In another thread, Foxy aske: "Do people who enrage us do it intentionally, or is it a by-product of words or behaviour that they
think perfectly appropriate?"

Speaking for myself, as a poster who seems to enrage some others quite regularly, it's sometimes one, sometimes the other. While I've done my bit to deliberately cause offence on occasion, I've also had words I thought were perfectly innocuous jumped on as signifying all sorts of dire things about me, my family, my views on life, my lifestyle, my sexual prefence and so on.

So what of the rest of you: do you ever find yourself defending things you didn't say? Do you find yourself responding to the tone of a post rather than the content?

Do some of you try to provoke an enraged response from others? What motivates you to do so?

I have found that there is propensity for people to scan comments and fill in the blanks so to speak. The problem with this is that this tendency is to assume extreme opposition. i.e. Not believing Monckton's half baked nonsense = being a devotee in the church or Gore. In reality I'm no fan of Gore either.

Therefore, yes, I have had to defend against something I didn't say.

However, to put this in context one needs to understand why this happens.

Many discussion issues are oversimplified often beyond the point where by what is being discussed becomes confused between emotional bias and reality/fact. There is a point scoring debating/sales technique called 'reduction to the ridiculous.' that illustrates the point
In a sale perspective "this exciting 1.5 meter TV will only be $1.74 per day, less than half a cup of coffee.
In short it confuses the issue with emotion 'exciting'(replacing the reality...Cost, 60 mths = $3144 for $1800 TV).
The verbal version of this techniques is often used to hide the true impact of what is being said. i.e. "Umpteen squillion dollars goes to single mothers ...nanny state...baby bonus". it replaces emotion for fact.
- single mums are a minor part of Social security
- *some* go for the baby bonus but hardly a majority the single mums.
- by far the greatest number of recipient have parteners.

Too many such ill considered comments like the above are proffered as comments and are indeed insulting, infuriating.
If a commenter throw this theme up consistently, and yes they will be characterized.
The question is who is really at fault, the commenter espouses emotional bias, the reader who reads it either based on previous comments or views the comments through their own bias?

Given I have no bias it's everyone else. :-)
A bit of both comes to mind

Well it wont surprise anyone I like to encourage enraged responses where ever I can.

I think people say things they regret while they're angry, but quite often what they say in this enraged state is much more honest than what they would say otherwise. You get their prejudices coming out, their fears, oh it's exhilarating. It's more to the core of where they're at, not the censored facade.

I think also what irks people about other people are things they can see in themselves and wish they didn't. It's why family member who are very similar often clash.

I think habit can form as well. Some things antiseptic says would not rate a blip on the rage-o-meter if they were said by the beautiful gentile man that is r0bert.

Also things I say have caused a reaction more for the words used than the ideas behind them. I've often heard someone express in a serious way exactly what I was expressing with hyperbole and stereotypes and unfair generalisations, but the serious post from the respected poster gains kudos. Don't worry, I'm happy enough to live without the recognition, and content some people are on the same page.

And as I've said before to pynchme, it's a courtesy service to other posters to allow them an out if they cant refute your argument; They can then just go off all irate about some of the 'offensive' words you used to make it.

'do you ever find yourself defending things you didn't say? '
A lot of the time. Especially from certain posters.

OK examinator I except the challenge.
Having form for having blues with a few posters I think I can shed light.
And if we get honest? it may just be the longest thread in OLO history.
The problem belongs to both sides of an argument, most times.
But as you highlight it can be just miss understandings.
I promise you, only once, ever, did I want to provoke a poster, years ago, and got warned for it, but for the wrong target.
Each of us has views and surely we believe in what we say?
Some views to me you every one are not ones we share.
But it takes many posts, even conflicts before I judge some one.
Look at my posts guilty, I am allergic to some ,just the odd few.
But I think my posts heated as they are, are not rage.
Some do, can you doubt it? provoke in every post, it is Aussie larikanism or is it?
I fear the forum brings some not just a few, who can not get a hearing in RL and many of us lash out sometimes.
OLO is however far more controlled in such matters by its contributors than most.

Is it rage to insult the ideas others put or the person, is it both?
I seem to suffer fools badly, maybe I am the fool.
But is it rage?
I have provoked rage, often by just putting my view strongly , even rebutting strongly what others say.
Is it bad manners to think differently.
Not sure it is you and I often agree but often head butt on our different ideas too.
Surely that is ok.
ten thousand times on standing in front of those I serve I have said these words.
*tell me what you truly think not what you think I want to hear, only truth has value*
To stand and fight, hit the verbal tennis ball back across the net is an instinct we bought from the caves with us.
It has saved lives and made us what we are, if it was my job to judge OLO posters, to define rage users, I would find only one of those who post today on my list.
And I would burn the list rather than hand it in I see no harm in robust debate.
I however find fault now and forever in those who think it is worth while to provoke people for fun, lower IQ holders often think they are being smart but in truth such actions glare out of idle brains in action.

I have to wonder why a person does get angry.
Is it because they get told "Lies, it is all lies" when in fact proof has been shown.

So what it comes down to is Bias in some who do not wish to see the truth, but their own world they live in.

So as being number 1 on some lists has to make me proud, it shows that i am in fact making a point.

When the facts to an issue are produced some people just stick their heads in the sand and go"I cant see that",I dont want to know the facts"
That is no problem but there are those who do find that some posters enjoy posting new discusions, or even making comments which are hypocritical.