# Your thoughts on the evolution of SDMB in time **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935 "2023-10-22T23:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2023, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/41 "2023-10-23T22:31:22Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > The atmosphere has changed, mostly to keep up with changes in society, and I think that’s mostly a good thing. The changes seem to me to have rubbed off a lot of rough edges, so that either posters mellowed out or they self-selected out one way or another. I was going to say something along those lines. I only joined this board a few years ago, but I lurked for a brief time probably circa 2005-06. At the time I was an active member of the now defunct snopes message board, so I probably found this board because someone on the snopes board posted a link to this one – there was a lot of crossover between the two boards in those days. But after lurking briefly I felt like the tone of the SDMB just didn’t feel as friendly as the snopes board, so I decided against joining. I only did eventually join after the old snopes board got shut down for good. And it does seem like it has mellowed out compared to what I saw back then. Although I do avoid the Pit and Politics and Elections, so maybe it’s not that way in those forums. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Part of the reason we don’t do this any longer is that few shows are aired or released an episode at a time, so we’re not always at the same point in the program. I don’t even have cable anymore; I watch everything on streaming. And I usually don’t get around to watching a new show until months after it drops on whatever streaming service it’s on. So I actively avoid the threads about TV shows I plan on watching as to avoid spoilers. Maybe once I do watch the show I’ll go back and read the thread to see what other people had to say, but by then I feel like I don’t have anything to add to the discussion that hasn’t already been said, not to mention that other people probably aren’t interested in discussing a show from months ago, if they actually remember enough about it 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 23, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/42 "2023-10-23T23:23:22Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > We recently had a question about what poop tastes like, and that didn’t get shut down for squeamishness. How did I miss that one? ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/43 "2023-10-24T00:13:59Z")
And you’re probably the only expert! 😳 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/44 "2023-10-24T00:35:06Z")
> [@Mijin](#): > > “truth”, “freedom” or “patriot” > [@Mijin](#): > > I didn’t mention “right-wing”. Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/45 "2023-10-24T00:35:26Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Although I do avoid the Pit and Politics and Elections, so maybe it’s not that way in those forums. That’s what I like about the new software: I can put the entire Pit on ignore. Never see any of the threads. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/46 "2023-10-24T00:36:47Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Seriously? “Seriously” I suggested we drop this tangent. You really want to open this up? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/47 "2023-10-24T00:40:33Z")
I suggest _you_ drop it since you said something egregiously counterfactual. Don’t pretend I’m the one being unreasonable by pointing this out. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/48 "2023-10-24T00:44:11Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > The political monoculture is an issue, but when you have people who demand a well supported accounting of your ideas, the current slate of conservatives (at least USA conservatives) can’t manage it. I would argue that with the current board climate, people on both side have blinders on and there is no room for rational discussion. It comes across as one-sided discussion simply because the board is 95%+ anti-anything-Republican. Imagine I started a thread saying that Trump did at least one good thing everyone could agree to - he contained China’s territorial ambition. Do you think that would be a reasoned discussion limited to Taiwan, Spratly Islands, South China Sea, etc. or do you think it would be a complete shitshow and horribly off-topic by the third reply? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/49 "2023-10-24T01:03:37Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > I suggest _you_ drop it since you said something egregiously counterfactual. Don’t pretend I’m the one being unreasonable by pointing this out. Firstly, you and I did the same thing: I made an inference about where you were going, and you made an inference about where I was going. So I’d call it a wash. Secondly, and more importantly, I didn’t need to, but I apologized. I said “I’m sorry” and “I apologize”. So why are you still going with this, and how can you still think I am being unreasonable? ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/50 "2023-10-24T01:27:14Z")
Whatever apology you offered is negated by you compounding your rudeness by continuing to defend yourself by saying something egregiously incorrect about me - I made no signficant inference - websites featuring “truth”, “freedom” or “patriot” are right wing. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/51 "2023-10-24T02:49:59Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Mijin](#): > > I suggested we drop this tangent > [@Princhester](#): > > I suggest _you_ drop it I suggest that both of you drop it. If you want to keep having a go at each other, you know where the Pit is. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/52 "2023-10-24T10:21:16Z")
