MetaTalk posts tagged with snark

The hunting of the Snark

kid ichorous — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:37:21 -0800

Do we need entire threads devoted to the ridicule of personal ads, their creators, and their unfashionable lifestyles and politics? The author of this post recommended I take my complaints over here. I understand that the internet is a kind of teeming metropolis, and that, as in any big city, a sport will be made of people-watching, people-hunting: as the comedian said, a tug of war between gawking at the very beautiful and the very crazy. And I also understand that there is a sort of revolving list of crazies that are seen as fairest game for this sort of thing. On Metafilter, I think we can agree that Objectivists, libertarians, and Christians would find themselves included in that rare fauna. Fine. What I don't understand is how these ingredients add up to Metafilter ripping its lines straight from the Encyclopedia Dramatica, the culture of one-liners and the fraternal cult of lulz. Why do we not create threads specifically to declare open season on Furries, or on the obese? Why don't we hunt down the sites on which they congregate, share their unfortunate and gauche little displays of humanity, snicker at the dead-end lifestyles in which they've ensnared themselves? Why don't we casually dismiss objections to this sort of behavior as weepy or butthurt? Because it's noise. Because there are a dozen other sites a ping away that are already overrun with childish snark. Because it lowers conversation to a noise floor of capslock memes and shouted catchphrases. How is this thread different from any of that? Really. A few users did point out that I could resolve my problems with the thread instantly by just walking away. Too true, Lord Humungous, too true. But I don't think that "flag it and get out" is how differences of opinion are supposed to be settled here. I'm genuinely curious about how this community can simultaneously take the high road in so many other matters and then occasionally devolve into a fraternal pack when the wrong name is mentioned or wrong word is sounded.

Jam a bastard in it, you crap

subbes — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:56:01 -0800

Feeling safe posting on MetaFilter. Courtesy, disagreement, "welcoming" environments and related topics. This came up in the Australian Racism MetaTalk thread, but I feel it could do with pulling into it's own thread because that one took a stranger turn. We know MeFi is not always arms-wide welcoming to opposing viewpoints. It's pretty established, for instance, that conservatives in a politics thread won't have an easy time of it. But I'm worried that this is giving others a bad impression of MeFi - that it is not welcoming or safe if you disagree with the hive mind in any way - that you will be snarked at, insulted and then branded a troll if you disagree with the group consensus on anything. I suspect that almost all of us would say that we don't want MeFi to be a homogeneous site, that differing opinions are part of what makes for good discussion. Question: Is this something we as a community want to change? Is it something we should want to change? How welcoming should we even want to be? Is there anything we can or should do to reduce the take-away impression that MeFi is not welcoming?

If you don't have anything nice to say....

msalt — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 12:52:12 -0800

Is it inappropriate to comment that you're unimpressed with a post? In the comments to this post -- a single link to a Bobby McFerrin performance that's been there on YouTube for 3 years, with no context -- Benzo8 said: MeFi has become too big, I fear, such that every thread will find people coming into it to loudly and ironically complain just how little they care about the subject matter. This was OK when were a few thousand, or even a few tens of thousands - it was mild background noise that others could steer to better the discussion of the link. Now it's a groundswell - the naysayers begin to overwhelm any semblance of conversation those who might be interested in the link care about... It's time people realised that MeFi is too big to behave that way - it's changed and you have to change or it will die. If you don't care, show us how much you don't care by ignoring it. The strength of MetaFilter is that it offers a place for discussion of a wide range of subjects - with 50-60k users, there's always going to be thousands who don't care for one particular subject or another. Be restrained, move on, don't kill the 'Fi... Discuss.

People need to chill out on this AskMe Poster

Ironmouth — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:53:40 -0800

People need to chill out on the poster of this AskMe Question The poster in this question is asking how to break up with an SO. People are being very judgmental, and also making assumptions about the sex of the individuals which aren't warrented. Some of these comments go farther than not answering the question, they actually attack the poster, who is here to get help. A great example of an answer to how to break up was: You suck and she deserves better. Good luck. This stuff doesn't belong here.

