Why are people so mean?!

I agree...I don't understand why some people feel that they can use their anonymity to be nasty - it really bothers me, and believe me, I'm a totally happy, confident person - I just don't get why people do that. I guess maybe to make themselves feel better because they believe their comments to be witty?

I just keep seeing this question time and time again... and all I can think about is a little kid who can't get their way or was told something they don't want to hear.... all I want to do is shake my head and walk away... but here it is... again...

Correcting bad advice is not the same as being mean.

Not validating someone's bad idea (e.g. eating 500 calories) is not being mean.

Someone who disagrees with you is not "mean".

The "mean" posters are the ones who've lost weight, know how to strength train properly, and give good, to-the-point answers to people. They correct misinformation and try to prevent people from screwing up, plateauing, and then quitting. That's called HELPING. Being supportive doesn't mean we have to support bad advice and bad ideas. Part of being supportive means correcting errors and guiding along the way.

I'd rather have the "mean" people answer one of my questions than some noob with three posts who's addicted to Dr. Oz and gets their weight loss tips from "Good Housekeeping" and internet ads.

Also, I'll take a forum full of responses that are humorous/snarky/sarcastic/sardonic over one filled with nothing but bland politeness any day.

I suspect others are the same.

This. Nothing but "Yes, I agree, you wonderful spot of wonderful wonderfulness" agitates me to no end. It's boring and utterly false to boot. I expect the internet to be full of people - and that means full of human nature, too. Seems reasonable to not only expect that, but to want that.

When the site was first started, the founders wanted it to be called Mean Fat People.

Marketing thought this was a bad idea, but, thanks to a dedicated group of hired trolls, the original essence lives on.

I like you! This made me crack up.

Cheers!

In all seriousness, I've been here a few weeks, and I've seen very little of what I interpret to be genuine cruelty. What I do see a lot of, however, is:

1) People getting frustrated at seeing the same questions/comments/complaints over and over- questions that could easily be answered by searching the forums, a Google search or, God forbid, a little common sense.

and

2) People taking posts personally like it's their friggin' job. We're talking about pulling out all the stops- every red herring, every straw man, every false analogy. Let no fallacy be spared in making a post be all about how it offends you!

I just want to thank all the mean people on the internet and especially this site.

Someone made fun of my spelling one time and I have made a effort to improve it. WIN

I followed some bad advice for a few months and passed it on to someone else on the forums. I was promptly told that I was was wrong which led me to do some research of my own. I found out the internet meanie was correct and I made an effort to educate myself better in the future. WIN

Thank you mean people.

Case and point, here is some bad advice that OP posted today to the forums, and I'm guessing people explained that it was incorrect, so she got butt hurt.

I am afraid of bulking up muscles, so I am focusing on cardio over weights for the time being. Strength training is a huge part of it, but I want to lose some of the fat before I begin toning. I would ease up on the weights and keep up the good cario! Sounds like you're doing awesome!

Eat when your body tells you too. If your tummy is rumbling, it's not good to let it go like that for too long or you might over eat or your body might store too much of what you eat, bc it's afraid your not going to feed it again. I stay under my calorie goal by quite a bit eat day, but I feel like I am constantly eating. It works for my metabolism. Each person is different. I just recommend not eating too too close to bed time. I've read that your tum should rest for a bit and have a chance to digest before sleeping. Then shock your system awake the next morning with a big glass of water. Water first thing in the morning is awesome!

Her info DOES seem a little misguided.

I put on my big girl panties before I come to the boards. Some people are just rude. If internet strangers hurt your feelings you have 'bigger fish to fry'. Just ignore and move on.

Agreed. Let it go! A lot of people who use MFP think they are experts.

A lot of them ARE.

Ignore Button works great

This happens all the time on The Knot too.

OP: We want to have goldfish centerpieces.

Brides: You want your guests looking at fish poop? And what will you do with the fish afterward? Fish aren't props; they're living creatures. Fish centerpieces are bad for the fish, and some end up dying in the middle of the reception. Maybe try something else? There are lots of "beach" DIY things you can do.

OP: OMG YOU'RE ALL SO MEAN

Brides: No, we're just trying to prevent you from looking stupid and harming fish in the name of "decor".

OP: SEE YOU'RE ALL MEAN

Brides: We're trying to help. Here are 10,000 suggestions for lovely decor that would work just as well.

OP: YOU'RE ALL STUCK-UP SNOBS

Brides: Umm... no... we were trying to help you have a really nice wedding. Calm down.

OP: YOU'RE MEAN.

Brides: Not validating your bad idea doesn't mean we're "mean". It just means we disagree with you. Newsflash: people disagree sometimes.

Then the OP runs off and starts a thread about how mean everyone on the site is and blah blah blah. Every. Freaking. Week.