# What is the geekiest argument you've ever had? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 24, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022 "2004-06-24T14:59:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/1 "2004-06-24T14:59:33Z")
I’m feeling down in the dumps now because my D&D group just had a big falling out over rules lawyering. I’ve tried to conceal it all my life, but once in a blue moon my inner geek manifests itself into the biggest bucktoothed, taped horn rim glasses-bearing, high-water pants wearing, whiniest nasal voice possible geek monster. I’m too embarassed to say what the argument was about. It’s that stupid. So can you guys cheer me up and talk about your biggest geek arguments so I won’t feel like I’m the only one in the world? ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/2 "2004-06-24T15:04:43Z")
One argument I had once with my brother: What animal it was Kekule said he saw in a dream to give him the idea for the structure of benzene. I said that it was a snake (Oroborous, if you like) while my brother insisted it was something else. I was right, of course. Actually, a lot of the conversations and arguments in my house were and are fairly geeky. ---
**Author:** ![Chastain86](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Chastain86](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chastain86)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/3 "2004-06-24T15:05:01Z")
I swear this is true on a stack of bibles. Back in 1992, way WAY prior to Kevin Smith’s Jersey movies, I stood in line for the Chicago Comic-Con behind two individuals who argued **for a full half-hour** while we waited for the doors to open. The topic? Whether or not Lois and Superman could ever conceive a child. And I **swear** this is true…the one guy finally surmised that only Wonder Woman could ever carry his kid. I got **chills** when _Mallrats_ came out, and basically contained the same argument. For what it’s worth, there was no talk of a Kryptonite condom or a load “like a shotgun.” But it was close enough to make me smile. Hell, those two lifelong virgins in front of me in line are probably still arguing it. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/4 "2004-06-24T15:22:03Z")
> [@Chastain86](#): > > I swear this is true on a stack of bibles. > > Back in 1992, way WAY prior to Kevin Smith’s Jersey movies, I stood in line for the Chicago Comic-Con behind two individuals who argued **for a full half-hour** while we waited for the doors to open. > > The topic? > > Whether or not Lois and Superman could ever conceive a child. And I **swear** this is true…the one guy finally surmised that only Wonder Woman could ever carry his kid. > > I got **chills** when _Mallrats_ came out, and basically contained the same argument. > > For what it’s worth, there was no talk of a Kryptonite condom or a load “like a shotgun.” But it was close enough to make me smile. > > Hell, those two lifelong virgins in front of me in line are probably still arguing it. :rolleyes: The great Larry Niven wrote a definitive essay in 1971. [Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex](http://www.rawbw.com/~svw/superman.html) I suspect your geeks and Kevin Smith were using the same source. ---
**Author:** ![sofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/35a633/32.png) [@sofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sofia)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/5 "2004-06-24T15:27:11Z")
> [@Knowed Out](#): > > So can you guys cheer me up and talk about your biggest geek arguments so I won’t feel like I’m the only one in the world? I am the truest of the geek; I know just enough to sound dorky to nonD&D people and not enough to truly _hang_ with the elite D&D. sigh… My son downloaded two of the coolest, funniest D&D spoofs from Dr. Demento…I’ll have to have him give me a link for you…because I’m SO much of a loser that I’m not even good at that…or someone will beat me to the punch and post them. Our dumbest argument was about one player who insisted on rolling his dice behind his cupped hand…coincidentally, this habit brought him “luck,” and he rolled really well all the time. Of course, he’d pick up the dice before we, or the DM, could see them. hmmmmm…whaddya think? Twenty minutes of senseless debate on the right to privacy before the DM decided HE would roll everyone’s dice for everything. Just another example of one person ruining things for everyone else. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/6 "2004-06-24T15:42:07Z")
I was present at the game (we were playtesting Steve Perrin’s Superheroes rules for GURPS) when we found a flaw in the GURPS rules. If somebody fell a certain distance (more than five yards, I believe), they took 1d6-2 for every yard they fell, so a reasonably tough person could fall 10-15 yards and survive; with heavy boots on, they could fall that far and walk away from it. However, whatever they _landed on_ took 1d6 of damage for every 10 pounds for every 10 yards it fell, so a 200 pound person leaping out of a 4th floor window would do 20d6 of damage to the thing he landed on, which is sufficient to destroy a tank (particularly through the top armor); you could practically vaporize an aircraft carrier by dropping a 10 pound weight onto it as the carrier sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge… The rule was changed in the next edition of the game. And let’s not even talk about the Hero System… ---
**Author:** ![Elza\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Elza\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elza_B)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/7 "2004-06-24T15:51:20Z")
My roommate and I had a HUGE argument about Farscape last year. Him: “Okay, so if John and Aeryn DO have this baby, how is it going to survive if she’s cold-blooded and he’s warm-blooded?” Me: “Then the baby willl probably be born with one or the other! It’s genetics, you idiot!” Him: “But we don’t even know how Sebaceans give birth! All we know is that she had to have the fetus released from stasis! For all we know, the kid could come out of her nose!” Me: “So what if it does?? Look, the two species are NOT all that different! I’m sure they’ll find a way to reconcile them! A Sebacean can mate with a Luxon, right? That’s how D’Argo got Jothy! And a Sebacean and a human are a HELL of a lot closer than a Luxon and a Sebacean! It’s not like Aeryn mated with Rygel! (For those who don’t watch, Rygel is a Muppet). I don’t see what the big deal is here!” Him: “It just doesn’t make sense!” Me: “You write for a damn SOAP OPERA, and you’re bitching about something not making sense?” (I think I won that one…now we’re both just anxiously awaiting Peacekeeper War in December, and we’ve stopped arguing about how the baby will be born.) Ava ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/8 "2004-06-24T15:59:02Z")
