# What were you THINKING? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2023, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532 "2023-10-13T19:36:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 113
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2024, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2241 "2024-04-10T22:58:33Z")
**The** ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2242 "2024-04-11T14:04:33Z")
I think that SenorBeef has overestimated the number of threads needed for discussing the streaming series _Fallout_. Whole seasons or series usually get only a handful of posts. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2243 "2024-04-11T14:30:59Z")
Great - you’ve just left me with the spaces: ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2244 "2024-04-11T16:00:45Z")
Yeah, there are now **9** separate threads for that series! As if all the “name songs by X letters” threads weren’t already clogging up the board. ---
**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:** [April 11, 2024, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2245 "2024-04-11T16:44:53Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > As if all the “name songs by X letters” threads weren’t already clogging up the board. MMM at least only starts one after the previous letter is resolved so there’s only one ‘active’ one at a time (with overlap for discussions after the polls). These are _all_ open at the same time because … reasons. Well, I know the reason, and it’s the absolutely hyper-exaggerated phobic attitude some Dopers have towards spoilers. One spoiler-free thread and one spoilers-allowed thread would have been plenty enough, especially for an 8 _fucking_ episode series that was released in one go. It’s just fucking performative, is what it is. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2246 "2024-04-11T16:49:49Z")
It doesn’t matter much, last time I checked there still weren’t any responses to any of the 8 threads. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2247 "2024-04-11T16:52:47Z")
Hopefully self correcting. I certainly won’t be bothered to look up what episode is what in order to post in such a restrictive thread. As @EinsteinsHund points out, maybe the zero interest in such limited threads will send the message. Granted, the two weeks to avoid spoilers in the original thread strikes me as insufficient ( I don’t binge much) but @MrDibble’s solution would have been easy enough, create a spoiler approved thread to accompany the main thread and Bob’s your uncle. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2248 "2024-04-11T17:48:27Z")
_Shrug_. I don’t mind the proliferation. I find other things to be recreationally offended by. But as an intentional and conscientious participant, I find that as I watch more episodes, I have a hard time being sure I’m posting in the correct thread, which means I can inadvertently spoil later episodes by confusing what happened in “this” episode. It’s a bit of a logistical risk. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2249 "2024-04-11T18:03:30Z")
Well. No complaints about too many _Bad,bad,bad_ threads! See, how good I’ve been☺️ ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2250 "2024-04-11T18:04:22Z")
Waiting for a thread called Good good good ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2251 "2024-04-11T20:55:01Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > I don’t mind the proliferation. I find other things to be recreationally offended by. But you do have an interest in the threads – you’re watching the show – so of course it’s not going to annoy you as much as someone who has no interest. You’re right that it’s a pretty small annoyance on the grand scale of things. But add enough annoying things up, and we’re left with an annoying board. Extend this scheme to all the other currently streaming shows, and it’s a shitshow. Eight threads for 3 Body Problem, 8 threads for Ripley, 10 threads for Shogun, 10 for Fargo… Somehow we’ve managed to get by with a single thread for all those shows. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2252 "2024-04-11T21:12:05Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > Extend this scheme to all the other currently streaming shows, and it’s a shitshow. Eight threads for 3 Body Problem, 8 threads for Ripley, 10 threads for Shogun, 10 for Fargo… And I would be perfectly capable of ignoring those with complete equanimity, if they were subjects I had no interest in. The board is full of topics I’m not interested in, and yet they proliferate. But I don’t decry their existence or popularity (or un-). Am I claiming it’s the bestest scheme ever? No. But at the same time, I’m not going to claim it needs to be snuffed out because “it’s too many threads”. I’m perfectly fine dealing with my cheese being moved. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2253 "2024-04-11T21:51:06Z")
