# Posts that aged poorly

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503>\
**Category:** The BBQ Pit\
**Created:** [April 22, 2026, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503 "2026-04-22T23:28:49Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2026, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/21 "2026-04-23T21:40:24Z")

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For what it’s worth:

> [@Kevin Spacey, Chevy help a struggling young actor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-chevy-help-a-struggling-young-actor/747511/4):
>
> Kevin Spacey is one of the good ones.

> [@Kevin Spacey, Chevy help a struggling young actor](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kevin-spacey-chevy-help-a-struggling-young-actor/747511/5):
>
> I agree with **QuickSilver** ; Kevin Spacey totally fucking rocks.

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**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/22 "2026-04-24T12:58:58Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> Is it scary to think that any of it could plausibly happen? Absolutely fucking terrifying in my opinion.

Yes, that’s the thing. A number of naysayers in this thread are assuming that the only criteria for extreme alarm is what he has concretely done. To me, and just as importantly, an equally alarming factor is what he WANTS to do and what he WOULD do if circumstances eventually allow it.

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/23 "2026-04-24T13:36:14Z")

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I thought I remembered a post from long ago that said, “There’s no way in hell that pot will be legalized in the next 20 years.” I was a little off:

> [@People Who Buy Pot Fund Murderers, Discuss](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-who-buy-pot-fund-murderers-discuss/292911/108):
>
> As for pot, though, care for a wager? If, 20 years after pot’s legalization, it’s not the dominant drug, you owe me a bottle of fine cognac; if it is, I owe you an eighth of sticky greenbud.
> 
> Daniel

That said, the post is still aging poorly:

> **[Daily or near‐daily cannabis and alcohol use by adults in the United States:...](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11907322/)**
>
> Patterns of daily or near‐daily (DND) use of alcohol and cannabis among adults in the United States have been changing. The current study measured how these shifts have occurred across developmental periods of adulthood. U.S. national data from the...

> [@](#):
>
> As of 2023, DND cannabis use was nearly three times as prevalent (10.4%) as DND alcohol use (3.6%) among young adults ages 19 to 30. Early midlife adults have had a convergence but not yet a crossover; there were similar prevalence levels of DND use of cannabis (7.5%) and alcohol (7.8%) among those ages 35 to 50 in 2023. Among late midlife adults ages 55 to 65, DND alcohol use remained more than twice as prevalent (11.4%) as DND cannabis use (5.2%) in 2023.

I don’t know the exact parameters, but I really miscalculated how popular THC would become.

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**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/24 "2026-04-24T13:53:18Z")

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> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> I thought I remembered a post from long ago that said, “There’s no way in hell that pot will be legalized in the next 20 years.” I was a little off:

Nope, you’re not wrong because, despite the fact that a number of states have legalized marijuana for various purposes, it is still illegal under federal law. 😀

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/25 "2026-04-24T14:03:03Z")

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Right–but even now, in younger generations, weed is more popular than booze (by some measures). Federal legalization will almost certainly push that even further.

What I didn’t count on is the information in the past two decades about “no safe levels of alcohol consumption”: when I wrote the post, there was still a belief that a daily glass of wine was good for you.

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**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/26 "2026-04-24T14:24:49Z")

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There are at least a dozen posts around here I penned with the sentiment that Trump would certainly not be elected again, I believed in the integrity of the American people. _Sigh_

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/27 "2026-04-24T15:32:43Z")

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[What made Lance Armstrong so dominant?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-made-armstrong-so-dominant/315190)  
At this time (2005), it had been repeatedly debunked and disproved that he had been juicing.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/28 "2026-04-24T16:11:56Z")

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> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> Federal legalization will almost certainly push that even further.

They just rescheduled medical marijuana, in order to make it easier to do research on it.

> **[Trump reclassifies state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug...](https://apnews.com/article/medical-marijuana-rescheduling-justice-department-trump-cannabis-1d6722d3aae122b1a91f8e4b6c690268)**
>
> A cannabis industry group calls President Donald Trump’s reclassification of state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug “the most significant federal advancement in cannabis policy" in decades.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/29 "2026-04-24T17:35:03Z")

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> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#):
>
> What I didn’t count on is the information in the past two decades about “no safe levels of alcohol consumption”: when I wrote the post, there was still a belief that a daily glass of wine was good for you.

That’s partly propaganda. The largest risk of small amounts of alcohol consumption is the risk that you will move on to larger amounts of alcohol consumption.

There was a huge international study that looked at the total risks of alcohol, and that’s the study that turned the tide in terms of “no safe dose”. But a lot of the risk that study found at low doses was from interactions with tuberculosis, not a major factor for Americans.

There are trade offs. It can slightly decrease the risk of heart problems. It also somewhat increases the risk of cancer. (Almost all cancers, but especially gastrointestinal cancers and breast cancer.)

But the lower part of the curve (below 2 drinks a day) was really flat. I wouldn’t take up drinking to improve my health. But unless you have a high risk of an alcohol related cancer, or a pre-existing condition that plays badly with alcohol, i don’t think there’s any compelling reason to drop below a drink or two a day, if you enjoy your booze, either.

