Why are members/fans? so rude to each other?
- Thread starter Ktrek
- Start date
I know we make fun of requests of that nature, but the continuity being shared is one of the high points of Trek Lit, and it's good to know from the author's perspective which books he/she considers important to the books they write. I don't have any problem with questions like that.
I can see how they get annoying, over and over, but there isn't exactly an easily google-able site online that says "David Mack says you don't have to read anything to get Destiny, but you might want to hit up Sword Of Damocles and Greater Than The Sum for the best impact." That's something you can only find out here, or places like here.
Should I read page two of this thread before page one?
Not saying a word. KRAD knows karate, and you don't need to
Or: people accusing others of "having an artificial sense of superiority", when no offense or superiority may have been intended.
If a respondent knows an answer that others don't, doesn't that make that person's knowledge superior (in that particular aspect) anyway, and isn't that why the first poster is asking, so he can add to his body of knowledge? But by sharing that knowledge, they are raising others up to that knowledge level. Instead they can be accused of being a know-all, or snooty, superior, egotistical, etc.
For example, I think I often type my ST answers here the way I'd say them at a ST panel, complete with a wry Aussie sense of humour and perhaps a Hugh Jackman/Eric Bana/Heath Ledger/Mel Gibson accent/cheeky grin/twinkle in the eye. But in the grey/white text-based international arena that is TrekBBS, I'm told I can come off as a know-all show-off.
Second-guessing every post, to make sure I'm not appearing too snooty, is often impossible.
Even bringing it back to my own experiences is likely to cause someone to say, "It's not about you, you know."
That's because I hold a black belt in sarcasm, JAG. 
Not that Therin has issues, nossir, not a bit of it.
We all have our moments of coming across as a know-it-all or holier-than-thou. How you see yourself when you're typing something into the reply box isn't a guarantee that everyone will see you in that same light. For instance, I'm fully aware that most people probably see me as either a cranky bitch or a complete whack-job (or both), and after much contemplation, I'm okay with that. While I see my posts as being as straightforward as I can possibly be, I can understand how the interpretation could be made. I try to be as politic as I can about voicing my opinions in public venues, but I'm not going to silence them completely. I'm not going to be someone I'm not just to please other people. Life doesn't work that way, sorry. I firmly believe in the "treat others as you'd want to be treated" doctrine. If you want to be seen as a professional, then, by all means, treat the readers with the same respect here as you'd treat them at an in-person signing. We all have our friends, yeah, but that's no excuse to go off on someone who doesn't know the groups around here.
That may be part of the problem, some folks don't necessarily consider how they want to be seen in a particular venue. I mean, do you want to be seen as "one of the gang" or in a professional manner, or both? Because one is not automatically inclusive of the other. One requires a completely different demeanor than the other. Yeah, those of us who've been around for years are used to acting that way around each other, but to someone brand new coming into the fold for the first time, how would they think of us? Cliquish? Probably. I've heard it used more than once, even used it myself on occasion, I'll admit.
We can't get longtime readers if we scare them away within minutes of them finding us, can we?
Gah, I'm getting way too existential for before coffee.
Not that Therin has issues, nossir, not a bit of it.
We all have our moments of coming across as a know-it-all or holier-than-thou. How you see yourself when you're typing something into the reply box isn't a guarantee that everyone will see you in that same light. For instance, I'm fully aware that most people probably see me as either a cranky bitch or a complete whack-job (or both), and after much contemplation, I'm okay with that. While I see my posts as being as straightforward as I can possibly be, I can understand how the interpretation could be made. I try to be as politic as I can about voicing my opinions in public venues, but I'm not going to silence them completely. I'm not going to be someone I'm not just to please other people. Life doesn't work that way, sorry. I firmly believe in the "treat others as you'd want to be treated" doctrine. If you want to be seen as a professional, then, by all means, treat the readers with the same respect here as you'd treat them at an in-person signing. We all have our friends, yeah, but that's no excuse to go off on someone who doesn't know the groups around here.
That may be part of the problem, some folks don't necessarily consider how they want to be seen in a particular venue. I mean, do you want to be seen as "one of the gang" or in a professional manner, or both? Because one is not automatically inclusive of the other. One requires a completely different demeanor than the other. Yeah, those of us who've been around for years are used to acting that way around each other, but to someone brand new coming into the fold for the first time, how would they think of us? Cliquish? Probably. I've heard it used more than once, even used it myself on occasion, I'll admit.
We can't get longtime readers if we scare them away within minutes of them finding us, can we?
Gah, I'm getting way too existential for before coffee.
That's because I hold a black belt in sarcasm, JAG.
Not that Therin has issues, nossir, not a bit of it.
Watch it, I have a black belt in Origami...
Actually, he did get in before you - but you're the one standing on the other side of the Guardian of Forever, so we all know what happened then.
I hope you paid Harlan for trespassing on his turf.
What happened to: If you have nothing nice to say to someone either keep it to yourself?
It goes hand in hand with "treat others as you wish to be treated."
I'm generally a laid back sort, who doesn't like to get too wrapped up in all of this and take it too seriously. What you see here is probably what you'd get if we met at a con, and there are folks running around here who can testify to that. It's Star Trek after all; it's supposed to be fun,and we're supposed to be able to have fun yammering about it.
I like it here because -- generally -- the atmosphere is conducive to informal fat chewing and breeze shooting. This BBS is loaded with people who take this stuff, themselves, and everything else far too seriously than should be considered healthy, which is but one of the reasons I don't bother with the majority of fora. Life's too short, and I've got better things to do. However, this particular forum is a much cooler place to visit than comparable boards at other sites, due in no small part to the fact that most folks here get along and police themselves, and the mods generally only yank the reins when they really have to.
Like Terri, I prefer the Golden Rule, but guess what? The Golden Rule stops being applicable once someone demonstrates that they're only here to stir shit up. I feel no obligation to roll over and take it in the ass when somebody's got an agenda or an axe to grind. If people want to air their discontent about the the work, I'm down with that. If people want to tear into other people, then I'm liable to say something. If people want to play games and screw around, tap-dancing around the rules in order to provoke a reaction, then they run the risk of getting called on it.
Bottom line: This place should be fun. Engaging, thought-provoking, and perhaps even informative from time to time? Yes. But, most of all, it should be a nice, fun place to visit.
So, with all that on the table, I'd just like to say for the record that I wasn't staring at Terri's ass this morning...you know...when I walked into that light pole. Twice.
When they answer with eyerolls or sarcasm ("Google is your friend"), it most certainly comes across as a condescending sense of superiority.
Having superior knowledge doesn't cause offense. Why would someone ask a question if they didn't expect someone with superior knowledge to respond? Slapping someone in the face with it does cause offense, however.
No idea. But this thread should be shot with a cannon.
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