# SmashTheState **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 30, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731 "2009-07-30T01:00:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/81 "2009-07-30T20:17:42Z")
> [@LonesomePolecat](#): > > On the SDMB, none; out in the real world where it actually matters, a good many people. Yet, here you are. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/82 "2009-07-30T20:29:37Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > There are a lot more fiscally conservative, socially liberal Republicans than there are fiscally conservative, socially liberal Democrats. Yeah, that’s why Arlen Specter\* is still a Republican, and Olympia Snow is never named as a possible defector to the Republican party. There are still fiscally conservative, socially liberal Republicans left, but most of them can’t get elected as Republicans anymore. They can move over to the Blue Dogs, who I frankly have high hopes for. A large Democratic majority in Congress could, funnily enough, work to minimize partisan politics as different regions elect their own version of what a Democrat should be. \*His fiscal conservatism (or lack thereof) aside, he’s definitely too socially liberal to be a Republican anymore, which is my point. ---
**Author:** ![ivn1188](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e480ec/32.png) [@ivn1188](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivn1188)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/83 "2009-07-30T20:30:47Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Really, what is the value in a “sincere” response to an asshole telling us all how much we suck? Why should that be dignified with anything but ironic condescension? Maybe you could demonstrate how it is that you don’t suck? Because from where I’m sitting, you suck. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/84 "2009-07-30T20:39:28Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > Maybe you could demonstrate how it is that you don’t suck? Because from where I’m sitting, you suck. See **Binarydrone** , this is what I’m talking about. How am I supposed to respond “sincerely” to this? Get all shouty at him? Try to prove empirically that I don’t suck? What would be the point of that? It’s not like he’s going to suddenly change his mind and tell me I don’t suck after all. Better I write him off as not worth my time, except as a foil for the occasional witty comment. I can deal with him with cynical disengagement, and yet still be passionate and involved over subjects that actually matter. ---
**Author:** ![Binarydrone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3da27b/32.png) [@Binarydrone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Binarydrone)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/85 "2009-07-30T20:46:28Z")
Oh sure, I 100% get that when you are talking about individual posters. The thing is that it really seems to me that there is a large number of posters here that have no other mode than some sort of “cool kid” ironic snark. I believe that every response should be a sincere one. I am not anywhere near to meeting this goal ( as I implied, I have a lot of the cynicism on me. Especially in person) but it is something to which I aspire. ---
**Author:** ![recessiveMeme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/46a35a/32.png) [@recessiveMeme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/recessiveMeme)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/86 "2009-07-30T21:06:35Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Oh sure, I 100% get that when you are talking about individual posters. The thing is that it really seems to me that there is a large number of posters here that have no other mode than some sort of “cool kid” ironic snark. I believe that every response should be a sincere one. I am not anywhere near to meeting this goal ( as I implied, I have a lot of the cynicism on me. Especially in person) but it is something to which I aspire. \ Your belief that posts to this forum should be completely sincere is irrelevant. Your aspirations for your own conduct, commendable or not, are similarly irrelevant. Your desire that communication between strangers on the internet should consistently culminate in meaningful and honest dialogue is unrealistic. Your perceptions of what this place is “for” are your own. Most people can’t be _real_ in meatspace. Many can’t even be so with their closest loved ones. Feel free to lament it. (Your lamentation is also irrelevant) \ ---
**Author:** ![MrSquishy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@MrSquishy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrSquishy)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/87 "2009-07-30T21:15:36Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I think those are venetian blinds, not bars. Uh, I’m pretty sure those are vertical blinds. What? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/88 "2009-07-30T21:37:17Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I think those are venetian blinds, not bars. I have spent most of my life under the impression that Venetian blinds, by definition, are horizontal. Those are vertical. But you’re correct that they are definitely not bars. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/89 "2009-07-30T21:38:53Z")
Meatspace…Irrelevant Lamentation…more band names! This thread is a goldmine! ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/90 "2009-07-30T21:46:28Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Oh sure, I 100% get that when you are talking about individual posters. The thing is that it really seems to me that there is a large number of posters here that have no other mode than some sort of “cool kid” ironic snark. **I believe that every response should be a sincere one.** I am not anywhere near to meeting this goal ( as I implied, I have a lot of the cynicism on me. Especially in person) but it is something to which I aspire. > > **bolding** mine - **kd99** _Every response should be a sincere one?_ How the hell much fun could this place be if that were the case? I can get that (all sincere responses) on Yahoo! Answers. Sure, sincere posts have their value, and not having any at all would make this place worthless, but I come here for my own amusement at least as much as for edification. And I sincerely doubt that I am the only Doper for whom that is a true statement. ---
