To sometimes get tired of having to word Opening Posts so carefully

[Summerbreezing]

I just feel you need to go over them with a fine toothcomb to prevent any thread you start from being totally derailed by someone either missing the point, or maliciously picking you up on a particular word to start a bun fight. Sometimes it's like trying to write a legal document, you have to be so careful not to leave any loopholes.

This type of behavior has a name it's called a logical fallacy

One of these logical fallacies is assuming that because something is poorly argued it must be false. I've seen some very literate idiots on here and I've seen some intelligent people in need of writing skills.

When I have people deliberately pick apart my posts, I assume that they have reading comprehension problems. I only re-explain patiently once before I let them know they're a special sort of stupid.

Any thread that is + / - 6 pages I tend not to post on, because the likelihood that someone has already said what I'm thinking is high and I can't be arsed to read 6 pages to find out

The amount of word-smithing on MN is unbelievable, it's far better than sitting in an English lesson! Posters will spend more time trotting out the same old "come back and talk to me when you know the difference between there and their / it's should have not should of" >yawn< than caring that the OP's partner is beating her up on a daily basis.

I've tried posting from a mobile and it's a proof-reader's nightmare!

I also hate it when someone comes on and attacks an OP nastily and then puts a at the end as if that somehow makes their unpleasant post witty or amusing. It doesn't!

Seriously I wish all those sniffer dogs searching eagerly around a post to find any word they can leap on before running around in circles, would take their mates the spelling and grammar police, and all fuck off and start their own forum called 'Catsbumnet' or somesuch, and leave all the pleasant, interesting, funny, witty, intelligent, helpful, kind, able to disagree without being a complete cow posters ALONE.

Vintage totally agree and at catsbumface

Thanks everyone. Glad IANBU on this. I have so often started to write an OP and by the time I've thought 'better take that out. Someone's sure to pick it up wrong' 'Ooops better qualify that or I'll be accused of being judgey' 'Hmm, maybe I should reword that. There's a chance it could be read this way instead of that way if someone's looking for an argument' I just decide it's not bloody worth it and press delete.

I think AIBU is by far the worse board for it though - the more specific boards tend to be much more supportive and people tend to be more diplomatic.

For example,I often see threads on the relationships board and wonder what the response would be if it was posted in AIBU - not knocking the relationships board in the slightest, I think it's fantastic that some people in very bad places have been helped to get support and out of bad situations.

I also love the way the misuse of punctuation or grammar or bad spelling automatically renders an argument invalid.

My big hate is really unhelpful first posts. I saw a post t'other day where the poster was really upset over something quite sensitive....but hadn't used paragraphs. It was obviously an emotive issue for her and I can imagine it was quite stressful just typing the damn thing out.

The first response was 'haven't you ever heard of paragraphs?'...

YANBU, and I think the lack of reading comprehension ability is very alarming. Sometimes what appears to be incredible nastiness is just - it seems - an inability to understand the written word.

So actually spending time writing considered posts of any kind is pretty much a waste of effort. They won't be understood, and you will be told you've said stuff which is the opposite of your posts.

vintage jazz, you're right, i'm learning to withdraw from a thread if I feel that people are just enjoying a cross-examination a bit tooooo much. Some posters have an appetite for making others feel bad.

I posted something last night, was already feeling a bit anxious so no way on earth would i have posted in AIBU. In the old days there was a clear line between chat and AIBU. Nobody dug deep to make you feel bad on chat!

great poster princessbabycat! there are a lot of strawmen about.

Yanbu at all. I also hate it when the uber feminists come on and start calling the OP a misogynist and hate filled because they use the term "bitch" in their opening post. Sometimes people will write the first post in heat of the moment and will undoubtedly swear or use other profanities. Then they're picked apart for using certain words and made to feel even worse than they do.