|
I'm a little disappointed in myself. In real life I am a very collected person, and I like to be very polite, supportive, and respectful. These are traits I'm proud I have, and that I've tried to apply to how I behave online also. But looking through my posting history today, I've noticed a kind of downwards trend into cynicism. And if you were judging by my grammar and the content of my posts, you'd swear I was going senile. I don't know what else could be the cause of this demise except the fact that I've started posting on internet forums again. In short: The internet has made me stupid.
The problem, I think, is that there's so much stupidity and disrespect on TL after a while you grow used to it, and you start to tolerate it in yourself. This doesn't happen in real life, because the consequences of being a dick are immediate, and hard to overcome. On the internet, you're anonymous and can post however you like. There's very little feedback from others when you act retarded, and when there is, the author doesn't usually have the authority to trigger the little mechanism in your brain that tells you what you're doing is wrong, stop it. Thus, comments like this are born:
On March 25 2008 14:32 xxxx wrote:Show nested quote +On March 25 2008 07:20 1t2t3t4t5taw wrote:On March 24 2008 14:15 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote:On March 24 2008 13:20 nitram wrote:On March 24 2008 11:59 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote: What a gay way to brag about owning a $10k watch. What a dorkey watch too :O Yeah, I don't care what the insides are made out of, that thing is NOT worth 10k. If you're going to pay that much, it better be really fucking flashy. That looks like a $50 watch, though. On March 24 2008 14:04 FakeSteve[TPR] wrote: drop this 'over 9000' shit guys No. All you kind of people are fucking irritating. If they can afford to drop 10k on a watch and they wanted to then shut the hell up. It's not like some billionaire spending 1 million too much on his double yachts and you people tell him he didn't get his money's worth...does it occur to you that they don't give a shit what your opinion is because it doesn't matter what some kid who can't afford to pay for that kinda shit is? This is capitalism. Obviously Gucci bags aren't worth $4000 but why the fuck is Gucci still in business then? Your stupid comment is basically that YOU think it looks like "shit" and because you had some actually shitty watch that cost $10, his isn't worth what he paid for it. He obviously likes mechanical watches and you don't, I'm sure I could find something in your life that I think is a piece of shit and would say you should never have spent money on. So what if he fuckin wanted to show it off? What if he got a nice $100 watch and showed it off on here, I bet you fruitcakes wouldn't be bitching and moaning about his watch then. + Show Spoiler +On March 24 2008 16:35 SweeTLemonS[TPR] wrote:Show nested quote +On March 24 2008 16:01 ahrara_ wrote:On March 24 2008 15:30 alpskomleko wrote:That's the difference I'm talking about. Of course a quartz tells time, even more accurate than any purely mechanical movement, but there is no magic, no flair, completely devoid of life. I don't think anyone is telling you that mechanical watches aren't cool as a glacier. They're saying it's stupid to pay $10k for one. That said, what the fuck is sweetlemon's problem? With which post? I don't actually have a problem. I think the watch is fucking ugly, and I'm saying so. I don't have a problem with $10k watches, I have a problem with ugly $10k watches. Unless you're talking about the posts to Scorpion... those are different. I also REALLY do not like people who try to flaunt their money like that. To clarify: I don't mind flaunting (in fact, I like it), I just don't like it when people do it in this fashion. It comes off as: "look what I have, and how much better I am for having it!" That's just snobbish to me. Having expensive stuff, etc, I don't mind that. If you can afford it, more power to you. Maybe that wasn't his intention, but I find it hard to believe it's not. It would have been a lot better if he made a thread that said "OMG I LOVE MY WATCH!" And then ranted on it for a bunch of lines, even if he said how much it was worth. Leaving out the money amount, and then asking other people to post their watches/whatever seems to me that he's comparing his watch to what others have (thus the dollar amounts), and would then make judgments accordingly. I also think that those judgments would be "LOL, that things a cheap piece... mine costs so much more." Maybe I'm wrong, but that's definitely what the OP came across as, imo. I looked over my posts, and the only ones you (I think) would have asked that on are the ones I directed at Scorpion. That being said, I don't like that style of dress, and he used to rip on people all the time (for no reason) so I decided to do that. Hope that helped! You sound like a fucking psychopath. You've read into his post so insanely deeply that I think you have mental issues. He posted his watch, and the name, and that he liked it. YOU'RE the one who brought up the money. In fact, if you hadn't, and hadn't been a bitter little clown, I don't think anyone would have mentioned it and we woulda just had a thread with pics of watches. Obviously the quality of a watch is not determined based on what some stupidass thinks it looks like physically. If all anyone who bought expensive watches gave a shit about was the outer appearance then everyone would just buy fake Rolexes Who are you? Right, right, you're nobody... I forgot. You get into this mentality that status matters, and that someone with ten posts is less credible than someone with a thousand. Admit it, it's true. When you see a retarded comment and you're new to a forum, the first thing you do is check their post count. You're less likely to call them out on their idiocy and you're more likely to find their post "funny".