**Author:** ![Other\_Dreams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Other\_Dreams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Other_Dreams)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/91 "2009-07-30T22:00:15Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Meatspace…Irrelevant Lamentation…more band names! > > This thread is a goldmine! Thread Goldmine - another one! Wait…what? It isn’t? That was actually a really dumb band name? Oh…☹ But speaking sincerely now, I really like “Irrelevant Lamentation”. If I ever create a **Personal Blog** (FEAR IT), that might be its name. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/92 "2009-07-30T22:06:41Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > Oh sure, I 100% get that when you are talking about individual posters. The thing is that it really seems to me that there is a large number of posters here that have no other mode than some sort of “cool kid” ironic snark. I believe that every response should be a sincere one. I am not anywhere near to meeting this goal ( as I implied, I have a lot of the cynicism on me. Especially in person) but it is something to which I aspire. Oh, that’s a _real_ great idea. :rolleyes: No, but seriously, you seem to have directly contradicted yourself in that post. Can you clarify? Are there (in your opinion) times when irreverence and sarcasm are acceptable, or should one always strive to avoid them? Because you seem to be arguing for both positions at once, here. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/93 "2009-07-30T22:07:51Z")
**Personal Blog** sounds like a pretty good bandname, too. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/94 "2009-07-30T22:12:04Z")
> [@ivn1188](#): > > Maybe you could demonstrate how it is that you don’t suck? Because from where I’m sitting, you suck. Better idea: explain to us why anyone should give a rat’s ass what you think about anything at all. See, without a plausible explanation that last sentence you typed there doesn’t seem to have any actual meaning. Really, though, of all the people you might excoriate for suckiness, you decide to take on **Miller**? Sonny, you clearly haven’t a fucking clue what you are talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Harborwolf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Harborwolf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harborwolf)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/95 "2009-07-30T22:27:54Z")
> [@Binarydrone](#): > > This is going to be a little nuanced and probably a little nebulous, so please bear with me. It is something that I have personally struggled with. There is this thing that a lot of the “cool kids” do where they approach life cynically or ironically. In essence, think of the gestalt “vibe” that you get from this message board. There is a lot of sarcasm and detachment in approaching life. It has elements of the film critic and the armchair quarterback. In essence it is an attitude of consuming culture, second guessing everything and above all and at all costs making sure that you can always claim to be just joking or not really taking the position that you seem to be taking. > > I can not make the claim that I contribute a whole lot to life, nor can I say that I am really about anything or even really particularly know a whole lot about what I even like or believe. But I can say that I am attempting to engage with life with sincerity and that I am striving to contribute to life. A lot of what I see around here is people who aren’t even on the journey. So’s your face. ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/96 "2009-07-30T22:32:34Z")
What is it with these “I hate this message board!” posts/OP’s/posters recently? I really don’t get this… I’ve posted on several boards over the years and when I found that I no longer liked one, I left. Can someone explain why they think that most of the people, discussions and the board culture itself all suck, but they hang around anyways? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/97 "2009-07-30T22:38:22Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > What is it with these “I hate this message board!” posts/OP’s/posters recently? > > I really don’t get this… I’ve posted on several boards over the years and when I found that I no longer liked one, I left. Can someone explain why they think that most of the people, discussions and the board culture itself all suck, but they hang around anyways? Because we are DESTROYING SOCIETY and we MUST BE RESISTED. Er, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Wakinyan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wakinyan/32/352_2.png) [@Wakinyan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wakinyan)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/98 "2009-07-30T22:42:10Z")
I agree with a lot of the criticism the so called **Smashy** has aired in the pit, the with a lot of the opinions expressed in the OP. There is certainly a lot of pseudo-intellectualism going on here, with the sort of lupus mentality which often distinguishes these kind of groups, that is that the group tear the individual apart for being different. And different here, is that he or she doesn’t agree on the package of thoughts you’ve more or less consciously have agreed upon, as a group. I personally don’t post in a lot of threads because my thoughts might be outside of the SDMB sandbox, and my experiences would be ridiculed by the pack; there are a couple of threads right now, I would like to share my thoughts in, but I won’t. Sometimes I do, but mostly I don’t bother. I’ve been through this before, I learnt to keep silent. There is really no point to air your out-of-the-sandbox-thoughts, in such a group, whether my thoughts are smart or dumb. But that’s OK. That’s the jargong we have here, and I’m still here just about everyday, because mostly the dopers as a group are great. But fact is, Smashy and OP do have a point. My humble opinion, now tear me apart. Call for the cite you won’t read! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FinnAgain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finnagain/32/12500_2.png) [@FinnAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinnAgain)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/99 "2009-07-30T22:45:45Z")
This complaint is also something I don’t get. It boils down to “there are certain currents of thought here, and if you disagree with the most common viewpoint, you’ll most commonly… _have people disagree with you!!!_” Yes, if you argue something significantly outside the mainstream you’re much more likely to have a large number of Dopers argue with you in various tones of “nuh unh!!” So? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731/100 "2009-07-30T22:50:30Z")
> [@FinnAgain](#): > > What is it with these “I hate this message board!” posts/OP’s/posters recently? > > I really don’t get this… I’ve posted on several boards over the years and when I found that I no longer liked one, I left. Can someone explain why they think that most of the people, discussions and the board culture itself all suck, but they hang around anyways? We used to get a thread like this every month or so, back in the day. They pretty much disappeared after the board went pay to post. I’m surprised it took this long for them to start up again once they opened up free posting again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smashthestate/504731.md?page=6)