Folks, all three mods have noticed a bad trend recently, and we'd like to ask you to help put an end to it. People are being unnecessarily and gratuitously rude to other posters. I'm not talking about criticizing posters in direct response to what they post. I'm talking about things that are non-responsive. Examples include:
1. Referring to other posters by pet names.
2. Referring to "the liberals on this board" or "the republicans on this board" in ways clearly intended to be insulting.
3. Bringing up a poster out of the blue just to insult their posting ability, when they are not even part of the current conversation.
We're not asking for a "safe space." When someone posts something that you want to criticize, by all means, criticize it. Strongly, if you like. But don't add gratuitous personal insults.
Good: "That post is completely wrong, and here's why."
Bad: "That post is completely wrong, and here's why. Also, you're a dumbass."
If in criticizing a post, you feel the need to refer to previous posts, that can be appropriate, too.
Good: "This is an example of something you've been doing a lot recently, which is fallacious. To wit..."
Bad: "This is an example of something you've been doing a lot recently, because you're an idiot."
This isn't really about what we're saying to each other, as much as how we're saying it. Even very harsh criticism can be valuable when it's done correctly.
Good: "This post of yours shows severe racial insensitivity. Let me explain why."
Bad: "Shut up, you racist f***."
These are the types of things that almost all of us do once in a while (yes, I'm using the word "us" instead of "you" on purpose). The problem that @Cajun54, @NPT and I have noticed lately is that they've been happening a lot more often than they used to. We'd like everyone to take a deep breath, calm down, and try to rein this in a little bit.
On a personal note, I'd like to add two things, although I don't speak for Cajun or NPT. First, the majority of posts I felt the need to delete during the election and shortly after for being over the line were directed at liberals. That has flipped almost 180 degrees. The past few weeks, all but one of the posts I've deleted was aimed at conservatives. I assume this is a function of people smelling blood with all the Trump scandals, but I still find this disappointing. Second, I understand that sometimes you might feel a post is just so bad it doesn't deserve a reasonable response. I've been there. But for now, following the lead of the site admins on the hoops and football boards, I think the way you're going to have to deal with that is to simply not respond at all or put that poster on ignore so you're not tempted.
Finally, it would be unwieldly to go back and reread every thread on the front page to look for recent offenses, so consider this more of a "moving forward" kind of thing. If we miss something really egregious, please use the report function and we'll get to it.
Thanks.
1. Referring to other posters by pet names.
2. Referring to "the liberals on this board" or "the republicans on this board" in ways clearly intended to be insulting.
3. Bringing up a poster out of the blue just to insult their posting ability, when they are not even part of the current conversation.
We're not asking for a "safe space." When someone posts something that you want to criticize, by all means, criticize it. Strongly, if you like. But don't add gratuitous personal insults.
Good: "That post is completely wrong, and here's why."
Bad: "That post is completely wrong, and here's why. Also, you're a dumbass."
If in criticizing a post, you feel the need to refer to previous posts, that can be appropriate, too.
Good: "This is an example of something you've been doing a lot recently, which is fallacious. To wit..."
Bad: "This is an example of something you've been doing a lot recently, because you're an idiot."
This isn't really about what we're saying to each other, as much as how we're saying it. Even very harsh criticism can be valuable when it's done correctly.
Good: "This post of yours shows severe racial insensitivity. Let me explain why."
Bad: "Shut up, you racist f***."
These are the types of things that almost all of us do once in a while (yes, I'm using the word "us" instead of "you" on purpose). The problem that @Cajun54, @NPT and I have noticed lately is that they've been happening a lot more often than they used to. We'd like everyone to take a deep breath, calm down, and try to rein this in a little bit.
On a personal note, I'd like to add two things, although I don't speak for Cajun or NPT. First, the majority of posts I felt the need to delete during the election and shortly after for being over the line were directed at liberals. That has flipped almost 180 degrees. The past few weeks, all but one of the posts I've deleted was aimed at conservatives. I assume this is a function of people smelling blood with all the Trump scandals, but I still find this disappointing. Second, I understand that sometimes you might feel a post is just so bad it doesn't deserve a reasonable response. I've been there. But for now, following the lead of the site admins on the hoops and football boards, I think the way you're going to have to deal with that is to simply not respond at all or put that poster on ignore so you're not tempted.
Finally, it would be unwieldly to go back and reread every thread on the front page to look for recent offenses, so consider this more of a "moving forward" kind of thing. If we miss something really egregious, please use the report function and we'll get to it.
Thanks.
