An observation about MFP posters...

tristahenry

I was on MFP over a year ago and found it to be a super helpful site for tracking diet and exercise. I also found the community to be full of supportive people who gave helpful advice, motivation and camaraderie. Even those people who gave out "tough love" did it in a respectful way. After a major injury and a pregnancy I stopped logging and participating on MFP. Now that I'm back on MFP I've been lurking through the community and see a ton of disrespectful comments towards the original poster as well as towards other people who have commented on the post. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of people who still hold true to my past experiences and the site is still very helpful but... wow there sure are a lot of people out there who are jerks to each other. I have been lucky enough to not experience these people first hand on this go-round but I really feel for the people who have.

Did I just miss these folks the last time I was on?

threeohtwo

The empty vessel makes the loudest sound - William Shakespeare

Most people are very very very nice.

lynnypenny1982

It was like that on WW, too. Actually worse. WW allows people who aren't even on the WW program to sign-up and participate in their message boards. Some of those folks are awful to others. My guess is it is easier for them to be jerks, because they are just behind a computer. I wonder how they would be in real life, though.

GoldspursX3

Welcome to the internet.

ETA: Not trying to be snarky OP.

junodog1

You just have to blow them off. I do wish you could deleter comments from a thread you started though.

paxbfl

I look at it this way... if I'm going to post publicly (or allow people access to my diary), I have to have a bit of a thick skin and expect some negative comments.

That said, most of the comments I've received here have been overwhelmingly positive and supportive. They more than make up for the occasional negative remark.

penrbrown

Actually, I was on MFP almost two years ago (it's how I lost my first 30lbs). I was here when things started going from helpful and supportive to rude and snarky. It was the snark that drove me off the forums.

I returned because I couldn't lose weight without MFP and here I am in the forums again. Things are definitely way less friendly then they were before but I guess with more users there comes a greater diversity and with diversity comes adversity.

It's unfortunate but you'll just have to remember the old MFP fondly and learn how to use the ignore button.

belladonna786

Uh oh...

brentrhodes

OP, that's the primary reason I stay out of the forums. People can be so ugly. I think it's just a sign of the disease that is poor living; i.e. bad diet, lack of exercise, etc.. Everything seems to take on a negative spin when someone feels bad about themselves. When we feel bad physically or emotionally, even someone else's joy can be perceived as negative. I just try to avoid threads that could bring negative comments. It's hard to bite my tongue when someone is acting like a clown. lol!

jofjltncb6

It's always been like this to me. I must have joined right after the "good ol' days" ended.

yoovie

I hope you realize that you just asked them to come introduce themselves.

dorianaldyn

Maybe I'm jaded from other forums, but I find people on here tread far lighter than people do on other forums. Weight loss and fitness can be so all encompassing to a person and I think overall people on here tend to be sensitive to others' feelings. I've seen pictures on here of people that are dangerously thin, I've seen people make excuse after excuse for themselves and post complaining that they're not getting anywhere and I've seen people make the most ill-informed comments and yet responders are generally nice, supportive and not mean.

kenazfehu

The only time I've seen really rude posters is when somebody is being just plain dense, like defending a 700-calorie-per-day goal.

_JR_

Honestly, even the people who think they are the "innocent victims" can be just as ugly as anyone else with their comments. Just watch the comments that follow - people will come in here, and agree with you about all the "meanies", and turn around and throw around insults.

One of the biggest problems I have with people who complain about how bad things are, is that most of the time the examples they use about someone being mean or snarky just turn out to be about another poster who simply didn't agree with their comment. In the land of MFP, not agreeing makes you and a-hole, bully, snark, or meanie! Some people's kids! :grumble:

CM9178

It's always been like this to me. I must have joined right after the "good ol' days" ended.

same here

IamBlackMamba

I hope you realize that you just asked them to come introduce themselves.

She speaks the truth.

TheCaren

MFP is just a slice of real life. Some people are nice, and some are *kitten*. You take what you want and leave the rest.

_Wits_

It was like that on WW, too. Actually worse. WW allows people who aren't even on the WW program to sign-up and participate in their message boards. Some of those folks are awful to others. My guess is it is easier for them to be jerks, because they are just behind a computer. I wonder how they would be in real life, though.

Seriously...WW was a nightmare...you think it's rough around here...check that place out.


The internet as a whole includes both people you speak of...as does real life. Just because one person is here to be sunshine and rainbows and cheer everyone on, doesn't mean the next person is. And at the end of the day, does it really matter to your goals? No...befriend the people you want, ignore the rest, and achieve awesomeness.

jackpotclown

well, I've been here a bit longer, and honestly not that much has changed as far as what's out there.....maybe your first time around was with limited interaction....but to me it's always been like this \m/

bradthemedic

The ignore button is very useful.

_Elemenopee_

I hope you realize that you just asked them to come introduce themselves.

I see what you did there.