Commenting Without Reading Properly Can Be An Own Goal
By M.-L.
@MALUSE (69409)
Germany
February 8, 2016 11:03am CST
The other day I wrote a post for my ongoing series Childhood Memories. I recounted that I lived in Dresden, the German city which was nearly completely destroyed at the end of the Second World War. 35.000 people died. I gave my post the title 'Playing In Ruins'.
I mentioned the year 1954. I assumed - obviously erroneously - that it's common knowledge that the war ended in 1945. That would make the ruins nine years old when I lived in Dresden and played in them with other children.
It's often fascinating how many different kinds of comments people leave according to which information of the text gets to them or sets a train of thoughts in motion. But when I found the following comment, I was dumbstruck. "Wow well playing in ruins sounds like a wonderful and magical childhood! I only got to play bloody basketball. I wish I could have played in ancient ruins !"
My back bottom!
My advice for members who like to leave a comment without reading a post properly is to learn to skim read. That's a technique which teaches you to skip unnecessary details but store the most important facts. That would allow you avoid such embarrassing blunders. I mentioned this bizarre comment in another comment thread and a member said that this was an insensitive reply. No, it wasn't insensitive. It was plain stupid.
But it's also kind of funny to see someone shooting themselves in their foot, don't you think?
35 people like this
32 responses
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
8 Feb 16
You are a little harsh I think to call someone stupid for that. They obviously missed reading that date, and for some people who aren't native English speakers it's sometimes difficult to get the full meaning of a post. You could perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt. How do you think that person will feel if they read this?
Before you jump down my throat - I know that English isn't your first language, but not everybody is as erudite as you. (Even though you use a term no English person would use - 'My back bottom'! )
5 people like this
@MALUSE (69409)
• Germany
8 Feb 16
Ha! I got the expression 'my back bottom' from an **English** woman. I asked what I could use to avoid the word beginning with the letter 'a' and she suggested this. It's not a German term translated into English.
The member who commented without reading my post has an English first name and surname and lives in the USA. No benefit of the doubt then. Being erudite isn't necessary to understand my post. Only reading it.
How will this person feel when they read this? Embarrassed I hope.
3 people like this
@MarshaMusselman (38663)
• Midland, Michigan
9 Feb 16
@jaboUK It actually took me a few nano-seconds to figure out what she meant when he said that.
@MALUSE it could also be someone that wasn't that good with their history lessons, if they were raised in the US. I don't think the person was putting two and two together very well, because if they did understand what war you were talking about, they certainly missed something in their understanding of your whole sharing on the topic.
3 people like this
@hexeduser22 (7253)
• Philippines
9 Feb 16
@jaboUK I read it as fat bottom
while the song "Fat bottom girls" of the Queen is playing in my head
while the song "Fat bottom girls" of the Queen is playing in my head2 people like this
@Porcospino (31366)
• Denmark
8 Feb 16
A long time ago I started a discussion about a medical examination, and one person described her school exam in her response. She misunderstood my topic because she only read the title. It is risky to respond without reading all the details. You might think that you know what the topic is, but you could be wrong. Sometimes we read a discussion and misunderstand the topic, that can happen to all to us, but sometimes a response reveals that person didn't read the discussion at all.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
8 Feb 16
You talked about playing in the ruins in 1954, the response may have been insensitive especially with the pounding that Dresden took. Even though my childhood memories were of the 60s and 70s I also remember playing in the ruins at that time. To me those memories are a mark of how bankrupt the UK was, that it could not fix things and rebuild after the war. Indeed When I got married in 1985 there were some emergency war-time nissen huts (temporary wartime housing) opposite my mother in law's house that survived into the 90s
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
9 Feb 16
@MALUSE Yes they were. I have never been to Dresden. I was wondering are there any bombed churches there where the remains have been kept? England is littered with these, and I don't know why they weren't knocked down because most have little architectural or historical value.
1 person likes this
@MALUSE (69409)
• Germany
9 Feb 16
@pgiblett Thanks for your interest. There's so much to say, a comment box isn't enough for that. I wrote a post on Saxony (Dresden is the capital of this Land [Germany has 16 Länder] for a British site. The last part deals with Dresden. I wrote it in 2002. Meanwhile the church I've described has been finished and is in use again.
Saxony For Anglo-Saxons - Review of Saxony - Germany starting from £-306.00 (09.02.16) . Read 3 reviews about Saxony - Germany and find good travel tips.
1 person likes this
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
9 Feb 16
Speaking of shooting themselves in the foot, I defined that to some of my fourth graders the other day, and they thought it was a hilarious expression and really dumb of anyone to do. I agree. I saw a lot of the "make inappropriate remarks" going on at Bubblews. People were getting too excited to make money to pay attention to what anyone was actually saying.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (159474)
• Boise, Idaho
8 Feb 16
Sad. I understand about the skimming and am guilty of doing it at times.
@celticeagle (159474)
• Boise, Idaho
9 Feb 16
@MALUSE ...And if you are used to the author, especially alot of the older authors, and their way of writing it is very easy to do.
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
11 Feb 16
Interesting. I do think sometimes, that people don't think before they write. When we just feel the need to comment without thinking our comment through, sometimes, the result can seem callous--
@jstory07 (134607)
• Roseburg, Oregon
8 Feb 16
Some people do not even read the posts they just go by the title I have seen that in some of my responds that I get.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Feb 16
yes I wrote abo ut my granpa anmd summer amd butterflies and the remark got was she liked to swim inthe s ujmmertme the ar ticle was about my grand pa and how b jutterflies sat on his should ers. lol no swimming in the post.
years!
@Missmwngi (12926)
• Nairobi, Kenya
8 Feb 16
To tell the truth i would not have paid attention to date lol
I used to hate History when i was schooling,good thing i did not mention date in my comment lol
@JamesHxstatic (29267)
• Eugene, Oregon
11 Feb 16
Yes, that was an ignorant response spurred by a commenting binge, I suspect.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
11 Feb 16
yes its really funny and off base and stupid. L ike the comment I
gpt from, a discussion about my dear g randpa. the person wrote she loved it when summer comes so she c an go swimming No where in my postdd I mention swimming.
@Tampa_girl7 (49130)
• United States
10 Feb 16
People need to read more thoroughly before commenting.
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
9 Feb 16
I often make my titles very different from what I'm writing about. It is obvious who read and who didn't. I guess it's the way some play the game. I'd rather they read the whole story befor commenting...but maybe they don't have the time or can't read
as long as they comment I glad they stopped by.
as long as they comment I glad they stopped by.
@JESSY3236 (18953)
• United States
9 Feb 16
Back on bubblews I had written a post about my new Sunday school books, and a guy had posted asking if I wanted to be preacher and suggested me to read his post. I reported him because it was a spam comment.
@acelawrites (19273)
• Philippines
11 Feb 16
Well, at least he commented! ha ha ha! Just be thankful for that.
