Why are so many people here angry?

[Fappy]

Old school forums are like high schools. The drama can be downright intoxicating to some. Also, video games are serious business.

It's actually refreshing when I get flamed in threads that have nothing to do with politics in anyway since it's so rare these days. I had a guy take a shit down my throat for dumbest reason in a Skyrim thread a few months back. In retrospect, it was actually pretty hilarious. I had a forum super hero shut him down, but I can't remember who it was.

 

[Neurotic Void Melody]

But now I am saddened at its conundrum.

Can't you see your cat pics are tearing me apart?

Emotional claus (heh!), sadness is preferable to anger in a utilitarian mind, i ...hope?

Ya'll people just need some kittens all up in your shit...

Spoiler

Sorry, i would put them in spoilers, but that risks more people not seeing these adorable cuties. How could anyone stay angry beyond these??

But I don't want kittens up in my shit. Why would I want shit covered kittens? Why would you want to do that to poor kittens?! You sick bastard!! Just cuddle the damn adorable things! Don't insert them rectally into people!! What's wrong with you?!?

It's ok, these are specially bred shit-kittens. They can thrive anywhere, like deep sea bacteria or...deep colon bacteria. But CUTE bacteria! XD

You can take your kittens and... er... apply them to some orifice of your general person (eat them? put them in armpits?), you absolute entity, you. I'm miffed to shit, me. Grrrr.

If you swallow them whole, they will survive like ringworm, these kittens are adaptable. Not sure about armpits yet though, I shall conduct some vigorous testing and return with the results. Cuuute vigorous testing of course!

 

[the_dramatica]

Why bother coming to the internet to talk about the weather or to seek easy approval? You can talk about those things with yourself in your mind without paying an internet bill or visiting the library! Competitive discussion heats things up, it makes things interesting, and it leaves no idea to rot or fester!

Also it seems I was aboard the gg exodus gentrification thing, which may affect this site specifically, yatzi may also attract critical folk.

 

[Kameburger]

Because it's easy to be condescending to people we can't see, don't know, and don't give a fuck about. The things that we're normally too polite to say in public (not hidden racist bullshit or anything like that) such as snarky comments and sarcastic responses, and condecending dismissals we let completely fly free in this space. Remember when Tommy Lee Jones says in Men in Black, that a person is smart but people are dumb, well to use that as a metaphor, whether you're debating with one person, or many, you're talking to people, not a person, and you're not a person, you're people to everyone around you. All credibility or anything that you might bring to the table is lost in a see of condescending dismissive people. That's why you never seem to meet those tumblrina's or GamerGaters in public. Fuck even the KKK wore masks. Because when you look at someone it's a lot harder to ignore their existence. .

 

[Tiger King]

It's not as bad as it used to be on here, well at least from my perspective.
I recall some probably long gone user making a thread about a similar topic as this years ago. Quite a few people said how they would write a reply to a thread expressing their views, only to have their mouse hover over the 'post' button in indecision on whether or not to click it. Their reason for not doing so was simply because they couldn't be bothered to deal with the aggressive responses of people that can't stop for two seconds and think 'oh well that's their opinion, I don't agree with it myself'.

Funnily enough the thread was soon invaded by angry people that smelt weakness/blood and they soon began ridiculing the former mentioned posters for being too sensitive and to 'man up'.

I dunno, if people wanna be angry and argue they should probably just head on over to youtube. There are millions of angry people that would indulge them in the comments section there.

 

[Sarge034]

I think it has to do with the site dying. Used to be a place with really good and unbiased news, a variety of content, and a close knit casual atmosphere. Now, well, with how things have been going at the top it's killed the site. Click bait and misinformation, or actual glaringly wrong information, is the norm. Some people care enough to point that out, others just go with it. This difference in ideology causes friction. The same way that any ideological differences cause friction when people are too set in their ways to try and see things from a different point of view.

So the short answer is people are angry here because very few people are actually here to talk. They just want everyone to agree with them.

