# PSA regarding telling anecdotes on the Dope **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379 "2011-05-27T01:07:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/21 "2011-05-27T15:16:50Z")
I just posted a story using two initials instead of two names, but I agree… more than that is unwieldy. I was trying to maintain some anonymity, but I couldn’t think of two other names that would have the same relationship. ---
**Author:** ![bucketybuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@bucketybuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bucketybuck)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/22 "2011-05-27T15:49:22Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Also, when someone in Cafe Society posts a thread about types of movies/songs/TV shows that fit a certain criteria, please don’t be an ass and throw up a list of 50 damned movies/songs/TV shows. Just list one or two and (a) _say something about them_ and (b) leave it for other people to mention (and comment about) the other 48. Oh sweet Jesus, this just fucks me off. Take post six in this current thread for example > **[What is the greatest Movie from the 70's?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610069)** > > Enter the Dragon 1973 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enter\_the\_dragon It has everything but a hot-rod Duster throwing gravel around a parking lot of bikers, but I can forgive that one shortcoming. 🙂 I dare you to come up with something better. Oh, so those twenty films are all the best film of the seventies are they? My, we do have a retarded idea of what “the best” means dont we. You will often see this in Cafe society. “Lets talk about films where blah does wurble”, followed by post after post of idiots _just listing names of films_. What the fuck is the point of this? Its just a page with loads of names of films! Say something about them for chrissakes, dont just make a list. It really bugs me when the thread is supposed to be about the best, or your favourite, or whatever. The obvious examples get used quickly, then a pile of people just start throwing out names. “How about …” What the fuck? You posted about a different film on the last page, now you want to list this film as well? Was the last one you listed your favourite film, or is it this newest one? Or will it be the next stupid fucking film you decide to list for whatever goddamn reason I cannot fathom. Grrr. ---
**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:** [May 27, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/23 "2011-05-27T15:59:26Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Oh sweet Jesus, this just fucks me off. Take post six in this current thread for example > > [What is the greatest Movie from the 70's? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=610069) > > Oh, so those twenty films are all the best film of the seventies are they? My, we do have a retarded idea of what “the best” means dont we. > > You will often see this in Cafe society. “Lets talk about films where blah does wurble”, followed by post after post of idiots _just listing names of films_. What the fuck is the point of this? Its just a page with loads of names of films! Say something about them for chrissakes, dont just make a list. > > It really bugs me when the thread is supposed to be about the best, or your favourite, or whatever. The obvious examples get used quickly, then a pile of people just start throwing out names. > “How about …” > What the fuck? You posted about a different film on the last page, now you want to list this film as well? Was the last one you listed your favourite film, or is it this newest one? Or will it be the next stupid fucking film you decide to list for whatever goddamn reason I cannot fathom. > Grrr. Precisely. If I wanted to read a list with no context, I’d go to Amazon… except people there tend to provide context. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/24 "2011-05-27T16:30:51Z")
Ok, so if I understand this right, some Doper, we’ll call him A, posts something about a topic we’ll call B, and he refers to a couple of other people we could call C and D, and you want him to do what? See if A really though the names of C and D were germane to B, A would just have used their names, or referred to his relationship to them in the first place. We could even call those relationships AC and AD, or if they are just related to the topic call them BC and BD. So if I have this right, you object to A referring to B, C, and D, and their varying relationship like AD, or even BCD. Is that correct? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/25 "2011-05-27T18:38:29Z")
I was just complaining about this to my friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s hairdresser, let’s call her 100001011100111011110001010100001100. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/26 "2011-05-27T18:53:26Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Anytime you’re describing more than 2 degrees of separation in an anecdote, you need to simplify it. “My cousin’s doctor’s sister’s monkey” is more easily and concisely described as simply “a monkey”. That’s a good point, too - unless we NEED to know it’s your cousin’s doctor’s sister’s monkey (but really, how often does that happen?). My sister is terrible with telling anecdotes for this reason - she gives us all the names and histories of everyone involved in the story when “a guy I used to work with” would suffice. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/27 "2011-05-27T19:55:57Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > I highly approve of this message. Seconded. I also would like to subscribe to your mailing list. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/28 "2011-05-27T20:04:43Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I was just complaining about this to my friend’s cousin’s neighbor’s hairdresser, let’s call her 100001011100111011110001010100001100. But don’t confuse her with my cousin’s friend’s manicurist, 100001010100111011111000010100001100 ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/29 "2011-05-27T20:39:57Z")
