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Post by SpringSummers on Feb 9, 2008 16:41:45 GMT -5
Good point. And to merge this topic of bashing with the one we were talking about that brought it up, I think this is the reason it seems we all pretty much hold low opinions of Coulter and Rush. They constantly bash. They don't talk to people in respectable disagreeing language. They show no respect for people and in return they deserve little respect from us. Either of the two would be banned from the board in probably about 3 posts.  Vlad My problem is with talking heads who think they know it all, but aren't the geniuses they like to think they are. They are invariably rude and pedantic without basis. It's one of the things I dislike most about Chris Matthews. He never lets anyone finish what they have to say if they don't agree with him. He makes anyone left of center, liberal for want of a better term, look like screaming, maniacal, self-righteous knee-jerks. He's somewhat like that misogynistic radio talk show host.  I personally have not heard Anne Coulter for any length of time. I don't like her tone. I think she gives the term conservative a very bad name and makes everyone think that if you are conservative in the least, you must be some fascistic, hate-filled, harpy who badly needs to get a life. I think the talking heads are a bigger problem than any other form of media. I'd rather hear from the candidates themselves, than listen to what the so-called experts have to say. Some of the better "talking heads" can be useful, in that they take the time to thoughtfully analyze situations and can get me thinking in new ways about something. There are ones that make me cringe, on both the left and the right, and ones that I find very thoughtful and intelligent and worth listening to, on both sides as well. But there are a lot more of the former, than the latter. I guess that is about ratings. |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Feb 9, 2008 16:49:04 GMT -5
I think for the most part we are pretty good at having disagreements and strong feelings without getting mad at each other, but there were a few ruffled feathers on the main thread not too long ago when people were expressing strong feelings about cats and dogs.
As far as expressing opinions here, it might help when expressing strong negative opinions about some one, to say, for example, "I feel that so and so is nuts" instead of "So and so is nuts." framing it thus sort of softens things a bit. Like Willow says, use your "I statements." Just a suggestion.
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 16:49:10 GMT -5
Oh, and in case you are wondering, in most states, perjury is legally defined as lying under oath about a matter that is material to the case in which the testimony is being sought. So, when I qualify my post to specifically refer to lying about something material, it's because I'm referring to committing perjury and not giving a free pass to lying about immaterial things. I was out of the country at the time, so I didn't get the same coverage as everybody else did. My take on it was that he lied about "having sex" with Ms. L, which was, in my opinion, immaterial. So I come down to not having that much of a problem with him lying in answer to a question (yes, even under oath) that I don't think he should have been asked by anybody but his wife. Sure, I think what he did with L was tacky and I would have, like Spring said, thought twice about voting for him again because of that alone. But I don't think the "sex" part warranted impeachment proceedings. |
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 16:53:46 GMT -5
I suggest that, for the time being, if someone is offended by something another person says, they should just say so. We're all grownups, and I'm completely fine with you saying that Ann Coulter makes you want to hurl....  But seriously - just talking like you might to a person in the 3D world who you respectfully disagree with ought to be enough. The occasional "nutjob" is gonna slip through. Good point. And to merge this topic of bashing with the one we were talking about that brought it up, I think this is the reason it seems we all pretty much hold low opinions of Coulter and Rush. They constantly bash. They don't talk to people in respectable disagreeing language. They show no respect for people and in return they deserve little respect from us.Either of the two would be banned from the board in probably about 3 posts. Vlad Aren't we supposed to be better than that? Isn't what one of the reasons why this whole board is here in the first place? |
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Post by Vlad on Feb 9, 2008 16:54:40 GMT -5
To me, using terms like "nutjob" or "nuts" = "they suck, I hate them" type of wording, and I do agree such things should be avoided. And yes, I agree with Rachael - speak up people, if you are offended. IM the person who has offended you, or IM a TP and let them know, so that the TPs can get a feel for it all, and figure out where the lines need to be drawn. In the meantime, I'd say "avoid anything that seems like name calling or wording that is unnecessarily inflammatory. Doesn't mean you have to mince your words . . . maybe another way to think of it may be "keeping it professional, rather than personal." Ah, well . . . let's keep on stumlin' along here, and see how it goes. I like it so far, despite the potholes. I agree largely with you Spring. I think referring to individuals as "nutjobs" or "nuts" and jsut leaving it there is wrong. If you say I think "s and so" is a nut because they.. blah blah blah..." that is different. and that is what I was trying to say. Overall, I agree in general. Avoid really bad name calling. Especially avoid unsubstantiated name-calling. But, I don't want us to get to the point where we are mincing every single word we make here. As Rachael said, the occasional "nutjob" is gonna slip out, cause that's how we think of the person *L* Or, sometimes we might want to make a very strong statement. It's like we don't ban the use of language like "Fuck" on our boards. It's generally used for strong emphasis. If someone came in swearing like a sailor in every single one of their posts, we'd curtail it pretty fast. Vlad |
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Feb 9, 2008 16:56:21 GMT -5
Oh, and as far as myself, I'm unaffiliated politically speaking (I don't believe in labeling my beliefs, which is why I'm areligious as well). The NC primary is not until May and it's a closed one, so I don't think I will be voting in it. I suppose I could register for one party and then reregister as unaffiliated, but I'm not sure if I want to do that.
