Conflict Resolving Every Community has a Smartass

[Cedric]

I've been a part of quite a few online forums in my time, and it's hard not to notice that every community seems to have its share of witty, sarcastic, and sometimes downright rude members. You know the ones I'm talking about - those folks who always have a snarky comment ready, especially when it comes to interacting with newcomers. They act like they've seen it all, know everything, and that everyone else's opinions are basically worthless.

Now, here's the twist – these smartasses often manage to get away with it. They don't technically break any rules, and some even find their remarks genuinely funny. But are they really harmless jesters, or does their behavior create more harm than we might think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Have you encountered such individuals in your own forums? How do you handle them? Do you see them as a positive or negative presence in the community? And where do we draw the line between humor and hurtfulness?

Let's dive into the discussion about these wise-cracking wits and explore whether there's a better way to maintain a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for all members, both new and old. Share your stories, opinions, and ideas on dealing with these characters, and let's see if we can strike a balance that keeps our community vibrant and respectful.

 

[Ravenfreak]

While I've never had to deal with a smartass on my community, I have seen it from other forums in the past. To me it looks bad, and could potentially deter new members from joining. Of course there's also some people that might see this person being a smartass and join the forum since they find these people amusing. After a while I can imagine dealing with people like this can get tiresome.

 

[Sinistra]

*whistles innocently* ummmmm... I am not rude? I am a nice smartass thank you very much! LOL, I can be a smartass but it will have to be warranted! I think common sense when it comes to posting on a community is key and when you can't use that then I will turn into a smartass lol I tend to keep a form of professionalism when I run my community or post on other communities but if I get annoyed by someone I will sometimes turn into a smartass but its rare to annoy me.

 

[Arantor]

They act like they've seen it all, know everything, and that everyone else's opinions are basically worthless.

Some of us have pretty much seen it all, though, and some of us really do know everything

I am legitimately one of these people, but inevitably it doesn't *start* that way. They're rarely smart-ass from the off, because it takes time to become that way. Misanthropy takes time to breed.

It certainly arises out of 'I want help to do x' / 'x is a bad idea' / 'well what would you know' type exchanges, where newcomers assert they know better about what they want to do, without realising that the idea isn't new and unique. It's how you get to the opinions being worthless; I mean, the number of discussions I had where people had decided my opinion was 'worthless' despite being grounded in experience, because I chose not to support their wild theory.

It also arises out of discussions where one side in the debate is perceived as not engaging their brain before replying, where the other side observes this with any regularity and it just becomes contemptuous.

 

[Empire]

At times I wish I was a smartass, in a good way to be honest regarding good results however that never really fitted me. I did have to deal with mixed members who are smartasses who know it all however they can be wrong and they never admitted that they are, not just in communities but in genual, even those people that chat to me while I'm streaming and at times I wish they don't bother. lol

Those can be helpful and those that are not and end of the day those that are not I just have to disagree or not agree and not start an argument lol no point in starting a war over something that can be dealt with in seconds.

Lucky that it's not to often that we get them, not to bad, and AJ members are not like that ;P well not yet haha

 

[Darth Cognus]

Smartass? Wouldn't dream of it.

I tend to lean tolerant if I can rule out toxic.

 

[ZandraJoi]

I think if Rules are in place, nobody, from the owner to Staff to member should be exempt.
A few snarky comments here & there, we all may have those days things just rub us the wrong way. But when it's continuous & the person has NOTHING good to say, it goes from being funny to distracting. It emits bad vibes to the forum.
I don't tolerate it on my forum but fortunately haven't come across it too harshly.
On other forums, I stop posting (I may be "next" in the line up for the snarky comment), & then eventually stop going altogether.
The moment I feel I can't say something, where the Agree to Disagree won't be honored with Respect, that is the moment I leave.

 

[Miraizar]

People like these are part of why I don't think "strike systems" for breaking rules works.

I think you ought to try at least talking to the person about their behavior and they need to say they understand and will do better. But if they're not crossing the line but purposely dancing at it, they get the ban hammer. If they're hurting the community, they gotta go. The longer you let them stay, the more damage will be done.

 

[Tracy]

I will be the first to state I can (and frequently do) trend towards that state according to those easily offended. But a lot of it ties directly back to my initial career. You definitely don't want to be a correctional officer or law enforcement officer that is "laid back". Simple fact is, folks will take advantage of you, and many of those that you deal with respond better to the "smart ass" attitude than they do a placating one. As a CO, the officers that got verbally (and sometimes physically) abused were those that could not give as good as they got verbally. The offenders easily knew which ones would not take the crap from them and which ones they were more likely able to manipulate and walk over. Anyone that knows someone thats been in either field prior to their starting and after they have been in it a while will tell you it changes (usually jades) that person. The way they interact with others change, as they are almost constantly being "gamed" by the people they have to deal with.

Honestly, there is nowhere that I participate at that being banned would break my heart and cause me to go into depression. I, like many, have a lot of irons in the fire going a majority of the time, and usually visiting forums is just wind down time. I can do the same by going out in the back yard and firing up a pipe full of a nice English blend, or going over to the neighbors and mowing/edging their lawn.

The fun is when you have staff doing the "snark" and not getting called out on it. I can think of one person in particular at a support site that is well known for that, and has been for at least a decade. Another one at that same site had a history of it, but he's not as active there currently with posting. You see him once in a blue moon.