Why discussions generate into personal affronts...

Oh, where would we all be without a smile and/or chuckle during the course of our day? The OP asked his question and was able to answer it himself before this thread got rolling good in his retort to a poster that he didn't get the humour in. I say get over it, it's an audio forum, if and when we disagree, let it be about music and the audio driving it to us and not politics, religion or any other facet that has nothing to do with either. Enjoy the music.

It's the same mentality in every forum.  It's the nature of the web, it makes it easy to say things without repercussions.  I avoid politics like the plague, but even in photography forums (my main hobby and p/t job), they get crazy as well. . Most people don't talk like that to others in person, mostly because it would become a fist fight, then again some people are just buttheads.  I'm learning quite a bit just by reading reviews, the forum conversations,  thanks for the knowledge and entertainment guys, girsl or whatever pc pronoun you prefer.  

Humor. After a few reactions to a few posts, I learned it is not a good idea to think people will understand your humor. After many years, many know my humor, but there are always new people, so, I try to anticipate how a stranger might 'get' it.

Drink: I learned, I used to go to live music at bars, come home a bit loose, then perhaps write a reply to something. Noooooo, wait till morning.

Understandable as you detail it, but I've always been a hard worker, so that does not apply to me.

As you seem to be OK with humor/satire (which apparently "most" people don't get) I will ask this basic question/choice...

English Leather?

or...

Canoe?

and...

Hopefully we can both remain civil upon your answer (unlike PRAT).

DeKay

@dekay , Ginger would require more maintenance and I don't want to work that hard where as Mary Ann has better curves anyway, so Mary Ann.

Threads that decay into back and forth bantering with in-jokes or jokes which most people don’t get are also tiresome.  Eg this one Ginger, Mary-Ann...?  

Hi Liz:

As you probably already know, and as unpopular as this "choice" seems to be, it's Ginger.

I just remembered why I haven’t given up on this stuff

You are "something" for sure...

My light hearted post and YOUR response to such should have enlightened you to the fact that YOU are the problem to your solution.

DeKay

HEY - I JUST REALIZED - I CAN BE NASTY TOO...

..." and today - not quite making the cut - at number 11 in the Don Rickles Memorial Reply Challenge is: dekay; better luck next time dekay...

dekay

Please take it on the road - or to some stand-up, late-night comedy venue. I'm sensing most who are replying into this topic are worn out by snideness; so with be relevant or be quiet.

Not to start anything, but...

Ginger?

or...

Mary Ann?

I dropped out of this forum years ago because of nasty postings and only recently came back. I'm still on the fence about continuing to participate but the majority here seem helpful and courteous. I've gotten many good ideas from this forum and especially enjoy the tube and music oriented posts. Elizabeth did make some very good points I agree with.

... Same with Elizabeth...

Not a Man crush here - never met the man - just respect his info when he reigns in the bluster...

Well geoffkait: whatever the reason, I have found that when you get that out of your system - and you hunker down to more pure HO and experience- led wording, you are a creditable inputer. Don't blush...

Eventually all audio forums dry up like lake beds in the Kalahari. Take a gander at Stereophile or Audio Asylum. They’ve become ghost towns. I come from the future where there are no audio forums. I only come back here for the jokes. 🤡

Some of you may have noticed, I try to describe my history/general outlook so my comments can be taken/ignored within some understanding

I'm pretty active on 2 forums, Sony and Oly Compacts, on DPR photo site since 2012. 

It shows up mostly from people who have a strong need to be right, and it comes and goes in waves.

When I first joined, late 2012 when Sony rx100 1" sensor revolution started, my first impression was awful, a few trolls, and people who strongly took the bait, added a lot of negativity. I could skip posts from those people, except, the people who took the bait, and the people who need to be right often do know a lot, so I took the good from the bad.

Then the trolls disappeared, it got quite good for a long time,

then, as a result of newer 'better' models, a few new, quite knowledgeable people joined, but stiff, my way or the highway ... I discovered, peoples professions sometimes set them up, they need/ed to be critical to succeed, then it becomes a life long habit. To the point of telling people not to post their photos.

Oh baby, private messages ensued, ... new understandings were found, .... 

aolmrd1241 +1

Go @elizabeth !

I do hope that forums will become better and not worse over time but I am not sure that will happen soon unless there are new mods and mabye new rules.

It may take time, but after awhile you'll be able to self-select what threads to read by ignoring those where certain posters names repeatedly appear.  When you master this trick you'll find that Audiogon is a peaceful place filled with well informed and curious hobbyist who treat each other respectfully.

Insearchofprat - my analysis of why multiple discussions get nasty some time is due to ‘clash of egos’ - no more no less. I try and read threads that I am interested in for the goal of improving my stereo system sound. I work hard to ignore the sniping, and glean the ideas I can afford to try in my Stereo System and leave it at that. Life is short - the odds of changing people’s interactions on this or any forum / company e mail etc. is ZERO.

life is short - I have improved my two home systems via the ‘knowledge I have found here’ to an amazing level. Just ignore the trash!

Happy Listening 

Ego and the ability to not hear what is being asked. It’s all too familiar these days. 

I nominate Elizabeth guest mod for a day. 

...or maybe I should say jaw - socking insight.

Elizabeth

... wow;  thanks for a jaw- slacking insight...

Controversy may be extravagant when the stakes are low.  Audio is such a subject.

Some people are just Aholes.

Most of the fireworks seems to occur in threads where one group fervently believes in tangible, significant, sonic improvements resulting from some change in their audio system that is ancillary to the main components or speakers, such as a wire, fuse, connector, or tweak, while the opposing group just as fervently believes any perceived improvements are imagined and are not supported by science, or that any sonic differences are so slight as to be insignificant.  The other answer of course is that those involved have nothing better to do at the time.

Sometimes it’s simply a case of Newton’s third law of motion - when a body exerts a force on another body it produces an equal and opposite force.

"SOMEBODY fill me in why knowledgeable people generate into nastiness in discussions..."


We are giving advice for free, we don’t charge a consulting fee for all this knowledge, in fact its the sparring and blatant rudeness that pays US back in spades! :-)
Matt M

I believe in your personal experience and your own wallet over everything and everyone else.


To your own ear and to your own wallet be true.


I don't have to like what you like, and you don't have to like what I like.

Pride of product, pride of opinion, low self esteem, jealousy, ignorance, all work well in producing the posts to which you object. Personally I just ignore those threads or posts. Life is too short for me to waste my time on them. I doubt that there is anything to learn from them worth the effort. 

You may note that most  of the truly knowledgeable folks here rarely participate in them. They are usually helpful and courteous when they find a reason to post.

You will quickly identify those folks/threads to ignore.