Is it just me or ....

[Tiggerrific]

I wasn't talking about anyone specifically getting flamed, i was just talking in general on the boards. Everyone makes valid points that's for sure. I haven't felt like I have been unnecessarily flamed. I see a lot of people asking legitimate questions, and before you know it someone is accusing them of trying to break rules or get away with something. As I said in the OP some people definitely deserve all they get and more. It just seems to me it is more rampant than it used to be, but maybe I'm not looking into the posters history and I'm not aware of the name they may have made for themselves.

 

[Ember]

People can be mean. In both real life and on the internet. Personally, I happen to think people are meaner in general, everywhere.

With attitudes disparaging any sort of etiquette as out dated combined with entitlement issues, I feel we have become a much ruder society. There is no social condemnation for acting in a way that is selfish, so those unwritten rules for easing social situations have flown out the window. Heaven forbid you ask someone else's child to stop doing something, or frown at someone's unruly behaviour. You're likely to be threatened with a law suit or you suddenly have a zealot on your hands screaming that if it bothers you, you should have stayed home! We also excuse all sorts of behaviour now under the guise of, "you don't really know what's going on." Everyone feels there's a unique set of circumstances that applies to them so therefore the rules don't.

My only real pet peeve are the people who seem to show up and demand to know what you'd bother posting about ________, anyway. In their not-so-humble opinion _______ is a ridiculous topic and not worthy of consideration. I honestly do not see the point of these posts. It's a message board, if no one posted anything, there wouldn't be a site!

 

[jujube]

I thought of something else.
Sometimes when someone has had an off experience at WDW, there are those who will say, no matter the situation, that it is not WDW's fault, nor a CM's fault-nothing concerning Disney can be at fault. There are times when it's obvious that yes, the poster may not have planned properly. But then, for example, if the staircase of a resort caved in, it would be the poster's fault for stepping on the wrong part of the step and they should have known not to step there. This is exaggerated of course but you get the drift. We love Disney or else we wouldn't vacation there but Disney is not Utopia. There are things that happen that are not the poster's fault and they should not be torn to smithereens because something happened that was beyond their control.

 

[goofyernmost]

I realize that the boards have seemed a little more tense recently, and a lot of it can be blamed on Fastpass. It was a highly debated number of threads and they all started out civil enough until it became obvious that people were desperately attempting to find a way around the new enforced rules. I have been a part of those discussions many times.

That sensitivity carries over to other topics but usually not unless the topic is one of the more explosive ones. Fastpass, Strollers, Scooters, using someone elses ticket to get in and so on.

When a person starts up a thread on those topics, immediately everyone's radar sends out signals and they react, sometimes, prematurely to the topics. If, for example, someone starts a new thread on a recent high powered topic the first thing those of us look at is how many posts have these people made and when did they join. A newbee will probably be given a lot of room to explain themselves but, frankly, it immediately raises questions concerning motive. Are they really new or are they trolling a topic to watch the reaction. It doesn't really take long to figure it out, but, it is an alert. If the poster has been around for awhile, then we get suspicious because we don't understand how anyone active on the boards would not have seen the discussions that have already happened.

It is a flaw but most do not intentionally wish to me mean, however, when someone makes a mean spirited statement, the reflex kicks in and the gloves come off. At least for me!

I agree with some that like the word "rude", the word "flamed" is thrown around a little to easily. To many, flamed means someone strongly disagrees with the others opinion. That is what discussion boards do. Not everyone is a professional writer and sometimes some words seem harsher then they were intended.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

I was told the debate board around here got so nasty they closed the whole thing down.

 

[Bob NC]

The posters that really bother me are the high and mighty who voice opinions that have absolutely nothing to do with the question asked and are only meant to judge and demean.

Example:

OP: I can't decide whether to have peanut butter & jelly or roast beef for lunch. What should I have.

Response: Roast beef? Didn't I see on another thread that you couldn't afford new soccer shorts for your DD? In MY house we would NEVER eat roast beef if we couldn't fulfill our obligations to our children first. How do you live with yourself?

or

OP: We were thinking about having friends visit us while at the Wilderness Lodge, would they need a parking pass?