Here's a bash quote that also demonstrates my point:
<Zybl0re> get up <Zybl0re> get on up <Zybl0re> get up <Zybl0re> get on up <phxl|paper> and DANCE * nmp3bot dances :D-< * nmp3bot dances :D|-< * nmp3bot dances :D/-< <[SA]HatfulOfHollow> i'm going to become rich and famous after i invent a device that allows you to stab people in the face over the internet Here you have two people acting like tards. Poor Hollow can't do shit about it, because he can't stab them in the face like he would in real life. This is the moral hazard of the internet: People don't suffer the consequences of their idiocy.
Hell, sometimes they're praised for it. People have different values on the internet. On TL, these include seniority, starcraft skill, and humor. In real life, if Rekrul acted like he did on TL, he'd have a few bloody noses. Course, people who are polite and considerate still get some respect, but not to the degree posting lolcats will. This has to do with the ginormous noise-to-signal ratio on the internet. For every one worthwhile post, there are a hundred that would make your eyes bleed if you read them all. People who don't stir shit don't get anyone's attention go unnoticed. Recognition on the internet is easier to acquire BY POSTING SHIT IN ALL CAPS AND ACCUSING THE MODERATORS OF BEING NAZIS than by asking politely and saying "please".
One thing carries over from real life, though. Respectful behavior is more rewarding in the end than posting unfunny oneliners. It's also the more difficult standard to uphold. For my sake, and everyone else's I've come up with certain guidelines to being a quality poster on TL. I wrote them for my personal benefit, so I'd have some rules I could follow for whenever I posted online, but I encourage everybody on TL to consider following them also.
1. Never reduce yourself to personal attacks. I rarely broke this rule in my first 100 posts. After that, it kinda started going down hill. Not flaming people keeps you from making enemies, and wins you the respect of the people that matter. Yet this is the hardest rule to follow, because some posts are so stupid you want to take a jackhammer to the author's balls. And yet, you have to ...
2. Let the idiots be. You don't need to be the one to call them out on it. Most likely someone else will. People who can ignore stupidity successfully tend to get more of my respect.
3. Only post when you have something worthwhile. If your post is less than a hundred words, it's probably not worthwhile. There are two kinds of unworthwhile posts: First, the kind that makes you cringe, because the author thought his one-liner was actually funny. Second, there's the "I agree" or "lol". Both these kinds of posts suck. The second can be improved with some kind of qualifier, i.e. "I agree, but not with [...]"
4. Be respectful. Bottom line. Treat everybody like their posts are from Lim Yo Hwan himself. Very simple.
I'm well aware that I've broken a few of my rules already. I probably will break them a few times yet. I don't pretend to be a saint. I'm only saying that these are good ways to become quality members of any community, and that you should do your best to follow them. In a few cases, deviance from the rules may even be justified.
|
some things do regulate a lol at times
|
I'm definitely just as likely to call a 10k+ poster a fucking idiot as I am to a 10 post user. Same way in real life: whether I know them or not, if someone is being a jackass, generally, I'll let them know. (provided they're not some 6'5, 250lbs monster who will crush my skull like a pimple)
This is part of the reason why I dropped my American Drama course, haha. I was one of the few people who'd answer back our teacher when he started calling the class idiots and doing his other retarded shit. My grades definitely took a beating cuz of that..
