# Us Dopers have been acting crummy lately

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [October 8, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094 "2009-10-08T19:56:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 20\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/1 "2009-10-08T19:56:23Z")

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Have you noticed it’s pretty near impossible to hold a conversation on a topic without it taking a sour turn and being blown waaaay out of proportion?

It’s not threadshitting, per se, but man, folks can’t make a statement, reflecting their own point of view, without someone else taking a judgmental jab at the poster’s values, morals, mental stability, etc. etc.

I’m not going to post specifics as I’m not pointing the finger at any one person. It just seems that there are a LOT of folks out there taking things too seriously.

I could say something like “I hope the christmas season shows up soon, so there will be good tidings and joy.”

and have a response like:

“I can’t believe you’re pushing your pseudo-Xian-commercial views on us. I’m sorely offended and cannot believe such a backward view still exists today. YMMV.”

or Is it just me?

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**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/2 "2009-10-08T20:00:51Z")

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You _would_ say that. :mad:

;)😃

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**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/3 "2009-10-08T20:16:51Z")

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Would you get off my back god damn it! I already told you, I’ve been under a lot of stress at work to get some stuff in under demanding deadlines. Fuck.

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**Author:** ![Unintentionally\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unintentionally_blank/32/5418_2.png) [@Unintentionally\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unintentionally_Blank)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/4 "2009-10-08T20:20:51Z")

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You might be in a better mood if you _Weren’t Covered in Bees!_

and **Skammer** can buggar off! 😃

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/5 "2009-10-08T20:22:42Z")

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It’s always been like that. Join date of 2003 and you’re just noticing?

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**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/6 "2009-10-08T20:26:00Z")

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“Us Dopers” is incorrect. Should be “We Dopers.”

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**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/7 "2009-10-08T20:28:13Z")

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> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> It’s always been like that. Join date of 2003 and you’re just noticing?

No, it has _not_ always been like that. I date the big swing in 'tude around here to Nov. 7th, 2000.

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**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/8 "2009-10-08T20:28:43Z")

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I thought the OP was singling out “US” (as in United States) Dopers and I was gonna jump his shit.

What I’ve noticed is a gradual increase in skepticism. There’ve been so many threads where an OP posits a situation and asks for opinions, and after Dopers weigh in, it turns out the OP wasn’t telling the whole story. Or they didn’t really want opinions – they just wanted to whine or bitch.

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**Author:** ![Covered\_In\_Bees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7ab992/32.png) [@Covered\_In\_Bees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covered_In_Bees)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/9 "2009-10-08T20:29:04Z")

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> [@Bridget\_Burke](#):
>
> “Us Dopers” is incorrect. Should be “We Dopers.”

Oh great. Looks who’s here, [the grammar Nazis.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8fbrUjjivw)

> [@AuntiePam](#):
>
> There’ve been so many threads where an OP posits a situation and asks for opinions, and after Dopers weigh in, it turns out the OP wasn’t telling the whole story. Or they didn’t really want opinions – they just wanted to whine or bitch.

And you can buck(eye) off! 😉

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**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/10 "2009-10-08T20:39:21Z")

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You think _we’re_ mean & snarky, try posting a thread at the _Mythbusters_ discussion boards at [discovery.com](http://discovery.com). :eek: Those guys are on you like stink on shit if you don’t properly construct your thread title, post a suggestion that’s already been discussed, or make even the tiniest flaw in your assumptions.

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**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/11 "2009-10-08T20:40:24Z")

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Hasn’t it been like that forever? Four years ago Campion posted a “good luck bar-takers thread” naming me and a couple of people and someone came in and said “I hope they all fail.” If you even hint that you’re going to law school, about a dozen bitter people will come out of the woodwork to tell you that you’ll never ever ever get a job.

But on that note, don’t go to law school, kids :D.

In the 8 years I’ve been here I’ve gotten into law school, graduated, passed a couple of bars and received 4 promotions. I don’t bother announcing any of them. I think most Dopers seem nice but there’s always one person that has to ruin the mood.

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/12 "2009-10-08T20:43:10Z")

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> [@ExTank](#):
>
> No, it has _not_ always been like that. I date the big swing in 'tude around here to Nov. 7th, 2000.

Well the OP (and I) joined after the Great Horrible Clusterfuck Election, so for as long as (s)he has been here, the 'tude has been here.