Response: Your friends are NOT ALLOWED to use the pool. Pools are ONLY for the use of registered guests at WL. It's people like you that make the pool crowded and makes it so my family can't each have a lounge chair at the pool. You must be redneck lowlifes thinking you can bring all your friends and relatives to MY pool.

 

[jujube]

The posters that really bother me are the high and mighty who voice opinions that have absolutely nothing to do with the question asked and are only meant to judge and demean.

Example:

OP: I can't decide whether to have peanut butter & jelly or roast beef for lunch. What should I have.

Response: Roast beef? Didn't I see on another thread that you couldn't afford new soccer shorts for your DD? In MY house we would NEVER eat roast beef if we couldn't fulfill our obligations to our children first. How do you live with yourself?

or

OP: We were thinking about having friends visit us while at the Wilderness Lodge, would they need a parking pass?

Response: Your friends are NOT ALLOWED to use the pool. Pools are ONLY for the use of registered guests at WL. It's people like you that make the pool crowded and makes it so my family can't each have a lounge chair at the pool. You must be redneck lowlifes thinking you can bring all your friends and relatives to MY pool.

dead on
I feel especially sorry for new posters asking this type of question.

 

[LuvsDragonflies]

Wait...pool hopping is wrong?

 

[Tiggerrific]

Wait...pool hopping is wrong?

well we made it to the start of page 4 with no attitudes! lol

 

[Wall-E1]

Wait...pool hopping is wrong?

It's allowed if you have a refillable mug from 2002.

 

[EPCOTatNight]

The posters that really bother me are the high and mighty who voice opinions that have absolutely nothing to do with the question asked and are only meant to judge and demean.

Example:

OP: I can't decide whether to have peanut butter & jelly or roast beef for lunch. What should I have.

Response: Roast beef? Didn't I see on another thread that you couldn't afford new soccer shorts for your DD? In MY house we would NEVER eat roast beef if we couldn't fulfill our obligations to our children first. How do you live with yourself?

or

OP: We were thinking about having friends visit us while at the Wilderness Lodge, would they need a parking pass?

Response: Your friends are NOT ALLOWED to use the pool. Pools are ONLY for the use of registered guests at WL. It's people like you that make the pool crowded and makes it so my family can't each have a lounge chair at the pool. You must be redneck lowlifes thinking you can bring all your friends and relatives to MY pool.

 

[djm99]

OP, I think so. It helps to stay off the Community board. I love the food porn one or reading trip reports. Those are usually just fun. I TRY to stay on those boards. At one point, I stayed of the community threads for an entire year. I felt like I was being just as mean as the meanies. I also want to mention this was before the ban on politics and religion threads.

 

[stevenpensacola]

It's allowed if you have a refillable mug from 2002.

but this rule only applies to the four people "officially" staying in your room for four...the other six folks sleeping on air mattresses have to share the mug, and can only use the pool at their hotel.

 

[ols386]

Wait...pool hopping is wrong?

Only if you get caught.

 

[cm8]

Yes, maybe it does feel 'meaner' than it did way back when...

But, I have to agree with the above poster who notices that, like all electronic activity, the DIS is many, many, times, larger than that 'happy family' that may have existed at one time. And, with that, there does come a different dynamic!

This is, now, a large community.
And, like any community, I have seen it go thru different cycles and phases.

Here are two kinds of things that I have seen recently.

First, there are the cliques.
I was on one thread where it was, most definitely, a tight group or clique.
Everything had to be just exactly the way they liked it with no compromise and zero disagreement. Just because I was one of a couple of posters who questioned something, it was like they ran me off the thread like a group of rabid posters from Mean Girl Middle School. Their posts and behaviors were not even close to being socially acceptable. I just walked away.

