LOL, don't look at the comments! August 6, 2014 1:27 PM Subscribe
I feel that recently i've noticed an uptick in something really tiresome in the comments of FPPs. Mainly, nearly every time a poster or a commenter links to an article that's remotely controversial to the general world, and therefor attracts crappy comments, someone in the comments here just can't resist the urge to go "Oh man, wow, those comments sure are shitty aren't they!"
What does this add? it just seems like a coy way around what the mods had already declared about us not bringing shitty comments from elsewhere back here to quote and mock/yell at. While it's not really crapping in a thread, it's more like loudly farting. It obeys the rule of not bringing crappiness from elsewhere here in letter, but not really in spirit. It's one of those things that if anyone engages with it at all it's either a meaningless "yep" or just derails the thread.
I don't know, i find it tiresome. I wish we could stop doing this fig leaf stuff and just not bring crappyness from other places back here. Everyone who posts here knows comments most places are garbage. That's why they're here. We don't need warnings, and we don't need snarkness about the shittyness elsewhere at least in this context. Yea?
What does this add? it just seems like a coy way around what the mods had already declared about us not bringing shitty comments from elsewhere back here to quote and mock/yell at. While it's not really crapping in a thread, it's more like loudly farting. It obeys the rule of not bringing crappiness from elsewhere here in letter, but not really in spirit. It's one of those things that if anyone engages with it at all it's either a meaningless "yep" or just derails the thread.
I don't know, i find it tiresome. I wish we could stop doing this fig leaf stuff and just not bring crappyness from other places back here. Everyone who posts here knows comments most places are garbage. That's why they're here. We don't need warnings, and we don't need snarkness about the shittyness elsewhere at least in this context. Yea?
Well let's see how shitty we can make THESE comments!
I'll start: You forgot to mention "snowflakes below" before the [more inside], loser. Go back to Reddit.
(The community has its tics, is all I'm saying. In the right light, they're kinda cute.)
posted by notyou at 1:53 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
I'll start: You forgot to mention "snowflakes below" before the [more inside], loser. Go back to Reddit.
(The community has its tics, is all I'm saying. In the right light, they're kinda cute.)
posted by notyou at 1:53 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
Sometimes the comments aren't shitty, sometimes the comments are shitty. What's so shitty about commenting on shitty comments?
posted by oceanjesse at 1:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by oceanjesse at 1:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I accidentally looked at three comments on an Ebola article on CNN an hour ago, and I' pretty sure I got infected... by something.
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
OBAMA!
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014 [15 favorites]
Oh, shit, I hope it's not contagious here.
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by Devils Rancher at 1:55 PM on August 6, 2014
I disagree with this call out. I generally don't read comments, but when they are particularly egregious, and it is pointed out they are such, I will often take a look to see what people consider crappy. I often regret this impulse, but there you go.
I tend to make the opposite observation when I notice it (Hey, for once the comments don't suck. Spend some time there.), but as a whole I think commenting on comments is perfectly cromulent and shouldn't/can't be ignored. They are often an integral part of the link. Pointing out when they are shitty is actually often helpful (in my mind). I also don't see it as an end run around the spirit of the rule of not bringing in outside drama. In my mind it's a bit of a stretch to make that definition fit.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:01 PM on August 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
I tend to make the opposite observation when I notice it (Hey, for once the comments don't suck. Spend some time there.), but as a whole I think commenting on comments is perfectly cromulent and shouldn't/can't be ignored. They are often an integral part of the link. Pointing out when they are shitty is actually often helpful (in my mind). I also don't see it as an end run around the spirit of the rule of not bringing in outside drama. In my mind it's a bit of a stretch to make that definition fit.
posted by cjorgensen at 2:01 PM on August 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
hi my name is mitch adams from greendale i subscribed to youre newspaper but the delivery boy kepes throwing it on my lawn pls let him know he cant do that bceause i spend alot of money fxing the gras thanks in advnace
posted by griphus at 2:05 PM on August 6, 2014 [34 favorites]
posted by griphus at 2:05 PM on August 6, 2014 [34 favorites]
unsubscribe
posted by winna at 2:18 PM on August 6, 2014 [20 favorites]
posted by winna at 2:18 PM on August 6, 2014 [20 favorites]
Sometimes you want to know when comments are especially egregious so you can read them and get your rage on and I think that's perfectly excellent thank you keep warning me because OH THE IDIOTS.
posted by maxsparber at 2:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by maxsparber at 2:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
To be more helpful, I think flagging the 'don't read the comments' as noise might do the trick.
