Abusive Backlash

August 28, 2001 12:16 PM

Abusive Backlash

One user dismissed a silly joke as being old and he got totally reamed by the originator of the joke. Was the reaction really justified? Shouldn't it have been in Metatalk anyway? [more inside]
posted by daveadams to etiquette/policy at 12:16 PM (6 comments total)

From the MTV thread:

Since when did you become the judge of what is funny and what is not? If you don't like something, why take the time to make a snide comment?

Even better, why don't you go fuck yourself .... Oh, perhaps you don't like that comment either ....

The problem with this place is the amount of self-righteous web geeks who feel they can decide what is a "good post" and what isn't. This is pervasive throughout the web .... and it sucks.

Besides the obvious irony of berating someone for posting an out-of-line post by complaining about that exact behavior, owillis's comment wasn't really mean at all. Sounds to me like tobey got his feelings hurt and lashed out before thinking. But what do we do about such outbursts? I don't know what we can do other than remember to relax and try not to react ourselves in this way.
posted by daveadams at 12:16 PM on August 28, 2001

Well, unfortunately the user has revealed himself to be a troll, so it's pretty much a moot point.
posted by zempf at 12:27 PM on August 28, 2001

Member since: August 23, 2001

My guesstimate was so close.
posted by skyline at 12:31 PM on August 28, 2001

There's been a trend lately to attack people for suggesting that the MetaFilter community, such as it is, apply standards, such as they are, and point out when someone isn't meeting those standards. (See also the never-ending double-post discussion.) Accusations of insular elitism on the part of long-time MeFi users may be justified, but I'd still rather see people deciding "what is a 'good post' and what isn't" and saying something than just sitting idly by.
posted by snarkout at 12:39 PM on August 28, 2001

I think what you said "dismissed as silly" you hit the nail on the head. Owillis was dismissive in his tone, or at least could easily have been construed that way. That's why the reaction. And of course, that Tobey seems a little troll-y as you point out, zempf.

People take things very personally sometimes. It's too bad but there you go. Dave's "relax" advice is about the best idea I've heard.

And I do think it should have been in MetaTalk.

Tangentially, I made a joke about "assholes" in MeFi on the WilWheaton juggernaut of a page, and had a very strong reaction from a fellow MeFite. He thought I meant everyone on here was an a-hole and said something like "Thank god what you see is not reality". Kind of interesting to see how easily people's buttons can be pushed. Also kind of interesting to see that I need to check what I post for possibly incendiary comments.
posted by Kafkaesque at 12:41 PM on August 28, 2001

Twice in August. Something's in the air or I'm an a-hole...
posted by owillis at 12:36 AM on August 30, 2001