Second, I have also noticed the 'snipers' as I call them. They ambush.
They have decided that they, personally, do not like and/or agree with you.... So, it is like you will post your thoughts, as requested by an OP...
And they come out of the bushes/woodwork... Just a full flank attack. Instead of just posting their personal thoughts and experiences... it is like they jump out, actually quote your post, and attack, which is just not okay. It is negative, it takes the OP's thread off-topic in the nastiest way. Sometimes it is necessary to address it and clarify. But, just as often it is necessary to just walk away.

And, BTW, mentioning one's past experience in a valid, BTDT, type of way is not a bad thing. If for example, somebody is posting about something that I have had to struggle with and have learned from, and I say BTDT... how would that be a problem???? The last thread I got attacked/flamed/ambushed on for this also had many other posters who were quoting their experiences. Going all the way back to "when I was a kid...." Somehow this is okay, unless you just do not agree with what the poster is saying, so then it is fair game for an ambush???

I suppose this is just how it goes out here in cyber-land!

Agreed!

I call Natalie!

I've only been on the DIS for about four years, but I've noticed a few categories of posters.

1) The hand-holders and the peacemakers. These posters are always friendly, always nurturing, very sweet.
2) The debaters. They're not afraid to get into it with you on a topic or two. But you'll find over time that you may be on opposite sides on some threads, on the same side on others. It all works out and it's a friendly relationship.
3) The curmudgeons. Their responses seem crabby and sarcastic on every thread. With posters like this I've come to believe it's either their writing style or they're just curmudgeons in everyday life. (I secretly love the curmudgeons. They crack me up!)
4) The crusaders. Everything becomes a dispute. Every topic and every individual must be challenged, corrected, railed against or reformed.

Frankly, I enjoy everyone on these boards. I don't think it's so much that people are mean -- I think it's often they have a personality that's more confrontational than others or perhaps they write more sarcastically than others.

Very true

One thing that BURNS me is personal attacks. I mean, you don't have to agree with people and you have every right to "attack" their point... but you do not have the right to attack the person who states it. When you resort to name calling, you have lost all credibility. At that point, people will not take you seriously what so ever and may end up just simply ignoring you.

And, I would put myself as a Debater. It's just my personality as I love to look at information and take it apart and question things all the time. But, I hope most of the time I do it respectfully and politely.

Great categories!!

Add:

5: The researchers: The lack of life people who remember ever single thing people post. I wonder why they really "care".

6: The know it alls: Whatever the subject is, there is someone who knows more than anyone about it. I can almost guess who will have a starring role in any thread.

7: The loyalists: Their "idols" can do NO wrong. Whether it be WDW, thier hometown, their religion, their politics or their favorite celebs, they will defend them to the death, even if they shoot their Mom!!

8: The punks: they will never answer a PM, they go to their playground and get with their like minders to complain because they don't have the nerve to debate one on one.

These people are EVERYwhere on the net. Like real life, it's inevitable.

Sad but true!!

OP, I think so. It helps to stay off the Community board. I love the food porn one or reading trip reports. Those are usually just fun. I TRY to stay on those boards. At one point, I stayed of the community threads for an entire year. I felt like I was being just as mean as the meanies. I also want to mention this was before the ban on politics and religion threads.

I just wanted to say I agree with all of these! DJM99, I love your Siggy... "Keep it cute or put it on mute"!!!

 

[djm99]

The posters that really bother me are the high and mighty who voice opinions that have absolutely nothing to do with the question asked and are only meant to judge and demean.

Example:

OP: I can't decide whether to have peanut butter & jelly or roast beef for lunch. What should I have.

Response: Roast beef? Didn't I see on another thread that you couldn't afford new soccer shorts for your DD? In MY house we would NEVER eat roast beef if we couldn't fulfill our obligations to our children first. How do you live with yourself?

or

OP: We were thinking about having friends visit us while at the Wilderness Lodge, would they need a parking pass?

Response: Your friends are NOT ALLOWED to use the pool. Pools are ONLY for the use of registered guests at WL. It's people like you that make the pool crowded and makes it so my family can't each have a lounge chair at the pool. You must be redneck lowlifes thinking you can bring all your friends and relatives to MY pool.