I mean, what does anyone get out of it?

Me; I thrive on conflict, but then I am quite angry. It’s like a game of chess, a challenge. There’s a need to ‘win’, even if it’s quite a trivial thing.

I ask this, because I’ve become more aware of this ‘need’ within myself, and how I can perhaps achieve the same sense of satisfaction, the same gratification, through more positive and productive pursuits.

I know I’m not the only one, regardless of how much in denial other people may be.

Best to be honest, at least with yourself, surely?

What are your thoughts on this? Do you like a good argue? Do you crave conflict/victory? Do you need the gratification that comes from ‘winning’?

Or is it more about the ‘taking part’?

Interested to read other’s thoughts on this.

say’s one of the main culprits…………. 🙄

A desperate need to feel good about myself.

I practise a kind of Zen indifference.

Noteeth… and no-mind!

a desperate need for al’s approval

I am always right so I don’t really see where the arguments are……

Give him a fist pie ton!

I avoid conflict, I saw plenty of it when my parents went through a divorce when I was very young, but still old enough to remember 🙁

Male thing innit. Pecking order.

No, come on; seriously. You put a lot of effort into arguing on here, some of youse lot, so how about a bit of effort on this one, then maybe we can all gain something positive from it.

Meh.

I can’t be doing with it, tbh it’s ruining this forum

Life’s little cycle, ain’t it! You spend your formative years being told what to do; you get an education; you then spend a period of your life after you’ve been educated, know it all and are always right on STW; you then grow up, mellow, and smile knowingly to yourself at the angst-ridden youngsters debating arguing on STW; then, just when you think you’re totally chilled you get all Victor Meldrew and start writing letters to your local press, being totally intolerant of the slightest thing. Oh, hang on a minute ~ it would appear that MTBers get to that point somewhat earlier in the cycle… 8)

Me; I thrive on conflict, but then I am quite angry. It’s like a game of chess, a challenge. There’s a need to ‘win’, even if it’s quite a trivial thing.

Must be hard then to keep coming on here and getting beaten. 🙂

i steer clear of all post’s written by certain people, because i know it will end in a argument.
i am sure people steer clear of ones written by me cos i talk bollox.

I like argument. But not hostility.

A few hundred years ago an argument would have been settled by a duel, and over very quickly.

Nowadays arguments just rumble on and on and on because even when someone delivers the killer blow the other party just keeps arguing for the sake of it.

Agree with you Ton, though it’s hard as those people post on every other thread

I get annoyed when people either a) think I’m stupid or immoral or something and b) are labouring under misapprehensions of some kind.

So I have to try and fix it.

I don’t argue when things are a matter of opinion, but sometimes people’ve got the wrong end of the stick entirely and are not getting the point at all. Once you’ve understood the issue you are free to disagree, that’s all fine and dandy. But I just can’t abide confusion, especially when people think they have got it but haven’t, and when they are making judgements based on a missed point.

even when someone delivers the killer blow the other party just keeps arguing for the sake of it.

Sums up most arguments on STW… 😀

I just come on here to talk utter, utter sh1te. I really don’t feel the need to win arguments here, I have to do that plenty enough in my job and the real world; this place is therapy.

Maybe if people could post pictures of their depressed little faces I’d get that real world satisfaction and be more inclined to try and beat you into submission with my intellect…

i enjoy discussing things if it stays civil but sometimes you get sucked in forget to breathe and type b0ll0cks. you tend to end up having the same debates with polar opposites who have equally intransient views and the cycle continues. My epiphany has not been as great as yours but I am trying to ease off.I mainly read the nukes thread for example and am less anti than before.
Some people on here are idiots though and it is hard to not say so when they say omething stupid so Ton shhh – just testing to see if he reads mine 😉

13thfloormonk and I were discussing this in the pub last night. We both thought it was pretty amazing that his thread on winter camping hadn’t resulted in arguments (e.g. is it right or wrong to cook inside a tent). I’t certainly case that some people on here seem to thrive on disagreement. I know at least one of those is also like that in real life, but I wonder if all the rest are.

I can get involved sometime, but tend to have my say then bow out. I know I’m unlikely to change anyones politics or religion, but I will sometimes labour a point if someone is handing out advice that I disagree with. Along with some others, I will also sometimes adopt a contrary position just for the hell of it 😉

Meh.

