Are you occasionally surprised at the wide variety of personality types who elect to frequent Fluther?

Not really. It’s a Q&A site for all people and all types of personalities.
Why not just clarify the question in your post? What’s with the PM you for clarification?

Not really. It’s no different than a tavern.

I’m more surprised by the amount of regulars.

@AmWiser I couldn’t think of anything that needed clarification :)

Not particularly. Maybe that’s because I don’t think the personality types are all that wide. You kind of have to be able to express yourself well to want to hang out here. That tends to limit it to people who can express themselves clarly.

I’m more surprised at the lack of ideological diversity. In general, it’s a relativity liberal group.

Kind of, but not really. Not really because as already mentioned, it’s an open Internet site. Anyone who wants to join, can, whatever they’re like, and for whatever reason they have of wanting to join. It’s bound to happen. The Internet is immense.

Kind of because the place is small and not well known, yet there are many different kind of people here, young and old. It doesn’t seem to cater to anyone specific or anything in particular, so maybe that’s why.

Then again I’m no expert in personality types as defined by psychology, but the diversity of the people here doesn’t escape me.

Sadly I have gone past the age where anything surprises me. I really miss that so much.

Nope. The whole world is here, I would assume there would be a variety of personalities. I actually think jellies are more alike than not alike in the personality arena. Thoughtful, like a good argument, many interests, curious…

I’m going to PM you just because you told me to. As far as diversity, it is as one might expect. Everyone is very similar in some respects, but ineffably different in others.

Actually, (If I’m to be perfectly honest (which I usually am (which inevitably gets me in trouble (but it’s the best policy right?)))) I’m quite surprised at the lack of variety. I haven’t quite figured out why that is yet.. but .. it is what it is.

I believe just the opposite. Fluther is self-limiting, and people who don’t really fit in just leave.

I have a question, but I’ll ask it here on the Q. Did you specifically mean personality, or are you also including opinions, walks of life, socioeconomic differences, religious differences, nationalities? I assume just personality since that is what you wrote, but just checking.

@YARNLADY But why would they leave if they don’t fit in? Isn’t that wrong? (coming from someone who has outright been told to leave by another long-time member)

@JLeslie Personality, and walks of life, and opinions.

There are people here I know hold opinions on topics exactly opposite to mine on fundamental issues. There are people utilizing this site of very different economic situation. Many claim strong religious belief while others are strongly atheistic.

There are people here who never seem to get angry, while others seem to take things extremely personally and spoil for a good argument.

I am trying to wrap my head around how each of these persons derive satisfaction out of utilization of the same website.

Not really, Fluther seems largely homogeneous to me. While I would agree that Fluther is largely made up of liberals, what strikes me more is that it seems like only a certain type of conservative sticks around to provide some measure of diversity. And even in the liberalism, it’s not really a wide variety of all the possible liberal views and mixtures out there, it’s often the same variety of liberal.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought Well, that is a much bigger question if we include opinions, walks of life, etc. Still, generally, as we know, the majority of jellies tend to be fairly liberal, although we certainly have those who aren’t. I love that we have experts or hobbiests in so many fields. Scientists, homemakers, engineers, lawyers, doctors, waiters, the list goes on and on, and all levels of education. Yes, in some ways there is a huge variety. But, overwhelmingly jellies are people who like to discuss things. The ones who want everyone to agree with them, or want to preach (and I don’t mean only religious doctrine) to people, eventually go either because they are escorted out or they can’t hack it. I wish there were more people on the site who lived in the middle east, who were Muslim in America and other parts of the world. Some topics come up a lot in current events, and we don’t get to hear from all sides and all perspectives as much as many of us would be interested in.

@Aethelflaed I often admire your answers, and while I admire you very much, we could not be demographically more different. So are you telling me we are both using the site to validate our worldviews? Why do you think the conservatives stick around?

@JLeslie are you trying to articulate to me the lowest common denominator is curiosity? Because that seems to make a lot of sense.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought I think curiosity, desire to learn. Maybe also a lot of us have too much time on our hands, or lack people in our real lives who will listen to us for hours on end.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought Isn’t Fluther overwhelmingly educated (formally or informally) white middle-class Americans?

I don’t think everyone uses Fluther for the same reasons. Some use it as a community that will know the answers to small, everyday questions (how do I get my car/computer/waterheater to stop doing this, what veggies freeze well, what can be recycled) and provide them in a timely manner. Some use it like Cheers – where everybody knows your name. Some use it to try to change the views of their ideological opponents; others use it to try to change the views ever so slightly of those whom they largely agree with.

@Aethelflaed Yep. Like I said it reminds me of a tavern

@SpatzieLover Man, they really had a brilliant theme song, didn’t they?

Self-limiting is actually a good term to describe fluther. Just taking the conservative/liberal ratio into account (as one example of a difference in opinions), I’m not surprised when a conservative user joins, is welcomed cordially, and then ten posts later is lambasted by a slew of liberal users when they post their opinion.

It’s a bit like this or maybe this .

As one of the few conservative members on the site, I know that I enjoy a good verbal tussle. I can’t help it. It makes me laugh, scream, and cry into my pillow at night (figuratively) to hear some of the wacky things that are said. I am tested by it. It forces me to examine every opinion that I have (and a little introspection goes a long way if you ask me).

Sometimes, I find out that the other person is right and I have to swallow my pride and change. Other times I can’t see how I’m wrong, yet I am adamantly disagreed with. It’s all part of the fun and the lesson of life for me.

