Negativity, schadenfreude and such

There’s a lot of angry middle-aged men who seem to spend their day complaining and being negative on the internet. You can’t help but feel it’s because their life hasn’t worked out as expected, and all they really have is their tedious boilerplate negative opinions.

Probably male pattern baldness, rapidly expanding waistline and low libido as well.

Very beta sorts.

I left a relatives house over christmas, the elders of the family (70 years old kinda bracket) have developed a soul crushingly negative outlook on everything. No matter what topic was brought up, they cant see the positive in anything, only countless ways things could go wrong. I don't know if its a holdover from covid, or pessimism in the face of them heading to the twilight years of their lives, but it was soul crushing to be in the presence of and I couldnt wait to get out the door.

Well, will accept because it's in The Sopranos intro 😌

For a forum that is supposed to be Social & Fun, there is a lot of negativity.

The whole site has gone that way tbh. Here, Radio, Television, Current Affairs. It’s just the same sort of boring negativity being spewed everywhere. Men (always men) who get up in terrible mood and it’s all downhill from there for them.

It’s a very tough read and it’s no wonder most posters have pissed off. Then it’s the same lads complaining about the new layout when it’s them and their ilk that is the main cause of its imminent closure.

They should take up golf or cycling or something. The first generation to have had the internet feature in much of their adult life and the outcome isn’t looking great.

Ah yeah but so is everything when you think about it. But, if you’re going to pick a team, enjoy their “glory years”, you should really stick around for their rubbish ones.

The one upside to these fickle, fair weather, ex-United fans leaving the sinking ship is that, now, the League of Ireland terraces are full as the ones who still “follow” soccer have taken to Boh, and Rovers, in particular.

Why have you never mentioned this theory before?

It's a bit weird to think it's random.

Massive Irish communities in these areas and thus lots of connections to some of areas and their clubs going back generations.

I meant that he posts this comment regularly about Man Utd fans filling Dalymount cos United are shite these days.

No, I have my own problems to obsess about. Why would I care about some celebrity or a football club if they have nothing to do with me?

Celebrating Man Utd's struggles seems a waste of time and energy. I'm not sure if it is better or worse than doing the opposite i.e. "supporting" Man Utd and cheering on a bunch of multi millionaires.

Given how they affect people's lives, it's more understandable for an Irish person to take pleasure from Fine Gael politicians being obliterated in an election. However, even if the likes of Varadkar loses his seat in the next election, he will still walk into a high paid job (probably higher paid than the Taoiseach) plus he also has a huge pension waiting for him. He already has it made. He'll be able to afford the best healthcare and lifestyle so will probably outlive many who'd like to piss on his grave which would be an impotent gesture anyway.

The same is true of many w*nkers, spoofers, manipulators and arseholes i.e. the people that one would have a grudge against and wish to see fail. They may fail to some extent but they'll bounce back. The biggest arseholes, cheats, and bullies from my secondary school and college have gone on to be very successful with great careers and beautiful wives and children. They're taller than me, richer than me and will probably live longer than me. Karma doesn't exist.

Funny you make that point my father pushing towards his 80's plays golf, now he likes the odd whinge as most auld lads do. But even he was annoyed by a fellow golfer in his golf club. A rabid conspiracy theorist giving out about the government, right wing protests. the country all sorts.

When my auld fella pointed out to the fella that this fella has a job, is in a nice safe country, and playing golf. And asked him what is wrong with him. He had no answer.

I am sure posters have the experience with the type of neighbours who talk with one side of their mouth but in reality they are very critical/jealous of each other. In my experience it is normally the people who come from lower demographics have thin skins and don't like people getting 'one up' on them. But they love seeing others fail that are doing better than them.

I think it helps to view social media and forums as a computer game. And the game is designed to amplify negativity and disagreement. While positivity and agreement can be done - it can be a bit like trying to play Grand Theft Auto as a complete pacifistic. Which I have been told can be done and the game completed in that way - but you will struggle mightily.

Like computer games though - online social media and forums lets you vent and act in ways you never would in real life. And likely would not even want to if you could. If I play GTA and sleep with a sex worker, shoot her in the head, rob her money, and then drive off in her car that does not for one second mean I want to do any of that in real life. Similarly if I get into a heated discussion or debate on line it would be because I am "playing the social media computer game" and not because I am actually angry or all that bothered at all really.

Generally if you read over my posts I tend to be positive in most things I do or write on here. Often doing nothing more than describing positive things in my life that happen to me or that I do to/for others. But I am not playing the game by the rules I guess :) I post because I want to post not because I want engagement or replies or attention. And so I do not need to post negatively for no reason than negativity gets more engagement on forums, on twitter, on social media, or on news sites.

So yea I think you are right that the internet attracts quite a few angry men who are likely down on themselves and self hating. But I think a lot of the people who seem that way online likely are not this way in their own lives at all and are in fact entirely happy balanced people.

Which posters are which however can be - I grant you - often very hard to tell :)

A lot of “free thinkers” have the sort of bland, mean spirited, and angry opinions as every other lad who spends too long being exposed to Russian troll farm shïte. No nuance there at all.

Not too great, if you please, you don't want to inadvertently enter controlled airspace...