Do you think AN posters are TOO cynical?

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

OK, I've been reading some threads on here inbetween moving house (nearly finished, just having a breather).

Do you think some of us older ones (for arguments sake over 25), have become TOO CYNICAL towards people posting on here wanting help, especially the young ones? Do you think nursing for too long makes you cynical, old, bitter, crusty, hard-hearted, whatever? Why or why not?

Let the roasting begin!

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no

.......

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I'm only cynical to the ones wanting someone to do their homework. Other than that, I feel I'm pretty warm and cuddly. :D

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For me it's very individualized....depends on the person and their interaction with me (and I'm mostly referring to when I was working and getting older, and just plain sick of the drama and petty "crud"). On AN, a lot depends on the frequency of the same issues; I get tired & bored, and go play Solitaire.

Respect is earned- and goes both ways. If someone demands respect, I'm not going to give them the time of day. If they've been around, shown their colors by how they act, then I'm more than likely to want to be of help to them.

If I respect someone it's for specific reasons - I may not like them, but I can still respect them; I can't like someone I don't respect. jmo

I don't care what anybody thinks about me- most have no clue about me to make an informed decision anyway (might be surprising to hear- LOL :D) - age irrelevant. A rectal exit hole is the same, regardless of age :)

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Laughing - - out loud, even!

A day or two ago, someone listed the 10 or 12 most repeated discussions. Seems like few people bother to research even the most basic topics. Sometimes the same question is asked twice in a few hours!

Items/questions best asked of the school cannot be aswered here. Same with facility-specific info. I cannot tell you what pre-reqs you need for ABC college or how your PTO is accrued.

Age has nothing to do with cynicism, not even 25 years of experience necessarily makes you a cynic.

Boredom, on the other hand, may lead to a bit of sarcasm.

Something meaty would be fun to discuss. Or eat.....

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Specializes in Psych, Corrections, Med-Surg, Ambulatory.

A lot of the questions posed here are facility- or state-specific. People need to check in with their BONs or admin in their facilities. Or research the particular school they're wanting to attend. Or the labour laws in their state.

The questions I'm most sympathetic to are the ones seeking reassurance, clarification or moral support. That's where community comes in. Also controversial practise questions make for good discussion.

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Specializes in Mental health, substance abuse, geriatrics, PCU.

"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."

-George Bernard Shaw

:-D

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Specializes in Cardiac.

I'm definitely an AN cynic. lol and I'm only 20! I just can't stand the INCESSANT threads for "resume help!" It's not that difficult. I digress…

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Specializes in Psych (25 years), Medical (15 years).

AN posters are not cynical enough. We should be allowed to be sardonic.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, DSU, Ortho, Onc, Psych.

Very interesting comment Davey, well worth another discussion!

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I've been coming to AN for several years now (old account no longer used, since someone found out who I was). And from what I've observed, I've never felt that the site as a whole is cynical, but rather just a certain group of individuals. And it's usually the ones who spend a lot of time on the site (regardless of their age or years in nursing), and they also have posts in the thousands.

I don't mean that in a negative way at all. But say you have an "LPN vs RN" thread, for example. The person who spends more time on here, may have seen that question ten times more than the one who only comes on every couple of days or weeks. So of the two members, who would be more likely to post a head banging smiley or rudely let the poster know that the search engine is their friend? The poster who sees it more often tends to get more annoyed and bent out of shape. LOL

Again, I'm not saying this is ALWAYS the reason for the snarky replies, because some people are just plain mean and unhappy. But I feel spending a lot of time on here can definitely play a role in how one's opinions are expressed. :twocents:

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Specializes in Critical Care.

erm,.... yes lol

last night i got chewed out for supporting, for arguements sake, a 25 yr olds "harsh" perspective. those who responded to me were quite witchy.

i think we need to remember that nurses, as a general community, are mostly women. women (myself included) have a tendency to be snarky, sassy, defensive, biting, catty, blah blah you name it. when you put a lot of womens personalities in one pot, you are bound to get sparks. a professor told me that once. cant say i disagree.

misery loves company. AN is company for some.

there, flag me :-P

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