# Is the SDMB winning? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 12, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171 "2011-06-12T00:20:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![figure9](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@figure9](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/figure9)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/1 "2011-06-12T00:20:25Z")
The Straight Dope has been fighting ignorance since 1973. How is the battle going? ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/2 "2011-06-12T00:25:46Z")
Unfortunately, Yahoo Answers! has far more combatants. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/3 "2011-06-12T00:29:56Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Unfortunately, Yahoo Answers! has far more combatants. And there was our disastrous attempt to liberate 4chan. We lost a lot of good people in that one. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_With_The_Golden_Gun)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/4 "2011-06-12T01:48:00Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > And there was our disastrous attempt to liberate 4chan. We lost a lot of good people in that one. YOU DON’T KNOW MAN, YOU WEREN’T THERE AT THE BATTLE OF /b/!! WE LOST OVER 9000 MEN It went better than the battle of Free Republic, though. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/5 "2011-06-12T01:54:38Z")
> [@The\_Man\_With\_The\_Golden\_Gun](#): > > YOU DON’T KNOW MAN, YOU WEREN’T THERE AT THE BATTLE OF /b/!! WE LOST OVER 9000 MEN > > It went better than the battle of Free Republic, though. I’ll never get over Free Republic. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/6 "2011-06-12T02:09:24Z")
I voted neck and neck but I think it is a little more positive than that. Think about about 1973. People were ignorant and dumb as could be back then and that is just the smart ones. I know because that was the year of my birth and I WAS THERE MAN. Conservatives were wondering when 1950 was coming back and the liberals and hippies were trying to do some good but between the drugs and the smell, it was an absolute mess. You bring a 1973 person straight into the present day and they would quickly realize that they all had it wrong. There is still a whole lot of stupid out there but the counterinsurgency is growing. The Straight Dope and this message board pops up to the top on an alarming number of Google searches for millions of people worldwide. It was mostly restricted to print and then quickly relegated to fire starter or improvised toilet paper even a decade ago. ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/7 "2011-06-12T02:11:33Z")
[QUOTE=Albert Einstein] Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former. [/QUOTE] Ignorance wins War on Ignorance ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/8 "2011-06-12T02:13:57Z")
Gradually I hope we’re winning. Over the last generation such fears as the Population Bomb theory, “nuclear power is bad in all circumstances” idea, “a foreign policy of strength will cause World War 3” idea, and etc. have all been disproven. ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/9 "2011-06-12T02:16:43Z")
Intelligence is futile. You will be assimilated. I’m starting to feel like _Idiocracy_ is a documentary that fell through a space-time portal. ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/10 "2011-06-12T02:49:18Z")
The SDMB never had a chance. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/11 "2011-06-12T03:56:05Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Ignorance wins War on Ignorance No kidding. I think we should have a ceremony where we officially concede to Glenn Beck and Jenny McCarthy. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/12 "2011-06-12T04:08:39Z")
slowly losing similar to the metaphorical “Battle of the Bulge” (aka Bulging Waistlines) ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/13 "2011-06-12T04:09:43Z")
Well, the Straight Dope itself is mostly devoted to truthful questions and debunking urban legends. I would say it is achieving its goal for the most part in that respect. I know people like to cite crazies like Beck and McCarthy, but every age has it’s crazies. Hal Lindsay? Jon Birch and his Society? ---
**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:** [June 12, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/14 "2011-06-12T04:13:48Z")
> [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](#): > > Well, the Straight Dope itself is mostly devoted to truthful questions and debunking urban legends. I would say it is achieving its goal for the most part in that respect. > > I know people like to cite crazies like Beck and McCarthy, but every age has it’s crazies. Hal Lindsay? Jon Birch and his Society? But when have the crazies been so close to the Presidency? And have such widespread support? ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/15 "2011-06-12T04:27:01Z")
Ever the optimist, I voted that ignorance is retreating. At the very least, **I’m** \* smarter because of the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/16 "2011-06-12T06:26:17Z")
Never give up! Never surrender! ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/17 "2011-06-12T06:55:27Z")
The universe and human stupidity are infinite. And I’m not so sure about the universe. And I plagiarize only from the very best. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/18 "2011-06-12T06:55:46Z")
Two words: Sarah Palin ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/19 "2011-06-12T12:36:02Z")
I voted neck & neck. There are a lot of very, very smart people here, spreading a lot of wisdom, but also a lot of, well, not so smart, spreading heaps of manure. I figure I’m somewhere in the middle. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2011, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171/20 "2011-06-12T14:42:19Z")
I don’t think that the war will ever be won, unfortunately. There are just so many more of them than there are of us, and ignorance is so _easy_. Why look something up, why question sources, why read the article, when the big loud headline is right there and the pretty people on TV are talking about it and doing all the thinking for you? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sdmb-winning/585171.md?page=2)