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Why So Nasty? — TB Etiquette

I am reminded of a great story by Robert Fulghum. During his early twenties he used to work for a countryside resort. He had to do the night shift as a receptionist and mind the stables during the day. The owner was not the most likable or the kindest person on the planet and Robert was getting weary of eating the same lunch everyday. In addition, the cost of the lunch would get deducted from his paycheck. It got on his nerves.

One night, he could hold it no longer, especially when he found out that the same lunch was going to be served for another couple of days. One of his colleagues, working as a night auditor, was Sigmund Wollman, a German Jewish guy. A survivor of Auschwitz, Sigmund had spent three years at the concentration camp. He was happy and contented in the same hotel where Robert was mad and upset. Finding no one else around to share his frustration, Robert spoke to Sigmund and expressed his anger against the hotel owner, he was mad because of eating the same food day-in-day-out and for having to pay for it. Worked up, he was really crossed. Sigmund, however, listened patiently before saying:
"Lissen, Fulchum, Lissen me, lissen me. You know what's wrong with you? It's not the food and it's not the boss and it's not this job."
"So what's wrong with me?"
"Fulchum, you think you know everything but you don't know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. If you break your neck, if you have nothing to eat, if your house is on fire — then you've got a problem. Everything else is an inconvenience. Life is inconvenient. Life is lumpy."
Robert Fulghum had a realization and he further wrote in his story, "I think of this as the Wollman Test of Reality. Life is lumpy. And a lump in the porridge, a lump in the throat and a lump in the breast are not the same lump. One should learn the difference."
 
People on TB have always been super nice. I was on another site and said that the Fender Phil Lynott Fender Custom Shop Bass at $12,500 was priced way above 99.9% of bass players price range. There was some folks that lost their minds. You would have thought I said some nasty stuff about their mother. Extremely rude and ugly people. Haven't been back to that site and will not go back to that site.
 
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I first came to TB in 2012, and am by no means a frequent flier. Come to get answers from a wealth of historical threads from time-to-time, to poke around when I'm bored — and mainly to browse or buy/sell from the Classifieds. Just bought and sold basses here in the past couple of months — interacted with super people in both cases.

HOWEVER, it seems to me that the tone in a lot of the threads today — versus even 7 years ago — is increasingly hostile, snarky, impatient, and just plain rude. Why? This isn't a politics forum — we're talking about an instrument (albeit cool as heck) that produces low notes. Not too controversial...

If people want to start picking passive aggressive fights behind the safety and comfort of their PC or smartphone — CNN or Fox is ripe for this, with plenty of comment threads and fireworks for your entertainment.

How about saving Talkbass for legit questions and answers — attacking the OP less, and keeping it light-hearted and well, simply less...nasty.


I haven't been on the forum all that long and I don't post very frequently but I haven't encountered what you describe. TB and the Guild forum are the two most polite and respectful that I frequent. In fact, on more than a few occasions TB members have responded to my dumb questions in a gentle and helpful way :)
 
If people want to start picking passive aggressive fights behind the safety and comfort of their PC or smartphone — CNN or Fox is ripe for this, with plenty of comment threads and fireworks for your entertainment.

How about saving Talkbass for legit questions and answers — attacking the OP less, and keeping it light-hearted and well, simply less...nasty.

I agree TB seems to have some folks that feel a duty to share their opinion as if its more than that. But this is a social forum. This is not a peer reviewed congress on the science and technology of bass. If you don't believe me, check the criteria for membership, including the membership fee.

I agree we should improve the tone to an always-helpful, never-hurtful exchange. There is no reason for any other behavior.

But please, please don't even mention C$% and F$# in the same thread, forum, or 1000 mile radius with TB - nobody deserves that. ;)
 
It's a lot better than it used to be but I don't like the culture on here where someone can attack you with really vicious personal stuff and you can't respond in kind...you have to be a tattletale or get thrown off for responding. Used to be the person leading the attack would get unscathed, but at least they do something about that now.

But I'm with the OP on this...sometimes I get impatient with people for not listening :D but I do try to be polite and courteous, and I think most people do, too. But it's the rude ones who are the loudest, and it makes it seem like a free for all at times. Still, most people are great and try to be helpful. However, I can think of at least two people on here or formerly on here that I would gladly punch right in the throat if I ever came face to face with them. But I just ignore them these days...due to age, my throat punching days are by and large over :D
I'm with Jimmy on this. I tend not to log on much these days and I've been on here since about 09...although not as long as others who've been here since the dawn of time. Too much baiting, trolling and contentiousness for me. These days I just lurk and filter for latest posts by JimmyM and Basscliff!!
 
