# The thread police - get a life **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 8, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953 "2003-05-08T19:32:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/141 "2003-05-12T17:23:06Z")
Tough choice…I think a Porsche Boxter…but if they weren’t springing for teh extravagant line, I really like those little Mini-Coopers…I was going to buy one but (sigh) the family car died and I had to buy a new SUV instead. If you could have an all expense paid vacation for 1 week to anywhere in the world, where would you go? Oh and PS…I don’t have a dick but if I did, I don’t think that is why I wouldn’t hang it out of my pants, although I do support nudity as a practice as well. ---
**Author:** ![Stephi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Stephi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephi)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/142 "2003-05-12T17:43:07Z")
OK, let’s use a metaphor more suited for a woman. Let’s use walking around topless. It’s legal. (Well, it is here in Ontario. Your local laws may vary.) You’re not hurting anybody. You must have walked around topless many times in the past, right? No? Why not? **Because it’s not a very classy thing to do.** Because you do care about what people think of you. You don’t want to deal with the negative reaction that goes with the action. I know, it’s not a perfect analogy, but it’s the best I could come up with to get my point across. ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/143 "2003-05-12T18:42:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipiace \* > \*\*Tough choice…I think a Porsche Boxter…but if they weren’t springing for teh extravagant line, I really like those little Mini-Coopers…I was going to buy one but (sigh) the family car died and I had to buy a new SUV instead. > > If you could have an all expense paid vacation for 1 week to anywhere in the world, where would you go? > > \*\* How about the new Porsche Cayenne then? * * * A cycling tour of France, one of the trips which retrace sections of that year’s Tour de France. * * * What is your favorite tool or gadget in your kitchen? ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/144 "2003-05-12T19:16:21Z")
> [@](#): > > On a board filled with such intelligent, friendly people, I’ve been amazed at how many posters I once respected and admired have resorted to ‘don’t be suprised if people think…’ as their bottom line argument in this discussion. You are free to agree or disagree with me, but if you stop being who you to get ‘people’ to approve of you, you’re the one that’s pathetic. Count me as one who has “resorted” to ‘don’t be surprised. . .’ and who will continue to “resort”. If you act like a racist asshole because you are _just being yourself_, you’re going to get your ass handed to you. If you act like an incoherent, blabbering idiot because you are _just being yourself_, you are going to be ruthlessly mocked. If you act like an intelligent and rational human being because you are _just being yourself_, you will be respected by most. If you act like a frustrated horn dog because you are _just being yourself_, you are going to have people thinking that you are a pathetic cyber-sex attention whore and beg you to pull up your panties and get your crotch outa our faces… By all means, whomever or whatever you are, just be yourself. However, just don’t expect that there will be no comments when you make “yourself” visible on a public message board. ---
**Author:** ![BottledBlondJeanie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/0ea827/32.png) [@BottledBlondJeanie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BottledBlondJeanie)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2003, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/145 "2003-05-12T22:32:12Z")
I’ll tell you what **hardy** I’ll let you know when I have a problem with being considered an exhibitionist/flirty chick on here and I’ll say you were right the whole time… But, FTR, I’m an attorney, I get intellectual validation EVERY DAMN DAY…I wear Jones New York Suits and behave mostly prim and proper. I can’t be WILD AND CRAZY anymore because I work for a high-profile, conservative firm…I can be wild and crazy here and it’s nice. It’s nice that I can talk about my bisexuality, about the OLDER man I’m dating, about getting a frickin boob job. And guess what, I mostly stay out of the flirt threads…about once every 6 months I pop in with a topic that does scream “LOOK AT ME I’M A HOT CHICK” and I have a brain. Why? I’m a hot chick, but I can’t acknowledge that on a day-to-day basis or it’s a topic that I can’t talk about due to my career. And you know what’s so nice? Bringing the HEY-LOOKIT ME stuff to folks who truly appreciate it…who see the motivation, but whatever, I don’t think a self-aggrandizing thread every 6 months puts me on par w/ Kay Kay. And **Diane** , I actually don’t really see you as being neutral on this one, but here’s an example. You ever ask a friend or SO if your ass looks big in an outfit? It’s that type of deal. I’ve been told that I can be very critical of my body…ridiculously so…so yeah, a truly objective opinion would be nice…it’s not like if someone from here complimented me I’d jump on his/her lap and well…do things to them. Also, it would be nice to hear from anyone who’s gotten it done…also need to know a lot about what potential child birth could do to the girls… ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/146 "2003-05-13T01:37:23Z")
