# Why do Dopers start contests regarding grave matters? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 13, 2022, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159 "2022-10-13T02:25:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/21 "2022-10-13T03:35:13Z")
Hey, it’s like the only thing I’ve ever won! But seriously…it’s just a way to generate some discussion, analysis, and commentary, by starting with rules forcing you to make some informed choices. Believe me, the participants take political power consequences quite seriously. That’s why we’re interested enough to clarify our observations and opinions through this standardized framing, and equally interested in the informed opinions of others. Seeing where we differ is food for thought, and has already spurred me to learn more about a couple races. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/22 "2022-10-13T04:12:11Z")
I’ve never complained about any of the “death pools” or the like, but I don’t participate because I don’t see the appeal. I get that some people enjoy them but I never do. The Senate pool thread by comparison is relatively benign. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2022, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/23 "2022-10-13T04:38:08Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Let’s try some other examples: > > Would you gamble on whether the neglected child next door is going to be starved or beaten? > > Would you gamble on whether the neighbor girl—a “notorious partier”—is going to be sexually assaulted? Let’s not, because those are terrible examples. These are things that, were there a likelihood of them actually happening in real life, you would probably be able to do something about. Failing to do so when you could, and instead taking a casual and uncaring attitude, would be deeply immoral and in many circumstances illegal. Whereas you have no direct personal control over (for example) the outcome of an election, beyond the right and the civic obligation to cast your own vote. I see nothing wrong with making predictions, running polls, and promoting discussion, whether in the form of a whimsical “contest” or something else. I would find it much more offensive to have some poll or contest about whether you’re going to vote at all, because why bother? Or whether you’re voting but are going to write in “Donald Duck” That’s something you **DO** have control over, and suggesting that you abrogate a civic duty is consequential and not funny. ---
**Author:** ![Bootb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19b73/32.png) [@Bootb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bootb)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/24 "2022-10-13T04:43:18Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I don’t find making this kind of thing into a joke funny or amusing at all. People made all kinds of jokes about Trump declaring his candidacy in 2015. They were wrong to think it funny and to make jokes about it. Make jokes about _Trump_, fine. Make the _outcome of the election itself_ into a fodder for fun and games, especially a kind of gambling, not funny. It’s along the same axis as betting on whether your neighbor is going to get sent to the concentration camp. Make fun of the people running the concentration camp, but not this. Large numbers of people betting on outcomes of events can have a surprising amount of predictive power. Sometimes the wisdom of crowds is genuine wisdom, even though nobody knows how it works. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/25 "2022-10-13T10:51:42Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I don’t find making this kind of thing into a joke funny or amusing at all…Make the _outcome of the election itself_ into a fodder for fun and games…not funny. You are not in charge of what others may find amusing. Gene Siskel once said “Two things that are not debatable: eroticism and comedy. If you don’t think it’s sexy, or funny, there is no way I can change your mind.” mmm ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/26 "2022-10-13T11:08:25Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > You are not in charge of what others may find amusing. I am allowed to express my opinion and to ask questions. So, this is a non sequitur. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/27 "2022-10-13T11:27:23Z")
I actually see the OP’s point. 20-30 years ago I would have gleefully participated in these types of threads, but nowadays I try to avoid negativity because I’m depressed enough. I can’t change human nature either, so I just look the other way in face of tragedy. I remember when I was in my late teens, I was living in a small town, and one day heard a loud boom down the street. I and many others ran down to see the cause. A car had sped too fast on a curve and crashed directly into some trees. A couple of young men were laying still on the grass, battered and bloody. I guess they weren’t strapped in and had launched through the windshield. We just all stood in a stupefied semicircle, nobody saying a word. Eventually the ambulance came to clean up and we went back to our lives. Was it better for us to stand around and do nothing while those young men were dying, or to crack jokes about it after leaving to take off the edge? Some things are beyond human control, and making bets at least gives the illusion we have some sort of control over the chaos that surrounds our lives. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/28 "2022-10-13T11:29:31Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I am allowed to express my opinion and to ask questions. What kind of replies were you expecting? I mean, really expecting? _Dang, I haven’t thought of it that way. You’re right._ _Now that you mention it, that_ is _pretty poor taste._ _I’m going to change my way from this day on._ If you didn’t think so, then this is just posturing and moral grand standing. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/29 "2022-10-13T11:37:57Z")
