# What percentage of your posts do you wish you could take back? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 30, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786 "2016-06-30T16:01:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 30, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/21 "2016-06-30T23:03:29Z")
Most of the ones posted after 7pm. 4pm on weekends. Noon on holidays. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/22 "2016-07-01T00:17:24Z")
Not many. I get seriously irritated by my typos and editing errors, but seldom regret the content of what I said. When I look back I certainly used to be more abrasive but, well, that’s me or that was me. > [@Urbanredneck](#): > > Mention any race, women, breasts, or vaccines and you get alot of flack. Yet I’ve done so without getting any flack. Wonder why that is… ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/23 "2016-07-01T01:12:23Z")
Two posts; maybe four tops. ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/24 "2016-07-01T01:16:05Z")
Under the terms of my probation, I’m required to regret all my posts that drew a moderator warning. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/25 "2016-07-01T01:22:10Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Relatively few. I almost always read and re-read for spelling and punctuation, and then think about “do I really want this remark preserved in amber for eternity where anyone can read it” before I post. I probably decide not to post about half the posts I write. This. And apparently I tend to forget what I’ve posted, as I found out when someone PM’d me recently. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/26 "2016-07-01T01:39:55Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > None of them, really. I prefer to leave them out there as reminders that I could use some work. When I end up regretting one, I think: “Man, I need to be less of a jackass.” I think like this too, but only because I can’t remove them. Sigh. But to answer the OPs question, despite being horrible at math and percentages, I’d guess 10%. And almost all of those are because I let myself go off the frigging deep end and lose my shit. I’ve infamously done it on more than one troll and I absolutely regret acting such a fool and stooping to their level. But mostly, I can’t believe I let the internet get to me. Every time that’s ever happened is when I can’t control my personal life, so now I try to put that in perspective and walk away before I’m a bitch again. Mostly. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/27 "2016-07-01T02:09:04Z")
About 25% of them pre-2006. After that, maybe 5%. ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/28 "2016-07-01T02:22:32Z")
When I originally registered here in 2002 I was still in high school so a lot stuff I posted the first few years was really dumb or immature, I don’t know how much I would take back sometimes its fun to go back and read and remember things that were going on in my life or in my mind at the time. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/29 "2016-07-01T02:31:52Z")
about 10%. those which I posted while in an extremely foul mood, and took things out on someone who I shouldn’t have. thankfully few of those resulted in moderator warnings. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/30 "2016-07-01T05:27:49Z")
I only regret the posts that I _didn’t_ make. You people really need to be told off most of the time, but I’m too polite (i.e., chicken) to actually do it. ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/31 "2016-07-01T07:56:12Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > … I perceive my own participation in these forums to be, in a way, auto-cleansing. I have a thought that is relevant to the topic, and I start writing, and then I realize I’ve reached an impasse, and I cannot defend the position I have started to take. When I realize this, I just close the page and move on… This happens to me all the time. It’s not bad thing, actually except when I spend half an hour researching and writing a post I ultimately delete. As far as regrets are concerned, there’s that thread I started about a year ago, which should have been a great opportunity to share funny stories. Sure, my story _was_ funny and other dopers seemed to agree. Alas, it was soon turned into an OCD witch-hunt because of a dozen words out of a 300-word post. Now, I do recognize that my concern with hygiene may be more pronounced than most but the vitriol that was thrown and sheer pettiness on display killed the thread and sucked all the fun out of me for a couple of days. I guess it made them feel all manly and clever… I’ve learned my lesson: stick to your main points and only add the bare minimum of background detail, just what is needed to understand the situation. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 8:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/32 "2016-07-01T08:36:42Z")
I can’t think of any that I’d want to take back, though I suppose there may have been a few over the years that I’ve forgotten. I think about what I’m saying, I proofread, and I try hard not to be a jerk. When I post something I’m unsure of, I try to make that clear. When I post something that turns out to be incorrect, I try to acknowledge it. Learning something is not a cause for regret. If I preview a post and find it lacking, there’s a good chance I’ll just delete it and move on; I take it as a sign that I shouldn’t be talking about the topic right then. Maybe I’ll come back to it later, when I’m in a better state of mind, maybe not. There are always new threads. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/33 "2016-07-01T08:59:01Z")
> [@Lowdown](#): > > None of them, really. I prefer to leave them out there as reminders that I could use some work. When I end up regretting one, I think: “Man, I need to be less of a jackass.” I pretty much feel the same way. I still learned something even from the ill advised threads I started or participated in. I’m often surprised at the diverse opinions expressed here. A lot of topics discussed here are never brought up among my friends and coworkers in real life. We try to avoid arguments in real life. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![yellowjacketcoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/4bbf92/32.png) [@yellowjacketcoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowjacketcoder)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/34 "2016-07-01T13:01:25Z")
I think the ones I regret most are the ones where I didn’t communicate clearly enough. (of course, there’s a few dopers that could read “The sky is blue” and get out of it that I think Haile Selaisse is a jerkwad, but I still regret those posts). There’s a few posts I made in the heat of the moment that I wouldn’t take back but I would rather re-word. I think I more regret some of the posts I didn’t make. Like, when I’m active in a thread, then I go home, play with the kids, make dinner, eat dinner, bathe the kids and get them to sleep, and when I return to the dope that thread had garnered 70 more posts and I have no interest in trying to jump back into the conversation so I just abandon it. I think by the time most threads have hit 100 posts I’ve lost interest, unless it’s a long ongoing thread like the OOTS one. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/35 "2016-07-01T13:23:00Z")
I Regret Nothing!!! ---
**Author:** ![Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90ced4/32.png) [@Waltzes\_with\_Cacti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waltzes_with_Cacti)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/36 "2016-07-01T14:35:44Z")
Non, je ne regrette rien. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/37 "2016-07-01T17:25:33Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Only those where I come off as an arrogant, immature asshole. Me too. That’s about 5% of my posts, though another 20% are OK posts with an assholish phrase or sentence. I’m easily riled and almost eager to respond to “insults” even when no insult was intended. With a tiny bit of self-control I could erase the snarky phrase or cancel the post altogether, but some Imp of the Perverse takes over and compels me to play the asshole. :eek: In real life I’m not much different — usually generous and friendly (though sometimes socially awkward) but occasionally I “fly off the handle” at a minor provocation. I’m sometimes tempted to post a snippet from my life story, almost as an attempt for catharsis, confession, or even sympathy. On the few occasions that I do, I usually jblur details enough that Dopers reading it are mystified and I’m left wondering why I posted. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/38 "2016-07-01T22:43:48Z")
Everything. I regret it all. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2016, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786/39 "2016-07-01T23:14:46Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > We’ve all said things in real life that we wish we could take back, either because of stupidity, wrongheadedness, incorrect facts our outright lies. To make matters worse, here on the Dope our words are the stuff of immortality, likely to become our legacy. Hell, I’ve started entire threads that just totally imploded. In one in particular, every single detail was latched onto by everyone and became the cause of my ruination and embarrassment. > > So I think I’d like to take back maybe 5% of my posts, mostly for impetuous responses that I hadn’t thought through . . . and of course my trademark inappropriate snark. > > How about you? I’d say 5% is about right for me too. If I looked back on posts from around 2001 it would probably be higher. Back then I had a much greater propensity for getting dragged into insult-hurling matches. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-percentage-of-your-posts-do-you-wish-you-could-take-back/758786.md?page=1)