I saw a comment once among a bunch of certifiably smart people, calling them “hard of reading.” I think it had to do with an inability to follow simple directions (like how to sign, fold, and mail their club ballot). The idea was that they thought they were too smart to have to read the directions—and then “If I can’t do it, it must be really hard.” Not if they’d read the directions.
I think we have a number of jellies who are so eager to be there fast with a know-it-all answer that they rush past the details (as well as the posts above theirs). This really annoys some of the rest of us.
Then we have the ones who, whether fast or slow, simply can’t be bothered to take in extra words. Maybe those are folks who are keen to have an audience rather than to be an audience.
And there’s always the one who has to find fault with the question or take issue with the premise. I’d like them to just SKIP the question if it doesn’t apply to them or if they have nothing to offer. It’s not as if every polling-type question actually requires an answer from everyone. No one regards our comments as a statistical sampling. And we’re not in a private face-to-face conversation where some response is a matter of social obligation.
Those jellies will even answer a question with screening language up front:
“Parents, do you…?” “I’m not a parent.”
“If you’ve had a broken arm, did you…?” “I’ve never had a broken arm.”
“When you were dating in high school…” “I didn’t date in high school.”
I also think some people treat the “Just for You” section as meaning they’re expected to answer. Then we see “I don’t know why this question was directed to me. I have never set my shoes on fire in the oven.”
Sad to say, @chyna, there have been various attempts over time to cure this exasperating habit. You probably remember some of them. I don’t think it’s going away. Your target audience probably won’t read the details here, or will think they don’t apply to them. It’s a lot like trying to herd jellyfish. As usual, we will just put up with it for the sake of congeniality, even if we simply have to growl now and then.