How many stories that people post here do you think are true?

Question

I was answering to someone...then I stopped...I told myself "possible another fictitious story".

Would you dare to post lies? I mean many of the people that answer, take time and thought for that. Wouldn't it be a lack of respect for others?

Thoughts?

p.s. Of course there are stories that are obviously absurd. I am referring to the ones that "could" be true.

Answer 1

Geez, trying to respond to your question while driving my Bugatti Veyron down the Autobahn at 220 miles per hour is tough, but I'll do my best!
I'd say that maybe half are a truly accurate representation, while the rest are fantasy...
Oh, gotta go, I'm late for a dinner engagement at Horst Kohler's, let's see what this baby can do...vrrrroooom!

Edit - Hey doodlebugjim, I recognize your avatar. Isn't that from the Marquee Moon album by Television...Tom Verlaine? One of my favorites!

doodlebugjim - yeah the suit adds a nice touch I think. Good thing my photographer cropped the shot at chest level, as my boxer shorts were dirty that day.

Answer 2

Everything anyone says is 'true' on some level, in that it reveals something about the person.

I just accept that and look for what I think of as true in whatever is posted.

It might not always be what others see, but it's how I look at it.

As to daring to post lies, who is policing anyone to prevent it? It's not even against the TOS or Community Guidelines, lol!

If you wanted to, sure, but lying is actually a lot more difficult than telling the truth ~ once you start lying it involves remembering a whole lot of stuff which may come up later.

If you just say it like it is, you don't have to worry about that, lol, something I appreciate more as I age and my mind starts going :-D

On this board there's also a benefit to responding to things in a serious way, and that is that someone else who may really have the concern or issue might read what is written and get something worthwhile from the information in your answer.

It's all good :-)

Cheers :-)

Answer 3

I usually tend to take what people say at face value, as usually I just don't care if the stories being told are true or not.

Over time, inconsistencies will show themselves up, and I always expect that people will try to paint themselves in a best light in any case.

Would I dare to post lies about myself? Dare hardly comes into it, it isn't hard to tap a few plastic letters on a keyboard and press a button on a mouse.

I'm sure some things I say would be seen as painting myself in a positive light, but then I have a fairly atypical take on what is positive compared to large swathes of this forum so that sort of cancels out. On the whole though I prefer to focus on subject matter, and leave details about me to other forms of communication like email, IM and writing.

Answer 4

Hello FH: I am definitely skeptical of certain issues, the one mentioned by Super being one of them. I do not buy that particular story for a lot of reasons, and because of my skepticism, I will not respond. It is unfortunate if the story is true, but I doubt it. Why would people lie? Attention. Mental illness. Loneliness. I honestly do not believe anyone who has been through serious trauma would use this particular venue to air their grievances; if they do, then the problems are bigger than they appear. And yes, I do see it as a lack of respect not only for the people who have legitimate issues, but to the concerned citizens of YA who are genuinely interested in helping. In here, we don't need just a grain of salt, but an entire box. Reading between the lines is an absolute necessity.

Answer 5

Well. I am Sergio from Argentina and I hope you understand me because my English is not enough good. I think that many of these stories are true. I say this because when I need in help from people unknown about any problem, I use Yahoo! Answers. Obviously, many of the people will write fictitious stories, but you'll never know it.
Well, I hope that you are able to use Yahoo! Answers without worries. Kisses from Argentina.

Answer 6

I can't imagine why anyone would post their personal stories here...so I guess I'm a bit of a cynic. Earlier today, a woman posted her story as having been gang banged and had an impossible time trusting men and not being afraid of them. But at the same time, she posted that she had a boyfriend....that just doesn't add up for me.

Any personal stuff is read with a grain of salt...in some cases, a whole bucket!

Answer 7

On balance I would guess that many stories here are no less true as the ones you hear from people in person. I would trust the stories told by posters here more than I would a lot of the lies that pass for statistical fact in gender relations e.g. that women are more likely to suffer violence on Super Bowl Sunday
http://www.endabuse.org/programs/display...

I could be wrong, but I would guess that Y!A is an outlet for some people to say things that they couldn't in person e.g. see what happened to these guys who wanted to discuss domestic violence against men http://youtube.com/watch?v=qodygTkTUYM

Edit
I think we have to be very careful about what we dismiss as lies, as its easier to label something a lie if its something that you just don't want to hear.

Edit
Smiley: No, its the real me. (Ok, that's just a lie... Well spotted. Nice suit by the way. Makes me feel I should make more of an effort?).

Answer 8

This format is a forimdable smoke screen for some. I don't even like to bend the truth "because then I don't have to remember what I've said." There are enough lies in the world. This is just a chance to be a little more honest within a format that we can call ours.

Answer 9

When someone says a story that seems odd or rare I look at their other posts to see what other questions they have. What annoys me is when people believe them and treat me like a b*tch because I called them out. This actually just happened yesterday. There's a few people on here that make up stories to try to make a point.

Answer 10

truly... what difference does it make? If the lie is believable enough to impact a well thought-out response, then that lie could of possible been true in different circumstances anyway. Besides, there is no real way of confirming anything people claim on the net, to be true or not. Trusting or even befriending people in cyberland is really a leap of faith, if you think about it.

Also, it really has as much to do with the responder as the asker, in my opinion. We all tend to read into things and respond accordingly, based on our own experiences. This is also true of the style of response, I know I tend to be more politically correct when responding online, this helps to ensure my response isn’t taken out of context.

good q

EDIT: thing555... cheers to yah!