# Where is the biggest concentration of idiots on the internet?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 1, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982 "2007-08-01T15:18:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/1 "2007-08-01T15:18:11Z")

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Where on the internet does greatest concentration of idiots congregate?

My vote is [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com). The “comments” sections of most video clips posted there are simply jaw-dropping. That goes triple for music videos and boxing/MMA fight clips. You get everything - indecipherable spelling and grammar, racism, homophobia and just plain stupidity.

Can anyplace else compare to YouTube for idiots per square inch?

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**Author:** ![Lars\_Aruns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c68b51/32.png) [@Lars\_Aruns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lars_Aruns)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/2 "2007-08-01T15:20:32Z")

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I’d suggest some gaming forums, especially the ones for MMORPGs and First Person Shooters. And certainly a bunch of strategy games, like Starcraft.

I’m not sure if they’re the places with the highest concentration, but I reckon they’re a good candidate.

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**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/3 "2007-08-01T15:26:50Z")

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tricky. depends on how you measure it.

**(Smarties/Idiots)/Total Visits** maybe?

Why doesn’t Google Analytics already track this damnit?! Those dudes have been slacking ever since they got the free canteen and lakeside park!

Fucking commie hippies! :mad:

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**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/4 "2007-08-01T15:27:18Z")

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[xkcd](http://xkcd.com/202/) agrees with your choice.

The IMDb message boards (especially the movie-specific ones) contain impressive amounts of idiocy, too.

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/5 "2007-08-01T15:29:53Z")

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Damn!  
It’s so obvious, I shouldn’t have to say it.

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**Author:** ![garius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e19b73/32.png) [@garius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garius)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/6 "2007-08-01T15:37:37Z")

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this thread is making me all nostalgic for geocities by the way.

Those were the days…

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/7 "2007-08-01T15:47:05Z")

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Yeah, YouTube all the way, IMHO.

Although Yahoo Answers comes close. (Note to idiots: We can’t tell you if you’re pregnant over the internet! Go buy a %&%ing pregnancy test!!!)

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**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/8 "2007-08-01T15:57:19Z")

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[QUOTE=kellner]  
[xkcd](http://xkcd.com/202/) agrees with your choice.  
[/QUOTE]

Man, that’s hilarious and so true.

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**Author:** ![vibrotronica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@vibrotronica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vibrotronica)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/9 "2007-08-01T16:01:35Z")

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The Talkback threads on Ain’t It Cool News is one of the Internet’s great open sewers.

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**Author:** ![MissMossie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f6c823/32.png) [@MissMossie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissMossie)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/10 "2007-08-01T16:15:34Z")

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[QUOTE=garius]  
tricky. depends on how you measure it.

**(Smarties/Idiots)/Total Visits** maybe?

Why doesn’t Google Analytics already track this damnit?! Those dudes have been slacking ever since they got the free canteen and lakeside park!

Fucking commie hippies! :mad:  
[/QUOTE]

Wouldn’t it be **(Idiots/Smarties)/Total Visits**? That way, as the number of idiots goes up (and/or the number of smarties goes down), the overall number would go up, implying a higher concentration of idiots. Also, if we’re going with the term “smarties”, can we replace “idiots” with “dum dums”. I like candy.

My vote would also be for youtube. There may be a large number of smart people visiting, but the idiots are far more vocal.

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**Author:** ![MrJackboots](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MrJackboots](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrJackboots)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/11 "2007-08-01T17:22:54Z")

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I would say /b/ over on 4Chan has raised idiocy to an artform. The SomethingAwful Forums also get a nomination, but they seem to have a lot of general-everyday-chatter threads and some really smart ones once in a while, so my vote has to go to /b/.

You can tell a /b/tard invasion a mile off; it’s pretty distinctive.

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**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/12 "2007-08-01T17:31:21Z")

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[QUOTE=WhyNot]  
Although Yahoo Answers comes close.  
[/QUOTE]  
It used to be that there was a “comment on this story” after every item in Yahoo News. Trouble is, every single thread wound up being filled with “…and it’s all becuz we keep letting niggers into the country..” and “ura fag”. Eventually, they had to just scrap the whole “comments” section.

Looks like all the morons have moved over to the Yahoo Answers area.

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**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/13 "2007-08-01T17:36:15Z")

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YouTube, followed distantly by IMDB.

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/14 "2007-08-01T17:38:55Z")

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That’s **SO** funny!  
I read the title of the thread, and thought “Youtube” of course, then I looked at your post.

All you need to do is look at the comments people post to realize that the average IQ of a YouTube use is \<75, and the average age is 13…

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**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/15 "2007-08-01T17:43:02Z")

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After perusing 4chan a while back, I’m definitely gonna go with that as the pinnacle of internet idiocy. Nothing else I’ve seen even comes close.

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**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/16 "2007-08-01T17:52:54Z")

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I miss usenet. I never thought I would, but I do.

Enjoy,  
Steven

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**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/17 "2007-08-01T17:59:57Z")

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:eek: \<— 4chan

What the fuck was _that_?!?

That place is pure chaos. A maelstrom of stupidity, savagery and ignorance. Like some unnamed, unnameable layer of the Abyss. What’s the point in even spending time on a board like that: totally anonymous and totally unmoderated? There’s no real exchange of information, no real relationships built - hell, not even any real debate. Just endless, anonymous, poorly-spelled flaming.

No wonder it’s one of the most popular message boards in the world. ☹

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**Author:** ![Dunawake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85f322/32.png) [@Dunawake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunawake)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/18 "2007-08-01T18:03:01Z")

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[QUOTE=OneCentStamp]  
:eek: \<— 4chan

What the fuck was _that_?!?

That place is pure chaos. A maelstrom of stupidity, savagery and ignorance. Like some unnamed, unnameable layer of the Abyss. What’s the point in even spending time on a board like that: totally anonymous and totally unmoderated? There’s no real exchange of information, no real relationships built - hell, not even any real debate. Just endless, anonymous, poorly-spelled flaming.

No wonder it’s one of the most popular message boards in the world. ☹  
[/QUOTE]

It’s also the origin of lolcats and the “ORLY” bird. Their stupidity reaches all corners of globe, and that frightens me very, very much.

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**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/19 "2007-08-01T18:03:29Z")

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The first thought that came to my mind when I saw the thread title was YouTube. Looks like a lot of us on on the same wavelength. I enjoy YouTube, but I don’t find it necessary to comment on clips, and exceedingly rarely will even look at the comments. Most are indecipherable.

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**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\
**Post date:** [August 1, 2007, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982/20 "2007-08-01T18:05:18Z")

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[QUOTE=Dunawake]  
It’s also the origin of lolcats and the “ORLY” bird. Their stupidity reaches all corners of globe, and that frightens me very, very much.  
[/QUOTE]

Wow, it really is like some kind of abyssal spawning pit, vomiting forth chaotic creations at the bidding of everyone and no one. To me, it’s like some kind of Lovecraftian other dimension: my sanity would be forfeit if I tried to comprehend it.

[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-is-the-biggest-concentration-of-idiots-on-the-internet/413982.md?page=2)