# What's With The "New Members" Who Are All Consonants? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 17, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801 "2008-04-17T23:28:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/1 "2008-04-17T23:28:14Z")
It seems like every time I log on there’s a brand new member whose name is all {or mostly consonants}, apparently gibberish, and who never seems to have any posts or threads: what’s up with that? Spambots? Deepest apologies if I’m misreading this and offending any taciturn guests from Kyrgyzstan. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/2 "2008-04-18T00:28:16Z")
Yup, 'bots most likely. You can’t eliminate them, just deal with them. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/3 "2008-04-18T00:33:04Z")
Spambots it would be. Too bad 🙂 they’re not sophisticated enough yet to make it through all the hoops. But, yeah, they show up as members. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/4 "2008-04-18T01:16:43Z")
Tht bng th cs, wld lk t xtnd th wrmst wlcm t **Vmbvihvv**. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/5 "2008-04-18T04:22:56Z")
[QUOTE=Scissorjack] Tht bng th cs, wld lk t xtnd th wrmst wlcm t **Vmbvihvv**. [/QUOTE] s fr s m cncrnd, thy cn g drctly t hll. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/6 "2008-04-18T04:34:26Z")
[QUOTE=Telemark] Yup, 'bots most likely. You can’t eliminate them, just deal with them. [/QUOTE] You can keep them from registering by blocking the most spam-friendly email addresses, and using a CAPTCHA that hasn’t been broken by the Russian bots. That means upgrading vBulletin to the most current edition. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/7 "2008-04-18T05:02:06Z")
[QUOTE=Czarcasm] s fr s m cncrnd, thy cn g drctly t hll. [/QUOTE] Hmm - yr hndl lks rthr ddgy, **Czrcsm** … ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2008, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/8 "2008-04-18T14:13:29Z")
m n r pst, stln r vwlz. Okay, so I’ve used that joke before, sue me. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/9 "2008-04-19T02:46:26Z")
I for one am sick and tired of the constant anti-consonant only bias being spread all around this board! **We are people too!** 😉 ---
**Author:** ![plot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e9c0ed/32.png) [@plot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plot)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/10 "2008-04-19T16:42:42Z")
Maybe they just took SpeedWriting, like those signs on buses “If u cn rd ths u cn gt a gd jb” ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/11 "2008-04-19T16:47:36Z")
I think this is just a matter of selection bias. I’ve seen many usernames that are made up primarily or completely of vowels, including those of Kyrgyzstani, Polish and Bosnian users. In fact, the ONLY people I’ve seen with usernames consisting entirely of consonants are white, suburban middle-class Dopers in the United States. We’re here to fight ignorance, not perpetuate stereotypes about swarthy eastern Europeans who supposedly shun vowels. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/12 "2008-04-19T16:52:59Z")
Vowels? We don’t need no stinkin’ vowels. ---
**Author:** ![Brainiac4](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brainiac4/32/3534_2.png) [@Brainiac4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac4)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/13 "2008-04-19T17:20:43Z")
[QUOTE=ftg] Vowels? We don’t need no stinkin’ vowels. [/QUOTE] Welsh, are you? ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/14 "2008-04-19T17:35:20Z")
Hey buddy, psst, c’mere, ya wanna buy a vowel? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/15 "2008-04-19T17:38:18Z")
[QUOTE=samclem] Spambots it would be. Too bad 🙂 they’re not sophisticated enough yet to make it through all the hoops. But, yeah, they show up as members. [/QUOTE] Ah, I didn’t know that. Despite my best efforts, I learned something new. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/16 "2008-04-20T10:14:22Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool] Hey buddy, psst, c’mere, ya wanna buy a vowel? [/QUOTE] Ya can stick yer fraggin’ “A” up yer sumbitch "E’ until yer poxy “I” comes out yer purulent “O” so’s yer pickin’ it outta ya festerin’ “U” until next week. Sorry, that’s my Irritable Vowel Syndrome flaring up again. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2008, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/17 "2008-04-20T22:43:19Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] You can keep them from registering by blocking the most spam-friendly email addresses, and using a CAPTCHA that hasn’t been broken by the Russian bots. That means upgrading vBulletin to the most current edition. [/QUOTE] I’m beginning to think that CAPTCHA has had it. Perhaps we should have a kitten test instead? ---
**Author:** ![kjckjc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e36b37/32.png) [@kjckjc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kjckjc)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2008, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/18 "2008-04-21T10:08:04Z")
[QUOTE=elmwood] In fact, the ONLY people I’ve seen with usernames consisting entirely of consonants are white, suburban middle-class Dopers in the United States. [/QUOTE] Ah crud…here I am, vowel-less username, as well as a white, suburban middle-class guy from the US. Curse you elmwood and your insightfulness, curse you! -Kjckjc ^^^^—my initials, for the record. (well, kjc anyway. The second kjc is either my wife’s initials or me doubling up so I can do vanity searches, the jury is still out.) ---
**Author:** ![Amblydoper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/fbc32d/32.png) [@Amblydoper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amblydoper)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2008, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-with-the-new-members-who-are-all-consonants/445801/19 "2008-04-22T22:52:24Z")
frtn k f g n fpd?