Then I realized I’d seen both but not really liked either of them, and the differences were pretty obvious, and at rock bottom why should I waste all of our time for an outcome I didn’t particularly care about?
And other times I am interested, but I browse around and see all the usual suspects, and think that’s a train wreck in progress that I want no part of.
I start a lot of threads but then think to myself ‘what would I say if someone asked this question (here)?’ and usually answer my own question.
As for replies, I write and delete them all the time, at least once a day. Sometimes it’s because I know I can’t explain what I’m thinking as well enough and I know someone else can write and defend it better. Sometimes, it’s basically a useless post so I back out. For example today someone started a GQ (I think) post, I wrote out an answer and realized it was a non-answer and got rid of it. My answer was basically the exact same question asked in different words since it was “well___ but OTOH ____” which wasn’t a GQ answer, it was basically what the OP asked.
Also, there’s a few specific posters that I tend to avoid on certain topics because I know that no matter how I answer they’re just going to argue. They’re not looking for answers, they’re looking for people to agree with them (even though they posted a GQ question). If I’ve written an answer for one of those I’ll delete it, deciding that I’m not interested in getting into an argument.
Well good. I’m glad I’m not the only one who spends minutes replying to a post and then thinks, “Ah, fuck it. No one cares what I have to say,” and then hit the back button.
Original posts I think long about though, and although I certainly have killed some, it’s no where near the amount I kill while responding.
For the most part I know I don`t have anything original to say, even if I was first in line, I know someone else will post the same thing, and then he’ll have to defend it all, not me. So, fuck it.
Two threads I was coming close to posting in a few minutes ago, but didn’t:
The first one was somewhat short and I wrote four or five sentences; on preview I thought “Why am I posting this? Is it to help the topic or is it some kind of sneak brag thing” Ugh… (I’ll be a boring person when I’m old and I lose my filter)
The second was a GQ thread on a topic I am quite interested in, but it turned out to be one of those threads that usually have a few wild-ass-guesses followed by several very sharp posters contributing spot-on material, with the nitpickers swooping in to say “But you didn’t mention this tiny detail correctly…”
In the end nitpicker picks nits from the nits that the other has picked.
Without postdoctoral knowledge of the topic nor cutting wit, what could I possibly contribute to such a discussion? I backed out slowly and closed the thread.
I have two fears that sometimes keeps me from starting a new thread.
it’ll go nowhere
it will go somewhere. If it gets a lot of responses I’ll feel like I have to stay active in it and that is such a pain in the butt.
I also bite my tongue out of fear of offending people a lot. I don’t mean racially or anything like that, I mean sometimes I’ll see two adults arguing about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or something and want to say ‘Why does this thread exist? You should be ashamed of yourselves!’ but I’m not prepared to face that kind of backlash.
I came back from holiday recently with a rant that, while absolutely valid, would not have ended well for various reasons. I thought better of it. See, I can’t even give the merest hint on the subject matter.
I realise that this post has therefore been pretty much a waste of time.
I want to talk a lot about racism and sexism, and often. But we get so bogged down in little details here, and they challenge you on every single thing. Even after you’ve explained it 5-6 times, they still continue coming back with the same stupid questions. Sometimes I am willing to engage, but most of the time I don’t. I like talking, and discussing, but debating here just seems like a quest to prove they are right and you are wrong. Well, I don’t care about “winning” on the Internet…so I don’t post a lot. Yes, I have a lot of posts, but I’d have a lot more if I said everything I always wanted to say.
And my thread-starting moments are few and far between these days. I usually stick to CS or IMHO anyway and I still get into trouble there.
I used to start threads with an agenda, where I hoped people would agree with me. Rather too often nobody agreed with me at all, in fact it was sometimes a pile-on. I don’t start threads much anymore.
I don’t know how many threads I’ve decided not to start because I figure the first response will be some smart-ass saying “Let me Google that for you,” so I just Google it myself.
I believe we had to settle for a thread on Carrot Top in its place. Personally, I don’t feel I’m a better man for it, Though perhaps it’s worth its own thread – Gary Coleman vs Carrot Top: Compare and Contrast