February 19, 2007

There's one in every crowd

There are so many nice knitting groups on the web. Lovely people who are always willing to offer helpful hints. People with incredible talent who post pictures of their completed work. Comforting words spoken to friends unseen. However ........

In every group there's always one person who feels the need to make a friggin' comment on everything. An authority on every subject known to mankind. The person who seems to feel it's his job to point out how ignorant others in the group are for voicing an opinion of a yarn, store, pattern, tool, etc. that is not the one the authority feels is the best ever.

Case in point ... a woman posted today that she went to Walmart and went nuts looking at all the new yarns. Did she ask what anyone's opinion of Walmart was? No. Ask if everyone loves Red Heart yarn? Not at all. Just made an observation that her Walmart had some great new yarn and she purchased some.

This comment was met with a round of ooos and aaahhhs from members who obviously shop at Walmart. Others chimed in with their shopping experiences at Michael's . All nice comments about a favorite activity ..... looking for yarn.

But then the authority has to piss on the party and make it seem like you'd have to be an ass for shopping at Walmart and Michaels. Pathedic selection. Ebay and Herrschners have much better selections.

True. Of course the last time I shopped from Herrschners I paid far too much for extremely slow shipping. And EBay purchases are dependent on the seller's prompt action after you've made your purchase. Not to mention that the colors aren't always as pictured and the yarn falls short at times between what you thought you were getting vs what arrived in the mail.

I guess I'm just questioning why someone would need to be rude and demeaning to others in the group. What's it like to be that friggin' miserable that you have to be an ass to people you don't know for no apparent reason? Do you wake up in the morning knowing you are a superior person put on earth to correct the errors of others? I just don't get it.

11 comments:

Lovs2Knit said...

I don't get it either. But there is always someone who isn't happy unless they make others miserable. I've seen it happen in several of the groups I belong to. I love wools but I also like some of the yarns I get from my wal-mart. When you are making things for kids who are going to outgrow them fast you don't want to spend too much. Some people are just naturally nasty. But then I've also met a lot of good people through groups I'm on, including you. Kinda makes it worth it. :-)

Metro Mari said...

BLAH!! I don't get it either!! I'll buy yarn from ANYWHERE! Don't care what it is made of as long as it has a great color or texture. Best batch of yarn I bought was from a little old ladies' garage sale. I still have 10 billion yards of it left and am going to make my nephews blankets. Like lovs2knit said sometimes you are making something for a little one and you really don't want to spend a fortune on something that will be outgrown quickly or worse yet dragged through mud and stuff. People just need to feel the love in the yarn! grrrrr..I remember when lola found my very expensive silk yarn and decided she wwould play tug a war with my other dog porky...yikes!

Lisa said...

Amen.

We have a saying around here: "Some people are just happy to be miserable." (and they seem to want to take the rest of us with them most of the time)

My sister and I have a pact about that type of behavior. If we start acting like that we are to shoot each other immediately. :)

Lynn said...

Oh I SOOO totally agree!! So what if you dont like Wal-Mart. YOU aren't being forced to knit with something you don't like. Somebody else is happy abt some yarn they got, so why cant you be happy because they are happy?? People who do this are just belittling those other people.
My yarn purchases have expanded to include higher end yarns, but I still have good old fashioned acrylics in my stash. I'm an equal opportunity yarn lover and would never put down somebody else for a different opinion than mine.

Anonymous said...

How funny. I know exactly who you're talking about and to which group he belongs to. His comments are exactly why I choose not to participate there as much as I used to. He's rude, arrogant, condescending, and miserable! 4 things I choose not to deal with in my life!

Karen said...

Because they are know-it-alls. I never get how they don't *know* how rude they are though.

Ann said...

If you can't say somethin' nice..don't say nothin' at all. (I believe my mother said that to me, not always easy for me to follow.) Some people just don't get that. It's hard enough trying to "read" people online when you can't see the expression on their face.

I say we gag the offender up with a skein of Red Heart yarn. To each his/her own, for me it's just about the knitting and enjoying yourself. It's nice to see someone take a stand.

Crazy For Yarn In Alabama said...

Unfortunately, these folks are EVERYWHERE.....I think it is due to low self esteem, needing to belittle others to make themselves look big....best part? They are ONLY making an ASS of themselves and I just have to laugh at them and their little, little minds... So I say carry on you rude, crass folks......all the rest of us need a good chuckle and helps us to appreciate all the more the WONDERFUL community of knitters both those close by as well as all the wonderful bloggers around the world!!!

Zoanna said...

Has anyone (that you know of) called him on his rude 'tude? Some people are just plain blind. They can no more "see" their behavior than a blind person can see a rainbow. I have had a few people stick it to me for the same behavior, and appreciated it...eventually!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you. I love the wonderful hand dyed or hand painted good yarns as much as the next person, but my purse does allow me to indulge in them very often. So I save them for the special occasions and special people in my life. Some people are not happy unless they are making others miserable. Since I've been on the receiving end of a very few people like that, I know how it feels. It makes me appreciate all the wonderful people in my life all that much more.

And since you read the post I wrote about my Sister, you now have an idea of one of those I no long consider special. LOL I really apprecaited your comment too. Thank you so much.

Patricia said...

You make a great point. I think that most of us have put our unneeded or unwanted opinions out there. I'm guilty. Now in my 40's, I am finally learning to listen and nod. Thanks for the reminder!