I tend to always assume that comments will be full of sub-literate chumwash so I do agree that pretty much everyone should know not to read comments. But when the comments are good, that might be a positive contribution to the thread.
posted by winna at 2:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
I tend to always assume that comments will be full of sub-literate chumwash so I do agree that pretty much everyone should know not to read comments. But when the comments are good, that might be a positive contribution to the thread.
posted by winna at 2:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [7 favorites]
I haven't really noticed an uptick in this, but, then, I don't find it particularly annoying.
posted by OmieWise at 2:24 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by OmieWise at 2:24 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I don't mind seeing this at all. I appreciate the policy to refrain from discussing individual comments since allowing this would so many threads to get completely sidetracked by wallowing in the shittiness, but a nod to the fact that the comments are terrible when they really are always makes me feel better about the world.
Not only that, but somehow it helps even when I am reading things that were not even posted on metafilter. I saw a comment thread elsewhere today that was really shitty and made me feel genuinely bad, and then somewhere in the back my head a little voice was like "wow, don't look at the comments!" and suddenly it felt like there was a giant pool of people who had my back.
It doesn't matter if no one else from metafilter actually saw these comments and thought they were terrible, just knowing that there are at least some people out there who would understand exactly why they bothered me helps so much. So thanks for being so nice everyone!
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 2:26 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
Not only that, but somehow it helps even when I am reading things that were not even posted on metafilter. I saw a comment thread elsewhere today that was really shitty and made me feel genuinely bad, and then somewhere in the back my head a little voice was like "wow, don't look at the comments!" and suddenly it felt like there was a giant pool of people who had my back.
It doesn't matter if no one else from metafilter actually saw these comments and thought they were terrible, just knowing that there are at least some people out there who would understand exactly why they bothered me helps so much. So thanks for being so nice everyone!
posted by insoluble uncertainty at 2:26 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
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posted by zombieflanders at 2:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [20 favorites]
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posted by zombieflanders at 2:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [20 favorites]
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This should be a thing. Can we make this a thing? Somebody wake up pb.
posted by zarq at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2014 [10 favorites]
This should be a thing. Can we make this a thing? Somebody wake up pb.
posted by zarq at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2014 [10 favorites]
At this point, I kinda feel like "don't read the comments" is about as helpful as reminding people to ignore the messages in their spam folder, but I don't think it's enough noise to merit any particular change in community standards / policy. I can't remember seeing a thread actually derailed by it, and if I did, I'd flag as derail and move on.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 2:33 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Somebody wake up pb.
pb never sleeps. Not while camping, anyway.
posted by Melismata at 2:42 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
pb never sleeps. Not while camping, anyway.
posted by Melismata at 2:42 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
What does this add?
Sometimes a particularly awful trainwreck of a comment thread is entertaining for reasons of its own, and I don't mind when people point them out.
posted by empath at 2:50 PM on August 6, 2014
Sometimes a particularly awful trainwreck of a comment thread is entertaining for reasons of its own, and I don't mind when people point them out.
posted by empath at 2:50 PM on August 6, 2014
I agree with the OP. I don't understand why anyone finds it useful to be told that the comments on another article on some other website are bad — especially since the comments one Mefite is seeing might be different than the comments another Mefite is seeing. I mean, there might be new, better comments posted in the meantime, and newer comments will often push older comments onto a less accessible page.
posted by John Cohen at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by John Cohen at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
I'm quite happy to get a heads up on whether the comments are worth reading because they are good or worth avoiding because they are awful. Either way, it's helpful.
posted by arcticseal at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by arcticseal at 2:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Don't people avoid comments by default? It seems like it would be much more helpful just to point out when they're good than when they're bad.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 2:58 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 2:58 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
Would you like to receive a MetaFilter Cat Fact every hour?
This should be a thing. Can we make this a thing? Somebody wake up pb.
I'm super-bummed that Facts About Eggs seems to have gone dormant on twitter, but you can still get your Cat Tips here.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:00 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
This should be a thing. Can we make this a thing? Somebody wake up pb.
I'm super-bummed that Facts About Eggs seems to have gone dormant on twitter, but you can still get your Cat Tips here.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:00 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Everyone who posts here knows comments most places are garbage. That's why they're here.
You are making an awfully big assumption there, buck-o. You are extrapolating from your own experiences and motivations to absolutely everyone else's, and I can tell you that the quality of comments on other sites is not why I read here, though I do always appreciate the warning not to read them when they are whiffy.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
You are making an awfully big assumption there, buck-o. You are extrapolating from your own experiences and motivations to absolutely everyone else's, and I can tell you that the quality of comments on other sites is not why I read here, though I do always appreciate the warning not to read them when they are whiffy.
posted by DarlingBri at 3:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
"Don't read the comments" is simply a traditional incantation to ward off evil.
