I dunno, I have seen a few threads where I was somewhat stunned at how stupid the OP was. Like this one about racism you locked. I would think what is meant by stupidity is people who don't research their claims or who make really bad arguments or who ask questions Google would be better at answering. But I don't get into forum conversations with people who I think aren't (shit I sound like a dick now) clever enough for me.

Not that I think I'm some amazingly intelligent person or anything, it's just only a few people disagree with me in such a way as to pose arguments I've got to actually think about. Like, in some arguments it feels more like I'm explaining very basic ideas and concepts that seem stunningly obvious to me. The one that comes to mind is the old 'why aren't atheists immoral' topic but there are probably better examples elsewhere.

Entirely possible, but highly unlikely, or well, more unlikely then everyone being bumbling morons.

I think the problem lies more so with the fact that here, on the net, there are virtually no consequences for ones actions, or well, none of any real importance. And because there is really no incentive to give half a damn when posting on a internet forum, people are more likely compelled to post whatever the hell they want for the sole purpose of posting whatever they hell they want, or somthing like that, maybe, I dont really know actually, but it was fun to say in my head, but thats irrelative to the point, the point is, lets continue. And though they themselves might not find whatever thay happen to be babbling about initially "stupid", the rest of the community does, and vis versa. Its a vicious cycle, really.

But then again, witnessing the massive amounts of stupidity one might find here, can actually be quite entertaining and is probably one of the major reasons why I stay here, so ive pretty much stopped caring about the matter. And at this point ive for gotten what I wanted to say, super duper.

At 1/31/07 10:58 AM, Minion777 wrote: people are more likely compelled to post whatever the hell they want for the sole purpose of posting whatever they hell they want

Yeah I'd agree with that, I used to do the same. I think you get more out of forums if you don't, though, and if every post has some feeling or opinion behind it.

What I like doing occasionally is going to a forum I'll never visit again and posting my controversial opinions with a noob status and then arguing my ground from that position. Like, Just a quick 'there is nothing inherently immoral about necrophilia' or something in a related thread, and then you battle through the flames and try to come out sounding like a reasoned person. Like, trying to make your opinions sound reasonable is perhaps the maximum fun you can get on a BBS, aside from links to funny videos or whatever, and most people seem to miss out on this.

At 1/31/07 10:52 AM, Earfetish wrote: I would think what is meant by stupidity is people who don't research their claims or who make really bad arguments or who ask questions Google would be better at answering. But I don't get into forum conversations with people who I think aren't (shit I sound like a dick now) clever enough for me.

We could translate the lack of good argumentative skills and non-Googling into a definition of stupidity, for sure. And I'm not saying there haven't been times where I've come across a poster who I've thought was actually stupid. It's just this unwavering attitude that everyone seems to have; that the BBS is full of idiots.

Do I think its unfair? What am I trying to get at? I'm asking myself these questions and I don't have a rock-solid answer. Perhaps I'm just trying to alter the thinking of 2 or 3 people who read this thread. The best kind of users are the ones you can get into a heated, paragraphical argument with, and then actually reach a conclusion or agree-to-disagree, with no love lost.

People'd find a lot less hostility around here if they apologized or acknowledged other people's points.

But then we come to Minion posted, about the lack of reason to care, and that adds a whole 'nother can of worms.

I think I've strayed off the path of pursuing a tangible goal here, so I'm just going to cease this post and perhaps paraphrase it later.

>_>

At 1/31/07 11:17 AM, Zerok wrote:
I think I've strayed off the path of pursuing a tangible goal here, so I'm just going to cease this post and perhaps paraphrase it later.

>_>

Not really, Earfetish, Minion777, and myself are all in agreement, we're just discussing possible causes for such behavior.

thanks for the compliment.

You are quite smart you know that.

And I think I'm very stupid after that reading your statement.

At 1/31/07 11:30 AM, LittleMissVixen wrote: But don't you think that if you paid attention to those other people, they might get into a debate and learn something from it, making them less ignorant on the subject and more intelligent overall?

They may well, that is true. But stupid people are usually very confident, too. If I was arguing Iraq with Britney Spears, and she just kept talking about how we should trust the president, I wouldn't be able to convince her of anything, I'd think she was irritating, she'd think I was arrogant, and she would probably at some point respond saying, "y'know just because you know all these big words and clever rebuttals doesn't make you right." I think intelligent people are more open to other ideas, including myself, I've changed my opinions on a lot of things over the years because someone has told me decent arguments to the contrary, and I think that's how intelligent people behave.

I think it's easier to change the mind of a smart person who is convinced they're right than a stupid person who is convinced they're right.

At 1/31/07 10:29 AM, UltimateCyprien wrote: It really is infuriating for me when less inteligent persons decide to invade your topics with lacking grammar and their irrelevant opinion just to add a comment that utterly rapes your intellect, THINK BEFORE POSTING.

*Intelligent

Just a grammatical error that had to be corrected, I hate it when this happens.

*sigh*

well according to my opinion, this has to do with the mood of ppl posting.
well for one thing spammers will find its hostile enviroment for them.
and stupid ppl will just find it hard to make a decent conversation.
Back to da' mood. sometimes i ll post shitty nonsense, thats when im happy, sometimes ill post what i know and no further, thats when im interested or concerned. sometimes ill post utter crap, and thats when im feeling down.so if im saying something stupid, I could be anything.
and i will give facts when angered.- just some stupid post-

most "intelligent" teenagers are still idiots though.