Sounds snarky to me

infinitewindow — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 17:54:10 -0800

Mac guru John Gruber leverages MeFi Music to make fun of Microsoft Songsmith. I like MetaFilter, and I'm a paid subscriber to Daring Fireball, but I'm not sure I like Mr. Gruber using MeFi to poop all over some poor defenseless beta software that hardly anyone knows how to use well.

LetmeMetathatforyou

desjardins — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:52:50 -0800

The use of "let me google that for you" is getting a little snarky.

Your Favorite Attitude Toward Sentimental Stories Sucks

eritain — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:01:04 -0800

Intercalated with the fantastic yarns touched off by the cab driver story, some people are getting very personal and bilious. I propose that those people call each other names over here, in the grey, and let the rest of us enjoy the aforementioned fantastic yarns in the blue.

from a comfortable turret

The Jesse Helms — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 08:23:37 -0800

You're a junior in a liberal arts program and you think you've got a career? 35 years after having had a vasectomy, you want children? Have you picked up a new trophy wife, or something, HuronBob? Wow, someone's got his panties in a knot over this. I guess we hit some sort of nerve. Maybe, but maybe you could be a little nicer Hildegarde

Are snarky one-liners being deleted in the Blue?

SeizeTheDay — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 17:02:47 -0800

Is there a new policy now where Matt/Jess/cortex are deleting comments in the Blue that are a bit snarky/one-linerish? Because I remember a one-liner in the Lyndon Johnson thread that's no longer there. Is that because Matt thinks that the first few comments set the tone for the thread, so ya'll are trying to keep things on-topic from the get-go? BTW, I'm well aware that I basically set myself up here for a rapid succession of one-liners. Have at it, folks.

This is not what AskMe is for.

lonefrontranger — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:26:31 -0800

Can we simply answer the question, rather than snarking or preaching? Thanks!

We hate hip-hop

dead_ — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 07:10:49 -0800

Why can't MetaFilter do rap music? This happens every time, with every thread related to rap music. It's absolutely obnoxious--and in this case, even more so because we're dealing with an obit thread of someone who is a legendary musician. I'm a fan of snark, and I've pooped in a few threads myself, but really, it seems like there's not much point coming in and shitting on an obit unless it's out of pure spite. Plus, I mean, maybe if we had done some kind of educated, intelligent discussion of hip-hop in the past, then the snark would be alright--but we just haven't. As I posted in that thread, the jokes are tired. Those of us who happen to enjoy hip-hop know that you think the names are funny, know that you think the genre is stupid, and understand that you have a barrel-full of hilarious insults ready--one's that we've never heard before! Could we just once, ever, have an actual thread about hip-hop that doesn't degenerate into the same tired bullshit? Please?

On the internet everyone knows you are a wedge of spite

aspo — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:18:41 -0800

Yes it is a double, but it is also good example of how one or two cranky farts can totally change the tone of a thread. Sometimes it feels like MeFi (hell, the whole damn internet) is just a bunch of bitter dour naysayers, but it's amazing how it only takes one or two cranks to really change a conversation's tone. I just thought this was a particularly egregoius example. Maybe next time you feel like spouting off about how horrible something is it is worth thinking if it's really worth the hate?

Feature Request: MetaSnark

The Confessor — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 12:27:37 -0800

Crawl over the grass at a moderate pace, beating your forehead against the ground at one-second intervals. The place where your head rests when you lose consciousness may be the approximate location of your septic tank. Or it may not.

A helpful, open place where the emphasis is on sniping

occhiblu — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 11:48:28 -0800

Since it seems the moderators are not reading the thread below, in which the community decided it was perfectly acceptable to launch personal attacks against a person whose only transgression was using the site as it's supposed to be used, I'm bringing it up as its own topic here. Nasty comments that serve no function in helping the poster find a solution are not allowed in AskMe. Allowing them in MeTa -- again, not because the poster has made some transgression or broken some site rule, but simply because he's fat or lonely or makes too much money or whatever else the community has deemed unacceptable today -- seems a completely shitty way of getting around the rules in AskMe, and seems to completely undermine what we as a community are trying to create there: A helpful, open place where the emphasis is on solving problems, not sniping.

