The Scourge Of Highly Opinionated Moaners

[Hollow]

This is a result of people losing faith in the establishment media and looking towards alt sources for information. Since the gap between official and alternative narratives is pretty big so it's causing a lot of division among friends and even families. This division will only grow until society splits in two and people form communities based on their worldview. It also has to be said that controlled politicians, through the power of the MSM are manipulating people on a psychological level to turn them against each other.

[pulisa]

Alternatively it could just be that some people are highly opinionated moaners who enjoy a good rant.

[Pamplemousse]

I'm with the general consensus here Lencoboy. This friend is always going to have differing views to yourself if its been going on for years. There comes a time when you have to ask yourself 'what am I getting from this friendship?' To me it sounds like nothing positive and plenty of negative. Do you really need his ranting? Often we think we should continue a friendship out of a sense of 'loyalty', more so if its been long term. Do what's best for you mate.

I'm inclined to agree with FM65 too. I've just fallen out badly with someone online and have fallen out with 'real' friends - sometimes with catastrophic mental health results - in the past. When I was in hospital the other night I looked at the "speed dial" on my phone's web browser, looked at it again and thought that little, if anything, there would actually bring me joy. On the contrary, it was more likely to wind me up. So I've resolved to do something about it

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do sang Neil Sedaka - in this instance, it'll hurt for a while as you've known each other for so long but you'll get eventually used to it and right now, I think we all need to put ourselves in as best a place mentally as we can.

[MyNameIsTerry]

This is a result of people losing faith in the establishment media and looking towards alt sources for information. Since the gap between official and alternative narratives is pretty big so it's causing a lot of division among friends and even families. This division will only grow until society splits in two and people form communities based on their worldview. It also has to be said that controlled politicians, through the power of the MSM are manipulating people on a psychological level to turn them against each other.

Alf Garnett existed long before the media existed beyond a few old newspapers in a time most of the working class, and peasantry before them, couldn't even read.

As you say, in the modern age, there is some of this but all human beings moan over some things and it's nothing to do with politics and any form of media. It's to do with human beings. I'm sure the cavemen were having a good moan about "fleas today, huh they aren't what they used to be".

Lencoboy, I'm with everyone about deciding whether this relationship brings something to your life beyond the negative. Some people are just born or nurtured to be a pain in the .

I don't believe these people create the movement, more that their personalities allow them to be sucked in. Remember the film ID with Robert Carlyle? At the end he has moved from football hooligan to neo Nazi. It's why I say many of those types don't really care about the subject as long as it gets them a good fight. And you will find them on both right and left...

There are people on here who's political views clash with mine. But I think if you are both open to debate you learn from each other. The tribalists are closed to debate thus bringing us one of pulisa's hated buzzwords: the echo chamber. I can usually tune them out, don't rise to it and see other qualities in them I can respect them for. But there are some I can't, I just see negativity. These are found everywhere, they are emotional draining and often 'hard done by' or born with a chip on their shoulder. You won't change them so look towards your own health and decide whether they are too much for you.

[Lencoboy]

Thanks for all your feedback on this subject.

This phenomenon definitely 'twas ever thus' in the grand scheme of things. The older generations have always been known for their nostalgic tendencies, and for believing that nearly everything was far better back in their day, even though that particular person concerned is only about 10 years older than me, so still hardly an OAP!!

Probably the main reasons for this trend of constant negativity becoming more intense over the past 20 years or so is the rapid technological advances in mass communication, especially smartphones, and not forgetting social media, where things (good and bad) can be communicated in a matter of seconds at the click of a switch/button, whereas pre-21st Century, not only did we have to rely on more traditional media for news, such as conventional printed newspapers, bulletins on TV and radio but only at set times, unlike today where we have 24/7 rolling news channels with detailed on-screen graphics. And also back then many of these so-called 'moaners' often used to argue out their grievances down the local pub or WMC, under the influence of booze, sometimes resulting in epic punch-ups just before kicking out time.

But sadly some people seem to go out of their way to be negative about things, and one of my biggest bugbears is when certain people post negative reviews of things like DVDs and music albums on Amazon, with extremely emotive wording like 'Worst album/film ever. Avoid like the plague' and 'Don't waste your hard-earned cash by investing in this crap'!!

Basically making sweeping generalisations about the products and wilfully encouraging others to dislike them and avoid them, as if only their opinions count, whereas others might actually otherwise enjoy them, but sadly feel put off by these intense negative reviews. As one person's trash is another person's treasure (and vice versa).

