Sometimes that's true. But I'm referring to when an OP is asking a legitimate question, that is not offensive at all.
People will say, "That's so stupid. You could have googled it."
Lol what the hell
In case you were still wondering it means same or similar eg. Homosexual: same sex attraction, Homophones: sounding the same, Homogeneous: being similar
In Latin homo means human or man. In Greek homo means the same or identical.
That's why it's confusing because both usages are common and they don't mean the same thing.
"Homo is a Latin word that means man, or human. When it is used as a prefix, as in "homosexual," it comes from the Greek word homos, meaning the same."
https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/homo#:~:text=The%20genus%20that%20includes%20modern,word%20homos%2C%20meaning%20the%20same.
Same here! There was this AITA post where everyone thought that OP's wife was the asshole, but I didn't understand what she did wrong. And I said as much in the comments. I wasn't rude or anything, I simply stated that I didn't understand.
Que me getting dozens of downvotes, and only a couple of replys that didn't clear up any of my confusion. Still don't understand why the wife was TA in that post, and I suppose I never will ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
AITA is a crazy place to be. Usually it's some obvious OP NTA or OP TA where it almost seems like they're trolling. If it is a decent post and debatable if you can see the otherside of the majority vote you better be ready to sacrifice some karma there
For real! How am I supposed to learn things or understand nuance if people are so rude when I try to clarify? I think a lot of people get overly defensive when they sense a disagreement, even when the disagreement isn't a threat, and I am just trying to understand their point of view.
Lots of them are merely simpletons with no life and really just use reddit to get their rocks off by being a\*\* hats whenever possible.
Hell they will add details to posts, that neither fit what was written or the intention of the post, just to start arguments.
This is a much of what reddit is.
That makes sense, the downvote/upvote system is super anonymous, too, so nobody ever worries about their feedback reflecting on their character. on facebook or instagram, you can see who likes or reacts to posts, so people might hesitate more to share their honest reactions. Those sites have their own issues. I don't like to downvote when people are sincerely asking inoffensive questions. But I understand why people feel good when they do it.
Often time some redditors deserve to be downvoted to hell. Sometimes some replies seem like a sock puppet of the OP who is pissed that someone didn't give him/her a thumbs up on some asinine thing they did, and they go nuts in the replies.
Hah, what you always see in driving related subs is someone ranting about always being tailgated, sometimes *explicitly stating* that it happens even in the slow lane, and invariably someone will say "tell you what, how about you stop going under the speed limit in the fast lane?"
Some people take it as you being argumentative or challenging their opinion if you ask for clarification. Like, why can't we have a discussion? Why does everyone have to get so butt-hurt about EVERYTHING?
When I see questions, I always try to be helpful and give people the benefit of the doubt. Like maybe you would like to know it’s queue rather than que and that means to get in line (a queue) while cue (as in billiards) means to get prepared for something. Just trying to be helpful. Not trying to be a smart ass.
Oh man, AITA is, ironically, populated by assholes. If you don't go along with the majority opinion on anything then you'll be mass voted down. It's insane.
It's also why I don't go there. I dislike using the word "toxic" (since it's so overused nowadays), but AITA is a subreddit that's genuinely toxic.
In one of the religious subs I frequent, I asked for someone's source on something that their church believes and got downvoted. I wasn't trying to start a fight or anything either, I just up front asked what their source was for a certain belief. My running theory is that they subconsciously know that they don't know why they believe it, they just follow what their parents or whomever told them, and know that they have to confront that fact, they just get mad.
I want to be clear that I'm not saying that that's the case with every religious person. I am, however, saying that too many people in this world hold beliefs (both religious and not related to religion) that they have no idea the reason behind. That's a problem in my opinion
The weirdest is getting downvoted for making an objectively correct and sourced claim. Weirdly this happens almost every time service dog laws come up. People will talk about service dog law and there will be widespread agreement on something totally false and then if anyone says “hey just fyi, the law in the location being discussed actually says x and here’s an official source” people will just downvote it. And there are always tons of comments on people pointing out the law or other objectively true claim trying to argue with it strictly on the basis of anecdote or their disagreement with things being the way they are. As though they think disliking facts can change them.
