Vague, yet mindless, hostility

[HandsInTheDark]

I kind of don't get it. We all write a genre that's more or less guaranteed to tick someone somewhere off, so we all know what fun it is to get shit thrown in our direction for no good reason, and we've all learned to shrug at it. We're all, by site fiat, adults of some sort. We all write stuff that involves knowing at least a tiny bit about human psych, either instinctively or by research and practice. And being writers, probably most of us are not morons. None of us here are competing for incomes or anything else serious or even vaguely fungible.

So on the face of it, you'd think we'd all be little marvels of tolerance and acceptance. We've got no reason not to be, as this is hobby time for most of us; and as mentioned we all likely have a better than average grasp of the advantages of having our fetishes and quirks put up with.

That's not how AH sounds most of the time though. And it's not just a couple people flinging shit; it's quite a few. It's hard to find a thread that wasn't infected by someone flipping someone else off, frequently over something that a 4th grader would let slide.

Disagreements? Sure, never more so in a volatile topic like erotica. But there's a vast difference between "your concept/idea/presuppositional bias sucks" and "you suck." I remember my first question in here - I got flamed to a crisp and it instantly turned into personal accusations from people who had no idea who I was. I figured I'd just hit a sore spot, but no, it turns out it's not all that uncommon, regardless of topic.

Seriously, does it have to look like this? If I want to listen to bickering between emotionally stunted people who act like children, I can drive in to work and get paid for it. I can't even put it down to inflated egos from successful writing careers because let's face it, this is the site where we give it away; this is where it goes if it's not good enough to make money on or we just don't care about the income.

Maybe turn down the acidity a notch. Some days it feels like I walked into a psych ward in here, the day after they ran out of antipsychotic meds.

And yeah, I get that this thread is flame bait. But while you're topping off the gas tank on your flamethrower, maybe think about if you're just doing it out of habit.

 

[SikFuk]

Well... I think it's a matter of some people getting their identity from conflict. It gives them a purpose. I still do that on FB, looking for political threads with obvious misinformation in them. I put in my 2 cents for the greater good, and if I'm careful, I go away feeling fulfilled. If I'm not careful, I go away feeling stupid, or used.

I think, at LIT, the secret is to look at it like we're all in this poorly-written B movie, with outrageous characters like Amicus (remember him?) He admitted to being a troll, and yet people like me would get tension headaches responding to him, which was exactly what he wanted. If it's just a B movie, we can laugh instead of get tension headaches, and perhaps note some particularly offensive dialogue for use in a story down the road.

 

[sr71plt]

Of course Amicus was exactly who he said he was in real life--more so that justified him being here.

The fun people here are the ones bring in "stuff" totally irrelevant to what's being discussed or the writing history here of the one they love to attack.

Laurel said it tellingly on the GB recently. When there was an attack on someone's claimed writing background beyond Lit., she said it depressed her to think that the attackers couldn't believe that someone with that background (watch out: Nora Roberts, for instance, is active on story sites) would post to Lit.

 

[LadyVer]

The AH is one of the two forums that isn't moderated. Throw in a mix of different personalities and egos, hot button topics, and a bad day at work, and it's a zoo at times. It could be a lot worse.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I enjoy fights. Real or verbal. Years ago I heard a queer say, I'D RATHER FIGHT THAN SUCK A DICK, and I know what he meant. I prize physical toil almost as much. Sports can kiss my formerly fat ass, tho.

OP? STFU and go away.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Yeah and this is me: if I am participating, then I'll probably be going down the path of trying to divert someone from going too far with an aggressive thought...

And if you ever saw me, then I'd be the least likely to be in a fight on first or even third glimpse.

But I do like a fight for a good cause though - and if that ever happened go take the long odds.

(Identity via conflict...? - SikFuk's thoughts. Sounds right in a lot of cases.)

Vague, yet MINDless hostility? Yeah that's just silly. And likely the result of some 'issue.'

I like AWESOME warfare - really awesome stuff, not the bullshit GWB shock and awe rubbish on a non-existent opponent.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I have a newspaper clipping from 1968 when my ma paid a contempt of court fine for abusing the judge. The judge dismissed a criminal mischief charge against a neighbor who threw old paint on my mom's new wood fence.

My ma raised her hand. The judge asked her what she wanted. She said, WHATS THE FINE FOR CONTEMPT OF COURT? The judge said, One hundred dollars. Ma replied, WILL YOU TAKE 5 TWENTIES AND LET ME KNOW WHEN MY TIME IS UP?

That night my dad went next door and stomped the neighbors ass. Funny as hell. Daddy pulled the man outta the house by his feet, then dragged the man along the street till the cops came. He was arrested but another judge dismissed the charge.

