# What If: The Reign of the Straight Dope **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 26, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068 "2011-01-26T17:44:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/1 "2011-01-26T17:44:51Z")
What if members of the Straight Dope became the rulers of the world? In short all members of the Straight Dope (except banned ones, spammers and the like) are represented and have a say in a Politburo like organization but moderators and members who have been here longer have more say. Most decisions are taken by vote of the members of the Straight Dope. So how would a world government under Straight Dope turn out? Could it create a manageable state? ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/2 "2011-01-26T17:54:22Z")
Ooh! I call head of the Global Dope State Secret Police! Our motto: “Fighting ignorance . . . by any means necessary!” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/3 "2011-01-26T17:54:44Z")
Do we have a worldwide enough membership? I don’t remember anyone saying that they were from Ghana (for one example). Would we need to use ‘old’ national borders? Would representation be based on a combination of tenure and geographical concentration of the area that the Doper resides? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/4 "2011-01-26T17:56:27Z")
I’m too busy taking naps to help rule the world; take my name out of the hat. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/5 "2011-01-26T17:59:28Z")
A substantial number of religious conservatives would become alienated in a day. Insurrection, terrorism and subversion would begin a day after that. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/6 "2011-01-26T18:03:09Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Do we have a worldwide enough membership? No, but we have enough flying monkeys. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/7 "2011-01-26T18:04:18Z")
Absolute freaking chaos. I’d stock up on food and shotgun shells as fast as I could. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/8 "2011-01-26T18:05:14Z")
Every time a congressman stood up to make a claim, it would be followed by loud cries of “Cite?” ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/9 "2011-01-26T18:06:37Z")
After the initial round of purges, I expect however many of you are left will fall nicely into line. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/10 "2011-01-26T18:11:26Z")
I’d expect it to work as well as Great Debates does. Oh, and I’d expect at least one “ruler” once a day to come before the council and say “ok, but what if the girl was 17 and 11/12ths and raped by her third cousin twice removed but didn’t remember it. Could she get an abortion if she waited until month 7?” and all work would stop for the day as we discussed this brand new conundrum. ---
**Author:** ![Burton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Burton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/11 "2011-01-26T18:17:17Z")
There would be no noticeable difference over the present system. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/12 "2011-01-26T18:22:53Z")
> [@Burton](#): > > There would be no noticeable difference over the present system. Exactly. The world is already ruled by people who believe themselves to be smarter than everybody else. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/13 "2011-01-26T18:38:23Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Exactly. The world is already ruled by people who believe themselves to be smarter than everybody else. Plus a few total dipsticks. I think in that case, the moderators would turn in their virtual banhammers for large marble gavels with brass-plated heads. ---
**Author:** ![Capitaine\_Zombie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@Capitaine\_Zombie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capitaine_Zombie)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/14 "2011-01-26T18:40:03Z")
> [@Gagundathar](#): > > Do we have a worldwide enough membership? > I don’t remember anyone saying that they were from Ghana (for one example). > Would we need to use ‘old’ national borders? > > Would representation be based on a combination of tenure and geographical concentration of the area that the Doper resides? I call dibs on Ghana then. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/15 "2011-01-26T18:50:03Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > So how would a world government under Straight Dope turn out? Interminable bickering. > [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Could it create a manageable state? No. ---
**Author:** ![Kolga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e56c9b/32.png) [@Kolga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolga)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/16 "2011-01-26T18:54:36Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > After the initial round of purges, I expect however many of you are left will fall nicely into line. But isn’t the board mostly left? ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/17 "2011-01-26T18:57:26Z")
> [@Qin Shi Huangdi](#): > > So how would a world government under Straight Dope turn out? > [@tomndebb](#): > > Interminable bickering. No it wouldn’t. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/18 "2011-01-26T18:57:50Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > But isn’t the board mostly left? Purges sound like fun. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/19 "2011-01-26T19:16:49Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > …a Politburo like organization but moderators and members who have been here longer have more say. How much “more say” do us geezers get? > [@](#): > > Most decisions are taken by vote of the members of the Straight Dope. Which ones are voted on and which ones aren’t? Gotta answer those 2 questions before I can say anything more. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/20 "2011-01-26T19:19:02Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > But isn’t the board mostly left? > [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Purges sound like fun. Righties have the guns. Who you gonna bet on in a purge fest…one of the usual suspects and whiny rhetoric, or one of the conservatives with the means to enforce our will? \*\* BG\*\* will be the third guy put against a wall…right behind **D\_T** and **Dio** , but ahead of others on my list of purgees. Come the revolution, you will do what you’re told. 😛 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068.md?page=2)