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:21 PM on August 6, 2014 [24 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:21 PM on August 6, 2014 [24 favorites]
sub-literate chumwash
I like this.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 3:25 PM on August 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
I like this.
posted by joseph conrad is fully awesome at 3:25 PM on August 6, 2014 [3 favorites]
When people make note of this, I wonder if it's an effort at solidarity regarding the better environment that we have here. It can sometimes help create a constructive atmosphere in which we can 1) affirm that we are better than those comments here (which is what I think you are hoping to affirm anyway), and 2) also evaluate what makes those comments bad. There's some "glad we aren't them" going on, which is not always the most noble thing, but it also causes us to be reflective about what we do like here, compared to there. There is definitely a difference between using bad comments here and referring to them a bit more thoughtfully.
So, I'm okay with this observation most of the time, and I enjoy going to other places to see how bad their comments sections are. It reminds me of how we do a rather good job at moderation here, and a bit more proud of what we have.
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
So, I'm okay with this observation most of the time, and I enjoy going to other places to see how bad their comments sections are. It reminds me of how we do a rather good job at moderation here, and a bit more proud of what we have.
posted by SpacemanStix at 3:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
When someone says "Don't look at it!" you pretty much have to look at it.
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:39 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by 2bucksplus at 3:39 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
On the "Irritated by people saying obvious things" tip, can we have a temporary moratorium on "slyt"? Because when the post says, "Need cheering up? Check out this video of three cats driving golf carts off cliffs!", appending "[slyt]" is kind of the opposite of necessary. Especially for the users who have video embedding turned on.
My irritation extends to acronyms like "slnyt" but I don't want to be too demanding about this.
posted by ardgedee at 3:53 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
My irritation extends to acronyms like "slnyt" but I don't want to be too demanding about this.
posted by ardgedee at 3:53 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
I usually at least glance at comments on sites other than this one. Sometimes it's good to get a warning that they're particularly bad. Sometimes it's good to get a sense of where the baseline level of discourse is at on a particular subject. I occasionally need to bathe in the filthiness of humanity because who the fuck are we to consider ourselves better. Half the time I'm on other sites linking to metafilter and warning about the comments (gasp) so it's not like we're immune from this shit.
posted by naju at 3:53 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by naju at 3:53 PM on August 6, 2014
peeple over at mettafilter talkin about howe dum we r. tey think their fancy wit all they're big words and propper grammer. idc. fuk dose guys and the hi hourse thay rided in on.
posted by double block and bleed at 4:03 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by double block and bleed at 4:03 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Everyone who posts here knows comments most places are garbage. That's why they're here.
Yeah no. There are several sites I regularly visit where the comments are just like here: a mixture of smart, funny, boring and yes, garbage. This is a weird thing to be getting all "Please, stop this" about considering how the site doesn't even have threaded comments yet.
If this were AskMe, I wonder if everything else is going ok in your life and wondering if you were getting too stressed out.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:09 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah no. There are several sites I regularly visit where the comments are just like here: a mixture of smart, funny, boring and yes, garbage. This is a weird thing to be getting all "Please, stop this" about considering how the site doesn't even have threaded comments yet.
If this were AskMe, I wonder if everything else is going ok in your life and wondering if you were getting too stressed out.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:09 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Hourly Mefi Cat Tip: Maine Coon Cats are the best cats.
posted by misha at 4:27 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by misha at 4:27 PM on August 6, 2014 [2 favorites]
Sometimes it's good to get a warning that they're particularly bad.
This is how I feel. I'm so happy that people here mostly don't quote the shitty comments on other sites that I can forgive the mentioning them. NB:I am wearing my "don't read the comments" wristband today, so maybe that is influencing my feelings on this matter.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 4:31 PM on August 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
This is how I feel. I'm so happy that people here mostly don't quote the shitty comments on other sites that I can forgive the mentioning them. NB:I am wearing my "don't read the comments" wristband today, so maybe that is influencing my feelings on this matter.
posted by jessamyn (retired) at 4:31 PM on August 6, 2014 [8 favorites]
As a compromise approach, we could encourage folks who want to mention the bad comments to do so in the style of an Upworthy headline, so that people will see e.g. "I Mentioned A Black Teenager In A Neutral Context, What Some Assholes On A Local News Site Said Next Will Astound You" and know to not bother clicking.
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:35 PM on August 6, 2014 [39 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 4:35 PM on August 6, 2014 [39 favorites]
I appreciate the warning, particularly if the comments are bad in an unexpected way or if they're graphically violent.
posted by gingerest at 4:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by gingerest at 4:54 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I also appreciate a heads up about particularly shitty comment threads, though I agree it's even better when people point out the ones that are worth reading.
posted by juliplease at 4:57 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by juliplease at 4:57 PM on August 6, 2014
This callout is perfectly timed; I was starting to feel annoyed by this but hadn't realized it yet.
posted by jamjam at 5:15 PM on August 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by jamjam at 5:15 PM on August 6, 2014 [5 favorites]
I was starting to feel annoyed by this but hadn't realized it yet.
jamjam you have just summed up my whole life philosophy. I thank you.
posted by winna at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [12 favorites]
jamjam you have just summed up my whole life philosophy. I thank you.
posted by winna at 5:20 PM on August 6, 2014 [12 favorites]
The Twitter hashtag #kittenadvice is pretty funny (by Tom Cox, the man who brought us @mysadcat.)
