RE: the question: ":Why do forum interactions become contentious". . .


I've just had a very unexpected and very unpleasant PM from a forum participant. 

He'd been suggesting I buy a certain component  and I told him politely that I didn't visualize that particular purchase fitting in with my long-range plans.  

His response was to accuse me of wasting everyone's time and to call me an "effing idiot" (except he spelled "effing" correctly). 

The great majority of interactions I've had here have been very enjoyable and recent input from
more experienced forum members has helped greatly in clarifying my plan for the next upgrade cycle. 

The thread on lesser-know Jazz has been great-- lots of participation and lots of terrific suggestions. 

Nevertheless, I've decided to take a break. 

Best regards,

Stuartk



stuartk

Showing 1 response by winnardt

I strongly disagree with those who are saying that people who make these nasty comments online also make them in face to face conversations. People who make these comments in online forums are hiding behind the anonymity that online forums provide and are likely much nicer in person because they realize that if they said some of these things to someone face to face, it wouldn't be long before no one would associate with them. For that reason, I now refer to all social media as antisocial media because that's what it has become. 
Are there appropriate moments when a good putdown is needed for a person you will never associate with again in a face to face situation? Darn right there are, but they are very rare and you have to be creative and use just the right putdown to be effective. Calling someone an idiot is uncreative, lazy, and worthless, so the OP can take away from this that the person who wrote that reply to him is uncreative, lazy, and worthless as well.
BTW, MC brings much of the vitriol on himself by projecting an unjustified overconfidence that only he can be correct. That's hogwash and we all know it.