Fare Thee Well, DU.

[naturallyselected]

304. Yes, but -

I agree - to take part in any Internet forums, you need a thick skin - as others have pointed out - "haters gonna hate".

But I still don't get it - what compels people to try and piss on others' pleasure?

You can see by my post numbers that I don't contribute a lot - I try to when I feel I have something positive to contribute, or some special knowledge or expertise. But I have learned, it doesn't matter what you say, there's going to be a "that sucks" response. No real opinion offered, no legitimate criticism, just the need to make the point that all these people that enjoy something, anything, that they're all wrong.

Opinion: "Hostess is going under - try Tastykakes for your junk food fix, they're really good"
Response: "Tastykakes suck"

Opinion: "I am now boycotting Chick-Fil-A/ Papa John's, but it's not always easy; I really like their chicken/ pizza."
Response: "Chick-Fil-A/ Papa John's sucks."

Opinion: "Pete Townshend made a stupid, ill-informed political statement, but I still love the Who"
Response: "The Who suck" (followed by a comparison with Ted Nugent - come on, comparing a legend like Townshend with an asterisk like Nugent, no matter how stupid a comment he makes?)

Opinion: "Clint Eastwood made a fool of himself at the GOP Convention, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a gifted director."
Response: "Clint Eastwood sucks."

And so on and so on -

Maybe I think that the Kitty cartoons are stupid - I don't, but if I did, I'm not going to step in and say - "this stuff is crap" - folks are enjoying it, why should I want to interfere with their pleasure? But there are folks here who will want to simply let you know that you're wrong - not that they believe you're wrong for this reason or that reason, but just because, well, whatever it is just sucks.

So, yeah, we need thick skins, but I also wish we would think about just how little we contribute by a "that sucks" opinion, if we have nothing else to offer. What's the point?