# Shoe Polish
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports
**Created:** [April 24, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730 "2000-04-24T18:05:00Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Rocket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocket)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/1 "2000-04-25T05:10:00Z")
So, does Chief Scott polish his shoes annually, or daily?
I vote for daily.
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### Author:  [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/2 "2000-04-25T05:14:00Z")
My understanding is that Chief Scott is an officer in the US Navy.
Tinker
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### Author:  [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2000, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/3 "2000-04-24T18:05:00Z")
[Why is there a hole in the lid of some Kiwi shoe polish cans? (24-Apr-2000)](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mkiwi.html)
I applaud ChiefScott’s efforts. Indeed, for most of these questions, there is someone, somewhere, who knows the answer, the trick is finding that one person. Kudos to our fellow SDMB member for his persistance!
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2000, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/4 "2000-04-24T20:00:00Z")
Yes, and I’d like to thank Chief Scott not merely for pursuing his curiousity, but for being kind enough to write it up as a guest contributor the Mailbag… preserving his relentless pursuit of Truth for all time and all posterity.
And thanks, Arnold, for posting the link.
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### Author:  [@waterj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waterj2)
#### Post date: [April 24, 2000, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/5 "2000-04-24T22:34:00Z")
I’m going out on a limb here, but something tells me that ChiefScott is a chief petty officer (aka chief) in the Navy, rather than an officer. The chiefs are the senior enlisted who actually run everything. The officers, ummm, well they, uhhh… I’m sure they have some sort of purpose. I believe Tom Clancy once commented that the US Navy is the only military service that could function without its officers. Perhaps a bit of hyperbole, but there is certainly a grain of truth to it.
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“It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest.” - Adam Smith
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### Author:  [@Thirsty4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thirsty4)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/6 "2000-04-25T13:00:00Z")
Way to go Chief Scott! You had the tenancity to find the answer to your own question.
Thanks Dex for getting the SD to publish a mailbag article on this. I remember when reading the orginal thread on the issue that Chief Scott was a shining example of the Straight Dope spirit.
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“You CAN’T be evil. 'Cos no matter how many ‘bad’ things you do on purpose,
you MUST be doing it because you think it’s the right thing to do.”
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### Author:  [@Tinker\_Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tinker_Grey)
#### Post date: [April 25, 2000, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/7 "2000-04-25T15:39:00Z")
water2j:
Thanks for the correction. I don’t know much about the military. I just wanted to give Rocket a plausible reason that the Chief might have an interest in the topic.
## Tinker
Always learning …
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### Author:  [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2000, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/8 "2000-04-26T05:36:00Z")
Yes, I’m a chief petty officer; tenacious; and obsessed with weird things.
I’m glad you liked the article.
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### Author:  [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2000, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/9 "2000-04-26T14:56:00Z")
It makes sense that a petty person could be concerned with that kind of trivia, like holes in shoe polish lids.
If it were chief petting officer, what a difference that would make!
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### Author:  [@ChiefScott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChiefScott)
#### Post date: [April 26, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shoe-polish/1730/10 "2000-04-26T16:10:00Z")
Now you’re talking about one of my hobbies…
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Guest contributor
Straight Dope Science Advisory Board