How does a person's AVATAR here, affect how you feel about them and respond to their questions?

Some avatars are offensive. And I transfer that to the question, and comment in kind. As for the old timers - I use them as a tool. If I see an avatar from a user whom I know is a troll, or a pot stirrer, I go into the question loaded for bear!

Their avatar has little to do with how I feel about a person--it is the content of their words and actions on this site that inform me about the person behind the avatar.

Some images (angry cat, cartoon) indicate something about the character of the actual person. Others (face) indicate little to nothing. Some are revelatory but one must ask to find out what is revealed. Therefore, the user's choice of icon means little to me because I've no way of knowing which is what. I am aware of how images can affect moods; therefore, I actively resist that instinct and focus on the question and the information required (since emotions tend to get the entire answer deleted by the moderators.)

It might affect my initial feeling, but I soon get to know who tries to offend and who is respectful. I often skip reading those who tend to make it a sport to offend.

If it's a bluehead, I figure it's probably a one post wonder.

And I mean those photos that look like they're taken from a $.50 cell phone.

LOL. I have Javascript blocked. I didn't know some of the avatars blinked for ages. Ugh that's like blinking Christmas lights. It's tacky. Seems like when people put up real pictures of themselves, they're pictures taken 50 years ago. LOL

"Some avatars are offensive. And I transfer that to the question, and comment in kind." That was my point. They can make you feel defensive and you can't really have a normal conversation.

I think its a confluence of factors. There was a particularly poster here a while back who used a growling closeup of a Grizzly Bear as his avatar. He was aggressive and only interested in those posts that he could argue abusively - he used a frightening avatar to represent his personality. More than one person thought it was purposefully accomplished and I agree.