Read before you open your trap!

It is getting more and more frustrating to do any kind of internet discussion when people CLEARLY aren't reading comments or articles before they post.

I get so tired of repeating myself or having to dumb myself down to people who can't comprehend simple sentences. WTH is wrong with people?! My god it makes me want to never go online again and just not talk to people.

I see it more and more and it is very sad and disturbing at the same time.

Is it that hard to READ before you comment? Is it that hard to read and comprehend? Just because you read something doesn't mean you comprehend what is being said.

I see it on here, FB and every other site I go on. It is more rampant on FB than anywhere else. It's really disturbing what some people say about others. It is down right scary actually. I know many are just "keyboard warriors" who are just hiding behind a screen and wouldn't have the cajones to say most of what they say online in person.

I saw a post today about a child that had to under go gastric bypass surgery and the comments made me sad. How can you talk down about a CHILD!!! It's an innocent human being yet people want to call him names just because he has a disorder that caused him to be extremely obese.

I see it with comments on almost every new site or web blog I follow. People are down right mean and say things before even reading the article. It's like the news outlets reporting news before they get the facts!

AHHHH. I am beyond annoyed with it at this point. Maybe it's hormones making me extra sensitive lately but I find it hard to have any kind of conversation online anymore.

mblahnikluver
It is getting more and more frustrating to do any kind of internet discussion when people CLEARLY aren't reading comments or articles before they post.

I get so tired of repeating myself or having to dumb myself down to people who can't comprehend simple sentences. WTH is wrong with people?! My god it makes me want to never go online again and just not talk to people.

Has it occurred to you that English is not a first language for MANY ATS users? It could honestly be lost in translation if it is on ATS.

I have my facebook on private so only those that I am friends with can see my posts and vice versa. If your friends are posting these things, maybe it is time to thin out the friends list.


~K2

reply to post by mblahnikluver


One of the many countless reasons to not use Facebook. I deleted my account back in the mass-exodus of May 2010, and there is currently one underway of a couple million or so deletions happening. Facebook is a cesspool of immature, sheepish idiocy.

I do see many people responding to the thread title of many threads instead of reading the entire OP and responding to the OP instead. Then you have to repeat yourself and explain exactly what you already explained in the OP.

Yeah, it gets frustrating.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Just based on reading your title I can tell that you must like some political opponent that I don't. You also probably have some different economic view but I'm just guessing that from your screen name. I really didn't have time to read your post, but I'm certain I disagree with it.

HA! Just kidding. I do see what you're saying. Sometimes it seems some people just read a post title rather than read the content of the post. It's like that saying from Fight Club... "When people think you're dying they actually listen to what you say... rather than waiting for their turn to speak." And when they see a post about something they believe in they just want to get their opinion out there rather than participate in a debate. Although I have on occasion repeated someone else's statements in a long running forum (having not read every page) it would be nice if some would actually read the forum before getting involved.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


The internet is like a giant reward system for who can have the most knee jerk, fastest and most rude or outrageous opinion on any subject.
Balanced thoughtful views that calmly take in both sides rarely garner any attention and so people get trained to spout one liners that go along with popular opinion or conversely intentionally go in the exact opposite direction (trolling)

Sounds like you might have encountered one of these:



I understand they are multiplying like rabbits...

Recommend you stock up on a case of this:

k21968

mblahnikluver
It is getting more and more frustrating to do any kind of internet discussion when people CLEARLY aren't reading comments or articles before they post.

I get so tired of repeating myself or having to dumb myself down to people who can't comprehend simple sentences. WTH is wrong with people?! My god it makes me want to never go online again and just not talk to people.

Has it occurred to you that English is not a first language for MANY ATS users? It could honestly be lost in translation if it is on ATS.

Has it occurred to YOU that I know this already?! Also this is mostly directed to sites that are NOT ATS. Also most people on here who have English as a second or even third language speak better English than those who were born and raised speaking English so the whole English lost in translation gets to be a weak excuse since the majority here SPEAK English as a first language. Again this isn't really directed towards ATS but it happens on here.

I have my facebook on private so only those that I am friends with can see my posts and vice versa. If your friends are posting these things, maybe it is time to thin out the friends list.

CLEARLY you are one of those missing what I am saying.

