean Home has been helping those people who are emotionally crippled by jokes, wooshes, humor or extremely mild (and slightly lame\*) lead a safely sheltered existence since 1887 when Grover Cleveland sent out mustache combs to all female suffragettes and hair pins to all male suffragettes\*\*. This caused vapors and the heebie-jeebies (actual diagnosed cases, mind youā€“not self-reported heebie-jeebies) in a small but also insignificant portion of the population and thus the Foosbean Home was founded. One of the greatest days in the history of the Fossbean Home was when bubble-wrap was invented. Patrons/clients/[del]inmates[/del] were able to swaddle themselves in bubble-wrap to prevent any slight hint of emotional ouchies. > > So, Idle, you might want to save all those apologies for the Fossbean Folks (as theyā€™re often called\*\*\*) as Iā€™m sure other Dopers might want to donate all the apologies you owe them to the good people at The Fossbean Home. > > Dopersā€“wonā€™t you help and have your Idle Thoughts apology donated to the Fossbean Home too? Letā€™s try to make some good out of this outrageous and preventable tragedy. > > \*Sorry Idle, I calls 'em as I sees 'em. It was on a 1-10 scale, 10 being THE ULTIMATE PERFECT PRANK and 1 being a lame-ass fake ā€œMod Fightā€ on a message board, about a 4 on the prank index. Thatā€™s one point below saying ā€œPull my fingerā€ and then farting or burping when itā€™s pulled. Whichā€¦actually isnā€™t that bad, because the ā€œpull my fingerā€ thing is _always_ hilarious and appropriate. (Iā€™m pretty sure Miss Manners said so in one of her books) > > \*\*Look it up yourself if you want. Itā€™s right there in the history books. > > \*\*\*But never, EVER to their face. Because ā€œfolkā€ implies ā€œruralā€ as in ā€œfolk artā€ and therefore they believe youā€™re claiming theyā€™re not sophisticated. > [@Brad\_the\_Impaler](#): > > Iā€™m pretty sure Iā€™ll never trust again, thereby ruining any future relationships I may have, which will lead me into a downward spiral of shallow, drug fueled relationships, and inevitably end up dead in a hourly rate hotel room. Thanks. > [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > If I take it as it was intended, it wasnā€™t a particularly good prank, even though I sniffed it out. > > What is funny, however, is the massive overreaction to it. Whether you took it seriously or yuk-yukked it (I was the one that said ā€œCool. Are you hot? ;)ā€), it certainly doesnā€™t merit the kind of vitriol some of you are throwing around here. > > Rule number one of any joke: it has to be at someoneā€™s expense. Knowing that, your reaction to this speaks volumes about you. You could just play it off as a bad joke, you could chuckle quietly, or you could start shouting at the top of your lungs how angry and hurt you are. The people in the latter group are unwittingly the funniest part of this whole affair. Thanks for the laughs. [Moderating] Posts like this arenā€™t really appropriate for ATMB. Letā€™s ease up on mocking other peopleā€™s reactions to this. Or start a Pit thread about it, if youā€™d prefer. I suspect thereā€™s people on both sides of the issue whoā€™d like to have aā€¦ less encumbered exchange on the subject. No warnings issued. [/Moderating] ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/168 "2015-04-02T02:01:27Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > If I take it as it was intended, it wasnā€™t a particularly good prank, even though I sniffed it out. > > What is funny, however, is the massive overreaction to it. Irony. It is a difficult concept. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/169 "2015-04-02T02:11:36Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > What is funny, however, is the massive overreaction to it. Moderators are supposed to warn and ban people that play unannounced jokes or lie. He did both. People have lied to me here, have joked, but I knew they were doing so. Perhaps I would feel differently if I had replied, but I did not. ā€œDo you have money problems in Nigeria?ā€ would have been funny. I have never been a member of the testosterone poisoned locker room fraternity that thinks that this kind of crap from a person in power is funny. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/170 "2015-04-02T02:18:22Z")
Funny thing is, itā€™s a joke within a joke. Idle Thoughts emailed me about three months ago. She really is a woman. This ā€œjokeā€ is a way to ease into the realty of her situation. Her real name is Chris, which is where the confusion first arose years ago. Until she became a mod, it never seemed to matter much. ---
