# Sort of a serious question. This has been bothering me for a while... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2011, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855 "2011-07-04T23:17:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/21 "2011-07-05T14:01:33Z")
If it’s not in you to speak up directly to them, enough to turn them from this scheme,( and you’re clearly not, or you would have before now), then I would send a couple of anonymous letters to ticket purchasers and stand back and watch their scheme unravel. They won’t get into any trouble, as they are still in a position to reverse the wrong by returning the ticket price, I believe. The letter should be carefully worded to indicate that your Mom’s illness has produced a change of character in her, so people will be somewhat understanding and forgiving, while refusing to participate. Easy Peasy, problem solved. ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/22 "2011-07-05T22:52:55Z")
Come on! Like the OP is going to call the police on her mother and sister or something like that. Personally, I would only tell mom/sis how wrong their scheme is, and refuse to attend. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/23 "2011-07-08T15:11:33Z")
This dinner is scheduled for tomorrow. Any update, **stint**? Is it still happening? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/24 "2011-07-08T15:17:03Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > _cough_ > > what’s an elimination dinner? > > Sorry, Google and wikipedia are being completely useless on this. _cough_ +1. What the holy hell does that even _mean_? Is it a regionalism I’m unfamiliar with? Who or what is being eliminated? It sounds so … ominous. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/25 "2011-07-08T15:43:31Z")
I took it to mean elimination of debt, but that was just a WAG. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/26 "2011-07-08T16:04:50Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > _cough_ > > what’s an elimination dinner? > > Sorry, Google and wikipedia are being completely useless on this. > [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > _cough_ > > +1. What the holy hell does that even _mean_? Is it a regionalism I’m unfamiliar with? Who or what is being eliminated? It sounds so … ominous. It’s a fundraiser to try to raise funds to hire a big burly man to punch you in the stomach when you are constipated to help you start to eliminate again. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/27 "2011-07-08T16:24:23Z")
I’d never heard the term elimination dinner until this thread but I figured it had to do with eliminating someone’s medical bills. So stint – update us already! ---
**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:** [July 8, 2011, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/28 "2011-07-08T17:52:50Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > It’s a fundraiser to try to raise funds to hire a big burly man to punch you in the stomach when you are constipated to help you start to eliminate again. Heh - now you’ve got me thinking of alternative elimination dinners - some nice stewed prunes, sprinkled with bran, maybe a bunch of fresh fruit. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/29 "2011-07-08T18:17:03Z")
Thanks for the shout out, **Cat Whisperer**. I actually ran across this just surfing, but it is always fun to see your name. 🙂 A client of mine who had brain surgery really liked Brain Storms. > **[Brain Storms: Surviving Catastrophic Illness: Les Duncan: 9781604622232:...](https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Storms-Surviving-Catastrophic-Illness/dp/1604622237)** > > Brain Storms: Surviving Catastrophic Illness \[Les Duncan\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Brain Storms: Surviving Catastrophic Illness Looking for Brain Storms, I found this: My Story: My Life after Brain Aneurysm. It looks like it might be helpful. > **[My Story: My Life After Brain Aneurysm: Shinn, Teodora, Shinn, Paul R.:...](https://www.amazon.com/My-Story-After-Brain-Aneurysm/dp/1449547621)** > > My Story: My Life After Brain Aneurysm \[Shinn, Teodora, Shinn, Paul R.\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. My Story: My Life After Brain Aneurysm ---
**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:** [July 8, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/30 "2011-07-08T18:27:14Z")
It sounds like those books would be a lot more useful for **stint’s** mom than having a fraudulent dinner. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/31 "2011-07-10T12:12:38Z")
Still wondering what ended up happening. ---
**Author:** ![lorene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@lorene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lorene)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/32 "2011-07-10T14:55:22Z")
Me, too. Looks like the OP hasn’t been on since 7/6/11, so hopefully he’ll come back soon. ---
**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:** [July 10, 2011, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/33 "2011-07-10T17:22:52Z")
Yeah, this is a thread where I would \*really \* like an update. ---
**Author:** ![AntiCoyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a587f6/32.png) [@AntiCoyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntiCoyote)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855/34 "2011-07-11T02:58:16Z")
I just want to know where the OP lives, sounds like a nice hospital to write off the costs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sort-of-a-serious-question-this-has-been-bothering-me-for-a-while/587855.md?page=1)