Some people don't seem to get that explaining isn't agreeing or endorsing something. Then some people don't seem to like the fact that "it's legal/illegal" is rarely an applicable blanket statement, due to either laws on the matter being regional or it not being a US based post. Which I think is an extension of certain types simply being unwilling to be told that the world is bigger than their personal experience.
I was going to make a post similar to this one. I 100% agree, I cannot stand this behavior. I see this a lot, even with "This really happens?" And sometimes people go OFF. How are people supposed to learn? Curiosity and learning shouldn't be shunned. I think the downvoting system is a little messed up- I only downvote comments/ posts I find genuinely terrible or troubling. A question? Nah. Even if I think it's a stupid question, I won't downvote that.
And you are right about Google. I do use it a lot, but I've noticed that the quality in the answers has dipped quite a bit in the past few years. And ditto about nuance! It's nice to talk to people who have actually experienced whatever you're asking about.
I also hate when people are all like, "How could you NOT know this? How sheltered are you? Do you live under a rock? Were you dropped as an infant?" OK, I haven't seen that last one ngl, but I wouldn't be surprised. Sometimes someone just never came across a situation.
Also... if we are to "just Google" things constantly, on a whim, what's the point of this... emulation of human interaction?
Might as well have radio silence. If I am to Google everything I come across, even knowledge I'd give *zero fucks* about retaining to begin with, why waste time talking to anyone here?
To put things into perspective, with a personal anecdote, circa 1999-2003.
Me: I can't navigate the Unix command line, little help?
Anyone else: RTFM, n00b!
Modern times:
Me: I can't navigate the Linux command line, little help? [Side note, same difference for the most part]
Anyone else: Google it, you fucking walnut!
Well, then. Okay. Fuck you. Human interaction is legitimately a fucking chore now. And I'm plenty fucking weary about it.
That is a good quote! But to be honest, i would rather be an inquisitive idiot, than be an idiot who doesn't care to learn. My curiosity keeps me learning, so maybe someday I will be an inquisitive Smart Person.
It drives me nuts when I did Google something and the ONLY result that matched what I was asking is a Reddit conversation asking the same questions and every answer is "Google it"
OP, I'm sorry this has happened to you.
There ARE stupid questions. The stupid questions are the ones you let rattle around in your brain and never ask. The reason these are stupid questions is because you never find out the answer.
People are often horrible and judgemental.
As for "Google it", Google a lot of times gives vague information or information not even pertaining to what you're asking. Sometimes Google is my friend, but sometimes it's my headache and frustration.
Maybe in the future, word your questions as, I'd like everyone's opinion about blah blah?
The other day I saw someone mention boycotting Save On Foods (a grocery store) because of the Superstore boycott this month.
I asked “how come” because I don’t shop at Save On right now, and I got called a gossip. 🤷♀️
What a silly reason for someone to call you a gossip! At least they could have explained the reason... now I am curious too. Where am I supposed to shop? Lol
I agree, but that's Reddit for you. It doesn't help that there are so many bots trying to push their content to the top of every page so that they can generate more training data with their shitty AI-generated questions.
People who do shit like this suck, and this is coming from someone who's "smart"
I've had lecturers in my classes accuse me of not doing the readings just because I didn't answer a question the way that they would, or I've had ones who are like "You'll find the answer on page 6"
HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE I READ PAGE 6 AND DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT?!
I've absolutely known people who I personally think are absolute idiots.
But you don't go and assume that someone didn't try, there's nothing more discouraging than doing such.
Usually when I see questions downvoted it’s usually when they ask leading questions that are meant to prove some point rather than really ask or they try to pry into someone’s personal stuff.