The other big reason is that there just isn’t another Q&A site like this one. This one is ad-free, intuitive, and aesthetically pleasing. That’s a pretty good package to get for free.

I had more to say but I’ve forgotten during my ramblings. End.

@digitalimpression so why do you stay if you are conservative? Is it the joy of debate or because you are curious and engaged with the non-political questions?

I think the conservatives on this site who stick around, are those who state their opinions, but don’t look to necesarily change opinions. It will be interesting to see what @digitalimpression says. I love jellies like Plethora and Nullo who give me a better understanding of the Christian conservative point of view.

The site allows all of us to be heard. I think that is also a big appeal for me, to simply be heard. Someone cares about my opinion.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought Often my thoughts are clear and concise in my head, but as I type they are lost. My basic point is that I enjoy being the black sheep. It tests me.

I’m not really interested in the questions that are about things that someone could have googled on their own.

Besides, if I weren’t here.. who would people argue with? (wink)

Also, after a “famous” fluther member got a bit overly caustic with me and told me I should leave… I sort of wanted to stay longer.

We have celebs on here?

I’m not surprised @Imadethisupwithnoforethought. I am curious about what exactly motivated your question? Are you surprised by the variety of people who frequent Fluther and how do you categorise us in terms of groups?

@woodcutter, that’s really a shame. I don’t know what age that is, but I’m not there yet, and I’d have thought I was older than you.

@Bellatrix I think I am struck by the diversity of personality and temperament I have seen displayed among the very long term users. I joined almost a year ago now, but in comparison, I am relatively new.

Everyone seems so very different, yet they all seem to derive value from the use of the site.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought diversity of personality can you expand on that? Give some examples? I am not asking you name names, but maybe more specifically what you mean.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought So, when you say we could not be more demographically different, would you mind expanding on that a bit? I’m not seeing it, but maybe I will if you explain.

@JLeslie I rarely get upset or chose to respond when a jelly disagrees with me.

I have identified several persons on this site who take a great deal of pleasure in argument with those who disagree with them. In fact, there are persons who I agree with who I am sometimes embarrassed to be in agreement with, due to their callous argumentative style. I wonder, not that they are wrong to engage in debate, or if I am under-utilizing the site by my restraint, but how we are both deriving value from the same source.

@Aethelflaed I am reconsidering my statement in light of your white middle class statement. I initially perceive us as straight older male, young homosexual female, but when you define the parameters as white middle class it makes me ponder my initial assumptions.

@SpatzieLover Another pitcher of beer over here, please!

Thank you for explaining @Imadethisupwithnoforethought. I understand now.

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought Gotcha. (I am actually bi, not les. But I have a lot of straight-passing privilege, both from relationships with actual men and my more feminine appearance.)

@Imadethisupwithnoforethought I think some jellies perceive a lot of disagreement, disagreement with a sort of negative connotation; while others in the same situation perceive it as a sharing of opinions. Sure there are times when people are really pushing hard to change minds, but even in situations when that is not happening in my own personal opinion, some think it is.

some jellies perecieve a lot of disagreement, disagreement with a sort of negative connotation; while others in the same situation perceive it as a sharing of opinions

I so agree with this @JLeslie.

At times, I have no idea what other jellies are talking about when they mention people are getting huffy in a discussion. Often, I go back and read to see if anything got personal or off course…I see discussion or debate.

Fluther has truly helped me IRL to remain objective, not subjective.

Wait. You mean you all are not exactly like me??? ~

Seriously, though, I do understand where you’re coming from, @Imadethisupwithnoforethought. It’s not so much that we have a wide variety of viewpoints (though of course, there is some divergence there), but that we have many different ways of getting those points-of-view across, and of perceiving other people’s methods of doing the same. Some of us are easily riled, and some of us are smooth as glass. Some of us rely on hard evidence, and some of us on anecdotal. Some see debate where others see argument or attack. Some are class clowns, and some are deadly serious. Easy going or rigid, changeable or steadfast. It is interesting that we all find some value on this specific website, isn’t it? Curiosity does seem to be at least one commonality among us.

Not personality types, but experiences. People that have traveled, people that have overcome really bad obstacles etc.

Not in the slightest, it’s a Q&A site which is bound to encourage it’s fair share of dweebs, fucktards & assorted trash. There’s a few “normal” people out there, I stay away from the plebs & immerse myself in laughter with those who share my fun humorous outlook.

You’re talking about personality types, not ideologies so no this does not surprise me. Put any group of people together, regardless of situation whether on or offline, and you will find different personality types.

Like one person had already mentioned above fluther seems to attract only certain types of liberals, generally the pro-government, pro-authority and pro-orthodox types. I know of quite a few liberals that won’t even touch this site. I even told sodahead liberals about fluther when they were talking about a mass exodus due to conservative favoritism on there and they wanted nothing to do with fluther either. I guess that liberals vary from each other as much as conservatives do when it comes down to it.

@Paradox25 I am surprised you would say that. @Aethelflaed just did a quick poll and found most users seem to have anti-authoritarian stances.

I’m not talking about political views alone here. There is a very strong atheistic bend on here which I think may turn off many New Age or theistic liberals. Many liberals that I know also tend to be open to a variety of conspiracy theories, and a good deal of them tend to be critical of the medical establishment. I’m not sure and I didn’t ask them why but from seeing many of their posts and profiles I think these may be a part of it. Like I’ve said before liberals can vary as much as conservatives.

Sexy beasts don’t belong here. I need to go now.