BBJ, there is a difference between gathering information and first hand experiences when having a surgical proceedure done to your body compared to gathering the opinions posted on a message board and going with a majority rules vote. Maybe you didn’t mean it to come across the way that you did, but it certainly appeared to be the latter. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/147 "2003-05-13T01:39:52Z")
What if you act like there is a huge fucking pole up your ass? Will people think that about you? ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/148 "2003-05-13T03:17:20Z")
Ummm, I dunno. That I am a popsicle? ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/149 "2003-05-13T03:18:44Z")
BTW, feel free to have a lick. ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/150 "2003-05-13T03:51:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Diane \* > \*\*Ummm, I dunno. That I am a popsicle? \*\* Dammit, **Diane** , if I see a thread titled “I May Be Quiescently Frozen, But I’m Hot Inside ;)”, I will not only blame you but will fly to your home to fart on your head. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/151 "2003-05-13T10:03:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BottledBlondJeanie \* > But, FTR, I’m an attorney, I get intellectual validation EVERY DAMN DAY… > > about once every 6 months I pop in with a topic that does scream “LOOK AT ME I’M A HOT CHICK” and I have a brain. Why? I’m a hot chick… :dubious: hardygrrl, please accept my sincere apologies. It has come to my attention that BBJ has indeed gone off the deep end with the self aggrandizing. I now agree that the whole boob-job thing was a ploy to dredge the depths for a some base form of attention and to feed the ego of someone already enamored with herself. I’m a bit embarrassed that I could have thought otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/152 "2003-05-13T11:45:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Waverly \* > \*\*:dubious: > hardygrrl, please accept my sincere apologies. It has come to my attention that BBJ has indeed gone off the deep end with the self aggrandizing. I now agree that the whole boob-job thing was a ploy to dredge the depths for a some base form of attention and to feed the ego of someone already enamored with herself. I’m a bit embarrassed that I could have thought otherwise. \*\* No need to apologize, **Waverly**. 🙂 After all, who better to give you an honest opinion of your breasts - a plastic surgeon who trained for years or a bunch of people skilled at one hand typing? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![hardygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a3d4f5/32.png) [@hardygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hardygrrl)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/153 "2003-05-13T11:48:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BottledBlondJeanie \* > \*\* > > But, FTR, I’m an attorney, I get intellectual validation EVERY DAMN DAY…I wear Jones New York Suits and behave mostly prim and proper. I can’t be WILD AND CRAZY anymore because I work for a high-profile, conservative firm…I can be wild and crazy here and it’s nice. It’s nice that I can talk about my bisexuality, about the OLDER man I’m dating, about getting a frickin boob job. > > \*\* Wow. You’re a rebel. :rolleyes: Bet you also run with scissors and lean your chair _way_ back. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/154 "2003-05-13T13:05:04Z")
Popsicle, frozen inside, stick up her ass…yep could be. Lick you? I thought you were nailing others for posting propositions. Hypocrisy at it’s best right here in the pit. Sounds like you would fit right into the Spit & Swallow Pub. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/155 "2003-05-13T13:06:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hardygrrl \* > \*\*Wow. You’re a rebel. :rolleyes: Bet you also run with scissors and lean your chair _way_ back. \*\* Hey, I run with scissors! But I’ll try and lean my chair waaaay back and see what happens. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/156 "2003-05-13T13:11:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by hopefool \* > \*\*Gee, even as a newbie I can see both sides of this fence. > > On the one hand, I can appreciate and acknowledge “flirt” threads for what they are. Even sexually themed threads that seem to degenerate to nothing but flirting. If I’m interested in the subject matter, I’ll read to the point where the fun begins and then I’ll click off that and on to some other topic. If that’s all the thread is, I usually tend to ignore them. > > However, I have upon occasion or two, participated with friends on various boards in this kind of thing. I don’t think (hope) that it ever went overboard, but I’m sure that someone, somewhere, didn’t like it or think that the exclusivity of it was appropriate or the content pertinent. Unfortunately though, IME (albeit limited), either the participants didn’t realize/care, thought it was harmless or enjoyed the fact that others might want to join in, seem envious (like “ooooh, see how popular _they_ all are!”) or only wish they could belong, perhaps like some involved had felt in the past. The times this has happened to me, I belonged in the clueless category as it was essentially my first MB and I never thought for a minute that other folks could be disgusted, annoyed or assumed less of our characters. So, maybe in all of the above, there might be something that applies here. > > Now, as to where I am now… I’m always grateful, as previously mentioned, on adequately titled threads. That helps tons. I have read some of the postings in question and I don’t ever recall anyone hijacking a thread that _wasn’t_ about sexish things already. If I’m wrong, someone please correct me. But, as