See, that’s actually a very interesting post there. CFH. On the surface, it appears that the person isn’t interested, yet the intention is to gain some form of attention, even if it’s only to express disinterest! Perhaps even a tentative gesture to become part of the discussion actually; a first test shot, before other ‘big guns’ arrive. No?

CFH; I feel you, and many others on here have a lot of valuable insight to add to this. Fair enough if you really don’t want to, but I wouldn’t want anyone to feel intimidated by such questions. In light of the sentiment expressed by several on here recently, for the forum to be a more welcoming and happy place for us to share, I just thought it might be helpful to talk about why some of us feel compelled to ‘fight’ with others.

I can’t be doing with it, tbh it’s ruining this forum

I disagree; personally, I feel that folk should feel free to discuss and debate issues they feel strongly about. I doubt that most people have the freedom to do this at work, or with friends/family, as it’s not socially acceptable. I think a forum serves a very important function, as it allows such debate to happen without more potentially harmful consequences as might occur in the ‘real’ world.

I would agree that too much arguing can get tedious and off-putting for others, however.

fred, last sentence……….study it.

There are some on here that post with such apparent unquestionable authority, that it would be rude not to challenge them.

Oh – I should have added – as far a the politics threads go, I think that for many folk it is sheer frustration. Having “lost” the election, they are now feeling that they need somewhere to express their dis-satisfaction and the idea of waiting another 4-5 years is causing a lot of this.

I’d suggest that many of the most verbose contributors should consider doing something about it away form STW, like joining a political party and actually becoming an activist, or even becoming councillors, MPs, MSP themselves.

druidh – Member
Oh – I should have added – as far a the politics threads go, I think that for many folk it is sheer frustration. Having “lost” the election,

Druid lights the blue touchpaper and retires to a safe distance.

I got v cross a couple of days ago about something on here, felt a bit silly afterwards really

Buzz – your first post… is this your own motivation for ‘debating’ on here, or a suggestion as to what might motivate others?

Got called an idiot & told to piss off in a thread the other day by someone, he pissed me off by talking to me in that manner that I told him to **** off, which he didn’t like.

Never ceases to amaze me how many people on here can give abuse but can’t take any back.

I tend to just type stream of conciousness crap! sometimes as a bit of a wind up. I can be a bit opinionated or have a point of view, or sommmat, but then it can change the next day. I do wonder about the bods sat on here all day arguing a point when they could be out on their bikes or doinfg something more productive. but some of the “debates” can be really interesting and educational, it’s obvious to me there are some really intelligent people on here. It’s better than x-factor at least.

Do you like a good argue? Do you crave conflict/victory? Do you need the gratification that comes from ‘winning’?

yes I enjoy arguing, but it’s not about winning, it’s about taking part – and in fact I’d rather not reach a conclusion as then it has to stop 🙁 Sadly we don’t get many good arguments as many posters soon give in to pointless invective and name calling once they run out of ideas 🙁

Forums are mostly anonymous (although STW differs in as much as a lot of us do actually meet other forum dwellers from time to time) so it is easier for people to be more aggressive in their postings while hiding behind the keyboard. Plus, debating in the written word can easily cause misunderstandings because their is no inflection, irony is hard to portray, etc.. And some people even reinvent themselves quite regularly 😯

fred, last sentence……….study it.

I have, Ton. that’s the whole point of this thread.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm

For me – sometimes attempting to show others an alternative point of view, even trying to persuade them it is right.

Sometimes its because something people say appears ludicrous to me

Sometimes just for the sport of the debate

However there is also a few folk on here who completely misunderstand me and that also gets frustrating. Both in my motives and my point of view.
I do not have a need to win every argument – its not a win / lose thing for me. The issue is my inability to say meh! enough! and to understand that no ones mind will be changed.

I also need to be able to leave it when folk have clearly misunderstood – that I find harder

I need to make my point and walk away

An example is on the nukes threads. I try to do this then someone either completly distorts waht I say or askes mea na outright question – sucking me back in again

I would hope people can see that I have been making some attempt to debate rather than argue and to walk away when enough is enough.

There are a good few folk with this failing tho – and when a few of us get on a thread on differing sides is when it all goes ratshit.

I should have this printed out and stuck o my computer

I dislike tripe.

I come here to witness this……

*blows kisses to Elfin*

😉

tedious and off-putting for others,about right 😥