I love hanging out on The Dope, but I’ve noticed something which bothers me. There’s no small number of people here who are very vindictive, and who express sheer delight at the thought of absolutely destroying their opponent. Read the recent thread about Mike Nifong, or any thread concerning President Bush, for prime examples.
What things about The Dope bother you, or cause you to shake your head in dismay?
Blind hatred of the US and the POTUS. An inability to see that democracies are about a zillion times better than tyrannies. Moral equivalence to the point where Abu Ghraib in viewed as being about as bad as 1000 car bombings targeted at civilians. An inability to accept that there are bad people out there who want to kill us and that we ought to do something about now. A belief that conservatives are sub-humans and should be treated as such.
Not that everyone feels that way, just a sicko minority. But also mods who refuse to enforce the “Don’t be a jerk rule” nearly enough.
Other than that I’m pretty content.
It’s not blind hatred, I believe he’s really screwed things up. But that’s an opinion, and as someone smarter than I said, that’s why they make different flavors of ice cream. 
I dislike arguments that go one far past flogging a dead horse, but I can quit reading them.
Political correctness.
I could start a Pit thread about someone using chainsaws to juggle orphan babies whilst wearing a hat made of baby beagle heads in the middle of Times Square, but if I say “how retarded do you have to be to think you can get away with something like that?” the entire thread will be about my use of the word “retarded,” despite the fact that I’d already know it’s considered offensive by some, and wouldn’t care.
Intolerance by The Tolerant™.
“We’re so respectful of everyone’s opinions and lifestyles, we think everyone who disagrees with us should be banned from having their opinions heard!” Wait, what? (This, sadly, can easily apply to my hometown as well as the SDMB.)
The inability to let things go. This goes along partially with Troy’s post. We don’t need 5 page threads about someone improperly using an apostrophe.
The troll feeding. Like that errant apostrophe, we don’t need 5 page threads about how someone is a troll and we shouldn’t respond to them because it will just encourage them. If you don’t feel they should be encouraged, then don’t post about it.
The times where people charge in full barrel and argue in very angry terms about everything. Some people really should just chill.
Although, everytime something on here annoys me I will think back on this thread where the dopers banded together to help someone and remember why I love this place.
To tip or not to tip. Pretty much covered from every regional and International viewpoint.
Shoes in the house. Who cares?
“Do you think/was I being/is this behavior” threads. If you have to ask, it probably is I do/yes/not in polite society.
Programmer humour. Don’t get it, instant switch-off. Same with obsessive anime/Star Wars/roleplay/other nerd culture references.
I can’t stand the hypocrisy displayed by usually intelligent people on this board. Over the past few years, I’ve seen so many people make assertions that generalizations are harmful, only to see them make exceptions for people who, for instance, drive big SUVs, were part of the Greek system during college, aren’t part of any disadvantaged group and thus need to be taken down a peg or two, etc.
Either embrace the notion of throwing away the wide paintbrush or don’t. Whatever you do, though, don’t pick it up simply when it serves your interest to do so.
“I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned blahblahblah!”
JUST MENTION IT, ALREADY. Good grief …
Personal grudges that seem to have to raise their heads no matter what the context – against the moderators, admins, and other members. I don’t invest that much emotional content into this Thing Of Ours, I guess, and it just strikes me as more noise I have to plow through to get to stuff of interest. Honestly, I have trouble remembering that it’s Listening Guy and not Libertarian Guy or some other L Guy who has the hardon for some movie everyone else hates, and that some random snarky comment about TubaDiva is based on something she may have said 4 years ago. It seems very junior high to me somehow.
And some people seem to love to complain about the quality of moderation going on here, and how so many members brown-nose the mods. It’s like having to spend a whole baseball game sitting next to someone who wants to nitpick the umpiring after every play. It’s tiresome.
Intolerance of those who believe in that which cannot be proved. I’m not much of a believer type myself, but I absolutely hate how anyone who professes faith around here is ridiculed. Yeah, yeah, blah-blah, fighting ignorance, whatever. Intolerance is still intolerance.
Oh, also, the unneeded nitpickery. So what if the implied quote or nonchalantly referenced song lyric isn’t EXACTLY as broadcast/recorded/wrote. get over it. Now, mind you that this applies to a discussion where the not-quite-quote is used in a light hearted manner. If it’s a question about an exact quote or the meaning thereof, then sure, correct away. But there is no need to outnerd everybody with your obsessive pedantry.
Same thought applies to typos and occasional misspellings.
Cite?
(that, too)
Posters who stalk each other just to pick a fight.
People who apparently have no other job and think that the rest of us have all day to thoroughly research before we post.
The cutesy crap: Hi Opal, for about 15 minutes, 1920’s style death ray, etc.
Ask the ________ . Except for the stripper.
CITE?
The constant need to assert that the population of the SDMB is of above average intelligence. Even if it’s true (which I question), it’s bad form to brag about it.
My ASS is my cite!
Threads that are much more fun to reply to than to read.
I used to reply to them but now I think better of it and don’t waste my time. Threads like What’s your morning routine? Sure I’ll tell you and so will everyone else. But does anyone really want to hear about others morning routines?
Or the What’s your favorite band/restaurant/car? type threads. Everyone throwing in their 2 cents but no one really caring about what everbody elses 2 cents is.
Pretty pointless IMHO.
People that tell you that you posted in the wrong forum. Yeah, we all make a few mistakes. Report the error to a mod, you don’t have to tell everyone. That is what the little triangle with an exclamation point is for.
I don’t have any problem with these, this is a common topic of conversation and a good way to get to know more about people. What I do have a big problem with is people who respond to this question (What’s your favorite…") with a list of thirty-five movies/book/restaurants, usually copied and pasted from some dreck publication like People or Entertainment Weekly.
Thanks, Dude - you’ve proven you can’t read and killed the thread at the same time.
Nastiness and lack of empathy between posters. Gleeful assertions of violating social contracts.