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This "nerd rage" term is something I'm beginning to see quite often in the forums, and it always seems to be an ever-so-thinly-veiled insult towards people in another camp of thought. This PDF embroglio has the camp of WotC supporters throwing it out in one thread after another. It seems very disrespectful to dismiss a viewpoint as just being "nerd rage". As I can't see any positive way to use the term, I submit for consideration that categorizing other community members' viewpoints as "nerd rage" be considered inherently inflammatory and be treated as such by the moderators.
I think I agree - its only purpose is essentially to denigrate a view opposed to yours (unless someone is characterising themselves as suffering from 'nerd rage', I suppose).
Anyway - report it if you see it, and we'll look into it when it occurs.
Cheers
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Looking into specific posts is okay, but a general "ban" seems inappropriate to me. We haven't restricted "dumbed down" "stupid" and many others words that will usually be used to express something negative and includes a "judgement" by the poster. But that's what we do all the time, right? Expressing our opinions on things?
I think nerdrage is a pretty neat word, because it describes a certain "phenomena" commonly found online.
Groups of people upset about minor issues and blowing the topic out of proportion - of course as perceived by the user of the term.
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I think the term "Nerd Rage" is wildly inappropriate and anyone here using it should be embarrassed.
Clearly, we should be using the term "Geek Rage."
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Looking into specific posts is okay, but a general "ban" seems inappropriate to me. We haven't restricted "dumbed down" "stupid" and many others words that will usually be used to express something negative and includes a "judgement" by the poster.
Here's the difference. Describing an edition of D&D as "dumbed-down" is a negative reference to the edition. Describing people's reaction as "nerd rage" is denigrating to those people.
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I think nerdrage is a pretty neat word, because it describes a certain "phenomena" commonly found online.
Groups of people upset about minor issues and blowing the topic out of proportion - of course as perceived by the user of the term.
Overemotional reactions are hardly new to the world. We just have a new word for baiting people who are upset. The fact that they're upset is somehow evidence that they're nerds.
Last edited by Felon; 18th April 2009 at 09:13 AM..
Here's the difference. Describing an edition of D&D as "dumbed-down" is a negative reference to the edition. Describing people's reaction as "nerd rage" is denigrating to those people.
No, describing people's reaction as nerdrage is a negative reference to the irrationality of their posts.
You know, "rage". Cf ragequit.
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Overemotional reactions are hardly new to the world. We just have a new word for baiting people who are upset. The fact that they're upset is somehow evidence that they're nerds.
No, it's evidence that they're raging. That they are nerds is already a known quantity by virtue of the fact that they're posting about a game where you pretend to be an elf.
Here's the difference. Describing an edition of D&D as "dumbed-down" is a negative reference to the edition. Describing people's reaction as "nerd rage" is denigrating to those people.
And by association, people interested in playing a "dumbed down" game, because apparently they couldn't cope with the "smart" game.
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Overemotional reactions are hardly new to the world. We just have a new word for baiting people who are upset. The fact that they're upset is somehow evidence that they're nerds.
Describing peoples reaction as nerd rage is denigrating their rage, describing it as blowing something out of proportions. It tells. "You/They are way overreacting, as happens often with nerds." (And as hong points out, we are all nerds. Or maybe we're all geeks, and we just misuse the word in this context. The difference between geek and nerd is getting lost these days, I surely can't pinpoint it.)
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No, describing people's reaction as nerdrage is a negative reference to the irrationality of their posts.
You know, "rage". Cf ragequit.
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Originally Posted by Mustrum_Ridcully
Describing peoples reaction as nerd rage is denigrating their rage, describing it as blowing something out of proportions. It tells. "You/They are way overreacting, as happens often with nerds." (And as hong points out, we are all nerds. Or maybe we're all geeks, and we just misuse the word in this context. The difference between geek and nerd is getting lost these days, I surely can't pinpoint it.)
This is just equivocation. "I'm not denigrating a person, just denigrating a person's feelings. I'm not violating any rules by labeling you as stupid, I'm just labeling your point of view as stupid".
Botom line: is it an intentionally inconsiderate term? Yes.
The persons experiencing said nerdrage probably don't see their behavior as irrational, and likely aren't swayed by having others call it nerdrage. And I suspect the person throwing the term out knows perfectly well that he's just waving a red flag.
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And by association, people interested in playing a "dumbed down" game, because apparently they couldn't cope with the "smart" game.
That's a much less direct association. You produce your feelings, other people produced D&D. The implications of calling a game "dumbed-down" is not necessarily calling the people playing it dumb. Case in point: I play 4e, I do feel it's intentionally designed to be dumbed-down, and yet I don't think my group of players is dumb at all.
Last edited by Felon; 19th April 2009 at 11:49 PM..
This is just equivocation. "I'm not being rude to you, just saying rude things about your opinion. I'm not violating any rules by labeling you as stupid, I'm just labeling your point of view".
Rude is rude. The person(s) experiencing said nerdrage probably don't see their behavior as irrational, and likely aren't swayed by having others call it nerdrage. More likely, it's just baiting them.
Quite possibly. In which case, it would be just the same as "dumbing down". Or "videogamey". Or "rollplaying not roleplaying". Or....
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That's a much less direct association. You produce your feelings, other people produced D&D. The implications of called a game "dumbed-down" is not necessarily calling the people playing it dumb. Case in point: I play 4e, I do feel it's dumbed-down quite a bit, and yet I don't think my group of players is dumb at all.
"I'm not being rude to you, just saying rude things about what you like" does not seem that far removed from the above. And if you don't feel insulted by it, there's no reason you should be insulted by nerd rage either; they're both similarly distanced.