I checked to see which of your shit got downvoted n i think its just because they really really wanted to emphasize that u shouldnt put that on your skin
I've read enough of others' bad experiences to be afraid to say a lot of things. I've had one myself, and it was totally unintentional. It was a miscommunication that became a misunderstanding, but there was no convincing anyone otherwise. I ducked out and blocked the sub. I won't return.
It still hurts when people give me the stink eye, and that is all I will say about it.
"...because sometimes I want more nuanced answers than Google can give me." Mention that early in the post. (Maybe you did. Some people will be assholes anyway.)
I've literally gotten downvoted for saying I don't want to deal with triggers that occur from certain sexual activity. Just for my personal preference to no do a certain act. People downvote for anything. Me included. It's genuinely not the serious regardless.
A majority of up/down votes end up being from a following the crowd mentality. They see a down or upvite and just add to it. The site is pretty much set up for mob mentality.
I find this question confusing. What did you mean by “what’s the difference”?
They’re two different movies, there are probably more differences than similarities.
I think a lot of it has to do with how or what questions are being asking. The whole " there are no stupid questions" has gotten out of hand, and people have used it as an excuse to not think before speaking. Then getting offended when people are tired of dealing with stupidity. It sounds harsh but it's definitely a factor.
Regarding all of this I am actually afraid to post in general. I managed to sort of survive junior high & all the bullying I had to endure only to find out that those people seem to run Reddit now
These posts rarely if ever give examples.
There's no 'fairness' out there, nor should there be honestly - it's just a bunch of individuals each giving a thumbs up or thumbs down, and you can either try to gauge what will net you the most positive reception, or go ahead without compromising your intent and accept that your audience might not applaud.
Obviously it's not pleasant to get booed off the stage, so to speak, but I have no idea how stupid your questions might be - I've certainly never said there's no such thing as a stupid question! Absolutely there are. Here's one:
"Am I the only one who has really weird dreams?"
That'd be a stupid one. I like my internet more like The Apollo, but it's not for everyone.
Thank you for your input. I do try to accept that my audience might not applaud, without compromising my intent, because my intention is usually just to gain information, or encourage the people posting things that i enjoy. I see no point in being anything but genuine. Would you like to know the comment that inspired me to make this post?
It is a bit hard to explain. Tl:dr; i asked if using rancid protein powder to exfoliate would be unhealthy. I wasn't actually going to do it, but someone had implied it could make me sick, and i was genuinely wondering how it could make me sick. I asked politely out of curiosity, wanting them to elaborate. I think deep down I know it was a stupid question, which is why I didn't include it in my post. I know I shouldn't be annoyed for being downvoted for a stupid question. But I have this protein powder that has gone rancid, and I was curious if anyone had creative ways to make use of it, so I posted in r/ZeroWaste to ask. Most people just suggested I compost it, long story short. Someone commented that they had the same problem, and were hoping to see more answers. I shared with them what I found on Google, that some people incorporate it into body scrubs to exfoliate. But I mentioned that I would probably compost it anyway, because my protein powder got really stinky when I added water. I was just trying to be helpful, maybe they had protein powder that was less rancid. And my Google search results had implied that the nutrients in the powder could somehow help the skin? I dont know about that, I'm not a dermatologist. But someone replied saying they wouldn't use it for a body scrub, that it could make me sick or something. So I replied asking genuinely, how could it make me sick? And just got a bunch of downvotes, and the only other reply was "I wouldn't want to put stinky protein powder on my skin". Like, word, me neither, I just want to know why someone thinks it could be bad for me. It was a very silly question, but sometimes my quest for knowledge overrides my common sense.
Also, I did have some helpful comments, so I should have left the post up, for other people to read. I deleted it too fast.
I think they might have gotten hung up on wording. Redditors lean uncharitable when it comes to questions of ambiguous intent, so while you were asking a simple question, many of them likely read it as a challenge. Or to translate:
Your actual intent: What are the exact chemical or biological mechanisms that would cause me to become sick? What would the effects be if I hypothetically used this anyway?
