Has this site suddenly become more nasty?

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If I suddenly become nasty, I'm going to blame it
on the white background, and gangster rap.

In my experience, WP has always gone through phases. Sometimes, it's a wonderful place to be, but there are times when what I'd like to think are a vocal minority generate a very hostile atmosphere. Unfortunately, it's just something you'll have to accept if you're going to post on a forum as large and busy as this.

I haven't been around for all that long, but I see the same things as I do at other internet sites.

There are people who ask questions seeking an honest answer.

Then there are people who ask questions seeking the answer they want to hear, and get pissed off at the answers they don't want to hear.

Some people also confuse support with validation. They don't always mean the same thing.

People who want to see agreement or social-emotional support only can post so in opening post of thread or in their post if they did not start the thread, then I will not post to disagree or discuss the topic in a way that is not social-emotional support if they started the thread or reply to them in a way that is not social-emotional support if they posted but didn't start the thread.

Otherwise, there is no way for me to know what they want or don't want.

People who don't want social-emotional support but free-for-all discussion can also post so, so I know, and I would be more likely to participate in this kind of thread than support threads.

People who want something else specific can also post so, unless they want personal attacks, in which case other people should not fulfill their requests, since that is against forum rules.

I've been on various forums where people were complaining it was turning into a "hugbox", whatever the hell that means.

Overall, I'm not sure if the site has gotten "nastier". Perhaps certain events may influence the state of the site. Also, by nature, WP is a support forum, since it is meant to be a haven for those on the spectrum. Of course, there are probably more "extreme" elements on here as well, and given what kind of forum this is, I think that's to be expected.

A forum isn't perfect.

There does seem to be a spectrum of preference for nice or blunt. I guess it's based on upbringing. Typically those from a blunt background find niceness too sickly-sweet, and those from nice backgrounds find bluntness too oppressive.

People forget that this is all just a bunch of yapping that will vaporize over time to make way for more of the same type yapping as the years roll by. I like skibum a lot, I thinks she's sweet, but to be so sensitive that you leave a place where so many people constantly tell you they hold you high regard because one or two people are acting kind of trollish is a bit too over the top sensitive for me. It's easy to do though, take things personally, think this moment and you in it are so important, I've done it myself many times! In the end, I don't believe anything we say here really matters, it's all just talk. I kind of think this site has run its course, or maybe it will just keep running the same course over and over.

The in-person autism support groups I attended were not really social-emotional support-like or sickly sweet like wp often feels to me. There were mostly straightforward people advising other straightforward people on what to do and how to do it. When people talk about their problems, it was more practical suggestion kind of support than social-emotional support.