# my use of purple **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123 "2003-03-30T00:59:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/41 "2003-03-31T05:21:46Z")
rowrbazzle: Hmm, that could be, too, I suppose. I thought it was amusing, and briefly contemplated a Dr. Seuss “Sam I Am” version. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/42 "2003-03-31T07:21:08Z")
You wanna post in purple, sure, go ahead. I don’t think there should be any sort of official rule saying you can’t. You should take into consideration that it annoys a lot of people, though. It IS annoying to many people, precisely because it’s distracting. And for my part, I gotta be honest with you, **raisinbread** … when reading through a thread and I reach one of your purple posts… I tend to just skip over it. I can’t take you seriously. Is it fair that I judge you based on the fact that you choose to post in a cutesy color? No, it really isn’t, I know. But I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. Wouldn’t you rather be judged on the quality of your posts, rather than a silly gimmick? ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/43 "2003-03-31T08:50:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by rowrrbazzle \* > \*\*I think **TubaDiva** was referring to **peepthis’s** [post above with the quotes parodying raisinbread’s earnestness](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?postid=3207274#post3207274). A quick read might mistake them for something **raisinbread** actually posted, and that’s the problem. > > I don’t see any other made-up quotes. > > If I’ve misinterpreted what TubaDiva posted, I welcome her correction. \*\* I think it was quite obvious from my post that I wasn’t implying **raisinbread** had said any of those quotes, and actually I was suggesting things s/he ought to have said instead. If anything, I was mis-quoting, respectively, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King Jr., and Chief Joseph of the Nez-Perce. **Tuba** , can I get a verification if mine was my post you were referring to? ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/44 "2003-03-31T13:29:11Z")
If you had used, say, quotation marks, and not the quote set-up, it would have been fine. (Even funny, I was tickled by the choice of text.) However, because you set it up in context of how the system automatically runs quotes, it could – and did – look to someone like you misattributed and/or put words in the OPs mouth, typed in things that they originally did not say. Since we are all judged on what we say, misquoting is serious business here and we usually throw people out for doing it. Or at least yell at them a lot. Hope this explains the situation to your satisfaction. your humble TubaDiva Administrator ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/45 "2003-03-31T14:55:26Z")
Dear Raisinbread, On behalf of us posters/readers who are at the magical age at which we _should_ invest in bifocals, but still linger in a state of denial, _please, please stop the purple._ If your posts are more than a paragraph long, I find them too troublesome to read. One of the many things I like about the SDMB is that it is, for the most part, restful on the eyes. I don’t mind the smilies here because they don’t _move_, so I don’t have to fight my way through writhing, pulsing posts. There are no blankety-blanking blinking avatars here, either, thank Og. I hope that it can remain a pleasant place to read intelligent postings. I think that, once we start posting in gimmicky colors too much, it kinda lowers the quality of the place. I don’t know how old you are, but your persistent purple postings give me the _impression_ that you are between 13-16 years old. It is hard to take you very seriously. Sorry. Maybe you could write in black and white, and sign each post at the end with a purple “Raisinbread”, instead? Then you would not need to completely relinquish your “purpleness”, but you would seem more mature to the rest of us. Think about it. 🙂 –Kris ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/46 "2003-03-31T15:04:42Z")
EEP! I meant write in **black!** Please don’t write in black and white!😃 ---
**Author:** ![peepthis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9d8465/32.png) [@peepthis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peepthis)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/47 "2003-03-31T18:39:13Z")
**Tuba** , I see what you mean; now I know. [GI Joe] And knowing is half the battle! [/GI Joe] ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/48 "2003-03-31T21:44:39Z")
Purple’s ok, but would any other colour stand out less (but enough)? How about blue? Or indigo? BTW raisin have you ever posted in black by accident? FWIW I found it annoying at first, but now I’m used to it. It’s like a raisin mascot or something. It’s certainly an inventive way of getting noticed - whether that’s good or not… I would however get seriously tired if other people jump on the bandwagon with other colours. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/49 "2003-03-31T23:01:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Shade \* > \*\*BTW raisin have you ever posted in black by accident?. \*\* Hmmm, that might take some checking. I do know that I have accidentally posted in multi-colors. ---
**Author:** ![samarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4da419/32.png) [@samarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samarm)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/50 "2003-04-01T00:37:47Z")
raisin _has_ posted in b&w. I remember it, but I won’t bother linking to it here, as it was a sad pit thread probably best left buried. I find raisin’s posting in purple annoying. It makes me not want to treat his/her posts seriously. It’s not worth having an anurism over, but it definately is annoying. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/51 "2003-04-01T05:53:51Z")
