which forums are the snarkiest?

[nereo]

I was slightly bewildered a few days ago when some other posters called this forum one of the 'snarkiest' forums on the internet.  Sure we disagree and love to argue, but I think by and large this is a fairly tame place, as internet forums go.†

What popular forums do you consider snarky, and how does MMM-land compare overall?   

ETA: We all know there are dark, evil corners of the internet where racism/sexism/___ism is the underlying goal.  I'm not talking about those corners, but rather forums that don't attract frequent legal scrutiny and very bad people.

†shout-out to the moderators who (IMO) do a good job of allowing for healthy debate and arguments while enforcing the worst behaviors. Not an easy needle to thread.

[Bracken_Joy]

I have no answers, I'm just super curious what other people will answer!

[Rollin]

My observations of MMM or good, with one or two of my post getting judgmental. I'd say bikeforums can be snarky, especially in winter. They get the "either your with us or against us" thing going quite a lot (e.g, living car free vs. car light. Really!).

I think it is easy for people to assume, draw conclusions based on those assumptions (incorrect usually), and then go to judgment. Its easy when its anonymous. The Internet can be like that and I really think that is too bad/sad.

[J Boogie]

I used to skate and more the point, frequented the SLAP message boards.

They were really bad. Skaters can be super fun chill people but not these message board guys. Hating on other skaters all day long. It's basically like the Anne Hathaway thing - there's no real reason to hate on her, yet many people do. Maybe they've changed it up a bit over time. I don't even know if SLAP magazine is still around.

[Travis]

It helps that our god-father, dear leader, and inspiration has quite a potty mouth and isn't afraid to let it out. It translates into a more care-free atmosphere around here where you can drop a friendly f-bomb or two if you're really feeling it and nobody is going to throw a fit (unless you're in attack mode of course). And even then, the fact that one of our go-to phrases here is "face punch" means we can come off as endearing, helpful, and be a complete smartass at the same time.

I don't participate in many other forums, but the ones I've been to either are supremely helpful and polite or have a serious superiority complex about their subject matter in the "how dare you come here and ask an actual question with your pitiful 5-post history!"  I think we pull off "snarky" quite well whereas other sites worry about chasing people away or are so self-centered about current members they just come off as mean.  YNAB for the former and FlyerTalk for the latter.

[nereo]

I've witnessed a lot fo snark on photogrpahy forums, particularly on dpreview. Which is a shame, because I find the website itself to be chalk-full of good information.  The forums though.... anytime a gallery is presented there's a deluge of posters talking about how "it's not truly sharp (pixel peak here!)" / "not good" etc. Conversations about equipment quickly devolve into fanboys vs. haters. People get judged based on which camera brand they pair with which body.  The technical types will come in explaining why the refractive index of such-and-such lens prove its inferior and any positive press is a conspiracy of big marketing. Meanwhile I'm left thinking "can't we just enjoy taking pictures?"

[ACyclist]

Despite my stupidity about money and finances, I have found people very welcoming here.  Honestly, I thought I would get laughed off the internet, trying to rub elbows with finance gurus. 

I'd say the new relationship is going swimmingly.

[paddedhat]

I would think that one would have to be a pretty sensitive little flower if 99.9% of the content here is anything you would find to be snarky. Hell, I still have "being watched" or some shit attached to my posts, since a while back there was some asshat, with zero comprehension skills, trying to jump into the middle of a discussion about the our clueless orange leader. This guy was nowhere near the caliber of the typical MMMer, and must of got lost on his way to a reddit, "I mindlessly worship the Donald" forum. When I pointed out the obvious, that being that he lacked to skill set to find his own ass with two hands and a flashlight, I got a very quick spanking and the mark of shame. That hardly sounds like a breeding ground for snark.

Please note:  I remain completely unrepentant and beyond reform, therefore I hold my "5% warning level" dear to my heart. Fuck that long gone clown................... he was probably a Russian troll.

[2Birds1Stone]

bodybuilding.com's misc section has been providing almost 2 decades of entertainment. That place is wild.

