I feel that the background on SC elicits a certain effect in its users. There's something foreboding about it, almost menacing. I think the background combined with the name of the site make a potent combo. New users log in and see these things and can't help but think "I'm in this shit deep now". You see that most forums use a more white background. Forums like reddit and so on. Even 4chan uses a light background. But not SC. SC wears its darkness on its sleeve and while it may not be part of the dark net, you can kind of get that vibe from it. As Turncoat has labeled it, it's the black hole. And I think it's a very fitting backdrop.
My grandiose delusions are better than yours.
