# SDMB memes you wouldn't mind dying a quick and quiet death. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 16, 2009, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095 "2009-02-16T14:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Gary\_Robson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gary_robson/32/3448_2.png) [@Gary\_Robson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Robson)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/81 "2009-02-17T13:40:05Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > 1. “Og” instead of “God” > 2. “Cow-orker” instead of “coworker” > 3. Hi, Opal! > > Yes, all three memes. There’s a natural tendency to associate a word with the first place you hear/read it, but cow-orker is _not_ an SDMB thing. I first encountered it in Dilbert (I think it started in one of Scott’s newsletters, but I’m not sure–it may have been the cartoon). Personally, I think we use the word “meme” way too much. It’s a good word. There’s nothing else that means exactly the same. But every in-joke isn’t a meme. > [@tim314](#): > > To the people saying “quit talking about how smart the board is”, it’s not really about IQs. Very true. I’ve never thought about it that way, but you’re quite right. It’s not the intelligence of each individual member of the SDMB that makes it such a valuable resource. It’s the diversity of the membership, and the fact that we even _have_ an expert on topic XYZ (whether it’s a particularly intelligent expert or not). > [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > So yeah, I’d like to see an end to the “Cellphones are evil!” thing on the boards. It’s not true, and for a community made up of (supposedly) intelligent people it’s fucking embarrassing. I’m with you. I think this is another manifestation of the SUV hate and its ilk–it’s overgeneralization. Cellphones are wonderful things, but some people misuse them. SUVs are useful, but some people drive them that don’t “need” them. Some environments lend themselves to letting your cats go outside and some don’t. When I encounter someone yelling into a cellphone in a crowded restaurant, my first thought isn’t, “we should ban cellphones in here.” It’s “why can’t that person speak in a normal voice and/or step outside for this call?” When I hear a phone ring in a movie theater, my first thought isn’t, “they should install a cellphone signal blanking device in here so doctors on call can’t watch movies.” It’s, “why didn’t that twit turn off his phone or set it to vibrate?” ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/82 "2009-02-17T13:42:55Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > As for your more intelligent message boards, please post their names here. I wish to go to them and lower the IQ average. - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today. - Many of the subforums on Something Awful. - Many other political, science and philosophy-related message boards. - Any message board catering to professionals in an occupation where employment requires a graduate degree. - Unaboard. ---
**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:** [February 17, 2009, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/83 "2009-02-17T18:55:44Z")
I agree with Martini’s entire post…except the part about living in Australia. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/84 "2009-02-17T19:18:22Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I hate the word meme. I hate the theory behind it. I think Dawkins is a putz. Hi Opal is not the same as DNA. The cite from Cecil sums it up pretty well. I can’t read through it without saying 'bullshit" a few times. Even if I agreed with the theory I would say that most of what is being said here isn’t a meme. Inside jokes are not memes. If you start seeing Hi Opal spread into other places that have nothing to do with the Dope then you can say it is a meme. Until then it is just an inside joke. Hi Opal is a meme specific to the SDMB. I guess you could call it an inside joke also, but the thing that makes “meme” more accurate is that inside jokes typically aren’t repeated ad nauseam the way memes are. Also, inside jokes are jokes, whereas a meme is not necessarily. Hate the word all you want, it expresses its meaning succinctly and it’s here to stay. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/85 "2009-02-17T20:13:22Z")
Oh nos! \_\_\_\_\_\_\_ is the suxxor! Or whatever the fuck that phrase is. ---
**Author:** ![eldowan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@eldowan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eldowan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/86 "2009-02-18T02:30:26Z")
> [@ExTank](#): > > When you’re the new guy (gal) at the office, there’s tons of in-jokes that the people who’ve been there for a while have built up, and sorry, you can’t share in them. No one is excluding you; you just weren’t there for it. They may not even be particularly funny (most of them aren’t) but they recall a time, and place, and people in our minds. > > Then later, when you are no longer the new guy (gal), you eventually find yourself sharing in the little stupid in-jokes, where a single word said a certain way can get a guffaw from everyone in the office while the new new guy is sitting there looking bafled. > > You have to go forward, not back, and build your own memories, and either get or make your own stupid in-jokes. You can open a thread, or read one, and look for your own. Or start one. Don’t try and kill ours. Don’t try to change our “office (board) dynamic” by shitting on our stupid little in-jokes, or “memes.” After all, they’re all of ours. To be fair, this is a message board. It is not a place in real life where the past is the past. You can look through the archives, search through the history, and as you are reading the thread of olde, realize it as if it were just yesterday because… Well face it, you are getting the _exact_ same communication as when it happened. Its not like when at the office someone has to explain the in-joke and has a tough time recalling and explaining the situation, contect, and