[boarder42]

I would think that one would have to be a pretty sensitive little flower if 99.9% of the content here is anything you would find to be snarky. Hell, I still have "being watched" or some shit attached to my posts, since a while back there was some asshat, with zero comprehension skills, trying to jump into the middle of a discussion about the our clueless orange leader. This guy was nowhere near the caliber of the typical MMMer, and must of got lost on his way to a reddit, "I mindlessly worship the Donald" forum. When I pointed out the obvious, that being that he lacked to skill set to find his own ass with two hands and a flashlight, I got a very quick spanking and the mark of shame. That hardly sounds like a breeding ground for snark.

Please note:  I remain completely unrepentant and beyond reform, therefore I hold my "5% warning level" dear to my heart. Fuck that long gone clown................... he was probably a Russian troll.

No one can see being watched but you and you can't ever get your warning level wound down with out a mod doing it manually. Mods may be able to see the being watched too. It's be interesting to know how many are. Does ars just open a thread and 50% are watched.

[nereo]

paddedhat - yeah, where does the 5% warning label even show up?  If i remember correctly you called me an asshat once, but we settled it over PM.  ah, good times (no hard feelings)!

[2Birds1Stone]

10% being watched - crew, checking in.

[paddedhat]

10% being watched - crew, checking in.

Sure, let's all openly discuss the secret society of the green flag. Next everybody else will want to join, and fuck, why bother even being a green label trouble maker, when everybody else is........................

BTW, 10% I'm jealous, what are you in for?

[Bracken_Joy]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

[Tass]

I would think that one would have to be a pretty sensitive little flower if 99.9% of the content here is anything you would find to be snarky. Hell, I still have "being watched" or some shit attached to my posts, since a while back there was some asshat, with zero comprehension skills, trying to jump into the middle of a discussion about the our clueless orange leader. This guy was nowhere near the caliber of the typical MMMer, and must of got lost on his way to a reddit, "I mindlessly worship the Donald" forum. When I pointed out the obvious, that being that he lacked to skill set to find his own ass with two hands and a flashlight, I got a very quick spanking and the mark of shame. That hardly sounds like a breeding ground for snark.

Please note:  I remain completely unrepentant and beyond reform, therefore I hold my "5% warning level" dear to my heart. Fuck that long gone clown................... he was probably a Russian troll.

...I want to see this post.

My other internet hideouts fall into the categories "exceedingly polite" and "takes itself very seriously," so this is my major dose of snark...

[RWD]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I hadn't heard of this before now either. Maybe because I avoid political threads?

[Bracken_Joy]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I hadn't heard of this before now either. Maybe because I avoid political threads?

I do too. So, so far we're batting 100% with that theory ;)

[rockstache]

Next everybody else will want to join, and fuck

I read that with very much the wrong inflection on my first time through...

[ysette9]

Those commas are so important

[marble_faun]

The MMM forum is judgmental, but not particularly snarky.

For snark, check https://gomiblog.com/forums (GOMI = "get off my internets").   People who hate-read particular lifestyle bloggers go there to complain about them.

[calimom]

10% being watched - crew, checking in.

Sure, let's all openly discuss the secret society of the green flag. Next everybody else will want to join, and fuck, why bother even being a green label trouble maker, when everybody else is........................

BTW, 10% I'm jealous, what are you in for?

Also green flagged! In a journal discussion, I called out some mean girls for being mean girls and got on the gubmint watch list. Note to self: don't mess with the mean girls. They will cut you and make you sit by yourself at lunch.

Overall this place is pretty non snarky. How snarky can you get discussing bonds vs. stocks? Pay off the mortgage or put it in a VTSAX?
If I want some delicious snark, I duck into datalounge.com to hear the dish on celebrities and pop culture. It's smart and hilarious.

[HappierAtHome]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

[marty998]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

Well fuck. Now I'm jealous too. You would think after 5 years here I'd have pissed off a few people by now. Obviously not trying hard enough.

[nereo]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

Make you a deal - you write something abusive and I promise I'll report you. Gotta make it good though ;-)

[Metta]

Seriously guys, no one (and I mean no one) does judgmental snark like vegans. Vegan boards FTW!

[GuitarStv]

Seriously guys, no one (and I mean no one) does judgmental snark like vegans. Vegan boards FTW!

