Celine;
1st of all,
Hiya! T'was nice to chat with you the other day.
Having given a bit of thought to this (not all of it very uplifting), I decided to post here, instead of some of the other threads, in keeping with your suggestion about supporting the "better" threads.
Whether you liken this place to a house, or a bar...
1. Do you normally walk into a bar,
- Kick the bartender in the privates,
- Then demand your drink be served with a smile,
- Then complain about its size,
- Then order another, and another,
- Then complain you are not being treated fairly?
2. Do you normally walk into a friend's, or stranger's house,
- Plop in the middle of the couch,
- Help yourself to the pretzels,
- Change the channel on TV,
- Insult their spouse,
- Call their children ugly toads,
- Then remind him about "free speech", and how you belong there just as much as they do?
First of all,
Dis Ain't Free Speech! I pay AT&T $30/month to read this garp!
The people who host it pay a good deal more. And yes, it
is their house.
I have never much cared for "rules" in situations like this.
"Rules beget lawyers".
People who want to dissect the fine print, then argue loopholes endlessly. In most cases what you wind up with is having to respond to some "high philosophical argument" like,
"Just because I spit 3 times a minute,
and gravity took over,
does not mean I spat on your floor!
UNFAIR!!"
Sorry, life's too short, and besides, I've already raised two children. I did my time.
Simple
good manners are key.
Debate is about responding to issues, to facts with facts, in a forum this usually means including links to credible sources, and/or quotes.
If you are "threatened" by a challenge to your view, it is usually a good idea to:
1. Question how all pervading your view is.
2. Ask why you
need to hold this view, and why must everyone "succum" to it? After all, whether we are willing to admit it, or not, most of what we say/post/etc is usually for our own benefit.
"i came here to learn and to share..."
As did I.
It was for that reason I argued long and hard against this place "going pay" late last year. I continued to read, because it continued to be a place of interest. I then paid in September of this year, because my wish to participate over-rode my objections.
Now that it's open to all again, I almost wonder.
Trolls are an inevitable thing of forums, just like trash is an inevitable consequence of cooking. So it should follow that, sooner or later, everyone but the rats will appreciate someone taking out the trash.
10 days into this, and I keep telling myself the place is going through an adjustment. I agree with Celine that one of the best things we can do is to respond to and contribute to what interests us, and let the rest fall away.
Anyway, about as far as I can go, and not stir the pot.
Fred