Over the last week I've noticed several threads degenerate into slanging matches, and even offers of physical violence (over dietary advice of all things!). Are we becoming too grumpy/aggressive ? I have actually come to the point of considering giving up contributing…

Probably cos we're crap at football…

**** tosser

It's always the same few people.

me to its gone down to it's lowest point in my view.

oh, I see, so the rise of domestic footy related aggression is reflected on the forum too ?

I think there is a minority of people on 'ere who fit that profile sfb – I was talking to a mate about actually meeting some of these guys /gals in the flesh. Most are unlike their STW personas so why do people choose to be knobs on here if in real life they are nice people?

Indeed. I don't post much, hardly at all TBH, partly because whatever is written can be taken the wrong way, taken out of context, misrepresented etc. and partly because it boils my beans when folk get shirty over something trivial. It'd be different in conversation of course, you get a more animated, coherent and freer exchange of opinion and argument face-to-face.

no its because some people, quite rightly, get offended at certain comments but instead of turning over to a different thread, they insist on stoking the flames which, in turn, incenses the person who posted the offending comment/image/joke and eventually leads to an argument. Arguments are natural and should not be avoided nor discouraged but they should be mediated, which they are on here (to an extent). Too much interference creates a sterile environment that no one wants.

I for one enjoy a good argument and would stop contributing on here if it was to become sterile.

Let the arguments continue.

i am less confrontational nowadays………. 8)

Too many blokes, too many keyboard warriors.

It's the heat

if you read the locked footie thread in reverse it goes from nazi histrionics to calm and humorous quite quickly. You're reading the threads from the wrong end.

Let the arguments continue.

don't get me wrong, I love arguing, but that's not the same as a slanging match – though many of my past arguments have gone that way – but I don't get offended

I blame it on the increacing MBUK'ness of the contributors to the forum, it seems to be attracting a different type of person to those it was 6 6ears or so back when I joined.

Mark_Datz (might be the extream example)
Neil/Fruit/Tango
Kaesea
etc etc

Simon – on the diet related one I admit to baiting the person who was threatening violence – and I certainly did not take that threat seriously in any way – I suspect it was hyperbole from the other side for (comic) effect.

I have not seen any great rise in rudeness I must say – I have my usual fanboys who like to follow my posts and slag me but they have abated their efforts a bit recently and there are other people who I get into arguments with that can become heated.

I feel that the people who lose their temper and make the intemperate posts and slag off other posters have rather shown their inadequacy and have lost the debate. ( even tho I have been guilty of this myself)

So I don't think it is any worse than it has been but there are a couple of people who have been posting fairly rude and stupid things IMO – but who am I to judge.

It really is getting quite childish on here now, too many a""holes taking offence to jokes and someonelse's take on a paticular subjects if it doesn't agree with THEIR opinion as well as bans been placed on folks who actually are out to take the pi$$.

Yesterday i finally had enough, i happily listen to other peoples opinions as it would be a very boring world if we all agreed with everyone else but after reading some of the comments on the Armed Forces Day by eldridge and a couple of others i just really couldnt be bothered anymore.

12 years i was in the Royal Marines. Recently i have lost a couple of very good mates out there, but i have realised there is absolutely no point of arguing with some people.Cos aparently we are all torturing, raping and having a blast kicking the shit out of innocent people.

So for a while im gonna bow out, and let other people get angry over trivial shite.

And to you eldridge – i hope wherever you are that you are tucked up nice and safe in your cosy rose tinted life. Some people are not.
Have a nice day all.

Eldridge was bang out of order on that thread. I hope he is gone never to return.

I agree with his sentiments to some extent but that was not the place to air them

I was reading the comments on the armed forces thread in disbelief

I delete after posting or give up half way through typing half the stuff that would be my input as there's nothing you can say, no matter how casual or trivial a point, that won't attract the wrath of some self righteous keyboard warrior.

