Have you ever looked a goat in the eye and asked 'Why?'

[PeterMollenburg]

Is it off topic? Yes.

why don't you open such threads under other topics or locations (websites/forums)?

I don't get into social media and forums (except for this one). This is my only online place I like to semi-regularly spend time on, as I really enjoy learning languages. At this point in time I am not interested in joining other communities or forums. I'm so short on time and have plenty to do, that's just not something I currently have any of intention of doing.

As I wouldn't quit my day job to try my hand at stand-up because my jokes weren't well received by some colleagues at my regular day job, I'm not keen on the idea of joining another forum or some other group in the hope of harbouring a more receptive audience. I don't think it's unreasonable to have some light-hearted fun on the odd occasion. Is our level of seriousness really that high that we absolutely have an issue with some joking around? Truth be told, I find this disappointing, as it feels like any deviation from a strict interpretation of expected forum behaviour will be seen as irresponsable, inappropriate and simply not tolerated.

(also, having said that the sun was sparkling shining for you does not mean the same thing for others, therefore, being serious is better than joking manner in serious locations, to me.)

I disagree. I am not entirely responsable for the way others feel. Nevertheless, nor am I here to deliberately antagonize people and force a negative reaction. This thread has had no ill-intentions behind it. Most threads here have a focus, a purpose, for sure. This one was an exception, some fun.

Anyway, the point is that I like to sometimes inject a little humour just to lighten things up a little, or simply to have some fun.

...which is why a lot of forums have an "off-topic" board, or "lounge" or "just for fun". But often it ends up getting unused, and people don't post their just-for-fun posts at all because they'll never be read in the just-for-fun forum. Or they'll post it on a general information board, because that's the most commonly used one.

This forum doesn't have an off-topic/just-for-fun board because we're all only here because of a shared goal, and we can't really expect everyone to have the same sense of humour as us.

We are all different. We have diversity of personality types here, diversity in language learning methods, diversity with interpretations regarding language acquisition, diverse ways of documenting our respective journeys. I'm not expecting other forum members to have the same sense of humour or to express themselves similarly.

At this point I feel I am being unreasonably targeted here on a simple expression of personality. Tell me, would you lodge a complaint against a work colleague because that person was making the odd joke at work and you feel that person should not joke, as work ought to be taken seriously? Furthermore, perhaps that person should go to a designated joking room?

[jimmy]

actually, I hate to give negative energy or any type of sense in this way. (sorry really if this has happened)
Because I am sure I have no bad intention.
Anyway, I also see that this forum does not provide an option for off topic converstaions or fun specified for this aim.
Therefore, I refer to moderator's/administrator's advice in this regard to what to do or how to act.

[Cainntear]

We are all different. We have diversity of personality types here, diversity in language learning methods, diversity with interpretations regarding language acquisition, diverse ways of documenting our respective journeys.

Exactly.

I'm not expecting other forum members to have the same sense of humour or to express themselves similarly.

OK, but you are expecting them to react in a way that they haven't reacted in. The intention of your post is not obvious. There is a huge problem on the internet of things being posted in a way that grabs the attention and pushes you to click to find out what it means -- clickbait.

If you set up the question in the reader's head of "why should I click on this?" but don't answer it in the post, it irritates people. It creates an unresolvable information gap -- "I'm supposed to know what this is talking about, but I don't."

Do not underestimate the disruptive power of that sort of thing.

[emk]

While I am willing to overlook the occasional surrealist discussion of goats, I suspect this thread is headed in a less interesting direction, and becoming an extended argument about surrealist discussions of goats. Which is also off-topic, but with 100% fewer goats.

I have therefore decided that I will take this thread, and feed it to my lovely neighbor's increasingly sinister (and increasingly enormous) goats. They have been escaping their pen recently, and sometimes when I am walking and doing Anki reviews, they surround me and stare at me, as if demanding something. They are quite large, and they have serious horns. (This goat-mobbing is entirely true, just to be clear.)

Hopefully my offering of this thread to the goats will distract them long enough for me to make my escape. Maybe they are curious about language learning, or have strong opinions about Anki.