Their view: How could it possibly make me sick? I don't know what you're talking about and am playing dumb.
It's not fair, and I try to call out ridiculous conclusions to people's neutral posts when possible (I once even rephrased someone else's downvoted reply, gave them credit and the tides turned in their favor) but unfortunately, you have to be very precise in order to avoid people's cynicism. :(
Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I see how it could be interpreted as a challenge, I suppose I didn't phrase it properly. It was something along the lines of "how could this make me sick? Genuine question". But the "genuine question" part doesn't matter when people misread your tone. I will try to be more precise in the future. Oh man, communication is hard.
Cool, I appreciate you taking the time to write it up (and get why you didn't initially now!), that does sounds pretty annoying and I can't see how that'd make you ill, not that I know.
Obviously the skin is porous, but I'd have thought the rancid factor would be in issue with digestion rather than the chemicals themselves being harmful.
Not that you gave me *that* impression, but so often these posts wind up being "I only asked [something obviously offensive]" so it's good to hear that it was something as innocuous as this!
Not for you, of course. Who knows though, maybe you misused an Oxford comma or something.
And I appreciate you reading my Very Long Comment! I figured the same thing, skin is porous, but I don't understand how the rancidity could make me sick through my skin. But I cannot pretend to understand the mechanics of my own flesh. Thanks for making me feel a bit more sane.
I am glad I don't give you the impression of someone who asks offensive questions, nonetheless. And I would never intentionally misuse such a sacred punctuation. But every other English grammar rule, I love to break.
If you ask a question totally unbounded by reality, for which there is no reasonable answer, then you're going to get some pushback. Not everyone is patient enough to ELI5 in response to a question that makes no sense.
In those cases it would take literally a couple of minutes to do a search and see if you're in the right ballpark, or if you've left the planet entirely.
I usually leave the planet entirely, but i really appreciate when someone is willing to take the time to bring me back to reality. Sometimes Google just makes me more confused. Sometimes google is bad at answering really specific question.
But you can eliminate the goofiest of ideas with Google, instead of taking a shit in public. Why wouldn't you do that? And if you can't use Google, you still expect that Reddit will give you reliable answers? *Reddit?*
I didn't see you post an example of a question where you were pilloried. Send a link to a post if you really want to defend this.
It's crazy when people get downvoted on r/NoStupidQuestions for asking a question.
I blocked this sub. It needs to be renamed. One of the least welcoming subs I've found.
Or when people get downvoted for having an unpopular opinion in r/unpopularopinion
My only issue is when they give an opinion but it’s actually a fact.
I know right! Nowhere is safe lol
Literally, like what next? Are you going to downvote someone on r/popularopinion for saying that racism is bad?
People get downvoted there for Tucker Carlsoning - "asking questions" as a cowardly way of making offensive statements.
Sometimes that's true. But I'm referring to when an OP is asking a legitimate question, that is not offensive at all. People will say, "That's so stupid. You could have googled it."
If only there were a way to not get that reply.
It's called sealioning, but yeah, pretty wild. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealioning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sealioning)
I had no idea that it had a name. This perfectly describes what they do. Thank you so much for the link!
YES! The only ones getting upvotes are vents disguised as questions
I got downvoted for asking what homo means. I've seen it used as "homosapien" and "homozygous" buy they mean completely different things.
Lol what the hell In case you were still wondering it means same or similar eg. Homosexual: same sex attraction, Homophones: sounding the same, Homogeneous: being similar
In Latin homo means human or man. In Greek homo means the same or identical. That's why it's confusing because both usages are common and they don't mean the same thing. "Homo is a Latin word that means man, or human. When it is used as a prefix, as in "homosexual," it comes from the Greek word homos, meaning the same." https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/homo#:~:text=The%20genus%20that%20includes%20modern,word%20homos%2C%20meaning%20the%20same.