 

[oggbashan]

My General Board ignore list has reached its greatest number of seven. Most of them are alts of the same person who is always abusive.

 

[Handley_Page]

I like AWESOME warfare - really awesome stuff, not the bullshit GWB shock and awe rubbish on a non-existent opponent.

There's a problem, I reckon.
When most folk do their thing and make a statement of some sort, they seldom
qualify it and it opens the door for others to jump in what is effectively the wrong direction.
And thus out come the handbags. . . .

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

Not many people understand warfare although most people suppose they do or say they do.

The face that launched a thousand ships... was actually someone's mouth. Awesome. Truly awesome.

And today, WE HAVE THE INTERNET AS A PLATFORM.

Awesomeness.

I ask you.

 

[MSTarot]

I see Literotica as my writing school. I've always looked at the Lit forums as the training class for learning how to deal with bad reviews and rejections slips. A place to learn to shrug things off and keep going.

As writers you have to develop a pretty thick skin, everyone will have an opinion of what you're writing. I've ignored the ignore feature from the start due to that. If I can't take some snarky crap from other writers, who are every-bit as insecure about their own stories, then how will I deal with editors? Blog reviews?

The only reason I have anyone on ignore is simple. My friends. I can take it all day long when it comes to me. 99% of the time if someone tells me my story sucks I will generally thank them, even agree to some existent, and move on to the next story.

In the whole time I've been on Literotica nothing here that has been said to me has stopped me from writing. And I can't think of a thing that could be said to me that would.

But I can't take seeing attacks on my friends.

Hence why I have a number of people on ignore now. If I didn't then everytime I go to the boards I would get sucked in, pissed off and end up in long useless pissing matches (with people that have all the time in the world to do nothing but argue online like it's an Olympic sport.)

and those anger driven arguments would cost me the one thing I don't have a lot of time for to begin with. Writing.


Mostly I post my stories, check my recent activity list, read my comments and drop by the AH just to see what is being said by the people I like to talk with. The rest of it? The arguing, the drama crap, the tin-foil-hat conspiracy stuff? Shrug, that I give two shits and a penny whistle about.

It simply wastes time I need to be writing.

I have about 2 hours per night and about four-five hours per weekend that I can put to this unless the weather is bad and I get to spend more time at it because of that. To try and change my stars and move forwards as a writer that is not a lot of time.

Okay I'm going to stop ranting, put away my soap box and go make me some coffee. I need to finish at least one story today. At least one.

 

[Desiremakesmeweak]

MSTarot...

I liked reading that, especially the bit about the going and making some coffee.

Aw yeah. That bit. The COFFEE.

And 'the NEED.' The NEED to... finish...

I find that a good big wave (as in a massive surfing wave kind of thing) of coffee addiction will take me over into one or two sentences at least. When you read anything of mine, you're basically sifting through coffee beans!!

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I see Literotica as my writing school. I've always looked at the Lit forums as the training class for learning how to deal with bad reviews and rejections slips. A place to learn to shrug things off and keep going.

As writers you have to develop a pretty thick skin, everyone will have an opinion of what you're writing. I've ignored the ignore feature from the start due to that. If I can't take some snarky crap from other writers, who are every-bit as insecure about their own stories, then how will I deal with editors? Blog reviews?

The only reason I have anyone on ignore is simple. My friends. I can take it all day long when it comes to me. 99% of the time if someone tells me my story sucks I will generally thank them, even agree to some existent, and move on to the next story.

In the whole time I've been on Literotica nothing here that has been said to me has stopped me from writing. And I can't think of a thing that could be said to me that would.

But I can't take seeing attacks on my friends.

Hence why I have a number of people on ignore now. If I didn't then everytime I go to the boards I would get sucked in, pissed off and end up in long useless pissing matches (with people that have all the time in the world to do nothing but argue online like it's an Olympic sport.)

and those anger driven arguments would cost me the one thing I don't have a lot of time for to begin with. Writing.


Mostly I post my stories, check my recent activity list, read my comments and drop by the AH just to see what is being said by the people I like to talk with. The rest of it? The arguing, the drama crap, the tin-foil-hat conspiracy stuff? Shrug, that I give two shits and a penny whistle about.

It simply wastes time I need to be writing.

I have about 2 hours per night and about four-five hours per weekend that I can put to this unless the weather is bad and I get to spend more time at it because of that. To try and change my stars and move forwards as a writer that is not a lot of time.

Okay I'm going to stop ranting, put away my soap box and go make me some coffee. I need to finish at least one story today. At least one.

