@poofandmook Honestly, hearing people complain that they can’t answer the questions in general because of the “new rules” immediately made “discipline” come to my mind. All it takes is a little discipline to not use a witty one-liner if that is what you would have used before. And to me, that is usually a trait younger people have trouble dealing with, not older, more experienced people.

I don’t know the people here well enough to know who is older and younger though (other than the people that call themselves a “gray head”, so I can’t really say who is having a harder time with it.

My thing is, if a question is posted in General, people obviously are not welcoming snark on that thread. They obviously want a serious answer. What is so hard about using a little self-control and respecting that the placement of the question speaks to the wishes of the asker.

Inability to control one’s behavior is a trait that’s usually believed to be in younger people, not older people. I think it’s interesting how the roles have switched, and would like to see if anyone else views it the same way.

Because some questions in the general section are still fucking retarded and deserve a smart ass/snarky answer…..

It wasn’t a big change Fluther made. I personally am not that keen, but I have a fear of change. If people are leaving that that’s a little silly. This change is nothing like the change that was made on Answerbag, now that was a change, a big fucking change, and hundreds left. Most of them came here. Fluther mods seem to have their heads on their shoulders and I don’t think they would be stupid enough to make a big big change.

Don’t tar us all “elders” with the same brush. Just because one hot gray head is dividing things among older and younger people doesn’t prove anything to me. i’m feeling much more upset byt the brouhaha over the changes than by the changes themselves.

@janbb: No, I wasn’t doing that.. at least, not trying to. I was stemming my question directly from a comment (that, amidst all the brouhaha, I don’t have time to find it)

@poofandmook Yes, I assumed that and was not trying to stir up any more discord. Just saying that we are all individuals here with our own reactions and that I don’t see anything as age related.

The first rule of discourse is “consider your audience”. All the new rules do is make that obvious.

If you can’t consider your audience, you’re not a particularly good communicator. And this is the problem – those who are upset by the changes don’t want to acknowledge that the audience for their comments is greater than the community they feel ownership of.

I’d like to say there was a simple answer to this question. I have seen people bitching about the new changes and over-reacting in the extreme, they have been both young and old.

I have been surprised by what I considered to be some of the less tolerant among us actually supporting the changes and not finding a reason to make a big deal out of them.

I have seen an efflux of users from the site for a variety of reason and people erroneously claiming that it is due to the changes (kind of “palin-esque” to co-opt a loss of users to your own personal agenda if you ask me) and people who used to be contributors and respected turn themselves into raving and ranting cartoons of their former selves.

I’m sad about some of the users we lost, I’m pissed about some of the users we kept. No matter what I still love the site and it’s ability and willingness to evolve in order to make it a better resource for it’s current and future users.

So to answer your question, no… I don’t see a role reversal in regards to age group. I have seen a role reversal in what I used to consider level headed and intelligent individuals.

I am not ruffled, if I make a mistake and toss a little humor in where it is deemed inappropriate they can just remove my comment….no big whoop.

@poofandmook The issue is not about self control. The fact that you think it is shows how you simply don’t get it. I think it’s been explained to you enough times, but I’ll try once again.

People can control themselves and give straight answers. When I give a straight answer, it’s always a straight answer. But if something is perfect for satire or another kind of joke—can’t be done. You have to put the two together—straight and funny—and that doesn’t work.

@Dr_C Sorry to disappoint you that I haven’t left yet. But keep on making comments like that, and I probably will. And if you think I’ve been raving; then you don’t know what raving is. When I rave, you’ll know it! And I won’t even make you take ecstasy.

Do not the guidelines suggest that you can use humor and sarcasm, as long as you also provide an appropriate answer?

Meaning, be funny, but don’t be a dick. Is that so hard?

@Seek_Kolinahr I don’t know if you were talking to me, but if you were, it is clear you didn’t read my comment. You can’t be both funny and serious simultaneously. Or if you can, it is something pretty rare.

And let’s look at it from the other side. The social side has become much less polite. Your comment being a good example. It’s also become sillier. Those things are not good, either.

@wundayatta: But you’re complaining about not being able to use satire in a “perfect” environment. My entire point is, if it’s in general, it’s not the right environment, no matter how many things you could say about it. If it is in general, it is the asker’s wish to avoid that. Not Fluther’s wish. All Fluther’s rules do is allow the asker that “luxury.”

@wundayatta

I wasn’t addressing you specifically. I’ve seen several people complain that they’re not allowed to use one-liners anymore. Personally, I think that’s a good thing.

Using myself as an example: On Answerbag, I was pretty well known for the comment: “Do your own damned homework”. There are probably upwards of two hundred questions on AB with that as the first answer.

Now, with the new guidelines, I would not be able to say that. I might, on the other hand, say “I’m not your teacher. We’re not going to answer this for you. However… (insert method of finding answer here).”