Ethical treatment of animals stops at other humans?  :P

[nereo]

FTW?  For The Win? 

I guess it never occurred to me that there would be vegan forums, but then again why would there not... I certainly had some unpleasant experiences with 'militant vegans' IRL.

For snark, check https://gomiblog.com/forums (GOMI = "get off my internets").   People who hate-read particular lifestyle bloggers go there to complain about them.

This I completely don't get.  Why spend time dwelling on something you don't like, particularly when you don't have to encounter it if you don't want to (unlike, for example, your in-laws, your boss or your neighbors).  If I don't like a t.v. show I just don't watch it.  Spending time talking about how much I don't like it just seems like intentionally destroying my personal happiness.

[Travis]

FTW?  For The Win? 

I guess it never occurred to me that there would be vegan forums, but then again why would there not... I certainly had some unpleasant experiences with 'militant vegans' IRL.

For snark, check https://gomiblog.com/forums (GOMI = "get off my internets").   People who hate-read particular lifestyle bloggers go there to complain about them.

This I completely don't get.  Why spend time dwelling on something you don't like, particularly when you don't have to encounter it if you don't want to (unlike, for example, your in-laws, your boss or your neighbors).  If I don't like a t.v. show I just don't watch it.  Spending time talking about how much I don't like it just seems like intentionally destroying my personal happiness.

Some people thrive on aggression and having something to complain about - even if it's self-inflicted.

[Chesleygirl]

I used to frequent a parenting site to discuss issues about raising kids, until it was completely taken over by childfree posters (trolls) who would come on to state why they didn't want kids, or tell parents how they were doing it wrong. And when you pointed out the obvious to them "you don't have experience raising kids, so you really shouldn't be giving advice" they would get very offended. Occasionally a few parents would take their side. Some posters had children with special needs (autism, down syndrome, etc) and one female childfree came on there to declare that she would have had an abortion if she knew her child would be born with special needs. They just kept trolling until they completely took over the site, and I left. I don't go on sites where I have no interest or experience, like I wouldn't troll a vegan site if I were a meat-eater. If that makes any sense. So I don't know why childfree people go on parenting sites.

[marble_faun]

For snark, check https://gomiblog.com/forums (GOMI = "get off my internets").   People who hate-read particular lifestyle bloggers go there to complain about them.

This I completely don't get.  Why spend time dwelling on something you don't like, particularly when you don't have to encounter it if you don't want to (unlike, for example, your in-laws, your boss or your neighbors).  If I don't like a t.v. show I just don't watch it.  Spending time talking about how much I don't like it just seems like intentionally destroying my personal happiness.

Some people thrive on aggression and having something to complain about - even if it's self-inflicted.

For them, hate-reading and snarking IS an enjoyable activity. They bask in drama and the opportunity to speculate about the bloggers' lives and what's really going on behind the scenes.

It seems to be about tearing down the aspirational image that particular online "influencers" try to construct about their lives online.  The GOMI folk see the bloggers as fair game for snark and mean comments, as they are sharing so much info with the public and trying to market their personal lives and pictures of their kids for sponsorships, etc.

I myself don't participate in the GOMI forum but have come across it, in the context of news articles about its impact on targeted bloggers, and browsed it a bit out of curiosity.  (see: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/jan/21/gomi-blog-internet-comments-women)

There is also now a community on reddit that is all about snarking about the GOMI blog itself.

[nereo]

There is also now a community on reddit that is all about snarking about the GOMI blog itself.

Oh goody, so we can snark the snarkers.
I feel like these people should have read The Sneetches when little.

[GardenBaker]

The gomiblog forums are hilarious...cut throat snarky...glad I'm NOT a blogger

[Metta]

FTW?  For The Win? 

I guess it never occurred to me that there would be vegan forums, but then again why would there not... I certainly had some unpleasant experiences with 'militant vegans' IRL.

Yep! There have been vegan forums since at least the early 90s. For a long time that was the only contact many vegans had with other vegans. You haven't lived until you've been condemned for eating honey or being too health conscious or not health conscious enough. Or for using carnist language  like "there's more than one way to skin a cat" or "go cold turkey" or "time to fish or cut bait". Vegans have very set ideas on what other vegans (or "so-called vegans" in their parlance) should say or do. The vegan police make the retirement police look like a bunch of lazy, laid-back surfer dudes.

