Why don't people answer questions?

Question

Why are people so hooked up on seeing a 'rant' in a question and getting defensive, then personally attacking the asker or stereotyping their 'type of people'? Is it really too much to ask in a group who claim to be rational, intelligent, mostly logical people that people ignore 'rants' in answers and just answer what is being asked?
Can we please just answer the questions being asked or is that too much to ask?

john_d_ayer: I think you missed my point. I want people to explain their point of views. I'm just asking if we can be a little more productive in our answers and a little less negative in our answers. I want answers no attacks basically.

Answer 1

You are asking people to think critically. Our school systems don't focus on encouraging people to think, analyze and seek their own answers or opinions. Most students don't learn about this ability til college. It would be an amazing world if everyone could be rational, intelligent, mostly logical people that ignored 'rants' in answers and just answer what is being asked.

Answer 2

Well, quite a few of your questions ARE rants. For example, you wrote:

"This is a good definition, I thought, of morality as a whole but it does not explain why I should be moral from an Atheistic viewpoint. Let me explain:
If life ends at the grave and there is no afterlife then I have less than 100 years to cram in as many positive (pleasurable ect) experiences. I should have lots of sex with loads of people and should be hedonistic as giving up pleasure for someone else’s benefit would not give me the most pleasure in this life time and this is all we have."

On the other hand, you also wrote:

"Can you name 5 things about Atheism?
This is a question aimed towards Christians.
The question For Atheists is “Can you name 5 things about Christianity?”

ALL posts MUST be positive and must not result to personal attacks."

I strongly suggest that you try to have more of the latter kind of question and avoid the former kind. You're clearly capable of asking good questions, and I think that if you do it consistently, you'll be rewarded. Good luck!

Answer 3

You are asking people to give specific answers without comment while writing a question with commentary.

I can see requesting that particular common and uneducated answers be excluded.

I can understand asking a specific question without commentary and asking that commentary be excluded.

Asking a question with commentary complaining about answers with commentary is indirectly hypocritical.

Sometimes answers are more complicated, sometimes answers are less complicated. It depends on the perspective of the answerer.

The short answer is:

People do answer questions. You just don't like the answers.

Answer 4

Personally, I think giving an original (even opinionated) answer is much better than the numerous cut and paste answers (usually from wikipedia).

As for ranting in answers, I think some of the questions provoke rants.

Answer 5

It's too much to ask. Everyone has free will and some feel their point isn't made if they don't explain their position, which sounds like a rant sometimes.

Answer 6

Quite often they simply dont understand the question and just dive in based on their preconceptions and prejudices.This is true of all sides posting here.Sometimes you can be attacked by people who you agree with 'cos they dont recognize it[happened to me recently]

Answer 7

Some questions aint as simple as might otherwise they seem to the questioner. How would you answer a supposedly simple question as "What taste is purple?".

How about thinking about what you're asking & how you ask. &you might realise you've been unintentionally leaving yourself open to ridicule.

.

Answer 8

Most of them wants two words and maximum thumbs ups. Real answers come at last.

Answer 9

Sorry, while being totally reasonable, you probably are asking way too much from the general audience.

Answer 10

Probably