There were a fair number of Republicans and even some Libertarians here in 2000. Those all seem to be gone now. The BBQ Pit used to be a lot more interesting; posters would pit each other for all kinds of reasons. Now, 90% of Pit threads are just “Right Wing = Bad!!” ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/53 "2023-10-24T12:36:17Z")
Okay folks, let’s get nostalgic: Hands up all those who remember: … 1920’s death rays . …“once, for 20 minutes.”… . … Hi , Opal! . …“when come back, bring pie” … .“you know the rules” (about kitty pics) (all memes from circa 1998-2005, methinks) We had our own memes and cliches. And we had …fun. Back then, we were like a bunch of college kids sitting around a dorm room. Having lots of loud, rollicking, slightly drunk, and pass-me-the-joint fun. Now, we’re like those same people when they attend the 30th reunion. A little less rollicking, a little more sober, and maybe even more mature. Yeah, it’s still nice, and it still feels good. But, like the old saying says, you can never go back again. So let’s enjoy what we got, while we still got it. And one day, we’ll look back on the old SDMB from 2023 with nostalgia. And we’ll ask “gee, what happened? It’s not like the good ol’ days.” ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/54 "2023-10-24T12:49:08Z")
Speaking of “evolution” and “time” do any old-timers here remember any bottleneck points when it seemed possible, even likely, that the SDMB would simply die out, as all species eventually do? ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/55 "2023-10-24T12:54:32Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Now, 90% of Pit threads are just “Right Wing = Bad!!” Sure, but then they are followed by the _reasons_ for that opinion. We have threads like Stupid liberal idea of the day, there’s no privileged group. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/56 "2023-10-24T13:01:15Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Imagine I started a thread saying that Trump did at least one good thing everyone could agree to - he contained China’s territorial ambition. Do you think that would be a reasoned discussion limited to Taiwan, Spratly Islands, South China Sea, etc. or do you think it would be a complete shitshow and horribly off-topic by the third reply? I think it very much depends on how the thread is presented. If you start the thread with the purpose of showing that Trump was a competent president by showcasing a thing he did that was competent, it will be a shit show. If you say “hey, let’s talk about US actions during the Trump admin re: the South China Sea” and also say “I’m not interested in debating the overall competence/quality of the Trump administration” I think you get the debate you want, AND I think you can count on the mods to keep people in line. I could be wrong, of course. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/57 "2023-10-24T13:39:02Z")
I don’t really think you can, at least without having a thicker skin than a lot of our self-appointed arbiters of all things woke. I’m not at all convinced that you can have a safe space for everyone AND allow for any humor that’s actually funny and not extremely superficial. It’s like the idea that someone _might_ get offended is the ne plus ultra of things that should be avoided around here now. It wasn’t always that way- you were free to participate, and free to get offended. The mods basically tried to keep the lid on outright _hateful_ stuff, but there wasn’t an effort to prevent everyone from being offended either. If you didn’t like the sex threads, poop threads, religion threads, politics threads, etc… the attitude was that _you could just go read other threads_. I think a lot of it is because “Don’t be a jerk” used to be a more widely interpreted concept- sort of crowdsourced based on the membership. Now that we’re much more of a monoculture, it’s what that monoculture thinks a “jerk” is, and I’m not so convinced that’s good for the board. I don’t doubt that it has repelled a lot of otherwise meritorious new posters who may not be quite so immersed in that particular brand of non-jerkishness. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/58 "2023-10-24T14:59:15Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > If you say “hey, let’s talk about US actions during the Trump admin re: the South China Sea” and also say “I’m not interested in debating the overall competence/quality of the Trump administration” I think you get the debate you want, AND I think you can count on the mods to keep people in line. I disagree. I think that 90% of this Board is now, “No Republican has ever done anything good since 2020 and it is a moral imperative to criticize in the most vitriolic terms possible every Republican’s character, words and actions.” I could be wrong, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/59 "2023-10-24T15:08:17Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I think that 90% of this Board is now, “No Republican has ever done anything good since 2020 I think it’s more like an Italian in 1945 not wanting to hear about how the trains used to run on time. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935/60 "2023-10-24T15:13:58Z")
> [@slicedalone](#): > > any old-timers here remember any bottleneck points when it seemed possible, even likely, that the SDMB would simply die out There was a time when the SDMB tried going pay-to-play and lost some posters, at least temporarily, as I recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-thoughts-on-the-evolution-of-sdmb-in-time/991935.md?page=4)