Here's how I can tell when people are wasting my time on discussion boards...
Last edited Thu Feb 12, 2015, 09:00 PM - Edit history (4)
Let's say I ask a question -
"Where's the cat?"
Useful responses would consist of something like:
"The cat is over there"
"There is no cat and there never has been a cat, the cat has always been a figment of your imagination"
"I don't know where the cat is"
"It's not a cat, it's a dog"
"It would be great if we could find the cat, but we really need to talk about the hot-dog stand"
"I have found the cat"
"Ok I'll help you find the cat"
"Here's what we do in order to find the cat"
"Don't worry, the cat is fine"
"I'm sorry to say that the cat is dead"
"The cat is sitting on your head"
("I don't regard finding the cat as a priority") - EDIT - Donald Ian Rankin has pointed out that this should be different, so, instead: "The cat isn't the priority". So there you go! Even I fuck this up sometimes!
Useless responses would consist of things like this:
"You're obsessed with cats"
"Why should I care about the cat?"
"People who like cats are stupid"
" 
"
"What makes you think anyone here cares about the cat"
"You keep going on and on about cats"
"You want a pony"
"Why do people keep blathering on about cats"
"Why can't these Cat Derangement Syndrome people fuck off"
"Why do you hate dogs"
"
"
"So I guess you want Jeb Bush for President"
EDIT: AND THIS:
"When you say 'Where's the cat' do you realise that you are pre-supposing that the people you are talking to actually have any information about the cat? You don't seem to have considered the possibility that those on the receiving end of your concern may not have any direct involvement with the cat or any knowledge of it's whereabouts. You do realise that the word 'where' implies a location, well who's to say that the cat's location is actually useful to know? And even if it is useful to know, why would anyone feel comfortable in discussing their knowledge of the cat's location with you? I think you're making a number of ill-considered assumptions about not only the cat itself, but any who may put serious consideration into answering your question. You do realise that it was a question? That means you're putting pressure on people to answer it. Some people don't feel comfortable answering questions. And have you actually established that the cat wishes it's whereabouts to be known? I'm not sure we can assume that. You do realise that that's an assumption? And do you realise that many cats have a tendency to go out and be away from home, sometimes for extended periods? And do you realise that there may be a relationship between the cat and those whom you are aggressively interrogating which may not be any of your concern? Do you realise that? You do realise that, don't you? Don't you realise that? Please consider deleting."
So, DU, what distinguishes list 1 from list 2?
"We don't know, sibelian! TELL US. WE ARE BIG-EYED AND ENRAPTURED BY YOUR INFINITE WISDOM."
Well, it's like this.
The responses in list 1, even though in certain cases they thwart the aims of the person asking where the cat is, retain the mysterious and hypothetical cat as the subject of the communication.
The responses in the second list do not. The second list consists of people talking indirectly about the person asking the question, which is a waste of time.
And what this means, darlings, is that the person doing the responding in list 2 has no real interest in what was said and is simply stuffing the Universe with junk.
It is emo-spam.
Delete the offenders from your life. Press "ignore".
Alternatively, if you're like me, use them as a lightning conductor for pent-up working life frustrations and be FIFTY TIMES AS RUDE in return. Whyever not? It's not like they care.
Cheers, petals!
= new reply since forum marked as read
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Please accept this token of our esteem:
Dry clean only, non-refundable, terms and conditions apply.
"Why should I care about the cat?"
"People who like cats are stupid"
" "
"What makes you think anyone here cares about the cat"
"You keep going on and on about cats"
"You want a pony"
"Why do people keep blathering on about cats"
"Why can't these Cat Derangement Syndrome people fuck off"
"Why do you hate dogs"
particularly fond of cats. 
I will go so far as to RESPECT your dislike of cats.
Would you accept an owl as a token of my esteem?
but I do like your dog photo 
We've had quite a few of them hanging around lately, all of them rah rah rah-ing the security state (as usual) and pounding the drums of war.
Read that link. Every single one of them use those exact same tactics. It's hilarious how easy it is to spot them.
Here's another set of tactics they love:
http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/11/the-15-rules-of-web-disruption-2/
Once you realize what they are doing, though, it's easy to thwart them.
I read another one about conservative rules for disruption. The number one rule is to wear you out by making you waste a bunch of time digging up links and making long drawn out posts, while they just hit back with one liners and veiled insults.
That's what the poster I referred to above did to me today, but I already knew it was going to happen and goaded him, then shut him down with pre-prepared information. Haven't heard back
Because I AM IN FACT the subject of the OP, as it is a list of things that I, which is say ME PERSONALLY find annoying.
So there. Ner.
they can really suck on the interwebs. Being anonymous gives people (who suck) a false sense of power. The cat is out chasing butterflies.
