Why do you argue on the internet?

[internet]

Yes. Why?

EDIT: I personally enjoy arguing from time to time, and sometimes I get caught up in something dumb, but I'm starting to learn to let it go when people say things I think are dumb. Typically an argument like the ones you see in cong is something I go out of my way to avoid.

 

[Cresselia~~]

I don't really want to argue on the internet, since I believe it's very difficult to change one's opinions-- even if they are factually incorrect.
I just would like to express my opinions.
I only end up in arguments when people challenge my opinions with a source that supports them, then I would give them my sources which contradicts with what their sources say.

 

[internet]

apparently some people misinterpreted this as a post solely meant to invoke humor. While the setup is funny posts that take the subject seriously akin to cresselia's are expected. thank you for this time

 

[Flare]

I kinda prefer to call it "Debate" but semantics aside, I only do it sometimes and only in hopes of learning something new(sadly it doesn't always happen). Knowledge is power!

 

[Cresselia~~]

apparently some people misinterpreted this as a post solely meant to invoke humor. While the setup is funny posts that take the subject seriously akin to cresselia's are expected. thank you for this time

Sorry >_<" I don't get jokes unless they are posted in Firebot.
No wonder why the poll options are so weird...

 

[Kalalokki]

While I don't mind for debates to become heated, mostly over stuff that aren't that serious, I mainly see it as a way to pass time. I don't plan to advocate for a certain cause, or convert others to my opinion, and just get in to the heat of the moment. I like the change of perspective, even if I find it stupid, and if I learn something new out of it, all the better.

 

[VuvuzelaBzz]

Usually for fun over minor stuff or semantics with friends. Outside of that, if I actually argue with someone online it's usually because they quoted a post of mine and responded in a way I interpret as them having misunderstood me, or because I think they're fair-minded on an issue I've been thinking about and want to see what their counter to my argument is, assuming they have one. The former often gets me into long quote-threads that go nowhere, either because the person quoting me has willfully misunderstood me, or because we disagree in some fundamental way. Nowadays I make an effort not to get dragged into those types of arguments, but will sometimes fail, so I try to format my posts in a way that discourages those types of responses in order to take the choice out of my hands.

Tl;dr Because of a masochistic streak caused by my parents hitting me as a child that has resulted in me taking pleasure in the disgust people express toward my opinions and being called names.

 

[BP]

Death is preferable to the alternative of communism!

 

[Myzozoa]

itt users w a lot of demonstrated bad opinions.

i think of it like ad busters for the impressionable 12-17 yr old boys who occupy this forum

 

[Sloane187]

It's like playing video games but much cheaper. That's why I got into smogon/shoddy/pokemon online to begin with now that I think about it. This whole website serves as an outlet for my desire for free games that aren't crap like bejeweled or minesweeper.

 

[Rugi]

I find I can figure out whether someone hates Jews or not by arguing about seemingly irrelevant topics and having in an archive in your head of approximately how much of the population hate Jews is useful

 

[Rugi]

Also I like being heard and rebutting someone online and receiving likes especially if it’s what I thought to be a minority opinion is like the ultimate proof to me that I’m not retarded

 

[Rugi]

The above two posts are sadly not jokes

 

[Sloane187]

I lost a bet with Satan and he shackled my soul to the internet until I'm freed by changing one mind

I did this once. I explained to him/her that "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" is pseudoepistemology and that a real photograph of a unicorn (extraordinary claim) is just as powerful as a real photo of you eating a burger at McDonalds (ordinary claim). He said "oh yeah, that sounds right" and went away.

 

[MDB]

Yes. Why?

EDIT: I personally enjoy arguing from time to time, and sometimes I get caught up in something dumb, but I'm starting to learn to let it go when people say things I think are dumb. Typically an argument like the ones you see in cong is something I go out of my way to avoid.

Why the fuck would I argue on top of you? That's just not right man.

 

[ButteredToast]

The majority of my arguments online are sports related, and that's just done out of entertainment and fun. It is enjoyable to try and make sports related predictions and to watch them play out. I do this a lot in the real world, but arguing sports nonsense is just another form of being immersion into the sport, especially with my favorite sport of baseball where there is a community dedicated to making arguments and taking positions and watching them play out. Especially when you're right.

There are times that I get into political arguments online. I don't actively seek these out and I don't particularly enjoy getting into them, but I engage in them completely of frustration. In the real world, there are consequences for voicing your political opinions. You risk damaging your reputation and relationships with others by engaging in them. I so often walk a tightrope between wanting to make a comment or saying something, and refraining because of the potential consequences of doing so are. In the online world, I don't care much at all about how I'm perceived. It's freeing to be able to express myself in a way that is unavailable to me to do in the real world, and is an outlet for the buildup of frustration and tongue biting.

 

[the pugilist]

Mekkah