So yeah, I defeinitely have a bad habit of not biting my tongue. Then again, it's not like Im looking to make new friends, so who cares.
|
I guess I should qualify my post by saying that's these are just my thoughts. It's open to discussion, and it obviously varies with the community. I'm not trying to impose my idea of correct forum behavior on anybody. These are just things I like to see in people and myself. Also, this was an opportunity for the social science major in me to do some analyzing =).
|
Tl.net is regulated just fine. If the OP sucks or is plain retarded the thread gets axed pretty quick. Unles the mods are asleep. Check out the amount of retarded threads that are allowed to linger on gg.net because the mods play nice and want to educate the todlers. BTW Disneyland is educational.
|
The way I see it, all of the trolling, the disrespect and absurd comments make for the beauty of the internet. After all, it is the internet. It's not real life. As soon as you start taking anything on the internet really seriously, it'll destroy you. This is not to say that there's no difference between good and bad trolling/whatever. If we let the idiots run loose, they'll destroy TL. So yeah, I guess there's good trolling and bad trolling. I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say that personal attacks should be avoided, or that you should treat everyone with respect. You shouldn't. Not on the internet. That's what makes it fun, so long as you approach it with a 'whatever, it's the internet' kind of spirit. Summarized: i like the funnies, your rules might destroy the funnies
|
I think this would be more appropriate as a blog. Fucking noobs with <200 post trash cunt assfucklicker.
Kidding.
I agree with you on some points, but I think you are a bit too adamant or strict in some areas. People on the internet SHOULD be more considerate, but not to the point where the occasional insulting joke can't be made. Also, seniority holds value in some cases for good reason - most peoplewith low post counts simply haven't been around long enough, haven't done enough, haven't contribued enough to be as respected as people with posts in the thousands that have.
|
Depends on which sites/forums you visit. Those dedicated to popular games is generally a bad idea. Yes, those dedicated to SC too. The more popular or new the game, the more retards are there. That's probably because they're all very young, and you can't really expect some 12-18 year old to take the web seriously.
If you only know forums like that, you'll maybe start thinking that everyone acts like a dick on the web. But that isn't true. There's really lots of forums about things which are simply uninteresting to these people. For example, from my own experience I can say that is the case with forums about programming, Linux, old and nerdy games (not SC). Or simply forums with heavy moderation.
Or check out the Usenet. Most retards don't even know what that is, so there are almost none there obviously.
|
agree TL is quite well moderated (thanks!)
thanks for bringing this up too, it's always good to be aware of your contributions and how you come across to others.
i think a limited amount of disrespect livens up the forum. obviously not to the point where it degenerates into purely personal attacks, but if a group of predominantly 15-30 year old guys all start talking like Greetings gentlemen and ladies, I respectfully beg to disagree with you on one small point it'll just seem phony.
it also does make some sense to give forum veterans the benefit of the doubt more than low-post count users. it's like the reputation system on ebay - known-good (not banned) is better than no reputation. insulting people for having low-post count IS stupid though... some users are insightful/hilarious right from the start.
|
Belgium8305 Posts
honestly if you think this is bad, check out the rest
|
|
On March 27 2008 03:54 Gokey wrote: tl;dr SHIT I MADE A PERSONAL ATTACK. Must...be...nice...
|
:D-< :D|-< :D/-< + Show Spoiler +
Anyway, I see the internet as having two sides, one is the informative side and the other the entertainment side. Usually these two mix perfectly at teamliquid, as opposed to some other forums, and you get a set of posts that are so bad they're funny, a set of legitimately funny posts, and a set of insightful/informative posts. I also usually don't have the urge to correct people's stupidity so it doesn't really bother me to have a huge noise:signal ratio, although I usually will correct people if they made a convincing argument based on false assumptions or something.