Upon reading the OP, I thought “God, this annoys me. No…I’m going to tough this out. OK, let’s see what’s going on here.” Then shortly thereafter was like “…the fuck is a college professor doing talking to a boyfriend of a student he’s fueding with?! That’s out of line.” ---
**Author:** ![Manduck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manduck/32/256_2.png) [@Manduck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manduck)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/30 "2011-05-27T20:46:28Z")
I think the convention should be “this guy”, “this other guy”, “his girlfriend”, and “her boyfriend’s cousin - no, the other one”. Much less confusing. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/31 "2011-05-28T00:29:19Z")
What does PSA mean? Sorry, I’ve tried to figure it out, even asked my neighbour, B and her cousin Z. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/32 "2011-05-28T00:50:50Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > That’s a good point, too - unless we NEED to know it’s your cousin’s doctor’s sister’s monkey (but really, how often does that happen?). My sister is terrible with telling anecdotes for this reason - she gives us all the names and histories of everyone involved in the story when “a guy I used to work with” would suffice. It’s even worse in person, when the story teller delays the story to try to remember the unimportant details. Story Teller: “One of my friends..wait..I’ll remember which one..that was at some bar..” Me: Does it matter who it is for the story? Story Teller: Of course not! But I want to make it accurate! Me: _sigh_ -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/33 "2011-05-28T00:55:20Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > I just posted a story using two initials instead of two names, but I agree… more than that is unwieldy. I was trying to maintain some anonymity, but I couldn’t think of two other names that would have the same relationship. No. Even two initials is a pain to read. You really couldn’t think of two names? Bob, Mary. There you go. You can use them forever. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/34 "2011-05-28T00:59:52Z")
Ack! I totally hate this, too! Was going to post something similar, but thought I was being picky or that it was just me. I just can’t follow the A, B, C stuff. Names, yes. Initials, no. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/35 "2011-05-28T01:53:05Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > What does PSA mean? > > Sorry, I’ve tried to figure it out, even asked my neighbour, B and her cousin Z. Public service announcement. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/36 "2011-05-28T02:10:52Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Public service announcement. Thank you. At first I thought it was a post directed to a member whose name was PSA :o Now I feel like a right pillock. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/37 "2011-05-28T02:53:59Z")
> [@MsWhatsit](#): > > Let’s say you have a friend, A. That friend has a son, B. The son’s girlfriend, C, is having an altercation with one of her college professors, let’s call him D. > > B and D get together with A to talk about C, and then C gets together with B, and then D meets up with G, who is frankly somewhat of a shadowy figure that nobody knows much about, and you know what happened then? We’ve seen this one before. IIRC, C lives next to the man in the red house who smokes Marlboros. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/38 "2011-05-28T02:57:30Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > Thank you. At first I thought it was a post directed to a member whose name was PSA :o > > Now I feel like a right pillock. I wouldn’t have known it off the top of my head except that it came up here at home recently. You might not call the same thing down under there. It’s what we call the anti-smoking or anti-drinking-and-driving type of commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/39 "2011-05-28T04:53:25Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > We’ve seen this one before. > > IIRC, C lives next to the man in the red house who smokes Marlboros. Was C the neighbour who was being done while the husband was at work? ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379/40 "2011-05-28T07:49:25Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Was C the neighbour who was being done while the husband was at work? You’re thinking of Joe’s wife. The punchline to that one is Joe saying “Oh, Good. He borrowed $500 from me and said he was going to drop by and leave it with you this afternoon.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psa-regarding-telling-anecdotes-on-the-dope/583379.md?page=3)