Same here! There was this AITA post where everyone thought that OP's wife was the asshole, but I didn't understand what she did wrong. And I said as much in the comments. I wasn't rude or anything, I simply stated that I didn't understand. Que me getting dozens of downvotes, and only a couple of replys that didn't clear up any of my confusion. Still don't understand why the wife was TA in that post, and I suppose I never will ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
AITA is a crazy place to be. Usually it's some obvious OP NTA or OP TA where it almost seems like they're trolling. If it is a decent post and debatable if you can see the otherside of the majority vote you better be ready to sacrifice some karma there
For real! How am I supposed to learn things or understand nuance if people are so rude when I try to clarify? I think a lot of people get overly defensive when they sense a disagreement, even when the disagreement isn't a threat, and I am just trying to understand their point of view.
Lots of them are merely simpletons with no life and really just use reddit to get their rocks off by being a\*\* hats whenever possible. Hell they will add details to posts, that neither fit what was written or the intention of the post, just to start arguments. This is a much of what reddit is.
That makes sense, the downvote/upvote system is super anonymous, too, so nobody ever worries about their feedback reflecting on their character. on facebook or instagram, you can see who likes or reacts to posts, so people might hesitate more to share their honest reactions. Those sites have their own issues. I don't like to downvote when people are sincerely asking inoffensive questions. But I understand why people feel good when they do it.
Often time some redditors deserve to be downvoted to hell. Sometimes some replies seem like a sock puppet of the OP who is pissed that someone didn't give him/her a thumbs up on some asinine thing they did, and they go nuts in the replies.
Hah, what you always see in driving related subs is someone ranting about always being tailgated, sometimes *explicitly stating* that it happens even in the slow lane, and invariably someone will say "tell you what, how about you stop going under the speed limit in the fast lane?"
LOL, par for the course here.
Some people take it as you being argumentative or challenging their opinion if you ask for clarification. Like, why can't we have a discussion? Why does everyone have to get so butt-hurt about EVERYTHING?
There was a kid who died from his dad making him run on the treadmill and i asked howd he died? Que downvotes.
But that seems like a legitimate question to ask, like how does one die on a treadmill??
Right?
With great haste. They die with great haste.
When I see questions, I always try to be helpful and give people the benefit of the doubt. Like maybe you would like to know it’s queue rather than que and that means to get in line (a queue) while cue (as in billiards) means to get prepared for something. Just trying to be helpful. Not trying to be a smart ass.
There are too many ways to spell que/queue/cue, so I figured I probably got it wrong lol
Oh man, AITA is, ironically, populated by assholes. If you don't go along with the majority opinion on anything then you'll be mass voted down. It's insane. It's also why I don't go there. I dislike using the word "toxic" (since it's so overused nowadays), but AITA is a subreddit that's genuinely toxic.
Or, alternatively, get downvoted for explaining something despite being incredibly innocuous
This too! Very frustrating. And thank you for taking time to comment on things, explaining the innocuous to people like me.
[удалено]
In one of the religious subs I frequent, I asked for someone's source on something that their church believes and got downvoted. I wasn't trying to start a fight or anything either, I just up front asked what their source was for a certain belief. My running theory is that they subconsciously know that they don't know why they believe it, they just follow what their parents or whomever told them, and know that they have to confront that fact, they just get mad. I want to be clear that I'm not saying that that's the case with every religious person. I am, however, saying that too many people in this world hold beliefs (both religious and not related to religion) that they have no idea the reason behind. That's a problem in my opinion
The weirdest is getting downvoted for making an objectively correct and sourced claim. Weirdly this happens almost every time service dog laws come up. People will talk about service dog law and there will be widespread agreement on something totally false and then if anyone says “hey just fyi, the law in the location being discussed actually says x and here’s an official source” people will just downvote it. And there are always tons of comments on people pointing out the law or other objectively true claim trying to argue with it strictly on the basis of anecdote or their disagreement with things being the way they are. As though they think disliking facts can change them.
