I’ve been posting here for a few months. I wouldn’t say I am much of a poster, in fact I am embarassed by a lot of the stuff I’ve written…
But lately I have started posting at various other boards (mainly at Delphi and at that Free Republic site), out of boredom, and I find that I am something of a super-poster on those lesser boards.
I mean there I have razor sharp logic that slices all the lesser threads to shreds, I can boast that I have left some knuckleheads at the Free Republic site redfaced with my use of actual facts with cites, and have caused at least two posters to abandon ever attempting to argue anything again on a Delphi forum due to my unbearably lethal wit.
But here, at the Straight Dope, I am at best, in the lower middle echelon.
I am not complaining, I really think posting here whips you into such fine intellectual condition that you can write a simple declarative sentence in some other forum and they’ll think you are the second coming of Immanuel Kant. (Not that they know who the hell he ever was).
Anyone else here find this to be true, or am I just gushing?
I think the SDMB spoils you for other boards. I run into problems on other boards when I ask for a cite on something–they go, “Huh?” and get all bent out of shape, or worse, ignore me completely. Not everybody agrees, or understands, that it’s up to them to support their statements with cites.
I am amazed by the depth of understanding and vast knowledge so many frequent posters possess. When I first found this board, I thought it to be some kind of think tank. I truly enjoy reading threads in Great Debates. Most of the time, I am unable to add much along the lines of original thought. Sometimes I feel like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. “Who are those guys?” I check profiles sometimes but they don’t provide much info that would explain…Who the hell are these folks? Clever, intelligent, interesting, prolific, and well…a wee bit arrogant. The only message boards I have posted on frequently are sports related. There is so much trolling, it is not worth the time. So, in line with your comments, I feel dwarfed, a light-weight, inadequate, sometimes…dumb as a rock. Somehow, I get passed it.
I don’t frequent many other message boards, but I’ve found I can deal with real life idiots better thanks to the things I’ve learned here. Not only facts, but outlooks and attitudes - I’ve called a coupla guys in the office on their racist/sexist/homophobic comments, and they may not have changed their ways, but they don’t spew that crap around me.
I also Google with ease - when someone asks something that I don’t know, I find out. They always came to me with spelling and language usage questions, as well as odd trivia, but now I’ve become the source on everything. I’ve gotten a UL spammer to check Snopes first. Dang, I feel like I should be posing, hands on hips, cape swirling behind me in the breeze…
And the best part about this Boot Camp - no push-ups!
I find that GD is like MARINE boot camp. Why oh why do I ever try to post there? I think I need to be in better intellectual shape before I attempt to post there. Off to do 100 Googles followed by 300 practice posts.
Definely some smart cookies here. Plus some funny ones. On another board I post a lot more, and in the same vein as some do here, and they give me the “huh?” too.
I’ll ask ‘someone recommend me a …’ and they think it’s funny. I gave a local politician a ‘hearty fuck you’ and they told me to calm down, and he deserved it. I’m even planning my honeymoon with the help of the people on the IMHO link, not sure if I should brag about that or not.
Much more fun to be here, and knowledeable. An old ex assked me the name of something, I bet her lunch I cold get the name within a half hour. 15 minutes later someone responded to my GQ on the board with the answer. Still waiting for that lunch…
Divide the dopers up between those here to ask dumb questions (group 1) and those here looking for questions to answer(group 2) (the people asking smart questions are probably amongst group 2) The I would say I am in the bottom 10 percent of group 2.
I am still waiting for the day/question where I can be ‘the authority’ on the subject. In the meantime I spend my working hours browsing the board looking for something interesting to post to, without too many already posts. (I have a brain-thingy where I don’t like my words to be hidden amongst many many other posts)
I (until now, I hope) I tend to lose my cool in the SDMB. There’s a good reason for that…
Normally I am cool, thick-skinned, and mild-mannered in the face of criticism/snottiness. but here, I spend hours and hours getting gradually bored-er and bored-er, then when I find something interesting - invariably the sdmb slows down to a crawl at that time. so to add to my boredom I get frustrated. Understand that this is over a period of many hours. As a result I become an ass-hole (or arsehole for fellow brit-dopers). This is very uncharacteristic of me.
If I may be so bold - at home, when I go into chat rooms I end up being mr-intelligent-nice-guy, the centre of attention, the guy who can say the right thing and diffuse any argument. The same applies (but to a lesser degree) to newsgroups. It is for that reason that I am actually surprised at my own behaviour in the sdmb.
why do I bother? (you may be wondering) well I have a job which involves a bit of work at the beginning of the shift, a bit of work at the end of the shift, and hours and hours inbetween of being present. basicaly the job is simply to be there. so we have to have something to do. with two TVs showing sod-all at this time, and computers with great internet access - this leaves one realistic choice - the sdmb.
(I posted that before it got too long - in which case it would refuse to be posted. I haven’t finished yet)
I should add that at work I cannot use newsgroups, chatrooms.
I hope those dopers who have come to associate the name lobley (now Lobsang) with assholishness and ignorance will read this and understand that my assholishness is due to extenuating circumstances and that I am normally reasonably intelligent, thick-skinned, etc…
I love internet conversation. It is a great way of passing the time. I like the sdmb. the (unlucky) combination of nothing else to do, and the (understandable) slowness of the sdmb has forced me (on too many occasions) to bend towards annoying-bastard. I am confident that I will never take bait, I will never lose it, I will never talk about things I know little about in an authoritive way. I am not just saying that. I mean it - because I have learned not to be like that when I am bored and frustrated.
GQ is what turns my crank. It’s not just the answers, but the question that I would never have though to ask.
Can’t say much for GD, though, for the debating skills displayed usually are not up to snuff, and the topics tend to be too religious or USA political for my personal tastes. Just as likely to find a good debate in The Pit.
I know exactly what you mean and I feel the same way.
