A little bit of inane trivia – but it just stuck in my mind, so I thought I’d mention it.
I just browsed through a certain website frequented by driving instructors (mainly argumentative types) and saw something which nearly gave me a coronary, I laughed so much!
On all web forums, you get “characters”. You get people who are deliberately antagonistic, others who are extremely misguided, and so on. But the most irritating ones on instructor forums are the know-it-alls – particularly when they clearly do not know it all!, No matter what someone else says, these people will always behave as if that person is not quite right, even if they are.
This particular character is rather patronising, and loves to dissect what others have said word by word. He’s never wrong himself, and if challenged will defend anything he has said with post after post of minutiae to support it. He isn’t aware of how annoying he is to others (though it does come out occasionally after they lose their tempers). He often makes matters worse by adding things like “Bill is right”, which usually stirs things up even more.
This particular argument is about elderly drivers, and should they have to be re-tested or not. The part that made me laugh out loud is was:
[Long dissection of someone else’s post who he has been attacking, and who is standing up to him so that an argument is brewing]…
As many readers will know, my posts are generally polite and in the interests of acquiring knowledge or validating opinion or giving out knowledge as opposed to the people on here who cannot debate properly and become quite childish in the way they express themselves when others choose to disagree with them.
I would venture to suggest that if more people followed my example, there would be more people prepared to post on here rather than as they do, not want to get involved through fear of ridicule etc. That would enrich the Forum beyond belief because there are many out there with a lot to give. I’m not saying I’m perfect or never make mistakes but look at my posts since I joined and you will see what I mean.
He likes to point out that life – including driving – isn’t black and white.
To make matters worse, a moderator (and close friend) has defended him, which then geed Mr know-it-all up enough to make a few cutting remarks about the person he’d wound up. He then made some comment about ignoring that person from now on – hardly in keeping with his policy of being…
…generally polite and in the interests of acquiring knowledge or validating opinion or giving out knowledge…
It’s the “acquisition of knowledge and validating of opinion” – by steamrollering everyone else – that causes the arguments that stop people posting on most forums The cause of people not posting is not the argument itself, but the belittling that leads up to that argument by people who are legends in their (and their supporters’) own lunchtimes.
I keep well away from these things, but they make great reading sometimes.