**Author:** ![Askthepizzaguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/askthepizzaguy/32/9405_2.png) [@Askthepizzaguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askthepizzaguy)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/171 "2015-04-02T02:20:14Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Iā€™m **male** , by the way, just in case anyone is still confused/lost/unsure. Pics or it didnā€™t happen. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/172 "2015-04-02T02:23:13Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Moderators are supposed to warn and ban people that play unannounced jokes They are? šŸ˜• Is there a rule against making ā€œunannounced jokesā€ that Iā€™m not aware of? ---
**Author:** ![splatterpunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3be4f8/32.png) [@splatterpunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splatterpunk)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/173 "2015-04-02T02:29:42Z")
Or lying? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/174 "2015-04-02T02:31:48Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I have never been a member of the testosterone poisoned locker room fraternity that thinks that this kind of crap from a person in power is funny. Sweet lord. Idle Thoughts is about as far away from testosterone poisoned frat boy as it gets. I am not his buddy, I generally have had my arguments with the mods, and Iā€™m still telling you that you are interpreting this in the worst way in error. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/175 "2015-04-02T02:57:28Z")
Cross posting this to the MPSIMS thread too. Some backstoryā€¦ On Facebook, for the [last](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/1969225354031) [four](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/3648924105450?pnref=story) [years](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/10203582424304924?pnref=story) Iā€™ve done this. Every April 1st, I do the whole ā€œOkay, confession time. Iā€™m really a girl. Iā€™ve been a girl all this timeā€ prank. Mostly because itā€™s extremely amusing to see some people always believe it, despite having seen many of my photos, talked with people who know me in real life, or who have even actually _met me_. I even did in in 2013, but canā€™t find the FB post for it right now. Anyway, it got to the point where I became sort of ā€œknownā€ for this joke and even had many people messaging me before the first asking me if Iā€™m going to do it again this year. Some years Iā€™ve considered not doing it and said this, but it always seemed to get a lot of ā€œNo, you must do it! Itā€™s practically tradition now!ā€ type replies. Even this year, I did a callback to that old prank now, [by changing my FB photo to one of me in drag](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206463046078668&set=a.1609493920970.80151.1344879340&type=1&theater) (yes, thatā€™s really me). So, if youā€™re friends with me on FB (or been friends with me on there for awhile), this prank should come as no surprise to you. For those of you who arenā€™t, however, you can see that this prank is nothing new in terms of me doing it. So whether you think itā€™s funny and liked it or think itā€™s stupid, immature, and unfunny, I donā€™t really care or mind too much. Itā€™s your right to think of it how you want. But (for the second and last time), I apologize to anyone who either got mad at finding out it was a joke or who thought it was in poor taste. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/176 "2015-04-02T03:02:11Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > I wasnā€™t pretending or trying to simulate a board hacking. Iā€™m actually surprised anyone thought that, but I guess I should have thought it might be the case, so thatā€™s my fault for not thinking of it, Iā€™m sorry. > What I was doing was seeing how many people would really believe I was female or not and/or what their response/reaction would be. > Depending on if posters read this topic first or see their PM, I may not get very many genuine replies now, but no biggie, I have no regrets. šŸ˜› I didnt get one. ā˜¹ ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/177 "2015-04-02T03:08:38Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Hourly rate hotel room? > They have those? > Cool! They really arenā€™t that cool tho. There is a reason why they are hourly. