For four years,
I have not visited a forum that would have polite people on it.
Anything you say these days, someone soon says "Google it" or "read the f****n manual" or "get out of here n00b".. They obviously think they're so cool. I don't think it's cool. I never write offensive answers to someone's post. They didn't want to search, so they tried to get a straightforward answer. They don't need to be told to "Google it", they probably have heard it once or twice. Sometimes I don't bother googling it but go and seek for the answer. Maybe someone has a better answer that could be found on Google results?
I said I never write offensive stuff on any forums, but today I made an exception. I have probably found the most obnoxious forum filled with matter-of-fact adults who think they know everything, thus being able to be rude to anyone who doesn't read every topic and every post, like they do. I even strutted a lie or two just to see if they catch it and WHOAA.. I already received an answer calling me "poor rich girl". Now that they "know" I'm a spoiled daddy's girl, they seem to have even more right "putting me to my place". One woman even felt the spike when I wrote I hope they don't have kids if their parents are like that. She got very upset explaining she has taught her kids to do their own research. I didn't bother to tell her that I've done my share of research and I actually do that, but this was a matter of a thing I needed to be done for me because I can't. Not finding information. It's hilarious, actually. I think most of the people on that forum are Americans. The Americans I know, are not like that. They are calm, polite, patient and are not so willing to make their own appearance bigger. The rest of them.. well, world politics is a very good indicator for the state of the rest.
I won't tell which forum, I think they know who they are.
I've been doing my own research on forums and according to my findings, the Northen Americans are the rudest (yes, even Canadians). Then there's - of course - the Finns (who are very rude, use bad language and spoil most of the online games), then I'd vote for Germans (who are the rudest online players) and then probably the French. Indonesian people (though there's a signigiciant lack of language skills), are usually very nice and patient. The British have gone up on this list a great deal, maybe because their new found anonymity (freedom) is the "in thing" today.
Misunderstandings are a common thing. For an example, a friend of mine went on a forum and wrote about his teachers. What he wrote, was very comprehensible to himself, but as he later found out, someone had misunderstood the point in the message and he got hundreds of angry replies.
The funny thing when going through the forums is the noticeable un-willingless to help anybody. Or even try. I have been a regular visitor on a Swedish The Sims 2 - board and have noticed that if someone is in very desperate need of information, most of them use "Go Google you noob and stop wasting our time". Would it be easier to actually use that time that was spent on that sentence, to answer the question? I have probably written the same answer 300 times last year, but I don't mind. I like to share my information or at least try look for the answer. It will teach them to help others as well. At least it helps to prod them to the right direction.
As most of the few people who read this blog, know, that I'm not into religions and stuff, but there's one thing about the Bible that I look up to, and it's "Do onto others as you would want done onto you".
It's today's adults that grow up tomorrows' kids - and what will they end like if their parents forget the rule of being patient and polite? At this moment, I'm glad I'm not here to see the next century, when there has been a couple of rude and selfish generations.