Last edited by hong; 19th April 2009 at 11:46 PM..
Quite possibly. In which case, it would be just the same as "dumbing down". Or "videogamey". Or "rollplaying not roleplaying". Or....
"I'm not being rude to you, just saying rude things about what you like" does not seem that far removed from the above. And if you don't feel insulted by it, there's no reason you should be insulted by nerd rage either; they're both similarly distanced.
No, they are not similary distanced. I can be derisive towards General Motors without any inherent derision towards people who drive a GM. I could even belittle a specific model of car without any inherent disdain towards those who drive that model.
Of course, it's possible to couch such derision so that there's explicit or implicit derision towards GM owners. It's also possible that some people are so fond of the GM brand that they regard any derision towards the brand as a personal attack. Similar scenarios exist for brands of video game consoles, sports teams, alma maters--you name it. There's a middle ground where the speaker has some onus to be considerate of people who are passionate about the subject, and the listener likewise has some onus to separate his identity from a subject that actually has no inherent connection to him.
However, feelings and opinions are integral to a person, and there's not much middle ground therein. To belittle them is to belittle the person possessing them.
No, they are not similary distanced. I can be derisive towards General Motors without any inherent derision towards people who drive a GM. I could even belittle a specific model of car without any inherent disdain towards those who drive that model.
The fact that you are on a board where ppl can nerdrage about some pdfs being withdrawn should point you to the flaw in that analogy.
The fact that you are on a board where ppl can nerdrage about some pdfs being withdrawn should point you to the flaw in that analogy.
There might be a flaw if the paragraph you quoted was the only one issued, but the ones following it actually do address the distinction between a slight that's explicit and a slight that's the result of not being able to separate your personage from things that are peripheral to it.
There might be a flaw if the paragraph you quoted was the only one issued, but the ones following it actually do address the distinction between a slight that's explicit and a slight that's the result of not being able to separate your personage from things that are peripheral to it.
There is no difference. You are not your opinion. Calling your opinion wrong, or your reasoning process invalid, does not constitute a personal attack. It might be undiplomatic or disrespectful, but there is no blanket ban on undiplomatic or disrespectful language, if only because defining this would be problematic.
Last edited by hong; 20th April 2009 at 02:17 AM..
There is no difference. You are not your opinion. Calling your opinion wrong, or your reasoning process invalid, does not constitute a personal attack. It might be undiplomatic or disrespectful, but there is no blanket ban on undiplomatic or disrespectful language, if only because defining this would be problematic.
"Wrong" and "invalid" are not slurs intended to inflame. "Nerdrage" is. I can definitely think of plenty of words that would get you banned in a heartbeat, and they don't have to be part of a formal blanket ban list.
...but there is no blanket ban on undiplomatic or disrespectful language, if only because defining this would be problematic.
But, on the other hand, much of what we have to moderate is, in fact, people being disrespectful and/or undiplomatic.
The difference between something being derisive or not is a matter of degree and context. I would be hard pressed to imagine a use of "nerdrage" to describe the behavior of another poster such that it was not either derisive or dismissive and personal.
But, on the other hand, much of what we have to moderate is, in fact, people being disrespectful and/or undiplomatic.
The difference between something being derisive or not is a matter of degree and context. I would be hard pressed to imagine a use of "nerdrage" to describe the behavior of another poster such that it was not either derisive or dismissive and personal.
Dumbed Down, Rollplaying or Nerdrage are all typically used or can be easily understood as insulting.
If someone feels insulted, and insulted enough to call on the mods, it needs to be dealt with.
No need to ban any words for it.
"I've tried to get into chess, but it's a little to complex for my tastes and parties seem to take too long. Is there some kind of "dumbed down" game I could play instead on the board?"
"Sure, you could try checkers."
"I played chess a lot, but I eventually found that checkers is way faster and more fun."
"Basically, Checkers is a dumbed down version of chess."
"I feel nerdrage building up in me about people restricting my vocubulary. I try to be constructive, but... Arrgh. Someone feels the same way? "
"I love roll-playing. Really, if I don't get to roll the dice, what's the point of having mechanics and a character sheet? "
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Secret Member of <Think we would just hide our secret with a spoiler tag, eh?>
Last edited by Mustrum_Ridcully; 20th April 2009 at 06:44 PM..
Give me a way of concisely expressing my distaste for overly emotional exaggerated reactions to WOTC actions. I don't care if the term is nerd rage or something else. But I should be able to, along with others, use relatively polite but clear and firm written public peer pressure to try and persuade people to stop behaving like drama queens every time someone at WOTC does something different from what they did the day before.
I am not dismissing any group of people as drama queens.
However, I am saying SOME individuals have reacted as drama queens, and I think it's disingenuous to deny that. And, I am saying there should be some relatively POLITE means of exerting peer pressure on those folks to try and tone it down, aside from the mods.
The phrase "Nerd Rage" was one means of doing that, but if folks think it was not polite enough sometimes, then fair enough. I'm just saying, leave some reasonable means of applying that peer pressure in an effective yet polite manner.
The community should not all have to sink to the lowest common denominator to completely accept and tolerate a couple of individuals who overreact to news in such an egregious manner that it distracts whole threads into a spiral of arguments. On some level, the community should be able to react in a relatively polite manner to try and discourage that sort of stuff, aside from moderators, through normal communal peer pressure.
A little playful and relatively polite teasing to demonstrate that perhaps someone is overreacting a bit can go a long way to helping with that sort of stuff. It can sometimes function better than a moderator intervening and leaving someone feeling even more isolated and likely to express a sense of unfairness towards the moderators.
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