   Entertaining forum bickering
  You know how people act funny on the Internet, right? Remote access seems to give people the confidence to speak brashly. I'd like to see what you've all come across on the web: the forum threads which best illustrate how amusingly crap people can be.The inspiration for this post is this thread. I find the progression from the banal into the "intellectual" very amusing for some reason, and jackoinblack's post on the 4th page is almost poetic in its incongruity.I wonder how much of a research topic this will be in sociology a few years from now.   
  I wrote like three papers last semester on politics-based Internet flamewars.   ;  Did you get a good grade on them? Did you quote me? [wink]   ;Quote:Original post by LessBreadDid you get a good grade on them? Did you quote me? [wink]I did get a good grade, but I used Fark primarily as my inspiration because its patterns of meritocracy move much faster (and membership in their political flamewars shifts very fast, with only a few "well known" figures who are mostly parodies of their arguments, and the remainder of the membership getting washed around). Also, Fark seems to have a lower average intelligence than GDNet, which leads into a lot of racist flamewars as well as more ignorant forms of debate (littered both with straw men and ad hominem fallacies, which I covered in depth).It's a remarkably interesting topic, and I was surprised at the lack of published academic literature on the topic.   ;Quote:Original post by RavuyaQuote:Original post by LessBreadDid you get a good grade on them? Did you quote me? [wink]I did get a good grade, but I used Fark primarily as my inspiration because its patterns of meritocracy move much faster (and membership in their political flamewars shifts very fast, with only a few "well known" figures who are mostly parodies of their arguments, and the remainder of the membership getting washed around). Also, Fark seems to have a lower average intelligence than GDNet, which leads into a lot of racist flamewars as well as more ignorant forms of debate (littered both with straw men and ad hominem fallacies, which I covered in depth).It's a remarkably interesting topic, and I was surprised at the lack of published academic literature on the topic.Congrats on the grades. Now you know why I stick around here. [wink] The lack of published literature is interesting. I suspect it's the novelty of the phenomena as well as a tendency for academics to want to study things that produce changes in society or it's power relations - which would lead them to study blogs first. ;  I would be amazed if any academics would stoop low enough to study message boards and web forums... [headshake]I rarely post in the politics threads here, but I do scan read them - I could only hope to have LessBread's knowledge one day. Are you a wise old man in the real-world?? [grin]Cheers,Jack   ;  LessBread is my inspiration to learn more about politics [grin]. Honestly, I love political debates in this forum. People (sometimes) actually support their claims here.   ;Quote:Original post by walkingcarcassRemote access seems to give people the confidence to speak brashly. I'd like to see what you've all come across on the web: the forum threads which best illustrate how amusingly crap people can be.Are you calling us crap?  You bastard, you make me sick.  I'm gonna find your house and burn it down, and stomp all over it's ashes.  I'm gonna kidnap your dog and feed it cheese until it's stomach explodes.  You don't think I'll do it?  I'll kick your ass!!!   ;Quote:Original post by jollyjeffersI rarely post in the politics threads here, but I do scan read them - I could only hope to have LessBread's knowledge one day. Are you a wise old man in the real-world?? [grin]I'm not that old and not that wise... [smile]   ;Quote:Original post by LessBreadQuote:Original post by jollyjeffersI rarely post in the politics threads here, but I do scan read them - I could only hope to have LessBread's knowledge one day. Are you a wise old man in the real-world?? [grin]I'm not that old and not that wise... [smile]but he does have a bitchin hat that just screams "sociology professor" all over it. [smile]