When I have a tightly focused question, as opposed to wanting general information, this is the place I come to ask. This is also the place where I can come and simulataneously be discussing Jane Austen, primogeniture, Barak Obama, the First Amendment, and toilet humor (not usually all in the same thread).
I don’t have any social life for a variety of reasons, and for the most part I don’t miss it. But I do sometimes miss having people with whom to exchange ideas and information. This is my place.
Book and movie recommendations. That’s why I first signed up, so I could search in Cafe Society.
A refreshing variety of opinions. In real life I’m surrounded by white, straight, conservative, religious people with Auburn football stickers on their cars and no books in their houses. Nice people, but still.
Entertainment - this place is funny and outrageous.
I get a feel for how people converse, how arguments are put forth and defended, the huge variety of people’s opinions and experiences, the answers to everyday common problems that I somehow missed growing up, and a great way to kill time at work.
It is a great place to geek out and find fellow geeks who want to compare notes. I am outgoing and social IRL and have learned the hard way how few people really want to engage in in-depth geeky conversations. I can let off my geeky steam here.
It is also my cigarette break at work (I don’t smoke). I have an intense, demanding job so a few quick minutes on the Dope is a perfect break for me.
One of the little pleasures I get from life, is when someone replies, "“I’d never thought of it like that before!”, to a suggestion or proposal I have made. The occurence is far rarer on a worldly-wise forum such as The Dope, but also far more satisfying because of this. That, and most of what has been said above.
If you don’t just look at post count, but look at the date someone started posting here you can see many of us have been hear for many years, almost a decade for some. I’ve been posting since June of 2001.
I enjoy the eclectic mix of people here, and have made a few friends along the way. I have gone through periods where work dictates how much I can post and not post. But in all I love the interactions I have with people who I don’t really know.
One of the really interesting things about posting on a message board is the anonymity. You can see someone’s handle and know who they are by what they post. But have no clue who they really are in ‘real life’. I like having a mental picture of the people I post with because it plays into the storyline of what truly is the Straightdope. If someone is *Persona non grata * in real life they may be the most accepted amicable person here. I like that you can be whoever you want to be.
Mostly, the Dope abides with me, not a small thing. I came here via the books, joined and promptly forgot all about it. It wasn’t for several more years that I started posting regularly.
I come here for the interesting threads, the communication style and high level of intelligence, for the (mostly) interesting people, the camaraderie, for the community. I liked living in the dorms (at times) and I miss the goings on of a large group of people only loosely connected. Chatting here is not the same as at work or at church or in the neighborhood. I also like the international component of it and wish we had some Chinese posters, as well as other nations.
I’ve learned a great deal about “alternative” lifestyles and different POVs. This is all to the good, AFAIC.
Seriously, I find myself reading well thought out and educated responses to some oddball questions. Questions I couldn’t ask anyone I see on a normal basis, I can get an answer for here within an hour, as a general rule.
Also, there is a distinct sense of community.
I am one of the majority here… I’ve been around, but I’m not a MMPer, I don’t play Mafia, and I usually stay out of GD for the most part. Consequently, most folks have NO IDEA who I am. My brief moment of shining is well in the past.
And yet, last year I contributed some money to a doper in need. I didn’t really know who he was, his name didn’t ring a bell, and I couldn’t recall EVER having a conversation with him.
But he was one of us. He was in trouble. I (and dozens of other Dopers) chipped in, and helped him out of his bind.
I know that, if it were necessary, the same would be done for me, or any other member.
THAT’S what I get out of the Straight Dope.
(also, where else can one satisfy a goat fetish so publicly?)
Mainly for entertainment. I mean that in a good way!
And what do you get from it?
I think I learn a lot about other posters not only by what they write, but by reading between the lines of what they write. I also like hearing about the details of peoples’ lives: what they eat, what they wear, what they read, etc. I love the weird random threads, especially in MPSMS, about zits and cat antics and the “Ask The” stuff. And I totally love the Dope Picture threads. Even the BBQ Pit has some really funny rants to offer.
How does this impinge on your day to day life?
Well, I try not to let it impinge at all. I mean, I try. (That doesn’t mean I don’t use it to procrastinate when I got stuff to do at home that isn’t as fun.) The Dope doesn’t impinge on my work life because we’re not allowed Internet use for anything but work. Also, when I’m in the office I’m basically drowning in paperwork so no time anyway. Hey, I’m supposed to be workin’, man!
Do you prefer to spend your time on the Dope, rather than socially interact in ‘real life’?
Yeah, sometimes. People really bug the hell out of me most of the time in real life, unfortunately. That’s my fault because I’m pretty crabby. Anyhow, I love my family and friends but I need a lot of time to myself, so the social interaction on the Straight Dope is a good middle ground.
Do you manage what you consider to be a healthy mix of the two?
I think so. Sometimes I go nuts posting several days in a row because I’m feeling hermit-like yet talkative and/or nosy. Other times I don’t log on for days or weeks at a time because I’m hanging out with friends and family or busy with other stuff.
Do you find it preferable to build up relationships and establish your personality on the Dope rather than in ‘real life’?
Probably not preferable. Because I do tend to like to be by myself, I think it’s important to do build relationships and friendships in the real world as much as possible. Hopefully it keeps me grounded in reality.
I think the Dope is a great place to go for a laugh. I can always find one thread that gives me a good chuckle. It doesn’t effect my social life IRL because I don’t own a computer so I don’t post unless I’m at work or have the time to go through my phone.
Also reading thread here and being forced to think about what I’m writing has cause a noticeable improvement in my e-mails and other written communication for work. I still have no skills at spelling or grammar but at least I think about it now or reread what I write.
Jane Austen, Prince Charles and Barack Obama walk into a bar. The bartender asks Charles if his ears are like that because Camilla holds onto them during sex. Jane takes exception to such obscene talk, but Barack defends the question on First Amendment grounds. If a tree falls in the forest, will the Cubs still choke in the end? Discuss with your cats.
The Dope opens my mind to new viewpoints, new experiences, things I wouldn’t have even conceieved of on my own. I’ll take a (somewhat embarassing) recent example: around last Christmas there was a thread about masturbation and whether or not it was “wrong”. I was raised to believe (and did believe) that masturbation was weird and icky and only whores diddled themselves. After reading the thread, I realized that this was a very narrow and wrong-headed view, and that it’s a perfectly normal and okay thing to do. It makes so much sense when you get past the “ick” factor, but I never would have realized it without that thread.
In short, the Dope helps me open my mind, which is one of the reasons why I love it so much.