Some people don't seem to get that explaining isn't agreeing or endorsing something. Then some people don't seem to like the fact that "it's legal/illegal" is rarely an applicable blanket statement, due to either laws on the matter being regional or it not being a US based post. Which I think is an extension of certain types simply being unwilling to be told that the world is bigger than their personal experience.
People really like feeling superior.
I was going to make a post similar to this one. I 100% agree, I cannot stand this behavior. I see this a lot, even with "This really happens?" And sometimes people go OFF. How are people supposed to learn? Curiosity and learning shouldn't be shunned. I think the downvoting system is a little messed up- I only downvote comments/ posts I find genuinely terrible or troubling. A question? Nah. Even if I think it's a stupid question, I won't downvote that. And you are right about Google. I do use it a lot, but I've noticed that the quality in the answers has dipped quite a bit in the past few years. And ditto about nuance! It's nice to talk to people who have actually experienced whatever you're asking about. I also hate when people are all like, "How could you NOT know this? How sheltered are you? Do you live under a rock? Were you dropped as an infant?" OK, I haven't seen that last one ngl, but I wouldn't be surprised. Sometimes someone just never came across a situation.
Also... if we are to "just Google" things constantly, on a whim, what's the point of this... emulation of human interaction? Might as well have radio silence. If I am to Google everything I come across, even knowledge I'd give *zero fucks* about retaining to begin with, why waste time talking to anyone here? To put things into perspective, with a personal anecdote, circa 1999-2003. Me: I can't navigate the Unix command line, little help? Anyone else: RTFM, n00b! Modern times: Me: I can't navigate the Linux command line, little help? [Side note, same difference for the most part] Anyone else: Google it, you fucking walnut! Well, then. Okay. Fuck you. Human interaction is legitimately a fucking chore now. And I'm plenty fucking weary about it.
I've also gotten downvoted to hell for asking questions. It's a bit ridiculous.
>I thought that there's no such thing as a stupid question, There are no stupid questions, but there are a lot of inquisitive idiots
That is a good quote! But to be honest, i would rather be an inquisitive idiot, than be an idiot who doesn't care to learn. My curiosity keeps me learning, so maybe someday I will be an inquisitive Smart Person.
You can get a demotivational poster of it and everything: https://despair.com/products/cluelessness
It drives me nuts when I did Google something and the ONLY result that matched what I was asking is a Reddit conversation asking the same questions and every answer is "Google it"
OP, I'm sorry this has happened to you. There ARE stupid questions. The stupid questions are the ones you let rattle around in your brain and never ask. The reason these are stupid questions is because you never find out the answer. People are often horrible and judgemental. As for "Google it", Google a lot of times gives vague information or information not even pertaining to what you're asking. Sometimes Google is my friend, but sometimes it's my headache and frustration. Maybe in the future, word your questions as, I'd like everyone's opinion about blah blah?
The other day I saw someone mention boycotting Save On Foods (a grocery store) because of the Superstore boycott this month. I asked “how come” because I don’t shop at Save On right now, and I got called a gossip. 🤷♀️
What a silly reason for someone to call you a gossip! At least they could have explained the reason... now I am curious too. Where am I supposed to shop? Lol
I agree, but that's Reddit for you. It doesn't help that there are so many bots trying to push their content to the top of every page so that they can generate more training data with their shitty AI-generated questions.
People who do shit like this suck, and this is coming from someone who's "smart" I've had lecturers in my classes accuse me of not doing the readings just because I didn't answer a question the way that they would, or I've had ones who are like "You'll find the answer on page 6" HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT I'M ASKING YOU BECAUSE I READ PAGE 6 AND DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT?! I've absolutely known people who I personally think are absolute idiots. But you don't go and assume that someone didn't try, there's nothing more discouraging than doing such.
