A catch-all for rude answers and mean people?

Question

When this answer site started, it seemed like a great way to interact with people. However, in the 8 or so weeks that I have participated, I notice now more than ever, most of the questions are outright silly, rude, demeaning or just plain ignorant. Yes, I am guilty too, I have answered in ways that werent appropriate-unfortunately. So here's the question: Have you asked a serious question or responded to a serious question, only to have some sarcasm-laced diatribe posted? Is this fun anymore? Why or why not?

Answer 1

I've asked serious questions and gotten very rude answers. I only answer rudely if the questions is rude, dumb, or demeaning. I always try to give good advice, that's why I like this site. I'm just tired of people who do nothing but be rude, and the people who think this is a dating site.

Answer 2

I've only been around about a month. I find the overall forum pretty good.

Like any place there will be the sarcastic, ignorant, and stupid folks, however the good folks looking and offering good information still out number them.

Occasionally I'll even bite at a sarcastic question. The stupid ones I just pass over, not worth my time. The ignorant ones I look at, then look at the person's history of questions. If they appear to be wanting a real answer, I'll give what I can.

Over all I think the good out weigh the bad. You can still get good answers and ideas, not to mention from a world wide perceptive.

Hang in there, I would bet that over half of the "outright silly, rude, demeaning" stuff will disappear when school starts up again.

Answer 3

Some people just don't know how to interact---I mean some people are all moody seriousness, yet they make questions that just set them up for the natural tendency of people to want to play around. On the other hand when you ask a facetious question, it's so surprising that you only get fuddy-duddy dorkie answers (as if the point of the question just flew right over their heads). I asked a tongue-in-cheek question about the Korean missiles and just got pedantic prim and proper responses (what a let down!). Since many people can't read inflection into what people ask or say in writing, it makes it boring to respond, so some overcompensate by answering in an overly comical (sometimes even sarcastic) manner. I don't think they mean any real harm. They're just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Perhaps in the future if you're not in a joking mood, just state that you are asking in all seriousness and would appreciate answers in the same tone.

Answer 4

I saw one question that I thought had to be on the silly side, since it involved the government arresting and detaining extraterrestrials and threat of intergalactic war. I turn on my full force of insanity and wrote up an answer that was, in my mind, equally silly. I got an angry response from the asker which implied that it was a serious question! (Sorry!)

I am fairly new to this section of Yahoo, so I suppose that I'm still learning. However, I think that I at least understand that you give polite answers, even if they are silly, as everyone, even those misspell words, punctuate incorrectly, and/or ask questions that appear to be simple to everyone else, is deserving of respect until they lose it with me, at which point, I simply do not interact with them.

Sure, there's a lot of noise on the site in terms of inane questions, but that's simply a part of human life anyway. Unfortunately, rudeness rears its ugly head here as well. It's actually fun to give a silly answer to a silly question, but rudeness should be left at the door.

Answer 5

Everything gets boring and changes. But I agree sometimes rudeness is not the way for some questions and answers. But there are much worse people out there then those who play jokes and that are rude on yahoo.

I'm like you. I'm not mean unless there is a reason to be. I have posted semi rude comments but nothing that bad at all.

Answer 6

It is a question you need to put to the administrators of this site and ask them what culture do they wish to promote. If people respond in the manner you suggest, then it could be because of the nature of the question or the structure of the site is allowing it. Maybe the site could be split into a fun-informal section and serious orientated section (which you could be evicted from if non-compliance issues arise)?

Answer 7

I am sorry to have to agree with you to some extent. Some people do take questions seriously and give real answers but I found it really interesting that people were more interested in what happened to Ken Lay than in the First Ammendment. They are also more interested in discussing why people stay at jobs they hate than they are in North Korea firing missiles. As a country we're not only polarized these days, I think people have their priorities somewhat out of order. We are defending our way of life abroad with our military yet an awful lot of us seem unconcerned with defending our way of life at home. I find that there are alarmingly few people who are willing to do anything to change anything even in their own lives, most just kind of go with the flow.

Answer 8

I'm with you. It stopped being useful for me a long time ago. But it seems worse now -- I think because it's the summer and there are too many kids with nothing to do and no imagination. So they come here and ask their stupid, chatty, boring questions. It's getting harder and harder to find an intriguing or challenging question to answer. And I've stopped asking questions because I found the answers too superficial or irrelevant. I cringe when I read some answers now; more and more of them are rude, nasty, sarcastic, racist, and/or insulting.

Answer 9

Invariably, there will be morons who will not take questions seriously, and will respond in a moronic fashion. This is due to the freedom of the web. There is no feasible way to curb this, as the Internet is the last bastion of freedom of speech, and to censor it is to squash creativity and individuality.

But to answer your question, yes, my honest and truthful answers/questions have been subject to jackassery wherever I am on the Internet. It was never amusing to me when idiots do that, but I just figure it is because there are weak people out there that crave attention and thrive on competition, so they provoke people over the Internet to get their jollies. I tell myself that I am above them, and then I move on.

Answer 10

I think the point system without penalization leads people to form social circles, where friends ask friends questions, both boosting their point ranking, and most of the people pitching in with useless answers just to get their 2 points worth.

Had the site awarded 0 points for an answer, and 10 for best one, the activity probably would've died.