I think some of the appeal of cannabis is that it’s light and compact. I have heard people say they take it camping because they don’t want to lug around beer, for instance. And it’s probably easier to get high at safe doses, too.

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**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/30 "2026-04-24T17:37:39Z")

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Oh, interesting! I hadn’t heard anything about that–just read a series of articles that all emphasized “no safe dose.” I used to drink about 10-12 drinks a week, and have dropped down to 4-7 based on this research and am trying to drop lower. But I do like a beer with dinner, so it’d be nice to know that I’m not drinking myself into an early grave.

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**Author:** ![sciurophobic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cab0a1/32.png) [@sciurophobic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciurophobic)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/31 "2026-04-24T17:37:42Z")

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From 2011: [Donald Trump for President?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-for-president/570953/24)

> Take a look at Trump’s Wiki page and consider the extraordinary number and range of Trump’s accomplishments and all that he’s involved in now, and then decide for yourself whether a man like that would know enough accomplished and capable people, and posess the qualities needed, to cope with the complexities of life in the White House.
> 
> Now, having said that, I still don’t think that Trump will actually run for office. As I’ve said, I think he loves what he does too much and that he would find White House life stifling. But there’s little doubt in my mind that he would do a fine job were he to be elected.

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**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/32 "2026-04-24T17:40:53Z")

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Yeah, that’s probably a net increase in your expected mortality, but a really small one. You may also eat sausages and travel in a car. Micromanaging your life to decrease every risk you can control seems like a sad way to live.

Exercise regularly and don’t gain weight. Those are really big health benefits.

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**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:** [April 24, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/33 "2026-04-24T17:55:51Z")

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> [@puzzlegal](#):
>
> I think some of the appeal of cannabis is that it’s light and compact. I have heard people say they take it camping because they don’t want to lug around beer, for instance. And it’s probably easier to get high at safe doses, too.

Lots of people enjoy both and just want to get altered in which case a THC vape pen is significantly more convenient than any form of booze and it’s impossible to overdose on THC and relatively easy to get alcohol poisoning. I think it’s incorrect in most cases to think that one is a substitute for the other. They are different animals. I know more people that only consume one or the other exclusively (for those who consume at all)

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**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/34 "2026-04-24T17:59:06Z")

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> [@sciurophobic](#):
>
> From 2011: [Donald Trump for President?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/donald-trump-for-president/570953/24)

I checked the post to find out what sort of complete troll or dumbass would post something so execrably wrong-headed, even for 2011. And was not disappointed.

SA was truly an exemplar of posts that not only aged poorly but posts that were never fresh to begin with

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/35 "2026-04-24T18:20:38Z")

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To be fair, Trump _didn’t_ run in 2012. I don’t see that post saying he’d never run, just that he wasn’t going to put his hat in the ring for the next election (which was true).

The idea that he couldn’t ever get into the White House was clearly wrong, though.

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**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/36 "2026-04-24T18:47:02Z")

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Every one of the “Show your tits!” posts, however worded, during the first 15 years or so of the SDMB.

Probably most of those who made such posts are long gone. But there may remain a few currently who would be embarrassed if it were brought to light. I am not thinking of any individual in particular.

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**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/37 "2026-04-24T18:52:04Z")

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> [@Atamasama](#):
>
> To be fair, Aeschines owned up to it in in that thread.

To be even more fair, he also made about 327\* similar predictions about Trump across multiple threads, zero of which have come true.

\*(_an estimate)_

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**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:** [April 24, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/38 "2026-04-24T18:58:22Z")

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> [@Johanna](#):
>
> Every one of the “Show your tits!” posts, however worded, during the first 15 years or so of the SDMB.
> 
> Probably most of those who made such posts are long gone. But there may remain a few currently who would be embarrassed if it were brought to light. I am not thinking of any individual in particular.

Good lord, that’s for sure. Way too much of that.

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**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/39 "2026-04-24T19:00:58Z")

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> [@ShadowFacts](#):
>
> To be even more fair, he also made about 327\* similar predictions about Trump across multiple threads, zero of which have come true.

Yes, it is a trend.

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**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\
**Post date:** [April 24, 2026, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/posts-that-aged-poorly/1029503/40 "2026-04-24T21:31:15Z")

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It would be better, imho, if we would just point to _our_ posts which aged badly. Bringing up a SA gem from 2012 is easy, possibly _too_ low-hanging, but my October 2008 mocking dismissal of birtherism is something I can own without dragging someone else into the fray:

> [@How would Obama, if elected President, tear this country apart?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-obama-if-elected-president-tear-this-country-apart/467802/28):
>
> According to my stepmother, Obama is part of a “sleeper cell” of moslem agents who were inserted in the US during the 60’s with the intent of overthrowing the American Way of Life. No shiite. However, it’s going to be OK because more and more people are coming to realize that, get this, Obama isn’t even a US citizen. Apparently his birth certificate was faked and Obama is actually a citizen of the fine country of Kenya. smiley

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