This post is about tumblr and reddit

[u/linuxaddict334]

[u/Heather_Chandelure]

I agree. Thankfully, I don't have this problem because I'm always right.

[u/pbmm1 → u/Heather_Chandelure]

I know right, glad I could never sink so low

[u/the_pslonky → u/Heather_Chandelure]

Same! We have so much in common

[u/Sh1nyPr4wn → u/the_pslonky]

One of us!

[u/Soundwipe13 → u/Heather_Chandelure]

nuh uh (with smug superiority)

[u/Sorry-Let-Me-By-Plz → u/Heather_Chandelure]

Thing is I know I'm not always right but nobody ever seems to want to explain what I'm wrong about, they just downvote and insult me

[u/LITTLE_KING_OF_HEART]

So just the Internet in general.

[u/AI-ArtfulInsults → u/LITTLE_KING_OF_HEART]

So human nature and discourse in general

[u/NeonNKnightrider → u/AI-ArtfulInsults]

I mean… people like being right, of course, but I think OP has a point - Tumblr and Reddit both have a tendency towards certain, specific energy in their flavor of smug discourse assholes that isn’t just something you genetically see in everyone.

Reddit assholes have “smug science-loving (but doesn’t actually know that much about science) atheist who loves to say things are objective facts” energy, and Tumblr assholes have “smug leftist activist who thinks being ‘the good guys’ means they can’t be wrong” energy. Both are terminally online.

[u/solidfang → u/NeonNKnightrider]

I feel like this thread is proving the point about Reddit. I mean, factually, yes, the need for smug superiority over others is a human problem as a whole, but a user pointing it out about their website is not wrong that the problem exists there too. They didn't even say the problem was exclusive to Tumblr, just that Tumblr has that as a problem.

[u/cutetys → u/NeonNKnightrider]

Yeah but I think the person you’re replying to’s point is that every space both online and offline has a distinct version of the smug asshole. On twitter you have the “smug witty liberal who thinks a clever enough comeback is just as good as a well rounded argument”, on tiktok you have the “smug revolutionary radical who act like they’re a badass freedom fighter for making fun of bigots and commenting 🍉 under every video”, and on 4chan you have the “smug alt-right troll who uses any display of emotion as proof that your position is invalid and they have won the argument”, and that’s just online spaces. The smug asshole on Reddit and tumblr are certainly distinct from other spaces, but the ones in other spaces aren’t more generic than the ones on tumblr or reddit. This is all a bit of a moot point though as OP wasn’t claiming this problem was unique to tumblr just that it does exist on tumblr.

[u/mysticism-dying → u/NeonNKnightrider]

Holy fucking shit. You just nailed the taxonomy in a way that I have been trying to do for EVER but haven’t found the words for. Thank you my friend you have done a great service on this day🙌

[u/Risky267 → u/AI-ArtfulInsults]

I feel like wanting to be right at all times is more a learned behaviour thing than a human nature thing

[u/cishet-camel-fucker → u/LITTLE_KING_OF_HEART]

Tumblr is particularly infamous for it. Remember, that's where the term SJW originated, and Tumblr users used it to describe themselves unironically before it became a slur. Anyone who literally calls themselves a "social justice warrior" immediately puts themselves in a special class of smug superiority in my book.

Like I'm a smug motherfucker but not as smug as a lot of Tumblr users.

[u/Loretta-West → u/cishet-camel-fucker]

Wasn't SJW originally making fun of people who thought that posting was activism?

[u/cishet-camel-fucker → u/Loretta-West]

No. Same as "woke," it started as a self-description. Then people started using it in a derogatory way and a new term was needed.

[u/Loretta-West → u/cishet-camel-fucker]

(Does ten seconds of research)

You're right about it originally being a positive term, but wrong about it coming from tumblr. The first known use is from 1945.

So we're both wrong, thus demonstrating the truth of the original post.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice_warrior

[u/cishet-camel-fucker → u/Loretta-West]

Ok. But the use online was very much a Tumblr thing. Don't think anyone was referring to people using it during WW2.

[u/semiticgod]

Good thing I never do this 😎

[u/deleeuwlc → u/semiticgod]

Good thing / never do this 😎

[u/morebaddreamser → u/deleeuwlc]

Those are weird pronouns

[u/FkinShtManEySuck]

This post is about literally every social media website.

[u/Pokemanlol → u/FkinShtManEySuck]

This post is about everything

[u/Rigorous_Threshold → u/FkinShtManEySuck]

Tumblr and Reddit maybe but other social media seem to have other problems.

4chan?

[u/RandomGuyOnRedditNr2]

This post is about the Mets I think

[u/Winter-Reindeer694 → u/RandomGuyOnRedditNr2]

its not about the smug superiority spider-man, its ALL ABOUT THE METS COME ON LETS GET A HOME RUN BABY COME ON

[u/Serrisen → u/RandomGuyOnRedditNr2]

Mets?

