Define "toxicity"

[Sagenod]

Of course, I mean toxicity in reference to human interaction, not the Merriam-Webster definition. Think deeper than that, if you will!

What constitutes a toxic personality? How does someone, especially in pop culture and on the internet, become considered toxic? Curious about you guys' thoughts, provided they're well articulated.

[PC2]

I thought it just ment anything offensive that is entirely unnecessary. It could be that a person's idea is the toxic component or it could be that a person's ideas are fine but they choose to express them in an inappropriate way.

To me "toxicity" comes from people who don't truly want to focus on solving the problem at hand and would rather behave non-constructively. For example in GenOT you can find tons of negative posts where they have literally nothing to do with resolving the topic at hand. Some folks aren't even trying to get to the bottom of the issue and they constantly spew negativity, pessimism, cynicism, and every other poisonous affect.

[Egomaniac]

Of course, I mean toxicity in reference to human interaction, not the Merriam-Webster definition. Think deeper than that, if you will!

What constitutes a toxic personality? How does someone, especially in pop culture and on the internet, become considered toxic? Curious about you guys' thoughts, provided they're well articulated.

The textbook definition is "A toxic person is someone who regularly displays actions and behaviors that hurt others or otherwise negatively impact the lives of the people around them"

What makes a person toxic to another is going to be highly contextual. It won't necessarily fit in a neat box with a clear label.

[Hotmail]

It's just a leftist rallying cry for anyone they don't like

[DarkAmbient]

When it comes to the internet, the following are common characteristics of the average toxic poster:

Needlessly combative and vexatious
Argues disingenuously
Prefers zingers and one-upmanship to honest dialogue
Treats conversation as a competition
Rarely admits to being wrong
Evasive, uses deflection instead of explanation
Makes regular use of ad hominem and insinuations
Derails conversations with personal agendas
Knowingly uses false information to support their position or mock/mischaracterise the position of others

[Shadowferal]

No need for me to define the word.
In 6-8 hours the refried beans will hit the lower intestinal tract and all I have to do is take a breath.

[Gestopft]

It's just a leftist rallying cry for anyone they don't like

The basic idea that specific behaviors can have a negative effect on other people or on society in general is a "leftist rallying cry" now?

[muto]

People that think they’re better than everyone else, and treat people like assholes, and always start shit, and have no respect towards anyone, or only people that share in their douchebaggery.

Basically that guy in a random WoW group that calls everyone else trash when they’re the ones that actually suck.

[Cthulhu 2020]

The basic idea that specific behaviors can have a negative effect on other people or on society in general is a "leftist rallying cry" now?

Toxic people will never perceive themselves as toxic, so when someone calls them toxic, they'll deflect with sarcasm and whatnot, while continuing to shout whatever racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, etc. rhetoric that they prescribe to. Ideas that literally benefit nobody and only exist as a focal point for that person's negative energy.

We all have negative energy in our lives. Sometimes it needs venting. People who are not toxic find ways of venting that toxicity in a way that does not harm anyone. Toxic people tend to take their negative emotions and aim them at other people.



I often hear a lot of people, content creators, talking heads, etc. say stuff to the tune of "We're all assholes. I'm an asshole. He's an asshole. You're an asshole. Some of us are just honest about it, while others whisper in secret and pretend they're nice people."

I couldn't disagree more with this sentiment, and it's only projection on their part. These people cannot fathom that there are people who manage to vent their toxic energy through meditation and other peaceful means, and are just genuinely great people who are not assholes at all. The people who believe assholes are "just being honest" and nice people "are all liars" seem to only be able to think in one dimension. Theirs. They have zero concept or personal discipline to learn how not to be toxic towards people.


So ultimately, these people come onto forums and claim that their toxic behavior is perfectly fine, and it's the left who's at fault for calling them out for what they feel is perfectly natural behavior. They can't come to the realization that they're the ones hurting people, and that's not ok.

[Very Tired]

One of those things you don't really need to define, but you know it when you see it.

[PC2]

Toxicity, like in the workplace, from say, leadership positions, definitely isn’t a “leftist rallying cry”.

I disagree, that is a leftist rallying cry because the left is about focusing their hatred on hierarchy and power dynamics. From my perspective it just seems like you're recapitulating the left's talking points and agenda.

[downnola]

Imo, it's just a nice way of calling someone an asshole.

[Calfredd]

I disagree, that is a leftist rallying cry because the left is about focusing their hatred on hierarchy and power dynamics. From my perspective it just seems like you're recapitulating the left's talking points and agenda.

Signature says "Data>public perception" but here you are saying "Public perception>Data".

[PC2]

Signature says "Data>public perception" but here you are saying "Public perception>Data".

My point there is that the public is habitually wrong all the time regarding whether things are going good/bad and where things are heading in the future. Which means you need to focus on the data and not let popular opinion brainwash you.

[caractacus]

Toxicity is just a catch-all term used for things people find objectionable to varying degrees. In my opinion it's much more helpful to isolate the behaviour to specific actions so it can be dealt with rather than to generalise in this way.

[Shadowferal]

It's always easy to be right when everyone else is wrong.

[Tsyplenk]

Call of Duty community.

[PC2]

So soldiers complaining about toxic leadership, which is the number one complaint amongst soldiers, is just a leftist rallying cry?

Basically yes, in general that is a leftist value to think that a hierarchical institution like that should be more egalitarian rather than stoic and rugged. However if there is a specific instance where a military officer/leader is doing something toxic that doesn't enhance soldier morale and combat effectiveness then that error should be corrected at the level of the individual and not at the level of systems.

[draynay]

So you guys are insisting that "don't be an asshole" is a political thing?

[Egomaniac]

So you guys are insisting that "don't be an asshole" is a political thing?

Makes sense. Their entire political platform is based around being an asshole... so it's inherently political when someone says "stop doing that".