**C K Dexter Haven** said: > [@](#): > > In **Curious Canuck** ’s quoting **raisinbread** above, frankly I can barely read it, the lighter color is a serious eye strain (which was **Canuck** ’s point, I presume.) True, it is hard to read, but note that it appears **Canuck** didn’t use purple, but another color (pink?). [This post](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/newreply.php?postid=3207138#post3207138) in this thread is purple on the light background. I agree that we limit the other features - use in moderation is acceptable, overuse/abuse is not. I just disagree with the posters who think posting in solid purple is abuse. Rainbow font - yeah, I’ll agree that’s abuse. White or gray, accepted. But purple has enough contrast to stand out, is not glaring like yellow, and is legible. Heck, purple is my default color for followed links. **Anamorphic** said: > [@](#): > > when reading through a thread and I reach one of your purple posts… I tend to just skip over it. I can’t take you seriously. Is it fair that I judge you based on the fact that you choose to post in a cutesy color? No, it really isn’t, I know. But I’m willing to bet I’m not the only one. Wouldn’t you rather be judged on the quality of your posts, rather than a silly gimmick? Sorry, but you yourself admit that judging based on the color and not content is not fair. Sounds like you’re the one with the problem. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/52 "2003-04-01T14:56:03Z")
I don’t care why she posts in purple much like I don’t care why someone else posts in black like everyone else. What if someone always used the Arial font? Is that a gimmick, too? ---
**Author:** ![CuriousCanuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@CuriousCanuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CuriousCanuck)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/53 "2003-04-01T14:58:08Z")
Light Pink actually. 🙂 And that was my post. Heck, use purple. Just be aware that some otehrs may not take you as seriously, which here can mean the kiss of death. Is it an unfair bias? Perhaps. But sometimes that’s just the way it is. For the record, I love the colour purple. I am just saying is all… ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/54 "2003-04-01T17:04:20Z")
**Moderator’s Notes:** All right. I think this thread has gone far beyond the bounds of what’s generally permitted in ATMB. I’m moving it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/55 "2003-04-01T17:23:02Z")
I feel it’s too small a matter to be annoyed by. Purple prose, however, _is_ annoying. I really only posted so I could use my sig here, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/56 "2003-04-01T17:47:26Z")
I’m rather surprised and disappointed that people would discount raisinbread’s posts because she posts in purple. It’s a perfectly reasonable, high contrast color, not overly difficult to read, and I think it’s cute, so there! Og forbid that someone have a bit of harmless fun while posting. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/57 "2003-04-01T17:47:53Z")
I think the annoyance you guys are showing over a font color betrays a dangerously abnormal level of tight-assedness. Can’t actually read **raisinbread** ’s posts because you can’t get over the oh-so-terrible color? Give me a break. That’s your problem, not his/hers. If you can’t make your brain click through to the substance of the post, might I suggest either doing some mental exercises (brain teasers and the like…they help me think more clearly at any rate) or giving up on reading altogether? I mean, seriously. It’s a high-contrast color, and **raisinbread** is an intelligent poster. ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/58 "2003-04-01T18:07:37Z")
I’ll throw in my two cents. I have visual problems. I have a tough time reading text that is not seperated by paragraph breaks, all in caps, all in lower case. And, yes, I have a tough time reading the purple. it doesn’t provide as clean of a distinction between the background and the text. If some one does it just for a word or so, I’ll make the effort. But I routinely will skip by posts that make it harder for me to read them. Especially if (as in this case) it’s an intentional move (ditto the all lower case, all caps etc.). I don’t expect anyone else to change to make it easier for me to read. But, it occurs to me that in a written medium, if communication is your desire, one should use the best instruments at one’s disposal to do so. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/59 "2003-04-01T18:23:35Z")
Put me down posting in purple only = the pony of one trick. The previous threads on this issue and the OP’s attitude here regarding this make is seem like a way of getting much sought after attention, whether that is actually the case or not. I also concur with the notion that gimmick posters get old fast. While I think raisinhead should be allowed to post in purple, he/she (sorry I don’t which, and don’t want to presume) should expect not to be taken very seriously either. ---
**Author:** ![3trew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/13edae/32.png) [@3trew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3trew)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123/60 "2003-04-01T18:26:30Z")
“Unique” posts tend to be handled by that part of my brain which is in charge of closing popup ads before I become aware of the content. I can’t say I find it terribly bothersome, but unless there’s a reason to go back (ie. someone else quotes from it or mentions it) I don’t read them. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-use-of-purple/165123.md?page=4)