dialogue. Its right there. I recently (in the past 1.5 years) read the horror of blimps, and litterally cried while I was laughing out loud. I honestly had to wipe the tears from my eyes because I couldn’t see the screen anymore. Multiple times. Does this make me any less able to say that I had the experience of a wonderfully eloquent poster, making a fantabulous post? Does it make me have any less of a right to use it in my life just because I wasn’t there at the time? If that were the case, then many of the catch phrases and "meme"s in real life should get the axe. Much more than the ones listed here where you can experience it _in the exact manner_ you would if you were actively browsing the boards at the time. I used one above, “get the axe” is a great example. And so are these. No axe to grind. The whole nine yards. A Dime a Dozen. Cry Wolf. When was the last time you actually heard someone cry “Wolf!”? When was the last time something worthwhile actually cost a dime a dozen? Certainly not in my lifetime. At least that I’m not aware of. Yet we don’t throw these to the sidelines to die, as they are part of our past. They helped shape us, and they will help shape those who come after us. These are not merely terms, they are part of what defines us. As a culture, as a board. I may not be the most active poster on here, but am I forever cast aside that my join date is my Dope discovery date? I say that while we should look toward the future, we should not turn a blind eye to the past. Without the past what are we? yes, I know that the list above probably isn’t memes, but they illustrate the point quite clearly enough for my purposes. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/87 "2009-02-18T07:11:15Z")
> [@Algorithm](#): > > Hi Opal is a meme specific to the SDMB. I guess you could call it an inside joke also, but the thing that makes “meme” more accurate is that inside jokes typically aren’t repeated ad nauseam the way memes are. Also, inside jokes are jokes, whereas a meme is not necessarily. > > Hate the word all you want, it expresses its meaning succinctly and it’s here to stay. No it is not. Go back and reread Cecil’s column on it. He does a pretty good summation. Hi Opal is an inside joke. All that use it are in on the joke. Those that aren’t wind up asking about it. Over and over. It will never spread outside of a small community that is in on the joke. It has not taken on a life of its own. It is not spread the same way genes are spread. A meme can be a joke or a catch phrase. But that does not mean that all jokes and catch phrases are memes. The word meme expresses the meaning of Dawkins theory well. It should, he made it up. I happen to think his theory is 50% truth and 50% bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/88 "2009-02-18T13:23:20Z")
In an effort to steer us back on topic, (or at least the original intent of the topic); I’m going to throw another one out there: The idea (oft-repeated on these boards) that retail workers in crappy jobs who are regularly abused by customers should “Just quit” if they don’t like their jobs, should IMHO, be hustled into a car with tinted windows and Ministry of the Interior licence plates by men in suits and sunglasses. Some of the posters on these boards are lucky enough to have jobs where they get on with their co-workers and boss, get to surf the internet all day, get paid well, have a generous bonus scheme, and generally like their jobs. And some of us work in retail. In a perfect world (Like this mythical Doperi-La we hear so much about on the boards), the JobFather or the Employment Fairy would allocate jobs to people based on what they’d like to do, none of us would ever have to deal with the general public (unless we felt like it), and our Butlers would be driving us to work in our “weekday” Bentleys so that the paint on our Ferrari wouldn’t fade from being out in the sun during the commute. But we don’t live in Doperi-La, we live in the real world, and in reality lots of us have to work in shitty jobs where we cop more flak than RAF Bomber Command and the US 8th Air Force combined _because they’re the only jobs available_. So, the next time someone posts a rant about the unreasonable fucktardery of customers, the correct response is _not_ “If you don’t like it, quit!” I’m sure they’ve thought of that already. It’s not always an option. And even if it is, whatever job they manage to get after quitting may not be an improvement. Someone’s kitty gets a hurt paw and it’s hugs all around here; a retail worker posts about how they nearly lost their job because they followed a company policy & a customer complained about it, and it’s “Fuck you, get another job if you don’t like it!” The staggering lack of compassion these boards have for retail workers just boggles the mind, IMHO. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/89 "2009-02-18T14:49:27Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > The idea (oft-repeated on these boards) that retail workers in crappy jobs who are regularly abused by customers should “Just quit” if they don’t like their jobs, should IMHO, be hustled into a car with tinted windows and Ministry of the Interior licence plates by men in suits and sunglasses. […] > Someone’s kitty gets a hurt paw and it’s hugs all around here; a retail worker posts about how they nearly lost their job because they followed a company policy & a customer complained about it, and it’s “Fuck you, get another job if you don’t like it!” The staggering lack of compassion these boards have for retail workers just boggles the mind, IMHO. 😕 It’s a USAian thing; get used to it. We _do_ still run the world, you know. Till someone else cold-dead-hands us, the rest of you are just gonna have to tolerate our uneasy relationship with the contradictions of capitalism. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/90 "2009-02-18T15:01:57Z")