"Kittens love disco. If a kitten nods off during a disco move, it means it's just on 'boogie recharge'. #kittenadvice pic.twitter.com/zf6jHowjP4"
posted by ltracey at 6:20 PM on August 6, 2014
"Kittens love disco. If a kitten nods off during a disco move, it means it's just on 'boogie recharge'. #kittenadvice pic.twitter.com/zf6jHowjP4"
posted by ltracey at 6:20 PM on August 6, 2014
I find that sort of comment more useful than the endless eponystericals or "metafilter: something something". But like a zombie it keeps eating the same crap over and over again.
posted by munchingzombie at 7:04 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by munchingzombie at 7:04 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
I appreciate the warning on the comments so I disagree with this meta. A lot.
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 7:08 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by Ik ben afgesneden at 7:08 PM on August 6, 2014
I always figured it was just self-congratulation ("Look at those assholes over there!"), so we could all tacitly nod-nod about the awesomeness of our own comments and about how tolerant and open-minded we are about all things that are ever discussed in any context.
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
posted by turbid dahlia at 7:29 PM on August 6, 2014 [9 favorites]
It depends on context a little bit. If you link to YouTube or a local newspaper then "comments are bad" is implied. If it's to an otherwise reasonable blog people are often going to keep reading because the author will sometimes be adding more content by interacting with the commentators.
posted by Drinky Die at 7:33 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by Drinky Die at 7:33 PM on August 6, 2014
Just be careful not to turn it into diving in there to find particular crappy comments to quote.
posted by Drinky Die at 7:34 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Drinky Die at 7:34 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Me, I'm commited to MeFi comment autarky.
I'm sure we can handcraft, artisanal, terrible comments, made from 100% post-consumer bits.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:01 PM on August 6, 2014
I'm sure we can handcraft, artisanal, terrible comments, made from 100% post-consumer bits.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:01 PM on August 6, 2014
I generally view comments as the seething pit of psychomagnotheric slime that they truly are, a view which is pretty common around here, but since I usually hate-read them anyway I appreciate a head's up for those times where while reading them I actually feel like calling the cops and reporting an instance of racial hatred and/or eyeball assault. Like there are bad comments, and then there are Philly.com comments, and then there are even worse things, and I think it's okay to let people know.
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:00 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by jetlagaddict at 9:00 PM on August 6, 2014
MetaTalk: Everyone who posts here knows comments most places are garbage.
posted by modernnomad at 9:13 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by modernnomad at 9:13 PM on August 6, 2014
"Actually, sometimes comments aren't garbage. And I appreciate the warnings for the times when they are."
Which is the exception and which is the rule?
Your argument might make sense if anyone ever, or perhaps half the time, had noted how great the comments are but that isn't the case at all. "Do read the comments" is hardly ever said. "Whatever you do, do not read the comments" is much more common and is a call for everyone to go and read the comments and get mad together.
Perhaps we are reading different Metafilters but I think your argument is horribly disingenuous.
posted by vapidave at 9:49 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Which is the exception and which is the rule?
Your argument might make sense if anyone ever, or perhaps half the time, had noted how great the comments are but that isn't the case at all. "Do read the comments" is hardly ever said. "Whatever you do, do not read the comments" is much more common and is a call for everyone to go and read the comments and get mad together.
Perhaps we are reading different Metafilters but I think your argument is horribly disingenuous.
posted by vapidave at 9:49 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
The comments at The Toast are often nearly as entertaining as the writing itself. I routinely read the comments at many of the sites I read regularly (mostly blogs about science and blogs about feminism, and occasionally blogs about both).
And, of course, I read the comments at MetaFilter.
The comments at YouTube are mysteriously much worse than comments at the average newspaper. I haven't got a clue why that is, so it speaks to my inability to predict when the comments will be really bad. Since I don't know every source that's posted here, I like having a heads-up that the commentariat of an unfamiliar source posted to the Blue is especially feral. "Horribly disingenuous" is a harsh judgment of the first comment here, especially since about a dozen people chimed in to agree with the sentiment.
posted by gingerest at 10:38 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
And, of course, I read the comments at MetaFilter.