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I first came to TB in 2012, and am by no means a frequent flier. Come to get answers from a wealth of historical threads from time-to-time, to poke around when I'm bored — and mainly to browse or buy/sell from the Classifieds. Just bought and sold basses here in the past couple of months — interacted with super people in both cases.

HOWEVER, it seems to me that the tone in a lot of the threads today — versus even 7 years ago — is increasingly hostile, snarky, impatient, and just plain rude. Why? This isn't a politics forum — we're talking about an instrument (albeit cool as heck) that produces low notes. Not too controversial...

If people want to start picking passive aggressive fights behind the safety and comfort of their PC or smartphone — CNN or Fox is ripe for this, with plenty of comment threads and fireworks for your entertainment.

How about saving Talkbass for legit questions and answers — attacking the OP less, and keeping it light-hearted and well, simply less...nasty.
Social Media has made people a$$holes, plain and simple. It's a bummer.
 
It's a lot better than it used to be but I don't like the culture on here where someone can attack you with really vicious personal stuff and you can't respond in kind...you have to be a tattletale or get thrown off for responding. Used to be the person leading the attack would get unscathed, but at least they do something about that now.

But I'm with the OP on this...sometimes I get impatient with people for not listening :D but I do try to be polite and courteous, and I think most people do, too. But it's the rude ones who are the loudest, and it makes it seem like a free for all at times. Still, most people are great and try to be helpful. However, I can think of at least two people on here or formerly on here that I would gladly punch right in the throat if I ever came face to face with them. But I just ignore them these days...due to age, my throat punching days are by and large over :D
Agreed. I got warned once for "taking the bait" even though I was much more eloquent in my replies. If you acknowledge bait was taken... how about you direct the parenting towards the acknowledged offender.
 
You should try hi-fi forums. :rollno:

Just be sure to start off with asking about that blind test where the audio sales guys thought the coat hanger compared well to $1000+ speaker cable.... or, how $1000 power cords make everything sound better (oh, wait, I have heard that in bass ads also).
 
I first came to TB in 2012, and am by no means a frequent flier. Come to get answers from a wealth of historical threads from time-to-time, to poke around when I'm bored — and mainly to browse or buy/sell from the Classifieds. Just bought and sold basses here in the past couple of months — interacted with super people in both cases.

HOWEVER, it seems to me that the tone in a lot of the threads today — versus even 7 years ago — is increasingly hostile, snarky, impatient, and just plain rude. Why? This isn't a politics forum — we're talking about an instrument (albeit cool as heck) that produces low notes. Not too controversial...

If people want to start picking passive aggressive fights behind the safety and comfort of their PC or smartphone — CNN or Fox is ripe for this, with plenty of comment threads and fireworks for your entertainment.

How about saving Talkbass for legit questions and answers — attacking the OP less, and keeping it light-hearted and well, simply less...nasty.
People are just grumpy these days and act like it's a cool thing to be a hater. Miserable people thinking it makes them look cool to show off how miserable their life is. They are mistaken, doesn't make them look cool.
 
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Bravo!

And yes, some folks need to chill when they see a topic that's been discussed in a previous thread. Seriously, enough with the rude, snippy, clamp-down posts when this takes place.

It's okay, people... it's just ones and zeroes. :smug:

It's not gonna harm anyone if someone types up a topic again.

Just take a deep breath or two and shrug it off.

I truly love the gesture from the OP to start this thread. However, I doubt it will bring about much change as angry people will continue to be angry, especially in today's day and age of people being able to anonymously launch missiles from their couches. It's just a sign of the times... and I'm afraid this kind of thing is going to be with us for a long time.

TalkBass is a much happier place than Facebook and other online forums. There's a lotta truly fantastic peeps on here. It's a great resource and I'm happy to have access and be a part of it. :)

I first came to TB in 2012, and am by no means a frequent flier. Come to get answers from a wealth of historical threads from time-to-time, to poke around when I'm bored — and mainly to browse or buy/sell from the Classifieds. Just bought and sold basses here in the past couple of months — interacted with super people in both cases.

HOWEVER, it seems to me that the tone in a lot of the threads today — versus even 7 years ago — is increasingly hostile, snarky, impatient, and just plain rude. Why? This isn't a politics forum — we're talking about an instrument (albeit cool as heck) that produces low notes. Not too controversial...

If people want to start picking passive aggressive fights behind the safety and comfort of their PC or smartphone — CNN or Fox is ripe for this, with plenty of comment threads and fireworks for your entertainment.

How about saving Talkbass for legit questions and answers — attacking the OP less, and keeping it light-hearted and well, simply less...nasty.