this post was submitted on 10 Jan 2024
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[–] [email protected] 59 points 11 months ago (6 children)

There is a very valid point made there. Think about all the weird arguments you had with other users on the internet over really frustrating stances that made you think "no one can be that dense, or with discussion tactics that were just utterly pointless (constantly shifting goal posts, strawmen, weird pseudo-philosphical ramblings that missed the point completely but ended in some smug "gotcha" that actually was nothing but nonsense). Those tend to leave us in a.bad mood sometimes, right? At least they wanted our mozherfuckin time.

Now ask yourself: would the impact on your day, the evaluation of what was said and/or your reaction to it have changed, had you known that your opponent is either a literal child or a teenager who just discovered the message behind an Ed Sheeran song and now thinks of themself as some conveyor of deep thoughts?

I'd bet that around half of all political debates on the internet are useless duels between one person actually arguing something and a child/teenager regurgitating what their dad said and they think they understood but actually didn't.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 11 months ago (1 children)

As a counterpoint, I've had in person/face-to-face arguments with people that looked convincingly like typical adult humans that did all of these things.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 11 months ago

Same. Intelligent coworkers who still voted for Trump, and still wanted to...

To be fair, I'm somewhat sure he was straight up a psychopath, though. He wasn't even nice when you were going out of your way to help him.

[–] [email protected] 26 points 11 months ago (3 children)

This is why I tend not to reply. I make a post and if someone replies with "actually you're wrong" I just move on with my day. I've never seen a reply chain 12 comments deep where the two people arguing come to a reasonable compromise.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

I've seen it once or twice but it's really rare!

[–] the_post_of_tom_joad 7 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (1 children)

Yeah those are beautiful when you find them lol. I've always wanted to be a part of one. Its on my posting bucket list.

Related, i always wanted to be a part of a music lyric chain too, and it finally happened! It was one of my last good experiences on Reddit. I still think about that day, what a glorious day it was ..

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago (1 children)

Wanna have another go?

You are, my fire

[–] the_post_of_tom_joad 0 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Believe, when I say

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I tend to reply more often than is probably good for me not because I care about changing that person's mind, but instead the others that are reading.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

Welcome to the internet. I don’t see the point of banning someone for a post that no one will ever read again after 12 or so hours.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 11 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 28 points 11 months ago (1 children)

What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target. I will wipe you the fuck out with precision the likes of which has never been seen before on this Earth, mark my fucking words. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. As we speak I am contacting my secret network of spies across the USA and your IP is being traced right now so you better prepare for the storm, maggot. The storm that wipes out the pathetic little thing you call your life. You're fucking dead, kid. I can be anywhere, anytime, and I can kill you in over seven hundred ways, and that's just with my bare hands. Not only am I extensively trained in unarmed combat, but I have access to the entire arsenal of the United States Marine Corps and I will use it to its full extent to wipe your miserable ass off the face of the continent, you little shit. If only you could have known what unholy retribution your little "clever" comment was about to bring down upon you, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn't, you didn't, and now you're paying the price, you goddamn idiot. I will shit fury all over you and you will drown in it. You're fucking dead, kiddo

[–] [email protected] 14 points 11 months ago (2 children)

Did you just think that you could fucking fool me with that comment of yours? I've searched your name up in the Navy SEAL database and you have never even graduated BUD/S, hell, even served in the Armed Forces. If you were actually a Navy SEAL, then you actually know how to spell guerrilla, you fucking moron. And you say you are the top sniper in the entire US Armed Forces and have over 300 confirmed kills. If that were true, then why the fuck is Chris Kyle a household name and you aren't? And plus he only had 160 kills. You think you can get away with saying that shit to me over the Internet? Think again, fucker. Plus why the fuck would you say you have a secret network of spies yet you just revealed that you had your secret network of spies? Are you a fucking idiot? If you can kill someone seven-hundred different ways, then list them all, I bet you can't even come up with seven. And if you had access to the entire US Marine Corps arsenal, then why the fuck did you just say you were in the Navy SEALs earlier? If only you could have done your research prior to posting your little “clever” comment, maybe you would have held your fucking tongue. But you couldn’t, you goddamn idiot.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago

Haha ive not seen that. It's a work of art.

Thanks for the reply!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Too bad there isn't a copypasta reply to the Rick and Morty high IQ one.

[–] mindbleach 5 points 11 months ago

ended in some smug “gotcha” that actually was nothing but nonsense

Recent amusing example, some dingus thought "punching down" was an oxymoron, because not-being-an-asshole toward certain groups meant that group must be superior to you.

In hindsight I should've just called it out as recycled antisemitism.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 11 months ago (3 children)

Why is it that despite knowing how utterly futile snarky little debates are, I can't resist doing it?

I hate it, but it's so damn engaging.

The thing is. It's never satisfying. Luke no one ever concedes. Ever. They just stop replying eventually.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago

Because it's a battle of egos and about dominating the conversation. Both of which are vitally important to human life whether other people want to accept it or not.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It is satisfying on the rare occasion someone makes an actually interesting argument you haven't heard before, or actually addresses your points.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 months ago

I'm the exact same.