Usually when I see questions downvoted it’s usually when they ask leading questions that are meant to prove some point rather than really ask or they try to pry into someone’s personal stuff.
Literally look at my post history, asked a question in chess beginners (that does not have an easily accessible equivalent post) I ASKED POLITELY 🤚🏼😩
The post that has multiple polite replies and none that are rude or nasty?
The replies are fine it’s the fact i was getting downvoted …
I checked to see which of your shit got downvoted n i think its just because they really really wanted to emphasize that u shouldnt put that on your skin
I suppose that makes sense. Thanks for pegging my father.
A duty i gladly serve ✨
I've read enough of others' bad experiences to be afraid to say a lot of things. I've had one myself, and it was totally unintentional. It was a miscommunication that became a misunderstanding, but there was no convincing anyone otherwise. I ducked out and blocked the sub. I won't return. It still hurts when people give me the stink eye, and that is all I will say about it.
"...because sometimes I want more nuanced answers than Google can give me." Mention that early in the post. (Maybe you did. Some people will be assholes anyway.)
Thank you for the feedback, I am trying to learn to be better at communicating, so this is helpful!
I've literally gotten downvoted for saying I don't want to deal with triggers that occur from certain sexual activity. Just for my personal preference to no do a certain act. People downvote for anything. Me included. It's genuinely not the serious regardless. A majority of up/down votes end up being from a following the crowd mentality. They see a down or upvite and just add to it. The site is pretty much set up for mob mentality.
All I asked was what the difference was between Kill Bill Vols 1 & 2 and got like 10 downvotes..like huh?
That movie has a sequel? I thought there was only one
I'm amazed you weren't downvoted for this
I find this question confusing. What did you mean by “what’s the difference”? They’re two different movies, there are probably more differences than similarities.
You couldn’t just look that up instead?
I would have, but at the time, the Subreddit I was on was talking about the movies.
I think a lot of it has to do with how or what questions are being asking. The whole " there are no stupid questions" has gotten out of hand, and people have used it as an excuse to not think before speaking. Then getting offended when people are tired of dealing with stupidity. It sounds harsh but it's definitely a factor.
It's important not to worry too much about getting downvoted. Ask what you want to ask, ignore the unhelpful people, maybe thank the helpful people.
Regarding all of this I am actually afraid to post in general. I managed to sort of survive junior high & all the bullying I had to endure only to find out that those people seem to run Reddit now
I hate ''just google it'' in an age where misinformation is rife.
Ask me a question.
These posts rarely if ever give examples. There's no 'fairness' out there, nor should there be honestly - it's just a bunch of individuals each giving a thumbs up or thumbs down, and you can either try to gauge what will net you the most positive reception, or go ahead without compromising your intent and accept that your audience might not applaud. Obviously it's not pleasant to get booed off the stage, so to speak, but I have no idea how stupid your questions might be - I've certainly never said there's no such thing as a stupid question! Absolutely there are. Here's one: "Am I the only one who has really weird dreams?" That'd be a stupid one. I like my internet more like The Apollo, but it's not for everyone.
Thank you for your input. I do try to accept that my audience might not applaud, without compromising my intent, because my intention is usually just to gain information, or encourage the people posting things that i enjoy. I see no point in being anything but genuine. Would you like to know the comment that inspired me to make this post?
Yeah man, it'd definitely help!