The comments at YouTube are mysteriously much worse than comments at the average newspaper. I haven't got a clue why that is, so it speaks to my inability to predict when the comments will be really bad. Since I don't know every source that's posted here, I like having a heads-up that the commentariat of an unfamiliar source posted to the Blue is especially feral. "Horribly disingenuous" is a harsh judgment of the first comment here, especially since about a dozen people chimed in to agree with the sentiment.
posted by gingerest at 10:38 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
1) I like the warnings
2) It's a nice reminder of how the level of discourse here compares to elsewhere
3) Where do I subscribe to MeFi Cat Facts?
posted by Jacqueline at 10:44 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
2) It's a nice reminder of how the level of discourse here compares to elsewhere
3) Where do I subscribe to MeFi Cat Facts?
posted by Jacqueline at 10:44 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Is it OK to fart quietly, then, even if it's really rank? This affects my workplace conduct in a major way so a prompt answer would be appreciated, thanks.
posted by invitapriore at 11:02 PM on August 6, 2014
posted by invitapriore at 11:02 PM on August 6, 2014
Hell, it's okay to shit your pants if you like.
What bugs me is people taking a statement, usually of disagreement with someone else's proposal, and confusing it with an argument.
You think that's an argument, get a load of what's in my britches, Senator Douglas!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 11:18 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
What bugs me is people taking a statement, usually of disagreement with someone else's proposal, and confusing it with an argument.
You think that's an argument, get a load of what's in my britches, Senator Douglas!
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 11:18 PM on August 6, 2014 [1 favorite]
Today's cat fact: cats are super rad!
tune in tomorrow for more important cat facts
posted by elizardbits at 11:44 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
tune in tomorrow for more important cat facts
posted by elizardbits at 11:44 PM on August 6, 2014 [4 favorites]
I have to say, it does get kind of tiresome. People are saying they appreciate the warning. That reads to me a little like people saying they like hearing car alarms go off because they "appreciate the warning" that a car might be imminently burgled; the efficacy and meaning of that particular warning wore off so long ago that it's basically just so much noise. Similarly, at least one "ugh, don't read the comments" occurs in almost every single thread that links to anything with comments enabled. It's really a constant thing now. One begins to feel that perhaps we ought instead to remark upon comments sections that are actually good, since that would take less space in threads. But then again we've started to do this a lot more recently, so that, no matter what, the comments thread is always mentioned and discussed.
Which... okay, yeah, it is mildly annoying, as I've described, but at the end of the day everybody notices different things, and I'm probably blowing it up a bit in my mind. I can ignore the "comments" comments. I've been doing it long enough, and my left foot hasn't caught fire yet, so presumably I'll be just fine if everybody just goes on talking about the comments. Live and let live. *shrug*
posted by koeselitz at 12:25 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Which... okay, yeah, it is mildly annoying, as I've described, but at the end of the day everybody notices different things, and I'm probably blowing it up a bit in my mind. I can ignore the "comments" comments. I've been doing it long enough, and my left foot hasn't caught fire yet, so presumably I'll be just fine if everybody just goes on talking about the comments. Live and let live. *shrug*
posted by koeselitz at 12:25 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I find that sort of comment more useful than the endless eponystericals or "metafilter: something something". But like a zombie it keeps eating the same crap over and over again.
posted by munchingzombie
Epony... Oh. Crap.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:56 AM on August 7, 2014 [12 favorites]
posted by munchingzombie
Epony... Oh. Crap.
posted by five fresh fish at 12:56 AM on August 7, 2014 [12 favorites]
Less like a car alarm, more like a public restroom. I'm not expecting it to be awesome in there or anything, but if it's real bad, I don't mind a neighborly heads up from someone on their way out who figured it out before me.
posted by juliplease at 5:01 AM on August 7, 2014 [11 favorites]
posted by juliplease at 5:01 AM on August 7, 2014 [11 favorites]
You know what gets me going!?! When someone gets all ''SUBGENIUSee'' with the punc-tu-a-tion stylee!!! Not a sarcasmitrist.
posted by y2karl at 5:21 AM on August 7, 2014
posted by y2karl at 5:21 AM on August 7, 2014
I suspect that people are sometimes so horrified by what they find in comments that they just feel the need to express themselves about it.
posted by thelonius at 6:05 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by thelonius at 6:05 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
So, I apologize in advance to emptythought, but thanks to this meta I read the comments that accompanied the series of articles I just posted... and mentioned them.
