I don’t know if this should really go under IMHO, but it’s about this board specifically so I’ll start here.
It seems to me that any time a phrase becomes a repeated in-joke, some subset of the board will begin to get ticked off every time someone uses it. “Hi, Opal” and zombification being the most recently raised examples.
I’d like to specifically exclude the whole quarry mess from this discussion. That was a purposeful attempt to create a board in-joke, and many found it manipulative. A singular case with a whole different problem.
I’d also like to exclude the concern that zombification will discourage new members. I don’t necessarily agree with that, but I understand why you’re worried about it. What I’m talking about here is the folks who just find all the board memes annoying; or find anyone but a 99er using them annoying.
I see these little repeats as touchstones of connection. They lend a feeling of community and longevity. Can any of you explain to me why the use of these should annoy? Do you feel that newbies try to include themselves in the joke too soon? If so, what’s the requisite time/post count to be allowed “in”?
Or is there some other reason I’m just not seeing?
For some of it, it’s just the natural progression of these sorts of things. The Simpsons parodied it way back when with Bart and his “I didn’t do it” catch phrase. For a while the phrase is really popular and Bart gets famous. Then everyone gets tired of the phrase, and that’s the end of Bart’s fame.
That’s the way these things go. They are funny for a while, and then they get tiresome. Once it goes from the “heh, that’s cute” reactions to “not this crap again” reactions, most people realize that the meme has run its course and stop using it.
I know you are excluding the zombie meme from this discussion, but there is an additional snark factor associated with it that is probably worth mentioning. The annoyance does’t just come from it being a meme that is long past its prime. The person being snarky with the comment is being a rude jerk.
Maybe, if it doesn’t bring you a giggle anymore, and no one else is laughing it’s time to LET IT GO!
No joke remains funny after thousands of repetitions!
These are effectively the same as your lamest, stale, ‘no one is laughing’, Dad joke. Everyone else in the room is rolling their eyes and a little embarrassed for you. All that’s missing is for you to guffaw and ‘Har Har’ over your own damn el lameo joke of the (last) century.
My feeling is if it doesn’t actually still make you laugh, it’s time to stop pretending it will amuse anyone else.
In-jokes can serve as touchstones of connection…for those who are in. They are, however, a double edged sword as they also contribute to an impression of exclusion for those who are not in. They’re a little bit like secret handshakes. I’m not talking about a powerful ‘stay out’ message but rather a more subtle feeling of general alienation…oh man, everyone is laughing/commenting/eyerolling on some odd remark and I don’t know why. Boy, I must be a dummy not to get it. Guess I don’t belong here…. FAQ’s can be of some assistance, but depend on someone reading them. A person who happens to step in for the first time, looks around, and immediately encounters several in-jokes may opt out of the site before ever perusing an FAQ.
I think a big reason is that there are those who practically search for things by which to be offended. Some of the innocuous things that upset certain individuals are actually laughable. Many of these people are transients who like to nitpick and stir up controversy for the attention and chaos it produces. Usually, after they’ve worn out their welcome, they then move on.
I suspect there’s an element of “If I don’t like it, no one is allowed to like it.”
The board is populated with folks who confuse their opinions with subjective fact and make sure everyone knows it.
It’s a wise saying that “everyone is entitled to different opinions, but not entitled to different facts.” But a few around here push everything into the second category when properly many of them are in the first.
But hey, one good way to “win an argument” is to beg the question, so the conclusion is already assumed.
GQ thread about Sex With a Ghost: “Has anyone ever had sex with a ghost?”
One moderator raises his hand. “Me.”
Member in GQ: “May I ask where you are from?”
Moderator: “I are from the Midwest.”
Member in GQ: : “And how often have you had sex with a ghost?”
Moderator: " Oh, I thought you said, “goat.”
Sit down Hal.
I can’t say why I like them but I do; even a couple here and there different places I never quite understood. Maybe I’m an odd duck but colloquial expressions (and lets face it, most inside jokes fit the general sense of the phrase) are just something I always enjoyed. It may be the combination of language and tradition or just the fact that I like silliness but there it is.
There’s also the fact that the joke is too easy. Once a joke becomes a knee-jerk response, it’s lazy. Some of these jokes have been around for almost 20 years. Jokes based on board memes can be funny, but 99 out a hundred are not. If you can’t come up with something a little bit original, you’re not being that funny.
I can’t say I see newbies getting offended at these very often. Mostly they are just mystified. It’s the people who have been around and heard the joke 8,000 times that get annoyed.
On the other hand, if they leave after the only response they get to a post is “BRAINZ!!” and/or “Zombie!”, it’s not like the SDMB sends them a survey asking why they left.
Hey we are the in crowd. This is our joke. If you want to belong you will accept our in-crowd joke embrace it and use it. For god’s sake don’t try to create your own in-joke. That will not work. You owe me a new keyboard kthx bye.