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The internet gives idiots a place to convey their thoughts. In real life, no one would bother listening or would just avoid that person. On a forum though, it's the opposite. They can say whatever they want, no matter how ill-informed their opinion or position is, and it will get read by potentially millions of people. Even when you put someone like that on ignore in a forum, you still see that they've been posting.
In real life, I try to speak only about things I am knowledgeable about. An internet forum is no different for me. Unfortunately for most of civilized society, there are plenty of people who post without the slightest idea of what they are talking about, and then become argumentative and abusive when corrected.
I tend to avoid politics on any forum. Never ceases to amaze me how fervently someone can believe their "opinion" is the same as fact.
Ding, ding, ding, ding! We have a winner! Way too many people fail to accept the difference between fact and opinion and get heartily defensive when that is pointed out. This can be especially true in political areas.
There are also those who carry a grudge against a place, a business, a group or almost any category in life, possibly for good reason, possibly not, but they simply cannot understand why their viewpoint is not shared by all. Then there are those who arrive to post personal stories of how they have been mistreated and are highly upset that not everyone comes to their defense and in fact are sometimes told by a large majority that they were the party in the wrong and simply cannot accept that scenario.
I've posted on a variety of forums, and one thing I've noticed - I've noticed that folks hassle each other a lot. A lot more than real life, and it seems that arguments break out all the time. Why is that?
Because they know they won't get punched in their faces. That's it.
Often people say things online that they would never, ever, ever say to someone in real life, even a stranger.
Also, I think that real jerks often show their true "jerkiness" online when no one can really talk back to them or defriend them or fire them or shoot them.
This. I have some real ill stalker who had romantic interest on me even I clearly told I am married, several times. He gone so bad that I could easily sue him.
I just don't because making it official would break my anonymity and probably after that he would find out where I live and come to my door. I have not spoke a word to him at 2 years and he still goes on
Apparently he has no life and only person he ever managed to speak to was me in entire world..
It isn't unusual for someone to join a forum just so they can make a snotty remark to another person.
Or have several user names, when one user name is for the "normal, appreciated and mannered" character, and rest of are for trolling and spelling mean part of his character. These people just try to act ideal yet they still have a need to let the beast out of them.. But of course hidden.. Otherwise their "reputation" would be gone.
What I've found is there are individuals with strong opinions, who consider their opinions to be factual. When someone offers a different viewpoint, the other poster then attacks their intelligence for not knowing what is right or wrong. Rather than just saying they disagree.
There are some forums here with subject matter experts, who demean the general population of posters, instead of cordially answering questions. They then go on to tout their knowledge and abilities, and how the other poster can be like them, if they just put forth the effort. The automotive forum is the worst, where the experts will respond to every maintenance question, with "you can do this yourself". When the OP responds that they don't have the ability or facilities, a multi-page thread ensues where others pile on and reduce the OP to a useless low life.
As for moderation, these forums are hit or miss depending on the specific forum moderator. Overall, I'd say it's about average as far as websites go.
Civilization is becoming less and less civilized. People don't seem to remember that "good manners are love in the trifles" (Henry Drummond, 19th Century essayist and author).
I play bridge at an internet site and players can communicate openly or by private message (partners at a table cannot send private messages to each other, though). Players are from all over the world. Recently, an opponent in a game didn't like something I did and sent me a pm voicing his disapproval. Oddly enough, it's the more experienced, advanced players who are more likely to do this. An observer can also send messages. I've never had to go so far as complain to the admin, but it does put a damper on a game.
People think their opinions are fact bc they've been sold this touchy-Feely nonsense that everyone's thoughts/ideas are worth listening to.
If I need brain surgery, a neurosurgeon's opinion and the random guy on the street are not worth the same and should not be afforded the same respect.
They also think consensus lends credibility to their argument. Wrong again.
If I polled 100,000 non-neurosurgeons on the best way to approach decompression of an epidural hemorrhage, it doesn't matter what they all agree on - it's a fairly worthless opinion.
And ditto on the anonymous = bad behavior thing.
Look at drivers. You can pretty much tell who is a self-absorbed ahole from their driving style.
Me personally, I like that forums are this way. In real life, often-times you have to bite your lip in situations where you are so itching to say what's really on your mind but you withhold because you don't want to lose your job, or because it's something your friend does or a view they have which you disagree with and you really want to elaborate on it but you don't want to lose your friend over it because it's not something serious (he/she didn't have intercourse with your spouse, go after a job they knew you badly wanted, etc) and so you stay mum around them.
You want somewhere you go can where you can say what you really feel without having to "hold back." Especially with seemingly everything happening in the Facebook realm these days, where your real name is attached to it and it spills over into real life, you want somewhere you can go where this isn't a possibility, an "alternate reality" of sorts. To me, Facebook aside, that's what the Internet is, an "alternate reality" where rules don't or shouldn't exist and you can do whatever you want for the most part. I say "good."
Here I'm "shyguylh," I'm not "the real me" as it were. It reminds me of when people had CB radios and they had "handles" and they would have all kinds of conversations there they wouldn't have in "real life" as it were. I love it, and at the risk of getting a smack on the hand with a ruler (I only say this because someone else brought it up, twice I think), I think forums should be left alone for the most part and not treated with such a heavy hand of oversight. Other than hard-core threats or spam, let people say what they want. Even pro-KKK or such things, as despicable as those are--yes, let them say what they want. I don't necessarily want to hear it either, but I'd rather them have the freedom to say what they want than for me or someone else to be censored. We're not in 3rd grade here, let people have their say.
I wonder how many are just cranky, lonely seniors? I spent the last ten years dealing with cranky seniors at work. They can be really obnoxious. We were at the movies last week and two seniors were talking so loud through the movie that John asked them nicely to please be quiet.
Well that lasted for ten minutes and they were right back at it. You can't yell at seniors. They were in their 80's if I had to guess. I can still see him in his yellow sweater holding his wife's hand and walking out of the theater. It made me smile, even though they pretty much ruined the movie
We can guess, we can judge, and we can condemn bad behavior from people posting on the internet. Maybe it's better to be polite to them because in the end we are only guessing as to why they are being rude. Yes there are the rectums too. There's nothing you can do about that but change the way you deal with them. I try my best to stay on the high road but I've failed many times.
People will be people. I think it's best to just not give them a second thought on the internet and get off the computer and spend some quality time in 3D land
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