Noobs - derogatory term or term of endearment?

[Pippyloo]

Hi guys, my colleague at work thinks using the term noob is an insult, I've never used it like that and now I want to know if other people do or wether it's generally meant to indicate someone is learning and doesn't know much about a subject. I created a wee survey to ask this or you could just answer in the thread. Many thanks.

[Mod edit: removed external survey link, added poll here.]

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

I've always maintained discretion when it came to identifying folks. Be it newcomers or experts or people who knew more than they should or people who didn't know what they should know. In reality we need to try our utmost to avoid labelling or branding people. Given that this is 2021, the trend is that people can get triggered by an XYZ or ABC term, which is why you adopt a baseline approach with language, not use abbreviated terms.

In office culture abbreviated terms often does give the sense to the newcomer that they're working among a pack of wolves. Which should be the opposite.

Lastly, akin to how people have different tastes in practically everything known in this universe, we shouldn't clump one users experience with another instead try and acknowledge that the individual might have some shortcomings which might need an under the desk approach to dealing with.

I apologize if this came off as something philosophical but you will need to place yourself in their shoes to understand what they're grasping at before you grasp at what you're saying(this should be both ways though, if not, that's the point you're having an argument).

 

[ZedClampet]

I've used the word both ways, but usually it's at least slightly insulting.

 

[Colif]

Everyone is a noob when it comes to something. No one knows everything (regardless of what they think).

I don't see it as an insult, just reality

Depends on the context really

 

[Johnway]

Depends on the context and how sensitive the person was. Its text speak for newbie but it comes off as derogatory on how its used sometimes. if someone said "how do i do x" and someone shouts "omg what a noob!" and offers no other feedback, i think it comes off a bit condescending. yeah, i don't know could someone help me or are you there to just mock me?

if someone makes a beginner mistake and goes "hahaha what a noob!" i think that's going a bit far. We were all beginners at something and its not fair when starting off to insult someone. Then again, as some philosophers say, to learn you have to be prepared to look stupid, you have to make those mistakes as its kind of expected/part of the process. Also understanding that people are a bunch of dicks, be better then those people by not acting like one yourself.

if someone used it in the context of "he's a noob at this, could someone show the user?" its not meant as an insult. All boils down to tone and context.

That said, in a working environment (especially a non technical environment) most people will probably roll their eyes. Its not at the same level as someone saying lol in a real conversation, but you're skirting towards that level of embarrassment. Among peers in an informal environment, who are familiar with the term or probably used it themselves, they'll probably not care.

 

[Frindis]

Depends on the context (we sure like to use that word here). If someone tries to kill me when I am naked in Rust and fails miserably, I'll occasionally put some salt in their wound. There is of course a difference between being an utter toxic **** while telling someone is a noob and doing it with a little fingerspizgefhul. After all, it is their actions and not the person behind them that deserves the noob mentioning. I would never think of using the term when I'm not playing games though. Noob just sounds really awkward elsewhere.

 

[mjs warlord]

Using the word noob in a game is as i have found to my cost is a big mistake.
In some games i have said things like ..... i am sorry if i do something wrong but i am a noobie , maybe this is the reason why some games now include tutorials to give you a basic understanding of how the mechanics of the game works.

My worse experience was a few years ago when i tried Doto2 , i am 66 and as i have said in other postings i have been a gamer since 1982 , i though i was bullet proof but the abuse and threats i had aimed at me really shocked me. I even had the opposing teams players going for me for ruining the game. They finally got the better of me because yes its only a game but the abuse came from real people to the point that if i had met these guys in real life i would have got myself in trouble.

 

[Brian Boru]

Added poll to OP, so y'all can vote here.

I apologize if this came off as something philosophical

Oh gosh no, no worries on that count. I thought it was far more noobish than philosophical.

usually it's at least slightly insulting

That's generally how I've seen it used too. Alternatively, it's self-deprecating.

I use the word 'newbie' myself, seems more neutral.

