Internet Arguments and what it does to people?

Siberys · #1 (**permalink**) 10-13-2007, 02:32 PM

So, today I got into an argument with a person in another forum about the word "Danke" which commonly means Thanks. I mentioned it also has other meanings, such as the equivelant of our slang word "Cool." Now, we get into a bit of an argument about this, and he decides to google the word and it's translation, pulling up UrbanDictionary.

Now, apparently he didn't look over this as I found that it ALSO had this as a slang definition.
Urban Dictionary: Danke

Quote:

6. danke

Something that is cool, chill, and the like.

That car is so danke!!

So, I first mention, before looking through the site, why he would trust a website that's run similar to wikipedia in that most of the time, the user can change what he wants around the site.

And after I look at the site and find that I was indeed right by HIS Citation, I sarcastically respond with "Thanks for proving me right!"

Now we're in a new argument about me having a holier than thou attitude, and that I'm still wrong and specifically "It's people like me that drive him to drink."

Ok, have you EVER been so infuriated by something done or said on the internet that you turn to alcohol as the solution? Yeah, sure, if you find out that some country that hates us is currently invading and it hasn't quite reached you yet, you'd drink your heart out before whatever happens. But an internet argument on a zombie supporting based forum that turns people to alcoholism, specifically this person, is this common or am I thinking correctly when I say this is the saddest and most pathetic excuse for a retaliation I've ever heard? Again, I could be wrong as the internet is rather huge and still growing, so it could actually have more importance to people than an outside social life, but still....

Claudius · #2 (**permalink**) 10-13-2007, 02:40 PM

Clearly its a choice whether to drink or not to drink. He doesn't HAVE to drink because of an argument.

Of course that person might medicate negative feelings using alcohol and it could be true that his habitual response is to drink.

Alternatively it could have been just an attempt to verbally retaliate (or vent or fume) ie 'you drove me to drink'

I think its more the second although both could be true as well.

dragon wench · #3 (**permalink**) 10-13-2007, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Siberys

Now we're in a new argument about me having a holier than thou attitude, and that I'm still wrong and specifically "It's people like me that drive him to drink."

Did he at least have the courtesy to thank you?
Sorry, it's just that you reminded me of a WC Fields quote:

"A woman drove me to drink, and I'll be a son-of-a-gun but I never even wrote to thank her."

On topic,
seriously, there are lots of people out there who don't have a life beyond the internet, sad but true..
Concerning the expression "driving somebody to drink," it's just something people say, they don't generally mean it literally. Sure, it's lame, but don't worry about it, just tell him to get a life.

joebob · #4 (**permalink**) 10-14-2007, 04:45 PM

i'm not trying to take the other guy's side or anything, he sounds like a spaz, BUT, although i've never seen it written, "danke" or "dank" is urban slang for something of high quality, usually marijuana.

Siberys · #5 (**permalink**) 10-14-2007, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joebob

i'm not trying to take the other guy's side or anything, he sounds like a spaz, BUT, although i've never seen it written, "danke" or "dank" is urban slang for something of high quality, usually marijuana.

Umm, Danke and Dank are not the same word or pronunciation. Dank, yes, usually refers to pot in the english language. Danke (pronunced like Don-Kuh), usually simply means thanks in german.

But that's not to say that Danke doesn't have multiple slang meanings.

We use the word "cool" in several forms for slang. It could be an Apathetic Meh, or something that seems interesting, or something that's cold. Just the same, the Word Danke can mean a multitude of things, something popular, something slightly interesting, or as urban dictionary states, something "cool."

joebob · #6 (**permalink**) 10-14-2007, 11:06 PM

as i said, i've never seen it written. danke could very well be pronounced dank just as phat can be fat. i'm not arguing that it doesn't mean thanks, just saying it could be interpreted differently.
sheesh, i need a drink now

Siberys · #7 (**permalink**) 10-14-2007, 11:13 PM

Quote:

danke could very well be pronounced dank

No, it can't, that's my point. Danke and Dank are two completely different pronunciations, Phat and Fat are the exact same pronunciation. Not to mention, Dank is an actual other german word if I remember right.

Yeah, with Babelfish, Dank means 'Owing to.'

joebob · #8 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 09:15 AM

posts are to be in english, right? i was talking about urban slang, where english grammar rules don't apply, much less german. i can see why you get into internet arguments. i just offered up an opinion and you continually tell me it is wrong.

Siberys · #9 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joebob

posts are to be in english, right? i was talking about urban slang, where english grammar rules don't apply, much less german. i can see why you get into internet arguments. i just offered up an opinion and you continually tell me it is wrong.

It's not because you're wrong. It's because it's completely irrelevant to the conversation. I'm not asking what the words mean in the german language, I'm asking why people get so offended and so overly dramatic in internet arguments over the meaning of a foreign word. I don't care about Pot, I don't care if Danke is similar or means the same as Dank, it's not the point of this thread.

Lady Dragonfly · #10 (**permalink**) 10-16-2007, 12:24 PM

Quote:

Ok, have you EVER been so infuriated by something done or said on the internet that you turn to alcohol as the solution?

I have never been infuriated by anything done (?) or said on the internet, period. Amused - yes. Infuriated - no.
No mentally and emotionally stable person with brains in the right place would turn to alcohol or drugs as a solution to the life's problems or as a response to an online conversation. Of course, if somebody is "driven to drink", it is always somebody else's fault. This time around, it happened to be yours.

Quote:

I'm asking why people get so offended and so overly dramatic in internet arguments over the meaning of a foreign word.

Because of their poor on-line manners (reflecting their poor social manners). Also, due to puffed up ego or insecurity or lack of respect for a different point of view. Besides, the "driven to drink" individuals are easily provoked. It is not such a dank idea to engage in a dispute with an alcoholic or a psychopath, especially over something as petty as a slang word.

Deadalready · #11 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 07:13 AM

I usually get bored with any arguments on the internet for them to get anywhere. Sure I could argue and maybe even prove someone wrong or myself right but the return on investment isn't worth my time.

Arguing with someone on the internet is like beating my head against a brick wall, sure I could win but the I'll only have a headache to show for it.

Vicsun · #12 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 09:13 AM

Arguments, internet or otherwise, are like a sport: it's all about coming on top of the opposition. When you prove someone wrong, you've won and will be universally praised, and if you yourself are proven wrong you will be forever despised. Your ego is on the line, and there's nothing more important than ego. As such, there is nothing more important than winning an argument. If the argument is over something as petty as the meaning of a word, so be it. The ego must be fed.

As a matter of fact, I think my arguments-are-sports analogy is so damn good, I'll extend it to politics. If you're not playing the argument game yourself, but are watching it from afar, it's customary to pick a side and praise them at every opportunity or defend them at any cost. The discomfort caused by cognitive dissonance is less than the discomfort of admitting wrongness.

Fahrenheit · #13 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:09 PM

I'm tempted to dredge up the old 'Arguing on the internet is like running in the special Olympics - Even if you win you're still retarded'. But I won't quote that - That's old.

Siberys · #14 (**permalink**) 10-17-2007, 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fahrenheit

I'm tempted to dredge up the old 'Arguing on the internet is like running in the special Olympics - Even if you win you're still retarded'. But I won't quote that - That's old.

Not to mention...probably inaccurate. I may not know anybody who I know is truly intelligent on the internet, but that doesn't mean it's impossible for someone to be intelligent and to enjoy internet arguments. Just think, what if Socrates had a Myspace page? Yeah, I'm baked.