By that, I mean the people who work for Cecil Adams: Ed Zotti, the answerers who fill Adams’ position when Adam is not around to answer any columns, and the administrators and moderators of this website. I would like to know more about these people (that is, the people behind the making of The Straight Dope or support the Straight Dope directly). The Straight Dope is a question-and-answer column, published in the Chicago Reader and syndicated in different cities abroad. I actually do not live in any city that publishes The Straight Dope columns; I just found out about this interesting website through a Google search when I wanted to search for some answers to long-held questions, and I joined this website, because I figured that I could see Cecil Adams answer a question right on the forum. That has never happened, unfortunately, which now leads me to think that Cecil Adams is nothing but a myth – a mere figment of a couple of deluded minds…er, I mean the imagination.
Anyway, what is the gender ratio of the people in Cecil Adams’ employ (that is, the people who officially contribute to the columns and hold the administrative/moderation positions on this website?
What are the demographics in Adams’ employ in terms of gender, political affiliation, religion, and nationality?
I have a hunch that Colibri’s 15:6 is hinting at a quote from the Bible: “For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.” Deuteronomy 15:6 (Cambridge Edition). But I may be completely wrong here. :rolleyes:
Call the following far-fetched, but here’s my guess, if Colibri did imply something religious.
“For the LORD thy God blesseth thee, as he promised thee: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, but thou shalt not borrow; and thou shalt reign over many nations, but they shall not reign over thee.”
Interpretation: Your god blesses you for the lord, as he has promised you: and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow [anything from them]; and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you.
My best guess is that it is talking about Divine Right, or in this case, the Divine Right of the administrators and moderators to rule over their loyal subjects of the Straight Dope Message Board. The administrators and moderators should help the many nations, or in this case, the loyal subjects, but they may not receive any help from the subjects because they are intellectually and morally superior than the subjects. Based on knowledge, the administrators and moderators are allowed to rule over the subjects, but the reverse is not permitted.
For a new whippersnapper here, you’re asking some pretty personal questions.
What’s your shoe size?
How often do you change your underwear? Or do you go commando?
Broccoli or carrots?
Do you sneeze into the crook of your arm, or do you use a tissue, if you have one?
We don’t have any Divine Right or superior knowledge. What we have is too much time on our hands, gluttony for punishment, and maybe some interesting psychological problems. And Colibri was definitely talking about the male to female ratio among admins and mods. I counted to make sure. The men are Cajun Man, C K Dexter Haven, Colibri, Ed Zotti, Gary “Wombat” Robson, Gfactor, Gukumatz, Idle Thoughts, me, Miller, RickJay, Rico, samclem, tomndebb, and xash. The women are Ellen Cherry, fluiddruid, Gaudere, Lynn Bodoni, TubaDiva, and twickster.
To answer a bit more seriously, I don’t actually have any idea of the religious or political affiliation of the majority of the staff. It’s not something we ask about or really consider in choosing moderators.
I’m aware of the religious affiliation (or lack of belief) of a few staff members, either due to their Staff Reports or participation in religious discussions on the Board. However, for most I don’t really know. And while I am aware of the political leanings of a few staff from their comments in Great Debates, I can’t say I know for sure the party affiliation (if any) of any other staff member.
Note there are people who work directly with Ed to assist in research for Cecil to help him craft the Straight Dope column, as well as in logistics of column production. These people do not have any official status on the Straight Dope message board, just as the Moderators and Administrators here do not have any official status with respect to the Straight Dope column itself (excepting a couple who serve in both roles.) Although many have helped in the past, in terms of those who work with Ed to help Cecil with the Straight Dope on a continuous and current basis, the gender ratio is 1:2 male/female.
Numbers are meaningless without units. Can you add the units? For example, what does 8 mean? Llamas? Horses? Submarines?
Cecil Adams seems to be like a myth; Ed Zotti appears to be real. Both have their biographies written on Wikipedia, and it is mentioned that both of them have attended Catholic school. So, it’s a possibility that both men are Roman Catholics, who realize not to let their faiths interfere with their work. Others… I do not know at all.
How many people exactly work for Cecil Adams? Does Cecil Adams have a private office at the headquarters of the Chicago Reader? If Adams’ assistants do the research and allow Cecil Adams to write the columns, then does that mean Cecil Adams depend on research findings for feedback and answers rather than his own intuitive knowledge? I am beginning to suspect that Cecil Adams really does not everything. If he does, then what is the purpose of research other than to confirm what he already knows? Also, who selects the sources for the research? In one article, I recall Cecil Adams cited Thomas Aquinas, but why that guy?