Seriously guys, no one (and I mean no one) does judgmental snark like vegans. Vegan boards FTW!

Ethical treatment of animals stops at other humans?  :P

That's actually one of the disputes in vegan land since many vegans are not animal rights focused. Some are health-oriented or oriented toward environmentalism or believe that veganism is more spiritual. But if you asked, a fair number of vegans would tell you that they prefer animals to people. I'm not one of them. I much prefer people to animals but my super-introvert husband likes animals better.

[nereo]

In a way the IRP and vegan communities both seem to be arguing over a definition.  Both forces have their definition ("retirement" and "vegan," respectively) and insist that theirs is correct and everyone else's definition is wrong. Grey areas are a slippery slope to hell, and to make it even more amusing different factions have their own twists and rules (e.g. using 'carnist language' - something I had to google).  Failure to accept their definition leaves you open to attacks, often far more hostile than people who never claimed to be retired or vegan in the first place.
Oh, and just try telling eitehr camp you are 'mostly/part-time' retired/vegan.  Ha, that never seems to fly.

[fluffmuffin]

In a way the IRP and vegan communities both seem to be arguing over a definition.  Both forces have their definition ("retirement" and "vegan," respectively) and insist that theirs is correct and everyone else's definition is wrong. Grey areas are a slippery slope to hell, and to make it even more amusing different factions have their own twists and rules (e.g. using 'carnist language' - something I had to google).  Failure to accept their definition leaves you open to attacks, often far more hostile than people who never claimed to be retired or vegan in the first place.
Oh, and just try telling eitehr camp you are 'mostly/part-time' retired/vegan.  Ha, that never seems to fly.

In this vein, I once got told that I wasn't allowed to use the phrase "I eat a lot of vegan food" because I'm an omnivore. I was supposed to say "60% of my diet is sourced from plants and is animal product free" or some nonsense. I never claimed to be a vegan, but even using the word as an adjective was off the table because I'm a horrible honey-consumer and (very rarely, not that this matters) cow-murderer.

I also really struggle with the fact that some vegan forums see no degrees. I eat chicken once a week, fish once a week, and plants pretty much the rest of the time...and I'm just as bad as someone who eats meat three meals a day, seven days a week. Yall. Let's be real, there's just no universe where everyone is becoming a vegan. Personally, I am super-sympathetic to the vegan position but I STILL can't do it because it's not a healthy choice for my life and circumstances. But I think there's a lot of room to educate people on the health, animal welfare, and environmental benefits of say, committing to reduce meat consumption to once/day. A lot more people would be willing to do that than to become vegan, which would reduce the net harm to animals and the environment much more than doubling the percentage of vegans in the US from .5% to 1%.

Which is to say, I have found vegan forums to be the shame-iest, with-us-or-against-us corners of the internet.

[Chesleygirl]

I am a vegetarian and don't see how anyone who consumes meat can call themselves a vegetarian. These are people who eat turkey, chicken, fish and claim it's not "real meat". Then what is it? They can call themselves vegetarians, but I don't have to believe it.

[nereo]

I'm a retired vegan, but I still get paid to do my job because I enjoy it, and I occasionally eat meat because I can...

[nereo]

I am a vegetarian and don't see how anyone who consumes meat can call themselves a vegetarian. These are people who eat turkey, chicken, fish and claim it's not "real meat". Then what is it? They can call themselves vegetarians, but I don't have to believe it.

I wrote a whole post about people who eat fish but consider themselves vegetarian.  Go figure.

[TrMama]

I'm a retired vegan, but I still get paid to do my job because I enjoy it, and I occasionally eat meat because I can...

It's shocking really that some people think the MMM forums are snarky . . .

[nereo]

I'm a retired vegan, but I still get paid to do my job because I enjoy it, and I occasionally eat meat because I can...

It's shocking really that some people think the MMM forums are snarky . . .

I would have said we just tell really bad jokes.