I suppose my recent argument about abandoned shopping carts in IMHO could be considered pretty geeky. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/9 "2004-06-24T17:24:00Z")
Arguing about who is the hottest chick, cartoon chick: Betty Rubble or Helena from Hercules. For days… ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/10 "2004-06-24T17:50:44Z")
Any argument about mathematics. Any argument about the definition of a word. What, exactly, is the definition of “breakfast” - this lasted c. 11 months. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/11 "2004-06-24T17:58:55Z")
…recently with a family member about whether Gandalf meets up with Radagast the Brown before or after Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin show up at the Prancing Pony. Do I win a T-Shirt, or something? ---
**Author:** ![FilmGeek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@FilmGeek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FilmGeek)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/12 "2004-06-24T18:10:54Z")
I argued with Ardred about whether a tidal wave and a tsunami are the same thing. Turns out we were miscommunicating and both agreed with each other. I’ve had many arguments about D&D, and our group had a falling out for a while about the DM not letting us do our own thing (we had to follow one character the whole time, and if we decided to do our own thing, our characters were ignored) and interpretations of rules. Remember, when it comes to rule ambiguity, the DM has last say. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/13 "2004-06-24T18:19:21Z")
I once had an arguement on what kind of job Harry Potter would get when he left Hogwarts. This lasted for quite some time. Over 3 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/14 "2004-06-24T18:58:24Z")
I argued for days and days on a Dune message board about whether or not Paul Muad’Dib had access to “other memory” in the Bene Gesserit sense of the word (a quote from the novel eventually proved this was indeed true) **and** whether or not that other memory included male ancestors (never resolved). I hereby declare my self Queen of the SDMB Geeks. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/15 "2004-06-24T19:33:17Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > I hereby declare my self Queen of the SDMB Geeks. I don’t know, I might be able to at least make it to co-Queen. 🙂 I have had arguments about warp core ventilation, Movie Supergirl vs. Comic Supergirl, construction and use of Jedi scuba ventilators, the One Power vs. the True Power (not to mention the effects of Balefire on any population–that one took _days_), the origin of Wolverine (solved by me going to the damned comic store for proof), the likelihood of _any_ half-brained vampire being dumb enough to meet the eyes of a 4th gen Malkavian with a 6 dominate, and, the crowning glory, the now-infamous Han vs. Luke argument that began in October, 1994 and continues to this day. Can we share? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/16 "2004-06-24T20:04:02Z")
I once had an argument over the ethical implications of Smith adding his name to the Morra gambit. That’s probably pretty geeky. ---
**Author:** ![Burrido](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3be4f8/32.png) [@Burrido](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Burrido)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/17 "2004-06-24T20:09:04Z")
I can remember an agrument in which a friend of mine and I had over a steak dinner at a local eatery not too long ago. We were debating on the soloing ability of the Wizard Class in Everquest and how that has hurt the class in its desireability in the grouping aspect of the game. His point was that Sony/Verant (makers of EQ) had designed a class that was not suited for grouping with other players. My point is that they were a perfectly viable grouping class and it was the perception of them being useless that made them undesirable. We had this argument for about 2 hours and didn’t even touch our steaks until we finally finished. This was in a crowded and fairly quiet restaurant as well. People must of thought us mad. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/18 "2004-06-24T21:00:27Z")
If I had to choose, I’d pick [this one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=162544). ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/19 "2004-06-24T21:18:45Z")
Holy crap. I’m floored by that link, **JThunder**. Plus style points for documentation actually existing on the SDMB. I am demoting myself to Princess Geek. **Draelin** , you can be co-Princess Geek. Together, we will rule the internet! At least, the part of the internet that worships geek princesses, which I suspect is actually quite large. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![PigArcher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bcef8e/32.png) [@PigArcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PigArcher)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022/20 "2004-06-24T21:26:54Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > …recently with a family member about whether Gandalf meets up with Radagast the Brown before or after Frodo, Sam, Merry and Pippin show up at the Prancing Pony. > > Do I win a T-Shirt, or something? Couldn’t this easily be settled by consulting the timeline in the appendix? Now I’ll have to check when I get home. Damn you! 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-geekiest-argument-youve-ever-had/252022.md?page=2)