humor

I'm paraphrasing this from some forum I can't remember.

If stupidity and ignorance are tolerated, the stupid and ignorant will think it's ok.

Even if you have the balls to post your opinion, this board might have been better off if you didn't. Post something insightful and you won't run into overused, snide and I'm smarter than u remarks. "I type, therefore I can" is just as big a problem for the original posters as the lynch mob that follows.

In light of your comments to go beyond one liners, here are a few suggestions.

First, if there is a previous forum or diary post you are aware of, whether here or on another blog, that completely answers the question posed, paste in a link to it. This allows both the OP & others interested in the question to find the answer, and avoids a stupid thread. Too many answers given to repeat questions are too snarky. Not everyone has the time or energy to stalk mgoblog endlessly, so everyone needs to understand that some questions need to be answered more than once.

Second, try to restrain yourself from jumping in if you really don't have anything to add to the discussion. We all, including me (& you,) should have better things to do with our time.

Third, try to avoid being needlessly provocative with your OP. There are too many posts that are just looking to get a rise out of someone.

I love this site for all the info, and opinions, but hate wading through threads of guys just sniping back and forth at each other.

<insert one-line putdown here>

That's why we have comments vs posts. Comments are open forum and will always remain that way (no, Brian isn't going to change that). The overwhelming amount of information you get isn't from user comments it's from the postings on the front page and even some on the diary side. Honestly, I'm not even sure why you bothered writing this - it seems as tho you think the comments section is for insightful thoughts - no, that's the main post. People need an avenue for which to vent their frustration or joy and that is the comments section (read: people talking about random crap, sometimes useful sometimes not but it's the comments section so it is what it is supposed to be). Some days I don't really feel like reading the snippy (sometimes funny) one-liners so I just get the info I'm after in the main post and move on. Other times I find it humorous so I read them. I guess the point is don't be going to the comments section for posts - you'll be disappointed (well, obviously you already are).

So, what do you want, no jokes on here? That sucks.

that a good laugh each day is healthy and leads to a longer life.

Something to think about for those who take this blog a little to seriously.

The shift button capitalizes letters

The, second, sentence, of, the, second, paragraph, is Teh Awesomist

I come for the insults. I stay for the insights.

Your post lacks top-end speed-readability (not SHIFTy enough either-zing!)

The smart-ass remarks help keep the dumbasses in check.

Your diary subject was "humor", but wasn't funny. What gives?

Overall, a fine post. Killed ten minutes. Yay.

And therein lies the problem. Or maybe it's not a problem. Again, it's all depending on the reader's point of view.

Jokes are like music-- everyone has the right to like what they like. And no matter how much anyone or everyone disagrees with what you find funny, at the end of the day nobody has the right to tell you what you can or cannot laugh at. Until of course, it comes at someone else's expense. For example, this is Brian's blog-- and if he doesn't want someone posting, say pictures of corpses, well then he has the right to send you on your way. And thank goodness for that.

I think the bottom line here is that because humor IS subjective, there are massive portions of people who write comments that they consider are pure knee-slappin' gold, and in their minds maybe it is. But just as no one can refuse your own right to laugh at something, so too does anyone have the right to NOT think your material is funny. And there's a mountain of stuff here that just falls flat. Every day. We've all contributed to it. I have. I made a joke the other day about Zia Combs that I thought was killer, but it missed. Hard.

Bottom line is, there's a lot of people that roam these halls, and every one of 'em has a different sense of humor. Some people are more consistent than others, but everyone's good for something once in awhile. BUT that doesn't mean that humor doesn't have a place here at MgoBlog-- quite the opposite. It wouldn't be the same without it. So I don't think it should be tempered down-- but if it needs a victim to be funny, then maybe it's crossing the line. Too easy. After all, we Michigan Men are supposed to be arrogant snobs, aren't we??

For the record, I'm sure some of you didn't think that closing line was funny at all. I rest my case.

Blogs, unlike newspapers, are about building a community (Brian touches onto this http://mgoblog.com/content/death-throes). Building a community would be virtually impossible without off topic posts and humor.

Facts, figures, and analysis is just a little too impersonal for me (as here we are, at our computers and not face to face) given the incredible impersonal nature of our medium.

But I do find this an interesting post coming from someone who goes by a different spelling of "know-it-all."

I would venture out on a limb and say that most bloggers/internet types are extremely cynical (as I think will end up being the cultural stamp of this generation). The easist way to express that cynicism is through snarky humor. I also think it's a defense mechanism that keeps people from actually having to explore how they feel about something, or, how someone else may feel about something. That being said, it's hard not to be cynical about a world we all think we know so much about.

Like all humor, things posted here are either hit or miss. For every few eye rolling, unfunny posts, there are a few truly hilarious ones.

Since there are no true insiders posting here and since no one here is a font of football knowledge, the humor is often the best thing about the place. Hell, this weekend someone posted something about going 12-0 this year--delightful!

