# What is the gender ratio of the people working in Cecil Adams' employ? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [February 9, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257 "2012-02-09T01:44:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/21 "2012-02-10T02:26:52Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > So, any office romances? Other than my hopeless crush on **Colibri**? ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/22 "2012-02-10T03:06:27Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > Numbers are meaningless without units. Only some of us have units. > [@twickster](#): > > Other than my hopeless crush on **Colibri**? ☹ You do realize I’m a fictional character, don’t you?🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/23 "2012-02-10T03:28:10Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > What are the demographics in Adams’ employ in terms of gender, political affiliation, religion, and nationality? On a more serious note (as opposed to what I posted upthread) anyone actually employed by the Chicago Reader (as well as possibly contracted) would be subject to privacy and EO laws. In other words, generally speaking, one’s gender, political affiliation, religion, and nationality are really none of your business. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/24 "2012-02-10T03:29:58Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Other than my hopeless crush on **Colibri**? ☹ > [@Colibri](#): > > You do realize I’m a fictional character, don’t you?🙂 That’s what makes it so hopeless. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/25 "2012-02-10T03:32:15Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Other than my hopeless crush on **Colibri**? ☹ > [@Colibri](#): > > You do realize I’m a fictional character, don’t you?🙂 > [@twickster](#): > > That’s what makes it so hopeless. 😛 Could be a match made in Heaven. ---
**Author:** ![Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e4f/32.png) [@Digital\_is\_the\_new\_Analog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Digital_is_the_new_Analog)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/26 "2012-02-10T03:41:03Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > Numbers are meaningless without units. Can you add the units? For example, what does 8 mean? Llamas? Horses? Submarines? Squid. -D/a ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/27 "2012-02-10T03:53:39Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > 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’m bewildered as to why in the world any of this should matter to any of us? ---
**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:** [February 10, 2012, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/28 "2012-02-10T04:11:15Z")
> [@SDMBKL](#): > > Cecil Adams seems to be like a myth; **Cecil** is not a myth. Having now posted this, I have an outside bet going as to how long it will be before some oppositional-defiant-disorder person posts in here to take me to task for having “dared” to post such. > [@](#): > > How many people exactly work for Cecil Adams? Does Cecil Adams have a private office at the headquarters of the Chicago Reader? Those are not for me to answer. > [@](#): > > 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? **Cecil** does an enormous amount of research on his own. To get the full and complete answer for questions and to make sure that he covers his bases, he asks people to help him out sometimes by checking things or chasing down obscure technical papers and references. **Ed Zotti** for example is a fantastic researcher and excellent at chasing down flesh-and-blood sources. **Cecil** also asks people to do science experiments for him, which I and **Fierra** have been handling lately. > [@](#): > > 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? Sure, why not. > [@](#): > > Also, who selects the sources for the research? In one article, I recall Cecil Adams cited Thomas Aquinas, but why that guy? Because the Apostle Paul declined to respond to our e-mails. ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2012, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/29 "2012-02-10T12:24:59Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Because the Apostle Paul declined to respond to our e-mails. I can’t understand why. God knows, he wrote to everybody else! ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/30 "2012-02-11T05:30:27Z")
Yes, but which guy is the biggest! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/31 "2012-02-11T11:42:25Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Because the Apostle Paul declined to respond to our e-mails. “How does one go about getting a letter to the Apostle Paul?” -Linus Van Pelt ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/32 "2012-02-11T18:28:53Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > For a new whippersnapper here, you’re asking some pretty personal questions. > > … > > Fair is fair, you know. Yeah, he won’t even tell us what the KL stands for! ---
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/33 "2012-02-12T20:58:29Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Yeah, he won’t even tell us what the KL stands for! KL stands for Krazy Lion. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/34 "2012-02-12T21:35:25Z")
> [@](#): > > 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? Cecil has never purported to know everything. What he claims is the ability to answer any question. Some are easy, while others require more effort, but in the end, answer them he does. ---
**Author:** ![SDMBKL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sdmbkl/32/7297_2.png) [@SDMBKL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SDMBKL)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/35 "2012-02-12T22:32:53Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Cecil has never purported to know everything. What he claims is the ability to answer any question. Some are easy, while others require more effort, but in the end, answer them he does. No, it’s not. Read the FAQ. [http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/pages/faq/cecil) It says explicitly that Cecil Adams knows everything. Cecil may not have written the statement, but if the staff claims it and is wrong, then there is a contradiction. ---
**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:** [February 13, 2012, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/36 "2012-02-13T00:27:04Z")
**Cecil** knew you would say that. That’s why the FAQ is written that way; to test you. Excelsior! ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/37 "2012-02-13T19:39:05Z")
Una wrote: “Cecil is not a myth.” One cannot prove a negative. If he’s not a myth, then what is he? I think Uncle Cecil does exist, just in the 8th dimension. As he finishes his daily column, he passes it onto our dimension to Ed, by a… well, some things are best left unsaid. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/38 "2012-02-13T21:39:34Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > If he’s not a myth, then what is he? A Mr. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/39 "2012-02-13T23:14:32Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > A Mr. That’s Mythter. ---
**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:** [February 14, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257/40 "2012-02-14T03:49:58Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > Una wrote: “Cecil is not a myth.” One cannot prove a negative. If he’s not a myth, then what is he? > I think Uncle Cecil does exist, just in the 8th dimension. As he finishes his daily column, he passes it onto our dimension to Ed, by a… well, some things are best left unsaid. Actually, you can prove a negative in the way in which I worded the sentence. “One is not greater than two” is a negative statement. Yet it’s clearly provable. As is “ **Cecil** is not my cat.” It’s provable on its face. Although **Cecil** has written quite a few fish-related columns, one on mouse-flavored cat food, and one on kosher cat food…hmm… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-gender-ratio-of-the-people-working-in-cecil-adams-employ/612257.md?page=3)