There’s a difference between posting one thread with a limited audience and posting 8 threads on the same topic. In the first case, there’s no alternative. If the person wants to discuss something, it needs a thread. And everyone with no interest ignores those threads with good grace. In the second case, there is an alternative - do it the same way every other show is handled. It’s inconsiderate to make this show the exception, when it clearly wouldn’t work if every show had a separate thread. And since this is the Pit, take your corporate cheese and shove it up your ass. This isn’t about people irritated because of change. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2254 "2024-04-11T22:26:26Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > And since this is the Pit, take your corporate cheese and shove it up your ass. Even if this is the Pit, there are far more gracious ways to concede you have no valid point than ineffective ad-hominems. “Corporate”? How droll. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2255 "2024-04-11T22:53:10Z")
Well, I assume your comment about moving cheese is from _Who Moved My Cheese_, beloved by corporate managers everywhere. If that’s just a philosophy you follow in your everyday life, then congrats on thinking outside the box and putting a pin in your low-hanging fruit. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2256 "2024-04-11T22:54:22Z")
It’s just a meme. At this point, its origin is less relevant than anything else about this argument. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2257 "2024-04-11T23:33:01Z")
Dammit! Common ground in the Pit! ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2024, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2258 "2024-04-11T23:58:11Z")
> [@Darren\_Garrison](#): > > I think that SenorBeef has overestimated the number of threads needed for discussing the streaming series _Fallout_. Whole seasons or series usually get only a handful of posts. Agreed. This thread proliferation was completely absurd. > [@MrDibble](#): > > > [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > > > As if all the “name songs by X letters” threads weren’t already clogging up the board. > > MMM at least only starts one after the previous letter is resolved so there’s only one ‘active’ one at a time (with overlap for discussions after the polls). Agreed, but for me, the MMM song thread fiasco was even worse, because I had to keep muting them as they came up. And there were more than 36 of them because in addition to letters and numbers a few cropped up for symbols, too. What a major clusterfuck that was! At least in this case I could mute all nine of the stupid things at one time. > [@gnoitall](#): > > > [@TroutMan](#): > > > > Extend this scheme to all the other currently streaming shows, and it’s a shitshow. Eight threads for 3 Body Problem, 8 threads for Ripley, 10 threads for Shogun, 10 for Fargo… > > And I would be perfectly capable of ignoring those with complete equanimity, if they were subjects I had no interest in. The board is full of topics I’m not interested in, and yet they proliferate. But I don’t decry their existence or popularity (or un-). That isn’t the point. The point is that having a proliferation of threads for a single topic is completely unnecessary and reflects the inconsiderate attitude of a pompous ass who greatly overestimates the importance of whatever the fuck he wants to discuss and starts taking over the board like a spreading virus. How annoying it is also depends on how you typically navigate the board. I depend heavily on the “Latest” feature at the top level, showing the latest posts across all forums, and I tend to mute garbage threads that show up there, especially if they’re very active. Now you might argue that the number of threads on a particular topic doesn’t matter; what creates entries in “Latest” is the level of activity, and activity distributed across 8 or 9 threads on the same subject will result in the same number of appearances in “Latest”. True, but I don’t want to see **any** of them, and 9 threads means I have to mute all 9 instead of just one to keep them the fuck off the “Latest” list. Again, it’s just inconsiderate and **completely unnecessary**. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2259 "2024-04-12T00:52:01Z")
You can unfollow all the mmm threads at once by unfolding their tag. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2024, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532/2260 "2024-04-12T01:07:45Z")
That’s true, but at the time I didn’t notice a tag that was specific to those threads, though I see there definitely is one now, thanks for pointing that out. That doesn’t help, however, when someone arbitrarily creates a separate thread for each and every episode of a series that most of us have no interest in at all. It’s just bad practice that IMHO should be discouraged. If nothing else, it wastes screen space in any lists it appears in – like lists of TV shows – and makes browsing those lists needlessly annoying. As someone else pointed out, if everyone did this for every show they were interested in, the whole CS forum would be an unwieldy mess! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=112) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-were-you-thinking/991532.md?page=114)