[Pamplemousse]

Probably the main reasons for this trend of constant negativity becoming more intense over the past 20 years or so is the rapid technological advances in mass communication, especially smartphones, and not forgetting social media, where things (good and bad) can be communicated in a matter of seconds at the click of a switch/button, whereas pre-21st Century, not only did we have to rely on more traditional media for news, such as conventional printed newspapers, bulletins on TV and radio but only at set times, unlike today where we have 24/7 rolling news channels with detailed on-screen graphics. And also back then many of these so-called 'moaners' often used to argue out their grievances down the local pub or WMC, under the influence of booze, sometimes resulting in epic punch-ups just before kicking out time.

But sadly some people seem to go out of their way to be negative about things, and one of my biggest bugbears is when certain people post negative reviews of things like DVDs and music albums on Amazon, with extremely emotive wording like 'Worst album/film ever. Avoid like the plague' and 'Don't waste your hard-earned cash by investing in this crap'!!

Basically making sweeping generalisations about the products and wilfully encouraging others to dislike them and avoid them, as if only their opinions count, whereas others might actually otherwise enjoy them, but sadly feel put off by these intense negative reviews. As one person's trash is another person's treasure (and vice versa).

Amazon reviews, like YouTube comments, are best avoided. 24-hour news is a monster that needs feeding 24 hours a day and IMO is totally unnecessary.

I think you've discovered the root of the evil here: social media - and I'm aware of the irony of making that statement on a social media platform. I always felt that "Web 2.0" was going to be a disaster, as I remember how things could go wrong back on Usenet and bulletin boards back in the 90s (I've been wasting bandwidth for years!) when access was far more difficult than it is now. We really have got an "Eternal September".

The Internet could have been a great force for democracy, giving the unheard a voice at last; but at the same time, those that do not deserve a voice now have one too. Rare is it that groups manage to get themselves totally excluded via their hate, but the so-called 'incels' have managed it!

[Lencoboy]

Amazon reviews, like YouTube comments, are best avoided. 24-hour news is a monster that needs feeding 24 hours a day and IMO is totally unnecessary.

I think you've discovered the root of the evil here: social media - and I'm aware of the irony of making that statement on a social media platform. I always felt that "Web 2.0" was going to be a disaster, as I remember how things could go wrong back on Usenet and bulletin boards back in the 90s (I've been wasting bandwidth for years!) when access was far more difficult than it is now. We really have got an "Eternal September".

The Internet could have been a great force for democracy, giving the unheard a voice at last; but at the same time, those that do not deserve a voice now have one too. Rare is it that groups manage to get themselves totally excluded via their hate, but the so-called 'incels' have managed it!

Absolutely. And sadly even New Labour were caught napping over the potential shortcomings of said mediums, as they were in power when many of these mediums first evolved, which has sadly manifested in the growth of misinformation, fake news, etc over the past 20 years that the Tory administrations over the past decade have still swept under the carpet and failed to address.

TripAdvisor is another one that can be a cesspool for intense negative reviews of places, often posted out of spite by potential rivals, and people who generally seem to have a bee in their bonnet about nearly everything.

YouTube comments can most certainly be the pits on occasions, and can present as a typical example of 'free speech gone too far', even though YouTube themselves have allegedly attempted to tone things down a bit more recently, not just in their discouraging the posting of abusive and hateful/threatening comments, but also cracking down on potentially harmful material from being uploaded.

So, you're spot on in the sense that many aspects of the Internet haven't quite managed to evolve into the 'brave new world' of democracy and free expression in quite the ways we had originally hoped for some 25 years ago, but having said that, if it wasn't for the Internet, this site wouldn't exist and we most certainly wouldn't be discussing things on this forum right now!!

[ErinKC]

Yes, but I stopped engaging. I just don't have the mental energy. I actually got rid of facebook 3 years ago for this reason and my life has been so much less stressful! And, it was my mother who was one of the worst offenders! She and another friend from my childhood would get into these insane arguments on my posts that I'd then get dragged into. But, most people are not going to change their minds. The only way to really change a mind is to find common ground with someone and work from there, but most people aren't willing to do that anymore so it's mostly worthless.

[AntsyVee]

Yes, but I stopped engaging. I just don't have the mental energy. I actually got rid of facebook 3 years ago for this reason and my life has been so much less stressful! And, it was my mother who was one of the worst offenders! She and another friend from my childhood would get into these insane arguments on my posts that I'd then get dragged into. But, most people are not going to change their minds. The only way to really change a mind is to find common ground with someone and work from there, but most people aren't willing to do that anymore so it's mostly worthless.

Amen, Erin. I could've written that post myself.

[Lolalee1]

Yes, but I stopped engaging. I just don't have the mental energy. I actually got rid of facebook 3 years ago for this reason and my life has been so much less stressful! And, it was my mother who was one of the worst offenders! She and another friend from my childhood would get into these insane arguments on my posts that I'd then get dragged into. But, most people are not going to change their minds. The only way to really change a mind is to find common ground with someone and work from there, but most people aren't willing to do that anymore so it's mostly worthless.

Ditto.