# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/21 "2011-01-26T19:29:31Z")
This country has been graped by the grapist! ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/22 "2011-01-26T19:35:52Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Every time a congressman stood up to make a claim, it would be followed by loud cries of “Cite?” Which, if such (correct and proven) cites were a requirement in order to pass whatever law, program, or package, he/she was pushing, would be a GREAT thing, especially with this administration. 🙂 ---
**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, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/23 "2011-01-26T19:38:52Z")
Henceforth every Hollywood director wil be required by law to read every CS thread on any of his movies. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/24 "2011-01-26T19:41:00Z")
Will the moderators be issued nuclear weapons? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/25 "2011-01-26T19:44:02Z")
> [@](#): > > What if members of the Straight Dope became the rulers of the world? Considering some of the members (myself included), I’d say that this would be an incredibly bad idea. > [@](#): > > 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. Would there be a debate before the vote? If so I can see it devolving into a 15 page thread with maybe one or two hold outs in the end ‘debating’ the same point over and over, as if one of them will flinch first and concede defeat. 😛 In short, nothing would ever get done because 'dopers would be too busy fighting and arguing about obscure points and trying to be witty and clever, while disparaging their opponents in ways to remain a nano-meter below the level of a rules violation. > [@](#): > > Most decisions are taken by vote of the members of the Straight Dope. Who would make the decisions not included in the ‘most’? Old hand 'dopers from when? Before the board moved here? 'dopers who have been here over 5 years? Have over 10k posts? 20k? Even then, unless it was a debateless ‘vote’ via poll you are going to get a huge amount of fighting, as even the old hands clash constantly here. Heck, most of the 'dopers on this board, save a few of the loony ones, don’t really pigeonhole into neat categories or left/right orientations. They go back and forth. There are 'dopers on this board who I will agree with completely on one subject and will completely disagree with on another…and it varies wildly as to who I’d disagree with in a given thread and who I’d agree with. There are only a few 'dopers who I could categorically say I ALWAYS disagree with, and none that I know of that I always agree with. Imagine trying to get even this subset of 'dopers to agree enough to even formulate a vote on something, let alone getting them to vote on it without argument and debate. The term ‘herding cats’ comes to mind. > [@](#): > > Could it create a manageable state? Not a chance. I’d say that, if humanity put themselves under our imperial thumb that within a fairly short time we’d have all given up on this whole civilization thingy and gone back to the joys of hunting and gathering. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/26 "2011-01-26T20:04:52Z")
We’d immediately start work on a 12-mile treadmill. ---
**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, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/27 "2011-01-26T20:32:05Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > We’d immediately start work on a 12-mile treadmill. Fuck that. What this world needs is a death ray. ---
**Author:** ![newcomer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e5b9ba/32.png) [@newcomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcomer)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/28 "2011-01-26T20:44:18Z")
Based on what I’ve seen Dope is bursting with members of World Government. At least that’s how sure about their arguments they are. ---
**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, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/29 "2011-01-26T22:02:21Z")
> [@newcomer](#): > > Based on what I’ve seen Dope is bursting with members of World Government. At least that’s how sure about their arguments they are. Death rays need test subjects . . . ---
**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, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/30 "2011-01-26T23:17:56Z")
The (presumably intended) debate does not seem to have broken out in this thread. Off to IMHO (with an option for forwarding to The Game Room or MPSIMS). ---
**Author:** ![Ronald\_C.Semone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/cc9497/32.png) [@Ronald\_C.Semone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ronald_C.Semone)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/31 "2011-01-28T14:33:05Z")
A good idea only if we raise the voting age to 21. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/32 "2011-01-28T15:33:44Z")
> [@Kolga](#): > > But isn’t the board mostly left? What, the left doesn’t purge? That’s news… The only way this could get a “working government” set up would be if you consider Spain under the goth kings to be a “working government”: the king changed pretty quick, sometimes there was a new-er one before the name of the new king had reached the farthest ends of the country, but since people mostly didn’t give a shit and disputes got handled locally, it didn’t really matter. In our case, succession as Supreme Presidente would probably be less bloody. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/33 "2011-01-28T15:40:59Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In our case, succession as Supreme Presidente would probably be less bloody. Depends on whether anyone attempts to usurp my throne. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/34 "2011-01-28T15:59:06Z")
It’s the end of the world as we know it And I feel fine ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/35 "2011-01-28T16:42:28Z")
I definitely think they should be charging more if the perks included running the world. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/36 "2011-01-28T16:44:02Z")
On a more serious note, I think the result would a shift to the left. The overall membership of this board seems more liberal than the general population. ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/37 "2011-01-28T16:56:01Z")
I think it’d only work if you had to be a member to vote. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/38 "2011-01-28T17:47:39Z")
> [@Ronald\_C.Semone](#): > > A good idea only if we raise the voting age to 21. Nah. Lower it to 14. The oldsters will still outnumber the youngsters if you’re worried. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/39 "2011-01-28T17:53:25Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Nah. Lower it to 14. The oldsters will still outnumber the youngsters if you’re worried. Too bad, because the will of the oldsters is already wildly overrepresented as it is. ---
**Author:** ![Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Prelude\_to\_Fascination](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prelude_to_Fascination)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068/40 "2011-01-28T20:56:32Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > Fuck that. What this world needs is a death ray. And a T-shirt with a snappy saying. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-if-the-reign-of-the-straight-dope/569068.md?page=3)