> [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I notice this too. If you want to tell a racist joke, just tell it. Okay. I heard the other day that Ritz is now the “Official Cracker of NASCAR.” Funny, I thought that was still Richard Petty. Sad thing is, it’s true. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/91 "2009-02-18T15:32:37Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Not limited to the SDMB, but: the infuriatingly persistent idea that Tesco / Walmart are taking over the world, and the demise of local shops is a bad thing. The idea is ridiculous on two fronts: > > a) It’s harder to imagine a more competitive market than the grocery market. Everybody in the UK can name at least ten national supermarket chains, and loads of other smaller or regional retailers. Competition is cut-throat. > > b) As somebody who grew up in a village and was served by local shops, take my word for it: it’s shit. You do **not** want to be served by small, local shops: no choice, high prices, bad customer service and attempts at price fixing/market distortion. Local shops are dieing in droves because they are shit, not because Tesco is forcing them out. People have had enough of their bullshit and vote with their wallet. Walmart has better customer service than what it replaced? That’s not true in my experience. Walmart is cheaper and bigger. Period. And its cheapness comes at the price of destroying good American jobs and replacing them with crappy Walmart jobs. What’s the benefit of getting a cheap Walmart when the result is less overall income? Around here, Walmart does not compete primarily with groceries/supermarkets anyway. It competes with everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Roland\_Orzabal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c2a13f/32.png) [@Roland\_Orzabal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roland_Orzabal)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/92 "2009-02-18T16:40:35Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > This +1. Leave it to people like the OP to try to suck the fun out of damn-near everything. Don’t like a meme? Don’t use it. Don’t like that I use it? Bite me. Okay, memes, sure, I’m with you. Or, more accurately, I’m indifferent. But what about the :rolleyes: smiley? Can I still hate that? ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/93 "2009-02-18T16:52:59Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Okay. > > I heard the other day that Ritz is now the “Official Cracker of NASCAR.” Funny, I thought that was still Richard Petty. > > Sad thing is, it’s true. No it’s Earl Jr.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/94 "2009-02-18T17:02:23Z")
> [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](#): > > I don’t think the word meme is particular to the SDMB. I’m not sure why you’d want to do away with it though, it’s a very useful word. > > SDMB Words And Phrases That Are Passed On, Which People Always Say, is a bit of a mouthful. In any case, I don’t think many of the things people have complained about above are really memes (such as “+1,” etc.). I think they’re better classified as posting practices. I think of a meme as an idea or proposition, like the fast-food worker thing. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/95 "2009-02-18T18:00:59Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > Okay, memes, sure, I’m with you. Or, more accurately, I’m indifferent. But what about the :rolleyes: smiley? Can I still hate that? Hate away on that sucker. I’m right with you there. It’s misused at best, and promotes the decline of civilized insult and rancor at worst. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/96 "2009-02-18T18:31:12Z")
Most of these I don’t mind, but the “I win this thread” always seemed pretty moronic to me. ---
**Author:** ![dactylic\_hexameter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d26b3c/32.png) [@dactylic\_hexameter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dactylic_hexameter)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/97 "2009-02-18T19:38:03Z")
I’m generally in favor. However, the word “Asplode” makes my head well, implode, or explode, or displode. Three perfectly legitimate words instead of a fake word that’s only funny when a three year old uses it. (and yes, I understand that it’s from HomeStar Runner. that still doesn’t make it funny) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/98 "2009-02-18T20:18:05Z")
> [@carlotta](#): > > [setting aside the argument about whether “meme” is just a synonym for “idea”] > > One point that it may just be more fun. I, for one, am going to find it immensely fun to talk about being blissfully jurango from now on. > > jurango jurango jurango! Wasn’t that Counselor Troi’s character in the “Fist Full of Datas” episode? Personally, I kinda like “Hi, Opal”. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/99 "2009-02-18T20:47:27Z")
> [@Roland\_Orzabal](#): > > The :rolleyes: smiley must _DIE_. :rolleyes: > [@](#): > > Message board posters in general are sufficiently skilled at conveying the message “I am being a smug, self-superior jackhole” without the added benefit of a visual aid. Since the first day I joined these boards, I have loathed that thing with every fiber of my being that I can bring myself to dedicate to loathing a vBulletin smiley, which is not that many fibers all told, but the point still stands. > > Kill it. Kill it now. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes: > [@Nzinga\_Seated](#): > > I admit that the smilies are a bit annoying. But I won’t disable smilies because sometimes the one with the three question marks cracks me up. When a poster uses it _just right._ 😕 And how is the “just right” way? I must have a high meme tolerance compared to some of y’all. I even like… 1. Buckeyes! ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095/100 "2009-02-18T21:37:13Z")
All this talk of killing off the memes is just de-meme-ing! Without memes, you could not quote Beeker, the lab assistant at Muppet Labs. Without a meme, the gal who dies in _La Boheme_ would be nameless! Sticks and stones can break m… Hey! OW! But memes can never hurt me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sdmb-memes-you-wouldnt-mind-dying-a-quick-and-quiet-death/486095.md?page=6)