If I may speak vaguely and without reference to any specific incident: I have the sense that ["Be tolerant of others who may not know everything you know."][1]  should be in my copy/paste buffer while I read math.stackexchange.com. I wish that weren't the case.

Reading FAQ topics including [etiquette][1], [howtoask][2], [dontask][3], and [bounty][4], I still imagine that there's room to address the following interrelated concerns better:

* An "original poster" (OP) is wasting the community's time!
* How might I respond gracefully to a question that is badly posed?
* How might I pose my question better?
* This comment's (or answer's) sophistication is condescending!
* This comment (or answer) is flippant toward the OP!

  [1]: http://math.stackexchange.com/faq#etiquette
  [2]: http://math.stackexchange.com/faq#howtoask
  [3]: http://math.stackexchange.com/faq#dontask
  [4]: http://math.stackexchange.com/faq#bounty