You're welcome
Did you find the cat?
Well, now that you've said that.... technically....hm.
I suppose I'm confusing it with the sentence "The cat isn't the priority".
OK, I'll give you it. EDIT.
Gold star for you, hifiguy.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]Give yourself the same benefit of a doubt you'd give anyone else. It's only fair.[/center][/font][hr]
OK, I love you.
I bet you didn't know that!
But yep its in that hat, so how do you like that?
Why is the Cat in the Hat?
Because its better than wearing a bat...
sheesh i give up.. I am no Dr. Seuss
now name that game
So there neener.neener.neener !
Can my eyes return to normal now? 
My migraines are bad enough as is and the extra light I get when "BIG-EYED AND ENRAPTURED BY YOUR INFINITE WISDOM" is making my head hurt more. 
--> 
For the moment I will go back to having my eyes almost completely closed, but if you need me to get 'BIG-EYED', I will consider your request. 
Those that analyze and pick apart the method of presenting the subject with a fine-toothed logical comb (i.e., the "logical fallacy" technique) while continuing to ignore the subject.
How does one ignore the 800 lb. cat in the room 
Any time the "logical fallacy" trope pops up, I stop reading, unless they are being critical of that trope.
And while I've never studied psychology, it does make me wonder why someone would go to all that trouble to tear apart a post, when it's obvious that they were indeed intelligent enough to understand the point to begin with. Doesn't it take less effort to just address the point?
I guess that's not the point
Not seeing much in the #30s or #40s...
In their absence, it actually looks like a very easy going and pleasant conversation!
I have good taste, I'll assume.
You know, the ones that can't help but to drop in, announce they are ignoring the thread and then drop a little bit of snide snark.
Too funny.
But yeah, they're ignoring it.
The OP is essentially a "snide remark."
Just struck me as another one of those "I'm better than you" kind of threads, and rank arrogance is at the top of my list of pet peeves. So what?
Gotta say, your post wasn't exactly friendly and on topic now was it?
Yet another pot/kettle moment.
technique and calling it efficient.
But then posting in the thread that you claim to be "manually ignoring". Doesn't seem efficient at all.
Now seriously.....
"Rank arrogance"??? God you and I read things differently.
Do you honestly think that folks don't deflect from discussions on this website?
I.E. "Thank you President Obama for supporting marriage equality."
and then "Yeah but he just did it for political expediency." or "He only did this AFTER the courts decided it for him."
The thread then devolves into a fist fight about who is or isn't a good Democrat when all the OP meant was exactly what they typed. "Thank you."
I think you would be hard pressed to find me engaging in this kind of crap ever.
Conversely when someone makes a crack about Hillary and the banksters or the DNC however true or warranted the same thing happens. Conversation is nil and that bugs me a lot.
Greenwald. It might shock you to know I don't give two shits about the guy. But I do think some of what he does has merit. So I must be a slobbering Greenwald fan. Right? And anti Obama and maybe the anti Christ. There are posters that engage in this crap constantly on both sides of the "fence". And it makes DU suck.
Another thing that makes DU suck is addressing another poster via a 3rd party. It's passive aggressive and rather gutless. I won't do it to you again and I apologize.
a person will post an opinion, then someone doesn't like that opinion, but they don't just attack the opinion, they make up stuff much worse, and act as if the person said that and attack that too.
For instance, person A says - I don't like the color blue.
person B replies - So many right wingers don't like that color either, and also hate Obama and poor people. So, why do you hate Obama and poor people? How awful!
So person B attacks something they made up that person A never said. This phenomenon isn't only at this forum either, it is common and internet wide. Whenever I see it, it's an eye rolling moment.
Usually, the best response is just to ignore it, but if person A is in a fighting mood, they can throw it right back in various ways. The funny thing is person B will almost never admit they are the ones who said the offensive things they are accusing person A of saying in the first place, and usually act innocent, as if they have done nothing wrong. 
This post will be printed out and put up on the fridge. Because Pooka Fey has the very unfortunate habit of blindly falling into online discussion traps and ending up with shit all over her lovely clothes, only to finish by being hotly accused of being DU's resident sociopath. Not meaning in any way there to imply that sociopaths are somehow different or "bad" in any way, before I get accused of sociopath bigotry. (Sorry, c'est plus fort que moi)
Your concluding paragraph is right on the money : "... stuffing the Universe with junk" Good advice on the ignore button, too. Thank you for this post, Sibelian, you've provided a great service to this community!
" "
"Why do you hate dogs?"
"And do you realise that many cats have a tendency to go out and be away from home, sometimes for extended periods? "
"Please consider deleting"
ROFLMAO
It was Beauty killed the Beast.
