# What's so bad about a dumpster fire?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [September 23, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719 "2019-09-23T19:18:58Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/1 "2019-09-23T19:18:58Z")
Everything that’s terrible these days gets labeled a “dumpster fire.” But what’s so terrible about a dumpster fire?
It’s a fire in a steel box with a lid, so it’s self-contained and easy to put out. What’s more, the only things destroyed in the fire were already garbage, so the damages are negligible.
If anything, “dumpster fire” should be used for minor, easily solvable problems that may stink a bit.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/2 "2019-09-23T19:29:20Z")
Because it’s trash that’s on fire. It’s a metaphor.
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/3 "2019-09-23T19:30:44Z")
> [@DCnDC](#):
>
> Because it’s trash that’s on fire. It’s a metaphor.
Yes, I understand it’s a metaphor. I’m saying it’s not a particularly \*apt \*metaphor.
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/4 "2019-09-23T19:41:44Z")
Have you ever smelled a dumpster fire? A bunch of trash burning, much of which is not meant to be burned, is not exactly pleasant.
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### Author:  [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/5 "2019-09-23T19:41:56Z")
A “dumpster fire” is a mess that no one wants to deal with. The fact that it’s already trash is irrelevant. Not all dumpsters are the kind you find behind 7-11 with convenient lids you can just close.
You think this is a minor, easily solved problem?
[ ](https://thumbs.gfycat.com/UnfinishedFreshEuropeanpolecat-size_restricted.gif)
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/6 "2019-09-23T19:49:16Z")
It’s saying that you’re not just trash, you’re trash that’s on fire. In addition to that, you’re flaming trash that’s not my problem (if you don’t own the dumpster) or, if you do own the dumpster, you’re flaming trash that’s best dealt with by letting it burn itself out until there’s nothing left.
The meat of the metaphor isn’t, “This is a big disaster that’s going to screw up everything for everyone,” it’s “This is a big, stinking pain in the ass, and I’m glad I’m not the one responsible for cleaning it up.”
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### Author:  [@Akaj](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akaj)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/7 "2019-09-23T19:54:43Z")
Makes sense, but I’d still rather deal with a dumpster fire than a shitstorm or a trainwreck.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/8 "2019-09-23T20:02:16Z")
A guy I used to work with said that in high school he… appropriated a lump of sodium. He put it into an empty dumpster, then put some paper and cardboard on it and lit it on fire. Then he waited for someone to come (who did) to spray water on it.
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/9 "2019-09-23T21:13:49Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> Makes sense, but I’d still rather deal with a dumpster fire than a shitstorm or a trainwreck.
Oh, for sure. Shitstorm \> trainwreck \> dumpster fire.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/10 "2019-09-23T21:37:06Z")
What exactly is a “shitstorm”? I mean AFAIK there is no such thing as a meteorological phenomenon where feces is the primary form of precipitation.
Or the expression “shit hitting the fan”. I understand that it is meant to conjure up an image of shit spraying everywhere, deflected off the spinning blades of a fan. But under what circumstances would you have a fan in close proximity to where you shit, such that you would have to concern yourself with it accidently shitting on it?
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### Author:  [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/11 "2019-09-23T21:47:03Z")
> [@msmith537](#):
>
> What exactly is a “shitstorm”? I mean AFAIK there is no such thing as a meteorological phenomenon where feces is the primary form of precipitation.
High winds over an open cesspit?
> [@](#):
>
> Or the expression “shit hitting the fan”. I understand that it is meant to conjure up an image of shit spraying everywhere, deflected off the spinning blades of a fan. But under what circumstances would you have a fan in close proximity to where you shit, such that you would have to concern yourself with it accidently shitting on it?
This one is like when you’re doing home renovations, and you accidentally connect the HVAC system to the sewer mains.
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### Author:  [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/12 "2019-09-23T22:13:55Z")
I’ve always wondered what was supposed to be good about “draining the swamp”. Swamps are important ecosystems and serve as habitat for many kinds of plants and animals. As a nature lover I’d never want to drain one.
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### Author:  [@Walken\_After\_Midnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walken_After_Midnight)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/13 "2019-09-23T22:19:56Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> Makes sense, but I’d still rather deal with a dumpster fire than a shitstorm or a trainwreck.
What about a clusterfuck?
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### Author:  [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/14 "2019-09-23T22:57:25Z")
> [@msmith537](#):
>
> What exactly is a “shitstorm”? I mean AFAIK there is no such thing as a meteorological phenomenon where feces is the primary form of precipitation.