Where did I say it was my friends? I said PEOPLE which could be anyone. Also my page is private and just because your page is private it doesn't mean people can't see what you say on another page like a group or news outlet you follow. If you post a comment on a page like ATS' FB all your friends see what you posted and if they comment then their friends see it as well. So yea not so private.

_BoneZ_
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

One of the many countless reasons to not use Facebook. I deleted my account back in the mass-exodus of May 2010, and there is currently one underway of a couple million or so deletions happening. Facebook is a cesspool of immature, sheepish idiocy

Well aren't you just special then.

I can think of many reasons WHY I have one that are far better than getting rid of it. I could careless if the NSA, FBI or any other agency looks at my FB. They will see nothing of importance. I am not one who posts crap online that doesn't belong online.

Oh and ATS isn't full of the same crap? Please spare me.

Also this is directed to ALL internet forums not just FB and I believe I said that in my OP.

I do see many people responding to the thread title of many threads instead of reading the entire OP and responding to the OP instead. Then you have to repeat yourself and explain exactly what you already explained in the OP.

THAT is what annoys me most all over the internet! It's like why can't you read first?! People are flat out lazy and would rather skim a few lines then open their mouth and sound like a complete idiot.

Yeah, it gets frustrating.

That it does!

I read it described as having to babysit the thread.
A more humorous type of this is when the replier in an in-thread discussion actually cherry-picks half of your sentence, even bolding the emphasized part for you. Meanwhile you're tempted to bold the part they ignored, right back at them, but you resist because it would've been pointless to try. This didn't actually happen to me personally, but it was tiresome to watch.

revswirl
reply to post by mblahnikluver

 

Just based on reading your title I can tell that you must like some political opponent that I don't. You also probably have some different economic view but I'm just guessing that from your screen name. I really didn't have time to read your post, but I'm certain I disagree with it.

Um I hate politics and if you can tell me what my screen name means I'll be shocked.

HA! Just kidding. I do see what you're saying. Sometimes it seems some people just read a post title rather than read the content of the post. It's like that saying from Fight Club... "When people think you're dying they actually listen to what you say... rather than waiting for their turn to speak." And when they see a post about something they believe in they just want to get their opinion out there rather than participate in a debate. Although I have on occasion repeated someone else's statements in a long running forum (having not read every page) it would be nice if some would actually read the forum before getting involved.

Exactly!!

It makes it really hard to have any kind of discussion when people do this. I enjoy a good debate or discussion but when the others aren't really doing their part and just coming in without reading ANYTHING it gets so annoying!! I give up! lol

Darn, double posted!

reply to post by Murgatroid


BAHAHAHAHA that is the funniest thing I've seen all day!!




The rant forum always makes me feel better lol It's a nice place to blow off steam plus someone always makes you laugh

I will pray for peace for you.

You seem really upset over something you can only control if you get rid of it. That is a tough spot to be in.



~K2

dp sorry

reply to post by davespanners


Tooooooooooooo true.

On ATS . . . Christians tend to garner, imho, the MOST thoughtless knee jerk responses to their posts and threads.

And even when we take a lot of patient time to explain the perspective concerned with the thread . . . and why it is logical and sensible to us . . . we STILL get shrill and outrageously assaultive replies that demonstrate the one replying

1. Did not read the original post--at least not more than a phrase or a sentence.
2. Did not read our reply to their post to us very thoughtfully with much insight or understanding, if, at all.
3. Really doesn't seem to be the least bit interested in genuine dialogue and not much interested in civility except as it's necessary to keep their account here.

Sigh.

My latest effort here . . .

www.abovetopsecret.com...

is a case in point. It appeared like only some keywords in the title or OP were REACTED to in a fiercely insulting diatribe, rant . . .

The rant obviously had more to do with the poster's childhood fostered ATTACHMENT DISORDER than it did with the content of the OP because . . . for one, the one replying was NOT DEALING WITH THE CONTENT of the OP with anything remotely close to understanding and thoughtful dialogue.

The reply was ALL RANT.

And very bigoted, dogmatic, hostile rant, at that.

It gets discouraging.

I'm glad you posted this thread. The phenomena needs noting and warrants rejection by all thoughtful people genuinely interested in civil dialogue.

I think you need to realize that its not just the internet bub, it's everywhere. The dumbing down of society is all part of the plan. What our masters don't want is a nation of people who are educated...cause then the jig is up for them ya see.

Education is not what it should be in the public school system. Its a trend I believe, ever watch idiocracy?