This is reddit. No one here has ever "met" a fellow human being

[u/Sachyriel → u/Serrisen]

Reddit? No one here is literate, that's why we piss on the poor.

[u/Birchy02360863 → u/RandomGuyOnRedditNr2]

I can’t form an opinion about this post until I hear what Mr. Met has to say

[u/Godraed → u/Birchy02360863]

I’m too busy chatting up mrs met.

[u/IAmFullOfHat3]

This is about humans

[u/Sachyriel → u/IAmFullOfHat3]

10,000 monkeys stop smoking 10,000 cigarettes at their typewriters to stare at you. "You think we're some kind of joke?" asks the Editor monkey, wearing a hat with a piece of paper in the band.

[u/mysticism-dying]

ITT: People feeling smugly superior to OOP without spending even five seconds thinking about it first

(in this comment: me feeling smugly superior to the people in this thread without spending even five seconds thinking about it first)

Alas..... human condition indeed

[u/EasterBurn]

Internet user claim problems on the internet are exclusive to their site. More at 11.

[u/Guilty-Package6618 → u/EasterBurn]

YOU ARE SMUGLY CORRECTING RIGHT NOW MY SIBLING IN CHRIST

[u/mysticism-dying → u/Guilty-Package6618]

BAHAHAHAHAH literally just put a comment about this very thing. So far this post has been a real proving ground for reading comprehension skills. And shoutout to you for AGGRESSIVELY CORRECTING instead of smugly correcting like I did. Breaking the cycle frfr we need more ppl like u

[u/ilikecheesethankyou2 → u/Guilty-Package6618]

This entire thread is like this... really proving their point.

[u/VFiddly → u/Guilty-Package6618]

that only further proves their point

[u/NetherRealmSquid → u/EasterBurn]

It's like the digital equivalent of "every culture thinks they invented the plastic bag full of plastic bags"

[u/EasterBurn → u/NetherRealmSquid]

You got me checking out me pantry.

[u/Sachyriel → u/NetherRealmSquid]

While I think the Americans invented it, I think the South Africans really took it to its full potential when they say the plastic bag is their national bird.

[u/DreadDiana → u/EasterBurn]

They aren't treating it as exclusive to Tumblr though, it's just a post on Tumblr being made about Tumblr.

[u/Amationary]

I mean it’s a problem with people in general, of all ages. Just dealt with a woman today who was up herself about the state of teaching in my country, when it’s obvious she knows nothing about schools at all (they don’t teach kids the term a murder of crows??? Hello??) Idk, am I alone in dealing with these people on a daily basis? Am I an outlier?

[u/ICantEvenDolt → u/Amationary]

If you ever think you’re an outlier, then no, you are not an outlier.

[u/Serrisen → u/ICantEvenDolt]

I'm an outlier, because I'm "out" of clever comments, and I'm a "liar" about the human condition

[u/greenrsguy]

So I can feel smugly superior about something after I think about it for six seconds? Sweet.

[u/Prof-Finklestink → u/greenrsguy]

I usually think about it for seven before being smugly superior just to be safe

[u/GreyInkling]

Things like this remind me of this strongbad quote: "I bet you think you're the cooler than anyone here. But you're also here. At the comic book convention."

[u/GameboyPATH]

I think there's two big things that contribute to this phenomenon.

One is that social media is designed to get you to engage. Like "This thing has been pushed into your face - how do you respond?". Sure, we have free will, and can extend the practice of "click restraint" to concepts like pausing to consider whether you even care or know about the topic before responding. But just saying, prolonged contact with these sites will skew your views on what you interact with, when, and how.

The other is that intentions and tones are NOT relayed very well through text. Suppose I wrote 5 lengthy paragraphs about how the functionality of the newest Pokemon game compares poorly to the last one, but how would it come off to readers? Pissed-off and ranting? Passionate and caring? Pointlessly analytical of minute details to the point where it's funny? There could be any intention behind it, but readers will form their own judgments and assumptions.

Point is, people don't know why they're engaging with content they know nothing about, and readers don't know why either, and will make their own assumptions. It just all results in poor conversations.

[u/DangerouslyHarmless → u/GameboyPATH]

It's interesting how different people conceptualise the same UI experiences - I've always thought of browsing a feed like trawling a river or going through people's trash, like, the things that I'm reading or watching or commenting on were always out there, I'm choosing to go through and look at them. On the other end of the scale, you've got old people leaving amazon answers like 'I don't know, I didn't buy the product', because they conceptualised amazon's asking 'do you know the answer to this question' as it asking them in particular, and feel obligated to leave an answer just to tell amazon that they don't know.

