avevale_intelligencer | (no subject)

In one of the forums to which I occasionally contribute, there are three or four people who absolutely epitomise D West's line "Fandom is full of people who get their rocks off being bloody-minded." They seem to disrupt any thread they enter. They take any criticism as a personal attack on themselves; when someone tries to say something calming, they "agree" with it in terms calculated to spark off the whole rhubarb again: and once they start bouncing off each other calm and reasoned discussion is pretty much impossible. They're also intelligent, articulate, creative and make enormous contributions to the life of the forum and its subject.

The response to them from the other forumites at the moment is to take the position that they don't mean it, that it's all a series of regrettable misunderstandings and that they should think twice before speaking. Which is very nice, but a bit Pollyanna-ish. One glance at the posts will tell you that they are saying exactly what they mean to say. Whether they're easily bored, or genuinely paranoid, or see it as their duty to "stir things up," they're doing it quite deliberately, and will carry on doing it till somebody really upsets them, at which point they will take their ball and go home, and the forum will be immensely the poorer.

The only way to deal with them is to recognise the game and refuse to be drawn into it.

And yes, I recognise a lot of these tendencies in myself. That's how I know them so well. I do at least try to keep a rein on them, though. Which is why, having written this to post in the forum, I decided to put it here instead.

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Then, of course, there are the ones who play Candide, all wide-eyed wonder and curiousity. They'll toss an 'innocent' or 'naive' question or comment into play, then sit back and watch the fireworks.

And I can't post this where it really belongs, either :)

there's an unhloy troika who thrives on causing conflict and dissent, and at some point they'll need thwapped upside the head.

Yup. It's very nice to pretend they don't mean to do it, but at some point you have to accept that yeah, they kind of do.

Considering they do it in every Myst enviroment they frequent, the innocent act just doesn't cut it anymore.

Yes, and then there are those of us who post something really Off Topic - like this: If you haven't already read it, check out

min0taur's blog. I've often thought there was some similarity in you and Barry and believe me I mean that as the highest compliment. And not just cause you are both tall and good at hugging. ;-)

I friended him as soon as I saw the link in your BBB post. I didn't even know he had an LJ. Similarity? Well, let's see...he's taller than me, his sense of humour is weirder and he's a better musician...gee, it's a good thing I love him so much, isn't it? ;)