It just seemed appropriate given the post's content.
posted by zarq at 8:00 AM on August 7, 2014
It just seemed appropriate given the post's content.
posted by zarq at 8:00 AM on August 7, 2014
Today's cat fact: some cats glow green under UV light!
posted by winna at 8:31 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by winna at 8:31 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
hi my name is mitch adams from greendale i subscribed to youre newspaper but the delivery boy kepes throwing it on my lawn pls let him know he cant do that bceause i spend alot of money fxing the gras thanks in advnace
LOL. I know what you mean. But I always fold it back up and take over to the neighbor's house when I'm done with the crossword puzzle. He never says thanks. What a grouch. ROTFLMAO
posted by mule98J at 8:38 AM on August 7, 2014
LOL. I know what you mean. But I always fold it back up and take over to the neighbor's house when I'm done with the crossword puzzle. He never says thanks. What a grouch. ROTFLMAO
posted by mule98J at 8:38 AM on August 7, 2014
Cat Fact: I asked a fire-person one time "Do you ever really rescue cats from trees?" and she said "Have you ever seen a cat skeleton in a tree?" Good point, ma'am.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:01 AM on August 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:01 AM on August 7, 2014 [4 favorites]
Cat Fact: A Lion is a type of Big Cat.
posted by marienbad at 9:07 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by marienbad at 9:07 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: Cats are obligate carnivores - they require vitamin D3, which comes from animal sources. Cats cannot be vegans.
posted by winna at 9:21 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by winna at 9:21 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I pretty much never read comments, so I like it when someone says "You can actually read the comments; they are pretty good."
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: A Lion is a type of Big Cat.
However, an ant lion is not a type of big ant cat.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
However, an ant lion is not a type of big ant cat.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
Cat Fact: Cats, like dogs, cannot use the power of suction to drink. Unlike dogs, which scoop liquid up with their tongues, cats press the top of their tongue to the surface of the beverage and pull their tongue up. The liquid is then pulled up into their mouth in a thin column and the cat closes its mouth before the tension is broken and the liquid flows back into its parent vessel. Here is a fuller explanation.
posted by winna at 10:19 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by winna at 10:19 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
There are no comments on Youtube. They are something else altogether. Same thing going on with the commenters, I'm sure.
Obligatory cat fact: their majority can retract their claws, but in real life this is impossible to *ouch* find out. And Cheetahs run so fast you can't verify that they don't.
posted by Namlit at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Obligatory cat fact: their majority can retract their claws, but in real life this is impossible to *ouch* find out. And Cheetahs run so fast you can't verify that they don't.
posted by Namlit at 10:30 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat fact: It is time to wake up and feed the cat.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:32 AM on August 7, 2014 [3 favorites]
Cat fact: Cats are always familiars and all cat owners worship the devil and feed their cats baby breath which cats will die without.
posted by maxsparber at 10:34 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by maxsparber at 10:34 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat fact: My cat really needs to stop pissing on the guest bed.
posted by Cocodrillo at 10:42 AM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Cocodrillo at 10:42 AM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cat Fact: A cat can grow 10 extra claws when you try to put it in the cat carrier, and 20 extra claws when you try to take it out of the cat carrier at the vet.
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Devils Rancher at 10:49 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat fact: My cat really needs to stop pissing on the guest bed.
Cat Fact: The impossibility of stopping cats from weeing everywhere like sprinkler systems on the lawns of Hell is why I personally will never own a cat again.
posted by winna at 10:52 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: The impossibility of stopping cats from weeing everywhere like sprinkler systems on the lawns of Hell is why I personally will never own a cat again.
posted by winna at 10:52 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
IT'S ONE CAT FACT PER DAY NOT ONE PER MINUTE.
This joke had nine lives and you all have used them all up and then a couple more.
posted by notyou at 11:10 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
This joke had nine lives and you all have used them all up and then a couple more.
posted by notyou at 11:10 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat fact: Too many cat facts are boring.
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:21 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Devils Rancher at 11:21 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
We're measuring days in the lifespan of mayflies. Specifically the female Dolania americana.
SCIENCE BURN!
posted by winna at 11:22 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
SCIENCE BURN!
posted by winna at 11:22 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
I feel like I created a monster and now it is rampaging around the lab yelling "C'mon Pookie, let's burn this motha down!"
What hathGod Dog Cat Facts wrought?
posted by zombieflanders at 11:56 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
What hath
posted by zombieflanders at 11:56 AM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: You can name your cat Rod, then when he carries in a dead bird you can cry out "What hath Rod got‽"
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:01 PM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 12:01 PM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
CAT FACT: Cat fact: Too many cat facts are boring is a LIE passed on to the unwary by the FORCES of BIG DOG!
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:02 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 12:02 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
oh oh oh you guys why did I not already spot this.
Cat Fact: IT'S ONE CAT FACT PER DAY NOT ONE PER MINUTE.
posted by winna at 12:17 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cat Fact: IT'S ONE CAT FACT PER DAY NOT ONE PER MINUTE.
posted by winna at 12:17 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cat fact: cat poo contains a unique natural sugar because of some quirks in the feline metabolism. Your dog likes to eat dried up catpoop because it is so sweet. In ancient Egypt they dried it in kilns and then made a flour out of it. This was used to make a sweet bread.
posted by humanfont at 1:17 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by humanfont at 1:17 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
There are cat facts, and then there are Metafilter Cat Facts.
posted by SpacemanStix at 1:27 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by SpacemanStix at 1:27 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: The impossibility of stopping cats from weeing everywhere like sprinkler systems on the lawns of Hell is why I personally will never own a cat again.