At any rate, I've only been peripherally paying attention to the campaigns so far, since I knew that candidates always drop out. I'm just starting to pay closer attention now.
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Post by Vlad on Feb 9, 2008 17:03:07 GMT -5
Good point. And to merge this topic of bashing with the one we were talking about that brought it up, I think this is the reason it seems we all pretty much hold low opinions of Coulter and Rush. They constantly bash. They don't talk to people in respectable disagreeing language. They show no respect for people and in return they deserve little respect from us.Either of the two would be banned from the board in probably about 3 posts. Vlad Aren't we supposed to be better than that? Isn't what one of the reasons why this whole board is here in the first place? Yes, we are vastly superior! We all know it. This is why one day S'cubies shall rule the world. Or, maybe that's the apes.... I get us all confused sometimes. Seriously, I think this whole discussion is exactly what needed to be done up here in the first part of this new board. We are defining our lines. I know that "I" will be more careful in my speech, not jsut because of the rules, but in how it's likely to be perceived by others here. I want to sway you ALL to my fabulous opinions, and if that takes massive amounts of honey, well, damn it, I guess I'll jsut have to start raising bees. Or, go to Sam's Club for the 44oz Value jar. Yeah, that sounds a little easier. Vlad |
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 17:05:24 GMT -5
Aren't we supposed to be better than that? Isn't what one of the reasons why this whole board is here in the first place? Yes, we are vastly superior! We all know it. This is why one day S'cubies shall rule the world. Or, maybe that's the apes.... I get us all confused sometimes. Seriously, I think this whole discussion is exactly what needed to be done up here in the first part of this new board. We are defining our lines. I know that "I" will be more careful in my speech, not jsut because of the rules, but in how it's likely to be perceived by others here. I want to sway you ALL to my fabulous opinions, and if that takes massive amounts of honey, well, damn it, I guess I'll jsut have to start raising bees. Or, go to Sam's Club for the 44oz Value jar. Yeah, that sounds a little easier.Vlad You KNOW how I feel about Wal-Mart, though. |
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Post by Karen on Feb 9, 2008 17:11:19 GMT -5
Yes, we are vastly superior! We all know it. This is why one day S'cubies shall rule the world. Or, maybe that's the apes.... I get us all confused sometimes. Seriously, I think this whole discussion is exactly what needed to be done up here in the first part of this new board. We are defining our lines. I know that "I" will be more careful in my speech, not jsut because of the rules, but in how it's likely to be perceived by others here. I want to sway you ALL to my fabulous opinions, and if that takes massive amounts of honey, well, damn it, I guess I'll jsut have to start raising bees. Or, go to Sam's Club for the 44oz Value jar. Yeah, that sounds a little easier.Vlad You KNOW how I feel about Wal-Mart, though. I hate living in a town where the only viable option to shop is Walmart. But there you have it. I shop at the local grocer when I can, mostly for fresh stuff - meat and produce, but when it comes to saving money for the organic things, you just can't beat Walmart for the price. And the savings add up over time. I wish we had a Super Target locally. I really love Target for just about everything Walmart sells. Oh, the joys of living in a one-horse town. Nick is really going to hate it here if he decides to move. I mean, even the new local Starbucks sucks. Slow service, cold coffee, screwed up orders. (Sorry, not really a controversial post, now, is it?) Go Ron Paul! ;D |
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Post by Vlad on Feb 9, 2008 17:13:54 GMT -5
I think for the most part we are pretty good at having disagreements and strong feelings without getting mad at each other, but there were a few ruffled feathers on the main thread not too long ago when people were expressing strong feelings about cats and dogs. As far as expressing opinions here, it might help when expressing strong negative opinions about some one, to say, for example, "I feel that so and so is nuts" instead of "So and so is nuts." framing it thus sort of softens things a bit. Like Willow says, use your "I statements." Just a suggestion. "I" statements are a very good thing in general.  I will say one thing... ruffling of feathers is not a horrible thing. It's what we do after our feathers get ruffled that matters. And this is coming from a person that is far from perfect and knows it. I get my feathers ruffled easily enough. But I really try, harder and harder, to see the other side, to not be deluded by what I thought I heard as compared to what was said and so forth. These are all things that need to be done here, and really everywhere. I know that Shan and I have done a great job with each other in our relationship by jsut "talking" when we disagree. A lot of times we find we aren't so far apart. Sometimes we can work out a mutual compromise. Sometimes she is jsut completely WRONG, however. But, I am sweet and don't point it out. Fortunatley, she does the same with me. It makes going out to dinner a lot more enjoyable if we aren't glaring at each other. Vlad |
