# Please be considerate with spoilers **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053 "2002-12-26T23:27:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/1 "2002-12-26T23:27:15Z")
If you wish to discuss or ask a question about a story, and you are unable to do so without revealing a vital piece of information which might ruin a surprise for those experiencing it anew, please consider using a spoiler warning. Although there is no official board policy on this matter, it is considered courteous to do so. When starting a new thread, the easiest way to warn for spoilers is simply putting the word “spoilers” in the title of your thread, like so: **Question about “Smarmy Tucklas” (warning: Spoilers!)** We have also implemented a spoiler tag, which allows you to put spoilers within boxes that must be manually highlighted to be read. To use it, enclose the spoiler text between a tag, and a tag. Here is an example of how to do this: **Here’s what I want to know about “Smarmy Tucklas”:** It’s all Ganoush. This will appear like this: **Here’s what I want to know about “Smarmy Tucklas”:** It’s all Ganoush. It’s also recommended that although a work may have been well known for quite a while, some may still be unaware of particular plot points of various works. There are new film students and literary critics being born every day and some may still be unaware that Rosebud was his sled or Heathcliff does not return or even that Abner Doubleday invented baseball and the layout of the field is a recreation of the compass and square of Masonic symbolism. You get the idea. We will thank you, your fellow posters will thank you, life will be beautiful. Thanks. P. S. Thanks to **Achernar** for his idea for this post. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/2 "2002-12-26T23:43:52Z")
Might I suggest one more addition? When posting spoilers, either using the spoiler tag or otherwise, it’s helpful to identify what artwork you are discussing. This helps the reader decide whether or not to read the spoiler. For example, this: In _The Velveteen Rabbit_ The rabbit comes to life at the end. is much more helpful than this: The rabbit in _The Velveteen Rabbit_ comes to life at the end. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2002, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/3 "2002-12-26T23:59:13Z")
Er, I know it was just an example and maybe I’m being swooshed but since we _are_ supposedly fighting ignorance here and all that I feel the need to point out that your final example Abner Doubleday invented baseball and the layout of the field is a recreation of the compass and square of Masonic symbolism. is incorrect. (Well, at least the first part of it is. I can’t comment on the last part.) See: [http://www.mrbaseball.com/history/doubleday.htm](http://www.mrbaseball.com/history/doubleday.htm) [http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/doubledayletter.htm](http://www.civilwarinteractive.com/doubledayletter.htm) or [http://www.historybuff.com/library/refearlybase.html](http://www.historybuff.com/library/refearlybase.html) ---
**Author:** ![Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/4 "2002-12-28T01:39:49Z")
[quote] There are new film students and literary critics being born every day and some may still be aware that [/quote Unaware. If they were aware, we wouldn’t need spoilers now, would we. runs for cover like a mad fiend ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/5 "2002-12-28T02:01:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Barbarian \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > There are new film students and literary critics being born every day and some may still be aware that > > Unaware. If they were aware, we wouldn’t need spoilers now, would we. \*\* D’OH! ---
**Author:** ![Loneraven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c0e974/32.png) [@Loneraven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loneraven)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2003, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/6 "2003-01-03T22:54:52Z")
Huh. I thought one of your spoilers would be: “No, Luke, I am your father!” ---
**Author:** ![Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/7 "2003-01-05T01:53:35Z")
Me too. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2003, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/8 "2003-01-05T15:57:58Z")
SPOILERS! . . . . . . . . . . . . I agree. (I am an old school spoiler guy!) ---
**Author:** ![zem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/4491bb/32.png) [@zem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zem)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2003, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/9 "2003-01-10T04:28:39Z")
You guys crack me up! ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2003, 11:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/10 "2003-01-13T11:02:27Z")
So, wait, you mean Soylent Green _isn’t_ people?! ---
**Author:** ![dahempfaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@dahempfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dahempfaerie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/11 "2003-01-18T17:13:05Z")
Okay, I just wanna try this… [Spoiler]Wheeee![Spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![dahempfaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@dahempfaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dahempfaerie)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/12 "2003-01-18T17:14:25Z")
uh…yeah…hehehe ---
**Author:** ![Lyllyan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b2d939/32.png) [@Lyllyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lyllyan)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/13 "2003-01-18T17:46:40Z")
try, again **dahempfaerie** , only this time, close you spoiler tag ---
**Author:** ![mkl12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@mkl12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mkl12)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2003, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/14 "2003-01-20T22:41:57Z")
What \*\*Number Six \*\* said. I’m always curious what’s inside the spoiler boxes, so I read most of them, but I wouldn’t read one for something I haven’t seen or read yet. Believe it or not, “rosebud” was spoiled for me when it was used as an example in a similar thread, without any hint that the box contained a spoiler for _Citizen Kane_, just like in the OP. Of course, one solution would be not to read any spoiler boxes without knowing what they are about, but that way I would miss out on many things I would have liked to read. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/15 "2003-01-21T19:32:08Z")
**freido** :Nope, in fact, it’s just soybeans and lentils. Hence the name. ---
**Author:** ![GIGObuster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gigobuster/32/421_2.png) [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2003, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/16 "2003-01-30T08:21:09Z")
There is another way to uncover spoilers that readers may not know: Rather than click and drag the cursor and miss some words, put the cursor inside the black area of the spoiler text box, then triple-click the mouse button and all the text will be selected and highlighted then. Thanks to **Flamsterette\_X** for the tip. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/17 "2003-01-31T00:32:18Z")
Not a problem, **GIGObuster**! 🙂 Now, did you know that… I have weird font issues ? F\_X ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/18 "2003-01-31T05:01:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Flamsterette\_X \* > \*\* Now, did you know that… > > I have weird font issues > > ? > > F\_X \*\* I think your fonts are pretty. But, I have a font fetish. ---
**Author:** ![Flamsterette\_X](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/41988e/32.png) [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/19 "2003-01-31T18:38:41Z")
**NoClueBoy** : Oh my… I think I shall email you so we can, um, discuss this font fetish of yours privately… _blush_ F\_X ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2003, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053/20 "2003-02-05T23:18:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GIGObuster \* > **Rather than click and drag the cursor and miss some words, put the cursor inside the black area of the spoiler text box, then triple-click the mouse button and all the text will be selected and highlighted then.** Or, you can put the cursor inside the black area of the Spoiler text box and CTRL + single-click the left mouse button. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-be-considerate-with-spoilers/145053.md?page=2)