Keeping a lid on stupidity is hard because stupid people don't know they're dumb
The most dangerous form of stupid comment is not the long but mistaken argument, but the dumb joke. Long but mistaken arguments are actually quite rare. There is a strong correlation between comment quality and length; if you wanted to compare the quality of comments on community sites, average length would be a good predictor. Probably the cause is human nature rather than anything specific to comment threads. Probably it's simply that stupidity more often takes the form of having few ideas than wrong ones.
Whatever the cause, stupid comments tend to be short. And since it's hard to write a short comment that's distinguished for the amount of information it conveys, people try to distinguish them instead by being funny. The most tempting format for stupid comments is the supposedly witty put-down, probably because put-downs are the easiest form of humor. [5] So one advantage of forbidding meanness is that it also cuts down on these.
Bad comments are like kudzu: they take over rapidly. Comments have much more effect on new comments than submissions have on new submissions. If someone submits a lame article, the other submissions don't all become lame. But if someone posts a stupid comment on a thread, that sets the tone for the region around it. People reply to dumb jokes with dumb jokes.
4
points
2
points
1
point
3
points
Hmmm. I wonder where I fit in all of this? I try not to do witty put downs (that's too easy and it's mean). I do leave short, stupid arguments but I know I'm being stupid so how stupid am I or my arguments? I guess it's safe to say that if you're after a serious debate, label it as such and I'll respect your wishes. Or just flat out ban me. I come here to have fun. Not to be destructive but also not to get too serious. When I want to get serious, I deal with the reality that is my life. This site is my escapism. It's better than alcohol ;) Side: Everyone has something to offer
1
point
I figured so. There really cannot be a standard to justify whether someone is smart or not going by an IQ test like lets say I score a 200 and I tell you that ice cream can cure cancer, you would call me crazy but not stupid =]. You also cannot go by money I mean look at Paris Hilton, she doesn't know how to screw in a light bulb there fore the imaginary one above her head cannot turn on. Drat French >.< Que divertido! Side: Joe isnt dumb
|