DentArthurDent wrote:
Thanks for the PM. You have confirmed to me that you do not yet understand some of the dynamics of PPR. Myself, Slowmutant, Orwell, Fnord, AG, Dox 47, Sand et al have a history of directness with each other, the example you give of me accusing slowmutant of believing in fairy tales was very tongue in cheek, he knew it and so will you when you have been around a bit longer.
We also have respect for each other which has been demonstrated time and again. I can see your point if a person new to PPR gets flamed on their first post, this has happened on occasion and is wrong, mind you the example set by claire 333 is a good one; apparently she spent a couple of weeks reading the various posts and getting to understand the dynamics before jumping in. I am not saying that this is necessary but if you are easily offended it might be wise.
Personally I think the level of discourse in PPR is now quite healthy.
As stated by sinsboldy
"2. Personal attacks.
This includes insinuation, ridicule and personal insults, regardless of whether direct or indirect. Attacking an opinion, belief or philosophy is acceptable, but attacking the person making the comments is not.
"Jane, you ignorant slut" is not permissible
"Jane, your opinion is ignorant/sluttish"
"Jane, your beliefs are ignorant/sluttish"
"Jane, your philosophy is ignorant/sluttish" are rude, but allowed.
if someone identifies too closely with their opinions, beliefs or philosophy that they take offense as if it is a personal attack then they might want to take a look at that. "
So whilst respecting the rules I propose that your opinion on the state of PPR is a little bit precious.
Those were 5 minute examples of the first 3 pages of PPR. I personally am not offended by the discourse in PPR. But when PPR spills into the other forums or when new people watching get the feeling that they will be instantly flamed, or in some circumstances they begin to think it is ok to attack people because the other forum members do so... well then your opinion of my opinion is lost.
I once had a 3rd grader overhear someone in his family talking about sex and then came to school, walked up to a girl he liked and told her that he wanted to everything he had heard... to her. Now you can argue all day that it is perfectly acceptable for you to talk about sex. But when an 8 yr old girl's father comes gunning for you because your kid told his kid that he was going to f*&k her. It's your fault, and you will pay for it. And when every other kid in the class comes home and tells their parents what they heard at school. Child services will be knocking at your door... followed by a mob of pissed off parents.
You can go around saying anything you want and claiming it is your right, because the person you are saying it to "has an understanding with you". But most of the time your conversations can be overheard by a number of people, and you are responsible for what those people hear. Say what you want, but don't be surprised when someone comes knocking on your door with a little surprise.
That being said, most of what I said in the OP applies well beyond PPR into every facet of life. If you want someone to respect you or listen to you then insulting everyone who disagrees with you is the worst way to do so. Either by insulting them personally or their beliefs. Because for all you know... your the one who is an idiot and they are they smart ones because your beliefs are ignorant/sluttish and their beliefs are more logical/?pure? and you were never able to see it because you adhered to your belief system to strongly. By being open and calm and respectful... you make it easier to convince other people of the logic/rationality of your belief or you are more able to change your potentially irrational beliefs for more accurate ones.
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ADHD-diagnosed
Asperger's Syndrome-diagnosed