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kansas\_Beekeeper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kansas_Beekeeper)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/178 "2015-04-02T03:21:45Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Cross posting this to the MPSIMS thread too. > > Some backstoryā€¦ > On Facebook, for the [last](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/1969225354031) [four](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/3648924105450?pnref=story) [years](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/10203582424304924?pnref=story) Iā€™ve done this. Every April 1st, I do the whole ā€œOkay, confession time. Iā€™m really a girl. Iā€™ve been a girl all this timeā€ prank. Mostly because itā€™s extremely amusing to see some people always believe it, despite having seen many of my photos, talked with people who know me in real life, or who have even actually _met me_. > I even did in in 2013, but canā€™t find the FB post for it right now. > Anyway, it got to the point where I became sort of ā€œknownā€ for this joke and even had many people messaging me before the first asking me if Iā€™m going to do it again this year. Some years Iā€™ve considered not doing it and said this, but it always seemed to get a lot of ā€œNo, you must do it! Itā€™s practically tradition now!ā€ type replies. > Even this year, I did a callback to that old prank now, [by changing my FB photo to one of me in drag](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206463046078668&set=a.1609493920970.80151.1344879340&type=1&theater) (yes, thatā€™s really me). > > So, if youā€™re friends with me on FB (or been friends with me on there for awhile), this prank should come as no surprise to you. For those of you who arenā€™t, however, you can see that this prank is nothing new in terms of me doing it. So whether you think itā€™s funny and liked it or think itā€™s stupid, immature, and unfunny, I donā€™t really care or mind too much. Itā€™s your right to think of it how you want. > > But (for the second and last time), I apologize to anyone who either got mad at finding out it was a joke or who thought it was in poor taste. I donā€™t see it as a joke, just odd. Please explain the funny part. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/179 "2015-04-02T03:22:38Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > Cross posting this to the MPSIMS thread too. > > Some backstoryā€¦ > On Facebook, for the [last](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/1969225354031) [four](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/3648924105450?pnref=story) [years](https://www.facebook.com/ChrisLeeNeal/posts/10203582424304924?pnref=story) Iā€™ve done this. Every April 1st, I do the whole ā€œOkay, confession time. Iā€™m really a girl. Iā€™ve been a girl all this timeā€ prank. Mostly because itā€™s extremely amusing to see some people always believe it, despite having seen many of my photos, talked with people who know me in real life, or who have even actually _met me_. > I even did in in 2013, but canā€™t find the FB post for it right now. > Anyway, it got to the point where I became sort of ā€œknownā€ for this joke and even had many people messaging me before the first asking me if Iā€™m going to do it again this year. Some years Iā€™ve considered not doing it and said this, but it always seemed to get a lot of ā€œNo, you must do it! Itā€™s practically tradition now!ā€ type replies. > Even this year, I did a callback to that old prank now, [by changing my FB photo to one of me in drag](https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10206463046078668&set=a.1609493920970.80151.1344879340&type=1&theater) (yes, thatā€™s really me). > > So, if youā€™re friends with me on FB (or been friends with me on there for awhile), this prank should come as no surprise to you. For those of you who arenā€™t, however, you can see that this prank is nothing new in terms of me doing it. So whether you think itā€™s funny and liked it or think itā€™s stupid, immature, and unfunny, I donā€™t really care or mind too much. Itā€™s your right to think of it how you want. > > But (for the second and last time), I apologize to anyone who either got mad at finding out it was a joke or who thought it was in poor taste. A handful of years ago, I photoshopped a pic of myself next to myself, one of me wearing a hat and a different shirt. I posted it to Facebook, saying how awesome it was to see my twin brother, being back in town after so long, and couldnā€™t believe the surprised responses from people whoā€™ve known me and my family for YEARSā€¦ and that I donā€™t have a brother, let alone a twin. That was fun. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 2, 2015, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512/180 "2015-04-02T03:33:46Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > I have never been a member of the testosterone poisoned locker room fraternity that thinks that this kind of crap from a person in power is funny. [Moderating] This sort of comment is _also_ inappropriate for ATMB. Knock it off or take it to the Pit. [/Moderating] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512.md?page=8) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/idle-thoughts/716512.md?page=10)