Can we include a section on who OG is and why we must all fear OG? I tried searching for OG because I wanted to make reference to a previous thread, but OG is too short a word for the search engine. If we include the First Book Of OG (ok, the first thread or two about OG) in the FAQ, it would help as well as amuse.
At one time, I seem to recall, there was an effort to create an informal “newbie FAQ” thread that would live in MPSIMS or someplace, and would explain Og, Hi Opal, Gotcha Ya, bolding usernames, and all the other little quirks and behaviors that set the SDMB apart. I don’t have a link, but I vaguely recall that it got up to five pages and turned into a flirtfest, or otherwise got sidetracked, and turned out to be not particularly useful.
(There were, and probably still are, also naysayers who argued that the whole point of a board culture is something you have to dive into and figure out for yourself, and a FAQ that sets everything about reduces the fun of the board. Of course, the frequency with which newbies ask about Og reduces the fun of the board, too. The point is, there are different views on this.)
I agree the need is there, and some attempts have been made, but none have really panned out, for various reasons.
Hey, yeah . . . what is the history of Og? And what’s “Gotcha Ya” all about anyway?
I suspect Excalibre that you are simply being humorously sarcastic, but for the other readers who truly don’t know, here is the story of Og and Gotcha Ya.
OG is the third SDMB deity (behind Cecil and the Invisible Pink Unicorn). The popular phrase “Og Smash” was first used by racinchikki (cite) in response to a poster named SeaHawk, who found it “disturbing that an adult inteligent person can believe that Jesus is the son og god - and I find it even more disturbing when a person believe that Jesus is the only way to god.” (quoted text by SeaHawk)
“The person in question was a troll and the misspelled (misspelt?) phrase was “Son og god”, where of had been intended; this afforded a rather precious opportunity for much ridicule and hilarity.” (quoted text by Mangetout)
“As I understand it, there were references to “Og smash!” floating around on the Internet before that; the coincidental typo just served to firmly establish it on these boards.” (quoted text by Chronos)
Here’s the full original Son og God thread.
Gotcha ya is a phrase used by Wildest Bill in a 2001 in a thread describing his plans for his funeral. He used it inadvertently when he intended a simple “gotcha”, but the silly sounding redundant phrase spread like wildfire through the SDMB community, due to, in my opinion, Eve’s hilarious riposte in the thread (which befittingly has been resurrected more than once). Regrettably, “gotcha ya” is not a SDMB invention. A Google search will turn up hundreds of references, with cites pre-dating Wildest Bill’s use.
But figuring that stuff out is half the fun! I won’t avert my eyes from an explanation if one is offered (I’d made up my very own story of “og”…who knew!), but I think that having everything explained in one place would be kind of, well, boring. 
This thread, the tenets of og. was a bit of fun which offers some insights into the diety called og.
Excellent link laina_f! I’m sorry I missed out on that bit of fun.
Been waiting for a good excuse to post this…
Psalms 136:20
“and Og, King of Bashan…”
Apparently God killed him. What does Og say to this ridiculous statement?
“Gotcha ya–Og smash!”
Yes I have no life leaves
Og, king of Bashing?
My understanding on the matter, if it came from anywhere other than my own nether orifices, would have come from someone else on the board. If the same search technique that turned up me saying that nonetheless failed to turn up an equivalent prior quote from some other Doper, then it is safe to conclude that I did, in fact, extract that understanding from said nether orifice.
A web search for “Og Smash” in English turns up 60-some hits, but I can’t find any solid evidence that any of those precede the SDMB, and for some, there’s a definite connection. The second hit, for instance, is in a story written by some fellow named iampunha.
Here’s an example on Usenet from 1997:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=E4429v.IuJ%40nonexistent.com&output=gplain
Or 1998:
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=6h2hfg%24kvl%241%40nnrp2.dejanews.com&output=gplain
Do we know of any Straight Dope related uses before 1997?
Well Chronos, it appears that Berkut has demonstrated that you did not extract the belief of pre-SDMB usage of Og Smash from your nether orifice*.
I didn’t mean to imply by my first post that you were providing a definitive conclusion. Your quote was properly vague. I happened to run across your statement while researching the history of Og some time back, and I felt it was interesting enough to repeat.
- I am a bit disconcerted about your use of the plural form of orifice in your post – is there something you’d like to share with the rest of us?
Hmmm. I don’t think even the AOL version of this message board was around in 1977. One of the old-timers will have to clarify this.
It’s really weird reading that because “precious opportunity” just doesn’t sound like something I’d say (although is is clear that I did say it).
Interesting. I had included your quote Mangetout precisely because your turn-of-phrase was so pleasing to my ear when I came across it.
After some reflection, I hope that neither you nor Chronos are offended or uncomfortable in any way about being quoted. I intended only a simple tip-of-the-hat in recognition (so to speak).
Just because a usage was around earlier, doesn’t mean that the SDMB borrowed from it. I mean, we have the earlier Epic of Gilgamesh, but that doesn’t mean that the biblical author(s) borrowed the story of Noah. Right? Right??? They could have both been stories reflecting a historical reality. Or it could be just coincidence. Right? Agreed?? … [sub]Is anybody listening?[/sub]
Apparently not. 
I can firmly state that my only idea of the concept of “Og” prior to that post was “Hey, that’s kind of like a cave man name.” Og, Ugh, and Ag would be “caveman names,” but I’d never heard of any specific Og before the thread.
I had thought that Og was a gracious and conciliatory gesture by the majority of Dopers (who, as Algernon indicates are atheist) to avoid slamming the object of worship of the minority of Dopers who are Judeo-Islamic-Christian.
Like most male mammals, I have two nether orifices, though one is considerably smaller in cross-section than the other. Well, and also numerous skin pores, but I think those are probably too small to be properly considered orifices.
I know I’m going to regret this, but I’m going to plunge ahead anyway and ask a serious Great Debates type of question. Simply consider this a hijack.
Hypothetically, if I were to say that I worship Cecil, does that actually classify me as an atheist?
Is there a line in the sand? Liberal mentions the Judeo-Islamic-Christian God. What about the people in religions that worship a God, but not the Christian God? Are they considered atheists?