Why do people bother to respond at all ?

I usually don't respond to a thread with my " holier than thou" opinion , unless I know a thing or two about the subject.

I'm certainty not going to judge a poster if I didn't actually friggin read their post ! let alone actually watch what it is they had to say !.....Seriously people ...

I really don't see much sincerity in genuine conversation . If you're not willing to actually read the op ..why bother responding?

I've really been respectful to everyone ...I've NEVER been disrespectful ...
It's disgusting how much people will go off and insult someone because they are ignorant and uneducated and didn't even look at what the op was saying !

reply to post by paleorchid13


I agree. I feel like people respond to headlines without even reading any of the post.

Because I'm right, and you're wrong, and therefore I'm better than you.

Now what was your topic again?

I know I've caught myself responding out of aggravation from a miss-leading post. By the time I've read through the first two pages I catch myself getting caught in the OP's poor attempt to create a solid topic.

reply to post by Tadeusz

reply to post by Toolatetotalk


Having a conversation that may not be concrete is pretty valid .

My biggest problem is if the OP has a topic that is interesting, and I end up reading loads of replies like:

"Hmm not too sure what the image is!"
or
"wow! what is that?"

Really...? Thanks for the contribution...

Why have ATS?
Isnt this site about the communication of ideas and information from no matter how far out or speculative, down to droll technical babble which only the initiated can follow really well.....
We all have opinons, why not voice them even if they are occaisionally one liners ?
I have to agree that many replies are due to poor reading comprehension though.....
This gets kind of comical to see as the protagonists pontifically compare apples to oranges and walk away feeling like they sure told him....
Duh@!
Still, i must say i have read some terrific one liners from time to time....

reply to post by paleorchid13


If you don't like it, don't come here.

This is like a family, you always have that one relative that drinks too much eggnog and gets "a little crazy".

Take that, times ten.

Welcome to ATS.



Seriously tho, if its ruining your day, don't come here.

Some people only come to ATS to debunk. Dunno if they think they are doing a service to help dissuade conversation, believe they are denying ignorance or they are seeking attention.

reply to post by litterbaux


If someone has a drink they need to share

reply to post by paleorchid13

Well, if I'd have to guess....... We're all around here for the chat and/or the way news comes up here as fast or faster in some cases than MSM. Of course, here we get local member perspectives as often as not and I'll take that over a talking head interview on the tube any day.

If people don't respond to threads though and cause some discussion and chat, those posting the OP's may feel unappreciated and ignored. Enough of that, and they'll stop posting threads. Then..well...it wouldn't be ATS anymore. It'd be an archive site of what had been.

reply to post by paleorchid13


I made a thread, about not reading the OP. It got a few people. And to be honest, I am guilty of it too sometimes.

We're all human.

Just a couple posts ago I made a comment of a topic without checking the source, instead basing it off some of the posts in the thread. My first post in the thread was night and day from my second, as my second post reflected the additional information I missed.

It happens to us all.

Shame.

But what can you do? There are some great minds on ATS, some intelligent people, but at the end of the day they are just people. And people have different moods. Sometimes when stress or frustration is high we may not be so careful when reading a thread. Or we may post under a false interpretation of the OP...

The best thing to do is make not of it and work towards the best in the future.

reply to post by paleorchid13

I too wonder at that phenomena, especially those who most obviously attempt to derail the thread entirely. I see this all the time in the Religious forums. Some things are just impossible to debunk, so insults are thrown, and the thread degrades so that the staff is forced to step in and close the thread. I see a great many T&C violation deleted posts in those forums too, and most are the usual suspects, although I too have violated T&C on occasion myself.
I will say this, I am very happy that I am not part of ATS staff! That looks like a very difficult job.

My Grammy used to say that a closed mouth is a smart head. Words to live by, when you finally open your mouth... people actually listen. If one spouts drivel every time they open their lips (or type in this case), their words lack credence and when they finally have something good to say, no one listens.

With some people it doesn't matter if everything they say is wise or has a lot of substance, those particular people will not be listened to because people will see and believe only what they want to see and believe.

I'm new, but I usually don't post or respond unless I feel I have something meaningful to contribute, or to post a point of view or opinion that hasn't been expressed yet. Most of the time somebody has already said what I would have said, so I don't post it. I've seen threads where the same idea or one-liner gets posted over and over continuously. Isn't there a rule against that?

I don't post unless I read the entire OP and at least the first few pages.

Anyway, aside from this post right here..I will try to make all my posts count!

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Yes, the things discussed here are highly controversial and emotionally charged topics . It wouldn't be my night-time candy if it were any different. The high level of effort and intellectual respect is what attracted me to this site ; which is so full of all my favorite things and topics. I hate to see the integrity lessened . Many other places are a catastrophe of ignorance to the level of trash. I just had a bug up my butt ...*shrug* I'm over it .