|
You're a liar. I'm punished for my idiocy all the time. >
|
On March 27 2008 03:33 fanatacist wrote: I think this would be more appropriate as a blog. Fucking noobs with <200 post trash cunt assfucklicker.
lol
@ OP
I agree
|
On March 27 2008 04:46 GeneralStan wrote:Show nested quote +On March 27 2008 03:33 fanatacist wrote: I think this would be more appropriate as a blog. Fucking noobs with <200 post trash cunt assfucklicker.
lol @ OP I agree LOL (oh the irony) D;
|
tl;dr
just fucking kidding lol
welcum to teh intarnet tho
|
Oh, I think TL is very well moderated, in comparison to other sites. I'm sorry I gave the impression I thought it wasn't. Still, people act much worse on the internet than they would in real life. I was just pointing that out as a fact.
|
United States22883 Posts
On March 27 2008 03:31 ManBearPig wrote: The way I see it, all of the trolling, the disrespect and absurd comments make for the beauty of the internet. After all, it is the internet. It's not real life. As soon as you start taking anything on the internet really seriously, it'll destroy you. This is not to say that there's no difference between good and bad trolling/whatever. If we let the idiots run loose, they'll destroy TL. So yeah, I guess there's good trolling and bad trolling. I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say that personal attacks should be avoided, or that you should treat everyone with respect. You shouldn't. Not on the internet. That's what makes it fun, so long as you approach it with a 'whatever, it's the internet' kind of spirit. Summarized: i like the funnies, your rules might destroy the funnies Agreed. I'm definitely a lot harsher on the internet, but I don't think you should keep quiet IRL when idiots speak up.
Derailing threads should probably be avoided though, and I'm extremely guilty of that.
|
For the record, I do that in real life all the time. I do it to piss people off.
If you really want to piss someone off after they get done berating you, tell them that they mean nothing to you, and then ignore them. You saw how many people it pissed off in that thread. I could very easily have made a response to his post saying that the internet is a place for opinions, I have as much a right to post my opinion about the watch being ugly as he did to say I'm an idiot/asshole for doing so. I chose to piss him off. Seriously, I've had people go off on me in real life before, and I just respond with a "who the fuck are you?" and then leave it alone, and they get EVEN MORE PISSED OFF. It's great.
Feel free to put my name in there, by the way. I don't care.
The only other thing I would like to say here, concerning my posts: don't take them so seriously. I post things, sometimes mean things, because I think it's hilarious. The reactions that people have to the posts are great, sometimes. I don't take this site, or any site, 100% seriously all the time. The worst thing you can do, regarding my posts, is take them all seriously. There are plenty that I make that are serious, but there are also those that are not intended to be serious. It always seems clear to me which ones are serious, and which are not. Generally speaking, posts made in serious threads are serious posts, and those made in stupid threads are not.
On March 27 2008 10:27 Jibba wrote:Show nested quote +On March 27 2008 03:31 ManBearPig wrote: The way I see it, all of the trolling, the disrespect and absurd comments make for the beauty of the internet. After all, it is the internet. It's not real life. As soon as you start taking anything on the internet really seriously, it'll destroy you. This is not to say that there's no difference between good and bad trolling/whatever. If we let the idiots run loose, they'll destroy TL. So yeah, I guess there's good trolling and bad trolling. I definitely wouldn't go so far as to say that personal attacks should be avoided, or that you should treat everyone with respect. You shouldn't. Not on the internet. That's what makes it fun, so long as you approach it with a 'whatever, it's the internet' kind of spirit. Summarized: i like the funnies, your rules might destroy the funnies Agreed. I'm definitely a lot harsher on the internet, but I don't think you should keep quiet IRL when idiots speak up. Derailing threads should probably be avoided though, and I'm extremely guilty of that.
Not if the thread sucks.
|
|
|
|