The zookeeper in charge of the hippo exhibit might know a [thing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-jXMeo4a4k) or [two](https://youtu.be/wbw2VSfUGbw?t=173) about shitstorms.
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### Author:  [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)
#### Post date: [September 23, 2019, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/15 "2019-09-23T23:02:13Z")
> [@msmith537](#):
>
> Or the expression “shit hitting the fan”. I understand that it is meant to conjure up an image of shit spraying everywhere, deflected off the spinning blades of a fan. But under what circumstances would you have a fan in close proximity to where you shit, such that you would have to concern yourself with it accidently shitting on it?
“A man in a crowded bar needed to defecate but couldn’t find a bathroom, so he went upstairs and used a hole in the floor. Returning, he found everyone had gone except the bartender, who was cowering behind the bar. When the man asked what had happened, the bartender replied, ‘Where were you when the shit hit the fan?’”
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### Author:  [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2019, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/16 "2019-09-24T04:55:32Z")
This dumpster fire just happened in my town- [https://herecast.us/983601?fbclid=IwAR2\_-HV\_hD8i1LAPrH97L6\_to\_lRcyPv9KKK1\_a\_vVJgwvInSduKeuX7pPk](https://herecast.us/983601?fbclid=IwAR2_-HV_hD8i1LAPrH97L6_to_lRcyPv9KKK1_a_vVJgwvInSduKeuX7pPk)
“In this case, according to Fire Investigators… the discarded materials, combined with the warm temperatures and humidity yesterday, caused a spontaneous ignition within the dumpster. Given the proximity of the dumpster to the building, the fire easily extended from the dumpster to the structure. The fire has been determined to be accidental. The business is currently not able to work from this building and is actively seeking a temporary alternate location.”
So basically a fire that started in the dumpster caused the entire building to burn down. So no, it’s not self contained.
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### Author:  [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2019, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/17 "2019-09-24T05:02:23Z")
> [@Akaj](#):
>
> It’s a fire in a steel box with a lid, so it’s self-contained and easy to put out. What’s more, the only things destroyed in the fire were already garbage, so the damages are negligible.
What if some destructive genius started the fire with magnesium? That’s a bit more difficult to put out than your average fire.
Then there’s thermite, which may melt a nice hole right through your metal box.
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### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2019, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/18 "2019-09-24T05:34:26Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#):
>
> I’ve always wondered what was supposed to be good about “draining the swamp”. Swamps are important ecosystems and serve as habitat for many kinds of plants and animals. As a nature lover I’d never want to drain one.
The Swamp Thing would agree.
🙂
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### Author:  [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2019, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/19 "2019-09-24T05:45:39Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#):
>
> I’ve always wondered what was supposed to be good about “draining the swamp”. Swamps are important ecosystems and serve as habitat for many kinds of plants and animals. As a nature lover I’d never want to drain one.
Mosquitoes.
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### Author:  [@GIGObuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GIGObuster)
#### Post date: [September 24, 2019, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-a-dumpster-fire/840719/20 "2019-09-24T05:56:27Z")
> [@Velocity](#):
>
> Mosquitoes.
Well…
> **[Where Do Mosquitoes Go to Hibernate in the Wintertime?](https://www.thoughtco.com/where-do-mosquitoes-go-in-winter-1968304)**
>
> Much like bears, female mosquitoes can hibernate for up to 6 months in the winter. Mosquitoes can endure winter in various life cycle stages.
> [@](#):
>
> Acting as Pollinators
>
> Only the females of some mosquito species need a meal of blood to get the proteins necessary to lay eggs. For the most part, male and female adult mosquitoes depend on nectar for energy. While retrieving nectar, mosquitoes pollinate plants to help to ensure that different types of plant life thrive. When mosquitoes pollinate plants, especially the aquatic ones around which they spend much of their lives, they help perpetuate these plants. These plants provide cover and shelter for other animals and organisms.
>
> Medicinal Lessons?
>
> Although the mosquito has been a known vector for spreading disease all over the world, there is some hope that mosquito saliva may have some potential use for the treatment of the No. 1 worldwide killer of humans: cardiovascular disease. One promising application is the development of anticlotting drugs, such as clotting inhibitors and capillary dilators.
>
> The composition of mosquito saliva is relatively simple, as it usually contains fewer than 20 dominant proteins. Despite the great strides in knowledge of these molecules and their role in blood feeding, scientists still know only about half of the molecules found in the insect’s saliva.
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