## * [squillman](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/5844/squillman) [asked](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017772#3017772):* Sysadmins tend to get stereotyped with a holier-than-thou attitude. Do you feel you fall into this stereotype (in general)? Why/Why not? ---- ** [Ward](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/2075/ward) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017781#3017781):** Here? With a whole ton of smarter people ready to tell you you're wrong? No way. ** [ErikA](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/1744/erika) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017805#3017805):** As I'm able, I try and come across as approachable rather than holier-than-thou. ** [pauska](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/1949/pauska) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017818#3017818):** Yeah, when I was 16 and the l33t3st dude around with 8 freebsd servers on the attic running IRC bots. But now, no.. You learn pretty quickly that a smile and a service-oriented attitude opens up new opportunities. ** [Ben Pilbrow](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/1084/ben-pilbrow) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017825#3017825):** Not really. Look at my history, which speaks for itself. Sure on very few occasions I've *really* laid something on thick, but it's something they *really* shouldn't have been doing. 99% of my answers don't convey they "I know more than you, I'm more important than you" attitude. I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader. ** [Chris S](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/1506/chris-s) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017841#3017841):** I get that from time to time, but only from people who are half-a**ing the job, and know full well what they're doing is going to be unmaintainable... but it's not their problem or prerogative, so I can't blame them for trying to get away with it. There is more than one "right" solution to most problems, I'm open-minded about them. Just don't try to serve me dog crap on a silver platter and expect me to fawn over the shiny. ** [freiheit](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/45/freiheit) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017872#3017872):** Holier-than-thou? I try not to be, but I do probably come across that way sometimes. ** [WesleyDavid](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/2779/wesleydavid) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017903#3017903):** I struggle with this some days, and not others. It's strange, at any given point I suspect that I am the dumbest person in the room (this get-together included). At other times, when I see someone having done something that *appears* to be absurd, I get smug. I usually only feel it on the inside and am shamed by it (especially since I have had the good fortune of being around people that did *not* hold it in so I could see how ugly it is). In general, aside from the water-cooler chatting about lusers, I think I stay fairly grounded. Even when I see something that looks obviously wrong, I always wonder "I'd like to know why that person thought that was necessary... maybe I'm missing something..." ** [voretaq7](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/5477/voretaq7) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3017975#3017975):** Well, my environment is a beautiful gilded castle with singing birdies in all the towers. Of course I'm holier than you slobs! Seriously? Yes, in the sense that I push the *best* solution on people. I feel that there are certain times when we *can* answer a question in the way the asker expects, but we *should* instead point them at a better solution. I for one want ServerFault to be the place people go to for GOOD answers -- sometimes that means the answer is "Don't do that. You'll break the internet and I'll come to your door and yell at you!" On the other hand I recognize that not everyone has the luxury of being able to implement the good/right solution: I've often answered questions with "good solution, `BIG NASTY DISCLAIMER`, quick hack". All environments are different, and as *users* here we need to understand that -- the same goes for mods. ** [MDMarra](http://chat.stackexchange.com/users/7326/mdmarra) [answered](http://chat.stackexchange.com/transcript/message/3018061#3018061):** To users that are PITAs and insist that they are always right, of course. I am holier-than-them when it comes to my network. That's why I'm the one getting paid to run it and they're getting paid to crunch numbers in Excel. That said, I think that user horror stories give us SAs a "common enemy" for lack of a better word. User stories are something that everyone can relate to and actually help build a good community in [chat] and in comments.