Why are people

[conuly]

Me: Please don't do the thing, it's an accessibility issue for these three clearly stated reasons. When you do this thing, you may make the site harder for other people to use.

Them: Whatever, sorry if I offended you!

Me: I'm not offended. I'm just telling you that you may be making the site harder for other people to use for this reason, that reason, and the other reason.

Them: Well! You could've just educated me instead of telling me what to do for no reason!

Me: You're a complete dipshit.

(I didn't say that last part, but I felt it in my heart, guys.)

Comments

[redbird]

Oy vey. I wonder exactly how said person would have blown up if you had then said "OK, please educate me. How should I have done it?" I wouldn't be expecting to learn anything by asking that, though, so it's just as well I wasn't there to make snarky remarks.

[conuly]

That's actually what I did say!

But I don't intend to go back to see their response.

[greenwoodside]

I feel the pain/frustration.

Can also imagine a number of causes behind the issue. E.g. People putting important only info in JPEGs.

[conuly]

Nah, it was even simpler - all caps. Which is still an accessibility issue even if it turns out that screenreaders have all fixed that little problem (which I think they probably have? that's what everybody said when I asked?), because it's harder to read, especially for people who have trouble distinguishing between similar letter shapes.

And also, ffs, he's lucky I got there first to say something, because if it wasn't me it would've been somebody else, and they would've just told him to fuck off and stop yelling. Nobody needs a page of all caps!

[gatheringrivers]

Hells, all caps can make it harder for people who are NOT using screenreaders to read, especially someone who's vision prescription needs updating.

[conuly]

Yes, I said that. I have this down to a careful script, part of which I repeated here, though you may have skimmed - text in all caps is harder to read, especially for people who have trouble distinguishing between similar letter shapes. (This might include people with vision problems or with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.)

[conuly]

(Part of the problem is my natural inclination is to give so much information, but if you say too much you lose them and they may even whine about it. And when somebody tells me that 20 words is too long of a comment I find it very hard not to snark back at them! So I try to balance the right amount of information, but honestly, there's no winning with some folks.)

[gatheringrivers]

That is sadly soooo true! And it sucks :(

[greenwoodside]

Aargh!! Why would anyone do that? Even one word in all caps is OTT enough.

Some kind of desperate attention seeking maybe.

[chasing_silver]

Also, all caps is just too loud. I always cringe and want to tell the person to stop screaming at me!

[silveradept]

From "sorry if you were offended," I didn't have much hope that something productive would have come of it, but sometimes people surprise you in good ways.

[conuly]

Usually I don't get that much trouble from people, but sometimes I'm just like "Dude, I don't know why you think this a personal attack, but maybe you need to take that up with your therapist".

[cellio]

Sigh. Way too common. :-(

[conuly]

Seriously, is this something that could've been fixed by their parents hugging them more or something?

[cellio]

Better parenting might have averted it, but by the time you're an adult out in the world, you should be learning from experience what you failed to learn from your parents. At some point, one's assholery is entirely one's own fault for allowing it to continue unchecked.

[gwydion]

Exhausting!!!

[conuly]

I like to imagine it's more so for those people than for me. They're the ones who have to live like this.