Depends on the context

Exactly, like many words it can be used to communicate or insult.

to learn you have to be prepared to look stupid

“The ancient oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.”
—Aristotle

 

[Alm]

I think it is derogatory but I think there are a lot of derogatory terms that can be brushed off. I don't think life should be taken so seriously that anything that can be taken offensively should be and should be punished.

Edit: Obviously the context makes it harder / easier to brush off.

 

[Zloth]

“The ancient oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.”
—Aristotle

But but but... if you know that you know nothing then you know something. Which means you're wrong about the only thing you think you know! So, in fact, you only think you know something when you actually know nothing. Which makes you right! So you DO know something that.... Argh! Don't we have a forum rule barring logical paradoxes!?

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Yeah, it's definitely an insult. But I'm not saying that because I believe we should stop using the word. My opinion is people need to stop being so sensitive and learn to just give it back. When I first went into the working world many years ago, my dad warned me that the guys are going to insult me and my mom. He said you can't be offended by that; you just have to learn to give them crap back. They're not really trying to bully you; they're just playing. My oldest son just graduated last year, and he's working in a shop for a trucking company. He's learning the same lesson, himself, right now. People are ruthless, but generally they're just messing around, and they have more fun with it if you can just throw it back at them. So if you want to call me a noob, go for it. I'm definitely a noob here on these forums.

I wish more people would learn that lesson these days.

 

[Colif]

But but but... if you know that you know nothing then you know something. Which means you're wrong about the only thing you think you know! So, in fact, you only think you know something when you actually know nothing. Which makes you right! So you DO know something that.... Argh! Don't we have a forum rule barring logical paradoxes!?

Often when you start looking into something, the more you discover, the more you realise you don't know. So I guess that is the meaning, he realised there was so much you cannot know that there is no point acting like an expert as there is always someone who knows more. Unless your interest is in something really obscure.

This is the generation that has forgotten that words don't really hurt. And as an Australian, I feel they wouldn't last long around my friends.

 

[Zloth]

This is the generation that has forgotten that words don't really hurt.

Words can hurt as deeply as any weapon.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Words can hurt as deeply as any weapon.

They can, but only if you let them. Personally, anyone in my life who would say hurtful words aren't valuable enough for it to matter to me. The people that hold that kind of value to me would never intentionally hurt me.

 

[Brian Boru]

only if you let them

Congrats on your good fortune.

Many are not so lucky.

 

[Colif]

People take too much personally. I rarely care what other people think.

It takes a lot to offend me.

I learned long ago I can't be friends with everyone so you just have to live with fact not everyone will agree with you. Or even like you. Not a lot you can do to fix it. Just move on. Or live with it if its your boss.

 

[Pifanjr]

My friends use 'noob' mostly to mean someone who doesn't have a lot of experience in something and therefore won't be very good. It's usually not meant derogatory and they can use it to describe themselves as well.

 

[WoodenSaucer]

Congrats on your good fortune.

Many are not so lucky.

Yeah, you're right about that. And I wasn't thinking about situations like abusive family members, or anything like that. I was just thinking generally about how people care so much about what people say, even if the person shouldn't hold any weight in their lives. If some Joe Blow at work calls me a name, why should I let it get to me? Or what about in a video game if someone calls me an F'in Noob? Do I believe that person is better than I am, or has any credibility when it comes to describing me? In situations like that, I have a choice about how much I let people get to me.

 

[Patricia Clemons]

I voted depends on context. Unless we want to say noob as derogatory and newb as novice

 

[mainer]

As many others have mentioned, it all depends upon the context of how the term is used. I see terms like "noob", or "git gud", or "fan boi" often used in various game forums/discussions, especially Steam, and usually the connotation is meant to be derogatory or insulting.

Using "noob" or any other term is not something I do unless I personally know the other person. I have several friends that when we get together we're constantly insulting each other with words that are much worse that "noob". But we laugh, because we know each other so well, and insulting each other is fun.

It's entirely different when communicating with individuals from all over the world and of all ages, and I would never apply a term like "noob" to someone I didn't know personally. even if I didn't mean it in a derogatory sense, they might not see it that way. Many people are ultra-sensitive and can be easily offended. Besides, I don't like labeling people in any manner.