Snarking Eric Raymond

Steven C. Den Beste — Mon, 22 May 2006 19:57:58 -0800

Was this really necessary? What did Eric Raymond ever do to you people? How is "Let's all compete to come up with the most clever insult" best of the Web?

disspics

Termite — Thu, 11 May 2006 13:03:54 -0800

Disspics: they seem to be made for MetaTalk.

AskMe Snark

craniac — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:44:20 -0800

there seems to be a lot of pointless snarking occuring in ask.metafilter. One of the appeals of ask.mefi was the relatively calm and non-judgemental tone. Now it seems to be sliding into Usenet territory. Perhaps this is one of the inevitable stages of online communities.

So I am asking if "answer moderation" with the temporary vacationing of those who commit multiple, egregious offenses might reset things. It might not, but I can't think of any other solutions.

and yes, I have been part of the problem at times.

Bandwidth costs of snark

Balisong — Sat, 14 Jan 2006 16:23:56 -0800

What uses less bandwith, posts that are calling out people being stupid or hypocritical, or MeTa posts that are calling out the deletion of posts that call out people that are being stupid or hypocritical?

Combative and snarky - keep up the good work

keswick — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 16:12:31 -0800

MeFi has been particularly combative and snarky lately. Keep up the good work.

Occasionally, I am reminded why I shouldn't read the comments here.

MegoSteve — Sat, 31 Dec 2005 08:04:10 -0800

Occasionally, I am reminded why I shouldn't read the comments here.

I guess I'm soft-hearted or something, but I thought that yankeefog's link was a pretty good one: inspiring, heart-warming, maybe a little fluffy, but it's the holidays. So, after I read the article, I clicked back to the comments and the first half dozen replies are people whining about having to register to read it. Particularly annoying is thirteenkiller's one word dismissal. I'm sure a lot of thought went into that. I mean, what purpose does that kind of post serve other than to make yourself look like a complete dick? Seriously, you have time to dress up your user page with ironic hideously stupid rainbow shit, but you don't have time to swipe a password from bugmenot? Yeesh.

Why the sarcasm in AskMe?

quadog — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 02:46:51 -0800

Has anyone ever noted an odd behavior regarding the first comments on some AskMetafilter questions? I've noticed the more than occasional instance of snarky, snide or oddball comments by the first person there. It's almost as if these people are marking their territory by pooping on the thread. Are there other sociological parallels or is there an name for this behavior?

Too much snarking in Tim Burton thread

MegoSteve — Tue, 17 May 2005 20:46:12 -0800

The signal to snark ratio on Metafilter is at an all-time low, as evidenced by this thread.

Metafilter's always been snarky, but I just thought the vicious personal attacks in the thread were completely out of hand and ruined it completely, starting with kjh's "that's what you get for dressing like an idiot" and spiraling downward to keswick's various "clever" remarks. (The irony of the image near the bottom of the page just kills me, though.)

Scriptural mythos without atheists

brownpau — Mon, 28 Mar 2005 07:30:32 -0800

In the same way we want to avoid people's pet theories on pornography invading threads on pubic shaving (old gray/green thread, wish I could remember the URLs), I wish Metafilter's multitude of strident atheists would extend the courtesy of keeping their unhelpful but oh-so-clever snarks [6,6,6] out of otherwise cogent discussions on scriptural mythos. We can talk about these things objectively without being vilified as damn fundies, right? Thanks, and Happy Easter.

Don't get snarky just because you don't like the answers.

techgnollogic — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 08:38:46 -0800

Etiquette suggestion: don't get snarky with people who are trying to help you.

I AM PMS-ing

yoga — Sat, 12 Feb 2005 15:27:02 -0800

Snark/non helpful alert. And we wonder why folks think this is a boyzone? Am I pms'ing? Yes. Overreacting? Possibly. Does not calling it out = acceptance, joking or not?