I feel stupid here and it’s a great feeling. Way better than the common alternative.
Yes, I know. We all do.
What this old cornholer said.* 
The first step to learning is admitting that you don’t know something. Of course there are things you don’t know - no one can know everything. You can learn A LOT here, if you stick around and keep an open mind.
*That’s an April Fool’s term of endearment - I hope it isn’t over the line. It isn’t intended to be.
I feel like if you’re not getting corn-holed [pitted] on a weekly basis, you must be doing something right.
I remember it was super intimidating the first time I posted to these boards (and I used to lurk for about a year or two before I even made my first post here). But it gets better, and these people all end up becoming more and more familiar overtime… until you just find yourself sucked in and identifying yourself one day as a Doper.
And before you know it, a few years will pass, and another fellow will be posting your initial exact same sentiments and you’ll just smile knowingly… and offer him the room with the squid tentacles.
Not dumb, necessarily, but it does make me feel like I am pretty terrible at expressing my thoughts and opinions.
If you think it’s bad now you should peruse a few Pit threads from the early 2000s and before. The Pit used to be where we were supposed to question actions by the staff regarding our threads, and there was a strong tendency by some people to jump in and flame the OP for even asking.
I’ve learned to embrace my inner moron. And still, I just can’t seem to squeeze the living breath out it.
It has lovely petechiae eyes though.
Naw, Remember, the ones that beat you up the most, often are the one’s living in Mom’s basement. The pedants just like to hear their own heads rattle.
We all have something to offer. Never let them win.
Well I jumped in fast and hard–I am quite active and was home on bedrest last weekend so I came here and acted up. I admit that was wrong of me; you caught the wrath of what someone who was supposed to run 25/10 miles on sat/sun looked like when unable to do so. Sorry.
I truly did not intend for this to become a pity party. But thank you all for the support and feedback and capturing what it is I experience.
I also am hesitant to dive into areas of my own expertise. I’m a physician, and I used to be an oceanographer. I try not to discuss medical issues for a number of reasons, including the fact that Qadgop is usually already on it, and that medical advice is intrinsically dangerous. In fact, there’s a thread now on my specialty that I’ve not posted in, and probably won’t.
As a result, I stick to diatoms. Not that many diatom threads out there. When there is, I’m ready.
I feel like all the experts who post here (*real *doctors and lawyers and nurses and scientists and entrepreneurs and parents) motivate me to attain a higher level of coherence and intelligence in my own posts. So yes, I have a minor inferiority complex depending on the subforum I’m reading, but it’s ok.
Oceanographer, cool! Then you can appreciate this scene: three days ago, in the car with my wife, and on NPR they’re interviewing the guy who went to the Challenger Deep in 1960, and the guy who just accompanied James Cameron for the recent return visit.
And I’m waiting for it … A few questions and answers go by … waiting … waiting …
Yes! The man himself finally utters those fateful words, “20 minutes”. I let out a whoop. My wife looks at me like I’m nuts.
Anyway…good thread, this. Thanks to the OP for initiating a nice little reflection on why we love this place. I especially liked someone’s observation that hanging out here you realize you’re not as well-informed or prepared for certain professional work as you might have imagined yourself to be, and so you needn’t be so hard on yourself for having failed to reach a certain level of fame or fortune ( or for having chosen a different path than you once considered ).
And then you move in for the krill.
And that’s my usual contribution. Bad jokes.
You guys just know too much and explain it too well.
On the contrary! This board only confirms my humble intuition that I am a paragon of sparkling wit and wisdom. While in real life my splendiferous alacrity is oftimes thwarted by the intractable obstinance of your average uneducated bumpkin, here you simpletons have collectively scrabbled together enough intelligence to be appreciative of the awesomeness that is me. Oh, it would be inconceivable for me to be any less brilliant. My pearls of insight drop copiously from my lips as corn blossoms on the cob. I do not sweat; I irradiate nuggets of wisdom for the teeming millions to sop up with a sponge. My arrival was heralded here by a star shaped like Cecil’s birth mark, and I certainly, absolutely did not have any issues soon afterwards.
But thank you for asking.
I didn’t feel stupid until I read this thread, full of smart posters saying this board makes them feel dumb. Now I’m paranoid I’ve been making a fool out of myself all these years… although I’ve rarely been called on that, so maybe not?
What?
Him happy here.
Thanks!
…the Straight Dope makes me feel stupid.
Why do you care if you win the acceptance of world wide strangers? So what if they like you or not? Not everybody is ever going to like everyone, that’s just how it is.
You’ve been really thin-skinned here, maybe owing to your being sick last week; who knows? From your first threads, you’ve taken huge offense when people playfully ribbed you, insulting them all out of proportion for what they said, almost like you were looking to be offended, and then even pitting Frank for responding to you. This is just an online forum. Your self-worth really shouldn’t be tied up in whether you think people here like you or not. I personally really enjoyed your threads about your neighbor, but you completely derailed it with your attacks against people you thought were attacking you. So first you had trouble because people were supposedly picking on you, and now you are complaining that everyone makes you feel stupid. Just lighten up and enjoy yourself, don’t take offense where none is intended, and you’ll be fine. If you obsess over who “dislikes” you, you will end up miserable.
So what’s your crazy neighbor been up to?
I like this thread. It has brought out a lot.
I think there is a learning curve to being a regular. When you first start in you think you are smart and start weighing in on everything. Not a good idea. That’s when you get humiliated by people that are much more well versed on specific topics.
Then you start with you opinions. That really sets you up for flames.
Then you start to fight. That will get you warned. If you don’t assess yourself, you might get banned.
Then you start to get it. Pick your fights. Contribute what you can but don’t be shy. If you have something to contribute then do it.
One of the smartest persons I have ever known was a guy with a PhD in theoretical physics. As smart as he was, he was the type of person that approached people with the notion that he could learn something from them. It was amazing. That’s how you should approach this board because it is mostly a collection of very intelligent people. You will soon figure out the pretenders.
We can all learn from each other. That’s the amazing thing about this board. There is such a wealth of knowledge that gets traded for no other reason than you signed in.
Also, if it’s your opinion state it as such. If you are not sure, let it be known. Ask questions. If you have been proven wrong stand corrected. Try to make sure your humor is obvious. Don’t be vicious, this is a message board, not a dog fight. Try not to post really late at night or when you are drunk. It’s not always bad but sometimes it doesn’t end well. Develop a thick skin. You need it but if you are reasonable you will find that you will get support.
Sometimes take a break. Don’t think that you have to keep up on everything, every day that goes on here. Don’t make it your life’s work. So you disappear for a week or two, no harm in that.
I’ve skated on the edge. I’ve been warned more than once. I hope I’ve learned something. I’m trying to be a good citizen but it’s taken some experience.
I have learned so much by just participating on this board I consider it a valuable educational experience.