 

[Magmarock]

I can very much sympathies with this. I find myself getting quite annoyed at how talk on the forums. If it gets too much I just disengage.

 

[Hagi]

Also on a related note, it seems you're right in your prediction that the guy that called a lot of other forum members "pedophiles, child molesters and rapists" hasn't been moderated yet. That's.. bizarre. I'm pretty sure if you went and called Gamergate, an ideology, that same thing then you would get instantly moderated. But calling a group of people that just because they exist? Apparently that's allowed. Hell, I'm pretty sure that's one of the worst insults imaginable, I mean it's magnitudes greater than calling someone an "idiot" or something, yet it's not getting moderated for some reason. This is what I mean about tone. People don't care about someone saying something offensive, the mods especially, they just care about the "tone" it's said in.

I apologize for cutting away the rest of your post, but I feel we're kinda going in circles so instead I figure I'll just focus on this part as this seems were we're mostly in agreement. If you want a response to any of the rest feel free to ask though, I don't mind responding but I'd feel as if I were repeating myself which seems far from productive.

But the above is basically the point I'm trying to make. I think it's bad, and the reason the Escapist's forums are experienced as angry and passive-aggressive, that these posts don't get moderated whilst ruder but far less offensive expressions of frustration and anger do get moderated.

Tone shouldn't matter to moderation. If insulting people is allowed, which it currently is provided you use the right words and tone, then I think it should be allowed regardless of tone or words used. If insulting people isn't allowed, then it should get moderated regardless of tone.

I'm arguing for consistency regardless of tone used. I see no difference between saying incredibly offensive things nicely or saying them rudely and I don't think moderation should either.

To add, I completely agree that insulting groups or individuals on grounds of gender, sexuality, race etc. is much worse than general insults like "idiot". I'm completely fine with a ban on hate speech, just because I believe these forums would be better with some insults allowed doesn't mean I think any and all insults should be allowed. I'm not arguing for literally anything goes.

Hate speech should be moderated regardless if delivered with insults, rhetoric or the nicest words imaginable. And if it isn't hate speech then personally I say swear away as much as you want, even personal insults.

The words and tone used shouldn't matter. Calling gay people pedophiles, child molesters and rapists should be moderated even if no expletives are used. Calling someone saying that a fucking idiot and borderline psychopath that should just get the hell out should not be moderated, regardless of the expletives used.

There's a difference between swearing and hate speech, a difference that doesn't seem understood by moderation as it currently stands. Which I think is a big problem.

 

[___________________]

The world's crap.

 

[deadish]

Outrage culture.

People's lives are so idyllic that they have to find something to ***** about.

 

[Nurb]

It's not just here. Gamers and nerds in general are always angry as a whole, always hate stuff, are always bitter about something, and will argue with each other or anyone else, but it's just how it's always been, this isn't a recent phenomenmenmonom. It's been like this since the 70's. I do my fair share of complaining about different topics in gaming.

People who don't fully understand sometimes try to "fight it", usually publicly yelling back and forth with gamers, ending up just a different kind of angry until they get tired and go away.

It's not even THAT bad really, you're just made aware of the most extreme cases, and this site doesn't police users as much. Don't worry too much about it.

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

I am probably asking the eternal question: Why are people angry on the Internet? Specifically, this site.

Some say that it's anonymity that is causing this, the lack of identification of a person. However, there is Facebook, where majority of people have their faces as avatars and are using their actual names, yet there are many posts which are ridiculously impolite. And then there is Reddit, where people use nicknames and don't have any visual connection to their person via avatar, yet so far, after few months of being a member of Reddit, I am yet to read something purposfully hurtful even on biggest subreddits.

Some say that it can be because of lack of control, but mods here seem to be incredibly active.

I am at loss.

I never was the most active forum user, always more of a lurker that ocasionally types something, but today I am even less willing to type anything, to communicate with people here. No matter the thread, if it is big enough, it always gets derailed by people being disrespectful towards others, or people who mistakenly though that someone tried to offend them and lauch a counter attack, or by those who simply can't stop arguing because they always must be "winners" of a discussion, or, the most common thing I see, by -isms. And it is always so... Wrathful.

