# Is referring to posters as "Dopes" an insult?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105
**Category:** About This Message Board
**Created:** [January 3, 2022, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105 "2022-01-03T00:17:44Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/41 "2022-01-04T13:37:55Z")
@DrDeth, not to get too meta here, but do you have any examples where people pushed back on your Wiki cite? In other words, cite?
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/42 "2022-01-04T17:34:04Z")
That would require some work or memory. But do you doubt that has happened? Not only to me?
Would you like a cite that the Earth revolves around the Sun? đ
Are we getting into XKCD "citation neededâ territory?
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### Author:  [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/43 "2022-01-04T17:51:32Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> That would require some work or memory. But do you doubt that has happened? Not only to me?
I believe that @RitterSport is curious about the context of people protesting your Wikipedia cites. Because sometimes itâs not appropriate to use them, sometimes it is. So if you were able to provide an example of a time that you used one and were criticized unfairly for it (in your opinion) it would be helpful so we understand where youâre coming from.
I donât think thereâs any doubt that it has happened, of course it has. Again, context matters.
Now, I know youâve been around awhile DrDeth and posted a lot. And if it hasnât happened to you recently then itâs probably a pain in the ass for you to dig up an example. So I personally wouldnât blame you if you donât have anything available to show. Iâm sure nobody thinks youâre making it up; we know it happens. But itâs hard to determine whether the criticism youâve received in the past was justified or not without examples.
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### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/44 "2022-01-04T17:53:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> Would you like a cite that the Earth revolves around the Sun?
No, because the background work on that has already been done, and is easily accessible.
Can you say the same about your claim?
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### Author:  [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/45 "2022-01-04T18:13:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> That would require some work or memory. But do you doubt that has happened? Not only to me?
Donât you remember how we sussed out how your stories about your father were complete fiction? We tend to believe you better when you can actually back up your claims. Youâve been here long enough to understand thatâs what this board is all about.
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### Author:  [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/46 "2022-01-04T18:19:41Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> I believe that @RitterSport is curious about the context of people protesting your Wikipedia cites.
Yes, exactly. Itâs possible they were disagreeing with youâre takeaway from the Wiki cite, in that maybe it didnât support your claim, or saying that the particular Wiki page is not good because of reasons or a dozen other things.
I [cite](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/46) [Wiki](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citation) all the time here and never get pushback.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/47 "2022-01-04T18:42:17Z")
**Moderator Note**
> [@Knowed\_Out](#):
>
> Donât you remember how we sussed out how your stories about your father were complete fiction? We tend to believe you better when you can actually back up your claims. Youâve been here long enough to understand thatâs what this board is all about.
And you have been here long enough to know that personal attacks are forbidden outside of the Pit. No warning this time, but treat others with respect while in ATMB.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/48 "2022-01-04T19:15:02Z")
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> But I have sometimes quoted Wikipedia and gotten the same sort of reaction.
Was this in the last fifteen years or so? âDonât trust wiki citesâ used to be a common refrain back when Wikipedia was new, but itâs not something that comes up much any more, except in some fairly narrow circumstances.
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> What is kosher with ridiculing a source/cite?
The relevant standard here is, âDo it honestly.â **DâAnconia** was suspended because, in the opinion of the mod staff, he wasnât dismissing the cites due to a genuine problem with their provenance or their reliability, but instead to wind up other posters. There isnât a bright line we can point to and say, âDoing it this way is okay, doing it this way is trolling.â As is almost always the case in these circumstances, whether something crosses the line into trolling or not is a judgement call.
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### Author:  [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/49 "2022-01-04T19:32:57Z")
What would be the point of typing âDopesâ vs âDopersâ unless it was meant as an insult. You save typing one character.
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### Author:  [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/50 "2022-01-04T21:15:23Z")
> [@Miller](#):
>
> **DâAnconia** was suspended because, in the opinion of the mod staff, he wasnât dismissing the cites due to a genuine problem with their provenance or their reliability, but instead to wind up other posters.
Itâs worth noting that he was dismissing videos of people saying things because the videos were Tweeted. If you link me to a Fox News video of Obama saying, âIf you like your health plan, you can keep it,â itâs legitimate for me to say, âWhatâs the full context of that video?â or âI believe that, strictly speaking, he was rightâ [although he wasnât], or even, âI see signs that thatâs a Deepfake video.â Any of those can continue the conversation.
But if I say, âlol, Fox News, do better,â Iâm being absurd.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/51 "2022-01-04T22:02:38Z")
> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Now, I know youâve been around awhile DrDeth and posted a lot. And if it hasnât happened to you recently then itâs probably a pain in the ass for you to dig up an example. So I personally wouldnât blame you if you donât have anything available to show. Iâm sure nobody thinks youâre making it up; we know it happens. But itâs hard to determine whether the criticism youâve received in the past was justified or not without examples.
Probably both, to be honest. Sometimes to be a jerk, sometimes because Wiki wasnât really a good cite. I remember a couple times I agreed, that wiki wasnât the best but then I found good cites on that wiki article.
> [@Knowed\_Out](#):
>
> Donât you remember how we sussed out how your stories about your father were complete fiction?
Actually, you didnât. Nor did whatâs his name, and in fact I posted a cite that proved him wrong.
But let us listen to the nice Mod.
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### Author:  [@Esprise\_Me](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Esprise_Me)
#### Post date: [January 4, 2022, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/52 "2022-01-04T22:07:38Z")
I see what you did there.
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### Author:  [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)
#### Post date: [January 5, 2022, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/53 "2022-01-05T01:35:17Z")
**Moderator Note**
> [@DrDeth](#):
>
> But let us listen to the nice Mod.
If you were really listening to the nice Mod you wouldnât have continued the argument and THEN posted this. Next time, listen to the nice Mod first.
No warning issued.
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### Author:  [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)
#### Post date: [January 6, 2022, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-referring-to-posters-as-dopes-an-insult/957105/54 "2022-01-06T19:22:13Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> > [@Miller](#):
> >
> > **DâAnconia** was suspended because, in the opinion of the mod staff, he wasnât dismissing the cites due to a genuine problem with their provenance or their reliability, but instead to wind up other posters.
>
> Itâs worth noting that he was dismissing videos of people saying things because the videos were Tweeted.
And he himself had previously used Twitter for cites.
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