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**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/13 "2009-10-08T20:44:14Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> In the 8 years I’ve been here I’ve gotten into law school, graduated, passed a couple of bars and received 4 promotions. I don’t bother announcing any of them. I think most Dopers seem nice but there’s always one person that has to ruin the mood.

Well, now you’ve announced them all, so…

Well aren’t _we_ just little Ms. Overachiever, eh? Why don’t you tell us what kind of car you’re driving these days? 😉

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**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/14 "2009-10-08T20:54:08Z")

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I’m gonna be honest. This website is mostly just an addiction at this point, not a pleasure. The negative vibe here actually affects my mood on a regular basis. The funny stuff and things that make me think critically seem almost not to be worth putting up with the nagging feeling that I’m surrounded by misanthropes whose big contribution to society is their own self-aggrandization. The mud-slinging and blaming and self-righteous arrogant asshattery makes me feel like I’m sinking into a hole of black despair. There are so many good people here, but few of them get a real voice, because they are shouted down by obnoxious, entitled, opinionated jerks. And I constantly find myself struggling not to become arrogant and judgmental myself. Shit, I’ve personally insulted two people here in the last week alone, and I don’t want to BE that bitter person.

I am not meaning to overgeneralize. Most Dopers are really nice. It’s just that the complainers and negative nancys get the most press. And I respond most strongly to negative stimuli due to the way I am wired.

If I ever figure out how to kick this habit, I’ll be glad.

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**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/15 "2009-10-08T20:54:24Z")

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Honda Civic. 🙂 Still a Fed, after all.

Maybe I will break the trend and announce it if I get into business school.

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**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/16 "2009-10-08T20:55:33Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I’m gonna be honest. This website is mostly just an addiction at this point, not a pleasure.

Try drinking. It’s an addiction _and_ a pleasure.

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**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/17 "2009-10-08T20:58:11Z")

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> [@MeanOldLady](#):
>
> Try drinking. It’s an addiction _and_ a pleasure.

FTR, you always make me smile. 😛

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**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/18 "2009-10-08T21:07:51Z")

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> [@anu-la1979](#):
>
> But on that note, don’t go to law school, kids.

You’re just saying that because you don’t want some snot-nosed kid competing for your job and forcing you back to surviving on ramen noodles in your parents basement, waiting for a siren to chase. 😛

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**Author:** ![supergoose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@supergoose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/supergoose)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/19 "2009-10-08T21:43:15Z")

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> [@olivesmarch4th](#):
>
> I’m gonna be honest. This website is mostly just an addiction at this point, not a pleasure. The negative vibe here actually affects my mood on a regular basis. The funny stuff and things that make me think critically seem almost not to be worth putting up with the nagging feeling that I’m surrounded by misanthropes whose big contribution to society is their own self-aggrandization. The mud-slinging and blaming and self-righteous arrogant asshattery makes me feel like I’m sinking into a hole of black despair. There are so many good people here, but few of them get a real voice, because they are shouted down by obnoxious, entitled, opinionated jerks. And I constantly find myself struggling not to become arrogant and judgmental myself. Shit, I’ve personally insulted two people here in the last week alone, and I don’t want to BE that bitter person.
> 
> I am not meaning to overgeneralize. Most Dopers are really nice. It’s just that the complainers and negative nancys get the most press. And I respond most strongly to negative stimuli due to the way I am wired.
> 
> If I ever figure out how to kick this habit, I’ll be glad.

I’m sorry it’s making you unhappy. You might try just not going into the pit, since that’s probably where 95% of it is. And maybe ATMB.

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**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\
**Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-dopers-have-been-acting-crummy-lately/513094/20 "2009-10-08T21:52:18Z")

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> [@ExTank](#):
>
> No, it has not always been like that. I date the big swing in 'tude around here to Nov. 7th, 2000.

I’d say about three and a half years later than that.

There were a lot of Dopers who felt voting for anyone-but-Bush was a moral obligation, and failure to do so meant you were a bad person and not worthy of being treated with respect. You couldn’t have a civilized conversation about anything relating to the election apart from “Bush sux”, and they wouldn’t talk about anything else.

Then Bush won, and some people decided it was because they hadn’t been abusive enough. So they set to work to remedy that.

Now it’s all health care, and I am a little burned out on that, so here I am in IMHO.

> [@](#):
>
> This website is mostly just an addiction at this point, not a pleasure. The negative vibe here actually affects my mood on a regular basis.

That’s bad. If it isn’t fun, and if it drags you down, we would miss you, but a layoff might be in order.

Regards,  
Shodan

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