Why are some people online so afraid to speak plainly when they get into arguments with you?

[EzraIsShy76028]

I'm talking about the type of person who keeps using like weird metaphors or analogies or using really obscure words that almost nobody uses instead of just saying what they mean upfront. Like they're trying way too hard to seem more intelligent than they actually are. And their responses have very little to do with the topic at hand, if at all.

Like the interaction will go something like this:

Them: You're like a little mouse stuck in a precarious maze. You will surely be flabbergasted. It will be unpropitious indeed.

Me: Huh? What does that even have to do with anything?

Them: They say humans are supposed to be way more whip-smart than monkeys and dolphins, but I don't think that applies here.

Me: ... What?

Them: You are indubitably stuck in a dark void. Lightning will wallop you one day for sure. The inevitable will 100% cause a lot of ruin and anguish.

Me: Okay... I'ma stop replying to you. It's not worth it.

And the topic could be about ANYTHING really. Disagreement over a TV show, favorite food, philosphical views, political views, different lifestyles, etc. Their responses don't even have anything to do with the topic at hand and are mostly just weird roundabout ways to insult my intelligence.

To be clear, it's not always exactly like the example above. Similar yes, but not exact. The example above is a case of a especially explicit example, not the most common example.

Not sure if you guys encounter this often, but I certainly do, and it's extremely annoying!

TL;DR You know. The type of people who keep using really obscure words and weird analogies to insult your intelligence, that have nothing to do with the topic at hand.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

In your specific examples, they’re just insulting you without cussing you out. I don't know if that’s how you go about it, but personally I quite like how some folks take a Nigerian approach to insults (i. e. “Wisdom is chasing him, but he runs faster.” Is pretty funny in its own right lol)

[EzraIsShy76028]

Thanks for answering! Honestly, I'd much rather they cuss me out, lol. At least it's upfront and straight to the point.

"Nigerian approach," huh... I don't really know anything about how different cultures go about things, including Nigeria specifically, but I do find the example you listed pretty funny, actually! It actually makes more sense and is more witty, unlike the examples I listed where it doesn't make sense and it looks like they just pulled random stuff out of their ass. Lol.

[CupcakeTheDestroyer]

In each one, I could read it as
1. You’re brainwashed and will be horrendously shocked to learn the truth
2. Your brainwashing has made you incredibly stupid
3. The shock of learning the truth will destroy your reality, and I take delight in picturing the image

I don't know if that was an actual convo you had or not, and I agree they were a little pretentious in it, but yeah. Witty insults are fun lol

[EzraIsShy76028]

Ah! Thanks for decoding that shit to me! Lol! Really! Based on that it seems like you're way smarter than me, though to be fair you should be by default since you're 31 and I'm 23, lol.

As for if it was an actual convo I had... both yes and no? It wasn't exactly verbatim, but it's more or less a combination of everything those people have said to me.

And yeah. People on the internet just LOVE being pretentious. Not just exclusive to a certain specific website/platform/forum/app either. Just literally everywhere. Which means, GaG included as well, lol.

But yeah. Actual witty (not forced or pseudo-intellectual) insults can be fun, lol.

[strateguy632]

If they pretend to be smart , they think they will win the argument.

Most people who try that, are bad at pretending to be smart.

[EzraIsShy76028]

Thanks for your response! So simple, yet makes perfect sense!

I think the term for what you're describing is "psuedo-intelligence." They believe they're an actual intellectual when they're really just a pseudo-intellectual.

But yeah. They think it'll make them win the argument, when it actually just makes them look worse.