More and more lately, I find myself opting out of threads I'm interested in because of the overwhelming air of hostile dismissal on this forum. I was reading the Patrick Klepek article about reviews over breakfast and went in to the thread expecting an interesting discussion, especially since it's attracted so many replies. And instead the entire first page is littered with replies that amount to "who gives a fuck? this is stupid." It's obvious most people haven't read the article and many commenters seem angry that the article even exists.
I could go on to read all 17 pages that currently exist in the thread. And then I could craft my own thoughtful post, defending Patrick's viewpoint. But I already know I'm likely to be met with dismissal myself. And instead of discussing the interesting points Patrick raises, I'll be stuck arguing that a point exists to be raised in the first place. It's an exhausting exercise in futility, and I'm not sure I want to spend a beautiful spring day engaging with it.
And it's not just that thread. I see it all the time on here. There are lots of great posters who write interesting OPs, and the first three pages of the thread are full of "ugh, whatever."
I'm only bringing it up here, because this is something I've only experienced in male-majority spaces online and it's why I usually burn out and give up on them. It seems like some sort of macho one-upmanship, but I'm not sure I have enough insight to really understand it. I just know I prefer the female-majority spaces I frequent. There can still be some tension and people occasionally try to one up each other in different ways, but being completely dismissive is looked down upon and just doesn't... happen. I feel like I can say something and I might get disagreement (and sometimes it's rude), but it feels better to get disagreement — which is still engaging with my point — than to get "this is stupid and you're stupid for posting it."
I took a break from here for a while, because I felt like the negativity was affecting my mood. And having come back, it all seems worse than before, but I'm not sure if I'm just noticing it more or if its real.
I don't know. I want to talk to people about games and other things. Have discussions. Instead, I feel like I'd be positioning myself as the "voice of reason" against an immoveable wall. Which, first of all, seems like an obnoxious way of thinking about myself, and, more importantly, isn't what I want to spend my time on when I can be enjoying myself elsewhere.
But ALL THAT ASIDE. I have a Skype interview tomorrow for a job at a library I'd love to have. I'm more than qualified and I think I'd be awesome at it, so here's hoping I finally break my streak of terrible video interviews (I hate them!!) and can get that across. It's just an initial interview, so I'm trying not to put too much importance on it. Just have to focus to advancing to that in-person interview, so I can really wow them!
