What are the meanest questions & the ugliest answers at YahooAnswers?

Question

I love this site for us to have a chance to share our ideas & maybe get into a bit of discussion & debate on a subject.

But some people want nothing but to bash the other side. Some people ask mean-spirited questions, disregard the thought-out answers & give the “best answer” to the ugliest reply.

Mean answer - Because Christians are blind cattle who follow and are controlled by fear.
Fair answer - Religious people are followers - they can't think for themselves.
The message is the same, just one is said with a mean, divisive spirit, the other was just expressing his opinion as respectfully as it could be.

An example of a mean-spirited question. WHY DO NEOCONS THINK THAT 'NEOCON' MEANS NEW CONSERVATIVE WHEN ANYONE WITH COMMON SENSE KNOWS lT MEANS STUPID?
Same principal, stated not as meanly. “WHO ELSE THINKS ‘NEOCONS' DON'T MAKE MUCH SENSE?”
1st Q only invites insults. 2nd Q invites open disscusion.

I'm a big believer in the freedom of speech, but when a person chooses to exercise that freedom with only insults, they are being divisive.

It seems to me it’s usually the liberals doing this. Am I right or wrong? PLEASE GIVE EXAMPLES!

David C - look at the responses to your question about Middle class republicans. (fair Q, by the way)

Because Bush has his head up Jesus' ***.
If your a homophobic religious right wing nutcase, it is an easy choice.

and at least 2 more hateful responses from the left. I counted only 2 or 3 non-hateful answers from the left, & 7 non-hateful from the right.

calivane07 - Just because someone’s opinion is uncomplimentary doesn’t mean they have to go out of there way to be insulting. “They can't think for themselves” is about as respectful as you can get if that’s your honest opinion.
I hate all caps, too. But it seems extreme to say only moronic fools ask questions in all caps.
What’s stupid about this question? Do you just not get my point?

Answer 1

I understand your point. I think it has to do with the fact that people are intensely stuck into categorizing. If a person considers him or herself to be liberal. They will normally take a harsh view on a conservative question that is not asked in a meaningful way. Or the other way, if a liberal question starts off with "why did bush kill our soldiers?" you will get an angry response from the right. That is why I asked the question that you answered. We have always been a society of labels. As far back as this countries founding there were labels on people for their political views or origin. Today it just takes an ever so hateful view and ignorance.

Answer 2

I just saw a question claiming NEOCONS shoot kittens to celebrate the fourth. This kind of attitude is getting more common among the liberals. Not that you don't find it from the conservatives, it's just more common in the liberals.

* Check out the answers to Al Gore's question on global warming. If the conservatives were the vile people some try to claim, the Republicans would have JUMPED on the chance to say obnoxious things to Al Gore. Out of the first 180 answers, I only found 1 vile answer & 2 very rude ones from the CON side.

Answer 3

Aye, if you think what you see here is bad, just look at the news message boards. How hateful you are is practically a level of prestige there.

I think people who do such things are probably just looking for attention. Teens are especially likely to start a fight for that reason. If you answer a post in a calm, thoughtful manner and put some effort into it, many people might ignore you simply because the post is too long or complicated for them to want to take their time and read it. In fact, I can from the results of a little test of mine state that a very short and brutally insulting post will probably gather FAR more attention and replies than a calm, well thought out post can ever hope to. This might be because a very direct and insulting remark will probably incite more feeling and emotion in an average person than a lengthy intellectual study on paper will. Simply put, people react more to an insult than a lecture.

People don't like to expend too much energy while on the computer anyway. Why do you think people started saying "U" instead of "you"? Or "thx" instead of "thanks"? Because people want things as short and easy as possible. It takes energy to think about what you are saying or write a correct,complete sentence, energy most people think they can better use elsewhere.I don't agree with that, but most people seem to.

Well, I better stop rambling. I hope you don't mind long answers, but on subjects that I feel need a good answer I tend to take awhile to stop talking, heheh.

Answer 4

The state of rational discourse in this country has collapsed for a variety of reasons which has little, if anything to do with policy.

First and foremost is the appalling state of public education which has produced a generation of surpassing ignorance. The majority of college graduates applying for positions as teachers in Massachusetts could not pass a test written at the 10th grade level. People without basic factual knowledge cannot be expected to reach conclusions that make any sense.

The second factor is the commonly held belief, fostered, I admit, by my 1960's colleagues, that all opinions are valid and should be expressed. Opinions, of course, are easy if no one has taught you that they must be based on reason acting on a factual basis. Thus people shamelessly speak to issues about which they have absolutely no clue.

Third, it is commonly accepted that emotional involvement or victimization is sufficient to confer expertise. This is nonsense but the media routinely present obvious idiots as experts based on nothing more than the sheer volume of their purported outrage or hurt. But the net result is to convince people that if they simply ratchet up the anger of their opinion then they become experts.

Answer 5

Saying that religious people can't think for themselves is expressing an opinion respectfully? Man, I wonder how you "respect" your elders. Your poor grandparents.

And any question asked in all capital letters is going to be insulted by me somehow. Usually the intelligence of the asker will be insulted, because only moronic fools ask questions in all capital letters.

To the point of the question, I don't give purposefully mean answers unless the question was purposefully (or unpurposefully) stupid, or mean itself (which usually means it's a stupid question).

Take this question for instance, I don't know if you meant for it to be stupid, but it is, a little bit. (Okay, I lied, it's quite stupid, but to the point) So, I proceeded to point out the flaws and make fun of them. See how that works?

Stupid questions get mean answers. Mean questions get mean answers. Sincere questions get sincere answers. End of story.

Answer 6

I think the fact that you are seeing such rageful answers from the Left is a direct indication of how frustrated, angry and passionate we are about the issues. I myself am guilty of insulting answers at times because I am appalled at the ignorance of some of the questions. When people ask questions in a negative tone, they are bound to incite an answer with that same tone.

Answer 7

Why are liberals pantie wearing baby killers who are gay. this is a synopsis of many questions that I have read that are just insults and not meant to be discussions but I have read this into many questions from the repukes. I do admit to doing the same thing from the liberal side, like why do Neo-Cons walk in lock step with a failed presidency. I have ask other questions that are similar. I just think that somebody needs to stick up for our side of the isle. That is why I do it.

Answer 8

Salty questions OR answers in this medium deserve merit on the basis of clarity. Those distorted, poorly written, often muddled attempts to get the message across should be ignored.
Granted, many of the comments we see here are from well-meaning but ignorant people who should take more time to construct complete sentences.
Also, there seem to be a lot of people responding from other countries, people with painfully little English language skills. Kudos to them for at least trying to learn and communicate in a second language.
As to the vehemence with which some of our brethren and cystern (forgive me, ladies,I don't mean to demean, honest) hold forth hereabouts I just hate hell out of those rotten b......s who disagree with me. Don't you?

Answer 9

Now who's being hateful? People who live in glass houses should not throw stones. (IS THAT POLITE ENOUGH FOR YOU?) -And no, I'm not a "moron" for using "all caps"- just trying to add emphasis to my statement. And by far and away, Liberals are a whole lot less argumentative, insulting and combative than Conservatives- in general. So put THAT in your pipe and smoke it.

Answer 10

Free Speech is just that. Take it or leave it.

On this site there are guidelines, which keeps it somewhat civil

However, I sure do believe in Free Speech without it we would be just like any other place.