Can you make people update their opinion on you?

I guess it solely depends on the maturity of the people you interact with. Though I had already been lurking for years, when I finally joined DW in 2011 I already had a good idea of the outcasts or the lower status people and treated them rather shitty. Part of it was bad information from other sources and part was wanting to fit in with those who seemed to be garnering all the favor. One of them was 40oz, I gave him a really hard time in nearly every thread. But I got to know him more and playing his maps and reading his long-ass winded posts about mapping philosophies and knew all this shit he had been getting was unwarranted and unfair, so I stopped acting like a dick towards him.

I'm old and wise enough to keep my really personal shit under my hat, people can fuck with me all they want, all they know is what I allow to be known. I imagine being a teenager on a forum and saying a bunch of stupid shit then growing out of it with the same people looking down at you would be a lot harder to overcome. Just look at Sodaholic or whatever his name is now, that's going to be an uphill battle. But it can be done, I mean insertwackynamehere and Blackfish also used to be the butt of every joke, now people just walk on by.

Memfis, I used to think that you were really cool, for a number of years. Then earlier this year you pissed me off and frustrated me with your Doom attitude at that time and your statements of never mapping again and I thought you were a cunt. Then I’ve started talking to you like actually properly in recent months here and on Discord. Now I want to adopt you So take all that into account, for science.

I think when someone forms an opinion of you, it is rare that they change their general sentiments towards you. If two people or more confide the same negative opinion about you, they could re-enforce that sentiment, and relegate you to a caricature that becomes the butt of secret jokes. It is a horrible mentality, but a lot of people do it I've noticed. Doing well for yourself, or doing something praiseworthy could inspire jealousy or unfair criticism from these kinds of people. They will look for fault in everything you do, because of the ingrained opinion they have.

I think the best thing to do is find new friends. You don't need to waste your time trying to de-program people from a mindset they have about you.

I've noticed that many people are willing to change their opinions on others, but only for the worse, not for the better, unless they're already friends with those people.