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Rev

95

Short answers like this one are toxic. Comments criticizing an answer are super toxic.
– MechMK1
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:00
34

Comments by a low-rep user criticizing a high-rep user are very toxic as well. Double-comments several minutes apart are toxic spam as well.
– MechMK1
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:09
18

Honestly, I disagree. There are plenty of polite newbies, that try their best. Give them polite feedback, and they will act accordingly and improve their input. That happens all the time. So: it is bad enough that other people overly use that term toxic ... but we should stay away from doing so.
– GhostCat
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:13
29

@GhostCatsalutesMonicaC. I am active on Information Security and I have seen both. I have seen newcomers who tried to write questions that were relevant and on-topic, and these people have received nothing but help from everyone in the community. And I have seen newcomers who wrote utter garbage and then insulted those who told them their question was off-topic. It's the latter who complain about the community being unwelcoming, and by extension those for whom the network will be shaped.
– MechMK1
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:16
1

@MechMK1 No need to tell me about such users. stackoverflow actually has a term for such people: "help vampires" ... just because they are such an annoyance. But luckily, they are also the exception. Those that dont listen at all, and get defensive immediately make up less than 5% imho. Sure, there are 10 to 30 % that don't get rude explicitly, but that also ignore most input and just stay silent.
– GhostCat
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:19
1

@GhostCatsalutesMonicaC. I assume the others are those who have adopted a "Just give me teh codez" mindset, with no intention to contribute further and who just expect random strangers to solve their problems.
– MechMK1
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:24
12

@Ghost sure there are, but it's a drop in a huge ocean. I've seen more than a few people come here to MSE to complain about downvotes they get, and when they realized "that's how it works, deal with it", they were gone, often with loud bang of the door behind them.
– Shadow Wizard
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 12:37
1

If you wanted an example of this attitude being displayed by more than just 'newbies' and explicitly linked to welcoming: meta.stackoverflow.com/revisions/366783/1. I had glanced at that recently after the recent action overriding moderators on use of the featured tag cited a perceived combative and hurtful tone.
– bitnine
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 13:38
5

The very usage of the fad word "toxic" within the survey is also leading as well, to hell? We are not allowed to criticise survey maker's credentials, but how are we not to? I'd like this one repeated with "How welcome did you feel?"
– LаngLаngС
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 21:36
4

So that's your solution, then? Dismiss anybody who complains? The amount of upvotes on this answer seem to suggest it.
– Andreas Haferburg
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 22:15
1

@AndreasHaferburg are you purposely misconstruing the answer to suit your own opinion? Where does it say to dismiss anybody who complains? The amount of up-votes suggests that people agree that new users have fundamentally understood the core features of the site. Take a look through MSO suggestions and you'll see a myriad of solutions proposed by many many users but have been ignored and left to gather dust.
– Script47
Commented Jan 23, 2020 at 22:37
1

Uh huh. "Any comment trying to explain [downvotes or close votes] is considered toxic" How is that a fact? I call that hyperbole. And what is the purpose of hyperbole if not to make a problem appear ridiculous so it can be dismissed?
– Andreas Haferburg
Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 0:13
5

@AndreasHaferburg and saying the community isn't "welcoming" or is "toxic" due to a small subset is what exactly? Factual? Hyperbolic? Lies?
– Script47
Commented Jan 24, 2020 at 0:22
2

@wimi exactly my point. You choose to see this answer as offending/mocking. That's not my intention, but people choose to feel attacked and offended by anyone who think in different way or criticize them.
– Shadow Wizard
Commented Feb 1, 2020 at 17:01
1

@wimi it's generalized on purpose, and not the purpose you think of mocking. I could say "Some new users [...]" but that won't deliver my own feeling. I know not all new users are like that, but the overall feeling, and the way SE itself is going, lead me to feel it's all of them, and the long time users are bashed for trying to keep quality in check by downvotes, close votes, and delete votes. The answer in an opinion, not a fact. Not good for Q&A, I know, but Meta sometimes allows such things.
– Shadow Wizard
Commented Feb 2, 2020 at 7:57

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