Since joining CAG I've seen a lot of stupid posts. Now, the variety of stupidity always continues to amaze and delight, but a huge chunk of it falls into several familiar categories.
I decided to start a little list - that way, when somebody posts one of these gems, I can effortlessly point out, say, that they're a dumbassgamer #2.
The list will be updated as necessary, and is not sorted by any particular order. That is, a DAG #2 post is not necessarily possessed of more (or less) stupidity than a DAG #5 post.
1. "Company X should cut the price of item Y to $Z."
This almost always actually means "I'd like to buy item Y, but the current price is too high for me". Sometimes it means "products which are generally comparable to Y cost about $Z" which may be true but is irrelevant. Sometimes it means "I believe company X would make more money by setting the price to $Z" - which is almost always wrong. The people responsible for setting the price likely know a lot more about the market than you do, and even know that if you slash the price by 50% sales need to be much more than doubled to reach the same level of profitability.
2. "Company X is evil because it sells used games for a higher price than it buys them for."
Welcome to capitalism, Comrade. This is a free marketplace; sellers and buyers are free to set their own price points. If they meet, a transaction happens, and everybody is (or should be) happy. Besides, I'm sure you have no idea how much it costs to run a business. Rent, inventory, and labor aren't free, you know.
3. "Company X is evil because it's trying to make money."
Try "company X exists to try to make money". They all do - it's how they go about it that matters.
4. "Company X is evil because my order was taxed."
Companies would love not to charge tax; they never keep it, and of course the lower the price to the consumer the higher the sales. Companies charge tax because they have to, not because they're greedy. The need to charge depends on their location(s), your location, and the way to company's set up.
5. "Company X is evil because my order was screwed up."
Probably not. Mistakes happen, especially when you're handling tens of thousands of shipments a day. You may have a point of the company's deliberately shipping you faulty products, refuses to issue a refund, or is otherwise doing something nasty on purpose.
A variant on this theme is "person X is stupid, therefore it is moral and just to hurt him/her.".
6. "Correlation equals causality."
No, it doesn't. Just because Y happened after X, or Y and X happened at the same place, doesn't mean X caused Y.
7. "Legality equals morality."
No, it doesn't. Did consuming alcohol magically become moral the day the prohibition ended? Is cohabitation moral in every U.S. state except North Carolina? Did sex between unmarried persons suddenly become moral in Virginia earlier this year?
8. "Copyright infringement equals theft."
No, it's not the same thing. Maybe you mean something like "copyright infringement bothers me as much as theft"? There's a reason the two terms are different. If you can't tell the difference, you shouldn't be arguing about copyright issues.
9. "Item X is of no value to me, therefore it is of no value to anyone."
People have different value functions. Didn't your parents cover this?
Example: "Final Fantasy X was a terrible game, because RPGs suck!"
10. "We disagree, therefore I should imply that you are a homosexual."
Congratulations! You're not only unable to defend your position using valid arguments, you're juvenile and homophobic too. Your parents must be so proud.
I decided to start a little list - that way, when somebody posts one of these gems, I can effortlessly point out, say, that they're a dumbassgamer #2.
The list will be updated as necessary, and is not sorted by any particular order. That is, a DAG #2 post is not necessarily possessed of more (or less) stupidity than a DAG #5 post.
1. "Company X should cut the price of item Y to $Z."
This almost always actually means "I'd like to buy item Y, but the current price is too high for me". Sometimes it means "products which are generally comparable to Y cost about $Z" which may be true but is irrelevant. Sometimes it means "I believe company X would make more money by setting the price to $Z" - which is almost always wrong. The people responsible for setting the price likely know a lot more about the market than you do, and even know that if you slash the price by 50% sales need to be much more than doubled to reach the same level of profitability.
2. "Company X is evil because it sells used games for a higher price than it buys them for."
Welcome to capitalism, Comrade. This is a free marketplace; sellers and buyers are free to set their own price points. If they meet, a transaction happens, and everybody is (or should be) happy. Besides, I'm sure you have no idea how much it costs to run a business. Rent, inventory, and labor aren't free, you know.
3. "Company X is evil because it's trying to make money."
Try "company X exists to try to make money". They all do - it's how they go about it that matters.
4. "Company X is evil because my order was taxed."
Companies would love not to charge tax; they never keep it, and of course the lower the price to the consumer the higher the sales. Companies charge tax because they have to, not because they're greedy. The need to charge depends on their location(s), your location, and the way to company's set up.
5. "Company X is evil because my order was screwed up."
Probably not. Mistakes happen, especially when you're handling tens of thousands of shipments a day. You may have a point of the company's deliberately shipping you faulty products, refuses to issue a refund, or is otherwise doing something nasty on purpose.
A variant on this theme is "person X is stupid, therefore it is moral and just to hurt him/her.".
6. "Correlation equals causality."
No, it doesn't. Just because Y happened after X, or Y and X happened at the same place, doesn't mean X caused Y.
7. "Legality equals morality."
No, it doesn't. Did consuming alcohol magically become moral the day the prohibition ended? Is cohabitation moral in every U.S. state except North Carolina? Did sex between unmarried persons suddenly become moral in Virginia earlier this year?
8. "Copyright infringement equals theft."
No, it's not the same thing. Maybe you mean something like "copyright infringement bothers me as much as theft"? There's a reason the two terms are different. If you can't tell the difference, you shouldn't be arguing about copyright issues.
9. "Item X is of no value to me, therefore it is of no value to anyone."
People have different value functions. Didn't your parents cover this?
Example: "Final Fantasy X was a terrible game, because RPGs suck!"
10. "We disagree, therefore I should imply that you are a homosexual."
Congratulations! You're not only unable to defend your position using valid arguments, you're juvenile and homophobic too. Your parents must be so proud.
