# To the Comedians who troll the Great Debates forum. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 16, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511 "2005-06-16T08:21:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/1 "2005-06-16T08:21:25Z")
Stop it. If you don’t have anything to add to the debate, why bother? Your lame ass comments usually just hijack a thread and/or discourage any real discussion. Example [This Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321362) I’m impartial to the subject matter or the OP. However, it serves as a great example how misplaced attempts at humor have limited a thread’s potential. Don’t you have a spouse/sibling/cat to deliver your one line zingers to? Good greif. ---
**Author:** ![straight\_man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/straight_man/32/3027_2.png) [@straight\_man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/straight_man)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/2 "2005-06-16T08:25:06Z")
Naw, that’s what I love about this board. They’re willing to debate the nitty-gritties and get intense about any topic whatsoever, [accent=midwest] but give ‘em a change to make a joke, and there ain’t nothing stoppin’ 'em notime.[/accent] ---
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/3 "2005-06-16T08:43:56Z")
> [@eustachian≠fallopian](#): > > Naw, that’s what I love about this board. They’re willing to debate the nitty-gritties and get intense about any topic whatsoever, [accent=midwest] but give ‘em a change to make a joke, and there ain’t nothing stoppin’ 'em notime.[/accent] Seriously? You enjoy that in Great Debates? I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a serious discussion with a friend/co-worker I find anything that makes light of the situation to be a distraction. I’m not uptight, but if i’m talking fiscal earnings I will be quite upset should one decide to randomly interject a humorous anectdote. Scribe our conversation, and the unfortunate reader will have to sift through said hubris to gain any insight. The Great Debate forum is crawling with would-be comedians. To them I say: leave the talking to those who have substance to add. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/4 "2005-06-16T08:48:52Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > The Great Debate forum is crawling with would-be comedians. To them I say: leave the talking to those who have substance to add. So the obstinate pricks and dogmatists aren’t a problem, but the people who make jokes are? ---
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/5 "2005-06-16T08:51:57Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > So the obstinate pricks and dogmatists aren’t a problem, but the people who make jokes are? Haha! You said prick! ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/6 "2005-06-16T08:55:38Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Haha! You said prick! Look, I know where you’re coming from, but I think it’s nice that the tone in GD is not always one of constant seriousness. Also, you’re being stupid and these people can be funny. 😛 None of the other forums are serious all the time, so I don’t see why GD should be. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Is\_Schwa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8baadc/32.png) [@What\_Is\_Schwa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Is_Schwa)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/7 "2005-06-16T09:00:54Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Look, I know where you’re coming from, but I think it’s nice that the tone in GD is not always one of constant seriousness. Also, you’re being stupid and these people can be funny. 😛 None of the other forums are serious all the time, so I don’t see why GD should be. \ Isn’t all humor based on absurdity? I appreciate your insult, makes this feel more pit like. Unfortunately I wasn’t making a joke, rather giving you an example of how annoying a random interjection can be to a serious discussion. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/8 "2005-06-16T10:00:58Z")
Huh. Well, the OP seemed to think it was funny, so why should we care if _you_ don’t? heh, ming the merciless… I slay me. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 10:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/9 "2005-06-16T10:05:03Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > \ Isn’t all humor based on absurdity? I appreciate your insult, makes this feel more pit like. > > Unfortunately I wasn’t making a joke, rather giving you an example of how annoying a random interjection can be to a serious discussion. [Sgt Hulka] “Lighten up, Arthur…” [/Sgt Hulka] In the **OP** , the posters weren’t making “random interjections”; they were riffing on a typo in the thread title. Good times, my friend, good times. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/10 "2005-06-16T10:15:43Z")