Anyway, I'll take even a failed attempt at humor over some of the stupid, mean spirited stuff that gets posted. Just my humble opinion.

some of us would like to be able to find the info and opinions without sorting through this crap that has become the norm on this blog and most others like it.
Some of us would like to find info and analysis similar to Brian's content in the Diaries without sorting through this drivel that should be on the board instead. See what I did there?

Consider your content for a moment. The sort of publicity you get up at the top there is second to almost none. Advertisers would pay quality money for that space, in fact. Eyes are drawn up there, especially those of people looking for stuff to click on. Now consider, as a counterexample, the "informative headlines" sticky on the board. It's there as an address to the general community - that is to say, it's not on the front page for the entire world to read.

Addressing the general MGoCommunity? Great, go post on the board.
Addressing the WWW as a whole? Great, go post in the Diaries.

Did I not bother addressing your actual content? You bet. I was more upset to find this up there than I was with what it was about. To be fair to you, OP, I think it's fine just the way it is. Allowing the ignorant and stupid to run rampant, as it was posted before, allows the anonymity of the WWW to show through. See also: http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/3/19/

This post has gotten a lot longer than I had planned.

Bonus points to those whom smiled at my subject line.

I hate those little whippersnappers dagnabbit! Enough of all the ding-dang joking and laughing and . . . for lack of a better word, FUN! GO AWAY YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!

From now on, I'm going to get my sports analysis from a more serious site for true Michigan Men:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_1OFe6OW0NaI/SCERg19mejI/AAAAAAAABO4/ScWHAvsa6L...

This post seems more critical of cruelty than humor.

Expressing your true opinion is simply a sign of insecurity. Those who deride and flame others without offering anything substantial to discussion are obviously the most confident people here.

Oh wait, I took more than one line with my smart-ass remark. Sorry lolxxorz

There are too many people here insulting each other. Like the thread that pretty much turned into two people calling each other "asshole" over what started as a benign post. Or the whining about repeat threads that is actually more repetitive than repeat threads.

Then, there are those who read through an entire thread, only to carp about how it "wasted two minutes of their time," AND THEN WASTE MORE OF THEIR "VALUABLE TIME" POSTING ABOUT IT. I didn't know that posts have the power to handcuff someone to their screen and force them to read the entire thread.

Ironically enough, the same people who complain about their time being wasted complain because someone else "didn't take two extra minutes to scroll through the comments on the side."

If someone is obviously trolling, then IMO they deserve anything they get. The problem I see is that a lot of sincere UM fans get lambasted by a small clique of people who seem to think that being mean makes mgoblog a "more intelligent community."

I think mgoblue is the best of the UM blogs out there, but it could be a lot better if people would just stop being mean to each other. The little "clique of sarcasm" is cute, but it really doesn't make any of you better than the person who makes what you consider to be an "ignorant" post; it just makes you someone who provides fuel to those who chronically revisit former MSU coach Daryl Rogers' quote and call UM fans "arrogant asses."

Anyway, I fully expect to be flamed for this, so I won't bother to read the rest of the thread.

But after you are done flaming me for this post, maybe some of you should ask yourselves what it really accomplishes when you are mean to a fellow UM fan. Does it help the blog grow? Does it foster a sense of community or an environment where UM fans feel welcome?

I saw an interesting post about how cynicism possibly "will end up being the cultural stamp of this generation." That is fine, but there are many generations of internet-savvy UM fans, and they all have the right to feel welcome on a UM blog. There are "baby-boomers," ex-"hippies," "gen X," "gen Why?," and anyone else I might have forgotten.

If everyone is to get along, tolerance is needed. It really helps if people try to understand that their generation isn't the only one here. People can get along if they simply try not to be hurtful toward each other. If an outlet for cynisism is needed, there are plenty of great derision objects like MSU and OSU on which to vent.

Anyway, I hope that this is a nicer place by football season. There should be a lot more readers by then, and they will all be hoping for a place to enjoy talking about their favorite team and berating their least favorite teams, too. It is a lot more fun than berating each other.

i laugh heartily at fart jokes. like a hearty beef stew.

Were talking about a sports blog here right?

Feel free to voice your opinion all you want but this being a anonymous site one should expect all sorts of responses. You talk of having the balls to use your voice but you don't have the balls to sift through snide comments regarding your opinions?

Seriously...we celebrate with Muppets on this site. Have fun and enjoy. We all should be here for one thing and that is the love of Michigan athletics. Some people have fun using one-liners. Who cares?!

For those whom like to berate, I'll berate myself. "What a bunch of sorry s**t! What an idiot! You’re stupid! You should take a long walk on a short pier. You suck donkey..."

I'll survive. GO BLUE!!!

Dislikes: I do not enjoy humor. I hate to laugh. Laughing is for the weak. I enjoy being a cold and lifeless being devoid of all joy. This is what Michigan Football is all about.

Likes: On the other hand I enjoy repeated post topics. I also enjoy posts that call out Sam McGuffie for his inability to be a Michigan Man. I enjoy repeated posts that request games to be played at night. I enjoy posts that claim the OP knows more about recruiting than Rich Rodriguez. I like posts that bash high school kids for being "pre Madonnas." I also love giant pics of dead people. I love posts where people make fun of Detroit.

This is stupid.