Cat Fact: No one owns a cat, they just live with you and deign not to eat you. Maybe.
posted by Squeak Attack at 2:20 PM on August 7, 2014
Cat Fact: No one owns a cat, they just live with you and deign not to eat you. Maybe.
posted by Squeak Attack at 2:20 PM on August 7, 2014
Cat Fact: No one owns a cat, they just live with you and deign not to eat you. Maybe.
Cat Fact: Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:37 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Cat Fact: Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
posted by Celsius1414 at 2:37 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
tell the guest to stop pissing in the cat's box
posted by Namlit at 3:10 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Namlit at 3:10 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's complicated.
I have just come home to a bag full of cat shit dumped in the litter tray.
I look after one of the neighbours cats because; well because I give the cat food and snuggles and appreciate the little monster. It's real owners also have a nasty yappy canine which the cat hates with the heat of a thousand suns. There is also another cat that lives on the other side of me which is like the old lady's lost child.
I live up a flight of steps from a yard my landladies family has recently covered in gravel.
Cats love gravel only next to damp earth or sand.
This house is off an alley with a wall which is very jumpable for cats.
Don't these idiots realize that any and every cat is going to poop in their gravel and there is nothing they can do about it bar eradicating the felines or putting a fence on the wall. Whatever; I get the bag of Cat shit on my porch.
posted by adamvasco at 3:26 PM on August 7, 2014
I have just come home to a bag full of cat shit dumped in the litter tray.
I look after one of the neighbours cats because; well because I give the cat food and snuggles and appreciate the little monster. It's real owners also have a nasty yappy canine which the cat hates with the heat of a thousand suns. There is also another cat that lives on the other side of me which is like the old lady's lost child.
I live up a flight of steps from a yard my landladies family has recently covered in gravel.
Cats love gravel only next to damp earth or sand.
This house is off an alley with a wall which is very jumpable for cats.
Don't these idiots realize that any and every cat is going to poop in their gravel and there is nothing they can do about it bar eradicating the felines or putting a fence on the wall. Whatever; I get the bag of Cat shit on my porch.
posted by adamvasco at 3:26 PM on August 7, 2014
> However, an ant lion is not a type of big ant cat.
Oh.
Is it too late to change my order?
posted by ardgedee at 4:47 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
Oh.
Is it too late to change my order?
posted by ardgedee at 4:47 PM on August 7, 2014 [2 favorites]
One of my daily reads before MeFi was Hacker News, and before that, Cracked. I've gotten used to comments telling me what the article got wrong, or what additional points were not covered.
Interesting how the sites that are explicitly reposting news from elsewhere tend to have good self-awareness.
posted by halifix at 6:09 PM on August 7, 2014
Interesting how the sites that are explicitly reposting news from elsewhere tend to have good self-awareness.
posted by halifix at 6:09 PM on August 7, 2014
cat fact: they have secret browsers to access secret websiites and the comments on them all suck
posted by pyramid termite at 7:33 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by pyramid termite at 7:33 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
Cat Fact: The Sea Lion is the largest of the saltwater cats.
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:24 PM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:24 PM on August 7, 2014 [5 favorites]
Cat fact: A dandelion is not a fabulously stylish kitty but a pernicious weed. Usually.
posted by misha at 10:15 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by misha at 10:15 PM on August 7, 2014 [1 favorite]
My pet peeve is MeTas in which someone outlines their pet peeve and tries to make A Thing out of it.
I am uncertain how to proceed with this.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:51 AM on August 8, 2014
I am uncertain how to proceed with this.
posted by DirtyOldTown at 2:51 AM on August 8, 2014
Cat Fact: My cat is a pet, and he is sometimes peeved. Sometimes he is peevish if I try to pet him, sometimes he is peevish if I fail to pet him enough. Good thing he is cute and mostly cheerful.
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:34 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by GenjiandProust at 8:34 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is all making me want there to be a Ze Frank "True Facts About The Cat" video someday.
"A Cat, for no reason at all, will just knock your shit off the table. Imagine if every time you saw something in your way, you just pushed it over. That is how a cat do."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:49 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
"A Cat, for no reason at all, will just knock your shit off the table. Imagine if every time you saw something in your way, you just pushed it over. That is how a cat do."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:49 AM on August 8, 2014 [2 favorites]
This is all making me want there to be a Ze Frank "True Facts About The Cat" video someday.
He does have a "Sad Cat Diary", which got an FPP.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:57 AM on August 8, 2014
He does have a "Sad Cat Diary", which got an FPP.
posted by zombieflanders at 8:57 AM on August 8, 2014
that is cat emotions we're dealing with facts
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:10 AM on August 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:10 AM on August 8, 2014 [3 favorites]
Emotions ARE Cat Facts!
