Why are there so many nasty Transformers fans?

Discussion in 'Transformers General Discussion' started by Brave Convoy, Nov 9, 2009.

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  1. ryan.j

    ryan.j Well-Known Member

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    i'm a twat, but in my defence i'm a twat in real life too, so it's not just you guys getting my special sauce.

    i guess i'm always prepared to robustly defend my opinions. i do try not to be nasty to people though, and i can't stand a bully - particularly not on the internet where you don't need to backup your bastardry with anythign more than cool story, bro.

    for what it's worth, TFW has a nice mix of people. some seem a little thin skinned, some seem about 9, but the vast majority are just regular blokes/blokettes with an interest in Transformers.
     
  2. ryan.j

    ryan.j Well-Known Member

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    i read a lot of forums, i've been kicking around the internets forever, and in my experience every poster on every forum ever insists it's not as good as it used to be, the new posters aren't as good as the old posters, so on and so forth. it's a kinda mini-nostalgia.

    which isn't to say they're not right. Any community will ebb and flow over time, but it seems unlikely that every single forum internet starts off awesome and slowly declines into 4chan-ness before imploding in a binary big-bang, sending it's members spinning out across the internet to form new forums and communities.

    If it makes you feel any better, TFW '09 is much, much better than a great many other forums out there.
     
  3. Feralstorm

    Feralstorm Good Morning, Weather Hackers! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Might as well go to 4chan's /toy/ board. Tons of trolling, insults, pointlessness, and people shoving their personal opinions down each others' throats - on any toy-related subject - and it's generally considered one of the nicest, most civil boards on the site.

    I don't see a lot of difference in 'niceness' from fandom to fandom, though admittedly my forum experience is not all that wide-ranging. TFW is plenty nice enough for me, as long as one does not act like a dick to others. More often than not, whenever I see someone talking smack about the TFW board or its users or mods, it translates to "not enough people agree with what I say, and get pissy at my ability to show no respect or restraint." :) 
     
  4. aussiehippy

    aussiehippy Au contraire, Blackadder.

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    Oh yeah, don't get me wrong, it's all relative.

    But TFW did used to be better

    :D 
     
  5. thenatureboywoo

    thenatureboywoo Veteran

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    I noticed on here that alot of people's feelings get hurt way too easy. And if someone is being too nasty, there is a report post button. That button does more for a forum than the "can people be nice threads".
     
  6. shibamura_prime

    shibamura_prime Food Truck or BMW Moderator

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    The movies obviously triggered a huge interest in the line, and in turn there was a major influx of new users, both young and old. Unfortunately, due to the laws of statistics (and the interwebz) a good number of these are more than a little "off." Couple that with the inherent online forum "need" to one-up everybody with the hopes of being quoted in someone's signature, things can get more than a little nasty.

    A tough skin helps, but TFW staff are aware of the downturn in etiquette and we're looking at some options. In the meantime, as mentioned before if you feel that someone is going over the line use the "Report Post" button and a staff member will look into it.
     
  7. ams

    ams Generation All Veteran

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    I'd suggest using your ignore list; it's there so you can cut off terrible posters that may not be breaking any particular forum rules. When the rules ARE being broken, report the post as necessary.

    Also, there are at least a couple dozen regular long-time posters who consistently provide reasonable, sensible, and accurate responses to people who have questions or are new, without all the internet-luzer nonsense.

    So while the percentage of rude and inconsiderate posters has certainly gone up, the great contributors are still here... you've just got to weed through the junk a bit more than in the past.
     
  8. Shelfwarmercon

    Shelfwarmercon Well-Known Member

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    I think the Radicons subforum is better moderated - certainly a lot of encouragement on providing constructive feedback, when it is just as easy for anyone to tear down an aspiring kitbasher's work.
     
  9. n_tel_ekt

    n_tel_ekt Wreaker

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    Can we also add ANYONE who uses the term "Inevitable Repaint"! lol.

    There should be a chameleon-like color changing character named that!
     
  10. DeathStorm

    DeathStorm Snoochie Boochies

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    Is anyone else noting the irony in the OPs last sentence? You want niceness but finish your post with that? Very friendly.

    I digress. This is attributed to sheer membership size. The more people you have the more disagreements you'll have. The movies moved fans here in droves so the nerd rage is going to run amok. Additionally, the movie was aimed at a younger audience. More kids join = more immaturity is seen (not a generalization, just calling it like it is - there are exceptions, of course).
     
  11. smkspy

    smkspy Remember true fans

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    I don't know, I look at it as that's just the internet. You got to find a place that you're comfortable posting at. I used to post at CBR for years before moving over here, and I honestly hated most of the people over there. They were bigger assholes than I, and that's major achievement. Regardless, I think you got to let a lot of stuff slide on net, all the "Cool story, bros" and various internet memes are just silly things we say to each other for laughs and giggles. My real life is too complicated without me having to worrying about a my internet life feeling hurt over a silly comment here and there.

    Isn't that how these type of threads always are? Someone gets on their little high-horse to tell us how shitty we are, that we should play nice, that we should be thankful for the toys or movies we got, and then proceeds to tell us to shut up. It's irony at its best.
     