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 17:16:27 GMT -5
You KNOW how I feel about Wal-Mart, though. I hate living in a town where the only viable option to shop is Walmart. But there you have it. I shop at the local grocer when I can, mostly for fresh stuff - meat and produce, but when it comes to saving money for the organic things, you just can't beat Walmart for the price. And the savings add up over time. I wish we had a Super Target locally. I really love Target for just about everything Walmart sells. Oh, the joys of living in a one-horse town. Nick is really going to hate it here if he decides to move. I mean, even the new local Starbucks sucks. Slow service, cold coffee, screwed up orders. (Sorry, not really a controversial post, now, is it?) Go Ron Paul! ;D LOL! |
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Post by Vlad on Feb 9, 2008 17:16:34 GMT -5
Yes, we are vastly superior! We all know it. This is why one day S'cubies shall rule the world. Or, maybe that's the apes.... I get us all confused sometimes. Seriously, I think this whole discussion is exactly what needed to be done up here in the first part of this new board. We are defining our lines. I know that "I" will be more careful in my speech, not jsut because of the rules, but in how it's likely to be perceived by others here. I want to sway you ALL to my fabulous opinions, and if that takes massive amounts of honey, well, damn it, I guess I'll jsut have to start raising bees. Or, go to Sam's Club for the 44oz Value jar. Yeah, that sounds a little easier.Vlad You KNOW how I feel about Wal-Mart, though. Yes, dear. That's why I put on my trench coat and sunglasses and try to get in and out as fast as possible and when you ask me where I was at, I say... "Ummm... no where...okay, you aren't buying it. fine, fine, you caught me. I was sleeping with my mistress." Vlad |
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 17:18:08 GMT -5
I think for the most part we are pretty good at having disagreements and strong feelings without getting mad at each other, but there were a few ruffled feathers on the main thread not too long ago when people were expressing strong feelings about cats and dogs. As far as expressing opinions here, it might help when expressing strong negative opinions about some one, to say, for example, "I feel that so and so is nuts" instead of "So and so is nuts." framing it thus sort of softens things a bit. Like Willow says, use your "I statements." Just a suggestion. "I" statements are a very good thing in general. I will say one thing... ruffling of feathers is not a horrible thing. It's what we do after our feathers get ruffled that matters. And this is coming from a person that is far from perfect and knows it. I get my feathers ruffled easily enough. But I really try, harder and harder, to see the other side, to not be deluded by what I thought I heard as compared to what was said and so forth. These are all things that need to be done here, and really everywhere. I know that Shan and I have done a great job with each other in our relationship by jsut "talking" when we disagree. A lot of times we find we aren't so far apart. Sometimes we can work out a mutual compromise. Sometimes she is jsut completely WRONG, however. But, I am sweet and don't point it out. Fortunatley, she does the same with me. It makes going out to dinner a lot more enjoyable if we aren't glaring at each other. Vlad Are you calling me a GLARER?! <edit> Okay, I am going to behave now. We've pretty much stated our positions on and hopes for this new board, so I'm going to leave it at that. |
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Post by Shan on Feb 9, 2008 17:21:51 GMT -5
Except...OMFG, now we're getting banner ads to sign up for Ann Coulter's latest articles by email update.
*facepalm*
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Post by Vlad on Feb 9, 2008 17:22:06 GMT -5
"I" statements are a very good thing in general. I will say one thing... ruffling of feathers is not a horrible thing. It's what we do after our feathers get ruffled that matters. And this is coming from a person that is far from perfect and knows it. I get my feathers ruffled easily enough. But I really try, harder and harder, to see the other side, to not be deluded by what I thought I heard as compared to what was said and so forth. These are all things that need to be done here, and really everywhere. I know that Shan and I have done a great job with each other in our relationship by jsut "talking" when we disagree. A lot of times we find we aren't so far apart. Sometimes we can work out a mutual compromise. Sometimes she is jsut completely WRONG, however. But, I am sweet and don't point it out. Fortunatley, she does the same with me. It makes going out to dinner a lot more enjoyable if we aren't glaring at each other. Vlad Are you calling me a GLARER?! Oh no! Your "look of contempt" is so far and above "glaring" that it's like comparing .... a scooter to a 100 horse power Harley. You have completely mastered that portion of your self! It's awe inspiring, really. Vlad |
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I personally have not heard Anne Coulter for any length of time. I don't like her tone. I think she gives the term conservative a very bad name and makes everyone think that if you are conservative in the least, you must be some fascistic, hate-filled, harpy who badly needs to get a life.
I will say one thing... ruffling of feathers is not a horrible thing. It's what we do after our feathers get ruffled that matters.