> [@Charlie\_Tan](#): > > What kind of replies were you expecting? I mean, really expecting? I expected all manner of replies. I also expected that some people would give serious consideration to the matter and I wasn’t wrong about that. But actually there are some kinds of humor that society and indeed this very board do rule as being out of order in certain contexts, so my opinion on this point is not some kind of outrageous outlier in a general sense. So, no, this isn’t posturing at all. It’s the start of a conversation about norms. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/30 "2022-10-13T12:22:05Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Would you gamble on whether the neglected child next door is going to be starved or beaten? False dichotomy. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/31 "2022-10-13T12:25:55Z")
Yes, gallows humor. Life is pain. Humor is a coping mechanism. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/32 "2022-10-13T12:31:18Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > False dichotomy. It’s neither a dichotomy, nor is it false. It is an analogy. If you think the analogy doesn’t apply, explain why you think so. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/33 "2022-10-13T12:32:07Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Yes, gallows humor. Life is pain. Humor is a coping mechanism. Telling a morbid joke is one thing; gambling on a possibly serious outcome is another thing. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/34 "2022-10-13T12:38:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Telling a morbid joke is one thing; gambling on a possibly serious outcome is another thing Well that, I don’t quite get why it disturbs you so much. As others have mentioned, when I read the thread title I thought you meant the death pool, which I would understand someone being upset about. Personally, though I don’t participate in the DP, I don’t have a problem with it; again, I feel that it’s a form of gallows humor. But The Senate pool contest? How is that much different than other political prediction sites like [fivethirtyeight.com](http://fivethirtyeight.com)? I don’t think making a contest out of it means taking it any less seriously. ---
**Author:** ![saje](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saje/32/3631_2.png) [@saje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saje)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/35 "2022-10-13T12:41:20Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Telling a morbid joke is one thing; gambling on a possibly serious outcome is another thing. Why? It does you no direct harm. It relieves stress in some way for the participants. You can’t make someone have empathy. If they have empathy, you can’t make them express it. And just because they participate in that sort of humor doesn’t automatically mean they are uncaring monsters. I don’t enjoy those sorts of threads so I avoid them. I also go for lengths of time avoiding the news. I have to or I’ll end up under the couch in a fetal ball. I don’t have a wide sense of humor so I don’t have that outlet, all I can do is avoid the painful stuff. I envy those who can make fun of something in order to see it more clearly. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/36 "2022-10-13T12:45:28Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > Why do some of you think it’s fun or acceptable to have contests, games, or bets regarding some serious issue? Sometimes, humor helps one deal with issues that are otherwise overwhelming and depressing. Joan Rivers, for example, made numerous jokes surrounding the deaths of both her father and husband. When asked about it, she said humor helped her deal with the pain and the weight of life. The people here are not rooting for their celebrity picks to die before the year is out, and they are not rooting that their location of choice will be where the next war or natural disaster occurs. Perhaps you are reading too much into these types of things? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/37 "2022-10-13T12:46:48Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > It’s neither a dichotomy, nor is it false. It sure is a dichotomy. You said the kid was getting starved or beaten. That’s a dichotomy, correct? I say it is a false dichotomy, as little Mikey can be starved _and_ beaten. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/38 "2022-10-13T12:59:46Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > > [@TriPolar](#): > > > > Are you under the impression these bets which are not even real wagers have some effect on the outcome of elections? ⁢ > > Why would you think that a relevant question? Because you have indicated you think these actions are offensive, and say you are at least implicitly criticizing your fellow Dopers for participating in it. That only makes sense if you think they’re causing some sort of harm. Most people seem to be responding about stuff like Death Pools, where the point is that sort of gallows humor, facing death head on. That isn’t really my cup of tea. I find it macabre. But I ultimately don’t think it causes harm, so I see no reason to judge. You also talk about political prediction threads. I don’t really tend to participate in those, either. But I don’t see how they have anything to do with humor at all. They clearly do take the situation seriously—seriously enough to try and guess the outcome. The only frivolity is gamifying their expression of confidence in their predictions. But that sort of thing has a way of making you have to think through things more. I don’t want to get that involved, so I don’t participate. But it’s even harder to understand why you find that offensive. At least with the Death Pool type stuff I can conceive of someone who is grieving stumbling upon it and being hurt. I just think that the name makes it pretty clear what it is and gives anyone who would be upset sufficient warning to stay clear. But predictions? What’s wrong with that? Something being important is exactly why people want to discuss it. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/39 "2022-10-13T13:16:50Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > The people here are not rooting for their celebrity picks to die before the year is out, Well, not all of them. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2022, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159/40 "2022-10-13T13:18:14Z")
> [@Dung\_Beetle](#): > > Well, not all of them. You’re gross! LOL [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-dopers-start-contests-regarding-grave-matters/973159.md?page=3)