This question is for anyone who has received insulting answers in this section?

Question

Whenever I see answers that call the questioner a "dufus" or "idiot", or anything similar to those terms, I find it very insulting to the person who is trying to receive an answer from someone of similar beliefs, not answers that are telling them that what they believe is wrong or childish. I personally think that non-believers of mythical creatures, the supernatural, the paranormal, werewolves, vampires, urban legends, and/or ect, have absolutely no business here and that their rude answers should be blocked. Who agrees with me?

Answer 1

If we only allowed people, who believe in the supernatural as we do, then this section would be alot closer to the Religion/Spirituality section than most would like.

The freedom to receive an answer from anyone who wishes to respond means that alot of mean people, of limited belief or understanding, can respond and quite negatively. But that is what the blankness of possibility is really all about. You can write the word 'pear' or you can write the word 'rape', but if you outlaw the word 'rape' then you outlaw the word 'pear' as well.

Also, part of the hero's journey, as outlined quite extensively by Joseph Campbell, is overcoming the obstacles and hardship in order to bring back the 'sacred knowledge'. The hardship is as much about preparing the person to prove themselves worthy of the knowledge, since sacred knowledge (belief and confirmation in the supernatural very easily falls under that category) has to be earned. The knight (male or female) has to not only slay the dragons of opposition but also the dragons of self-doubt and fear, and that cannot be done by cocooning them away from the harshness of the world as it is.

If you cannot risk ridicule for your beliefs on these boards, how will you gather your strength and carry them out into the real public world, where being called an idiot and dufus are among the nicer forms of opposition out there. These forums are as good a place for dragon fighting as anywhere, and better than trying to do it all by oneself.

Answer 2

Well, I don't call people names, but I think I based it on the question such as "How do I turn into a vampire?"  Now, I'm all for vampires and the myth of them, but c'mon, this is a dumb question.  I used sarcasm if necessary.  

Some people deserve to be insulted if they say something that dumb.  We should discuss mythology and not how to become something that isn't real.

Answer 3

I DO!!!! They will realize its real when a vampire rips out their throat and they are wishing they had listened. well i mean everyone has the right to believe what they want but they shouldn't call us stupid and crazy

Answer 4

I agree with you in any subject.  This is a question and answer thing not a free for all to call names and insult and put your depressed feelings about yourself on other people.  It looks like Yahoo is trying to suppress some of that hopefully they will keep working on them.

Answer 5

Why do you feel "Insulted on behalf of whoever asked the question"

I'm sure they are capable of feeling insulted all by themselves, and Im sure they are mostly big and ugly enough to take any necessary steps they feel appropriate. Remember,the answerer is actually responding to the asker, not you.

Being able to see the answers given, is a kind of privilege, seeing as you have no control over other peoples responses. And as the answers are a direct response to somebody elses question, you don't really have any right to be insulted at all.

Get a grip Girl!

Answer 6

Well I agree that insulting answers are absolutely uncalled for - in any section. Although I don't mind genuinely funny answers that are meant for humor and not to be rude.

I don't think that non-believers should leave though because this is for 'mythology and folklore' not paranormal or cryptozoology. There actually is a 'paranormal' section under the science category but people on there argue about whether or not it belongs in 'science'.

Maybe Yahoo should set up a section for this kind of thing, but rude people would just find their way over there too.

Answer 7

Your very right.  I don't believe in all that but i came here because i was curious and i saw all the mean things people were saying to another and it got me thinking.  Just because someone believes differn't things doesn't mean you can't respect them.  I try to respect everyone dispite what they believe.  

Answer 8

i totally agree! if they don't want to see people talking about ghosts and bloody mary, then why go to the mythology section?

Answer 9

Actually one can knowledgeably discuss folklore without believing it to be true, so blocking non-believers would defeat it's purpose of providing a forum for exchange of information.  There is no way to stop people from being rude, it's just a part of life these days.

Answer 10

O.K. Just so I don't offend anyone who is a little precious or immature to realise that this is an open public forum, I wish to simply ask these couple of questions:

What part of mythical creatures, the supernatural, the paranormal, werewolves, vampires, urban legends are the parts that are to be believed?

