The Narcissism of Small Difference

[Jayhawker Soule]

First, see here.

Is it my imagination or do many here rebel against "A or B" polls as if to assert:

"I did not vote because I have a remarkably nuanced and insightful take on this issue -- one which you wholly failed to consider when providing poll options."​

and is this at all related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

 

[freethinker44]

It's not your imagination. Everyone thinks they're special. How can we be special if our beliefs are neatly summed up in a generic poll? Obviously the poll must be flawed then.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Sometimes it feels as if an A or a B choice overstates our own confidence in our judgement about something, so having choices in between two extremes can feel more comfortable.

and is this at all related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

Sometimes perhaps, but you cannot rule out conspiracy to misinform.

 

[columbus]

First, see here.

Is it my imagination or do many here rebel against "A or B" polls to assert:

"I did not vote because I have a nuanced and insightful take on this issue -- one which you failed to consider when providing poll options."​

and is this related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

Once I edit out your weaselly phrases, like "as if", I find your post incomprehensible.

Please explain to me what people having nuanced views about complex subjects has to do with "idiosyncratic transliteration s of Hebrew names"?
Tom

 

[Iti oj]

no but it depends on the topic most things are not black and white

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Sometimes it feels as if an A or a B choice overstates our own confidence in our judgement about something, so having choices in between two extremes can feel more comfortable.

Perhaps.

Sometimes perhaps, but you cannot rule out conspiracy to misinform.

Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

 

[Laika]

Voted Yes, because I'm so naracissitic I'm going to rebel against recognition of small difference in order to appear decisive and reassure my ego that I'm different from everyone else.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Perhaps.
Hanlon's razor: "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity."

Cute, I like that! Its very applicable sometimes; but I think 'Never' is an overstatement when it comes to the "idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members." There are lions in this world of sheep.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

First, see here.

Is it my imagination or do many here rebel against "A or B" polls as if to assert:

"I did not vote because I have a remarkably nuanced and insightful take on this issue -- one which you wholly failed to consider when providing poll options."​

and is this at all related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

There's nothing small about my narcissism, but I find most polls either do not actually provide enough detail or context (in either the question and/or the answers) for results to be meaningful, or the poll question and answers are apparently engineered to deceitfully highlight or promote a particular conclusion.

 

[crossfire]

I suppose you can add an option to the polls of a totally unrelated food item that "everybody loves" and see how many people vote for it.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

I suppose you can add an option to the polls of a totally unrelated food item that "everybody loves" and see how many people vote for it.

Who wouldn't vote for haggis?

 

[crossfire]

Another idea: create a poll of small differences such as different colors of red, (Claret, burgundy, maroon, scarlet, cerise, vermilion, rust, brick, magenta, fuchsia, crimson, etc.,) and see how popular it is. If several polls of this type prove to be very popular, it might be an indication of widespread narcissism of small differences rampant on the forums here.

**edit to add**

If you want to get cheeky, you can do a "50 shades of gray" poll with options like pewter, silver, ash, and platinum.

 

[crossfire]

Who wouldn't vote for haggis?

If your daughter won't eat it, then it probably would not be popular here, either.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

If your daughter won't eat it, then it probably would not be popular here, either.

Actually, basing all my interactions here as though it is populated with 16-month-olds, is probably good advice in general.

 

[Curious George]

First, see here.

Is it my imagination or do many here rebel against "A or B" polls as if to assert:

"I did not vote because I have a remarkably nuanced and insightful take on this issue -- one which you wholly failed to consider when providing poll options."​

and is this at all related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

I tend to think many people reluctant to commit to general answers in polls because they do not want to be pigeonholed. Many people love to lay traps and many others are so suspicious they imagine traps where none exist. Also, polls are threads as well. People want to express themselves and be heard. Is this slightly narcissistic...sure.

 

[Jayhawker Soule]

Many people love to lay traps and many others are so suspicious they imagine traps where none exist.

Good insight.

 

[Penumbra]

Well it's hard to accurately guess what other people are thinking when they don't vote in a poll. As a guess, I'd say I personally vote in maybe 80% of the polls I read here. Only in the remaining 20% is the poll so poorly worded, or with no choice remotely matching my view, that all choices would be dishonest.

It seems to me that people are a bit too picky when it comes to polling. The whole point of a thread-poll combo on a forum like this is to collect something like casual statistical data in the beginning, and allow people to give more nuance in their own words later. When people refuse to vote because none of the options perfectly match how they would describe it in their own words, it generally defeats the purpose.

If I see someone post a poll that asks:
"How much do you like tomatoes? A) love tomatoes, B) moderately like tomatoes, C) neutral, D) moderate dislike tomatoes, E) hate tomatoes"

And people respond with, "Gosh, this poll is so poorly designed I just can't coherently answer it. You see, I love tomatoes in certain contexts, but I'd never want tomatoes on my ice cream, so how could I possibly quantify my answer like this? I can't fit my preferences into one of five answers! Like you assume people want or don't want tomatoes in all contexts? Such black and white thinking! Your poll is terrible sir, utterly terrible." I just find myself wondering if they act like that in real life or only on forums.

 

[Yerda]

...and is this at all related to the idiosyncratic transliteration of some Hebrew name insisted upon by a few of our members?

I feel like I've missed something. Is this a reference to the use of the name Yeshua?

I've always wondered about that.