Something like that but without electrolytes..

why anyone would actually use FB is beyound me. It's so dumb. No here's my philosophy. Go back in time. Don't have anything. Internet, okay sure. But nothing else. Don't have any way for anyone to contact you, other than maybe an address, and not your home address. And even then if that address starts getting abused then be fully willing to shut that down too. Why? It's such a more peacful life. No one bugging you what so ever! In this day and age the way people are able to bother you and effect your life is generally be some means of communcation. So they call, email, mail, txt, FB or other you! So shut all that down. Now if they actually have something valuable to tell you they can come find you and tell you face to face. Think about what a peaceful life that would be? i'm literailly gonna do that one day. I'm not gonna have ANYTHING. If anyone has something important to tell me they can come find me and tell me to my face. But instead we actually do stupid stuff like: we leave our ringers on, we check our texts, emails, mail, FB and everything else every hour or two. It's so dumb. That's just asking for abuse. As for me, no more I've had it.

reply to post by mblahnikluver


You know what's really funny? I came to this specific forum to basically state my thoughts on this exact same issue but then I saw your thread. I personally call it the "Twitter Society" because it frequently seems that people stop reading nearly everything after 140 characters. And odds are, those who do this probably won't read past this point. In fact, they probably didn't make it past the "Twitter Society"... This is a huge mistake and here's why.

I've taken a number of writing classes and the first paragraph is the one that is intended to stimulate interest in reading the rest of the story. It's generally written to encourage interest often through the provocation of feelings and more. It sets the "scene" per se. It's the "gotcha!" paragraph. However, the rest of the article is equally important because it is basically making the case for that "gotcha!" paragraph. It's up to you, the reader, to decide whether or not the author is correct in their initial statements, if they are making mountains out of molehills, or if their "gotcha!" statement(s) have any basis at all.

Many of the subject matters on these forums are really quite serious but it often seems that many continually do not take the subjects or their own statements as seriously as they should. This doesn't just include "trolls". We're talking 90% of the posts on a thread are written based off of a reactive response with very little offered up to support their claim. Some of the subjects could warrant the length of a book and I don't think any of us wish to have book length posts. However, we are given a 7500 character limit on these forums to fully flesh out what we think and, more importantly, why on some very important subjects.

Worse yet, a good number of posters seem to have serious issues with reading comprehension. I've noticed that, time and time again, people will halt their reading of a post or an article at the point where they have an emotional reaction to something being said. Often times, they associate or attribute things that were not intended by the author and miss this fact solely because they stopped reading. One can make a claim and back it up or, alternatively, one can take a claim and destroy it.

Other reading related common crimes:

1. Inability to detect bias, fallacies, or evaluate a source as having potential bias.
2. Not verifying sources to see whether what is being discussed or referenced is factual or being misrepresented.
3. Taking op-ed as being statements of facts as opposed to opinion. See #2.
4. Inability to detect satire. To be fair, there's a whole lot of crappy satire out there.
5. Taking things out of context.

The irony is the very people that really need to think about this probably really did stop reading after the "Twitter Society". That makes meaningfully addressing the issue almost pointless but one can always hope, right?

reply to post by mblahnikluver


Have no clue as to what your OP was, as I couldn't be bothered to read it. If you want someone to read your posts, maybe you shouldn't be rude in your thread title by telling people to shut their trap. Just thought I would try to give you some help.

There a saying me and a friend have, its "an idiot has no boundaries".

There are many who use the internet who lack any empathy and are clearly emotionally challenged, there are people who have the odd troll day where they just fancy doing it for the devilment but there are the hardcore who are just an embarrassment to society that live to be an arse.

Yes you will get the odd lost in translation or cultural differences but most are just idiots looking to offend.

As said you have to trim your friends if they are arses and make things private if you want to avoid these people, sadly they are everywhere.

My pet hate is those who join a thread and sdo one of two things or much worse, both things. One is to just throw in a stupid joke that has been done to death, in the UFO groups you get people just posting "it was swamp gas" and thinking its hilarious and never been done before. ATS is about discussion with some light hearted relief if its directly on topic, to make fun directly of the topic item isn't wrong but vague over used rubbish isn't wanted. The other annoying thing is people who join a thread, read post one and then reply, usually posting a 5000 word post about an item that has been debunked on page one.

Its just the rudeness of not bothering to read important info that someone has taken the time and research to find for the thread.

Sigh...