In other Fact News, I seem to have stirred Facts About Eggs out of its somnolence. Everybody should follow them so that the author feels like it's worthwhile to keep posting, and I will have my egg facts as required. TIA!
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:31 AM on August 8, 2014
In other Fact News, I seem to have stirred Facts About Eggs out of its somnolence. Everybody should follow them so that the author feels like it's worthwhile to keep posting, and I will have my egg facts as required. TIA!
posted by Devils Rancher at 9:31 AM on August 8, 2014
Are Cat Facts clinging to your posts and comments, irritating your user base, and clogging your metafilters?
Then replace those old Cat Fact shedding lolcats with new defactocat: it is what it is and that's all there is to it.
And you'll never have to deal with another pesky Cat Fact again.
posted by jamjam at 9:45 AM on August 8, 2014
Then replace those old Cat Fact shedding lolcats with new defactocat: it is what it is and that's all there is to it.
And you'll never have to deal with another pesky Cat Fact again.
posted by jamjam at 9:45 AM on August 8, 2014
Cat Fact: sometimes comments on other websites are particularly hostile and shitty towards (e.g.) gay people, and so after reading them I feel shitty about myself and want to go pet a cat to lower my blood pressure. The best kind of cat in this situation is my neighbor's cat, Elvis, who has taken to running into our garage when I come home from work and loudly demanding to come into the apartment. We don't even feed him, he just loves lounging on this one ottoman while my roommates and I scratch behind his ears.
posted by en forme de poire at 12:44 PM on August 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by en forme de poire at 12:44 PM on August 8, 2014 [4 favorites]
Usually when I say it it's because I've linked to a queer site writing about trans issues, such that people might expect the comments to be safe, but they actually aren't and I want to warn other trans people so that they aren't surprised. (Queerty, for example, is absolutely awful, and did not respond to an email I sent bringing it up as the reason I was dropping them from my RSS list.) Most of us know not to bother with mainstream sites, or even sites like HuffPo Gay Voices, but I prefer to err on the side of caution if I think that people might see the URL and assume they can let their guard down.
(Sorry, I know this is late, but I've been travelling.)
posted by Corinth at 12:05 AM on August 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
(Sorry, I know this is late, but I've been travelling.)
posted by Corinth at 12:05 AM on August 10, 2014 [4 favorites]
My pet peeve is MeTas in which someone outlines their pet peeve and tries to make A Thing out of it.
I am uncertain how to proceed with this.
Start a MeTa Pet Peeve thread, wherein people could drop their pet peeves for the consideration of the community at large to voluntarily abide or not, without the hope or expectation that avoiding said peeves will become official policy. E.g.: people who end FPPs with "That is all." If that really is all, you don't need to say "that is all", because the period at the end of the preceding sentence sorta gave the impression that this was all there was to the statement, so the "that is all" sounds like you're the CEO of Monsanto giving a directive to your staff before dismissing them to get back to their duties. If you must reiterate that you have nothing more to add, I recommend instead "cat fact: the only thing more hilarious than a Siamese cat's crossed eyes is its gravelly meow - this is why they are often commonly referred to as the Colin Quinn of cats."
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:52 AM on August 10, 2014
I am uncertain how to proceed with this.
Start a MeTa Pet Peeve thread, wherein people could drop their pet peeves for the consideration of the community at large to voluntarily abide or not, without the hope or expectation that avoiding said peeves will become official policy. E.g.: people who end FPPs with "That is all." If that really is all, you don't need to say "that is all", because the period at the end of the preceding sentence sorta gave the impression that this was all there was to the statement, so the "that is all" sounds like you're the CEO of Monsanto giving a directive to your staff before dismissing them to get back to their duties. If you must reiterate that you have nothing more to add, I recommend instead "cat fact: the only thing more hilarious than a Siamese cat's crossed eyes is its gravelly meow - this is why they are often commonly referred to as the Colin Quinn of cats."
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 7:52 AM on August 10, 2014
Ooh is this seriously evolving in a thread about pet peeves and cat facts? That's too sweet to be true!
Pet peeve: aimless waffle in threads about musical topics.
Cat fact of the day: they don't eat slugs (as they bloody well should!)
posted by Namlit at 1:16 PM on August 11, 2014
Pet peeve: aimless waffle in threads about musical topics.
Cat fact of the day: they don't eat slugs (as they bloody well should!)
posted by Namlit at 1:16 PM on August 11, 2014
You'd think at these prices, they could keep the snails out of the cat food.
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:17 PM on August 11, 2014
posted by Devils Rancher at 3:17 PM on August 11, 2014
You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments
Actually, sometimes comments aren't garbage. And I appreciate the warnings for the times when they are.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:42 PM on August 6, 2014 [32 favorites]