# Why was this thread locked? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [November 16, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715 "2007-11-16T17:01:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Malachi\_Throne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Malachi\_Throne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malachi_Throne)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/1 "2007-11-16T17:01:50Z")
It says zombie, but since there were a dozen comments today, why cut those posters off? Don’t they deserve to see what people thought of their ideas? If someone complained, which seems to be the case, why not tell them to lighten up, and skip the thread if they want, like we all skip hundreds every day that seem repetative to us. Would those complainers really have been better off it a new thread had been started? I don’t see it. > **["Male" and "Female" as synonyms for "Man" and "Woman"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=81214)** > > I probably should have revived the “lost words” thread, as this is somewhat related, but it’s gone now. I’ve noticed increasingly on news interviews and the like that people will use the words “male” and “female” as synonymous with “man” and... ---
**Author:** ![Malachi\_Throne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Malachi\_Throne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malachi_Throne)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/2 "2007-11-16T17:03:55Z")
> **["Male" and "Female" as synonyms for "Man" and "Woman"?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=81214)** > > I probably should have revived the “lost words” thread, as this is somewhat related, but it’s gone now. I’ve noticed increasingly on news interviews and the like that people will use the words “male” and “female” as synonymous with “man” and... ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/3 "2007-11-16T17:07:49Z")
In most forums, it is the SDMB’s policy to close threads that have been revived after a few months, because the discussion is over and oftentimes a lot of people who posted in the thread aren’t there anymore. (In fact, I think I remember someone pitting another poster, who hadn’t been a member for many years, over something he had written in a long-dead thread.) If you think you could add to the discussion, start a new thread and post a link to the closed thread. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/4 "2007-11-16T17:08:54Z")
Most of the posters commenting were making “Zombie!” comments. If it is a valid question that people still want to comment one, you are always free to start a new thread on the subject. But let the dead stay buried. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/5 "2007-11-16T17:11:57Z")
Because it invites repsonses to people who posted 6 years ago, which in many cases is pointless, as they do not even post here any more. Case in point, the OP, who hasn’t posted here since 2001. ---
**Author:** ![Malachi\_Throne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Malachi\_Throne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malachi_Throne)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/6 "2007-11-16T17:20:40Z")
[QUOTE=severus] If you think you could add to the discussion, start a new thread and post a link to the closed thread. [/QUOTE] Okay, but don’t blame me if people who posted today are miffed they have to repeat their posts. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/7 "2007-11-16T17:31:02Z")
[QUOTE=Malachi Throne] Okay, but don’t blame me if people who posted today are miffed they have to repeat their posts. [/QUOTE] All five of them? ---
**Author:** ![Malachi\_Throne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Malachi\_Throne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malachi_Throne)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/8 "2007-11-16T17:34:14Z")
I didn’t post it for you, and I assume you will refuse to add, so please ignore this link. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9183297](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9183297) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/9 "2007-11-16T17:57:35Z")
[QUOTE=severus] (In fact, I think I remember someone pitting another poster, who hadn’t been a member for many years, over something he had written in a long-dead thread.) [/QUOTE] I’ve done it. Somebody had bumped the thread, I didn’t look at the date, and the topic really made me mad - though I forget what it was now. Several Dopers corrected me. Oops. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2007, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/10 "2007-11-17T08:46:58Z")
Any thread with the word zombie deserves to be closed. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2007, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-was-this-thread-locked/426715/11 "2007-11-17T09:03:09Z")
Also **Malachi Throne** it’s worth noting that the mods prefer you contact one of them directly by email if you have questions as to why a thread was locked. Sometimes they don’t want to talk about such things in public to avoid giving socks and trolls even more attention. Though that’s not the case here it seems.