It wasn't always like this. What has happened?

I just want to return to the days of huge threads, where most people were polite, on topic and more than anything willing to help and have fun.

I've the same issue. On the internet in general too. I stopped counting the times i've written a post of decent size just to delete it anyway, because i thought it gets either misconstrued or someone starts arguing semantics and both mostly always in such a tone/way that you'd probably would get slapped across the face in real life.
I also noticed that people often interpret posts just the most hateful/negative way possible, that and tons of projection goin' on, dear lordy lord. Maybe it really comes down to the few active members knowin' each other to well - i wouldn't know i can only remember a few names, i go mostly by avatars (stop switching them!! )

And even while writing this i stopped twice and thought "Not worth the hassle" and wanted to delete it.

 

[Tilly]

Well I'm just learning apparently there was a big deal with ME3. Lol, I joined after that.
Never really saw why that would particularly cause fights with the audience.

 

[Bonecrusher]

I am probably asking the eternal question: Why are people angry on the Internet? Specifically, this site.

I am not angry, I am just sad.

I am disappointed that Transformers, Robocop, TMNT movies "Bay'ed" and turned to unrelated action movies. I am disappointed that X-Men movies (except First Class) were just "Hugh Jackman movies" and nothing more. I am disappointed that neither Spider-Man nor Amazing Spider-Man movies portrayed SM perfectly. I am disappointed that Dredd movie will not have any sequel or a Netflix show. I am disappointed that many classic and great PC games are currently unknown, yet everyone talks about Mario, Zelda, Final Fantasy, more Mario, Halo, more Mario, more Zelda, DuckTales, more Mario, Megaman, Sonic, Final Fantasy and more Mario... I am disappointed we still don't have original Nick Fury in a 70s era TV Show or Movie for the MCU. I am disappointed that MCU Spider-Man is still a high school kid and we still can't have a grown up / university student Peter Parker (Fox Kids cartoon and the Torment storyline portrayed such a Peter). I am disappointed that Almost Human TV Show was a total disappointment and I was expecting a good cyberpunk story. I am disappointed that Constantine and Dresden Files were cancelled in their first season, and we can't have new episodes of them. I am disappointed that Life and Lie To Me were also cancelled and I miss those characters very much. I am dissapointed that Arrow is mostly a soap opera, especially in first and third seasons. I am dissapointed that DC cancelled Young Justice and Marvel cancelled Avengers EMH, yet they are promoting shit-tier series like Ultimate Spider-Man and Teen Titans Go!. I am disappointed that left-wing "progressive" people can't understand they behave like conservative right and therefore regressive. I am disappointed that kebab&pizza shops in Sweden make terrible food and therefore I missed real kebap (not that shit-tier wraps) and some Italian stone oven baked or chain shop (Dominos?) pizza.

 

[Something Amyss]

Knee-jerk reactions. Those are the death of discourse. People stop listening and instead wait for their turn to speak, and that is giving into the knee-jerk reaction rather than giving a discussion time. There's no thinking, just reacting to one or two bits they heard/read before their ears/eyes turned off.
Human beings have the ability to rise up above their base reactions, to think a situation through rather than act on instinct. That should be the defining trait of what separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom but sometimes I wonder if there's more than a few humans that just haven't evolved with that trait.

We have the ability, but we've also evolved with a tendency to cognitive bias that we're not even necessarily aware of. Hell, even being aware of it doesn't necessarily stop you.

There was a guy on YouTube named Harry Ray. Harry did a couple of shows, Monday Mental Mistakes and Friday Fallacies. And the beatuiful thing abot both is that it was very easy for him to illustrate these things in you own mind. Maybe not every week, maybe your brain doesn't make leap X or Y, but as a rule, yeah. One of the weirder feelings you can get is when you know where such a point is going, and your brain goes there anyway.