[Travis]

Seriously guys, no one (and I mean no one) does judgmental snark like vegans. Vegan boards FTW!

except for crossfitting vegans ;-)

I once saw a ven diagram of "Pilot" "Crossfitter" and "Vegan." In the middle where the three intersected it said "Someone who never shuts up about themselves."

[Tass]

I am a vegetarian and don't see how anyone who consumes meat can call themselves a vegetarian. These are people who eat turkey, chicken, fish and claim it's not "real meat". Then what is it? They can call themselves vegetarians, but I don't have to believe it.

My roommate is pescatarian (no meat except fish) but often uses the word vegetarian just because more people actually know what it is. He'll be more specific if it's relevant, but the rest of the time it's just easier not to have to define the word every time you use it. If someone invites him to their Thanksgiving turkey feast, he still gets the info he wants by asking if there will be vegetarian options.

He wouldn't argue with you about whether he's a Real Vegetarian or not, though. The people you're describing sound like they should just say "I don't eat red meat."

[GuitarStv]

I am a vegetarian and don't see how anyone who consumes meat can call themselves a vegetarian. These are people who eat turkey, chicken, fish and claim it's not "real meat". Then what is it? They can call themselves vegetarians, but I don't have to believe it.

My roommate is pescatarian (no meat except fish) but often uses the word vegetarian just because more people actually know what it is. He'll be more specific if it's relevant, but the rest of the time it's just easier not to have to define the word every time you use it. If someone invites him to their Thanksgiving turkey feast, he still gets the info he wants by asking if there will be vegetarian options.

He wouldn't argue with you about whether he's a Real Vegetarian or not, though. The people you're describing sound like they should just say "I don't eat red meat."

Yeah, we used to just call them picky eaters . . . but everyone likes to have a nice label these days.

[nereo]

I am a vegetarian and don't see how anyone who consumes meat can call themselves a vegetarian. These are people who eat turkey, chicken, fish and claim it's not "real meat". Then what is it? They can call themselves vegetarians, but I don't have to believe it.

My roommate is pescatarian (no meat except fish) but often uses the word vegetarian just because more people actually know what it is. He'll be more specific if it's relevant, but the rest of the time it's just easier not to have to define the word every time you use it. If someone invites him to their Thanksgiving turkey feast, he still gets the info he wants by asking if there will be vegetarian options.

There's a certain sort of irony in people self-describing themselves as "pescaterians" - it has a biological definition that is at odds with how they are using it (namely someone/thing that primarily or exclusively eats fish, vs. someone who eats mostly plants with the occasional fish).

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/journals/well-educated-but-broke/msg1104861/#msg1104861 - for my full rant.

[HappierAtHome]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

Yessss so awesome! Thanks ARS (I assume).

[Metta]

Seriously guys, no one (and I mean no one) does judgmental snark like vegans. Vegan boards FTW!

except for crossfitting vegans ;-)

I believe that I was told by a crossfitter that there is no such thing as crossfitting vegans because true crossfitters follow a meat-focused paleo diet. So what happens when real, true crossfitters meet real true vegans. Is it like matter and antimatter meeting?

[sol]

I would think that one would have to be a pretty sensitive little flower if 99.9% of the content here is anything you would find to be snarky. Hell, I still have "being watched" or some shit attached to my posts...
therefore I hold my "5% warning level" dear to my heart.

Psshhh, 5%?  That's nothing.  I exceeded that years ago.

If it's any consolation, no one but you and the mods can see your "being watched" label, so you can pretend to be a well behaved little flower if you want to.

[iris lily]

I am glad to see GOMI (Get off my .internets!) get a shout out on this thread.

There is a Reddit subforum that snarks on GOMI. That is meta snarking, I guess.

[marty998]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

Yessss so awesome! Thanks ARS (I assume).

LOL Looks like I got one too :)

I love how cheerful the PM is about it haha.

[HappierAtHome]

Wow, I had no idea % watched were things! Apparently I am entirely too civil =)

I really want to write something abusive in response to this so you can report me and I can see a % thing...

Yessss so awesome! Thanks ARS (I assume).

LOL Looks like I got one too :)

I love how cheerful the PM is about it haha.

It's excellent. I never want to leave the watchlist.