~What is with the 'Obligatory' pie option in some polls?~

Since coming to the forums I have seen numerous polls with the pie, cheese, other random food item, Hillary for President, etc option. Now, I am all for fun and I do have a good sense of humor, but when I see these options in an otherwise serious poll it makes me think that the poster is making a joke out of their poll and doesn't really care about it.

I have decided from now on not to participate in these polls as they usually don't allow for more than one selection and the poll usually gets swayed to the pie option. Not that forum polls are really any indication of how the entire SL community feels as not everyone on SL comes here, but it would be nice to see them without the 'Off Topic' options...

Pies, Cakes, Hillary, Food items are just a polite way to say that they dont care.
Instead of having...
"I DONT GIVE A SH*T" option, so we just put foods and hillary there..


simple

It is the belief of some that self-selected polls such as these forums provide are the height of silliness as essentially no valid generalizations about anything can be derived from their results. As one slightly versed in the nature of polling and statistical generalizations, I assert they are correct in this belief.

Thus it has become traditional to add the pie option, it is kinda an in-joke. Plus, everyone loves pie (except those who don't).

I like to give multiple don't give a shit options, in fact, i think seeing which dont give a shit option wins is more fun than the valid options

I think it's good to not participate in polls that fail to provide adequate choices.

However, to me the "pie" option is not an automatic disqualifier. I read the "pie" choice as meaning the voter has no opinion or thinks the poll is ill-conceived. That's a valid choice! And stating it as "pie" has the same disarming effect as an emoticon It can help break up excessive seriousness.

Excessive seriousness leads to brain infarcts

I've wondered if "pie" is used for this don't care, doesn't apply, ect... option because there's a pie menu in-world or if it's just truly a coincidence.

HP

I believe "pie" as an option for forum polls has been around since before SL (I could be wrong)... but, when many polls on the forums have poorly-worded options, people who don't really want to choose any "real" options on the poll would rather choose pie. It's a lot shorter than adding a "nice weather we're having today" option. It's also hard to misspell pie

Besides, we all know how reliable polls are

I use the Pie option as an indicator of how well the poll poster can think originally without having to follow a forum trend to try and fit in. If it's there, well... they need work at it.

Besides, Cheesecake could totally kick Pie's ass.

I agree!!

This discussion is not relevant to the general forum, and has been moved to the off-topic forum.

Off Topic:
Discuss your ideas and observations about the real world.

Asking a question with regards to the polls made in the SL FORUMS is Off Topic? OK then. I really can't wait until my question in SL Answers gets a response that way we all know that talking about anything SL related may go to Off Topic

Thank You!

I want a cake option.

If we let you cakeies in the door, soon we're going to have to have a Brownie option, and a Cookie option... Then someone's going to want a bread option...

No, no, best we stick with Pie. Back in the cellar with you, cakeie!

.... you just want more furries in SL, no cake = more furries, don't you know?






(in retrospect, this is probably not as funny as I thought it was )

Since you don't like irrelevant pie, here's a brief history of the opposite.

Once upon a time there was a crazy witch named Anne Coulter who took herself too seriously (as crazy people tend to do). One day, someone thought it would be funny to hit her in the face with a pie...

And suddenly the forum started SERIOUSLY debating whether or not it was felony assault.

And that's just effing retarded.

And those people can never live down that shame. Thus was the pie option forever relevant.

The end.

I love this story... read it to me again!

Mmmmm pie.

Mmm...pie.

Yes, I think this goes back to the great "Cake verus Pie" wars on Usenet

Pie! MmmmmmmMmmmmm