When I’m deciding not to post a draft and it asks me if I’m sure I want to “abandon my post”.
It makes me think that I’m fleeing from sentry duty before the barbarian hordes arrive.
Maybe the wording could be tweaked.
Yes, it feels like there’s an implied “you cowardly scum” tone to it.
It’s a court-martial offense potential subject to the death penalty in wartime. Thankfully, Discourse doesn’t have a miltary. Yet.
Y’all are kidding, right?
If not, please get over yourselves immediately. To take a bot message personally is nuts. 
I disagree. While I personally do not perceive the connotation the OP does, there is nothing wrong with discussing the language used in automated messages from software. The connotations are something user interface designers consider when crafting messages for software, and Discourse definitely seems to have done so.
It seems to me that the standard word for the action of getting rid of automatically saved content is “Discard.” In most email programs I’ve used, you discard drafts.
That might be a better word to use, even if one has no problem with “abandon.” Using familiar/standard words makes UIs feel more intuitive. We know intuitively that the trashcan below a post on mobile will discard the draft, as this is a standard icon.
Plus it would be good if the terms were standardized in Discourse itself. On desktop, the word used for the button that discards a post is entitled “cancel draft.” It would be good if both the button and the dialog used the same term, and discard would fit the bill.
That said, I don’t know how much of this is due to the skin.
Do you wish to turn your budding post away from this message board, forsaking it to the indifference of a cold and uncaring world?
[Yes] [No]
I agree with this 100%. Inn terms of effectiveness, clarity, length, sure.
But the title: “makes me feel like I’m shirking” – THAT part is nuts.
Never mind. I’m outta here. Discuss among yourselves.
At least some of it must be related to the skin. I’m on a desktop and always get the ‘abandon’ message. FWIW, I always thought it was odd on this site that different skins/themes aren’t just different coloring schemes. The difference from one skin to another can mean different wording in messages, different features, different (and buggy) default fonts etc. Maybe this is common everywhere and I’m only noticing it here since I tend to leave the default theme alone on sites I don’t spend as much time on.
It’s being playful. The phrase Discourse uses does sound more reminiscent of someone describing a dereliction of military duty than tossing out a post. I find the comparison amusing.
Much better!
Ah, now I can see you’re joking. I was going to ask what you want it to say. One of the popular forums gives the message when you log out:
I guess if you wanted, the message could say:
“Thank og! I’m sure it was stupid anyway.”
(not to anyone in particular)
Or conversely:
“I’m sure it’s a gem. Post it anyway?”
Reddit has bots that are developed for each sub, so you’re much more likely to get a custom message to your liking there, depending on which sub you pick.
You are kidding me. I take commercials and billboards personally. Of course auti-generated messages get to me.
When Amazon tells me they found something I might like I feel loved and cared for.
I’m sure companies count on these reactions.
@Discobot is my friend 
I really hate him, he’s so stalkerish
Hi! To find out what I can do, say @discobot display help.
See what I mean?
Yeah, I agree, current thinking is we’ll replace the existing close dialog with this:
What would you like to do with your post?
Close and discard Close and save draft for later Keep editing
(Note that draft saving is, and has always been, automatic, you don’t actually have to do anything other than type to get a draft created… but it’s nice to be explicit as well. Visit the drafts page of your user profile at /my/activity/drafts.)
I like! 
Oh, thanks for that link. I spent more time than you might imagine trying to figure out where a draft i thought i had saved had gone. I wonder if it’s still there?
(Different message board. I’ll look when i return there.)
This change is now live. Good suggestion; much much better.
Because of the enduring wisdom of the shadowy powers that be at the Chicago Sun-Times, you have now entered the rarified world where the authors of the software actually listen to the people using it, and improve said software based on their feedback! 
Well, except for threading. That ain’t happening, because I am unwilling to turn a car into a truck, and I don’t want a Suburu Brat either, thanks very much.
Thanks for doing so many interactive changes and for listening to the posters here. Much appreciated!
+1
Like
Thanks for this. My stresses have gone down.
