It has been interesting to watch the reactions people have had while Plurk has been going through a few problems recently. You can tell a lot about people by the way they react to the problems of other people, and what you find out is not always pleasant. Fortunately, most of the time it is a good experience. I suppose that a range of attitudes is to be expected, given the wide variety of people that Plurk.

Just going on Plurks and responses, there is one group of apparently perfect people on Plurk. When Plurk is having a problem, they bitch and moan as if they have never made a mistake, let people down, or otherwise been less than paragons of perfection. This group of people has either led a charmed life and never had a problem (NOT!), or is quite out of touch with reality. All they care about is themselves and getting what they want.

There is a smaller, louder group that can be defined as misanthropes. This group takes advantage of any Plurk problem to go on a rampage about how lousy the site and service has always been. Some of these people further prove their misanthropy by doing their best to stick it to reasonable people who understand the problems and just go with the flow, calling them apologists, and worse. There are always “superior” people that hate, purely hate, and these are them.

But the vast majority of Plurkers have had problems, have caused problems, and have the ability to be honest with themselves. They might be disappointed that Plurk is unavailable, or is working goofily, but they understand. The majority is neither nasty nor mean, and are even sometimes downright cheerful in the face of a little adversity. They might say they wish that the service was available, but they don’t say nasty things about Plurk, or about other positive-minded Plurkers.

It’s not very difficult to figure out which group you want to hang with. The mean and nasty bitchers and whiners won’t last long in a real-life group, except as desperate hangers-on. I see no reason to have much to do with people that have a wide vindictive streak, so I am paring down the people I follow. I don’t have much patience for the consistently mean, self-impressed, nasty, whining, vindictive, or misanthropic Plurkers. Screw them. They’re gone.

There are a lot of intelligent, feeling, decent human beings on Plurk. That is where the enjoyment is. Those people are the reason that I Plurk. I am incredibly glad that this group is 95% of Plurkdom and that it will soon be 100% of my friends. I will not put up with idiots and assholes in non-virtual life, and I see no reason to put up with them on Plurk.

I’m KDFrawg on Plurk. Stop by and say, “Howdy.” But don’t stop by to bitch or whine.