the target of the OP felt, **jarbabyj** and others do have the right to be tired of the sheer poliferation of them. Or at the small amount of “ewww, not again” one might encounter when inadverdently opening up something to read that may be like that when you thought otherwise or going along and hitting that midway through. Kind of throws you off your pace. > > So, I guess my take is more “cutting of slack” all way 'round. You know, as previously suggested, more accurate titles. More skipping it if’n ya ain’t interested. And less assumptions from both camps because I don’t think many people here are prudes -or- desperate. Although I suppose I could be wrong and all insults are necessary. Or is that just a pit requirement? > > Signing off on my armchair psychology. > > You may now return to flashing and moaning with impugnity. \*\* You know I keep saying that. But some people just keep saying what a skeeve I am (funny they KEEP reading though) You have a good attitude. Keep an open mind. I agree about the labeling and I have never hijacked a non-sexual thread and maybe I just haven’t read threads that were hijacked - I’ll concede that. But what you said about being popular…funny I never considered tht because I never thought of any of them as exclusive groups. And you are right I consider it be muey harmless…whatever, every body has the right to their opinion and as far as the insults…did you notice I posted a rather ambiguous remark and someone just assumed I was talking about them. Guess if the shoe fits… ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/157 "2003-05-13T13:18:02Z")
Please don’t fart on my head, Hardy. I worked so hard to get the part just right today. > [@](#): > > about once every 6 months I pop in with a topic that does scream “LOOK AT ME I’M A HOT CHICK” and I have a brain. Why? I’m a hot chick… OMG! BBJ is [Rob Schneider](http://fff.fathom.org/pages/wav/501262.jpg)! > [@](#): > > But Hardy it’s not like I can go around asking my coworkers if I need a boob lift. And as far as friends’ opinions they’ve all weighed in…and how the hell can you expect them to tell me the girls need to be uplifted. So, yes, it’s a damn serious question. I gotta tell ya though Honey, cucumbers won’t lift them permanently. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/158 "2003-05-13T13:34:55Z")
> [@](#): > > Lick you? I thought you were nailing others for posting propositions. Hypocrisy at it’s best right here in the pit. Sounds like you would fit right into the Spit & Swallow Pub. Oh mipiace, you’re so like cute and stuff but dumb as a rock. Maybe I should have said “kiss” my ass instead of “lick” but then you really don’t actually “kiss” popsicles, ya know? Jeeeeezus, isn’t it odd how some things just seem to fly over the heads of the pud pounders and the twat twiddlers. I wonder if there is a correlation there, I just know that I’m just getting kinda tired of having to explain to the impaired. It shouldn’t matter anyway because I take back my licking offer. I am not sure if you have had your shots and I certainly wouldn’t want to catch anything. ---
**Author:** ![kabbes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e99b99/32.png) [@kabbes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kabbes)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/159 "2003-05-13T13:36:23Z")
Here’s a wee comment from someone who’s been in online communities of one form or another for… ooh… 12 or so years now. That may not sound much in IRL time, but I think it’s about 84 years net-time. Attention whores are only popular with other attention whores. This seems like a lot of people when you’re just reading since… well… attention whores post a lot and tend to get attention. So the attention whoring _appears_ to be working. Success! Lots of attention! But when you actually meet up with a larger sample of the community IRL you realise just what a large proportion of them either despise, pity or just plain laugh at the pathos of the attention whores. Just because 20% of readers make up 80% of the posts, doesn’t mean that the other 80% of readers don’t exist. They’re there, they are judging you, they are forming conclusions and **they hate your attention whoring asses**. The 5% of the population that are attention whores all gather in threads like this to back eachother up. They end up blinded by eachothers’ radiance. And so the appearance that the attention whoring is enjoyable, fun and makes them popular remains intact. Now you can do with this information what you wish. I don’t give a fuck. I’ve read too many threads and too many posts in too many different types of online forum for too many years to care. I’ve been every type of poster there is, before “cynical curmudgeon” finally stuck and I will not interfere one jot with what you post. Everybody finds their path in their own way. If you want to carry on being loathed by 80%+ of the population you are attention whoring in front of, go to it my child with open arms and even more open legs. Personally, my eyes don’t even see the flirting posts any more, they automatically scan down. So knock yourselves out. But I thought that you should know. pan ---
**Author:** ![elf6c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c57346/32.png) [@elf6c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elf6c)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953/160 "2003-05-13T13:43:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mipiace \* > \*\*What if you act like there is a huge fucking pole up your ass? Will people think that about you? \*\* Good posture? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-thread-police-get-a-life/173953.md?page=9)