# Trying to explain the dope

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 28, 2020, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707 "2020-04-28T03:04:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707/21 "2020-04-29T04:45:08Z")

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My wife and kids know about here because I will sometime talk about threads, but she doesn’t have any interest in it.

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**Author:** ![GoodOldKJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc79bd/32.png) [@GoodOldKJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOldKJ)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707/22 "2020-04-29T14:14:59Z")

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I swear my parents have to be sick of me saying something by starting with “On the dope”. I must mention this place each time I see them.  
My kids understand what it’s about but neither are into message boards.

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**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707/23 "2020-04-29T14:23:25Z")

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I just say, “something I read on the internet”.

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**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707/24 "2020-04-29T14:31:29Z")

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> [@don\_t\_ask](#):
>
> I never mention the dope to anyone in real life except obliquely.  
> One of the young guys will ask, “Which message board?”  
> To which I reply, “Doesn’t matter.”

I also keep it a secret. This place is my little private space, and I don’t need my real-life friends getting too snoopy 'bout me.  
🙂  
So when somebody asks"which message board?" , I answer with a little white lie:  
I say “on reddit.”

Reddit is a huge site\*, so it’s easy to be vague about it and nobody asks nosy questions.

- (and some of its subforums are as good as the Dope–but they’re just too big to be as friendly and personal.)

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**Author:** ![Ashtura](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ashtura/32/2963_2.png) [@Ashtura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashtura)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2020, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-explain-the-dope/852707/25 "2020-04-29T17:25:40Z")

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My wife knows about it. She also knows what a message board and pretty much any other “internet thing” is.

As a matter of fact, this handle is one my wife frequently uses, I kind of stole it from her. I use several handles all over the 'net. Even places that require real names are usually pseudonyms. I suppose if someone who knew me read my posting history they might be able to divine who I am, but I try to keep my usage here on the DL. I’m more likely to get political or whatever here then other places, and I don’t like people to know my politics and other private things IRL.

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