# Opal, what the fuck is your problem? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 16, 2008, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368 "2008-12-16T06:10:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 32
**Author:** ![Ed\_Zotti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/fbc32d/32.png) [@Ed\_Zotti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ed_Zotti)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/621 "2008-12-18T04:38:04Z")
> [@catsix](#): > > That’s the only mode of operation for an attention vampire like **Opal** , and that is acting in whatever manner will get her the most attention. > > She doesn’t ask for advice/help/support because she wants advice/help/support, she wants attention. The more advice/help/support that she rejects, the more attention she gets. Eventually she will do the ‘take my ball and go home’ dance and either be silent (or stick to her own website) for a while, post on LiveJournal about how mean people are to her, or slash her wrists and post on LiveJournal her great her kid is at dealing with her depressive self mutilation. > > It’s kind of like what she does in real life, actually. She stays in one place long enough to basically drain the attention well, telling everyone how great Dominic is doing in his new school. Then after a while her boyfriend/fiance is moving, she’s moving, Dominic is having problems in school and it’s on to the next place. > > Free-range attention vampire. How the hell is it that people are just waking up to the fact? Now, now. I say this with mod hat off, because **Opal** ’s feelings about me are well known, or anyway were. Time has blotted out the memory of exactly what she called me, but I remember feeling lucky I was working on the house at the time, because all I had to do was point the monitor at the woodwork in order to peel the paint. Woman has her issues, ain’t arguing there, but she has also provided us many opportunities for entertaining exchanges such as we see in this thread. So let’s have a kind regard, and not lay it on too thick. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/622 "2008-12-18T04:49:42Z")
Hey,\*\* Ed\*\*! Welcome to the boards, big guy. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/623 "2008-12-18T04:52:43Z")
**Ed** , I think most people here are just having a bit of fun. I don’t like **Opal** ’s posting style so I ignore her, but I have no real dislike for her. I think this is just a case where someone finally pointed out the emperor’s (lack of) new clothes and are expressing some pent up frustrations. Hey, we’re people. She’s a vet - she can handle it. In other news, **CrazyCatLady** : "_There’s a club for people who have a lot of bad shit happen in their lives. It’s called everybody."_ now that’s a sig if I ever saw one. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/624 "2008-12-18T04:53:47Z")
NOW this thread has everything. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/625 "2008-12-18T05:12:52Z")
Not sure how everyone feels about rewarding good behavior to encourage a positive outcome, but it only seems fair to note that she’s apparently taking the message of this thread to [heart](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=494390). So kudos to her if she’s trying to change and do better. ---
**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:** [December 18, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/626 "2008-12-18T05:13:05Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > NOW this thread has everything. Not until Cecil\* makes an appearance. \*Yeh, yeh, I know. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/627 "2008-12-18T05:17:04Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > How do you know she isn’t? If this is the best she can treat other people, she has some serious problems. She might not treat people this way in real life, but I kind of doubt it. The way you treat anonymous people on a message board says a lot about your character. And the real problem isn’t that she rejects the advice that she begs for, it’s that she absolutely refuses to listen to anyone who says it’s really not okay to treat people like that. She can keep on doing it, but it means that a lot of people who thought she was okay are going to end up thinking she’s a complete jerk. This thread happened because a lot of people are fed up with it, and we’ve been thinking about pitting her for a while but just never got around to it. **faithfool,** she hasn’t actually posted in that thread since this one was started, so I doubt it made much of a difference there. It’s nice that there is one thread where she’s not being obnoxious and rude, but there are many others that tell a very different story. It’s very generous of you to give her credit for changing, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/628 "2008-12-18T05:26:37Z")
> [@Ed\_Zotti](#): > > Now, now. I say this with mod hat off, because **Opal** ’s feelings about me are well known, or anyway were. Time has blotted out the memory of exactly what she called me, but I remember feeling lucky I was working on the house at the time, because all I had to do was point the monitor at the woodwork in order to peel the paint. Woman has her issues, ain’t arguing there, but she has also provided us many opportunities for entertaining exchanges such as we see in this thread. So let’s have a kind regard, and not lay it on too thick. I realize you said this with the mod hat off, so I can appreciate what you’re trying to do. Still, I wasn’t aware you could lay the truth on too thick. Although calling her an attention vampire is a matter of opinion (one I wholeheartedly agree with ), the rest of the stuff Catsix mentions is true. She does have the attention whoring wrist cutting (barely enough to draw blood so pretty much done for attention), she did beg for money to get her plastic surgery, she has dragged that poor kid around following any opportunity to live off someone else’s work and live the life of leisure for herself, etc. If these things are things that Opal might be truly hurt by (although she’s NOT reading this thread, winka winka!) maybe she should take a hard look at the things she does and change her MO. Sometimes the truth hurts. You know, because it’s true and you’ve been awful to people. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/629 "2008-12-18T05:31:50Z")