The deciding thing for me came a while ago when some cycle commuting chap was flamed for daring to complain that a car had rolled into him at a stop sign. The guy was hit by a car, and even that wasn't good enough to avoid him being treat like an idiot.

It made me realise that when you post something on STW you're wrong, whatever side of an argument you decide to fall on, even if it's both. And everyone will just automatically assume you're an idiot, whatever you say.

Keyboard warrior hindsight jockeying. And it's a real shame, as the people I've met in real life have all been sound. Mountain bikers in general are a lovely bunch, and I want these forums to be ace, and they can and have been at points in the previous 5 or so years I've been on, but at the moment it's just ridiculous.

I wonder who's going to be the one to hit me with the old faithful 'don't let the door hit you on the ass on the way out' line.

it's an internet forum about bikes and sh*t

anyone who gets angry or upset about a post needs to get out and interact with the real world a bit more.

I'd like to see a limit on the amount of characters per day that people are allowed to post.

I'm sick of the same four or five people dominating every single thread with either pointless trolling, self aggrandisement or spurious "knowledge" picked up from the back of a cornflake packet.

Eldridge was bang out of order on that thread. I hope he is gone never to return

I stopped reading at his initial comment!

It's a shame that post got blocked – eldridge can never argue his point properly…he always goes quiet when he knows you've got the better of him. Typical bully behaviour.

those with a large post count should be given a profile which is written by the moderators/ me so that any newby/ naive posters can see which members are looking for an argument or a debate (ie trolling) so that they can be avoided or at least know what they're letting themselves in for
.
a forum offenders register

Bakes – so thats SFB. Me and Ernie with health warnings then?

People are all very different and to come on an internet forum expecting conformance to any of your opinions is expecting too much. There are some very argumentative people on here but you all know who they are so either don't interact or join the argument. Up to you.

Some of the recent posts on the holocaust and armed forces day go too far and quite rightly those people should be banned.

How about a more detailed profile, with a list of bans and links to the the offending posts? Just so we can get more of an idea of the general attitude and behaviour of the poster. 🙂

I think that the changing of user names seems to have been stopped, which is good.

I'd also like to see a sticky of the current most prolific posters, but as stated before, I think a limit on characters/posts per day or week would be most useful. Would make people consider their posts more carefully.

Bakes – so thats SFB. Me and Ernie with health warnings then?

self-aggrandisement – an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance

I just stick to bikey related bits and general daft stuff now, as some folks get terribly uptight and seem to go out of their way to cause strife. I can only assume it's angry bank clerk syndrome where instead of being paintball rambos at the weekend to make up for a dead end job and not being happy with their lot they come on here and try to widdle on other peoples chips.

+1 for what tazzy said. Spot on.

It's political correctness gone bad I tell thee!

They say that (some high percentage) of communication is non-verbal. So when you get discussions on the Internet you lose the body language, the cheeky grin or knowing wink, and people react badly to things that are meant in jest or are simply misunderstood. It's often very difficult to put yourself across in writing, some people aren't that good at it and you don't get the chance to interrupt and get told "well, no, of course I didn't mean that" that would be an integral part of a face-to-face debate.

So instead, people get snippy or angry about the most mundane things. But I don't think that it's a particular feature of STW, it's endemic across the Internet.

self-aggrandisement – an act undertaken to increase your own power and influence or to draw attention to your own importance[/i]

Wrong, TJ has fanboys apparently, he's that big already 🙂

which members are looking for an argument or a debate (ie trolling)

I thought trolling meant pretending to opinions one didn't hold ?

bigger than ton?

why do people choose to be knobs on here if in real life they are nice people

What, all of 'em?

SFB – trolling means dragging a combative line to see who you can draw into a tiger-trap-sized argument. No-one but you really cares whether you're being true to yourself or inventing your own character.

MrSmith – Member

it's an internet forum about bikes and sh*t

anyone who gets angry or upset about a post needs to get out and interact with the real world a bit more.

what he said