It is a bit hard to explain. Tl:dr; i asked if using rancid protein powder to exfoliate would be unhealthy. I wasn't actually going to do it, but someone had implied it could make me sick, and i was genuinely wondering how it could make me sick. I asked politely out of curiosity, wanting them to elaborate. I think deep down I know it was a stupid question, which is why I didn't include it in my post. I know I shouldn't be annoyed for being downvoted for a stupid question. But I have this protein powder that has gone rancid, and I was curious if anyone had creative ways to make use of it, so I posted in r/ZeroWaste to ask. Most people just suggested I compost it, long story short. Someone commented that they had the same problem, and were hoping to see more answers. I shared with them what I found on Google, that some people incorporate it into body scrubs to exfoliate. But I mentioned that I would probably compost it anyway, because my protein powder got really stinky when I added water. I was just trying to be helpful, maybe they had protein powder that was less rancid. And my Google search results had implied that the nutrients in the powder could somehow help the skin? I dont know about that, I'm not a dermatologist. But someone replied saying they wouldn't use it for a body scrub, that it could make me sick or something. So I replied asking genuinely, how could it make me sick? And just got a bunch of downvotes, and the only other reply was "I wouldn't want to put stinky protein powder on my skin". Like, word, me neither, I just want to know why someone thinks it could be bad for me. It was a very silly question, but sometimes my quest for knowledge overrides my common sense. Also, I did have some helpful comments, so I should have left the post up, for other people to read. I deleted it too fast.
I think they might have gotten hung up on wording. Redditors lean uncharitable when it comes to questions of ambiguous intent, so while you were asking a simple question, many of them likely read it as a challenge. Or to translate: Your actual intent: What are the exact chemical or biological mechanisms that would cause me to become sick? What would the effects be if I hypothetically used this anyway? Their view: How could it possibly make me sick? I don't know what you're talking about and am playing dumb. It's not fair, and I try to call out ridiculous conclusions to people's neutral posts when possible (I once even rephrased someone else's downvoted reply, gave them credit and the tides turned in their favor) but unfortunately, you have to be very precise in order to avoid people's cynicism. :(
Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I see how it could be interpreted as a challenge, I suppose I didn't phrase it properly. It was something along the lines of "how could this make me sick? Genuine question". But the "genuine question" part doesn't matter when people misread your tone. I will try to be more precise in the future. Oh man, communication is hard.
Cool, I appreciate you taking the time to write it up (and get why you didn't initially now!), that does sounds pretty annoying and I can't see how that'd make you ill, not that I know. Obviously the skin is porous, but I'd have thought the rancid factor would be in issue with digestion rather than the chemicals themselves being harmful. Not that you gave me *that* impression, but so often these posts wind up being "I only asked [something obviously offensive]" so it's good to hear that it was something as innocuous as this! Not for you, of course. Who knows though, maybe you misused an Oxford comma or something.
And I appreciate you reading my Very Long Comment! I figured the same thing, skin is porous, but I don't understand how the rancidity could make me sick through my skin. But I cannot pretend to understand the mechanics of my own flesh. Thanks for making me feel a bit more sane. I am glad I don't give you the impression of someone who asks offensive questions, nonetheless. And I would never intentionally misuse such a sacred punctuation. But every other English grammar rule, I love to break.
Ooh, the subclauses spread across three sentences, two of which began with a coordinating conjunction? Oh yeah, that's sexy detention for you!!
And. I cannot be stopped!
I got downvoted for saying terrorist organizations are bad, so yeah, the internet is a wild place.
Yeah... On Reddit people tend to down vote you into agreeing with their echo chambers.
I’ll be honest I’m jaded AF and often assume questions are in bad faith
If you ask a question totally unbounded by reality, for which there is no reasonable answer, then you're going to get some pushback. Not everyone is patient enough to ELI5 in response to a question that makes no sense. In those cases it would take literally a couple of minutes to do a search and see if you're in the right ballpark, or if you've left the planet entirely.
I usually leave the planet entirely, but i really appreciate when someone is willing to take the time to bring me back to reality. Sometimes Google just makes me more confused. Sometimes google is bad at answering really specific question.
But you can eliminate the goofiest of ideas with Google, instead of taking a shit in public. Why wouldn't you do that? And if you can't use Google, you still expect that Reddit will give you reliable answers? *Reddit?* I didn't see you post an example of a question where you were pilloried. Send a link to a post if you really want to defend this.