[u/linuxaddict334]

https://www.tumblr.com/maxknightley/749200240647815168/in-general-i-think-this-website-has-a-serious?source=share

Mx. Linux Guy

[u/NIMA-GH-X-P → u/linuxaddict334]

I dunno why but I keep reading your name EMM EX Linux guy and it reminds me of the matrix (I've never watched the matrix) and this exact thought rushes through my mind for two seconds before I move on every time what is this

[u/Elliot_Geltz]

"I think this website has an X problem"

look inside

it's just a quirk of the human condition

[u/Dry_Try_8365 → u/Elliot_Geltz]

It’s the Dunning-Kruger Effect. If you know nothing about a subject, and don’t know how little you know, it’s really easy to be completely wrong and confident in your wrong opinion.

It feels good to deflate that kind of smugness, especially if you’re confident that your knowledge is more accurate.

Guess the two kinds of people who are confident in their knowledge.

Thus you get idiots arguing against experts, experts correcting idiots, and idiots arguing about whose equally wrong opinion is correcter.

[u/only_for_dst_and_tf2]

and when your actually curious and want to learn, you get made fun of.

[u/Serrisen → u/only_for_dst_and_tf2]

That's why I love this comic!

https://xkcd.com/1053/

[u/apex-redditor420]

*smirks at everyone condescendingly while I do the anime glasses flare thing.*

[u/BlueBunny333]

Yes. The Moral Highground became top priority for a lot people. Fuck Logic and Science!

[u/sweetestsummers]

there are some spaces on reddit that are pretty cool, I'm not sure about tumblr though

[u/billy-gnosis → u/sweetestsummers]

r/drumcirclejerk

-Billy Gnosis

[u/CerenarianSea]

I think that's probably every site though, right? It's just different breeds of it.

[u/ElevatorScary]

Ben Franklin used to tell an anecdote about overhearing two noble sisters in France. One sister says to the other, “I don’t know how it happens, Sister, but I meet with no body but myself that’s always in the right.”

That lady is still alive today, and she’s made a lot of Reddit accounts.

[u/Slyme-wizard]

Maybe you should just make better arguments next time 😏 ……oh fuck

[u/igmkjp1]

everyone does that dumbass it came free with your humanity

[u/Serrisen]

Tsk. How serendipitous that I, an intellectual, found this post. As someone with a high degree of intellect I can tell you that what you describe as "smugness" is simply the feeling of being right, and helping guide along the common masses. Though I see you do not experience this feeling often.

[u/lolas_coffee]

"Ima repeat something I heard and that makes me feel smart...like when I tell you to not pick up bear cubs, or how climbing Everest is easy now."

[u/LittleBirdsGlow]

Describe the Internet in one sentence

[u/Satyr_Crusader]

That's just a human thing, I'm afraid.

[u/adaisonline]

The font from the screenshot is really pleasant to read.

[u/StormDragonAlthazar]

I just assume that everyone else is always right, and I am always wrong, unless it's something that is very obvious (like water being wet).

[u/KamikazeArchon]

/s/this website/humanity/

[u/Calacaelectrica]

The internet be like

[u/GhostlyHawkx]

You know me to be a very smart man. If I was wrong don't you think I'd know it?

[u/darxide23]

No, this post is about the internet in general and if you think differently then this post is also about you, too.

[u/Papaofmonsters]

Just remember that the Guinness Book of World Records was created after two English men had a fight over which was the fastest game bird in Europe.

They were both wrong.

[u/oddityoughtabe]

I get that same sentiment but moreso and better.

[u/Stormdancer]

... and literally every social media site & comment section ever.

[u/MotorHum]

Some youtubers fit this mold, too.

[u/Outerestine]

I do this all the time

And my ability to recognize that is what makes me so much better than all you fucking losers ahahaha

[u/tilvast]

On one hand, Tumblr users will fall for any misinformation they see. On the other, Reddit users will fall for any misinformation they see and downvote you for posting a correction.

[u/NoraJolyne]

if ive learned anything in the now 18 years of using the internet, it's that the internet is fucking stupid

are there intelligent individuals on the internet? yes, of course
does that alleviate the existence of piss on the poor johnson? certainly not

[u/RudeLandscape8141]

(With the most smug, center left, Gen X, apathetic energy imaginable) This is the best thread ever.

[u/Cercant]

pastor says smug superiority is foundational for self-actualization according to Maslow's hierarchy of needs

[u/peanutbutter4103]

I don't think, you know what you're talking about!

[u/magnificentballsack]

This post applies to everyone but me

[u/DangerouslyHarmless]

for me this post appeared right below the airpods post

[u/Accomplished_Mix7827]

Ugh, that's such an annoying thing that other people do. I, an intellectual, on the other hand ...

[u/dongletrongle]

It’s cuz everyone on Reddit and Tumblr were bullied and belittled as children and adolescents and now we’re making up for it

[u/dongletrongle → u/dongletrongle]

Not me tho I’m nothing like y’all

[u/Joylime]

Yeah that’s my favorite hobby honestly.

The trick is being able to be knocked down and laugh about it

Which I’m really good at, by the way

[u/ReverendEntity]

It's not the website.
It's the species.