@poofandmook Yes, it is not the right environment, but the questions there are more likely to be appropriate for satire. Maybe they could open the question up after say ten or twenty answers or two days. By that time there should be plenty of serious answers, or it is clear that no one wants to or can give a serious answer.

@Seek_Kolinahr Personally, I don’t use one liners all that much, but they never bothered me. Even when they derailed my own questions. I figured you pays yo money and you takes yo chances.

@wundayatta

Again using myself as an example, I’ve had way too many serious questions buried in satire and unhelpful answers. Fluther is a little different from AB, in that the issue of a question being lost in the ether doesn’t happen so easily here (on AB, unanswered questions went into a category, so someone answering “Google it”, or inputting some stupid joke knocked it out of “Needs Answers”, and it could pretty much be lost forever). I don’t mind so much my questions being given unhelpful answers on Fluther, because I know the Fluther Gods will send my question directly to the people that are most likely able to answer it. Still, when you get the “New answers!” email, you expect your problems to be addressed – not to see someone making fun of your situation, or even worse – just saying “I don’t know”. That one gets me the worst. If you don’t know, don’t farcking answer.

@wundayatta: Well, I am sorry you’re so deluded that you think you have the right to decide what is appropriate response for someone else’s question. I’m done with this argument. That is an issue that is going to take a lot more than common sense to remedy.

@Seek_Kolinahr That does sound annoying. I hope the new system gets you better answers.

Personally, I felt that if I got the wrong answers, it was my fault. I didn’t write the question right or I didn’t understand the rules. Maybe we should have a middle category for people who don’t want things as silly as social, but not as stuck up as general.

@poofandmook What a curious remark! Clearly you are a hypocrite since you have been providing answers to my questions. Or maybe you didn’t decide what to say? Are you channeling someone else?

Your reasoning here—and I am being generous in calling it “reasoning”—is absolutely perplexing. If you don’t decide what is an appropriate response to someone else’s question, then who does decide? How does that work? Maybe the questioner should be the answerer, too?

Oh well. Too bad you aren’t here to read this satire. I do so love it when people leave themselves wide open. Oh my. And it’s your question, too. Perhaps you wish this had been in general, so you could have decided that I don’t write appropriate answers? Maybe you wish you were a mod, so you could make the world into @poofandmook ville.

I didn’t know you before you took on this issue. I’m learning a lot, I must say. Quite a lot. I have to ask—which charm school did you graduate from?

@wundayatta: What I meant, and I thought it was pretty obvious, that you’re deluded enough to think you have the right to decide if satire is appropriate for someone’s question when they have very obviously decided they don’t welcome it at that time. This is clearly indicated by its place in the General section. Just because the door is “wide open” for a snarky response doesn’t mean it’s okay or welcome. That is my entire point.

I purposely put this in social so responses would be more lax. See? I am using Fluther the way it is meant to be used at this point in time. If I wanted this to be a question that I didn’t welcome open debate or off-topic asides or even humor, I would’ve put it in the General section. What a novel concept!

See, I’m happy with the way Fluther is right now. I didn’t like it, but the more I use it, the more I like it. If you made an attempt instead of bellyaching and insisting that Fluther is horrible because it’s not exactly the way you want it (and I was the one who wanted it to be my way?), maybe you could see that it’s actually very useful.

Thanks for the personal attack on my charm, by the way. Shows your maturity.

@poofandmook I thought it was very charming that you called me “deluded.” I loved the way you totally invalidated my thinking on this. It’s also very mature. In fact, I have been wondering how old you are. I suspect that you have a maturity beyond your years.

Oh, and if you like this conversation, well, I am speechless. And yet, this is happening all over fluther at the moment. But it is obvious that you and I shall never see eye to eye. We’ve been over the same thing at least three times now. Perhaps you will agree to disagree?

I actually said above, a few posts ago, that I was done with the argument, and then you attacked my character. So…

I’m with @uberbatman on this one. Reap what you sow.

@wundayatta contrary to your belief you are not the center of the universe and by extension not the subject of my previous post. You are not the only user who is dissatisfied with the way things have changed on the site and I don’t believe I ever mentioned you directly. In fact I remember quite clearly writing the statement and I don’t remember having thought of you while doing so.

If you want to make everything about you and find another excuse to whine… go ahead. Enjoy the bile.

I love going to social, knowing I can be serious and joke and ask questions that don’t have 10 polysyllabic words in them!!!

I’ve been a grey silver haired lady for most of my Fluther career, and I love the new changes. As I’ve stated many times I don’t find most so-called funny quips to be funny, and I prefer not to have to wade through quip after quip of pure chatting to winnow out a valid answer.

Old and young mindsets do not necessarily correlate with age.