Like those dogs who do tricks. BIG DEAL, I can sit too.

You need them to keep a balance , else the BBS wouldn't be any fun

At 1/31/07 10:05 AM, Zerok wrote: Ideas

Might have something, though mostly I find that most of the users are competent and just use this site to act out of reality without anyone knowing or be ridiucle or punished in real life.

These forums are crap! Everyone here's smart!

It just doesn't have the same ring to it.

aggreed... but don't type those long posts, about 85% of the people in NG don't read all that stuff! and that theory is true as well!

At 1/31/07 11:40 AM, Earfetish wrote: I think it's easier to change the mind of a smart person who is convinced they're right than a stupid person who is convinced they're right.

I also believe this to be true. Ive had many instances where someones convinced me to change my opinion by giving me true and solid evidence to back up their arguement or vice-versa. Whereas when I've tried the same thing with certain other people, they keep going back to the same arguements, and dismissing my arguements with just "you're wrong" without giving me a reason why. Intelligent people seem to understand that they have the potential to be wrong, and like you said, are more open to change, while someone who isnt so smart will stubbornly stick to thier beliefs until they are proven wrong in an extraordinary way.

Hum, your point is interesting Zerok, as the debates around it with the other users, however, I'm not sure I really agree with the idea. The BBS, as being a vast community, is probably just like any other place, it has some smarter users, dumber ones and a majority of average people. However, as some of you have pointed out, other stuff might influence the general behavior of the users.

Having a lot of young users counts a lot as, without really being stupid, are certainly less mature, which makes their posting look dumber. Also it is an internet board, so everyone's pretty much anonymous here and can unplug everything whenever they want, so it tends to take a big part of their anxiety toward the others' reaction to their thought, flaming, whatever. I'm pretty sure there are other significant stuff that has some weight in the end.

However, I think the best statement I've read in the topic is LittleMissVixen's : "Maybe "immature at times" is a better way to describe it." Intelligence is pretty hard to evaluate, as immaturity, mood, situation, self-confidence, naivety and a lot of other things makes it harder to truly get intelligence (what's intelligence anyway ?)

So, my conclusion would be that this board isn't smarter or dumber than any other place, but we can't really deny there's a little more immaturity here, would it be because of the people or because of the board itself.

Nah, I think people are still fucking stupid. I mean, some of them haven't even learned proper english.

But that's a wicked theory you have there. :D

okay, stupidity refering to immaturity or to plain stupid or to ignorance or to attention seeking wannabes? Or just good ol' damn STUPID as a whole? ya' know generalisation is bad...

my theory is that i am part of a giant conspiracy and none of you guys are real, which would explain some of the stupidity around these forums at an 'attempt' to try and cover 'their' tracks.

Alternatively, people like to act like fuckwits when there is a certain degree of anonymity involved, as there is with the internet.

At 1/31/07 12:35 PM, sk-champloo wrote: none of you guys are real,

umm im real.

Alternatively, people like to act like fuckwits when there is a certain degree of anonymity involved, as there is with the internet.

yezzuh, thats almost me.
:btw are YOU real? O_o

ITT everyone is a noob.

and no we aren't SUPER INTELLIGENT PEOPLE.

most of the posters here are faggots like myself that like to steal content from other places and just pile it up here without having any knowledge of what it really means.

tl;dr: fuck you noobs my sign up date is from 2001 LOL

At 1/31/07 10:05 AM, Zerok wrote: So maybe the issue isn't that most of us are stupid, but that most of us are slightly to significantly ABOVE average in intelligence. I find smarter people tend to be a lot more defensive, a lot more stubborn and are often more self centred. They're also more likely to be eccentric.

Defensive: Yes

Stubborn: Yes

Self-Centered: Maybe

Eccentric: Oh Hell Yes.

I still think the biggest problem is the hostility and not the stupidity. How many times do I see people say "Fuck You" for no reason to a newbie with less then 10 posts. Just because they posted a lot, doesn't mean they haven't lurked for a week or two. They probably know the lay of the land, unlike you Level 9 Dark Auras with 200 posts (those guys seem to piss me off so much).

Also, it's amazing how many people will call you an idiot when you don't know who they are.

At 1/31/07 12:57 PM, BatDan wrote: Also, it's amazing how many people will call you an idiot when you don't know who they are.

True, ive gotton quite a few random PMs.

At 1/31/07 12:57 PM, BatDan wrote: Also, it's amazing how many people will call you an idiot when you don't know who they are.

And I'd bet that 99% of the regulars/vets/mods here are guilty of it too.

I don't know how it can be stopped... or even drastically diminished.

lol at regarding.

You make a very good point

I like the concept of this arguement, it is certainly a new angle to look at the problem.
Also I too am in favour of proper English Grammar! I cannot stand all the abreviations.
>:(

Good theory, except, you don't have to be stupid (intellegence/IQ ect) to be a moron/idiot.

I concur.perhaps it is not that we are idiotS, but that we enjoy acting like idiots. Acting like a complete moron is amusing to a high portion of the the population as you can see from the popularity of shows like Family Guy. So people enjoy acting like morons on the BBS because they find it funny and other people find it funny. It has no affect on their social life so why not?