# People who start topics but don't post their opinions in the OP? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730 "2018-12-07T03:24:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/1 "2018-12-07T03:24:37Z")
What are your thoughts on people who ask (potentially controversial) questions but then for some reason refuse to give their own opinion in the first post? I’ll give my own answer after a few people have replied. Wolfcastlethatsthejoke.jpg ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/2 "2018-12-07T03:35:07Z")
Whoo-boy. Good one. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/3 "2018-12-07T04:00:31Z")
> [@HowSoonIsThen](#): > > What are your thoughts on people who ask (potentially controversial) questions but then for some reason refuse to give their own opinion in the first post? > > I’ll give my own answer after a few people have replied. > > Wolfcastlethatsthejoke.jpg I see what you did there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/4 "2018-12-07T08:39:33Z")
I concur. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2018, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/5 "2018-12-07T12:25:40Z")
I assume there is some kind of “gotcha” being attempted. I usually abandon such threads. Your OP made me smile. ---
**Author:** ![K2500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f6c823/32.png) [@K2500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/K2500)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/6 "2018-12-08T01:13:01Z")
Five is “a few”. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/7 "2018-12-08T01:16:00Z")
I see the reasoning as not wanting to bias the responses. If they post a question like “What do you think about XYZ? I think it SUCKS!”, the responses will be formed around their opinion rather than what the board might think. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/8 "2018-12-08T01:30:46Z")
> [@K2500](#): > > Five is “a few”. Not according to 1 Peter 3:20 > [@KJV](#): > > …few, that is, eight… ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/9 "2018-12-08T02:09:33Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I see the reasoning as not wanting to bias the responses. If they post a question like “What do you think about XYZ? I think it SUCKS!”, the responses will be formed around their opinion rather than what the board might think. Agreed. ---
**Author:** ![HowSoonIsThen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@HowSoonIsThen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HowSoonIsThen)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/10 "2018-12-08T12:24:25Z")
> [@Capn\_Carl](#): > > Agreed. > [@filmore](#): > > I see the reasoning as not wanting to bias the responses. If they post a question like “What do you think about XYZ? I think it SUCKS!”, the responses will be formed around their opinion rather than what the board might think. I presume this is the reason. I couldn’t resist the joke, but generally speaking I’m not a fan of it. This is despite possibly noble (?) intentions (as opposed to a gotcha suggested above, though I’m sure that happens to). ---
**Author:** ![ioioio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ioioio/32/316_2.png) [@ioioio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ioioio)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2018, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/11 "2018-12-08T15:52:02Z")
I once started a thread about a question I heard on the radio for which the answer made me laugh. My purpose was to get people to guess what the answer was. I stated that I would post the actual answer in 24 hours. One Doper got very irate and snarkily informed me about spoilers. I had to explain that if I’d put a spoiler in my O.P., everyone would look at it, and no one would post their own guess. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2018, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/12 "2018-12-09T04:50:27Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I see the reasoning as not wanting to bias the responses. If they post a question like “What do you think about XYZ? I think it SUCKS!”, the responses will be formed around their opinion rather than what the board might think. I agree. For this reason, all subsequent posters to the thread should also be forbidden to state their opinions, too. ---
**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:** [December 9, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-start-topics-but-dont-post-their-opinions-in-the-op/825730/13 "2018-12-09T05:12:15Z")
I’d give you my opinion, but, that’s just like what I think, man.