> [@faithfool](#): > > Not sure how everyone feels about rewarding good behavior to encourage a positive outcome, but it only seems fair to note that she’s apparently taking the message of this thread to [heart](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=494390). So kudos to her if she’s trying to change and do better. You mean she time-traveled to the future, read this thread, and decided to be gracious for a change? Am I missing something? Good thing there was nothing of offense to a hard-core vegetarian in that thread… 😕 ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/630 "2008-12-18T05:45:14Z")
Naw, I guess not then. It just means I’m braindead and didn’t realize that thread was older than this one. My apologies everyone. Carry on then. ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/631 "2008-12-18T05:50:43Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > NOW this thread has everything. No, no, **[now](http://www.furniturestoreblog.com/images/Julien%20Classic%20Kitchen%20Sink.jpg)** it has everything. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/632 "2008-12-18T05:53:30Z")
> [@Achren](#): > > No, no, **[now](http://www.furniturestoreblog.com/images/Julien%20Classic%20Kitchen%20Sink.jpg)** it has everything. Hah! Clever! And don’t worry, **faithfool** , your intentions were noble and still serves to demonstrate that she’s has her positive moments. ---
**Author:** ![AquaPura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@AquaPura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AquaPura)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/633 "2008-12-18T05:56:53Z")
I will even manage to delurk here to mention that though I though Opal’s response in the Buckeye thread was wacky, it didn’t suprise me. The ring holder thread was during the Pay to Play time, so as I was not paid up I sent her an email and a PM through her website for this [http://wedlockheart.com/](http://wedlockheart.com/) which, I believe is pretty much what she was looking for. I saw that she read the email, but I heard nothing, so one can only hope that her great quest was at an end. At least she didn’t send an email detailing how much my suggestion sucked weasels. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/634 "2008-12-18T05:57:13Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > \*\* > Heh–anyone else remember the now apparently lost (4 searches/20 fucking minutes (5 minutes between searches? What kind of brainless rule is that shit?) and no results) thread where she compared leather-bound books to lampshades made from Jewish Holocaust victim’s skins? And then compared the owners of both (Quoth **Opal** : BUT UR 2 DUM TO C THAT IT IS A ANALOGY! Quoth Everyone Else: We see that. But we also see that it’s a CRASS, INSENSITIVE AND FUCKING STOOPID analogy!") [The thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=113522) and the resulting [Pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=113958). ---
**Author:** ![Nzinga\_Seated](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b5ac83/32.png) [@Nzinga\_Seated](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nzinga_Seated)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/635 "2008-12-18T06:05:14Z")
> [@Achren](#): > > No, no, **[now](http://www.furniturestoreblog.com/images/Julien%20Classic%20Kitchen%20Sink.jpg)** it has everything. We \*said \*it has _[everything](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10584900&postcount=499)_. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/636 "2008-12-18T06:11:03Z")
> [@Starving\_Artist](#): > > And then there is the fact that she is an artist. She truly is. (As the painting of her with the razor blades in her hair illustrates.) This is not a woman who aspires to discover art, or who aspires merely to gain skill in painting. Art truly comes from within. And it is from within that her art flows and she is learning how to paint in order to give that art its expression. > > However, we all know that artists can be temperamental. They just don’t see the world in the conventional way that most of us do, and so they can seem scornful or dismissive of what most of the rest of us think because it’s so foreign to their own way of thinking. > [@tomndebb](#): > > You are probably unaware that everyone born in the U.S. between 1946 and 1964 just happened to grow up to be artists. 😛 > [@CairoCarol](#): > > NOW this thread has everything. People, people. Opal obviously needs someone to serve in the role of amenuensis/personal assistant with rarefied linguistic, artistic, managerial, and networking skills, for the sake of preservation of her unique artistic contribution. Carol, would you [happen to know anybody](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=466084)? I look on this thread as the SDMB’s version of Festivus and the “[Airing of Grievances](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festivus#Airing_of_Grievances).” Let’s get all of our annoyances of the past year out in the open! ---
**Author:** ![Achren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/898d66/32.png) [@Achren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achren)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/637 "2008-12-18T06:13:25Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > We \*said \*it has _[everything](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=10584900&postcount=499)_. Aw man! Here I was hoping I could be almost clever. I fail at being a good SDMB poster. _returns to lurking in this very silly thread_ ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/638 "2008-12-18T06:19:20Z")
Oh, I thought you meant two apples. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/639 "2008-12-18T06:22:11Z")
> [@Achren](#): > > Aw man! Here I was hoping I could be almost clever. I fail at being a good SDMB poster. > _returns to lurking in this very silly thread_ Well, you know what they say: practice makes perfect. How can you ever hope to become one of this motley crew if you don’t join in? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368/640 "2008-12-18T06:29:38Z")
Wow. What an amazing thread. I was vegetarian for ten years and I still rarely order meat, but I’m kind of motivated to buy some meat tonight and throw it away or something. Just because I’m kind of a bad person in my heart. I like how she freaks out at the mention of a leather cord in the ring thread. Does she really have such a crippling lack of imagination that she couldn’t substitute “fake leather” in her head? No, she has plenty of imagination. But that wouldn’t give her the chance to say “Mememe I’m vegetarian look look look me!!!” Also, I think her art sucks. There, I said it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368.md?page=31) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/opal-what-the-fuck-is-your-problem/477368.md?page=33)