What I hear is you run with a clique of assholes who inflate each others scores and one bomb others en masse.

 

[DreamCloud]

I see Literotica as my writing school.

A brutal school, but I couldn't agree more.

 

[Sinstories]

OP...

I think you could re-write your post in any forum, on any site, for any topic on the net.

I don't understand it, but you can't go to any forum on the net and not find trolls and others who's whole purpose in life is to degrade others.

I've seen them here in my short time as well. There are a couple people (one of whom has already added their unique insight to this thread) in the story feedback forum who have never written feedback that said much more than 'you suck, you should kill yourself'.

My advice...don't try to understand it and don't engage it (Don't feed the trolls). Use your ignore list and be happy that your life is not so miserable that you have to make yourself feel better by anomalously belittling others from your mom's basement.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I see Literotica as my writing school. I've always looked at the Lit forums as the training class for learning how to deal with bad reviews and rejections slips. A place to learn to shrug things off and keep going.

As writers you have to develop a pretty thick skin, everyone will have an opinion of what you're writing. I've ignored the ignore feature from the start due to that. If I can't take some snarky crap from other writers, who are every-bit as insecure about their own stories, then how will I deal with editors? Blog reviews?

The only reason I have anyone on ignore is simple. My friends. I can take it all day long when it comes to me. 99% of the time if someone tells me my story sucks I will generally thank them, even agree to some existent, and move on to the next story.

In the whole time I've been on Literotica nothing here that has been said to me has stopped me from writing. And I can't think of a thing that could be said to me that would.

But I can't take seeing attacks on my friends.

Hence why I have a number of people on ignore now. If I didn't then everytime I go to the boards I would get sucked in, pissed off and end up in long useless pissing matches (with people that have all the time in the world to do nothing but argue online like it's an Olympic sport.)

and those anger driven arguments would cost me the one thing I don't have a lot of time for to begin with. Writing.


Mostly I post my stories, check my recent activity list, read my comments and drop by the AH just to see what is being said by the people I like to talk with. The rest of it? The arguing, the drama crap, the tin-foil-hat conspiracy stuff? Shrug, that I give two shits and a penny whistle about.

It simply wastes time I need to be writing.

I have about 2 hours per night and about four-five hours per weekend that I can put to this unless the weather is bad and I get to spend more time at it because of that. To try and change my stars and move forwards as a writer that is not a lot of time.

Okay I'm going to stop ranting, put away my soap box and go make me some coffee. I need to finish at least one story today. At least one.

Tell us, who's PATIENTLEE fucking these days? I heard she strays from home, I heard she fucked you.

 

[Athalia]

Most of them are alts of the same person who is always abusive.

Not to be contentious, but how can you tell it's the same person? Style? Some other way?

You can PM me an answer, if you don't feel you want to discuss this on the board.

 

[oggbashan]

Not to be contentious, but how can you tell it's the same person? Style? Some other way?

You can PM me an answer, if you don't feel you want to discuss this on the board.

I only have seven names on ignore. Four are the same person who has changed his (presumably his) user name. The spelling, the over-use of capitals, the same abusive responses - are identical.

I don't think all four are in current use. They might be consecutive, not concurrent, but all are a waste of space.

 

[sheablue]

Tell us, who's PATIENTLEE fucking these days? I heard she strays from home, I heard she fucked you.

You might manage to be offensive, JBJ, if you weren't such a predictably mind-numbing bore. *yawn*

You must be really lonely. That's sad. I'm sad for you.

 

[TxRad]

You might manage to be offensive, JBJ, if you weren't such a predictably mind-numbing bore. *yawn*

You must be really lonely. That's sad. I'm sad for you.

As usual, he's trying to get a rise out of someone.

 

[sheablue]

As usual, he's trying to get a rise out of someone.

Of course he is. It's predictable. And sad. He doesn't have the creativity or command of language to make his silly insults interesting. Any of us could pretend to be JBJ and totally pull it off.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

You might manage to be offensive, JBJ, if you weren't such a predictably mind-numbing bore. *yawn*

You must be really lonely. That's sad. I'm sad for you.

I assume you belong to the cartel, too. Or as they say, throw a rock into a pack of dogs and the one you hit howls.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Of course he is. It's predictable. And sad. He doesn't have the creativity or command of language to make his silly insults interesting. Any of us could pretend to be JBJ and totally pull it off.

I got 2 responses, dear.

 

[HandsInTheDark]

This thread isn't even rising to irony. More like inevitability.

 

[TxRad]

This thread isn't even rising to irony. More like inevitability.

There is something here on the forums called the ignore button. Who you put on it is your choice. In many cases it makes the Lit experience more enjoyable.