As a general rule, I try not to make attempts at humour until the point of the thread (if there is one) has been seriously addressed, but an opportunity like that one would have been an exception - too good to pass up - I just wish I’d been there in time. Sigh. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/11 "2005-06-16T11:05:44Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Stop it. > > If you don’t have anything to add to the debate, why bother? Your lame ass comments usually just hijack a thread and/or discourage any real discussion. > > Example [This Thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=321362) > > I’m impartial to the subject matter or the OP. However, it serves as a great example how misplaced attempts at humor have limited a thread’s potential. Don’t you have a spouse/sibling/cat to deliver your one line zingers to? > > Good greif. There doesn’t seem to be much potential in this thread. Personally I like the varying nature of the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Hamadryad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6de8d8/32.png) [@Hamadryad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamadryad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/12 "2005-06-16T11:49:51Z")
> [@bizzwire](#): > > [Sgt Hulka] > “Lighten up, Arthur…” > [/Sgt Hulka] “Lighten up, **Francis**.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/13 "2005-06-16T11:58:47Z")
Mrs. Evil Captor cracked up over “Ming-bling.” If I have something serious to contribute, I’ll contribute, but really, you can’t go posting threads with titles like “Is ming the only intrinsic good” and not expect a few drive-by jokes. ---
**Author:** ![bizzwire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@bizzwire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bizzwire)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/14 "2005-06-16T12:27:08Z")
> [@Hamadryad](#): > > “Lighten up, **Francis**.” > > 😃 :smack: I are so stoopid. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/15 "2005-06-16T13:37:18Z")
Christ-a-mighty. Your complaint comes a mere six hours after that thread was started. And had garnered but five responses (One of them by a mod noting that he’d fixed the misspelling in the title) all of them in the middle of the damned night where most of our posters are. That thread wasn’t derailed by the jokes; it simply hasn’t had enough time to really get underway. Give it some time. If people find the topic compelling enough, the thread will gather momentum. > [@](#): > > I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a serious discussion with a friend/co-worker I find anything that makes light of the situation to be a distraction. I’m not uptight, but if i’m talking fiscal earnings I will be quite upset should one decide to randomly interject a humorous anectdote. Not uptight but someone interjecting with a joke is “quite upsetting?” I beg to differ. That’s the very epitome of uptight. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/16 "2005-06-16T13:47:15Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Seriously? You enjoy that in Great Debates? I don’t know about you, but when I’m having a serious discussion with a friend/co-worker I find anything that makes light of the situation to be a distraction. I’m not uptight, but if i’m talking fiscal earnings I will be quite upset should one decide to randomly interject a humorous anectdote. Scribe our conversation, and the unfortunate reader will have to sift through said hubris to gain any insight. > > The Great Debate forum is crawling with would-be comedians. To them I say: leave the talking to those who have substance to add. It’s called “Great Debates”. Not “Serious Discussions, No Smiling or Laughing Allowed”. There are many topics in the world of topics that should be hands-off for levity. But fiscal earnings is not one of them, IMHO. You can’t expect anything to be serious when you’re posting on a message board. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/17 "2005-06-16T13:58:16Z")
What if it’s a debate about jokes? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/18 "2005-06-16T14:05:40Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Unfortunately I wasn’t making a joke, rather giving you an example of how annoying a random interjection can be to a serious discussion. I knew exactly what you were doing and responded accordingly. You don’t honestly think that was too clever for me, do you? 😉 > [@monstro](#): > > It’s called “Great Debates”. Not “Serious Discussions, No Smiling or Laughing Allowed”. What he said. **lekatt** hangs out there, for crying out loud. Humor is a necessity in there. ---
**Author:** ![Uvula\_Donor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e19adc/32.png) [@Uvula\_Donor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uvula_Donor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/19 "2005-06-16T14:09:43Z")
> [@What Is Schwa](#): > > Don’t you have a spouse/sibling/cat to deliver your one line zingers to? Don’t you have a ramrod to pull out of your ass? [Or are you just in a pissy mood because you’re sleeping on the couch?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=316749) ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2005, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511/20 "2005-06-16T14:20:36Z")
Ummm, Schwa. Have you ever read [Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/)? I mean, like, really _read_ Cecil? Cause, as it turns out, he’s a pretty big fan of humor. Depending on your level of reading comprehension. Even when he takes on the weightiest of issues. And it turns out, this message board? Ya know, this one? Right here? The one you’re reading? Well, it turns out that this message board grew out of a community that enjoyed his columns. Just a little backgound. To help you out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/to-the-comedians-who-troll-the-great-debates-forum/308511.md?page=2)