I actually thought a myth was simply a collection of stories without fact:

myth    ÃƒÂ¢Ã‚€Â“noun 1. a traditional or legendary story, usually concerning some being or hero or event, with or without a determinable basis of fact or a natural explanation, esp. one that is concerned with deities or demigods and explains some practice, rite, or phenomenon of nature.

So how is belief that these creatures and stories are real would somehow be enlightening?

So, by your argument, just because you have an opinion right or wrong that you accept for yourself, if someone then has a differing opinion be it factual or not, your solution is to block that person.

No, that would actually be idiotic to do so. I am not calling you an idiot but I am saying that the act of blocking someone who has either a differing opinion of whom has answered the question many many many times before is idiocy.

Answer 11

I second your view!

Answer 12

Yes I totally agree you and I know its rude and out of order its gets tiring reporting them.

Answer 13

Emperor S just said exactly what I'm thinking.  I don't call people names and I'm happy to answer genuine questions if I can help but if people ask questions like 'how do I become a vampire' then they should expect to get   responses from people who don't believe in mythical creatures as well as from people who do.  You can't justify blocking people who don't believe in vampires, werewolves, etc.  but still have a mature interest in the area of mythology and want to discuss aspects of this interest.  There's a difference between a genuine question on aspects of mythology and people just leaving themselves open to ridicule because they post ridiculous questions. What do they expect?

Answer 14

So, say someone here says that he has a colony of pixies living under his bed and they've asked him to catch mice to bring them for food. He asks if he should do this.

The next post is from a pre-pubescent girl who wants to know how she can become a mermaid and swim off to live with Princess Ariel. She wants to know how long it will take to grow a tail and if there are McDonald's in King Triton's kingdom.

The following post is the fifth one today from someone wanting to know why she doesn't have demons in her room even though she's been "playing the OJ board all day".

The one after that talks about the Loch Ness monster and says things that anyone who's ever been to the Loch will know are total rubbish

The one following that asks where he can meet vampires because he thinks it would be so cool to be one.

...And you think we're supposed to treat all these questions seriously and all the questioners with the respect due to sensible people?

If you spend as much time as I have interested in the alternative and occult and if you have half a brain, you fairly quickly learn that there are a lot of very silly people around who are either lost in a fantasy world or mentally ill. Telling them that their fantasies are just that is never received well, but it's the only morally justifiable action if the alternative is to endorse their delusions.

You seem to be suggesting that, just because I believe - or rather know - some things are true that the mainstream of science and culture has problems with, that means I am obliged to swallow whole any guff spouted by any randomly chosen seven year old on the subject of the existence of unicorns.

Sorry to be the one to break the bad news, but there is such a thing as concrete, objective reality. You may desperately want to believe that the tooth fairy exists, you may indeed be totally convinced that she lives in a house made of molars on the top of a mountain in Tibet, but that does not make it so.

You say that non-believers should be blocked. So what do you propose to do with those of us who believe in the existence (in some form) of Enochian angels and the demons of the Goetia, but who know for a fact that little girls will never turn themselves into a mermaid, not even if they chant a spell seven times seven times, and know too that some silly boy will not be conjuring up a demon to eat the bully at school, no matter how long he messes around with the Ouija Board.

What you're suggesting - censoring anyone who expresses views contrary to your own - actually sounds just as repressive as the worst intolerant aspects of mainstream culture which pagans, witches, etc are constantly complaining about.

I don't call people idiots, but nor do I believe it is helpful for anyone who is clearly wrong to humor them and validate their delusions.

If you want to set up a club where only people who believe as you do can endorse each other's baseless beliefs (the traditional name for this is a "church", by the way), then maybe you should set up a member's-only website?

Answer 15

Well...I can understand some name-callings (though I don't condone it), when the questioner is asking a question, just to be stupid, or has asked a question that has been asked hundreds of times.

There is a little field on top of each page that says "Search for questions". Perhaps if people look there first before asking a question for the 101st time, people may not be so tired of the repeated questions.

As for those who ask questions just to see their name in the questioner's box, sometimes school-yard childishness is sometime called for. You get what you give.

Answer 16

I personally never call people names; I just leave a sarcastic comment instead.