Though I probably didn't need to go that far. One of the most frustrating things about living with anxiety disorders is being cognisant of it. I feel stupid for dealing with issues I rationally know aren't worth freaking out over, but do anyway.

I mean, the "death of conversation" thing is still accurate, but it's not necessarily that simple to fight the way our brains have evolved. Still, pushing mindfulness is important, and one of the big problems that these issues come down to. It's especially frustrating to try and point out that people are doing the very thing that they're offended by, because we tend to be very good at ignoring our own behaviour. And as close to perfect as I may be, I am no exception.

I know, even having read the entire post, I still felt the need to respond the way I did. I kinda go to soapbox mode with statements like the one I quoted. Even when the person in question wasn't intentionally conveying that message, it's one of those things I feel the need to challenge, because someone will take it seriously. So let's just put it down to my having a weird habitual need to say something against statements like those.

Sorry about that too.

But I think that's a good point that you brought up, especially in regards to the internet and internet forums. Somethings just kinda flick people's internal switches on somethings, then someone goes off a tangent. So if I did anything useful, it was proving that people sometimes tend to go into tangent mode with online text communications.

I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't want to fight that myself. I kind of take issue with being called mentally ill, dangerous, compared to child molesters and rapists and whatnot. but if you did read on and understood his post, it seems like the outcome was even more prone to derail. And yeah, I get it that people get set off and whatnot. Because what Pluvia said is something that pisses me off. Just not at him, because he was saying it as a narrative device. But especially given the moderation issues. And speakingof....

-SNIP-

I know this wasn't the reason I was quoted, but I think it's sort of worth pointing out again that one of the reasons for the passive-aggressive tone around here everyone hates is that the rules are literally gamed for that kind of response. Making the rules harsher will not only pare down the community further, but it will probably lead to more hostility and passive confrontation, not less. There's also the fact that this is a forum that demands discussion value, which always seems to force people to dice a fine line between discussion and argument. We;re asked to consider that our content might be taken the wrong way, might offend someone, etc. These are not rules even conducive to discussing things like minority rights (when majorities tend to be so easily offended)./

I'm not complaining about moderation here, for the record. I'm just pointing out that the tone everyone hates so much is the natural progression. The site demands discussion value but opposes anything remotely resembling conflict. How else are people with conflicting ideologies going to engage?

Well, I mean, we could not. We could all disengage. And then there would be nothing left but forum games. Maybe the occasional appreciation thread.

 

[Belaam]

a) Gamergate caused a very clear rift. The differences were always there but GG made them clear and gave them names.

b) The drastic reduction in members and activity mean that a lot of the people here recognize each other and are at least somewhat familiar with each other's views and perspectives. You see a thread by a regular and you can often take an immediate and accurate guess of what it's going to be about. That might sound like a good thing and in some ways it probably is, but it also means that people enter threads carrying baggage from previous discussions and arguments. Many discussions turn into running duels between old enemies.

This. I'd add that some of the remaining posters after the exodus of 2014 became extremely prolific and were following people to other threads to harass them about unrelated arguments. I'm generally thick skinned, but this is the only forum I am on where I actually blocked a couple users because I got so sick of their constant ranting on the same couple of issues. And I went from coming here multiple times a day to a few times a month.

 

[Cowabungaa]

Still, pushing mindfulness is important, and one of the big problems that these issues come down to. It's especially frustrating to try and point out that people are doing the very thing that they're offended by, because we tend to be very good at ignoring our own behaviour. And as close to perfect as I may be, I am no exception.

I'd want to put that in a larger perspective. Introspection, as a skill and behavior, is not at all valued 'among the masses'. I notice it in the little things as well, people in general being so very focused on externality, of expressing themselves. It's rare to see someone stop and think why they do something, why they think or feel something and reflect upon it. Maybe it's never been a mainstream skill, limited to a small intellectual elite. Maybe we're only noticing it more nowadays because it's become so easy to express yourself in a greater public discourse.

It's genuinely why I would want some form of philosophical education starting from primary school. To learn how to critically reflect not only on your society but also more importantly on yourself.