# In every thread about xxxx, someone always posts yyyy **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 27, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462 "2021-07-27T22:46:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/1 "2021-07-27T22:46:28Z")
In every thread about Ayn Rand or her book, someone always mentions > **[A quote by John Rogers](https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/366635-there-are-two-novels-that-can-change-a-bookish-fourteen-year)** > > There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that oft... # _“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: [The Lord of the Rings](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10254806.The_Lord_of_the_Rings) and [Atlas Shrugged](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9365.Atlas_Shrugged). One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs."_ (Mind you, I LOVE that quote) What other kinda fun but inevitable quotes, memes, etc always get posted? ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2021, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/2 "2021-07-27T22:56:50Z")
I’m pretty sure there’s some meta-law about [Godwin’s Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin%27s_law). Which I’ve now simultaneously referenced and abided by. In any thread about UFOs, ghosts, psychic powers, or such like, you’re likely to see Carl Sagan’s quote that “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” (He was far from the first to express the idea, but he’s the one that’s almost always referenced). Similarly, in any discussion of cranks and the Galileo Gambit, you’re almost sure to see his quote, “They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.” ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/3 "2021-07-28T01:53:13Z")
In any thread complaining about “kids these days,” someone is almost certain to post the (spurious) Socrates quote that begins [“The children now love luxury…”](https://www.bartleby.com/73/195.html) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/4 "2021-07-28T02:13:05Z")
In every thread about memorable television moments or lines, someone always posts, “As God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly”. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/5 "2021-07-28T02:26:16Z")
In any post where people make up their own definitions of words someone (often me) will post “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.” ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/6 "2021-07-28T02:35:36Z")
“But,” he responded, “that word is perfectly cromulent.” ---
**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:** [July 28, 2021, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/7 "2021-07-28T02:43:01Z")
In any thread about any politician age 50+ someone will bring up senility/dementia. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/8 "2021-07-28T02:53:21Z")
Oh good one. > [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > In every thread about memorable television moments or lines, someone always posts, “As God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly”. True, but it is. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/9 "2021-07-28T05:18:29Z")
I was hoping for a thread about ZZZZ Top. Love those guys! ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/10 "2021-07-28T08:14:04Z")
In every thread about fear of “nasty chemicals”, someone will post that tired old reference to dihydrogen monoxide. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/11 "2021-07-28T08:30:45Z")
Found the person who didn’t get it… ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/12 "2021-07-28T10:49:47Z")
> [@hibernicus](#): > > In every thread about fear of “nasty chemicals”, someone will post that tired old reference to dihydrogen monoxide. or eVeRyThInG iS a cHeMiCaL ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/13 "2021-07-28T11:01:56Z")
Well as you once very properly pointed out “everything is chemical” is pretty much wrong. I’ve been grateful to you for pointing that out ever since. But the dihydrogen monoxide thing may be old but is in my opinion nonetheless commonly useful insofar as you can use it against those who purport to know better than actual experts on the eeevils of flouride or 5G or vaccines, but can’t even recognise when they are being spoofed by something that is (or at least should be) as transparent as the dihydrogen monoxide thing. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/14 "2021-07-28T12:18:11Z")
In every joke thread, someone _has_ to post “What’s brown and sticky?” Because someone somewhere hasn’t heard that one… ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/15 "2021-07-28T12:24:09Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > In every joke thread, someone _has_ to post “What’s brown and sticky?” Because someone somewhere hasn’t heard that one… - Some people have trouble branching out. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/16 "2021-07-28T12:30:04Z")
Certainly people should be careful with knee-jerk reactions to ‘scary chemical names’ - like most things, you’ll find people taking things way further than is sensible. There is a sort of loose correlation between things that only have a formal chemical name, and the relatively short duration of our experience of putting them in our food and/or bodies. Sodium Chloride, we’ve known long enough to just call ‘salt’. Potassium Sorbate doesn’t have a common name because we only started using it comparatively recently. It’s understandable that people would ask ‘why do we need this now?’ (the answer is: we don’t, if we’re happy for our food to go bad and maybe kill us, like it did more often in the old days) ---
**Author:** ![hibernicus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hibernicus/32/2802_2.png) [@hibernicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hibernicus)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/17 "2021-07-28T12:35:45Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > But the dihydrogen monoxide thing may be old but is in my opinion nonetheless commonly useful insofar as you can use it against those who purport to know better than actual experts on the eeevils of flouride or 5G or vaccines, but can’t even recognise when they are being spoofed by something that is (or at least should be) as transparent as the dihydrogen monoxide thing. No, fair enough, I was probably unduly harsh. It’s a very interesting topic but maybe one for another thread. I always see the dihydrogen monoxide thing as preaching to the converted. I can’t imagine this kind of gotcha is effective at changing people’s minds, especially on an emotional issue like this. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/18 "2021-07-28T14:26:13Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > In every thread about memorable television moments or lines, someone always posts, “As God as my witness I thought turkeys could fly”. That’s Hedley! ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/19 "2021-07-28T14:29:01Z")
And it’s funny ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2021, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462/20 "2021-07-28T14:35:04Z")
I have seen numerous threads about the American Civil War, even those dealing with strictly military topics, derailed by somebody wanting to go on record with the brave stance that slavery was bad. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/in-every-thread-about-xxxx-someone-always-posts-yyyy/947462.md?page=2)