  12. Brave Convoy

    Brave Convoy Banned

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    This hit the nail right on the head. Funny that there are actually a few wise-ass responses in this very thread, like the one making fun of He-Man fans. It adds nothing to the conversation, it's not funny, and it doesn't do anything but provoke people to either leave the conversation or incite an argument.
     
  13. Rewind

    Rewind Swoosh!

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    I've frequented internet forums (predominantly toy forums) since 1998 and there have always been, on almost every large community, people who get off on being mean and try to rationalize their behavior by telling people they have 'thin skin'. The numbers of these kinds of people goes up and down and varies from forum to forum, but I usually notice it more on the larger boards like this one. I have noticed the nastiness here reaching a fairly explosive level over the last two or three years. I don't know why it's so hard for people to remain civil. It's not "just the internet" - it's real people communicating. Just because you aren't looking them in the eye doesn't mean they don't deserve the same amount of respect and civility you would (hopefully) give them if you were talking to them in person.

    So yeah, the mean-spirited posters have always been around and unfortunately probably always will be. That's why forums have Moderators, right? Right? Oh wait, I forgot that even Moderators can exhibit the same foul behavior. When one recieves an admonishing and chest-beating PM from a Moderator that is laced with F-bombs, how is one supposed to take that seriously? How is one supposed to keep faith in the message board as a whole when the people in charge of putting out fires are spraying napalm all over the place? I've experienced that first hand at this forum and other forums. But only within the last couple of years. Apparently that kind of behavior is more acceptable now to forum Admins, and that's unfortunate.

    Personally I've found myself losing a lot of interest in forums lately. It's becoming too hard to ignore the mean-spirited people and it's seeming like a lot of people don't really even care about discussing toys and celebrating their affection anymore. It makes me wonder why people are even in the hobby if they find so many things about it disagreeable.

    I just want to enjoy toys, and I realized that lately I've been developing an associative complex where I look at certain toys and they just remind me of all the jerks and loudmouths and the opinions they belch out as absolute truths. For some reason all that negative energy just comes through the screen and leaves a taint on my toys, like dust on the dust. I don't like thinking that, so I'm gonna take a break from forums for a while and seperate myself from it.

    And yes, I know that was a cool story, bro.
     
  14. Lock Cade

    Lock Cade Tarn Fangirl

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    Yeah, I have to agree that there are some a-hole TF fans on TFW. I have come to generally avoid dealing with such members. I just come and post my general thoughts about a particular topic, then GTFO before things get too ugly. Sometimes I just avoid certain discussions altogether because of all the ugliness and spamming involved.

    As a whole, I respect other people's opinions, providing that they have strong reasons to back up why they like and don't like particular aspects of the TF franchise. If there's a user that I feel is a total a-hole, I just avoid that person altogether.

    Just ignore the members who are nasty. Don't give them any attention whatsoever. If you feel somebody's being nasty towards you for what you post, don't respond to them. That's my general advice. Giving them any attention or talking back to them is only going to encourage them to keep on being nasty.
     
    Last edited: Nov 9, 2009
  15. Brave Convoy

    Brave Convoy Banned

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    I did say "please." :) 
     
  16. Eric

    Eric VOTE.

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    ...Nope, gonna stay away from this one.

    :confused2 
     
  17. swampflight

    swampflight Banned

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    Slipping through the cracks....

    I agree on this point totally and I'm not saying I havent posted my share of negative comments and I've even been banned for being disrespectful but it seems this happens a lot on this website and no disciplinary action is taken towards members that break the rules about posting comments over and over.I realize that the MODS are doing a full-time job keeping the peace and trying to keep it all under control but I think the rules should be enforced a little more strictly when it comes to flamers,insulters,and a**holes in general who only take pleasure in starting trouble because they feel they can get away with it over and over.
     
  18. Brave Convoy

    Brave Convoy Banned

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    Fantastic post. I agree 100% on all counts. I think the positiveness of the He-Man and GI Joe fans over the last couple years has actually gotten me more into those lines, while I actually took a break from Transformers for a while because the fandom killed it for me. Luckily, that "taint" eventually goes away due to the sheer awesomeness of the toyline. :)  But whenever my interest in TF comes back around, I usually just read news headlines and steer clear of the message boards, mostly lurk and post very infrequently.

    Agreed on the comment about moderators as well. I'm not saying they're all like that, but I do think a moderator should never use profanity when they're admonishing someone.

    All in all, I'm really impressed with the response this thread has gotten. Thank you guys for the thoughtful responses!
     
  19. Lock Cade

    Lock Cade Tarn Fangirl

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    This I agree with. Enforce the rules more strictly. Every single time somebody flames someone, makes insults, or just generally acts like an a-hole on the boards they should be punished for their behavior and eventually banned permanently from the site. It would help make the site a more awesome place to hang out on.
     
  20. MegaMoonMan

    MegaMoonMan OFFICIAL MMM REP

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    Why are TF fans nasty? Probably because they have to read the same threads over and over again. Do that enough and you'll get nasty too.

    Personally, if I have to see another "What's the next MP figure going to be/wishlist" thread started I think I'll pop.
     
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